Alberta Floods 2013

 Hello Everyone~ You may have heard about the Floods 2013, here in Alberta.  Many were affected, and there is a tremendous amount of damage done from the dangerous and rushing waters of the Bow River and the Elbow River. Unfortunately, and tragically there were some lost lives in the town of High River, and one elderly women who was 88 years old in the Mission area of Calgary.  My thoughts and prayers are with those families most affected by this natural disaster.

 I currently have been set back in studies I am taking, due to my school is still under water in the downtown area.  I had some set-backs from the power outages and my course is offline.  I may be able to share a post soon if I can stay caught up in my studies but in any event I cannot, I thank-you for your patience.

Be Awesome

Garage Sale Weekend!

I was thinking about the garage and yard sales that will be ensuing this weekend, all over North America! Check out your needs and wants list, and see if you are able to check off some of those items at your local garage sale.  It's a buyers market! 

I am always interested in vintage and antique things and I operate a small shop on Etsy.  It could be a great time to find much needed inventory, especially if you hit the best garage sales and find unique and valuable items!

There might be some great things to grab for your own home decor, outdoor patio, husbands tool chest, or perhaps an upcoming Father's Day Gift.  So, here in Canada, I usually start my garage sale hunting on Kijiji.ca, online or in the newspaper classifieds, to spot out the best sales but also if you stay tuned to the neighborhood signs.  You can write down and plan your garage sales by location.  If they are close to home, maybe you can take a walk there on a nice sunny day.

In Canada, there will be garage sales starting now, and continuing through the summer.  In the U.S.A. it's likely been warmer since March, so there probably were lots of sales to get to! It is a great hobby if you have the time and a few dollars.  Depending on how far you would like to travel to get to the garage sales, and what you want to purchase perhaps a minivan or larger car is handy.

Otherwise, it can be a sustainable hobby if you keep it local, and some people do take transit.  I suggest purchasing a cart on wheels if you are taking the bus or train,  or perhaps just a sturdy material shopping bag.  This way if you do find something on the larger side you can haul it as comfortable as possible and it could be a good weekend for exercise!

In the past I have got quite lucky, with either cheap or free finds.  Yes, many places have free bins or if they don't sell certain items, they wind up free at the end! In that case, if you are struggling and need everything for your home, you could scope the sales out and then go back and see if anything turned up for free nearing the end of the sale.

This is a super way to budget and use your money for other things, while still being able to decorate with something or make your home more comfortable looking. I have found items in the past and some things brand new with price tags on for a fraction of the price at garage sales! They just needed a good cleaning or a small and cheap repair. 

Also, there are free listings for items again, on Kijiji.ca or other online sites that post items for sale.  Just use your discretion and perhaps don't contact people if you aren't serious about picking the item up or needing the item.  This way they don't hold it if someone else is more desperate. Also, I would use caution none the less, please don't meet up with people you don't know, unless you have another person with you as a witness and safety and in general use your street smarts.  I believe you can even meet with people at the Police station to make your Kijiji purchase.

I have spotted cool items around, and if you watch enough antiques roadshow or brush up on your antiques knowledge, you could spot something really valuable for not that much! Scour the sites and eBay that are selling antiques as well, and get your base knowledge down. Also, I find if your eye is attracted to something, even though it isn't that appealing when it comes to modern trends it most likely is worth something.  It is usually that love at first sight item that could be the cat's pyjamas! 

Here's a tip on being a buyer.  Don't act over-excited, unless you don't care about the price you are paying..... if the seller is open to negotiation, then  it's acceptable to try to bring the price down. If the owner or seller is not open to negotiations, determine if the item or product is what you really want.  You may find other items during your day of garage sales or the same item for much less, that you never thought you would find and now have spent less than your budget!

I would also suggest covering antiques or expensive collectibles with insurance, if you are serious about keeping your investment. You can consider how much money it would be to also insure that piece.  Years ago, I had a very unique and vintage blue glass and antique collection and it was stolen. I have since wrote off the collection (personally let it go even though I know who took it), as a donation to those that decided to lift it.  Also, I believe if they truly needed what they took then it was all worth it in the end, and it proved a lot.

I also donated a vintage dresser to The Interfaith Society. They will resell the dresser, but it's a place to find items for less and for families either just getting started or looking for true quality craftmanship.  It's nice they can afford something there.  When various organizations ask for money donations and with some good intent, perhaps it isn't always money we must think of as donations.  We can help out Interfaith or Women In Need Societies as well, by donating nice and gently used clothes and items you are not using anymore.

You may also opt to re-sell the item (s), if you are in need of money.   I have done it a few times and end up breaking even in terms of what I have bought versus sold.  It's a nice way to collect some funds back and use them for future purchases you may need at garage and yard sales.

Perhaps I will post more about this topic at another time, and if there is anyone who is reading this post, and have any tips when it comes to vintage and antiques,....please feel free to comment more suggestion below! Have a happy long weekend!

Blood pH & Current Reads

Coming from the weekend I am feeling kind of lazy.  It's grey outside, but not only that. I had some dark chocolate over the weekend and it had more sugar than I should have had. I did almost finish the entire chocolate bar!  I feel disappointed just because I now feel a bit lethargic, as if I need more sugar as I had been eating really healthy! But, one must not worry about the chocolate itself or anything for that matter, because worry and stress can turn your blood pH level to even more acidic.

Blood is what nourishes everything in your body, as it collects all the nutrients and minerals from the food you eat, that is needed to circulate throughout your tissues and cells.  Not only that, but your mood is affected by what you eat and do, and thus affects your blood stream and so can contribute to good or bad health.  Even when you are overworked you have now turned your blood an acidic pH, and your body starts breaking down.

Many people dispute information about pH levels and what it has to do with health.  Many people have a firm stance about the mainstream medical knowledge.  They have acquired this in conventional colleges and universities, and for the most part can be inflexible to learn anything new.

The easiest thing to remember and a good thing, is you can eat different foods and do different things, there is not one way to live.  I recommend to keep a balance in your diet, lifestyle and what works for you.  I would say this is best for healthy living!  That being said, one should always implement positive knowledge into your lifestyle.  So for example, if you learn that sugar is bad for you then perhaps try eliminating that from your everyday diet, and you can do this by replacing it with a healthier sweetener such as honey or maple syrup.  When we learn, it's time to use that knowledge.

Also, I would like you to know that when you microwave your food, you basically change the structure of the food and it is said that it turns your food to acidic pH. It's best to heat up leftovers in a pan or pot instead of microwaving anything.

You can turn to things like exercise and meditation to help regulate your mood and energy which alkalizes and affects your bloodstream.  You can also be more mindful of what you are doing, when you are eating and breathing.  Just as I say that, one can put that information to anything you are doing while you are living.

In my opinion, it's also important to drink plenty of high alkaline ionized water, and you can use things to make your water alkaline such as an "Alkalizing Bio delivery System" or I had recently seen that people use a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water and drink that before bedtime.  Again, some people will not agree, but there is scientific and medical data that confirms this is helpful to your health.  It doesn't hurt to read more about this and look it up!

There is a link to a PDF Alkaline vs Acidic chart below.  I cannot find the exact one I have, but I did print mine so I can refer to what I am eating.  Remember, it takes 20 parts of Alkalinity to neutralize 1 part Acidity in the body, so you can help your blood pH level to neutralize along.  We need all types of foods in order for the electricity to activate in our body, so again a balance and choose less of the acid based foods and beverages.
http://www.wellnesspathways.com/handouts/acidalkalinefoodchart.pdf


BOOK CORNER: Current Reads:

If you are staying tuned into this blog, and even though we all get so busy, I thought we could form a:
IAJLGOM'S BOOK CLUB??  Let me know if you are interested by commenting below.

*No time needed or anything, if you are currently reading something that is good or have a comment to share you can post below!  You can also subscribe to the right -->>> just at the top below "Extras"..... if you don't mind by convenient e-mail.  You will get an email when I share a new post and the mobile format of this blog is great to look at if you ask me!

Also find me on twitter @illaqueen  and on Google + Illa Queen.

So to kick it off, this is my current book list:

-Manual For Living -REALITY by Seth David Chernoff
-Get Up, Stand Up by Bruce E.Levine
-Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas
-Transformation and Healing by Thich Nhat Hanh
-The Gentle Art of Blessing by Pierre Pradervand
-The Mammoth Book of Lost Symbols by Nadia Julien

I have to get reading now.  Have a blessed week!

Butter Me a Biscuit and Quick Pizza

Did you know there is a woman who says 'biscuit' 900 times per hour, totalling up to 16,000 times per day?  I am not that crazy about biscuits but this little recipe will fire you up about them a little more. 

Talk about a delicious different biscuit though!  It's a little spicy, but only complimentary and it goes well with an egg; fried or hard-boiled alike.  You can prepare these in advance as I did, on Saturday night for Sunday breakfast and have yourself a great brunch addition!
So, let's get to the biscuit today and have yourself a great week!

                  Savoury & Spicy Onion Serrano Pepper Tea Biscuits

YIELD: 15 biscuits

• 2 cups of sifted all-purpose flour (use organic whole wheat for a healthier version)
• 4 teaspoon baking powder (try to find aluminium free)
• 1 teaspoon salt (sea salt is best)
• 1/2 cup shortening, butter or margarine (I had margarine on hand)
• 3/4 cup milk (low- fat)
• 4 washed- well, un-seeded, and chopped Serrano Peppers (Retail $2.49 for a pack of 12-16- couldn't find organic)
• 1/4 of finely chopped white onion
• Food handling gloves if sensitive to spicy peppers; some peppers will tend to "burn" and heat skin especially if you improvised
• Optional: If you use Habanero peppers instead use only 1 pepper- VERY hot but these peppers have been linked to shrinking cancerous growth.

Preheat oven to 400* F (205* ). Grease baking sheet, or line with parchment paper ( what I like to do),but this time I ran out of parchment and used aluminium foil to line the pan...... I will be using less aluminium foil for future reference! 

Combine all dry ingredients and stir well.  Cut in shortening with a fork, until it is a fine crumb mixture.  Stir in milk with a fork, stir and add the chopped Serrano and white onions.  Make a soft dough using all flour in the bowl, and then knead 8-10 times on a clean, lightly floured board.
You may have a few pieces of onions or peppers pop out, and just add them into the dough again. 

Roll out the dough into a 1/2" thick and cut round biscuits; either with a round cookie cutter or glass to make perfect sizes, and lightly flour the cutter of choice to help keep dough from sticking at all.  Bake on pan for 12-15 minutes, if you use this dough for a pizza, them bake about 20 minutes!

Yes, there is an option of making about 10 biscuits and a small mini pizza, or you could make a few mini pizzas.  I used some dough, and rolled it out in a small round pizza size. Smooth pizza sauce on top, and add what ingredients you like!  I made my version vegetarian with some roasted eggplant, garlic and feta cheese, topped with some mozzarella.

Take the pan out and remove biscuits at the recommended time, top your pizza with the mozzarella and put the pizza back into the oven for another 5- 7 minutes equal to the 20 minutes of the recommended time for baking the pizza.  Just keep and eye on it.  I like the sides a little brown but not too much and then I turn the oven off and take it out!  Perfecto!

 Enjoy, and I hope it spices up your week!