Santa - December 4, 2008

Santa and Riley!

So What Exactly Is MSM?

Here is a recent post from one Fabulous Gal, Jane, and I wanted to share it here. This is "all hers" and I thought some of you would really enjoy it and definitely get some benefit from it. She has given me permission to reprint it here:

Here is how I start my day everyday..... (from juicefeasting.com)

Once your feet hit the floor, the first thing you should be looking for (other than the toilet if you need to pee) is WATER.

Start every day with one quart of water with 1/2 lemon squeezed in, and between 1/2 tsp and 2 Tablespoons of MSM powder, depending on what your tolerance is (the way to know is by taste and whether you get the runs... MSM has no toxicity level, however, so there are no worries other than the runs...)

Why water? We are 90% water when we are born, and by the time most of us die, we are about 50-60% water. As we dehydrate, our tissues become toxic and stiffen. Nutrients are not properly assimilated, and toxic matter does not leave our cells and lymphatic fluid in a timely manner. Our blood thickens. Brain function is compromised. Do you know what a hangover is? Dehydration. Most westerners are dehydrated every day of their lives, waking up agitated and groggy, and thinking that another dehydrating agent, coffee, is going to get them going. It will only kick you further down. Water is your best energizer in the morning, and that is why we are training you now to develop as a life practice drinking 1 quart of water each morning. Drinking water will wake up your mind, hydrate your tissues (reducing chronic pain), and some water will go down to your bowel to help you eliminate the waste matter accumulated during the night, so that you do not carry it around during the day and re-assimilate old fecal material back into your system, giving you more problems... This is something you will learn much more about on Days 33 and 34 of the Juice Feasting Program.

Now, in that quart of water you are adding another hydrator, lemon juice. Citrus is a hydrogen concentrator, and the element hydrogen hydrates. Lemon is also fairly high in Vitamin C, and that brings us to our next morning water element, MSM.

MSM is a sulfur compound, and sulfur is the third most prevalent mineral in the body. It just so happens that MSM breaks up scar tissue, reduces inflammation better than any anti-inflammatory drug out there, and has no side effects (other than the runs if you take more than your body knows how to use). A therapeutic amount of MSM is over 3 Tablespoons a day, but for most of us, the body will need to learn how to use MSM before we can reach that amount.

MSM is potentiated, or made more bioavailable (and therefore effective) in your body, when combined with Vitamin C. Also, the lemon in your water will soften the taste of the MSM, which will take a few days to get used to. Just start with a low amount as mentioned above, and move up as your body and tastebuds adjust.

This is a life practice that you are developing: 1 Quart of water, 1/2 Lemon, and 1 Tablespoon of MSM.

Thanks Jane ~ Good Stuff!

Toga Couples Bunco!

Here are a couple pictures of a very fun Couples Bunco - Toga Style! The Crew!
The Girls!

Virginia Wine Tour - Nov 9 , 2008

These are just a few of the pictures from the Wine Tour we took on November 9th to celebrate the Carroll's 30th Anniversary with them. What a super great fun day!

~Cheers~

The Gang at Rappahannock Winery!

The Girls at Rappanhannock!

Jack and Tina at Barrel Oak Winery - Love this fireplace!

The Girls at Marterella Winery with the owner!

ps - here was our ride!

Raw Food Meetup - November 2, 2008

What a great raw potluck at the Java Green Eco Cafe in DC!! We had great food and two demos -
one by Eve with her handy-dandy Vita-Mix,
and the other with Sandy doing Kefir!
Yummy stuff! Steph and Tina - I won the Door Prize (Sun Fire Salt)!

Fabulous Produce!

Eve with her wonderful presentation!

Halloween 2008

This is Riley and Mommy (me) on the Jumping Pillow at Riley's school after the Halloween party - talk about the ultimate rebounder!!! Too much fun! Riley in his astronaut costume jump, jump, jumping!
Riley Trick-or-Treating at Papa George and Ms. Sarah's house!
Riley posing with Papa George!

Halloween Dinner - October 25, 2008

This was a scream! A Halloween wine-tasting and dinner at La Grange Winery - what a fun time. The chef was fabulous and was able to accomodate my raw food menu - how divine!

Count Jack and Countess Tina

Scary Count Jack

My superb entree - wow! And the dessert was wonderful!

The scary crew for sure - Tina, Chris, Lisa and Jack!

East Coast Raw Spirit Festival Meetup - October 22, 2008

This is me (Tina) with Happy Oasis, the and Chief Visionary Officer of Raw Spirit Festival. This meeting was to begin the process to bring a Raw Spirit Festival to the East Coast - YES, DC! - in August 2009. WOO-HOO!

Tina, Happy and Sunflower Pate on Endive (my creation!)

International Gold Cup Races - Oct 18th

As excerpt from the International Gold Cup Races website says: "On October 18th, 2008, 35,000 spectators will gather at Great Meadow near The Plains, Virginia, to celebrate the 71st running of the International Gold Cup Races presented by Porsche. This event will provide a full day of entertainment including a Porsche Classic car display, seven nationally sanctioned races, Terrier and Pony Races."

So here are some of my photos to share with all of you - what a fabulous day!

The Girls in Their Hats! The Guys in the Girl's Hats!
Ms. Lisa
Ms. Debbie
Ms. Tina (me!)
The Buffet! (my raw spaghetti is in cooler!)
The Girls!
The Horses! (yes, we were on the rail!)
Teresa and Chris!
The Judge and Rob!


Ahhhh, what a fantastic time!

Check out more about the race at http://www.vagoldcup.com/main.cfm

Blog Action Day 2008 - Topic: Poverty

As a participant in the Blog Action Day 2008, I am submitting information with regard to the worldwide topic of poverty. The intent is to make this topic relevant to your particular blog. Everyone in the world participating in this event will be posting something that has to do with poverty on this same day, October 15, 2008. Since my blog deals with breast cancer, I thought it would be helpful to pass along information on low-cost or free mammograms. In addition to this information, I am also sharing a particularly helpful list that I ask each of you to check out - 88 Ways to DO Something About Poverty Right Now.

Now for the list of low-cost or free mammograms:

Contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at (888) 842-6355 or visit their Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/. Appointments for free and low-cost mammograms is limited, so it is best to make your appointments early in the year.

- excerpt from wiki.answers.com

If you do not have health insurance...
· Call your local chapter of the American Cancer Society ("ACS" number in your phone book) or the national toll-free number, 1-800-ACS-2345. The ACS will be able to tell you about any low-cost or free mammography programs offering screening to women unable to pay for it themselves.
· Call your State Department of Health (number in your phone book). Every state now has a Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This program offers screening to qualifying women unable to pay for it themselves.
· Call the YWCA's ENCOREplus Program for access to low-cost or free mammograms. To find which YWCA facilities offer this service and if you are eligible, call 1-800-95EPLUS or your local YWCA.
· Call the National Cancer Institute at 1-800-4-CANCER for the names of FDA-certified, accredited mammography facilities in your area. If you explain your financial situation, some mammography facilities are willing to work out a lower fee or payment schedule that will make the test more affordable. Ask the facility if they are willing to discuss these options with you.
· October of each year is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and many mammography facilities offer special fees and extended hours during this month. If you are unable to schedule a mammogram another time of year, you may wish to call in September to reserve an appointment.

- excerpt from http://www.breasthealthonline.org/

Peace and abundance to us all, Tina

Anchorage Again!

October 9, 2008 This is me getting ready to leave the Anchorage Airport - yes, it is snowing! This picture looks surprising similar to the previous post from last January!

Organic Restaurant in Seattle

October 6, 2008 Well, this is me in my new t-shirt from One Lucky Duck (NY Establishment) at The Chaco Canyon Restaurant in Seattle. They have delicious food both for the raw foodist and not! Yummy stuff - ate 3 meals from here and 2 desserts from here!!

NYC Posse Meetup - September 28, 2008

Went to NYC for the Posse Meetup which included a kick-butt yoga class (wow, was that a sweaty one), a raw food lunch, and speaker Kris Carr (along with a book signing of her latest!). What a fabulous day - can't wait for the next one!

me and kris carr

me and jenny

janae and kris

tina at one lucky duck (raw food takeout)

Lifestyle Changes and Products Used

I am asking increasingly more what I eat and/or what products I use. After sending an email that was rather lengthy, I decided to simply post it here for any and all to peruse.

I use Dr. Bronners liquid soap in shower and pure organic coconut oil (food section) for afterwards as lotion. Sometimes I may use organic Sesame Oil.

I use Burt's Bees peppermint face soap.

I use Giovanni organic shampoo, conditioner and hair spray.

I use Crystal deodorant (roll-on, pink lid).

For face makeup, I use a brand called Real Purity for all face products - makeup and face lotion. I really like it and I like getting their little one dollar samples to try out. That is how I bought everything - trying a sample first. Once in a while I will use Logona or Burt's Bee lip stuff.

I use Seventh Generation detergent for laundry. I also use their dish soap and dishwasher liquid.

I use some of Mrs. Meyers cleaning products and a couple of Method products (wood floor stuff).

No candles anymore - other than an occasional tea candle. No bug spray, no air fresheners, no perfumes in house.

Bamboo cutting board and knife that is used exclusively for vegan products.

All organic fruit, veggies, seeds and nuts. All organic products period. All vegan.
Nothing out of a can. Nothing microwaved.
No wheat. No sugar. No sodas. No packaged/processed food with man-made ingredients. No caffeine. No heating/cooking of food at all.

No drugs. At all. No pain relievers, no aspirin. No nothing. THAT is another big reason I eat the way I do. I no longer suffer from sinus headaches (had severe ones on a weekly/daily basis). I no longer suffer from cramps. It is amazing.

Filtered water only. No plastic water bottles at all - filtered water from fridge into SIGG container. At work, I will obtain my water from the large water cooler containers.

Limit plastic as much as possible - I have bought a lot of glass containers. Even for work, I take almost exclusively glass.

Besides water, the first thing I intake every morning is an 8 oz wheatgrass drink (Sheldon Farms freeze dried organic).

Next, I drink a green smoothie every morning which includes:
1 green leafy item (large handful of spinach or 5-6 kale leaves generally)
1 cucumber if I have one
1 banana
1 citrus (usually orange that I just cut skin off of and leave as much pith as possible)
1 frozen dark berry (blueberry, strawberry, cherry, blackberry, raspberry) or a combination - usually 1/2 - 1 cup or so
Tbs flax oil
3 Tbs hemp seeds
1 tsp spirulina
Sometimes I add a Tbsp coconut butter and/or 1-2 Tbsp brown rice protein powder (only rice product I intake)
If it tastes too green, add more water, a bit of lemon juice, or more cucumber

On some workdays, I just started eating organic oatmeal with 2 Tbsp of ground flaxseed, with a few raisins and walnuts. I have experimented with other supplemental items in it, but am paring it down to just flaxseed, raisins and walnuts,

Lunch is generally either a salad, veggie wrap (either in romaine leaf or Ezekiel sprouted wrap), or sunflower seed pate with veggies or wrap.

After workout, I try to have a shake with a banana, water, agave syrup and 1 Tbsp of brown rice protein powder (only rice product I intake)

Snacks are either fruit or veggie - try to have it with a protein source (nuts, seeds, nut butter).

Dinner is generally a salad, blended soup, or zucchini "pasta" with spaghetti sauce.

I try to have at least one cup of organic non-caff green tea each day.

I try not to eat anything after 6pm, but that often slips past just a bit.

Water, water, water.

Strength training 3-4 times a week.
Cardio 3-5 times a week.

I know to some this may all sound difficult or stringent, but I am addicted to wellness so I find all of this a no-brainer!!

I have said it often and will repeat it here - if you were given a "magic pill" to feel, think and look better, wouldn't you take it? If the "magic pill" was simply just eating and drinking what your body needs and craves anyway doesn't that sound pretty easy? It really is.

Just take one day at a time and try it. Add a little more whole foods to your life each day.

You can do it. You will love it.

Eat your veggies baby!
Tina

Riley's First Day of Kindergarten!

Big Boy Breakfast!

Riley!

Riley and Daddy!

Riley and Mrs. Martin!

Happy September 2008!

Well, another milestone! I passed my one year anniversary of the implant surgery - surgery #2. Wow, I cannot believe how fast this year went by - so, so amazing. Big love to you all!

I just finished watching StandUp2Cancer - very inspiring. I have put a link to the right if you would like to learn more and how you can support it.

Riley started kindergarten on Tuesday and is loving it. He isn't loving not having a nap and was pretty much exhausted each night this week. He looks so grown-up and so sweet. Love it!

I have "upped" my exercise and eating habits this past week, but feel much more stressed about work and related events than I should. I can physically feel the stress in my body...gotta focus on releasing the stress better/more than I have been.

Lastly, still no home pc. That is why updates - and photos - have dried up considerably of late. But, be patient!

Bone Results - FINALLY!

Good news - no, GREAT news!

All is normal with my bone scan - hips, pelvic, kidneys, skeletal from cranium to phalanges - all is good, clean and normal!!!

WOO-HOO!!!

Finally, I was able to get the results from my bone scan two weeks ago - so thanks to all of you who were thinking of me and saying prayers - Love ya!

Bone Scan Tomorrow

I had x-rays taken last week to take a look at my left hip joint since it has been causing me pain since I "trained" for the Komen Race for the Cure 5K in May 2008. Due to the chronic nature of this discomfort (which varies at times to mildly annoying to real zingers), they opted for an x-ray to look for arthritis, avascular somethin', somethin', or cancer. Breast cancer.

Good news was that the films were normal! Yippee! However, they want to do a bone scan (tomorrow) and gave me the option if I wanted to have it performed. Duh, of course I will. Well...I am all for it, except for the radioactive material they have to inject me with - how do you detox from that??!

Anyway, I have placed some links at right under Tina's Hot (Pink) Spots about bone scans and other medical tests/treatments - the top two links are new.

Be well,
Tina

Happy Birthday Jack!

Riley - My Artist

The beautiful art of Riley, 5 years old. Note the wonderful, warm sun and the super aircraft. He even labled each of us with the initial of our first name, and signed it "Love Riley" (well sort of). I will post more soon... Artist - Riley, Age 5, July 2008