Speaking of the “bandwagon” and the environment, after searching for my cousin with whom I had lost touch with for over 20 years, I discover that he and his wife are musicians and have the first solar powered recording studio, Martini Hill Recording Studio! How cool is that? Check out the website for a great example of a green business (and if you contact them, say “Hi” to my long lost cousin). Even more exciting is not only do they have a green business but they also grow their own food. They are healthy, happy…and amazing.

Ok I should have posted this a long long time ago but, well….I didn’t. So here it is. Ali Landry with her daughter Estele in our Heritage collection; Vintage Rose, pink with blue. The article was in Life & Style Magazine back in December….oops.

• Don’t buy and decide later…before you leave the store be sure you absolutely love it and you have something in your closet the new piece will go with. If you don’t LOVE it, don’t get it; make sure you are going to wear it, and often, before spending your money. Buy what feels right not because you need to have different clothing each season. Clothing does not necessarily go ‘out of style’. What I design for Zookini Kids is very classic; if it’s new to you it’s a new style. I design with long term in mind. Children love to wear the same thing over and over…they choose their favorite thing and will wear it 5 days in a row if you let them. Kids don’t need tons of clothing. Buy something better a little bigger and let them wear it until they just can’t anymore.  It is very wasteful for your pocket book to buy a lot of cheap pieces, the business making too much clothing and the environment to be so unconscious about your purchases. Be mindful of your choices and the bigger picture when you buy.

• Find your style and the right colors for your skin tone (believe me this makes a huge difference). So many of us shop and shop because we don’t know what we want. We buy based on what we are told we SHOULD have to be cool or ‘IN FASHION’. Learn who you are before you spend a lot. I haven’t shopped in a very long time; since I have been changing I can’t seem to figure out what my style is. I’ll find a couple of little pieces to freshen the wardrobe but the big money won’t be spent until I am sure of where I am going with my wardrobe. If you can afford it, get a stylist…but not just any stylist. Make sure you are getting one that really helps you find you. I have a good friend who has an AMAZING business doing Closet Auditing. She is absolutely affordable and will change your life not just your clothing. Check out Urban Darlings site; they are all over the country and will travel to help. I cannot speak more highly of her!!!

• What you put on your body will make you feel a certain way. If you are putting on frumpy clothing day after day…you will feel frumpy. Even if it is to work out make sure your work out clothing makes you feel good when you are wearing it; you will get a better work out when you do. If you are feeling depressed change your clothes. How often do you sit around watching TV in junky clothes while eating junky food? Change your clothes change your mind. The clothing I design for kids is really designed with kids in mind. The quality is high and it is made of natural fibers. When kids put my clothing on they don’t want to take it off. They feel good in it. Clothing works the same way for children…if you don’t like a behaviour change the clothing. At school if a child is in slacks and a button down shirt or a dress the behaviour will be drastically different than in casual clothing. Try it sometime; pay attention to the energy your clothing has and how it affects you and/or your children.

Ok…that’s all for now on the fashion front. I’ll be back soon.

Avoiding being overwhelmed…

There are many many things I like about the ‘Fashion Biz’. I love style, I love clothing and I love helping people feel good in their clothing. What doesn’t sit right is how we have a throw away mentality when it comes to clothing and we actually buy into the idea that unless you have a certain style, in a certain color RIGHT NOW you are not cool, even if that color and style DO NOT suit your body. I’ll tell you what ain’t cool…a person wearing clothing that doesn’t fit well, cut wrong or is not his/her personality.

There is so much clothing to choose from out there it can be overwhelming. Shop wisely and learn about you and your body. What you put on your body dictates how you feel. If something doesn’t feel right don’t buy it and just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean you are being a smart shopper.

A few tips:

• When you buy less but higher quality you not only end up spending less money in the long run but you keep clothing out of the landfills. If you want some trend in your life buy a few pieces each season….your entire wardrobe does not need to consist of trend.

• Simplify your wardrobe; slim down your closet. How much of your clothing in your closet (your child’s closet too) do you wear? We have SO much clothing we often feel overwhelmed with choice. Either there is too much clothing all together or too many pieces that don’t go together. Try things on, keep pieces that feel good and fit well and donate the rest of them.( I tend to donate to womens shelters rather than places that resell the goods) If you’ve had things in your closet for a long time they may not suit you anymore. When time passes we change physically and emotionally so our clothing may not be right for us anymore. Even if it is good condition, let it go.

A few more tips to come in the next posting…

So I had a conversation with a friend a few nights ago, and, we were talking about my blogging…or lack thereof. I mentioned it overwhelms me; all the stuff floating around in my head I can’t seem to focus or put anything down on the page. His comment was I think too much I need to simplify. Apparently I am complicating the writing, which is actually funny since I spend my life trying to simplify and clear the clutter. Ok, he’s totally right and, well, it bugs me when he’s right! I guess I need to write like I talk….and if you know me…I can talk!!

My motto for doing things is~ how do I get from point A to point B the quickest? It was great in getting things done but it bit me in the behind when it came to jobs. I, either, finished all my work and sat there like a slacker because I didn’t know what to do next or I was given much more work since I was so efficient for the same pay, totally lame!

What does this have to do with fashion you might say? Really it’s about simplifying and clearing the clutter in your closet. I’ve had my feet in fashion one way or another for most of my life. I was sewing at 8, did a touch of modeling in my teens and early 20’s, then, retail, wholesale, production and design and some other things along the way to my own business. But the fashion business, as it is, never really sat well. In order for me to be in it I needed to create in a way that makes sense for me; bringing it a little more down to earth.

(more to follow…soon…no really)

I’ve known her for a long time but only recently  have I become friends with her.  Holly Lefevre LaRock and I went to Junior High and High School together but only knew each other from a distance. After reconnecting with her on Facebook and at our 20 year reunion we have spent great time together and have had wonderful conversations. I am thankful to call her a friend now. I really enjoy her, her openness to learn,  grow and share with others, and I LOVE the way she writes; she is also fantastic at interpreting what the heck I am saying.

I love sharing the talents of other people and Holly has two really great blogs  that I want to share. She has great information and they are just fun to read. She also did some wonderful write ups on Zookini Kids(it’s a new site and we are still working on it…bear with us). So I get to share her talent and her view on my passion in life and my company…it’s a double whammy!

Please check them out….   504Main and HipWeddings

So ~Zookini Kid style Banana loaf, one would think it included zucchini squash, and it almost did, but not this time. I do love this recipe because it has fruit and veggies. Any time you can add whole food nutrients…the better the recipe in my opinion, and,  I also change some of  her ingredients to fit ‘my whole food’ criteria. Oh, and I tend to buy Organic ingredients so assume below says organic or locally grown in front of it.

The recipe I made at first I added Teff flour. After tasting it…the Teff is too strongly flavored for this bread and over powers the banana. I pretty much try to stay away from whole wheat flour but if you have no issue with whole wheat you can use it instead of the Gluten free flours I use.

Here we go:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick) melted

1/4 cup Black Strap Mollasses

2 eggs

2 very ripe mashed banana’s (I’m basing this on average size banana’s rather than small)

2 cups flour- I use- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten free all-purpose flour and 1 cup Brown Rice flour. You can use any flour you like just keep it Whole and unrefined. Mix it up and play with different flours to your taste

1 tsp baking soda

1/4  tsp sea salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (fresh if you can)

1 cup finely grated carrot (about 1 large carrot)

Half of an apple, skinned, cored and finely diced. ( I used Gala, use what you have or like) If it is small use the whole apple.

1/2 cup chopped and toasted pecans (optional) I actually would use more but I am a nut-aholic.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease(I use some of the melted butter) and flour (I use the flour mixture) a 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan. Honestly…whatever dang pan or baking dish you have…use. Just mind the time it is baking depending on its depth.

Place the melted butter, molasses, eggs(bring to room temp before adding butter) and banana in a large mixing bowl and beat well, preferably with an electric mixer. If you don’t have one use a fork and mush the banana’s well and beat.

Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. With the mixer on low, combine the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Then fold in the carrot, apple and pecans. Scoop into the baking dish and bake about 55 minutes or until the tooth pick pulls out without ‘gook’ on it. Yes that is a technical term. The center section of the loaf is the last to bake through so place it in the center when checking. Let cool and then, well, enjoy!

It seems one of the main topics these days is Swine Flu.  There is quite a bit of fear around it and questions about the vaccine. I am not one of those who has fear around sickness, as it is the way we build our immunity, and would like to share my perspective. My focus is to build the immunity naturally and you become less susceptible to any flu or cold. So if you end up getting sick with a strong immunity it may not feel good at the time but it benefits you in the long run.

A note on vaccines… If you haven’t researched them, please do, especially if you have children! Two really great books to start with are The Sanctity of Human Blood by Tim O’Shea and Vaccines, Are They Really Safe and Effective? by Neil Z. Miller.

Most of us don’t realize our immunities could easily be stronger by simple choices we make in our lifestyle, mindset and food. Natural whole foods, mostly fruits and vegetables, will keep our systems stronger than and pill or vaccine. Deep breathing and focus on health, rather than fears of ill-health, and detoxing our bodies will support our systems to keep any virus or bacteria out.

3 Things you can do:

1~ Deep Breathing: Spend some silent time away from distractions and get out of your head. Do your best to clear your mind of any thought that shows up. Let it show up and then let it go. Either sitting or lying down, close your eyes and place your hands on your belly. We have a tendency to breathe high up in our chests…and unfortunately this triggers more stress in the body. Instead, focus on deep breathes into the lower abdomen, the stomach expands as you breathe in and contracts as you push the breath out and releases toxins from the body. If you want more in depth lessons in healing breathe, Dr. Andrew Weil has a website and a great cd~ Breathing, The Master Key to Self Healing.

2~ Fresh Vegetables and Fruit: I am sure everyone is very aware that natural healthy foods especially fruit and vegetables are good for you. But do you really understand that are the building blocks to your cells? So if you are eating processed food, heavy in meat, sugar and caffeine and lacking veggies and fruit and grains (vitamins and minerals to be specific)… it will result in a weaker cell more of a target for viruses and bacteria. For example, one cup of broccoli or parsley is more  likely to strengthen the immunity than 700mg of synthetic Vit. C. Or one cup of Kale contains, Vit. K, A, C and a heavy dose of Calcium plus so many other nutrients to build healthy cells. We have natural sources of ‘Bug Busters’ through our food but we need to add them to our diets to gain those benefits and be aware of our intake of processed foods that are actually harming our bodies. There are too many positive properties and nutrient rich fruits and veggies to list all of them. I’m sure you get the idea… but if they are fresh, full of color, preferably local (and best if local and organic), raw or cooked properly, whatever is best for you, they will build your system.

3~Detox: We take on more toxins into our bodies than our system can handle without help. We natural detox our body through our breath, skin, urine and stool. But if our body is overwhelmed the toxins stay in our system and begin breaking us down. Make sure, as I mentioned above, to breathe; it is a great way to detox the body. Also, Sweat…our skin is our largest organ and we take in toxins through the air and things we put on our skin but we can release them too, by sweating. Make sure to either work out enough to ‘get your sweat on’ or do steam rooms or saunas. Also, add a loofah to your bathroom or salt scrubs in the shower; they help circulation and remove old skin cells. And finally, clean out your bowels and kidneys. Make sure you are getting enough water and fiber to move everything through. If you aren’t having, at least, 1 bowel movement a day all the toxins sitting in your system waiting to be ‘flushed’ are reabsorbing into your blood stream. Toxins that stay in your system keep your bodies immunity down….so clean ‘em out!

There are so many other things I could write about to build immunity but it would end up being a book rather than a blog…I hope this helps.

A good friend of mine sent this video to me asking my opinion about it coming from a ‘health care professional’, in my case, an Holistic Health and NLP Practitioner. I have to admit my knowledge of the health care debate is lacking but I do have my thoughts I’ll share with you below.

Congressman Mike Rogers\’ opening statement on Health Care reform in Washington D.C.

I personally believe we are all missing the boat and trying to fix a symptom of a bigger problem. The symptom is the Doctors, Hospital Policies and Insurance Companies. The Bigger Problem…the Nations Ill-Health. Our time and energy needs to be spent on education of preventative medicine to avoid having to go to doctors with major problems and fight with insurance companies to get things covered. We wait until the last minute when things have gotten so bad we have problems like heart disease, diabetes, auto-immune diseases, cancer, we need a transplant of some sort and the list goes on.  Please understand that what we can do with medicine these days is amazing and I know that the diseases I listed are real and I do not down play them. Our bodies give us clues about its health prior to the major diseases but most of us are not taught to listen. A large number of the reasons we go to a doctor can be prevented, reversed and healed and we need to take responsibility for the health of our minds and bodies and educate ourselves.

Now I am all for everyone deserving health care and not being turned away from treatment. However, at this moment (as my brother pointed out) we do already have that, Medicaid, and for the senior citizens, Medicare. For those of you uninsured and without Medicaid or Medicare there are still options. In fact, things aren’t as bad for those without insurance may claim.

I spent many many years without medical insurance at a time in my life where I was actually quite sick and there wasn’t anything I couldn’t get treated for if I went to a clinic. The clinic is not a fun place, it is a long long process and is crowded and often unpleasant but it is there and people are being treated. They do a sliding scale based on your income so really its a good deal. Should you have insurance…you HAVE to pay whether or not you see a doctor.

What needs to change is the way these insurance companies operate, hospital ‘policy’ and Doctor’s education in prevention. Again I am not educated enough in those areas to know exactly what the changes need to be as I deal with it very little other than personal experience.  I think, regardless, of the party you are in we all agree things are a mess.

One of the issues is not that there are folks without insurance…it is what is happening to those with insurance who are being denied many things. Does the government need to ‘run’ the health care system…not so much. But we need someone bigger than the companies currently running the health care system to step in and force change. We as individuals have been demanding change and the government is finally listening. If you don’t care for the direction the ’system’ is going KEEP talking and asking for what it is you want, don’t settle. Get educated and form your opinion and express it. Obama asks for opinions, he wants you to tell him your thoughts….so give it to him on his website or Facebook Fan page.

I always like to play with recipes that use refined white flour and sugar. So far I’m liking my new version of Chocolate Chip Cookies and will continue to play with it to make it even better. This is it so far…..

I always do my best to bake with gluten free flour that is not refined. Even though not everyone has wheat or gluten issues one can have a sensitivity to it that can be subtle. I try to avoid it as much as I can as it is in so many products already. I love using Teff flour , it’s gluten free and has many nutrients. I also use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten free All Purpose Baking flour . There are so many other flours you can play with but I’ll start with those.

I also like to replace refined white sugar with things like a high grade Maple syrup and Organic unsulphered Blackstrap Molasses. I actually get my maple syrup from a Boyd Hill Farm in Vermont; I like to get it from as close to the source as possible. Yes these products are still ’sugars’ but they contain so many nutrients that their qualities are beneficial to the body and are a healthier choice.(I will be working on a version with even less sugar…that’s to come)

So here’s what I did:

3/4 cups Teff Flour
1/4 cup Bob’s gluten free all purpose baking flour
1/2 tsp of Baking soda

1/2 tsp of Sea Salt,  I actually use a bit less  salt and add Kelp granules for the salty flavor and it adds minerals to your cookies that you can’t taste.

1 stick of Organic butter (8 tbsp) softened

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup Maple Syrup

1/4 cup Molasses

1/2 cup Walnuts or Pecans (optional)
6-ounces of semisweet chocolate chips-I use Sunspire grain sweetened chocolate chips

So I’m sure you all have done cookies before but here’s the drill….

Sift the dry ingredients together.
Blend the egg and vanilla together until smooth. Add the other wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to the dry and blend together.
Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees( I don’t go above this temp because the butter is best to be cooked no higher than 350).
Place a heaping tsp of batter on the baking sheet about 3″ apart. Bake about 18 minutes or until done. The cookies will appear darker than you are used to because of the darker colored ingredients.  If you aren’t sure they are done then poke with a toothpick and if it comes out clean it is done.(try not to poke the chocolate or it will seem not done.)

Let cool and enjoy. Any questions?