The Goddess's Daily Groove

I am back....my brain is exploding.

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 16:30:00 +0000

If you are reading this, you will know that I have switched this blog back to where it started many, many years ago.

That is because I woke up this morning to a message telling me because of opting out the exuberant hosting plan, I could no longer access my domain .....blablabla. Essentially, I let myself be talked into an elaborate plan. Mostly, I missed the simplicity of this platform. I am a creative, not a techie, and the other blog platform just blew my mind. So excuse that my URL is not my own domain, but rest assured it is still the same Heike talking to you :).

So, bare with me as I switch and figure out how to bring the last few blog posts over here. Also, as I fiddle with links, looks, etc. If you need me, email me at heike (at) goddessinthegroove.com. The good thing about this all is that you will likely see/read me more, since I can express myself quicker.

Voila! Maybe the Universe was looking out for me?

Much love, Heike

Do you still check under the bed?

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Sun, 27 Mar 2016 15:31:00 +0000

When I was a child, one of my biggest fears was that something was hiding under my bed. I am still not clear what that "something" was, but I became creative in dealing with it.

Running, and taking a flying leap into my bed from the doorway.

Arranging ALL my stuffed animals around me when I slept to protect me.

Cramming all my belongings under the bed (now that I think about it, maybe that is what my son & daughter both are doing this, not just teenager sloppiness??).

If I was feeling very brave, I would lift up the blankets and peek under the bed, but only from the safety of the top, ringed by my animals.

I also thought things lived in closets, but since those could be closed, they were not as threatening to me. Even today, I will close (and lock, if possible) every closet before I go to the bed :).

Yesterday, we were doing our annual 4H petting zoo. I love watching the small children come and pet the chickens, the awe of touching their silky soft feathers and feeling their warmth. Of course, the baby goats are always a hit too.

Children have no fear, their innate curiousity trumps all. It is the adults that jump when our chickens even just move to adjust their feet as they are being pet by lots of little hands. The adults that say "BE CAREFUL, the chicken can bite!" Or that urge their children from animal to animal, insisting they touch the animal, instead of letting the child explore on their own terms. It saddens me to see how fast, and unknowingly, adults project their fear of animals onto their children.

That brings me back to my biggest childhood fear: who is sharing my under bed space?

How in the world did that come around? Today, my bed is very high, with nothing under it but my dog, and on occasion my trampoline. Either way, I can see under it from the door :).

This will be the topic of my next Skype coffee talk with my Mama. Stay tuned!

The Raising of a Wild Thing....Without Breaking His Spirit

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 04:30:00 +0000

My son just turned 14 a few days ago. I was not sure he would reach this tender age in one piece, since teenitis & hormones, as well as some genetic traits, have turned my sweet pumpkin baby into a wild/furious/outrageous/smartass/compassionate/sweet mess.

It is like living with a version of Jekyll & Hyde. One minute, my son is articulate, sweet, intelligent, compassionate.....and the next.....a totally outrageous smartass. If you are shaking your head right now, saying “How can you call your son a smartass, you horrible mom??” I suggest you push the delete button and do not read on. It gets worse.

How can two children, raised by the same parents, in the same environment, be so phenomenally different? I do get the “boy” energy thing. I remember vividly being told: “You have a boy now, things are going to very different!”. Naive, unwise Heike thought she knew it all better. “I am going to raise him the same way, all will be well!”

Ha!

First of all, who could have foretold that my angelic boy would inherit all my crazy traits? MY crazy traits. The things that drive me nuts about him the most are when the “Little Heike” steps forward. I did not realize this until my own mother pointed it out to me one day. “Who does that remind you of?” I really had to step back and realize that this was the truth. This realization helps me deal with the situation in much calmer & organized fashion. Plus, he can no longer push my buttons, because I sit there going “Isn’t that cute, I tried the EXACT SAME THING when I was 14!!”.

Please, if you are video game proponent, or fanantic, don’t email me about the next thought. I will not change my mind.

Video games are screwing with his cells.

Honestly, I can see & understand the lure of video games. I am an Atari child, and how many hours did we spend pinging the pong back & forth? Pac Man & Mario Brothers were the bomb in my day. Unfortunately, video games now are so much more realistic, and they are like crack for my boy. I feel they make him agitated & angry.

My remedy is a spontaneous romp in nature. I disconnect him, pack him and the dog in the car, and we drive to one of favorite “run wild” spots. Here, he and the dog, will run off leash & crazy. Or, we go the river, take the long way down, and sit and make rock towers. I see an immediate change in my son’s demeanor. His whole body changes, and I can just feel his spirit glow. The exhaustion from running with his dog and being outside just makes the world a better place.

What I have learned while being allowed to raise this beautiful, complicated human:

Don’t fight an outburst with an outburst.
A boy can turn anything into a gun, so go ahead and let him play with NERF guns, and take him with you shooting, since you can never be too safe about real gun handling. Especially since all his friends seem to have BB guns & Pellet rifles. He will shoot them, make sure he is the safest kid on the block.
14 yr olds still need their Mama.
Alaska State Troopers is an excellent favorite show to have with your son. The troopers are fantastic, and a boy can look up to them. Plus, Alaska State Troopers have to have a clean record. Come at my boy with drugs or alcohol, and he might just call his Mama on you. Also, he has learned more about the law than I could have ever dreamed, and he will never let a friend ride in his car with drugs or alcohol “because the driver always gets in trouble”. Thank you, Super Trooper Cooper!
12 to 14 year olds are constantly switching between the world of “little boy” and “young man”. Don’t make them grow up to fast, honor the child when it needs to come out.
Find the things that make their spirit dance, and make them happen. Sometimes, you have push someone into their happy zone. Once they are there, you can step away and let magic happen. I encourage cooking and baking, watercolors, building Lego things, felting. Pretty much anything that does not include a screen or guns.
Praise the good things! Point out the bad. I don’t believe in sugar coating bad behaviour. If he acts like a butt, let him know that that behaviour disappoints you.
Never go back on your word. Never. Even if it means you have to pull through on a punishment you blurted out in anger (this is why I have learned never to counter an outburst with an outburst.). Step away, get your brain together, and then talk consequences. Strong Mamas make good young men :).
Love him!!

Most of all, enjoy your boy. The same goes for girls, of course, but my girl is her own story, and she gets her own post :).
Much love,
Heike

Let me dig in your past / Tell me a story.

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 19:32:00 +0000

Estate sales are my passion.

Let me tell you a little story.......

I began going to estate sales solely because I am nosy, and have a "thing" for houses. Most houses store years of energy, can you imagine what happens in a Victorian? Houses fascinate me, and so to avoid getting arrested for stalking, I became an estate sale regular. I don't need to go early, because my mission is not to buy & resale, but to slink around the houses, enjoy the nooks & crannies, secret passages, etc. Due to the fact that by the time I get there, there are so many strange humans in a tight spot, I usually did not get much energy sense of the house and its past inhabitants.

That all changed one day when I went to an estate sale early and stood in line with lots of people talking china, furniture, etc. I came early because I had spotted a few slips on the estate sale listing (this is when I was into converting vintage slips into dresses) that I wanted to try and get. I took my children as back up and strategized :). You must understand, estate sales can be pretty cut throat. People PAY others to get in line for them so they can be the first in. Lots of resellers who buy cheap and resale in their stores. To each their own.

This house was TINY. When we finally got in, I headed straight for the bedroom, but then stopped. In another room, there were tables set up with piles and piles of neatly folded children's clothing. Vintage cotton that was clean & pressed, you could tell it was stored with love. Also, piles of tatted lace. Real tatting. If you have ever seen this in action, it is an intricate dance of sticks, needles, and fine thread. And then there were people, ripping through these items like a fury, throwing things on the floor, ripping lace off of items.

I stomped in and began taking things from right under one of the perpetrators, and stuffing them in my bag. When it was filled to the brim, I went to look for my kids. My daughter already had a stack of old photos to show me.

To make a long story short, I bonded with the woman whose items I clutched to my body. I would not find out why until 2 weeks later. That is when I went to the store of the estate sale company (they are one of favorites), and talked to one of the owners. I told her how I had this bag of stuff I will never use, and why I had it.

Some of Rita's treasures.

She proceeded to tell me the story of a fabulous woman, who I named Rita, because she looked like a Rita to me. Rita had a sad, but magnificent story. In her pictures, she looked glamorous. She was German. She raised German Shepards. She overcame sickness, and grew up a few houses from her real family, who had to give her up secretly for adoption because they were too poor to raise another child. She was kept indoors or away with aunties, because her parents were afraid the resemblance to her siblings would expose their secret. She was a strong women in our community, and did great things and shared her talents & wealth. Unfortunately, she died and left behind no heirs, so her treasures were fair game.

I am now the owner of some of Rita's baby clothes, tatted lace, family albums, slips, crock, and
other miscellaneous items such as costume jewelry, buttons, post cards, stationary. Too bad I could not find her sunglasses!! Some of these items have found their to my Witches.

Everything is saged, washed, and ready ride with the Witches!

Rita's items catapulted me into a new passion. Find out who these people were. I am not like a history sleuth, when I find quirky houses, I dig in. I have since met a Senator's wife who was secretly a herb witch, a man who traveled back and forth to France to learn how to make wine from flowers & herbs, and met his lovely wife while doing it (their naked lady picture hangs in my bathroom!), and lots of other marvelous people. Their items are treasured in our homes, many of them finding a second life here or becoming part of the Kitchen Witches & traveling.

Sometimes, I walk into a house that just emanates sadness & dispair, and I end up turning around and leaving. Even when the houses feel happy, I am cautious. I LOVE these items & their stories. When we get home, everything is carried in the back yard, and saged, finishing up with a thank you & a blessing for their new lives. Then everything is either washed, soaked, or brushed clean. This is the one rule I have: NOTHING comes in my house uncleared. That is also the one tip I give everyone, remember all these items carry memories & energy, both good & bad. I learned that the hard way. I bought and painted a dresser, and put it in my studio to hold my paints. It was gorgeous, but every time I walked by it, I could feel a weird vibe. And it smelled weird to me. Only to me. After a few weeks, I just cleaned it out and put it on the curb.

I will continue to collect treasures & stories, and hope you enjoy them as I pass them on.
Warmly,
Heike

Kill Insomnia. Sleeping in alignment with the Earth's magnetic fields.

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 19:57:00 +0000

I have been dealing with insomnia for years. Not counting the the “full moon” nights where I do not sleep anyways, I have not slept more than 2-3 hours at a time in ages.

Of course, I have tried all sorts of things: sleepy herbs (hops, chamomille, lavendar, etc), melatonin & co, exercise, no exercise, sleep pillows, sleep routines, alchohol, no alchohol, feng shui, old mattress, new mattress, natural latex mattress cover...My bed has literally been in every room of this house except the living room.

Mentioning the living room: I always sleep best on my old (20 years), patched up and knobby couch. I am sure it harbors 20 years of dust in it’s thick, engulfing pillows. When I lay on it, my head points East. Read on to see why that matters.

Recently, I was researching Feng Shui sleep positions by Kua number. If you want to spend a few hours on the computer and get transported to another world, find your Kua number (just Google, it will help you find & calculate), and then read how you should ideally sleep, sit, function, and goddess forbid, don’t DO ANYTHING IN YOUR ADVERSE DIRECTION!!!

My adverse direction is North.

My head was pointing North when I sleep. I sit at the table facing North all the time.

I must now rethink my allegiance with The Northerners of Game of Thrones.

And by the way, my husband’s direction is not at all compatible with mine. Neither is his horoscope. I need to rethink our 20+ marriage.

No wonder I am a sleepy, chaotic mess!

Honestly, I began assessing my life, and have decided to drop the Kua thing, otherwise I may get depressed. There is no way I can swing that. BUT....I am definitely avoiding facing the North as much as possible.

More research shows that several cultures feel that the best way to sleep is to align your body with the magnetism of the Earth. Now, THAT makes sense to me. The ideal direction is East to West, with your feet pointing West. Again, just Google “east / west sleep postions” and you will get lots of opinions. :) Read with an open mind.

View from my new bed position :).

If you are doubting the strong pull the Earth has on us, reading this absolutely fascinating study about dogs pooping in alignment with the Earth's magnetic fields. Yes, my friends, it is a thing.

I decided it was worth a try, and during a recent sleepless night I moved my bed once again. There is no good way to position my bed with my head pointing East in my little room. My whole house is only 900sq/ft, imagine the bedrooms with windows, closets, doors. Plus, you don’t want your head under a window.

What is a girl to do? Forget all rules and awkwardly plop the giant king sized bed in the middle of the room. Text your husband at work to be careful when he comes home at night so he does not hurt himself. Lay in the bed.

Ok, it feels good. I can look out the window, the headboard protects me from light, yelling kids, and exuberant dog.

Maybe this is not so bad?

I am sleep with my head pointing East for a week now. Some nights are fantastic, some are shitty as always. I am going to give it a few more weeks and report back, hopefully aligned with the Earth and well rested.

Moonstruck

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 14:58:00 +0000

Thankfully, my parents recognized this when I was a child.

I have always been "Mondsüchtig", or moonstruck.

A few days before, and a few days after a full moon, something deep inside me stirs and I am awake & zooming. The nights are long, and I am awake. As a child, I read, and went through at least one Nancy Drew book or several new comic books a night. Now, as an adult, I get up and clean, write, or I pull out my giant art box and felt magical creatures while my mind roams. I always have Full Moon Blessings for new Witches & Goddesses.

My own children show signs, but right now both of them are sleeping deep. Just in case, they have been prepared.

In school, I spent some days dozing off. As a young adult, I always had jobs with odd hours, so this did not affect me so much. Later, when I held 9-5 jobs, full moon days meant lots of coffee & power naps. Thankfully, I make my own hours now, so taking a nap in the middle of the day is not out of the question.

With the rare Christmas Full Moon coming up in a few days, I wanted to share some of my favorite insomnia distractions:
1. A full Moon and Christmas Day has always been linked in many stories, movies and television shows. Examples include the TV specials, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer, and the movie The Santa Clause. One of my favorites to watch: "Moonstruck" with Cher!

2. A perfect night time snack: Nutella. Nutella feeds the spirit. My go to: rice cakes with Nutella, and coffee creamed with Egg Nog.

3. Good headphones. I catch up on my Netflix, or turn of the music and clean. Either way, good headphones keep the rest of the family snoozing.

4. Keep a Full Moon journal. A sketchbook is excellent, so you can be creative. Keep this special journal for Full Moon nights only, you will be amazed when you flip back!

5. Follow Santa on Norad!

Mainly, try not to stress out, but embrace the power of La Luna if you are affected.
Happy Full Moon!
Much love,
Heike

A lesson in Human-ness

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 23:00:00 +0000

Every year, the Sun-Tues before Thanksgiving, my family goes to volunteer at a food bank hosted by a local church. We do not attend church, but we began going there 9 years ago as a community service project of our 4-H group. Though we are no longer with this 4-H club, we still go as a family, one day my husband takes the kids (on his only day off), and I take them the other days.

Every year, just like this morning. I drag myself out of bed and consider if “I really have to go…or can I just drop you off?”. I know, it sounds terrible, but it is the truth.

Yet, every year when I am done with this 5 hours shift, my heart is full and I am grateful that I went. The people who host this food bank are above kind, they treat everyone that comes with such kindness & dignity, I am honored to be part of this.

It is the people that I meet, the people who are so thankful & interesting. The stories I hear touch my heart, and sometimes bring tears to my eyes. I get hugs, and am blessed several times a day.

Today I worked as a personal shopper in the boutique. This is where people can browse for warm coats and clothes. This morning, it actually cooled off and began to rain, so people came looking for warm covers. A few hours in an elderly couple handed me their slip. As I escorted them in and explained our procedure, they were speaking a foreign language, but I could not pinpoint it. When I asked the man, who was very well dressed, he said: “I am from Iraq.”
Me: “How long have you been here?”
“One year and 3 weeks.”
He looks at me, and says:”We had to flee Iraq. I am a doctor….” and with that he began telling me his family’s story. One day, “they” broke into his house and almost beat his wife (who was standing next to me) to death. A neighbor heard her screams and intervened while they called him to come home. The intruders eventually left. He said they packed their things and left 48 hours later. Forever.
“I had to leave everything. My clinic, my equipment, my EKG machine…just everything. Our house & belongings, car…”

I could see the tears well up in his eyes. Then he began telling me of his sons. One went to Australia as a refugee, and was studying there. The rest of the family applied for Australia, but was not accepted. He told me how he could not work here in the U.S., since his credentials do not count, and he would have to get his licenses, etc. I could see how all this pained him.

I looked at him and began telling him a bit of my story. My grandparents came to the U.S. as refugees, from an area called Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a piece of country that has swayed between Poland, Russia, and Germany over its existance. They too had to leave their possessions, properties, etc, to be seized by the government. But they survived here, and built a very comfortable life in L.A.

Everything I had on credentials and expertise was pretty much useless when I moved here. All those years of schooling, all those diplomas & certificates, were nothing but mere pieces of paper. I started working for $5 something an hour….

There were many more stories today, but I wanted to share this one. I wanted to put a human behind “those refugees” you are hearing about every day. My family were refugees.

Please do not let the extremists kill the one thing they do not have, and want to attack: Our human kindness & compassion.

Death sucks

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 01:09:00 +0000

Death sucks.

Death means something is taken away, and you can never get it back. Physically, anyways. My saving grace in dealing with death is that I still get to "feel" my loved ones periodically. Not on my schedule, of course.

It has been three weeks since my dog, and spirit animal, Rex was mysteriously and quickly taken from me. He was not ill, or old (he was 9), and this happened in a matter of hours. It left a huge hole in my heart. It also left a huge empty space in our house (he was well over 100lbs) and our everyday lives. I was just looking for some pictures of furniture we are selling and came across the many pictures of Rex I took. He was a gorgeous animal, with so much spirit in his eyes. It just takes someone mentioning him, or me seeing pictures, and the tear gate is open. It still makes me so sad.

With that said, I did not want another dog right away. My kids, who feel this loss as much as I do, just in a different way, did. My daughter is in Europe now, the child was not able to say good-bye to her dog. She said she knew, and is dealing with it in her own, almost grown up way. My son was so sad, Rex took his last breaths in our arms.

I tried to cope by donating our food, etc to a Shepard Rescue. The first time I went on there to get their contact info, I saw Valor. A few minutes later, my daughter sends me a picture of: Valor. We were all drawn to him. After a week, my son and I decided to go meet him at his foster home. He sent his sister pictures and videos, they already knew he was ours.

The next day, Valor was brought to our house.

He came with a packet of undisclosed medical history, as well as "I was just informed that the vomits every time he eats so they gave him Pepcid". No wonder he looked so skinny to me.

To make a long story short, to chagrin of my husband, we kept him...on a two to three week trial. It may sound harsh, but I was not in the emotional, or financial position to take on a sick dog.

I immediately put him on what I felt was the right diet for him, which included quality food without grain, coconut oil, probiotics, and tuna fish. I threw the Pepcid in the trash. He has not thrown up once.

The first day was hard, but when I woke up to licks on the second morning, I knew we made the right choice. He is the sweetest dog. Even though he has had major surgery, and was mauled by another dog (that is why he is so scarred and his ears are serrated), and all this other stuff, he is strangely balanced. Don't get me wrong, start running outside, and you get a two year old wild shepherd. He balances out my son's wild energy by matching it with his own. He checks in with me periodically, and jumps into my lap when he feels me being sad. Every once in a while, he sneaks into my daugther's bed, waiting for her to come home.

Our dogs have always come to us for certain reasons, every one has left a mark and taught us something.

Valor has come to heal, and to heal our hearts.

P.S. Please look into a shelter or rescue if you are looking for a dog! The Shepherd Rescues have so many great dogs, 2-3 years old. That is when the cute little puppy turns into a beligerent teen who needs a strong Alpha to guide them. Just like humans. If you get a puppy, please choose your breed wisely.

It's been real

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Sat, 17 Oct 2015 11:23:00 +0000

On Thursday morning, my dog, my spirit animal, died in my arms.

I have spent the last 48 hours grieving, I am heartbroken. I am angry.

His death was sudden, and we are still trying to figure out what happened. We believe it may have been a reaction to a vaccine. As I do more research, I will post. For today, if I can get one thing out there, PLEASE be as diligent about vaccines for your pets as you are with your children. Research, and only let them administer one at a time.

Rex was my companion, and he came to teach me a lesson. Patience.

My daughter wrote a beautiful piece about how he came into our lives.
We were actually just going to "look" at the dogs. When we walked up to the junky yard, he came straight up to us. I picked him up, my husband paid $20 for him, and we drove home with him in my lap. No plan. When we got home, my then 16 year old dog Caesar looked at us like were crazy.

So the adventure began. We had ourselves a puppy covered in fleas, unsocialized, and already showing neurotic behavior. He whined & bit us. My older dog wanted nothing to do with him. I started reading books by Ceasar Milan, and the Monks of New Skete. We bought him a crate, and I wondered why "crate training" was not in my life before.

He grew right before my eyes, and slowly began to trust us. We were told he was aggressive, neurotic, etc.......We already claimed him, and there was no going back.

I had to learn how to be an Alpha Dog. I had to learn patience.

For 9 years, I had the most fantastic dog. He was a big bear, loving & sweet. Protective. Gorgeous. People would stop us all the time, little children were fascinated by his size & fluffy fur.

He was my spirit animal.

I will miss him dearly.

We love you, Rex

A new ADULT in the house!

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 14:00:00 +0000

Today my "baby" turns 18.

She is "officially" an adult :). What does that mean? Not sure, but it does mean she can now VOTE instead of just collecting the "I VOTED" stickers! In my family, becoming an adult does not give you much transitioning klout, we "kids" are all in our 40's & 50's, and all still listen to our parents!

Even though she will always be my baby, today is the day we will celebrate her new title: ADULT. She is in Europe right now, traveling with her Oma (haha!! she already appreciates me so much more. You thought I was strict??), so this day is bitter sweet. It is the first time she is not with us on her birthday, and it is a bit weird.

So I will reflect and celebrate her from afar.

I made a pretty cool human. I remember vividly when they plopped her on my belly, and she stared RIGHT into my eyes. Talk about an instinct awakening in my soul. At that moment I knew I would protect this little creature with my life. That was about the only thing I knew about parenthood, and the rest of her childhood went on with trial & error.

Instead of nursery rhymes I read her the Greek Myths :). One day she looked at me and said: "I am Athena". From then on, she was Justina Athena, and to this day I think the right Goddess chose her.

one of my favorite pictures, take

She has always been head strong & confident. She was raised by, and around very strong women, and that shows in everythng she does. When she wants something, she makes it happened. She is the poster child of the Law of Attraction. Taking her out of school in 4th grade & homeschooling was the perfect path, and it opened up so many opportunities for her.

I admit, I made some questionable parenting choices at times, but look what happened! She has turned out to be an exceptional human, and I could not be more proud. She is hilarious & intelligent, loves to talk, and adventurous.

Plus, she doesn't take any shit.

What else could a Mama want??

Food Is my Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 00:19:00 +0000

Recently, I was out to have a beer and some pub food with a friend. When our gorgeous food came (fries loaded with meat, jalapeno's, & CHEESE!!!), I arranged my plate and snapped a picture.

"Are you food blogging now?" asks my friend.

Nope.

Looking at my Instagram, you would think I do nothing but eat and drink beer & wine all the time :). I could have a worse reputation.

I am by no means a food blogger, nor do I want to be. They do some hard work, that involves lots of
prep & editing.

I just love food. I love to eat. I think "pretty" food is marvelous, and I think we have lost the art of eating. Everyone is so busy watching everything they eat, there is no more joy in enjoying food.

A short while ago, I decided I would no longer villianize food. I was getting into the flow of : watching for wheat, does it have soy?, are there preservatives, IS IT FROM CHINA????, is it local, bla bla bla. The foods I ate as an alternative tasted blah. I was eating plainly to subside my hunger, not enjoying the food. And I was not feeling good. Food was making me feel blah.

I am going to throw in here that I was tested for a gluten intolerance, and according to that test, wheat should be my friend. To my best knowledge, I do not have any serious food allergies or issues.

I have decided to eat the foods my body craves. If it wants bread, I will either bake it myself from the best ancient grain or wheat flour I can find, or buy really expensive sourdough bread (which, btw, has fluctuating consequences for me). Same goes for pasta. If I want nothing but meat all day, I will eat nothing but meat. I find that I LOVE eating something bold & spicy, then something sweet, then bold & spicy......you get the picture. I have gone away from "food pyramid" eating to "instinct eating". I no longer follow any diet. I get ideas from paleo bloggers, because that matches closest to how I eat. I love raw milk, CHEESE!!!, eggs, and SUGAR :).

I have learned to avoid foods that my body does not like. Just stay open, your body tells you when something is not working, even if it is "healthy", or if you have eaten it all your life. For example, my body does not love chicken right now. I have a freezer full of chickens we raised and harvested ourselves, yet my body does not want it. It does want beef, and pork only in form of bacon, prosciutto, & dry salami. And lots of fish, much of it coming out of little cans. I eat tuna, herring, and sardines, lots of them. Right now I am not loving kales & greens, but that could change as it gets colder. Salads are daily.

Since I have stopped looking at food as my enemy, my body feels better. My spirit is dancing, because it LOVES to eat!

To get back to my Instagram pictures. I don't prepare special meals, what you see is what I eat :). I think that is why my food pictures get the most likes (apart from the many pictures of my chickens or my dog!), they are authentic. I think people can feel the joy that food is bringing me, and they like seeing happy food.

So my friends, go talk to your food! Listen to your body, eat freely, live healthy!

xoxo,
Heike
P.S. If you want to follow my food, and the rest of my daily adventure, log into Instagram :).

Fly little baby, FLY!!! And make your Mama cry!

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 23:46:00 +0000

Today I saw my "baby" off for a 3 month trip to Europe.

I just about died. I put my treasure, my little cohort, on a plane to go across the planet by herself. We have spent the last (almost) 18 years together almost every day. I homeschooled!!

Now I am watching her plane, 33K feet in the air, and am excited about all the things she will get to see! She will get to taste my favorite foods, see all the places I would tell her about, throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain.........

Yet, with all this excitement, I am not sure I am ready to let my baby venture away yet. The realization that she will turn 18 in a few weeks is unreal. Time has passed so quickly!

What I do know is that I have raised an excellent human! She is confident, smart, open-minded and good hearted. She is hilarious, but can be a serious support if needed.

I can't wait to see her millions of Instagram pictures & blog posts! You can follow her travel adventures on Instagram under "abentpieceofwire".

P.S. Born and raised in the USA. She made sure she would be home for Thanksgiving :).

Goddess Holiday Gift Guide!

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 17:47:00 +0000

Republished from Nov. 24th, 2013. Classics are timeless :).

It's that time of year!

I LOVE the Holiday season :). I also stopped buying expensive gifts years ago, and that seems to be part of the stress people feel. This year, I am your Goddess Elf, and I will help you put together some FANTASTIC gifts, or give you some ideas, incorporating my Witches & Goddesses :). During the month of November & December, you will also receive a sample of my favorite Root Tea to warm you up & nourish your body, and with each order you place on my Etsy store, you will receive a $5 coupon to use on your next order :).

#1 Vintage Dreams

Together with the lovely Adella, this makes a great gift for your lovelies that are intrigued by history, enjoy shabby chic, have an old kitchen like mine :), or are gypsyish.

A great place to find accessories for the Kitchen Witch of your choice is estate sales or thrift shops. You could find an old blue mason jar, and put your favorite recipe in, or some cool kitchen tools. Linens are always wonderful. I always check for rips & stains. Usually, a good soaking in Oxyclean & hot wash gets out any stains. Embroidered tablecloths are my favorite finds, just think of all the love that went into them :). The one in the picture was embroidered by my Oma.

"Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in the background is one of the early additions that I found in a garage box at a sale for $1! Remember to dig around at estate sales, the treasures are often hidden and waiting for the right person :). If you can't find it, you can always order a new copy :).

#2 The Green Witch

Do you have a Green Witch in your life? You can pair the crafty Louinda up with one, or all, of these great witchy items. Find some old herb books at the thrift store, or order one of my favorites:
1. The Real Witches Kitchen
2. The Way of the Green Witch
3. The Book of Herb Cookery (this one is out of print, but it may find you at a library sale :).)

Add a mortar for grinding herbs (these come in so many shapes & sizes! I like stone or ceramic), or some wonderful packs of herbs & spices. Make a special tea mix for your Witch, or you can order my favorite Root Tea, mixed by me, via Herbmagik (when available!).

Each of these gift ideas could also be paired with a beautiful vintage apron. Just make sure it has pockets!

#3 The Fermenter or Health Nut

Creating bubbly concoctions is the thrill of any Kitchen Witch, and if they are fermented, they are super fabulous for your health :). Pair the vivacious Frederika with some bubbly temptations!

1 . Wild Fermentation. Definitely a must for all new & seasoned fermenters. Love the simplicity of the recipes, perfect for first timers.

2. Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats

Must I say more? Another must have! Not only does it have fabulous recipes, it is full of valuable information & explanations. Plus, it is pretty :).
3. Share a Kombucha scoby and a recipe for your favorite kombucha!
3. Make sourdough starter and share a jar with your favorite bread recipe.
4. Add a tea mix you make, or order the Root Tea I mix here :).
5. All you need is cabbage & a mason jar, and you an make your sauerkraut! Pickle-Biotic Home Fermentation Kit makes it simple.

#4 The Goddess!

I may be bias, but I believe every woman (and girl!) needs a Goddess!
A Goddess makes a wonderful gift for yourself, a young girl, or another woman that you love. While supplies last, each one will come in a cloth pouch (pattern is a surprise, I make them from beautiful fabrics I find on my treasure hunts :).)
My book, "Musings from the Goddess Within", has short stories, anecdotes, and musings from 3 generations of women. You can see excerpts here. If you order a Goddess, you can get a copy of my book for a special price of $8. Just add "BOOK" to the comments when you order the Goddess, and I will add it to your invoice & order.

Don't forget to check my Etsy store for other great treasures, such as vintage cowboy boots, angels, Vitches, & more!

If you are sending a gift, I will be more than happy to include a card with a personal message from you. You can choose from a traditional Christmas card, or something more eclectic. Below are some examples.

I hope you enjoyed this gift guide, and don't forget to spoil YOURSELF!!

Much love,
Heike

**This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing from these links helps support Goddess in the Groove. Thank you!**

A Witch comes out of the Closet

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 22:55:00 +0000

I love estate sales. When I say "LOVE", I mean it. I may be a little additcted.....

This is what I just wrote on Instagram:

I found these two crates of fabulous flip-top jars at an estate sale a few months ago. Since I don't have a dishwasher, the time was never right to get them sterilized until today. As I am sorting and washing these glass jars with their beautiful labels of herbs, I am completely connecting to the woman who owned them before me. Looking at the herbs, how they were labeled (both common & latin names), and the little bit of residue in each of the jars, I know she is smiling now because she knows I found them. Sometimes I leave estate sales knowing that I was meant to go there and find the pieces that I buy, to carry on their magic for the previous owner.

I have had a little change in situation, so now I have time to sort through some of my treasures. At times, I get lucky enough to get the stories behind the pieces. I will begin sharing some of these with you who love a little history mystery :).

This particular estate sales was in a very affluent part of town. Houses were all built in the late '50's, early 60's. I really went to this one because I was "house nosy" (many of the estate sales I go to are solely for the house. Houses are my "thing" :)....I feel them, lol), and because a certain picture on the estate sale listing caught my eye. My mom was here visiting, and if I need a partner in crime, she is certainly it.

When we arrived, the house was already FULL of terribly stressed people and pretty emptied out. The pictures was gone, and I could not enjoy the house vibes because of all icky people energy, so I proceeded out the door through the garage. There was a mudroom stacked with junk and boxes. "LOOK DOWN HEIKE!" something said. I did. The boxes were FILLED with glass jars. A fellow jar hoarder. When I took a closer look, I saw there were lots of flip top jars, and if that was not enough, they were all labeled with herbs. Not cooking herbs, healing herbs. Ah, a fellow herb witch! I called my mother so loudly she came bounding from a back room, because NOTHING was going to make me move away from this treasure. As I began sorting the herb jars in new crates, interested people started engaging me.

MINE!

My mama got one the of the people working there, he gave me an excellent deal on what he obviously thought was junk, and I loaded two crates of these babies into my car. When I went through the garage to get my second crate, I saw 3 wall shelves, custom built, to hold even more large herbal jars!

I memorized the address. Nothing about this house said Herbal Witch, but those shelves sure did.

Thanks to Google and a little snooping, I found my witch. She was actually the wife of a Senator, and everything I found about her publicly was "Senator Wife". Fundraisers, banquets, foundations....there she was, smiling right at me :).

Poised & polished, but I can see that twinkle in her eye! In my mind, I see her as a talented healer, that people come to secretly. I can see her going into her garage, opening the closet to uncover rows & rows of beautfiul herbs! I have her in my little book of mysteries, maybe one day I can find someone who knew her personally and who will let the Witch out of the closet!

BIG things can happen in 30 days!

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 19:02:00 +0000

Doing ANYTHING at all that you have to think about for 30 days is challenging. Let's be honest.

When my fantastic friend Julie emailed me her 30 day challenge, I was intrigued. I would not never copy her challenge, because I am authentic enough to admit that I would fall off THAT wagon on Day 3. I have learned my limits.

I am inspired to start a challenge of my own. It is simple, doable, YOU CAN JOIN ME, and it will make a big impact in the end.

My clear theme this year has been been RIDDANCE. I feel very "weighed down", making it hard to exert positive changes and start new adventures. I have some great ideas of things I want to do and share, but get overwhelmed by the everyday shit, both literal and physical, in my life. I also need to loose a good 5-10 for health reasons. I think it is all a magic cycle: You accumulate stuff, clutter, negative thoughts, problems, weight, more stuff.

Short and sweet.

Every day, for 30 days, I will GET RID of something that does not make me happy. This can be

School is over......

anything at all, or many things. There are no rules.

When I have found my GET RID object, I will post it on Instagram (find me under Goddess in the Groove) with the hashtag #Heikes30Day. If you want that item, you can come get it :). Or I can ship it. Otherwise, I it will go into the "Touch and DIE!!!" box, and I will make a donation run every 2 days. Or maybe I will put it in the driveway with a FREE sign. I will work that as I go. Suggestions are welcome.

Fridays will be my catch up days, I will post my thoughts and a camera roll. Let us start today, June 2, and go to July 2.

Let's see what happens. This could be BIG! If you join me, let me know and use #Heikes30Day so I can enjoy your shit RIDDANCE too :).

Much love,
Heike

My theory: LOVE my food, loose weight, and recalibrate my body.

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 16:59:00 +0000

Food is good

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I love food :). Honestly, you probably think I do nothing but cook & eat.

Actually, I do eat often. I love food!

Food as never been an “issue” for me. When I was younger, my metabolism and way of life supported my giant appetite. Even after I hit 30, had two kids, etc, I could pretty much eat what and how much I wanted.

It was not until a few years ago that I noticed issues when I ate certain foods. Foods that I have always eaten. I will feel slightly (or not so slightly) nauseous after eating, or, I will get a metallic taste in my mouth and become very fatigued. I tested negative for a gluten allergy, but realized that every time I ate (American!) wheat, I would have the metallic incident.

I have gained weight, have trouble sleeping, have dry & sallow skin, and am never thirsty , so I have to force/remind myself to drink water. I also get terrible inflammation pain in my nerves in my feet & legs.

And yes, I am over 40, and no, I don’t think it is age :).

Over the last years I have tried: no wheat, ancient grains, juicing, fasting, no carbs, with carbs, raw foods, not raw, inflammation diets, blood type diets, etc.

I have come to the conclusion that my body, and spirit, do not respond to any of these positively, so I am going to try one more experiment. I am going to include my husband, who, after quitting smoking a little over a year ago, has gained over 30lbs. I also do not believe in a restrictive diet (since I do not have medical issues), and I believe if you still love and enjoy the food you are eating, instead of seeing it as an enemy, it will nourish you.

My theory:

We are going to eat grass fed/free range beef, pork, & chicken (more beef, less chicken for me, as I can only eat it smothered in curry, otherwise I get sick. Not a big fan of pork, love bacon, though!), which we do already. I am going to “lightly” follow the blood type diet recommendations, as some of the “avoid” foods do hold true and make me feel ill. I am 0+, my husband is B. Protein is a major player.

We will eat lots of veggies (cooked or fermented for easy digesting), and smaller amounts of salad (since it is raw) and fruit (yummy, but lots of SUGAH!! :)). I will make more hearty salads that we can also have as snacks, such as bean salads, spelt, etc.

I will get my husband to eat joghurt, kefir, and drink kombucha :). I love all of these, he does not. He also has a terrible sweet tooth, and I am sure the fermented foods will help curb his outrageous sugar cravings. What human can eat 3 doughnuts at once without getting sick???? For this time, I will likely stay away from raw milk (...:(....), but have the fermented version of it.

Yes, we will have bread. BUT, again, only fermented. I make my own sourdough, and it is pretty tasty. It is very simple to make (you can find a no-knead recipe here: http://www.herbmagik.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-easiest-sourdough-bread-in.html. or, you can follow the recipe in Nourishing Traditions, which I use now). You can buy sourdough or traditionally fermented bread, but check your source. Many commercially made sourdough breads are not leavened the traditional way (12 hours or more).

So, I will make all bread, and also pasta. I will make the pasta with spelt or einkorn flour (this is new to me, will post as I make it!). Basically, I am making sure that the carbs we eat follow traditional philosophy, which is easy on the digestion.

My husband loves rice, I do not :).
We will continue to drink coffee, and eat small amounts of real cane sugar.

My hope is that through this diet, we will both loose 10+ lbs (he can stand a little more) without stressing our body. I also want to “recalibrate” our bodies to perform as it is meant to, so that we continue to nourish ourselves without restrictions.

As for my kids, they will just wonder why mama is cooking so much :).

Weigh in: 148lbs (I am sure that is ALL muscle...)

Gross, yet fantastic food of my youth. How did I survive?

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Sat, 03 Jan 2015 06:51:00 +0000

Tonight, I ate a bologna ( baloney!!!) sandwich.

Right now, I am regretting it immensely, as my stomach is crying out "What the HELL?????"

I can't remember the last time I had a bologna sandwich on soft, crappy white bread (that you can roll into a ball) with mustard & mayonnaise. It was so good for a moment :). Bologna is one of those foods I lived on as a kid. I had phases where I only ate certain things. For a long while my bologna with mustard & mayo, then Alphabet Soup.

Strangely, coming from a mixed German/American household, these foods were like treasures to me as a child. So were Lucky Charms. My German family would not touch those foods with a 10ft pole, LOL. I ate them, and survived. I even grew up to be a healthy, happy, organic, crunchy, real food eating adult.

My husband, who I swear just does this to rile me up, will go shopping and buy $1 white bread, bologna, Fruit Loops (ew...never ate those), those strange little pie things you can buy at a gas station, $1 cookies, etc. His stomach will survive an acapolypse. He is one of those lucky humans that is trim, even though he violates all laws of food. He did gain 30 lbs this year after he quit smoking (yeah for him!!!), but he is still quite average and only snickers when I watch him eat to see if he will self-destruct.

My kids will not touch bologna :)....they will eat tongue sausage, blood wurst, and other adventurous meats, but not Oscar Meyer mystery meat. They do, however, love to indulge in blue/red/multi-colored Slurpies from 7Eleven, and other questionable junk food that I raise my eyebrows to.

I have learned, over time, that our diet is helathy and "real" enough that our bodies will excuse an insanity moment every once in a while. Quite frankly, our bodies also make us suffer a little (I won't go into details, but shouts of "blue POOP!!" have rung out in this house...) so that we don't indulge too often.

Now I am craving a bowl of Lucky Charms.

Releasing 2014 - Shit happens

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 12:49:00 +0000

In a few days, 2014 will be over. Not sure how it got here so fast, but alas, it is here.

2014 was going to be MY YEAR. The year everything got better, I realized all my dreams, lost weight, grew all the food for my family, canned all our excess, rode a unicorn, learned to fly....etc.

I had high hopes & fantastic resolutions.

I am sitting here with my 2015 Life & Biz workbook, celebrating & releasing 2014, and realize that I

did not make shit happen. Not only that, lots of shit happened.

Why am I telling you this instead of giving you an uplifting, goddess-like inspiration for the new year? Because I am honest, and I love you :)...Because life comes with unexpected shit, and how you deal with it is what makes all the difference.

So first, be real. Gosh, if you can, order this workbook (you can get it starting at $9.99...give yourself that gift) because it really gets down to the nitty gritty, or just start with a fresh piece of paper and do the express version. Write down, color, fingerpaint all the CHALLENGES from 2014 first. Now, do the same for all the SHIT THAT HAPPENED (no, not the same thing). Have a biz, think about what happened there, what needs to change, why didn't you make money? Be honest, this is not group therapy, no one but you is going to see this.

I have been siting here since 3am, and doing this exercise made me realize:
1. I have been lazy. Honestly, had I done half of what I said I would do in 2014, I would be further along. Maybe not all lazy, but definitely gave other things priority. Thought to ponder: Why are MY things not priority?
2. As much as I love my business/art, time to decide whether it still serves ME as a business.
3. WHY have I not started on the workshops/goals I wrote down last year?
4. Time management is crucial
5. It is ok not to fill out all the blank spaces someone else created (there is a metaphor there)
6. Clutter and un-organized living suck...literally. Both suck the energy out of your soul & house. Plus, I am spending more time looking for crucial things like receipts and other things I need than I am on working my biz....Now there is another metaphor.

So, I am writing down all my rants & challenges for 2014, and kissing them good-bye. Not without scrutiny though, since you should make every challenge a learning opportunity, and only make a mistake once.

Once your art piece is done, love it, hate it....if you want, send it in the fire with love. Remember, YOU are the creator of your destiny!

Much love to you!
Heike

The BIG ONE has arrived, and my Spirit dances!

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 10:16:00 +0000

For the last 2 days, the local news has been announcing the BIGGEST STORM WE HAVE SEEN SINCE 2008.

Panic.

Today, I went to 3 stores to find batteries for our flashlights, and every one of them was sold out of D batteries and flashlights. Target sold out of water. My son and I filled sandbags for our back door. I secured out chicken coop.

We have lots of candles, firewood, food, & beer :). Games are ready to be played in the candlelight.

One of my lawn decorations just hit the house.

It is 2 am, and the storm has arrived. I could feel the wind rising during the day, but now it is definitely here. My house is creaking & squeaking as the wind presses its way through the cracks and crevices of my old house.

It is swooshing.

My Spirit is dancing.

I know I should really be anxious, as the last BIG ONE ripped the shingles right of my roof.

Instead, I just made myself a nice warm cup of turmeric milk with honey, and I am enjoying the sounds of Mother Nature, strong & wild!

Unfortunately, my husband has to drive in this, sent him & the Volvo off with a blessing today. Stay safe out there, Californians!

Things that go bump in the night

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 16:30:00 +0000

Good Morning!

It is 5:26am, and I am sitting there with a glass of wine and an array of cheeses.

I have been up since 3:30 am, cleansing my home. I woke up with the strong need to clean my kitchen floor, and that expanded into the rest of the house. I am preparing for the new year, my mission is to have my house cleared, cleansed, & blessed before Dec. 31st, so we can slide into 2015 open & ready for abundance.

It all started a few months ago with the emerging of Money Witches :). Instead of the regular Kitchen

Witches, they carry money magic. I have a money/kitchen witch in the prosperity area of my home, my kitchen (which is so absolutely fitting!). At about the same time, I was able to acquire the book HexCraft, a book about Braucherei, an old form of folk magic, healing, & home blessing by Silver RavenWolf.

Other things began to fall into place. A new job, Etsy sales, lost gift cards showed up again.......

Clearing brings peace, and abundance. Maybe not immediate monetary abundance, but the kind that makes the spirit happy. I still believe happy people are the richest ones! My goal is to get to the point that no matter where I look in my 900sq/ft house, it makes me happy. Of course, there are 3 other people living here, 4 right now as my mother is visiting for 2 months. I am asking them to pitch in by giving me things they do not love/need anymore, helping me with big jobs, etc. It is important to incorporate everyone living under one roof and respecting their wishes.

BTW, you do not have to follow status quo of where & when it is s good time to start, or do your cleansing/cleaering/cleansing. I am satisfied with my work, replenishing my body, then I will go back to sleep for a while. If you have the luxury of setting your schedule, go with what your body/Spirit/instinct tells you. Never mind conventional times, these kinds of things call for wildness :).

Don't know where to start? You can check out Silver RavenWolf's blog, and follow along with the 2014 release program (yes, you can jump in now!). One of my favorite books to start with is Denise Linn's Sacred Space (this was my portal into Feng Shui!). You can follow with me via my Facebook page, but please sign up for my newsletter (you can do that in the margin to the left!) if you have not done so. Facebook is playing tricks, and I will begin to rely more on other ways to communicate as of January. Also, if you are a visual like me, you will certainly enjoy the 2015 Create Your Shining Year workbook, starting at only $9.95!!!, or $24.95 for the spiral bound version (which I have and will play with via Facebook & newsletter if you want to join me!)

Much love,
Heike

Waste not - and visit Yosemite with your food budget!

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 14:57:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but whenever I try to do a "budget" for our household, FOOD is always the biggest category.

I spend most of our monthly budget on food. Granted, buying "real food" is more expensive than purchasing coupon support packaged food, but I know that part of my big price tag is mis-management.

I know this because my fridge is packed, as is my freezer, AND my pantry.....YET....the most common statement in my house from the kitchen: "We have NOTHING to eat!!!"

And, I throw a good amout of food away. It is a damn shame, really. It comes from stocking up, or buying things with a meal in mind that never happens. Or, because I go purchase things while I am hungry. Sometimes, the food I grow comes in fast, and I don't have the time or space to preserve it. If I can't get it to friends or neighbors quick enough, it goes to waste.

Thankfully, I have chickens and a thriving compost, so at least the food does not go into the garbage.

I have decided to cut our food budget (with the saved money going into a vacation fund. I have never been to Yosemite, and will remedy that) and create


Fridge Challenge Meal

less food waste.

Steps:

Use what is in the fridge/freezer/pantry NOW, only supplementing with fresh items that need to be replenished, like salads, milk, etc. Creativity, and the open mind of the family is important here :).
Every time I throw food away (aka, give it to the chickens or compost), I will write down the dollar amount on a piece of paper on my fridge.
Menu planning. It will kill me, but in the end, I think it will make things much easier.
Clear out freezer. I really need an upright freezer. I have chest freezer now, and I swear, I don't know what is at the bottom. I am going to explore. Mainly, I am going to make it my mission to use all the meat, veggies, and fruit stored before I get more.
Prepare pantry for more bulk foods. Ok, I just ate jam this morning that I made in 2010. :)...yes, it was still good, but really, it is time to hit that stash. Also asking friends if they would like some, because a girl can only eat so many sweet & sour pickles.

I could get more vigilante about it, but realistically, I won't sick to it. These steps are doable right now, and will clear my freezer and pantry space in a about a month for a more organized food space.

I will be posting some of my "clear the fridge meals" on Instagram as I go. Here are some things that I have noticed in the last days of putting together ingredients:

Cut stale bread in cubes, keep airtight and add to soups. Makes them "meaty", according to my son :).
Keep fresh ginger. It can be added to soups, veggies, salad dressings, and gives anything zing!
Turmeric, again, a great spice for veggie combos, soups, stews, or meat.
Use your crockpot!!! Mine is now slowing cooking bone broth, a good base.
Family can get grumpy. Especially meat eating husbands. Make sure to find ways to make "real food" (which is what I cook all the time, but if it does not have SOLID meat, so no stew, it is not real for husband) and keep him happy. I will also show mine the dollar list from my fridge and vacation jar full of money...that works. Get kids involved by letting them make up a meal with available ingredients.
Cook big pots of rice. Rice can be fried, added to soups, or made into delicious rice pudding :)...great for fruit compot that you make with aged fruit!

We live in an abundant world, now we have to learn to live in it :).
Warmly,
Heike

P.S. Due to the high amount of comment spam, I have closed comments for now. I DO WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! :) Please come comment on Facebook!

Homelessnes & Vacancies, coming to a home near you.

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Sat, 09 Aug 2014 20:51:00 +0000

This morning, I donned my big boots, a pair of industrial work gloves, grabbed a rake and some garbage bags, and walked up my street to a neighbor's house.

The neighbor is in jail, and the house has been empty for about 3 years.

When I say I am a "suburban" farmer/witch/gypsy, I mean it. I live in suburbia somewhere in a city near you. Small ranch house development, built in the 50's. I am farming a small plot of land, and live in a house that is not even 900sq/ft. I live very close to a city, actually, the freeway is about 3 miles from me.

When I moved to this neighborhood, very pregnant with my 16 year old, about 50% of the people living here were original owners. Yep, they bought their houses here when they were brand spankin' new. The houses were well kept, the neighborhood was quaint, and the nearby park was fantastic for me and my two big dogs. It was great for history lessons, not so great for my kids :). When many of these older people either passed away or moved to care, the houses were either rented by their children that lived out of state, or they went into probate hell. Together with the housing bust, my neighborhood quickly became just a little "ghetto". Sadly.

Empty houses began to fill with homeless people looking for shelter. Though I have compassion for the fact that they want to sleep under something, I do not have compassion for what they did to my neighborhood. Trash galore, feces in backyards & broken in homes. Lots of rats :(. Fires. Property & food stolen from our porches & backyards. It go really bad.

I began to get proactive, had the Sheriff on speed dial. When I walked Rex in the park and saw a drug deal or gang activity (seems like they follow the homeless), I was like a Super Spy. Walked on by, memorized license plates & physical attributes, and called the cops. I began attending park board meetings, and raising my voice.

Lastly, I became the lead in the online neighborhood program, Nextdoor.com. I printed flyers and went to all 200 homes in my little quadrant personally. Of those 200, 19 signed on.

It is sad to see the apathy of people in our suburban neighborhoods! People get out of their cars and go into their homes, and do not know anything about the world around their homes. Or they are afraid to do/say anything.

Neighborhoods like mine get lots and lots of business license permits for liquor stores, massage parlors, hookah bars, and check cashing. It is sad, and I do not live in a "bad" neighborhood at all. This was once the "posh" side of town outside of the city limits. The governance people in charge live elsewhere.

We have two empty problem houses down the street. After much discussion online about how the Code Enforcement & County offices aren't doing tiddly shit to take care of things, I sent out a message to my neighborhoods that I would go out there in the morning and pick up the trash myself.

When I got there, two of my neighbors, from other neighborhoods that are linked with ours, were there to help me. THAT is what change is about. PEOPLE make it happen. Not agencies, government, rule makers. Honestly, they get paid not matter what happens to you personally. PEOPLE who care, they are the ones that will make things better. And when PEOPLE become active and start working/talking/celebrating together, neighborhoods really become communities again.

One empty house at a time.......

Before. This is what I drove/walked by every day.

It gets worse around the corner.

This is the trash we collected from the front this morning.

The difference a little time & work make, eh? Still not beautiful, but cleaner.

P.S. Due to lots of spam messages trying to get published, I have closed the blog for comments. PLEASE DO COME COMMENT ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE at http://www.facebook.com/thegoddessinthegroove. I would LOVE to hear from you!!

The Story of the Wolf Dog & the Human

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Sat, 28 Jun 2014 07:16:00 +0000

The Story of the Wolf Dog & the Human
by Heike Boehnke-Sharp

You walk by the man with the box in the parking lot.

You hear a yelp, and turn around.

Inside the box, you see three majestic puppies. They are not small, and have air about them.

They look you straight in the eye.

“Timberwolf & Shepard” says the man. “They make fine, big watchdogs”.

Hopefully you are not a dog fighter, a drug dealer, a macho man, a deranged soul.

Their cuteness overtakes you, you make a spontaneous decision. You pick the smallest puppy, because “WOLF” sounds so big.

It’s a boy.

You are in love. He stole your heart. He licks you, and you think it is love & devotion.

He is marking you as his Alpha. For now.

Your puppy grows & thrives. It seems that he does not want to grow into his feet. You wait with training, because he is just so cute & cuddly, all you want to do is play. Plus, he enjoys running from you so much, taking your shoes and chewing on them, nipping you in the ankles are you walk, or biting your arm as you “play” wrestle. He is getting sturdier, you notice as he brushes by your legs with his body more and more. It must be love, like with a cat.

He follows you. He watches your eyes before he leaps on your, or steals something and runs. His body rubs become a little annoying, as he almost pushes you over.

One day, while you are playing tug of war, his lips pull back and he nips at you.

HEY! You are not bleeding, but he watches as you retreat.

He is almost 6 months now, an adolescent in the making.

He is beautiful. Regal, large, furry, with magical brown eyes.

His eyes look at you openly & clear, and the next second they change and he barks/snarls at you.

You notice the bark is not one of warning, but it is directed at you.

Hopefully, you are a strong woman, or a gentle & strong male human.

Your wolf, because that is what he is, needs his Alpha now.

“He loves me!” you say. “He would never attack me!”

A wise soul once told me that dogs do not “love” like we humans do. We interpret their affection as such. Dogs respect the Alpha, and they are survivalist. You give them food, they are happy to see you. You give them freedom, they are happy to see you. You rub their butt where they can’t reach, they are happy to see you!

DOG:” Are you sick? Are you weak? Why are you letting me challenge you? Do I need to take over to ensure the safety of our pack? Let me just get these small humans over here where I can watch over them. Push. Push. Nip. Pull. I am sorry, I did not mean to draw blood. Why are looking at me scared? Did I challenge you too. Are backing down?

WTF??? AM I THE ALPHA???? “

Hopefully, human, you have done some research on dog & pack behavior, because you do not have a Chihuahua. You have a wolf. A hunter. A herder. A pack animal. A majestic, instinctive, canine.

Hopefully, by now someone has taught you how to safely throw your wolf down when he challenges you as Alpha, just like his wolf mother or Alpha would. They would not take that shit, not for a minute. Never seen a wolf throwdown? Google it and learn. You will have to learn to hold his jaws so he cannot bite you, as you say NO in a growling voice and look him in the eye. When he stays down, you will have done your job to ensure his & your safety, because you love this dog.

And when stupid people ask you why you are “hurting” your dog, you send them to the right place so they can figure it out themselves. Hopefully, THEY will never find a wolf dog.

And now you will show your kids how to handle him when he throws his big body at them. He is always establishing where he sits in the Alpha ladder, and small humans and other animals are all just rungs up that ladder to you, the Alpha.

Now teach him that you are in charge of food, that when you say “WAIT!” or look at him with that look he stops. You must run with him in the wind, challenge his brain, let him chase squirrels. You must warn your neighbors to make sure their animals stay out of your yard, because even though your wolf is friendly & lovable, when that cat runs through your yard, it is prey, and that wolf instinct is STRONG.

Your wolf is one year old. Look at him. He is HUGE. He is watching you. He will protect you, and his pack, with his life, because that is what wolves do. If you have trained him good behavior with a gentle, but firm hand, he will be the perfect family dog. He will be fantastic. He will be loyal. But NEVER let your guard down, because even when your wolf/dog is older, even if your routine is set in stone, he is always watching you to see if you REALLY are still the Alpha. He can turn on you and test you periodically, you better be ready.

Welcome to the pack life, human.

Heike & Rex

Heike: I wrote this piece to get the attention of everyone who sees a "cute" wolf dog and takes it home. These majestic dogs are a commitment. Sadly, many wolf dogs end up in shelters, or if they are lucky, with a wolf rescue when they are teenagers and their owners cannot handle the "wolf". I was working with a wolf rescue and learning more about them when we got Rex. We are not sure of Rex's ancestory (and do not necessarily think he has wolf), but you can see he is huge & wild :). I rescued him when he was an unsocialized, wild, and anxiety aggressive puppy. I walked around for a long time looking like I was in cat fights, as I became his teacher on how to use his teeth & claws. He came to me to teach me many lessons, and even after almost 8 years, he is still teaching me. Learning pack behavior kept us together :), and now we are bound.

You are snarky, over-authoritative, and too influential.

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Thu, 29 May 2014 14:42:00 +0000

"You are snarky, over-authorative, and too influential."

As a woman, would you take this as a compliment, or a reprimand?

How about as a 16 year old girl?

How about if you are that 16 year old's mama?

:)

My daughter, who many of you know about through my blog since she was born, or recently, as she represented both on Huffington Post, the Today Show, etc., was given a "behavior notice" recently. I was a bit stumped. When she told me why, I was proud. Take away the snarkiness. Teenager eye-rolling needs to stay out of the picture, and like I told her, learning to keep your poker face no matter what your inner emotions are right then is a talent that we learn as we age.

I have literally spent the last 16 years raising this girl to be confident, have an opinion, be able to speak, be aware, and become a young woman who is authentic. That takes some energy in today's society here in the U.S. There are campaigns and groups out there that are trying to do what I did at home. I have surrounded her with strong women who love her and celebrate her, both in the family and my circle of friends. Hell yes she is influential! I would rather her influence other young girls than the media. Does influential make her bossy? Maybe? If she were a boy, would she get a behavior notice too?

Ah....and the AUTHORITATIVE. Do you have to be authoritative to be a leader and make a change? Yes.

au·thor·i·ta·tive

adjective \ə-ˈthär-ə-ˌtā-tiv, ȯ-, -ˈthȯr-\

: having or showing impressive knowledge about a subject

: having the confident quality of someone who is respected or obeyed by other people

That kind of sums up my daughter. She speaks about it in front of CEO's, community leaders, donors, television, schoolchildren, etc, about the things she loves and is passionate about. Because she lives it and has "impressive knowledge about the subject".
Shouldn't all our girls be authoritative? Isn't that what we are striving for?

Instead, I am finding that adults are often intimidated by confident youth. Both girls & boys. More than once, I suspect that is because of personal issues, maybe issues from that adult's youth? I wonder if they had been raised in a more confident manner, being praised for their own individuality instead of trying to conform to the norm, would they embrace the confidence of today's youth?

I believe that young girls, and boys, definitely need good role models in our society. At this point, they are being raised by Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Their role models are celebrities, that don't always make the greatest choices, or their "popular" peers. Should we not celebrate youth that come from all walks of life and settings, and have accomplished great things in their young lives? Who are well spoken, well mannered, and shown responsibility and drive?

There is certainly more to this story, but from what I see, I have raised my child to have an opinion, and to respect others.

I feel very strongly about this. I am proud of my daughter, and by the way, everyone in our "family" who has heard about this is applauding her (minus the snarkiness, again). This leads right up to the subject of women being called "bitchy" when they are really confident, assertive, the boss? There is of course a fine line between being a leader and a steamroller, but that is a different subject.

What are your thoughts?

The end of a Challenge, and the Goddesses it created

noreply@blogger.com (Heike) — Mon, 26 May 2014 03:20:00 +0000

I just posted the last of the 30 28 Day Goddess Challenge Goddesses :).

It was interesting. First of all, I don't know what the hell I was thinking to do this in May. May is the craziest month of my life. Maybe that was part of the challenge?

My thought was to make a Goddess a day. Well, I ended up with 19. It is just not physically possible to make a Goddess a day, they are all hand made from scratch, paint has to dry, heads need to butt. Quite frankly, making Goddesses sometimes means that a pink Goddess ends up being silver with a wolf on it. They have a mind of their own. Then we had to wait for full moon :).

The idea was to see what happens when there is "pressure to perform". In performing, I mean to make myself sit with the goddess until something happens. This was a challenge for me. I am impatient, my life is crazy, I get distracted. This meant I had to sit, and tell my kids, dog, husband, phone, computer, and mother that I was "busy" until I was done painting. It meant I had to go outside and take pictures BEFORE I chauffeured anyone or did laundry. It meant putting my Goddesses first, my art, and the rest of my life second.

:)

It also gave me time to remember why I started this in the first place. Why I make bold, strong Goddesses for women to wear. Because they are magic, and the stories that come back to me are uplifting, heart-breaking, and fantastic at the same time. Wearing a Goddess is a message to the world, and I am the one who brings the Goddesses to the women. It is an honor.

The really neat thing is the I LOVE each one of the challenge Goddesses! They are quite different. One has to stay with me, she is my "chosen one" :). It happens. We bonded.

I can't wait to see where they go.
Much love,
Heike