Of Mini-Wheats Addiction/ Personality Disorder and Best Friends

I've had this uncomfortable hunch for a while now. I think I might be addicted to Mini-Wheats cereal and suffering from Mini-Wheats Personality Disorder. You know the cereal, small bite-size squares of shredded wheat, plain on one side and sugar coated on the other. I have Mini-Wheats everyday for breakfast combined in a big bowl with raw oatmeal and All Bran. (I know what you're thinking and yes it is a lot of fiber.) This fact alone does not concern me, as my husband assured me yesterday over breakfast he's been eating Mini-Wheats for breakfast for 30 years (and he seems perfectly normal).

Mini-Wheats showing off their sweet and unsweetened sides. (They barely survived the photo shoot)

No, I'm not worried about breakfast; my concern arises over the fact that they are my through-the-day-snack-food. I grab a handful mid-morning to get me through to lunch. I also notice that when I have some unpleasant chore to do, or when I have to phone someone I don't really want to talk to, when I should be working on my finances, or when I'm feeling blocked artistically or sorry for myself or annoyed or ticked-off, or sad...there I am with a few Mini-Wheats in my hand. Yikes! It's a wonder I get anything done at all what with my hand stuck in that Mini-Wheats box so often.

Remember I wrote about my recent trip to the spa? Well, tucked away in my overnight bag were two plastic baggies of Mini-Wheats. Yesterday when my daughter Sam was here with her husband and a lovely couple they went to college with, we were talking about snacking and I just happened to mention that I think I might be addicted to Mini-Wheats. "Yeah, I think you are." my daughter agreed. Then her friend's husband piped up that he too takes Mini-Wheats as a snack in his lunch every day. Maybe I'm not alone I thought, maybe there are others out there like me; closet Mini-Wheats addicts.

Which leads me to my second observation and concern. The Mini-Wheats personality disorder. Sure the little character on the cereal box is cute; he has his "sweet" side and his "healthy" side. Could it be that my addiction has caused me to develop my own sweet, thickly sugar-coated side to hide my not-so-sweet side? Yes, I have to confess that I believe that I suffer from this affliction.

Yesterday I was having breakfast with my three of my absolutely dearest and most trusted friends. Now when I say, "I was having breakfast", I don't mean the breakfast where I break fast (I had my Mini-Wheats at home) this is the "breakfast" that is more like the appetizer to my lunch. My friends were very lovingly pointing out how I most often blog in the voice of my sweet side - you know the sugary one who wants so much for you to enjoy the sweet life. I always want to encourage you, my readers, to embrace and create your most wonderful, creative, artistic, rewarding and meaningful life. And yes, maybe it is true that I have avoided showing you my unsweetened side, not for lack of authenticity but rather so that you would have an uplifting place to visit, a positive oasis in your day. Ah, but there is the rub isn't it? Can I honestly encourage you to embrace a more simple, sane, healthy and creative life if I don't also share with you my own struggles, failings, fears, the things that make me want to scream or cry or give-up? What would my beloved Mini-Wheats be if they were sugar-coated on both sides? Nothing more than another kids' sugary breakfast cereal.

Hmmm. Now there is some heavy food for thought. I'm actually tearing up as I write this. Thank you my cherished friends, you who have seen my sugar-side highs and more often at my unsweetened-side lows. Thank you for loving this Mini-Wheats friend enough to encourage me to just be me, whether it’s my sugar side or unsweetened side that happens to be floating in my cereal bowl.

Thank you for stopping by My Turquoise Kettle Life today,

May you have an honest-to-goodness day,

Sandra

Practice Tender Loving Self-Care

Love it or loathe it, it’s the time of year when we begin to think about Christmas. If you are like most people, you're wondering how you can let those that you love and appreciate know how much you value their presence in your life. Often this translates into a shopping list or a "what to make them" list, or at the very least, what to write in their Christmas card so that they will know that you care.

While you are in the midst of your holiday planning, perhaps you could think about practicing a little self-care. A little early-in-the-season pampering could go a long way in helping you to manage the hectic month ahead.

Last week I had the opportunity to really indulge in some self-pampering. Using a very generous gift certificate I had been given for a local spa, I was treated to a facial, massage, hot tubs, a delicious lunch and an afternoon of lounging about in a fluffy white robe in a Zen-like setting. Later, I checked into a hotel; just me, alone. I had a room with a magnificent view of the of the Montreal skyline and as dusk fell and the lights from streets, cars and the cityscape jumped to life I was totally captivated by the sparkling beauty. I decided not to close the blinds so that I could enjoy the twinkling sky and the glittering city spread out before me.

That evening I didn’t do much really, I went for a long walk and did some reading. Mostly I just enjoyed the view and wondered about all the people. All these people that I share a city with. I prayed for them and especially for those who are frightened and struggling. Then finally I fell asleep; relaxed, pampered, grateful.

I also experimented with my camera and the night view from my hotel room window.... aren't these photos fun?

Saturday I walked around the shops, I guess I've lost something in this simplified life. I felt numbed by the glitz and the excess. When I arrived home that afternoon I really felt a deep appreciation for my husband, our simple home, the life we have built together and our two quirky dogs (who reacted as though I had been gone for a month).

This week I'm beginning to think about Christmas and how to keep the focus on the real reason we celebrate. I want to find ways to genuinely express my love and appreciation for those whom I cherish and also to be generous to those who are less fortunate.

I've promised myself to put healthy self-care very near the top of my holiday to-do list. For me that means daily quiet time, exercise, early to bed and healthy food (well...at least most of the time).

Why not set your holiday intention for wonderful self-care now before the festivities are in full swing?

Thank you for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life.

Have an amazing day,

Sandra

Painting a Self-Portrait

Just because we are really familiar with our own faces doesn't guarantee that painting your self-portrait will be easy.  But there are a couple of ideas that might make it more successful. Today I took a canvas with a lot of history, that is to say there are probably three paintings under the surface.  last week I painted the canvas a washed out yellow and collaged on some newspaper strips.

This morning I took a few photos of myself with my digital camera and loaded them onto my laptop, playing around with the exposure allowed me to easily see the light and shadow.  I did a small sketch on paper and then used the sketch and the photo to draw out the portrait on my canvas.  Here's the critical part: do not begin to paint until your sketch is really how you want it.  To check that it is, hold up the canvas in front of a mirror - the mirror instantly shows us where our drawing errors are.

For my self-portrait I wanted to use a lot of colour.  I used cool colours to indicate the shadow and warmer ones to indicate where the light hit the face.  I'm always surprised how assymetrical my features are and while it is tempting to make my eyes the same size and shape as each other I would then lose any likeness to my own pleasantly crooked face.

I also wanted to make sure that I left some of the newspaper to show through and play a role in the painting.  I forced myself to work quickly and remain loose so as not to get too caught up on perfecting details, a little mystery goes a long way in a painting.

After a few hours this is what I ended up with:

I allowed some of the newsprint to show through

I layed colours beside one another and avoided blending them.

Not bad for a morning's work.  If you try this method I'd love to see a photo of your self-portrait painting.  You can always e-mail me at sandra.myturquoisekettlelife@gmail.com

Thanks for stopping by My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Have yourself  a wonderful day,

Sandra

Dog Walking Through Rose Coloured Glasses

If you read my last post Wake-up Calls and Silver Linings some of you may be yawning, "Enough already just let me sleep." but the sunrise is so spectacular that I honestly cannot keep it to myself.  If you don't already have a weak-bladder dog you might want to get one, that or a newspaper route, anything that will force you to get up just before dawn and witness the magnificent beauty that most of us are sleeping through.

The sky looks as though it is on fire.

If you weren't up at 6:30 a.m. here is what you missed:

Flaming orange gives way to pinks and mauves

If I were to paint this people would assume I exagerated the colours.

On my walk back home I also had the chance to say "Good morning" to two chubby squirrels who were having breakfast in my neighbour's crab apple tree. 

What a wonderful beginning to another day full of possibilities - "Thank-you Lord"

And thank you too for stopping by My Turquoise Kettle Life.

Have a beautiful day,

Sandra

Wake Up Calls and Silver Linings

"My barn having burned to the ground, I can now see the moon."

Chinese Proverb

Life tends to go more smoothly when I am able to find the silver lining in what could be annoying or frustrating situations.  Take this morning for instance. I've managed to groove my morning routine so that I can wake up at 5:45 get myself ready, walk and feed the dogs and have a cup of tea and still arrive at the gym by 6:30ish.  This morning however, our darling dog Grace was making her need to use the outdoor facilities abundantly clear at 5:15. 

Heeding her wake up call, I pulled on my rubber boots and trench coat over my pj's and took both dogs out.  I was so richly rewarded. The sky was dark and the moon was so full and so huge hanging in the sky that I wanted to wake up my husband and make him come see it.  Instead I went home, got my camera and took photos until my fingers were too numb from cold to stay out any longer.  Not only was the moon spectacular, but also the way the street lights illuminated the autumn leaves was stunning.

While my photos don't do the early morning scene justice, they may give you a hint of the beauty I was privledged to experience. 

Clouds over the Moon

Moon through the trees

By the time I was home warming my hands on a cup of steaming tea, I thanked Grace for her  "wake up call", without which I would have missed out on the early morning beauty. 

Thank-you for stopping by My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Have a silver-lining day,

Sandra

The Slow Kitchen - Giving up the Microwave Oven

Our microwave is on the fritz - again. This microwave is only about two months old. The one it replaced was less than a year old when it gave up the ghost. Hmmm.

We've been exclusively slow-cooking so to speak for about a week. No big deal really, I don't miss the microwave. So this morning over breakfast when I pondered out loud, "Do you think we need a microwave oven?" My husband said, "No, probably not." We tossed around the idea of not replacing it and how we might be inconvenienced. Like most people, we have grown accustomed to zapping frozen bread when we forget to defrost it for lunches, reheating left-overs and cooking baked potatoes.

I was in my late twenties before I owned a microwave oven, so I know we can manage without it, doing so might be an interesting experiment. Mind you this is coming from the woman whose conventional oven was broken from May until September of this year and then I only reluctantly had it repaired because I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner for twenty-five people. While it was broken I managed quite well thank you with the stove top, the barbeque and microwave oven. Okay, so I'm no Martha Stewart.

We were also the family that ripped out a perfectly good dishwasher and stuck it at the curb with a "Free - It Works" sign on it. It wasn't long before a man stopped and asked what was wrong with it. "Nothing, we just don't want a dishwasher anymore." (Actually we never wanted one, it was a very generous wedding gift) The poor guy, he begged us to tell him what was wrong with the dishwasher. "Really, it isn't very old and it works perfectly, we like hand washing our dishes." He looked at us side-ways, certain we were either lying to him or crazy. He took the dishwasher but still seemed unsure as he wheeled it away.

I digress. As far as the microwave oven is concerned, I think we'll try to do without. In a couple of weeks I'll update you on our little slow-kitchen experiment.

Thanks for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Wishing you a slow and easy day,

Sandra