If you don’t already use silicone lids I encourage you to give them a try. All you really need is one. I was gifted with a Lily Pad Lid months ago and it has become one of my favorite kitchen tools. It looks cool, is super easy to keep clean and feels brand new even after daily use. I use it in the micro to steam all my veggies and in the toaster oven for baking. If I had a stove top, I’d use it there, too. The lid works on glass, stainless, silicone and plastic. The suction seals in moisture – if you need to vent during cooking, just leave a little gap when you put on the lid. When done, just rinse with water and hang to dry. Best part? No more plastic wrap! The lid comes in a variety of sizes. Mine is the 9″ option which I think is just perfect. You can pick other designs, too, like a pumpkin or sunflower. Fun and eco-friendly. Now that’s a clear combination! Available on line or at local stores like New Seasons, Home Goods and Bed, Bath and Beyond. Visit Charles Viancin to see style options.
Need A Little Rain?
Get a rain shower whenever you want it with a neat download from SimplyRain. Cool factor: you can go from drizzle to downpour by just sliding the bar. You can even oscillate the rainfall or add thunder (I can never get enough thunder). Get your rainshower here. Want more water energy? SimplyNoise offers an expanded one hour stereo thunderstorm for free. It’s my favorite soundscape for staying refreshed while at the computer (I’m listening to it right now.) Ocean waves and white noise options are also available. Mobile app friendly, too. Get more water here.
Getting A Clearer Perspective
These photos were taken yesterday just minutes apart of each other. Both show the same giant magnolia. All I did was move to the other side of the tree. Two very different effects. Two very different moods. One depicts the cool presence of the moon fading in the morning sky. The other shows the brilliance of the sun bursting through with all its fiery power. Like the giant blossoms, we rely on both the sun star and the moon for balance and beauty. The next time you are trying to get clear about a challenge with your home – anything from how to arrange furniture to how to create more space in your place – try shifting your position just a bit. Move to the other side of the room, sit in the middle of the floor, stand on a step stool – you might be surprised at the options that appear from a fresh perspective. See you on the clear side!
Note: For inspired ideas on Sun and Moon Energy, visit my Pinterest boards.
Wishing for Volunteers
How’d you like to be around scrumptious food like this and help a great cause at the same time? If you live in the Portland metro area, here’s an opportunity. Albertina Kerr needs volunteers, especially servers for their restaurant in NE PDX. Albertina’s Restaurant features Northwest-inspired cuisine in a garden setting serving lunch/brunch Mon thru Sat. Also on site is the Kerr’s Economy Jar (antiques consignment), Albertina’s Jewel Box (gift shop for jewelry/accessories), and the Kerr Thrift Shop (clothing for men & women/household items) – all run by volunteers! All proceeds and tips help support the work of Albertina Kerr, which strengthens Oregon families and communities by helping children and adults with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges – empowering them to live richer lives. Click here for information about volunteer opportunities. Click here to read a recent Oregonian article featuring the restaurant, it’s new chef and the history behind the famous Kerr name.
Card of the Week – SUMMER
SUMMER energy celebrates the sweetness of life. Lush fruits, fields of flowers – days are buzzing and hot. This is the time of manifesting and expressing. Being out there in a bold way. Passionate pursuits and fueling the flames of enterprise. Summer is all about sizzle and sparks and connecting to your wild side. Bring Summer energy into your home with yellows and bright, cheery tones of color. Use sheer or linen fabrics. Images of dragonflies and daisies. Put out bowls of fresh citrus. Use essential oils of lemon, lavender and grapefruit. Clean your patios, porches and barbeques.
Corresponds to the Element of FIRE, the direction of South, the afternoon and the age cycle of young adults.
About this photo: This plump bee allowed me to capture him as he was enjoying a delicious dahlia in a sunny field in Canby, OR. Place this card in any area of your space that needs a mood lift or momentum for projects!
Learn more about balancing with the Seasons and A Clear Place WISDOM CARDS. (Now available on Etsy.)
Happy Summer everyone!
Resale with a Mission
Need a place to donate your purged closet items? GHM in SW PDX welcomes them. Looking for a boutique experience at thrift store prices? Put GHM on your list. What a delightful little place. Clean, bright, odor-free (no stinky floral potpourri) and well-organized, tastefully displayed merchandise. It helps that the shop formerly housed a frame gallery and provides lots of natural lighting. It also helps that the young manager knows her stuff and has an artistic flair for fashion. All the clothing is sized and arranged by color. Everything from shoes to handbags to jeans is in excellent condition and priced to sell. Tanya greets customers with a warm smile and eagerly shares the story of the shop and its mission. All the items are donated with donors receiving a 20% discount off their purchase as a special thank you along with a tax receipt. The shop also has great half-off sales on a regular basis. (I snagged a stylish bustier by My Boyfriend’s Back for just $12.50.) Donate your gently used clothing and accessories (men’s apparel, too) directly at the store located at 4711 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy, PDX 97221. Store hours are Tues-Fri 10 to 5 and Sat 10 to 4. Phone: 503-265-8613. (The shop is tucked down a slope and hard to see from the road. Watch for the pink and white sign on the north side of the road.) Visit the GHM Facebook page.
Note: Donations that are not accepted for the boutique are transferred to other metro area agencies including Dress for Success and Blanchet House. GHM stands for Gung Ho Ministries, a non-profit with a focus on transitional housing for homeless vets in the metro area. They currently provide food, toiletries and spiritual support to the homeless and working poor “Under the Bridge” near Old Town. Visit the website to learn more.
Garden of Grace
When my Aunt Betty died a few years ago, my cousin, Janet, received comfort in a very special way from her husband and young daughter. In response to last week’s post on the Card of the Week: GRACE; she shared this story and gave me permission to share it here. I hope it inspires you as it did me.
“When Mom died, Cassidy and Jerry designed a garden. Jerry made an archway/arbor at one end. It has stepping stones from one end to the other including one that Cassidy created. My teaching buddies bought a bench for the garden, too. It was very therapeutic, still is! I love to see new things growing each year!
One of mom’s nurses gave us a forget-me-not plant for the garden. Now, I purchase forget-me-not seeds and put them in sympathy cards for friends who have lost loved ones. It is great for the kids to be doing something to work through sad times.”
How lovely is that? What a perfect reminder of the cycles of life. And you don’t have to live on a farm in Wisconsin to plant a memory garden. Dedicate a spot in your backyard or repurpose that unused veggie patch. Invite family and friends to contribute labor/know-how and/or plants. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. Even a container corner on a deck can serve the same purpose. Be intentional. Keep the garden tended. Enjoy the memories … and the seeds of love.
Share your story. Find inspiration on healing ways with nature … order your Wisdom Cards here.
Wisdom Card of the Week – GRACE
There is a spirituality to nature that is undeniable. A cathedral of trees, a chapel of flowers – exquisite works of depth and beauty. Elegant ambassadors of light and grace. These messengers remind us to walk softly and be gentle with each other. We are, after all, in this home together.
Add a touch of grace to your home by bringing some nature indoors. A simple blossom or image of one, like this GRACE card, is all it takes. Flowers vibrate at a very fine frequency and help balance heavy or dark areas of your space. Place a flower near the photo of a loved one to honor your connection. Be sure to keep the water clean and blossoms fresh.
About this photo: This is one of the twenty Focus Cards included in the deck that enhance the Elements, Seasons, Sun and Moon cards. Giant irises remind me of grand ladies. Stunning grace and elegant. This one was photographed during a trip to Seattle. She greeted me in my friend’s backyard – unannounced and beautiful.
Find out more about adding beauty to your home and your life with A Clear Place WISDOM CARDS – now available on Etsy!
Wisdom Card of the Week – AIR
The element of AIR encourages inspiration and fresh perspective. It’s about vision and rising above to get a clearer view of the situation. This is the element you want to use for mental alertness and clarity – perfect energy to add for studying, reading or focused thought. In your home, suspend mobiles or add images of feathers, clouds and birds to represent AIR. Diffuse essential oils of clary sage or juniper. Make sure air can flow freely through your space. Open and clean your windows. Clean air vents and replace air filters. Colors to use for decor include light blues, lavender and shades of white. Think of that light, free feeling when you blow bubbles or dandelion puffs. AIR corresponds to the Season of Spring and the East direction.
About the photo: I took this photo at the Steigerwald National Wildlife Refuge along the Columbia River in Washougal, WA. Look closely and you’ll see the flock of birds in a heart-shape. The clouds to me look like an angel flying towards the sun. What does the image resemble to you?
Special Note: What a perfect card for my birthday week. If you’re an AIR sign like me, you know how important it is to be able to view the sky both indoors and out. I keep this card on my writing desk. View more about this element at my Pinterest AIR board. Do you have your deck of WISDOM CARDS yet? Find out how to order.
Wisdom Card of the Week – SPRING
SPRING is the Season of new beginnings and budding ideas. It’s a perfect time to bring balance to your home and create harmony. Use pinks and greens in your decor to represent the colors of the heart. Diffuse essential oils of pink grapefruit or rosemary for freshness. Place images in your room of baby animals, heart shapes, flower buds … all things green.
Corresponds with the Element of AIR, the direction of the EAST and the infant/child cycle of life.
The Photo: I captured this budding Pink Rhododendron at the Elk Rock Garden at the Bishop’s Close in Lake Oswego, OR.
Special note: I chose this card as the cover for A Clear Place WISDOM CARDS deck because they are from the heart and bring creative ideas for bringing harmony and balance to your home. Learn more about SPRING and this unique card deck.
A Clear Place 