EARTH DAY IS MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY

Earth Day is my favorite holiday! Each year on this day, show your love for our beautiful planet and honor her with a tree, plant it in your yard or in a pot and one day when this planet needs it most you will have something wonderful to offer. 

Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22. Now in its 45th year, Earth Day is one of the largest observances in the world with 1 billion people participating in activities each year.
To reduce personal consumption is not always an easy task to tackle, but there are a few doable steps you can follow throughout the year to help protect our environment for future generations; you may also save money in the process.

Here are some easy steps to reduce consumption and make every day Earth Day: from the NAdvocate

1. With Spring in full swing, it is time for some Spring cleaning, sorting your cupboards will help you to focus on the things you really need. Donate items you no longer wear to the less privileged. Donations are a form of re-use which will cut your waste while helping people in need.

2. Window-shopping only tempts you to buy the things that you don’t need. Impulsive purchases are often left unused and eventually end up in the dustbin. Rather draw up a shopping list of the things you need beforehand. Try to purchase only what you need and use, this way you won't be adding unnecessary items to our already overburdened planet.

3. When cooking food, try to use the oldest ingredients first before their shelf lives expire. Prepare just enough food for the number of people that will be enjoying the meal. Cooking just enough food will cut your waste and even save electricity.

Make Earth Day a family affair, teach your children! Here are some fun recipes to get the kids in the spirit of the earth, fun and delicious for your celebration.

Talk about the importance of not littering and doing recycling while you make one of the following recipes with your kids this week. No-bake mud cookies can be cooked on the stove by a parent, and easily shaped by small hands. Dirt pudding cups, garnished with gummy worms and perhaps a fresh, edible flower from your yard, will be a great conversation starter.

No Bake Mud cookies

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoon cocoa

1/2 cup milk

1/2cup butter

1/2cup peanut butter

2 cups oatmeal

1 teaspoon. vanilla

Mix sugar and the cocoa together in saucepan. Stir in milk. Add butter and bring to a full boil, stirring frequently. Cook and stir constantly for two minutes. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Scoop by tablespoon onto waxed paper and let cool.

Dirt Pudding Cups

2 cups of cold milk

1 small package chocolate instant pudding

8 oz. container whipped topping, thawed

1 pound package chocolate sandwich cookies

Gummy worms or other gummy creatures

Edible flowers, if desired

Beat pudding mix and milk with whisk in a mixing bowl. Let stand for five minutes. Stir in the whipped topping. Place cookies in a zippered plastic bag and crush with a mallet or hammer until crumbly. Add half the crushed cookies to the pudding and fold in gently. Put a tablespoon of crushed cookies in each of 6-8 clear pudding bowls or plastic cups. Fill cups three quarters full of pudding mix. Top each cup or bowl with remaining cookie crumbles. Garnish with gummy worms or other gummy “critters.” Chill an hour or more. If desired, a washed edible flower (such as a violet, dandelion, calendula, chive or nasturtium blossom) can be added as a garnish before serving.

Be someone important, become a Earth Day Warrior and protect and preserve the planet!

I am both honored and proud of the response on my Earth Day board on Pinterest ~ it gives me hope for the future of our planet Earth.

Check it out and be inspired! 

Earth Day on Pinterest

FOR THE LOVE OF TREES

Image by Layla Morgan Wilde

Enjoy your day!

SPRING IN PORTLAND OREGON

I know, I know! it has been a while since I last posted, let that rest on me. With this beautiful, warm Spring day upon us, I felt the need to spread the joy we feel in Portland for Spring and that hint of what the coming months will bring.

With the advent of Spring and with sunshine our my eyes, we embrace the Spring in Portland. Everywhere you walk there is trees in blossom and Spring flowers popping up with the beautiful colors of Spring. Portland is a wonderland of bulbs and flowers, sunshine and glistening walks by the rivers. The geese and ducks are busy nesting with their young in tow, we hear the honks and quacks in the air as they fly from wetland to wetland, sharing their space with Blue Heron, Beaver, Otter, and Nutria and many other wonderful creatures of nature. We live in abundance!

We will bask in the sunshine, and seek out the rays as they hit the ground and the glorious sun shines in the sky again after a long Fall and Winter of waiting. 

We will attend the festivals, Farmer's Markets, and bar-b-ques. 
Packing away the remnants of Winter and breaking out the warm weather wear. 

Earthing is now with the sun warming the earth so, take off your shoes and put your toes in the earth!

Enjoy the Spring, may the energy of  the earth surround you with joy ~

PEACE FROM ORIGINS OREGON

PEACE IN PORTLAND OREGON

From Portland Oregon, on this International Day Of Peace, I wish for peace on earth.

As a pacifist, I hold the hope for peace close to my heart every day. We, as a people have it within our own power to create peace, sending out the vibrations of love and peace, that will ripple across our globe, reaching countries in a state of war, for the children of war-torn countries, and the refugees these wars have created, we must keep the hope for peace alive in our hearts, and on our minds.

All people, from every walk of life deserve a life of peace and prosperity, as a people, we must realize peace and justice are possible across the globe, finding solutions, spreading the good word and becoming a part of a movement both beautiful and selfless, so we may realize peace in our own lifetimes.
It's a simple concept really, peace through justice, fair and equal treatment for all people, all through peaceable means. I will flow with this idea, putting it out into the universe, creating my ripple of love and peace.

Being from the beautiful state of Oregon, we are blessed by many people, organizations and businesses that create a way to benefit global peace initiatives around our planet, improving the lives of people around the globe.
It is to these people I am most grateful for, people like the young woman profiled below, a young Peace Corps volunteer...

A Peace Corps volunteer had a dream to use the nutritious leaves of the moringa tree to improve the lives of women in West Africa
Lisa Curtis witnessed the challenges that rural communities in West Africa face, as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, she became one of those inspirational people that found a solution. 
What began as a solution to hunger, became something empowering to the women of West Africa, enriching the lives of all.

Read The Blog 

There is an interesting story behind this post, an inspiration, when two paths crossed.
When my husband Todd, out on a quick trip to the grocery store encountered Alex Bacher,  Brand Ambassador for the company  Kuli Kuli Foods, at the grocery store giving coupons to shoppers, his passion for social justice and environmental causes piqued my husband's interest, they had a conversation about the work we both do to promote peace and prosperity globally. Upon returning home and telling me the story about what the company does, the products they created to bring stability, nutrition and sustainability to an impoverished Niger.
How could I not be inspired ? 

So, on this of International Peace Day as the meditation for global peace begins, be inspired to shop only the companies that benefit our global communities and be part of the international movement that flows toward peace and justice.

Join us for a Global-Synchronized Meditation and Prayer for Peace in hundreds of cities around the world. In 2012, 248 cities participated. Last year, 564 cities joined and, this year, our goal is 1000 cities ... Join us at 12:00 Noon in your local time zone for the Peace Wave or at the Global Synchronized time of 12:00 Noon PST // 7:00 PM GMT. Listen to the Global Broadcast or find a live event in your city. 

Read the inspiring story about Kuli Kuli here:
http://kulikulifoods.com/about#our-story

PREPARE TO WEEP !  



 Time to Be The Peace !

BATS IN OREGON

BATS IN OREGON

It has been sometime since I posted here, to a place that will remain in my heart, as this place is for the earth, it's inhabitants, both great and small.

Bats have been on the forefront of my mind; the amazing creatures, so misunderstood, I feel it is necessary for me to defend their worth, as they work very hard to do their part, to both pollinate the earth, and rid it of pesky mosquitos ! I have a great love for the bat, peaceful and docile, not the people attacking, rabies spreading animal many have been led to believe.

Fall is the perfect time to get your bat houses up on a tree in your yard, to provide them and their sweet little offspring a place of safety and warmth. You will love the experience !

In appreciation of the bat !

FOR THE LOVE OF BATS !!!

A VIDEO DEMO FOR BUILDING A BAT HOUSE ~ 

THE FABULOUS NATIVE BEE

Encourage bees to come to your yard.... Sounds easy enough, and it is REALLY easy. Creating your own little bee space in your garden, patio or deck will prove to be one of the most fulfilling accomplishments in your life. Just doing your part in saving and protecting the bees in your own environment will be important for our planet. Losing our pollinators will have devastating results for our food sources. 

Continue to sign petitions for a GMO free country, say no to pesticides, support your local farmer. Become a *Lovavore*...
Plant your bee garden, provide the housing and watch them come, creating beauty where they flit from bloom to bloom.

The Native Mason Bee

The most peaceful bee in nature...I know it seems strange but, the Mason Bee doesn't sting. Since I was a small child, I held them in my hand. Wonderful little creatures of various colors. 


For the love of bees...

Enjoy !
Be well and happy ~ Holly

NATIVE BEE HOUSE

LIFE AND LIVING IN LAKE OSWEGO OREGON

https://www.facebook.com/originsoregon

Transitioning to new beginnings, again....
I have been reflecting on my life, my path has been rocky at times, but I have always been happy, even during the hard times. Many of us are finding a new way, a new beginning, whether it is a new career, a move to a new home, or a change in familial status, we remain happy, living simply in our lives.

Living simply is the key to happiness, unburdening our lives, getting rid of all the stuff that weighs us down, like a dark cloud above us, our earthly possessions, and want for more, not only add a burden to our lives, they add more stuff to our beautiful planet.

Be happy with the blessings you have, your space, your family and friends, nature with all of it's bounty and beauty. Be in love and at peace with the world. Shine your light on each person you see, walk in nature, lean against an ancient tree, love a pet and be loved. Giving love and peace will bring it all back around to you. What a wonderful life ~ A beautiful world ~ 

My gratitude for my beautiful Oregon, and the blessing of living in Lake Oswego. 

As I embark upon a new venture, I know that in the flow of happiness and love for nature, my Origins Oregon will be received with open arms and loving hearts. Encouraged by friends and family, I am hopeful that Origins Oregon finds success. I will follow my heart....with gratitude.

Peace ~ Holly

WHERE THE MASON BEES GO IN WINTER

The Mason Bee with beautiful jewel tones

Most gardeners don't realize the vast number of bee species there are.
I have provided housing for our Oregon Native*, the Mason Bee. I observe, with fascination the comings and goings of my little, stingless friends, as they flit among my flowers, creating a beautiful abundance of flowers and vegetables.

Mason bees are solitary bees that typically use tubes, reeds, and holes in wood for their nesting sites.  Each female is a queen and will lay her egg in gathered pollen.  She’ll separate these pollen/egg chambers with bits of mud, leaf, resin, etc. depending on her species. Each region in the U.S. has it's own native bee, so do a little research to find out which bees live in your area, it will be worth the small effort it takes to create a home for these hardworking pollinators. 

My mother always told me that,  "we should all have something to look forward to, this will keep us happy and alive". The Mason Bees, as they leave the warm comfort of the nest, each individual bee having it's own little space, is one of the things I have to look forward to each Spring, with glee.

In the Winter months, these little blue beauties, after a busy spring, the females will die in early June, their eggs hatch into larva which eat the pollen in June/July, and these larva then spin cocoons in July to metamorphosis into adult bees (still in cocoons) by October.

The vast number of bees in your yard are independent female bees showing up only at specific times of the year.  Each female is a queen, and they live their short life placing pollen and eggs into holes in twigs and reeds or under rocks hoping their progeny will remain undisturbed. So, please leave those stumps in your yard, as the Mason Bee will naturally create it's own home in those old stumps. 

The Bee Garden

Grow your organic bee garden, build a simple bee box, and they will come. Considering our planets decline in the bee population, it is our responsibility to protect our pollinators. Providing a home for bees is a feel good accomplishment, a great hobby, while doing your part in saving the bees. 
The loss of bees has serious consequences for plants, wildlife and yes, human survival.

The bee is my totem, my friend, my purpose.