Your Blood Type and Your Lifestyle

On a chilly (relatively) winter night in the heart of Texas, we stopped at a McDonalds, surely not to eat, but to meet up with a new friend.  He gave us some music and told us about the Blood Type Diet.  I was really intrigued since I love nutrition and lifestyle information.  He said he hadn't been sick in quite a bit more than a handful of years.  Not even a sniffle.  He followed the blood type diet.  I stored the information in my brain and decided it was on my 'must research' list.

Fast forward to now, the next Fall.  I finally got around to doing some research and am amazed.  I will start with my own findings about myself. 

Diet:  Since I was very little, I felt sure that I knew what foods did well in my body and what foods were a drag on my energy and bodily systems.  I used to describe one of the reactions as "starchy".  If you went to high school with me, you may remember me complaining of this after lunch or before Rifle practice.  My absolute no-no list since I can remember making decisions about eating (about 5 or 6 years old) were peanut butter, corn, tomatoes, red onions, bananas, chicken, wheat and sugar.  I have stayed really true to this banned list though I will eat the foods occasionally, I don't like how they make me feel, so I don't eat them of my own will. 

Exercise:  My favorite exercises are hiking and bicycling.  These make me feel very fulfilled, challenge me mentally and physically (I'm a goal person).  And when I do these with others (almost always the case) I push myself harder and do a lot better. 

Lifestyle:  We love going to sleep at a good time every night and waking up around sunrise (though lately it's been a little later than that lately because of being tired with sickness and pregnancy.).  You may not have guessed it, but our family loves structure and having goals and expectations planned and written down ahead of time.  I love checklists and having things organized and clutter-free.  Not a week goes by that I don't find some slew of items in our possession that go to the thrift store.  We are quite nomadic, but that doesn't mean we aren't regimented in our life choices.  What we eat, drink, what we wear (fabric compositions of clothing and modesty) and each decision we make is very important to us.  I also believe in meditation.  I have overcome a lot of stresses, baggage and learned so much about myself through meditation.

We like living in community.  The biggest reason for me, is because the older someone gets, there may come a time they need to be physically cared for.  I don't believe this should be outsourced to strangers, rather handled within the community of the individual.  A reward for being a contributing member of a community.  Another member needing extra care in a community would be the mentally ill or mentally disabled.  Most neighborhoods have no structure for caring for the elderly.  Also, when we fill our lives with jobs and activities that take us away from that community of our neighborhood, we lose touch and are torn away and can not provide the care and attention that the more needy members of the community deserve.  This is really sad and heartbreaking.

So back to the blood type thing.  Here is the link.  Look up your blood type.

 Blood Type Diet Homepage

What do you think?  Can your blood type tell you about how you should eat, how you should exercise, how you should act?

Mine is B+.  Michael's is also B+.  We should not eat Peanuts, Corn, Wheat, Buckwheat, Lentils, Tomatoes or Chicken.  We should eat leafy greens, veggies, fruits, limited dairy, venison, goat, lamb...  Hiking and bicycling are among the top four exercises for our blood type.  They like community.  They are nomadic peoples from the highlands of the Himalayas.  They should go to sleep before 11 pm and sleep 8 hours or more.  It was VERY true for us. 

Tell me what you find out about yourself...

Musical Memories

Make Musical Memories with The Idan Raichel Project

I first started listening to this band a few years ago and can't even remember how I found out about them.  They have a very 'world' sound but mix languages, cultures, styles and have very catchy musical phrasings.  Mostly singing in Hebrew, the band is centered in Israel and has broken sales records there for their releases.  I wasn't hooked at first, but from time to time, all I hear in my head is this band and I have to return and listen to their music.  Not knowing Hebrew, Swahili or Arabic and only un poco Espanol, I can't understand most of what they're saying, but the music speaks so much louder than the words.  I hope you can all enjoy their music.  It's so varied, you almost have to listen to their entire catalogue to get a feel for what they truly are.  One song may have some heavy Arabic sounds, another an Indian vibe, another, wholly African and there's even some legitimate Reggae and Dub involved in one or two tracks. 

Free Music on NoiseTrade

If you like to hear good new music, sign up with an account for Noisetrade and elect to get the free download notifications.  Today I just got a free download of four songs from The Lumineers.  Other music I've gotten for free is an EP of cover songs from Cuff the Duke, a live EP from Marketa Irglova and a live EP from The Great Lake Swimmers.  There's a free one everyday.  It's a great way to hear music that's not conventionally released.  I'd recommend it. Diversify your musical genius.

Making Musical Memories Double Feature

The Music Speaks For Itself:

The Lumineers

& William Fitzsimmons

Thanks to Chris Dorman for his blog about Wm Fitzsimmons!!

Site Stash: only notions

Laugh, cry, be inspired.  Read Only Notions

Enjoy!

Song Stash: Elizabeth Mitchell

We love to dance as a family.  Here is an artist that we found when Naomi was just a few months old and still listen to a lot.  Naomi really loves her music and it's enjoyable for us too.  Among Jerry Garcia and David Grisman's "Not Just For Kids" Album, is Elizabeth's "You Are My Little Bird" 
Her name is:  Elizabeth Mitchell

The Website To Check Out:  You Are My Flower

Her songs are sweet and fun with a lot of folk and great deliverance. 

We love Elizabeth Mitchell!  Hope you do too.  Here is another video, just for fun!  In case you didn't realize it, Spring definitely seems to be here.  We walked through a meadow yesterday with plants sprouting and budding all around.  The onion grass was sweet and sun was a bright warming sphere.

Site Stash: Week 1

Thanks to 1.  Sheephill Herbs for helping me to look at Mountain Rose Herbs' website for the giveaways going on right now, and 2.  Mountain Rose Herbs for sharing this website with me:

www.FreeTeaParty.org

We love creative ways to live life, share love and reach out to others.  Here is a group that seems to do that through a warm and comforting means:  TEA.  Tea is a staple in our lives.  It is healthful, invigorating and brings people together.  Here is a little something from the website: 

"The Free Tea Party offers an alternative to, and a balance for, self-centered philosophies often fostered by our society. This alternative is based on the "gift economy," or the idea that goods and services can be given without anything required in return. We believe that selfishness should be balanced out by selflessness.
- We also practice the principles of permaculture, nonviolent conflict resolution, and consensus decision-making.
- Although we are non-partisan, we support people, movements, and politicians who strive for positive socio-environmental change."

I like what I'm hearing here.  While we may not agree on everything, this is what it's about.  Going out, meeting people, sharing ideas, gleaning and focusing on what bonds us, not what divides us.  Too bad they're on the west coast.  This would be fun to be involved in!

Hope you liked post #1 of our Site Stash.  Keep posted (he he, blog pun) for more.  Let us know if you like this type of information sharing, too.  We value commentary.  

Until next time, enjoy a cup of fresh organic tea in silence today and think of our deep bond with the force of light that fills us if we allow it to.  

Peace, love, lynays 

Features of the Week

I'm going to post a few entries today on different topics because the road is not kind to blogging: or I haven't worked it into the schedule yet.  I know it's possible and easy as sitting in a McDonald's parking lot, but who wants to sit in a McDonald's parking lot?  Eww.  It makes me feel greasy.  I'm going to start a few new weekly blog series'. 

1.  Site Stash:  A featured website full of beautiful, interesting or captivating information.  Something we hope you'll check out and glean from.  We may not always agree with everything on the website, but if there's a good core message and it's pleasing to the eye, we like to share! 

2.  Making Musical Memories:  A featured artist, song or piece of information on music.  As above, this may just be beautiful, uplifting, pleasing, or informative and we may not agree with all, but have gleaned something helpful and will often share the impact it has had on us. 

I hope you guys enjoy these, look for the first two posts of the series SOON.  Really soon.  I mean in a few minutes.  As fast as I can type.  :) 

Much love

 We love fermented foods.  If you don't know anything about it, it's the natural and original way to pickle things.  True sauerkraut is lacto-fermented, NOT pasteurized and soaked in vinegar.  The difference is an amazingly healthy antibiotic, probiotic and health tonic vs. a sodium loaded junk food.  Check out this link if you want to know more about the history.  Lacto-Fermentation

 Here we are washing jars.  Got them super cheap at our local MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) thrift store. 

 Here are lids, cherry tomatoes from the garden and free cucumbers from our Amish raw milk suppliers.

 I put all the tomatoes into boiling water and immediately removed them directly into ice water.  This keeps the nutrients and causes the skin to separate from the tomato.  Dip out the tomato, peel the skin, place pulp in green bowl and skin in white for compost.

 As described above.

 Skins!

 Pulp.

 Tomatoes in ice water.

 Just one of the three bowls of our tomato harvest that we fermented.  I've got 3 more bowls to ferment today.

 Ugly cucumbers.

 Here is the end result of our salsa.  Make sure tomatoes are cup up really good, add in onion, garlic, some green pepper, a little salt, whey (left over from making yogurt), tons of HOT PEPPERS and cover tight.  This is THE BEST hot salsa I've ever had!  Great thing is, 1.  It's raw.  2.  It's a probiotic.  3.  It is really hot and spicy.  4.  It's almost completely free!!! (Just maybe a penny for each jar (the salt and whey byproduct from making yogurt)).  5.  It is super fast and easy.

WHEY

 Cucumbers in water and whey/salt/spices.

 8 jars of cucumbers, 6 jars of kickin salsa

 Sauerkraut:

 Add cabbage, cardamom seeds and whey and salt.  Mash (by hand) for a while till there's a lot of juice.

 Cabbage is incredibly juicy when bruised.  Who knew?

 There was tons of juice.

 Then just put it into jars and let sit.

2 hours worth of work, $1.50 worth of materials, enough health food to last a family 6 months.  This will KILL colds, flus, stomach ailments, any sickness or candidas.  This will give you energy, fix your intestines, stomach, colon with beneficial bacteria, thus healing your body.  Great for many many ailments.  It's a no brainer!

Water Can Zine Issue 1 Release

Here is the first ever issue of THE WATER CAN, a lynays quarterly zine.  To subscribe or to subscribe for someone you know, to the snail mail version, please send an email to lynays.give  @  gmail.com with name/address and preferably either a phone or email. We would gladly send one.

Pages 1 and 2
Pages 3 and 4

Enjoy!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

 We tried this recipe on www.hillbillyhousewife.com (CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE)  to make our own liquid laundry soap.  The articles I've read on numerous websites report that this method only costs 2 cents per load, whereas even the worst and cheapest detergent at most stores averages at 9 cents per load.  This is pretty substantial in my mind so I had to try it.

Here is the grating of the soap (I didn't use Fels Naptha because I wanted to try a local soap first).

 Here is the mixture heating and the ingredients minus the bar soap (in the pot).  I got the washing soda and borax at our local grocery store.

Here it is cooling.

RESULTS:

The process took a total of 10 minutes to make 2.5 gallons.  It was cheap, easy, and we are now through with the 2.5 gallons of laundry soap.  It worked TERRIFIC on all our clothes including the diapers.  I will never buy soap again.  This is easy and cheap and smells GREAT.



Next post...our new concentrated powdered version of homemade laundry detergent.

What Season?

Lately, (since August 1st) it's felt like September!  The summer seems to be running away very fast and the last few weeks have been temperate, windy, rainy, overcast.  It's a real phenomenon in my life experience.  As a tribute to the coming fall, I've put a picture of a cappuccino from scratch that we (famously and) regularly make here.  If you happen to be here and are curious, just ask and we'll whip one up for you:

That's Nutmeg sprinkled on the top of frothy steamed RAW Jersey milk and espresso (chocolate too) in a vintage Japanese made beer stein.  

They are so good.

ONTO MORE HEALTHY THINGS:

 And since "flu season" is coming, here's a simple home herbal tea to mix up.  It will cure colds, congestion, coughs, aches, pains, stomach ailments etc.  etc.  And almost all the ingredients should already be in your spice cabinet.   Just find the ones that you have, throw a tea together and feel better almost instantly:

1 Part Oregano (incredibly effective cold and flu remedy, intrigues the immune system promoting health and vitality)
1 Part Thyme (again, an amazing remedy for all things cold and flu, as above)
1-2 Parts Peppermint, Spearmint or Wintergreen Leaves (In case you didn't know, mint is an incredible plant.  We use it as a tea internally, also in a bath or rubbing a drop or two of the oil externally to remedy everything from aches, pains, headaches, anxiety, sleeplessness, sore throats, swollen glands, congested lungs, congested sinuses, allergies, etc.)  You can find it in most meadows, along side (relatively non polluted roadsides for health reasons) roads, in streams, on wet banks in the sun, etc. and pick, replant at your house or dry for year round use.

1 Part Ginger (Stomach ailments, good for the immune system, tastes good, sweetens teas, etc.)
Pinch of Cinnamon, Fennel Seeds or Aniseed (as a natural sweetener and cure all stomach ailments, lack of energy, immune booster)

You can always use Echinacea leaves or roots, home-ground Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Lemon Peel or Lemon Juice, Onions, Horseradish, Garlic (or Garlic Powder), Sage and many more for all sorts of ailments.  


TEA RECIPE:  I boil water, then pour it over my herbs (in a mason jar on a very warm surface) to fill the jar, wrap in a towel and cover tightly with a lid keeping the essential healing oils in.  Let sit for 10 to 30 minutes in the warm place.  You can strain the herbs.  I take them internally because I don't want to waste any nutrients, but you don't have to.  


For pulling congestion or infection out of the body through the skin (from a localized area like the lungs or an internal ailment), don't forget about potatoes or mustard!  Slice or grate potatoes, pack onto skin, cover with a towel, bandage or ace bandage (hot is good, but it can be room temperature) and let it sit as long as you can.  Potatoes will pull any infection right through the skin.  I used it for mastitis and an abscess and it really really worked!  It burned, because the infection was bad, but it worked better than anything.  The fever decreased within an hour of application and continued to fall over a few hours.

For mustard, make sure you don't put it directly on the skin (for ground mustard powder made into a hot paste).  Fold the hot paste between a piece of fabric and apply to skin for 1 minute.  Then take off and wait a bit.  Repeat if necessary after an hour or so.  For regular mustard, heat it and rub it right in.  Put a hot towel over it.  Rest for a LITTLE WHILE like 15 minutes.  Rinse.  Reapply every hour until you start getting substantial relief.  Use topical remedies in conjunction with soothing effective internal ones.

Hope no one gets sick, but the seasons are changing and that's when my body is tested the most.

Love,
Grace

Cherry Tomato Harvest and Snack

 When our cherry tomatoes first came up, we were dying to have some fresh fruit of the summer.  We ran up to the grocery and got some pumpernickel bagels and made these awesome and nutritious snacks!

Immunobooster Snack:

Pumpernickel Bagels
Toast + Smear with whipped dill cream cheese (whip cream cheese, add fresh dill, herbs and celtic sea salt)  (or Greek Yogurt)  + Place Halved cherry tomatoes on top + Add diced garlic and a smidge of Celtic Sea Salt

AND

VOILA= an awesome snack that tastes good, is potent and perfectly in season.

Ahem, ahem, is this thing on?

So you see it?  Do you see the new layout?  I suppose you do.  Anyway, we just unveiled our new official logo and image (done by the one and only amazing graphic artist Mikael) for lynays, as well as combining it with the technical info on Heirloom Identity.  Our page has been in limbo as we unroll these image stabilizers.  Now we have one.  Hooray!  Sorry, by the way, if you got like 20 emails from us saying that we posted a new post yesterday.  Wups!  Hope it didn't bother you guys too much.  There's a lot rolling around the pipes right now.  Let me update you on it all.

We are about to unveil a video detailing a trip we will be taking this winter around the eastern and mid western part of the country and all of the details surrounding it.  Also in the video, you'll get a taste of some conspiring* friends, our bigger vision with what lynays is, what we hope it will be and a new sub-project that we pray will be a blessing to a bunch of people.  Keep posted for the video, it should be out sometime around the 23rd of August. 

It's been really apparent that it is time to move forward with our vision.  You may not know this, but lynays was born over the 4th of July week in the back of a truck in Northern New York in 2009!  I know.  Hard to believe.  But it's so much more than a blog, and our online store.  It's our ministry and you'll see why soon.  So we're getting serious and organizing our paperwork as it should be as well as stepping out to do some adventures and outreach that we really feel we are supposed to do.  I can't explain why, but it feels like something.

Pray for us and our mission in the future and guidance that we will honor Him in it all.

By the way, one of my bestest friends gave birth to a  most beautiful little girl this last week.   The baby's name is Ziva.  Congratulations Britney and Azariah (spelling?, sorry!).  Hope to see you soon!  Get lots and lots of rest...for the next 3 months.

And we will be changing a few things on the blog to make it easier to use, and look up old articles.  While you're waiting for all the excitement, check out our new tabs above!

Peace, Love & Lynay-s Forever

SEE THAT SEA Release: Wire Wrapped Pendants and Shells

SEE THAT SEA

Now Available!  Wire Wrapped Pendants and Shells on Etsy!

AND we are adding more wire wrapped items everyday.  They are all on a ribbon and/or adjustable hemp.  See pictures below!  Feel free to reserve the one you want or wait for it to come up in our shop.

 

Bones of Clay, Harnessed in Silver (Wrapped Shell)

 EXCALIBER

Lots of New Pieces and A Sneak Peak at Our New Series

News Headlines:

Sorry it took so long to blog again.

1.  Our camera lens broke, so we are in the process of replacing it, I'm sorry if the pictures are of a lower quality.  We are trying our best to keep the quality up.

2.  We have a lot of new pendants up on Etsy.  Click Here.  These include sea inspired coral, anemone and jellyfish creatures, encased in the magnifying glass.  They are surely fun to look at!

3.  In just a few days, we will be unveiling our newest series of wholesale jewelry.  First here on our blog, you can see a sneak preview of new pieces and the new styles of jewelry making that we are going to have up on etsy.