Eating God's Way

I have not blogged all year due to ill health. I have not had the energy or inspiration to do much of anything creative. I finally decided to take control of my own health. After much research and the help of Ion Baths I came to the conclusion that I have an overgrowth of candida in my system. I have, therefore, embarked on a healing journey through detox and a change (DRASTIC change may I add!) in diet. As I started my new eating plan I decided to view this as a great challenge, rather than deprivation or restriction. I am one week into the new eating plan and I am so jazzed! I have started going to Farmer's Markets in both my town and a neighboring town and shopping at stores that offer quality, fresh food like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. I enlisted two friends to join me on this trek so we are supporting one another, shopping together and cooking together. Today they even helped me plant an herb garden.
I am now going to change the focus of this blog to HEALTH - my health journey. I will be posting pictures and recipes since I am having fun making my own salad dressings and dips. (I am not using anything processed or prepackaged or bottled).
The Maker's Diet by Dr. Rubin is a great resource and inspiration to me and once I am on maintenance I will follow his eating plan. I am not following his diet yet because I am first going to adhere to The Candida Diet to rid my body of candida. (http://www.thecandidadiet.com/)
So if anyone out there is interested in health follow along with me in this and feel free to put in your two cent's worth or share any recipes made with fresh ingredients.

OUT WITH THE OLD

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve - the old year is fading fast! It was a year filled with travel; reaquainting myself with relatives I hadn't seen in over 30 years; art (vistited lots of galleries and took 2 online classes); and tribulation. The last 3 months have been spent battling illness, Don's and my own. My problems are small potatoes compared to Don's. He was totally disabled for awhile and caring for him was a tough, stressful, full-time job. (I was so blessed to have Brigette here to help me with this burden.) Don has had a tough struggle in his fight against pain. It is not resolved yet but he is stronger than he has been in a couple of months. I feel like I'm coming out of a dark cave and seeing the light again! The New Year holds hope!
This year has taught me that I have to cling to my God and put all my hopes in Him! I can't expect anything from anyone but I can accept whatever help God provides. The help He provided during the crisis the past couple of months came from unexpected sources. People I didn't expect stepped forward with love, support and help. I am so thankful for all my dear friends and family that were here for us.
I don't have resolutions for the New Year but I do have plans. Plans to stay on a healthy diet, plans to start a Bible study and meet regularly with Godly women to study His Word, plans to get back to creating my art and plans to travel once again. And I know what God says about His plans for me! His are plans are for good and not for evil, to give me a future and a hope (Jer. 29:22). Amen and amen!

GUT ART

The Gut Art Class is in it's 4th week. I have enjoyed watching the field trip videos and responding with art. The result has been art that I would not have normally done but it was inspired by using prompts, or "pulling" art out of a background or just viewing the art of other artists.

Hello Medicare!

This past week I celebrated my 65th birthday. But mostly I celebrated Medicare!!!! No more exhorbitant insurance premiums - yipee!!!!
Deb took me to Santa Barbara for a mini-vacation sans kids. We stayed with our friend, Eileen, who just moved there. We had a great time! Being the birthday girl, they let me plan our itinerary so, of course, art was involved. I went to two art shows.
We shopped, we went crazy at a rummage sale, we dined at a trendy bistro and we laughed and celebrated life. We came home by way of Ventura where we met my friends, Dianne and Rose, for a birthday lunch. On Monday, my actual birthday, Deb fixed me a wonderful salmon dinner and baked me my favorite - a lemon cake! I felt so loved!!!! Although I'm an old lady now, I'm a happy old lady!!!!!

Gut Art Field Trip #3

I watched video #3 today which featured the art of Cora Marshall. She did a wonderful series of paintings of Negro slaves. When I was done I saw a vintage magazine on my work table, the pages are yellowed and crisp from age. I just sat down and started drawing and this came out. It is a simple drawing done with colored pencils, I liked it and wanted it to stand on it's own thus the simple background. When I was done I realized the text was upside down, but in thinking about the injustices to minorities in this country, and particularly the horrors of slavery, I felt it was appropo since slavery did indeed turn people's lives upside down!

ART CARDS

I did not start out purposing to do a painting for any other reason than to create a piece of art. However, once this zany lady was done I just envisioned her as the perfect birthday card. So I first added the birthday message using Picassa. Then I made a reduced color print on matte photo paper and used colored pencils to define some of the areas. I added the glitzy star, matted it with the same paper I used on the face, mounted it on a card stock and...... viola! - I have a birthday card! Actually, I made several.

Do not imagine that art is something which is designed to give gentle uplift and self-confidence. Art is not a brassiere. At least, not in the English sense. But do not forget that brassiere is the French word for

life-jacket. -Jullian Barnes

Funky Chica!!!

My painting for the day!

I'm having fun with

this style!

Art has the suddenness, the audacity, and sometimes the

savagery of impolite wit.

Caleb Jackson