Author Archives: Cauldrons and Cupcakes

About Cauldrons and Cupcakes

Hi! I'm Nicole Cody. I am a writer, psychic, metaphysical teacher and organic farmer. I love to read, cook, walk on the beach, dance in the rain and grow things. Sometimes, to entertain my cows, I dance in my gumboots. Gumboot dancing is very under-rated.

Chocolate Covered Coconut Slice Recipe

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“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” 
~ Charles M. Schulz

Chocolate and coconut is a heavenly combination, and this particular slice recipe delivers! It is quite light in texture, so it’s not rich and it’s not too sweet – a crisp biscuit base, a fluffy coconut centre and a succulent layer of real chocolate to top it off. This slice is a perfect accompaniment to a floral or fruity tea, or a good coffee.

It can also easily be modified to become gluten-free and diabetic friendly. Vegans – please use your favourite butter and egg substitute – I quite like replacing the egg with a 1/4 cup of applesauce or a 1/2 a banana, both of which compliment the other flavours.

Today’s recipe is another offering from the Family Recipe Book, our treasured ‘passed down’ and hostess-acquired recipes from three generations of women who love to cook.

INGREDIENTS

Biscuit Base: 95 grams of butter (3.35 ounces or 0.85 of a stick of butter), 2 tablespoons of caster sugar (superfine sugar) or equivalent sugar substitute, 3/4 cup plain flour, 1/4 cup self raising flour (self-rising for my USA friends or 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 and 1/2 x teaspoons baking powder and a pinch of salt, sifted together),  1 tablespoon of cornflour, pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

*Note: if using gluten-free flour use 1/2 cup of plain and 1/2 cup of self raising flour for a better result.

Coconut Filling: 2 cups of unsweetened desiccated coconut, 1 egg, 3 tablespoons of sugar (increase to 4 if you prefer a sweeter slice) or equivalent sugar substitute, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 2 tablespoons of self raising flour, 3/4 cup of milk or your favourite milk equivalent.

Chocolate Topping: 200 grams (7 ounces) of your choice of milk or dark chocolate ( I like a combination of both!) broken into pieces, 25 grams (0.9 ounces) copha or vegetable shortening. If you’re diabetic please use a diabetic chocolate or a dark chocolate that is low in sugar. 

choc mix

METHOD

Base:

Preheat oven to moderate (160 degree celcius fan-forced or 180 degree oven – 350 degrees fahrenheit).

Line a 28cm x 18cm (7 inch by 11 inch) slice tin with some baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together (using electric or hand beaters) until light and smooth. Add in the vanilla and dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Mixture should be a crumbly paste.

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Press firmly into the tin, taking care to push mixture right into the corners. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden all over. Remove from oven and rest for ten minutes.

Coconut Filling:

Prepare this while the base is in the oven. Mix all ingredients together and leave sit for five minutes for coconut to swell and absorb any fluid. Spoon over the biscuit base, spreading evenly.  Return to oven and bake another twenty five minutes or until set and lightly browned on top.  Cool in tin.

Chocolate Topping:

Melt broken chocolate and copha in a saucepan together over low heat, stirring frequently until mixture is smooth and lump free. (You could also use your microwave – but we’re a microwave-free household so you’re on your own for instructions here!) Pour over Slice and spread carefully to the edges.  Leave to set in tin, and then cut into small squares.

Store in an airtight container, and refrigerate if you live in a hot climate or like your chocolate layer crisp..

*Warning – this Slice is prone to evaporation and other mysterious disappearances. 

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Variations:

* Evenly space walnut halves in lines before the chocolate sets so that when you cut the slice each square will have a walnut half decorating the centre.

* Add a tablespoon of Malibu (coconut flavoured white rum) to the coconut filling before baking.

* Spread a thin layer of Nutella on the biscuit base before adding the coconut layer. (This is especially good, and also goes well with the Malibu layer for a special treat.)

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Healing Old Hurts

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“We are often haunted by important relationships from the past that influence us unconsciously in the present. As we work them through, they go from haunting us to becoming simply part of our history.” 
~ Norman Doidge, The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science

 

Why is it that some things are so hard to let go? I’m not talking about that happy reminiscing we all indulge in from time to time, where we look back on relationships or incidents from our past with a fondness or a good humour. I’m referring instead to those things that we can’t seem to move on from – where remembering them and recounting them re-opens old wounds, and causes pain almost as fresh as the day we were first hurt.

One of the precious privileges I have as a psychic is bearing witness to the pain many people suffer around their relationships. Even people who seem to have the most ‘together’ lives often open up and reveal how much they still hurt over relationships with family and others that they love or have loved deeply.

Old ladies in their nineties still worrying about fallings-out with their sisters when they were mere teenagers, old men are still bowed and shamed by incidents with their fathers or grandfathers.  People yearn and ache for lost loves and relationships that ended badly. We grieve mistakes and bad choices, and crucify ourselves for past decisions. We carry these hurts with us though life.  Why? They are all unresolved issues.

If you fight and then make up, or discuss things and decide to part ways, that’s a resolution. When we have resolution and closure – even if it’s painful – something inside us lets go and we find ourselves able to eventually move on.

An unresolved issue is any situation where we didn’t feel heard or loved or supported or understood. Where we never got to a conclusion or a resolution.

Sometimes we are fortunate enough to be able to find resolution years after a situation has occurred. A friend’s father had a difficult upbringing.  His own father had been extremely hard on his children, and in some cases that hardness had actually been cruel. My friend’s dad had been dogged by this his whole adult life. As his father became ill and required care, my friend’s Dad, by now a man in his fifties, finally decided to speak to his father.  The older man had no idea that his actions had so hurt his son and other children. He thought he’d been being a good father by ‘toughening up his children’ so that they wouldn’t suffer in life the way that he had. The old man apologised unreservedly.  It led to a great healing and a new closeness in the relationship between father and son, and my friend’s dad felt as if a weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders.

Occasionally, after time has passed, we are lucky enough to be able to have that conversation, and finally feel heard and acknowledged.

Another friend found the courage to speak to an older sibling about something that had divided their relationship as teenagers and stopped them speaking with one another.  They are now in their sixties.  It didn’t go as my friend had hoped.  They talked, but there was no apology, no new closeness, no opportunity for a mended relationship.  Still, it gave my friend closure. She has stopped wondering if the relationship can be salvaged.  She has mourned it and let it go.

It is worth attempting resolution, or seeking closure. Even when the outcome is not what you may have hoped, it can allow you to let go of the thing you have carried around inside you for so long.

Sometimes we’re able to have that conversation.

But when we can’t, there are still options.

If the person is alive but unwilling, if they are no longer able to be found, or if they have passed over, we can hold the conversation in our head instead.  We can write them a letter we never send.  We can still get it all off our chest.

Sometimes WE are the person we have the issue with. Well, we’ll still need to have that dialogue, even if it’s with ourselves.

Good therapists can help here. Hanging onto this painful stuff buried deep within is never good for us, and can lead to anxiety issues, depression and even post-traumatic stress.

Sometimes what is most needed is simply to accept the other person and their behaviour; to understand that they are who they are, that they won’t change, and that expecting them to be different will always cause disappointment and hurt for you.

Finding resolution and letting go of old hurts is about energetically releasing ourselves from the past. Sure, we may end up with a scar, but a scar can’t be reopened like a wound can. We may have a reminder, but we can find ways to accept, to forgive, to put it behind us, to move on.

Most importantly, when we heal old hurts, we gather all of the emotion and energy that we were placing on that person or situation and it becomes available for us to use in new ways.  We can put it towards creative projects, new love, business, health and well-being. Tremendous energy can be wasted by being caught up in the past. So much so that it prevents us from living in the present or moving into the future in any satisfying way.

Healing old hurts is possible, and is one of the most worthwhile things you’ll ever do. 

* Other posts you may find helpful around this topic are:

Emotions and their impact on your health

Knowing when to let go

Parents are also people

Closing the door on abusive relationships

Working with the energy of forgiveness (this one also has a guided meditation)

 

The Magic of a Cup of Tea

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cuppa

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” 
~ Mother Teresa

There are a few things that have helped me to feel human again in the past twenty-four hours after days of being wretchedly ill. Such simple things, but they nurtured me, body and soul:

  • a long hot shower, with neem oil soap made by a friend to soothe my burning, itchy skin
  • clean sheets; fresh and soft and smelling still of sunshine
  • clean pyjamas; old favourites – warm and comfortable
  • a cup of milky tea – after a few days of no food it was bliss to sip and savour
  • vegemite on toast – just a few bites, buttery and the vegemite not too thick
  • an open window, and a gentle breeze
  • lots and lots of sleep

The clean sheets and pyjamas were waiting for me after my shower.  The tea and toast followed after I was tucked up in bed again.

It’s the simple things, always the simple things, that bring comfort, a sense of safety, and the knowledge you are loved.

What simple things can you do for yourself, or a loved one today?  Everyone benefits from care and comfort.

Thanks for all your lovely well-wishes and messages of support. Am off to see my Lyme Doctor today. I’ll be back to normal blogging tomorrow.  Much love to you ♥ xx

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Lyme Schlyme!

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“I keep sailing on in this middle passage. I am sailing into the wind and the dark. But I am doing my best to keep my boat steady and my sails full.”  ~ Arthur Ashe

The past few days have not been among my best.

Physically I’ve struggled.

It started earlier this week, of course, with feeling good. I should have seen it for a warning…  but at the time I thought it was fabulous. I had a welcome burst of energy.  My mind felt clear. I was optimistic, even as I was getting bad news from my doctors.  Even as I rearranged the deck chairs on my sinking ship.

I felt okay for three beautiful days. On the third day I became brittle. A crankiness pushed its way to the surface, and as fast as I stuffed it back down it seeped up through the cracks in me. A rash stippled my cheeks, shoulders and back. People mistook it for health and told me I looked well.

By nightfall I felt wired.  But then I couldn’t sleep.

All night I lay in my bed, tossing and turning. Beyond exhaustion I greeted the day bleary eyed and empty-headed.  Then I began to flush, and my skin shimmered and shivered as though it was lit up with white phophorus – burning with a bright cold fire.

Next came the sweats and the chills. The throbbing pain in my head. The familiar and awful pressure in my ears, and in my eye, which twitched and clouded until I could no longer see from it except through a fog.

The agony of herxing from my lyme meds, my lyme herbs, my lyme diet.

I’ve had seizures, gut cramps, profuse vomiting and diahrroea.  My left hand has trembled so badly that I have been unable to write for two days.

Bright light has been unbearable.

And mentally, I’ve been down the darkest of holes. It’s been all I can do to keep my head above water.  And sometimes I didn’t, and felt the burn in my lungs of a drowning woman, so broken she was almost out of fight.

Last night, finally, I slept.

This morning my hands are steady and my skin is cool. I’m empty and wrung out, but I can tell there’s been a shift. It’s as if a storm has passed and I have been washed up on the shore; firm ground underneath me, clear and benevolent skies above.

The light still bugs me. But I can wear dark glasses and a hat. (I am wearing them as I lie in bed to type this, my screen dimmed and the small bedside light angled away.) I’m still exhausted, but I’ll crawl back under the covers soon and surrender to sleep. The world seems kinder this morning and my heart has found a way to feel good about life again.

I’m three months in and counting. Only twenty-seven to go.  I can do this.  Two and a half years of treatment is a small price for the chance of reclaiming my health.

But don’t call me brave.  Don’t say I am inspiring. You didn’t see me snivelling and sobbing over the toilet bowl.  You didn’t see me broken and despairing and fearful. I am where I am, and I am doing what I have to do. I suffered many of these problems before my lyme treatment. And worse. I was on a rapid downhill slide. At least now my suffering has purpose.  I am so sick because so many bacteria inside me are dying. War is always messy, and there will be collateral damage. I’m okay with that. It’s a relief to finally be fighting instead of gracefully accepting a fate I wasn’t ready for.

I value my life, and it is no longer enough to live so small, fitting my existence into that ever-diminishing box that is chronic and degenerative illness.

I want to know freedom, I want to know energy, I want to hold wellness in my hands, and to greet the day with a sense of possibility, instead of mustering gratitude for having survived another day.

After the storm, a rainbow.

After the storm, my life…

Alice’s Lifelong Invisible Friend

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Image from Meltys

Image from Meltys

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery The Little Prince

Alice is the oldest person to have ever sought out my services as a psychic.  She came to see me late last year, at age 98, driven to my house by her grand-daughter Donna.

After she was settled, and her family had gone off for a drive to give her some privacy, Alice gravely informed me that she needed some spiritual advice before she died. Could I work with someone who had already lived their life and was right at the end of their time here?

“Don’t worry,” I reassured her. “Let’s just do what I would ordinarily do in one of my sessions, and we’ll see what comes up.”

We sat at the table where I work, and I held Alice’s frail hands in mine, closed my eyes, bowed my head, and offered up a prayer for the Highest Good. Then I sat quietly for a moment

It is wonderful to work with the elderly, and anyone drawing close to the end of their time here on earth.  Their lives stretch out richly before them, and the connection to the spiritual world is always strong and immediate.

Immediately I got a name, ‘Agnes’, and sensed that she was one of Alice’s guides. It was the most powerful and immediate connection, as if Agnes was right here beside us.

When I opened my eyes and looked up at Alice, so that we could begin our session, her soft grey eyes held mine. There was a bright curiosity there.

I explained how I start my session, with the prayer and the connection, and that I then opened myself up to any first impressions.  I told her about Agnes, and how strong her presence was.

Then we sat for over an hour, as I shared information about Alice’s aura, and why she had chosen to come to this life.  We discussed love and family, and I was able to give her clarity about some of the incidents and relationships that she was still trying to come to terms with after nearly a century of life.

Finally, as the session was coming to an end, Alice became quite teary, and told me she had a terrible confession. I couldn’t imagine what it could be – Alice has led a good life, filled with caring for others, kindness and love.

“I have an imaginary friend,” she whispered through her tears. “She’s been my friend since I was little. I’m always talking to her, and sometimes at night in my room, after everyone else is asleep, she comes to visit me, and she sits on my bed.”

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I didn’t say anything, just reached across so I could hold her hand.

She laughed. “I must be a bit funny in the head,” she said. “And there’s one other thing… My whole life I have felt lonely on the inside, like something precious is missing. I have no right to feel like this.  My parents were very loving, and I had tremendous brothers. I had a happy marriage and my own two girls and their families have been very good to me. And I had plenty of friends, although, of course, they are all gone now.”

“And your sister,” I prompted. “You must have been very close to your sister.”

Alice looked at me strangely, and the energy between us suddenly became very uncomfortable. “I never had a sister,” she said crankily. “You’re very much mistaken.”

We moved back to safer ground, and I answered the last of her questions, and then her grand-daughter arrived back at my house and Alice and I said goodbye.

Alice’s grand-daughter knocked on my door last night, to let me know that the old lady had died peacefully in her sleep on the weekend. Donna had sat with her grandmother for the last few days of her life, and Alice had been conscious and lucid til the last.  Alice was insistent that Donna contact me after her death.

Donna had a large envelope with her, and she took out the contents to show me. In it were photocopies of some old documents. One was the death certificate of Alice’s mother.  It clearly showed that she had given birth to three sons and then after a gap of six years, two twin girls, Alice and Agnes.

My skin prickled with recognition. Agnes… The presence I had felt so strongly in the room with us that day.

There was also a death certificate for Agnes, who had died at age four from scarlet fever.  The family had lived in a small town in Outback Queensland. Donna had discovered that her great grandmother and Agnes were buried in a family plot in that small town.  She was now planning to go out there to find their graves.

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Alice had told Donna all about her session with me on the drive back to her nursing home, and Donna had then diligently visited the State Archives to see what she could learn of her family history.

She had found the information weeks before her grandmother passed away, and Donna told me it had given her grandmother much peace.

Alice’s family had never spoken of Agnes, and Alice had grown up believing that Agnes truly was imaginary. She had learned from a very early age not to speak of Agnes, but had maintained that love and connection with her twin sister for her whole life.

We both cried, and hugged, and as she left, Donna withdrew another small envelope from her bag. “This is for you, from Gran,” she said.

I opened it after she left. In a spidery hand, Alice had written me a short note. In part, it said Thank you for restoring the missing part of my heart.

Last night I lay in bed and thought of my own beautiful grandparents who have now all passed away, and some dear friends whose lives ended too early.  I felt the weight of all their love. And it made me smile to think of Alice and Agnes, together again, and catching up on a lifetime’s worth of being apart.

Love truly is a force powerful beyond all we can imagine.

 

Sex, Drugs and Meditation – A journey to Self!

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sex drugs meditation

“I said to my soul, be still and wait without hope, for hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love, for love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith, but the faith and the love are all in the waiting. Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought: So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.” 
~ T.S. Eliot

I’ve just finished reading the most wonderful book. It’s called Sex, Drugs and Meditation – A Memoir, and it’s the debut title of Mary-Lou Stephens, an Australian writer.

Mary-Lou writes about the struggles she endures at a ten day Vipassana Meditation Retreat (for those of you who don’t know, this is a Buddhist practice of ten days of seated meditation and reflection done in complete silence). Ten days of silence and meditation is hard for anyone, but Mary-Lou is a radio host, a musician, and inveterate talker who has actively filled silence her whole life.

I love this book, because not only does Mary-Lou describe the journey that is Vipassana so well, she also takes us on the journey of her life; a life of great hardship. She’s had a crappy childhood, grown into a teenager and then an adult who makes poor relationship choices, self-medicates with drugs and alcohol, struggles with low self-esteem, grief and loss, and doesn’t trust herself as an artist.

All of this, as well as her self-sabotaging inner voice, is revisited during the ten days of her Vipassana retreat as Mary-Lou wrestles with the demons in her head.

This is Mary-Lou’s story, but it could well be yours or mine.  For anyone who has ever experienced self-doubt, whose inner voice has deemed them unworthy, who plays tapes of old outdated stories that have us judging our current circumstances not by what is, but by the patterns and beliefs held inside us, this book is for you.

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If you’ve attended a Vipassana meditation you’ll find yourself nodding and smiling and laughing out loud as you recognise yourself between the pages.  If you’ve ever contemplated attending a meditation retreat then read this book!

“One thing: you have to walk, and create the way by your walking; you will not find a ready-made path. It is not so cheap, to reach to the ultimate realization of truth. You will have to create the path by walking yourself; the path is not ready-made, lying there and waiting for you. It is just like the sky: the birds fly, but they don’t leave any footprints. You cannot follow them; there are no footprints left behind.” 
~ Osho

Sex, Drugs and Meditation had me engaged from the very first, and through its pages I found myself smiling, crying, and at times laughing out loud! It’s raw, honest, authentic, vulnerable and terribly brave.

Unlike Eat, Pray, Love the wildly popular and slightly self-indulgent book that defined this self-help ‘woman-goes-on-journey-of spiritual-self-discovery‘ genre, this book leaves you feeling that you can realistically make changes, undergo a journey of self-discovery, and find inner peace.

I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say that when you let go of your story and embrace self-acceptance, it’s amazing how life can change for the better in a heartbeat.

Bravo, Mary-Lou Stephens! Your book is uplifting and wise, and gives hope to us all that we can find a place of peace and forgiveness within us, accept and love ourselves, and open up to the love and goodness available to us here in our ordinary lives.

You can find Mary-Lou’s book at all good book stores, or online at:

Pan Macmillan – book or ebook, shipped worldwide

Amazon – for the kindle edition

* Note: This is not a paid endorsement and I won’t get a brass razoo if you buy Mary-Lou’s book.  I just think it’s a great read with an important message, and I’m into supporting Australian Authors.

Uncanny Harry!

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Young Harry, a fine pup!

“Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.” 
~ Rumi

 

Harry, our young pup, continues to astound and delight us. For those of you who’ve been following his journey, you’ll know that Harry joined our family late last year, after the death of Charlie, our much loved old cattledog.

Right from the first moment, Harry seemed to know who I was.  When I brought him home as a six week old pup (Harry came from the same breeder and the same bloodlines of Charlie dog) he knew his way around the house – where the water bowl was, the bed, the place outside where Charlie used to favour for his toiletries.

There have been many more similarities over the past six months.  But two stand out for me.

An old friend came round recently.  Marlene had known our old dog Charlie very well, and they’d had a special connection.  She would sometimes look after him when we were away, and take him running with her. When Charlie died she rang us in tears.

Our beautiful Charlie Dog

Our beautiful Charlie Dog

Marlene lives interstate right now, and we haven’t seen her for months, but she came to visit last week.

Harry is a naturally friendly pup, but when Marlene came into the house he was beside himself. He wriggled himself into a frenzy.  He jumped up on the couch beside her and wouldn’t leave her alone, licking her and nuzzling her and making ecstatic little squeaks of joy. He had to sit with his paws touching her once he’d finally settled down, all radiant smiles and happiness. We’ve never seen him behave like that for anyone else.  It brought tears to our eyes.

And then last night I was in the kitchen, chopping up pink lady apples to make an apple crumble for dessert. As I finished chopping I felt a paw on my leg.

Pink Lady apples - Charlie's favourite

Pink Lady apples – Charlie’s favourite

“Here you go, Charlie,” I said, handing down the apple core.

It was a ritual we had.  Bert, our other dog, has always loved fruit but Charlie never did.  Except pink lady apple cores. Each time I would cut one up he would sit right at my feet, waiting.  When he couldn’t hear the sound of chopping anymore, he would put his paw on my leg, and I would pass down the core which he would munch on as happily as if it was the finest of bones.

Last night was the first night I’ve used pink ladies last winter. But here was Harry, right beside me, like Charlie always had been, and the moment my knife stopped meeting the cutting board, there was the paw.

It wasn’t Charlie of course, it was young Harry.  And he took the apple core, just like Charlie used to, and went into his ‘cave’ under the table to chomp it up.

There’s a wisdom and an ‘old dog’ energy with Harry.  Everyone comments on it. He’s a real watcher and observer.  Harry’s measured and thoughtful in his actions, as much as he can still run around the yard in play like any demented puppy would.

If ever there was an argument for per reincarnation, Harry is it.

But whatever is happening, or why, we’re just glad he’s part of our family!

And if you’re interested in the topic of reincarnation, you might find this post interesting – it’s not about pets, it’s about people, and it’s quite compelling.

The baby who needed to speak

(this gorgeous image by Michelle Meiklejohn)

(this gorgeous image by Michelle Meiklejohn)

Simple ways to make your week look better

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“We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”

~ Marian Wright Edelman

 

Another Monday’s rolling around and that means that you have the opportunity, in small ways, to shape your week to play out differently.

Unless you won the lottery on the weekend or are about to embark on some stunning vacation, chances are that this week is going to look a lot like last week for you.

But there are some simple things that you can do to give this week a sense of greater meaning and satisfaction, so that by week’s end you feel a sense of being more in control.

These things are:

  1. One consistent small change, repeated daily.
  2. A small window of time to work on something important to you.
  3. A reward to look forward to.

The small change needs to be a positive step that you know will make a difference in your life. No grand gestures please – just make it something small, do-able and measurable.

Ideas include:

  • drinking 2 litres of water each day
  • cutting back smoking, sugar or coffee – make it measurable ie go from two coffees each day to one, from two sugars to one, from four cigarettes to two
  • eating fresh vegetables each day
  • tidying your desk and getting tomorrow’s to-do list done before you go home each day
  • cleaning up after dinner so you’re not greeted by a stack of dirty dishes in the morning

Life shoots by so fast – we’re already approaching the middle of the year. What dreams did you have for this year?  What did you hope to achieve?  This week, make sure to take a tiny step towards something that’s important to you.

That could be:

  • going to yoga one night after work
  • going to the library to get some research materials
  • cleaning out a closet
  • signing up for a class one night a week, or over the weekend
  • gathering materials for your project or craft
  • spending time with someone important to you

And finally – your reward! It’s life, people.  It’s meant to be enjoyed.  How does that look for you? Promise yourself that if you get through Monday to Friday with your consistent small change, and your window of time for yourself, that on the weekend (or Friday night) you’ll enjoy a small reward.

Some ideas to get you started include:

  • going to the movies
  • wandering through the weekend markets
  • going to a favourite store or cafe
  • going to the park, the beach or on a picnic
  • a drive in the country
  • a sleep-in
  • a visit to the travel agent for some inspiring brochures
  • taking yourself shopping, or for a haircut, a massage or a spa
Southbank Markets. Picture: Grant Parker Source: The Courier-Mail

Southbank Markets. Picture: Grant Parker Source: The Courier-Mail

No, this is not a plan for global domination, or for massively sexy and abundance-making overnight results.

But when we take small actions, consistently, and remember to nurture ourselves, take time for our dreams, and enjoy the simple pleasures in life – life becomes a lot more livable, and we find ourselves happier within our existing life circumstances.

Why don’t you try it for yourself?  There’s nothing to lose, and small course corrections, over time, often lead to huge positive life changes.

Sending much love to you for a wonderful week.  Love and Light, Nicole xx

Mother-Teresa-Quotes-Be-faithful-in-small-things-because-it-is-in-them-that-your-strength-lies.

PS – If you want a really cool tool to add in to your small changes this week, why not try one of my awesome affirmations.  At worst it will make you laugh, and at best, well… magic might happen!

Here’s the link: Nicole’s Very Cool Positive Affirmations

Thoughts on Mother’s Day

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“There are three musts that hold us back: I must do well. You must treat me well. And the world must be easy.”~ Albert Ellis

 

It’s Mother’s Day in Australia today. It’s a day when so many families will get together with their Mothers, give heartfelt gifts of appreciation, share meals and practice love and gratitude. Love and gratitude is a beautiful thing. Togetherness and belonging is the foundation of so much that is good in our society.

No doubt there will be a flood of feel-good sentiment in our media, and on facebook and twitter. But this Mother’s Day I want to acknowledge a different reality.

Today’s also a hard day for many people. I want my post to stand for you.  I want you to have a space to put your feelings. I want you to know that you are heard.

This is a post for all of the children, some long grown, whose Mothers failed to love them, protect them and nurture them.  Not everyone had a happy shiny family.  Not everyone has the love and support of a wise and kind Mother, as a child or as an adult.

This is a post for all of the women who gave up their children, who lost them to accident or illness, who had them torn away by war or foul play or relationship breakdown. Today, some Mothers will know great pain, as their mothering goes wasted, as their arms stay empty of a child to hug.

This is a post for the women whose wombs could never bear fruit. The women who know the pain of infertility, of miscarriage and of stillbirth. The women, whom through circumstance, have not become Mothers. Or who are unacknowledged in their identify as a Mother because there is no surviving child for others to see.  The women who wonder, each Mother’s Day, how their life might have been different…

This is a post for the children who have lost their Mothers early, or who have never known them, and for those abandoned or deserted by their Mothers.

This image from www.favim.com

This image from www.favim.com

This is a post for all of you who loved your Mothers and Grandmothers, and who won’t have them at your table this year. Perhaps they are ill, or passed on. Perhaps distance separates you, or misunderstanding. Perhaps they are living in the shady halls of memory where they no longer recognise you, or the love you have for them, or they for you.

This is a post for the blended families, for the difficulties of mothering children who are not your own, and who may not accept you.  This is for those of you whose Father chose someone other than your Mother, and where you still feel the pain of the loss of that sense of family and of all you had held dear. This is a post for the children who became second best or didn’t rate at all, once the family structure shifted.

This is for the Mothers whose children will be in your ex-partner’s home, and with that side of the family today, while you sit at home alone. Perhaps for you a phone call.  But no hugs. No day of sharing. Not this year.

This is for the Mothers who are not accepted, loved or acknowledged by their Mother-In-Laws. For the families who know friction and tension, but who still make an effort to keep up relationships and appearances.

This is for all of the Grandmothers who don’t see their grandchildren because of relationship breakdowns or sheer distance and the life choices of their own children.

This post acknowledges all of the women so busy working, or looking after the children of other people, that they never had the time or the privilege to be the Mother they would have liked to have been for their own children.

This is for all the Mothers who made mistakes that they regret, who made bad choices, or who wish now that they had done things differently.

This is for the single Mothers, who long for support and company and someone to share the load, but who are doing the best they can.

This is for the Mothers who do not like their children, and the children who do not like their Mothers.

Life can be a strange, hard and sometimes cruel journey. Mothering and the love of a Mother is not a given and it is certainly not a right.

But we all need love, and at times we all need to be Mothered. This Mother’s Day, you can start by being kind to yourself. By recognising that we receive Mothering energy from many, and give it ourselves, although it may not be to our own children. By letting it be okay that today might be bittersweet, or downright difficult. Life is not a Disney Movie.

This Mother’s Day it’s okay to feel pain, to cry and to wish things could be different.

This Mother’s Day, above all else, I want you to know that I see you, I honour you, and I am sending you love. I’m thinking of you today.  Bless ♥ xoxo

Tasty Asian Flavours Quinoa – Virtual Vegan Potluck 2013

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“Eating superfoods won’t turn you into a superhero, but it might help you look better in Lycra.” ~ Nicole Cody

Quinoa (pronounced keen- wah) is touted as one of the latest ‘superfoods’ and apparently all the cool and beautiful people have recently discovered it. As you well know, I’m not in the ‘cool and beautiful’ department but I have been eating quinoa for years, and it rocks!

It looks like a grain but quinoa’s actually a seed; gluten free, low in fat, high in complete protein, and chock full of iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium and zinc.

My previous efforts for the Potluck have included Vegan Broccoli, Cashew and Lime Soup and Creamy Satay Hotpot.

Today’s quinoa recipe can be served warm as a side, or cold, as a salad. It’s a terrific dish for all your vegan and vegetarian friends, as well as a tasty addition to your average carnivore’s plate. It also doesn’t take much cooking skill, so it can be prepared by the least confident of cooks! :)

Ingredients:

I cup of quinoa, 2 cups of water or vegetable stock, 1/2 large or 1 small red salad onion finely diced, 1/2 to 1 cup of broken walnut halves, 2 oranges peeled with seeds and membranes removed and chopped into small pieces, 2 scallions/green onions/shallots chopped, 1 small bunch of coriander/cilantro chopped, butter lettuce or similar to serve.

Quinoa white and ready to be cooked

Cooking the Quinoa:

Place quinoa and water or stock into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has been absorbed and quinoa is fluffy and delicious.  Feel free to eat a spoonful or two as a taste test.

While the quinoa is cooking, cut up your herbs, onion and oranges, roughly chop or break your walnut halves and drink some water.  Water is good for you.  If it’s cold drink warm water. There, doesn’t that feel better?

Dressing:

1 teaspoon of maple syrup, 1 tablespoon wheat-free tamari or soy sauce, 1/3 cup of fresh orange juice, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root (use this to taste!), 1 to 2 cloves of freshly crushed garlic, 1/2 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice powder (optional but good).

Whisk all ingredients together until well blended, or place into a lidded jar and shake vigorously to combine.

To assemble:

If you want to eat this as a warm side, immediately toss all the other ingredients and the dressing through the quinoa and spoon onto your washed and drained lettuce leaves.

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For a cold side, let the quinoa cool and then add all other ingredients.

It looks very decorative served up in a pretty bowl lined with lettuce, or it can be plated up individually.  This dish makes for great left-overs too!

quinoa with asian flavours

To enjoy the rest of the Virtual Vegan Potluck recipes, click on the navigation buttons below.

Clicking go back takes you to Canned Time – a vegan delight, where Angela has created the most delectable Pear and Broccoli Sprout Salad with Balsamic Caramelized Sweet Potato Cubes.

Clicking go forward will land you at an unrefined vegan – hosted by the honestly amazing, undauntable, and most lovely Annie. Her blog is a thoughtful and beautifully assembled exploration of her journey into veganism, and that bumpy road we call life. Hugs and love to you, gorgeous Annie! Her offering today is Sweet Potato Fries with parsley, garlic and lemon zest.

Annie is the original inspiration behind these Virtual Vegan Potlucks, and I’m so glad that I stumbled upon her blog about the time when I first started my own. Thanks too to Somer and Jason for all their efforts with making this Potluck happen.

Thanks for visiting, and enjoy the rest of the Potluck! xx

                      

And if you’d like to start from the beginning of this fabulous Potluck click here.