Happy Holidays and Blessed New Year!

Wholeness, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry) sterling silver charms: flowers, sun & moon, three dots, two fishes, and heart

I made this necklace pondering all the things I've been grateful for during this last year and the intentions I have set for 2012.

During this past year, I was given many joyful moments as well as unique challenges that expanded my heart, which are represented by my Joy and Be Mine charms.

I also focused a lot of energy on my Body, Spirit, and Soul through the practice of yoga and am learning how to balance those opposing forces such as passive and active, dark and light, and Sun and Moon from the inside out.

Lastly, I am beginning to develop a deeper understanding of what Abundance truly means and how to see this quality woven throughout my life at all times.

This coming week I will be taking some time off from blogging to work on another project, but my shop Hint Jewelry will remain open.

I hope you have found some things to celebrate during the last year and are looking forward to what 2012 brings. Thank you so much for your generosity and sharing your presence with me. May you have a wonderful holiday, and I look forward to seeing you the New Year!

Comfort Your Cold with Faux Pho

Faux Pho, Beth Hemmila

Two things that I want to point out in this post:

1. Instead of reaching for chicken soup to ease your cold and flu symptoms, consider whipping up a simplified version of some scrumptious Vietnamese Phở.
2. If you like warm meals during the cold winter months, and find yourself reducing your raw food intake, think about redesigning your dishes in a way that makes them 50% cooked and 50% raw.

Faux Pho, Beth Hemmila

It's December and I have recently joined the other thousands of locals with the sniffles. I no longer think so much about curing my colds, but rather make them opportunities to see what kind of self-care would bring me the most pleasure. I use to enjoy a bowl of chicken soup, but after living in Portland, Oregon and eating lots of Vietnamese Phở, I've developed this dish into my number one comfort food.

Okay, so my Phở is not legit, but unfortunately I usually don't have the time to dedicate myself to making authentic broth and whatnot so I settled with what I affectionately call my "Faux Phở" and it is something that can be made in probably 20 minutes or less if you have all the ingredients handy.

Here is what went into my in my Faux Phở pictured above :

1. I sauteed lots of fresh ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes in olive oil.
2. Added a can of beef broth (you can substitute vegetable or chicken) and simmered for about 10 or 15 minutes.
3. While the broth is cooking, I prepared my rice noodles according to the package and let them sit in warm water to soften for about 10 minutes.
4. Next I grated a carrot and chopped up some fresh celery. You can add any fresh vegetables you want such as parsley, zucchini, green onions, lettuce, kale, broccoli, mushrooms, etc.
5. When everything is ready, I drain the noodles and put them in a bowl with the broth and then top with my mix of fresh vegetables.

This Faux Phở is my example of making a 50/50 dish. Half of it is cooked and the other half is made up of a raw veggie salad. It's not a big conceptual leap because most restaurants serve a raw salad along with your meal, why not merge the two together in some way reducing the main dish by a little and bumping up the fresh vegetables a notch.

Here are some other ideas for 50/50 dishes:

50% beans and rice & 50% raw veggies
50% cooked quinoa or pasta & 50% raw veggies
50% boiled/sauteed potatoes & 50% raw veggies
50% cooked barley (or other grain) & 50% raw veggies

Right now I can feel raw foodies wincing in pain out there, but sorry folks not everyone is up for being a raw food rock star when it's cold outside :)

The other part of my Faux Phở that is incredibly delicious and soothing is the combination of garlic, ginger, and red pepper fakes. Heat your cold up and burn it out of your system. This makes me feel better every time. Never underestimate the power of ginger in your life! During the winter I'm always looking for ways to squeeze this spice into my dishes for an added kick. Or simply boil some water and poor it over a slice of fresh ginger and drink up.

If you are unfamiliar with Phở and are not sure how to pronounce it, please be sure to visit Wikipedia's site and click on the listen link. I use to gaily run around and pronounce Phở like "foe" and then one day was enlightened to the fact that is actually sounds more like "fah." Also, be sure to checkout a Vietnamese restaurant when you have an opportunity and try some real Phở to help inspire your own noodle bowls.

Behind the Scenes: Protecting Trademarks or Building Relationships?

If you receive an e-mail from a legal department siting copyright or trademark infringement don't despair, be happy because that probably means your Web site made it to the top the Google search engine. You definitely got someones attention :)

So far this has happened twice to me in the last year. Both times it occurred because I'm completely clueless as to what is happening out there in mainstream culture and wasn't quite educated on all the technical details of trademark infringement. I no longer have a TV, haven't spent any real time reading the news in probably seven years, own very little in the way of technical gadgets, don't keep up with music and current trends, and pretty much don't buy into anything media related. The downside of this hermetic lifestyle is that when I am writing, and words are fitting together, and I feel like I'm being my own person, later I find out I just copied the creative soul down the street who thought the idea up ten years ago. Oops!

Is this ever present awareness of everyone else and what they're doing out on the Internet a problem? Is technology making it harder and harder to actually express yourself and feel comfortable with the results? It's not surprising that my idea was also the idea of probably hundreds of other people. We are all thinking, feeling, and experiencing very similar things, so of course we are going to write similar words, make similar art, and so on. In fact, a bunch of people coming up with the same idea without really knowing each other demonstrates the beauty and intricacy of our interconnectedness. It's not new. In the ancient world, people separated by large land masses and bodies of water were using similar motifs without ever having met or surfed the World Wide Web.

I think the saddest part that comes out of trademark infringement is that sometimes, but not always such as in the case of blatant copying of an image for intentional profit, these crossover relationships could be turned from potentially harmful into mutually beneficial. The agenda of a civil attorney is to profit from encouraging conflict between parties not discouraging or looking for new possibilities. So what if people didn't turn to lawyers and see conflict all the time in regards to trademark and copyright, and saw an opportunity for a new relationship? What would our world look like if we didn't believe that we actually owned things, words, and ideas and spent so much time and energy protecting them instead of sharing them in a new way through partnership for the same cause?

I think the Bible is one of the most fascinating examples of the benefit of no copyright. Through it's openness it has expanded to become one of the most read, shared, and copied pieces of writing. Nobody owns it and yet everybody feels they share in it. This idea is similar to bands like the Grateful Dead where bootleg recordings of their concerts were encouraged and served to create long-lasting relationships with their fans. Somehow these guys understood that what was of more value was the experience of being at a concert -- intangible feelings that can't be neatly branded, packaged, and sold as an object. This kind of belief system is operating from place of knowing that true wealth is not quantifiable but exists in our hearts and minds.

How much is the expansion of your business greatly decreased by protecting its borders? Could the company or person you engaged in conflict over copyright or trademark have been the key to that new audience that exploded your business? How could your business be this open and free? It's a question I ponder a lot because from early childhood I've been conditioned or chose to believe certain things were mine. But are they?

I don't see legal battles over copyright and trademark ending too soon, but I love mulling these visions over in my mind as a way to see what could be different in our world and in our relationships.

If you are in business and you are thinking about trademark or would like to learn more be sure to watch the videos put together by the US Patent and Trademark office on Youtube. They're incredibly helpful.

Bear: Willpower

Bear Medicine, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver bear charm

Be brave and bear your burdens with gladness, for in your ferocious grace you will discover the willpower to bear it all.

Lisa Jacobs: Marketing Creativity

A big thank you to Lisa Jacobs from the Energy Shop on Etsy, writer of the Marketing Creativity blog, and contributor to Handmadeology, for featuring an interview on Hint Jewelry.

If you haven't checked out Handmadeology and you're just beginning your Etsy shop, this blog is essential for awesome business advice and tips. In addition, consider hiring Lisa Jacobs to help coach you through opening and marketing your new Etsy shop by visiting her Motivation for Hire page here. On her Marketing Creativity blog you can purchase pdf books such as this one pictured above: The Success Series.

Last Minute Holiday Charms

Mothering, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver mother hen chicken charm

I just added some last minute sterling silver charms to Hint Jewelry for the holidays. They were a delightful surprise since I haven't seen my penguin charm since he sold out during Christmas last year.

Silent Night, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver midnight star charm

I made limited quantities of each charm, so if you do see one you like, please don't delay because I may not make these again until next holiday season. Just a little reminder that I am running a 25% off holiday sale until December 23rd. To see details click here.

Eternal Life, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver pine cone charm

I hope you are having fun celebrating the season and finding joy all around you! 

Penguin, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver penguin charm

I'm off to go think happy penguin thoughts :)

Nevada Regional Yoga Asana Championships

Afton Carraway at the 2011 USA Yoga Nationals

Last weekend I attended the 2011 Nevada Regional Yoga Asana Championships in Reno, hosted by Bikram Yoga Sierra. I remember snickering the first time someone mentioned "yoga" and "championship" in the same sentence. How could these two words fit together? To me, yoga was a sacred, internal experience, why would anyone go and ruin this concept with a competition?

It took me a couple years and an open mind to see the bigger picture and what it could all mean. Nevertheless, if I wasn't convinced before, after going to the Nevada Regional Yoga Asana Championships I have now been converted. Competition or championship doesn't seem sum up what this experience is truly about. Some people call it a demonstration, but to me it is more like going to watch a group of souls offering the story of their bodies up in prayer.

Represented at the competition were all different ages, genders, body types, and abilities. And I wouldn't say perfection of a particular asana (pose) was the most inspiring aspect of the event, but rather being able to witness each person's path to personal excellence and knowing it is changing in every second. I think this may be one of the closest experiences to seeing humans model both the strength of lion and the fragility of a butterfly all at once. I couldn't help but delight in each unpredictable moment.

Not only was it a spectacular experience to watch, but I realized how much closer I felt to the greater yoga community. I saw how supporting yoga on a larger scale through competition could inspire people to care for their bodies and their emotional well-being. The ultimate goal is to raise yoga consciousness to the level that it will be a part of the Olympic games some day. Not as a means for self-approval and to take home a gold medal, but to inspire kids to want to take care of their bodies through yoga. Not such a silly notion since it was Bruce Jenner's display at the 1976 Olympics that got me into running and joining the track team when I was a kid.

What would life be like if millions of kids were inspired by yoga at the Olympic games to change the state of their bodies, minds, and souls?

Yoga: The Union Between Sun & Moon

Yoga (Sun & Moon), Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver sun and crescent moon charm

Brother Sun, turn back and shine your burning light on Sister Moon. Within her glow, see the reflection of the whole universe and feel the powerful union that sends you spinning out into the glorious cosmos.

WWA Backcountry Film Festival 2011 promo

The 7th Annual Winter Wildlands Alliance Backcountry Film Festival came to Reno this weekend. Here's a preview of what you can expect to see. If  you're ready for some inspiration to go play in the snow check out the tour sites and dates at Winter Wildlands Alliance Backcountry Film Festival Web site.

For my favorite film check out Solitaire by Sweetgrass Productions filmed in the wilds of South American.

They had to live in the midst of the incomprehensible.

- Don Arturo, The Drifter

Color Your World with Raw Food Salad

raw food salad: parsley, celery, corn, carrots, and beets

One thing my raw food diet has taught me is that I don't need lettuce to make a salad. Hello!! Wow, that sounds like a pretty obvious notion, but while I was making food, I noticed that there was subtle programming in my head that said, "Well, I don't have lettuce so I can't make a salad." My perfect excuse for not eating raw vegetables.

Moreover, the real craziness of hanging onto this belief is that lettuce provides very little nutritional value to one's diet so why not leave it out all together. Since lettuce spoils quicker then other vegetables, I opt for purchasing heartier leafier greens like fresh kale or roots that actually last more than a week.

Consequently, after I abolished my lettuce belief, I found that making a salad was a lot more fun when I threw it together based on color. Of course there are some taste factors to consider, but honestly if your fridge is stocked with enough variety of vegetables on a weekly basis, you can make some pretty festive salads based on the concept of color.

Here is one of my favorite salad combinations that uses the colors dark green (parsley),  yellow green (celery), yellow (corn), orange (carrot), and red-violet (beet). A bowl of this salad is really fulfilling live food and nourishes you all day instead of a bunch of delicate lettuce that holds your cravings back for about an hour or two.

So maybe you don't have time or the inclination to paint, draw, bead, knit, sew, or garden, instead open the fridge and look at your palette of veggies and have fun composing with color.

Loving the Bare Necessities

Lately I've been thinking about what story to write for Hint Jewelry's new bear charm and found myself humming the song "The Bare Necessities" from my all time favorite Disney movie The Jungle Book. Okay, perhaps my enthusiasm is based on the fact that I dreamed of being like Mowgli raised by a pack of wolves, but it doesn't discount that the lyrics and phrasing of this song are incredible. As I was reading the words through, I noticed that Baloo's song may have been my first exposure to the concept of Zen simplicity: 

And don't spend your time lookin' around

For something you want that can't be found

When you find out that you can live without it

And go along not thinkin' about it

I'll tell you something true

The bare necessities of life will come to you

This year I've stripped my life down to the bare essentials both physically and emotionally. I've lightened the load and in return feel a whole lot happier. I saw the full impact of this change the other day when I was leaving my apartment at 2am to escape the Caughlin Ranch wildfire in Reno. For the first time I felt no attachment to what I was leaving behind. I basically grabbed Hugo (my cat), my purse, and Hint Jewelry's charms and scooted down the road, realizing that whatever was happening was out of my control and whatever the outcome I could start all over in a new and different way.

This holiday season I'm guessing there is a buzz of activity around you. Advertisers are telling you what to eat, what presents to buy, how to celebrate, and what to do to make yourself and your family happy. These things can often feel like your load is getting heavier not lighter. This year if you find yourself standing in the mall overwhelmed by the possibilities and tasks that need to be accomplished, maybe just take a second and hum a little bit of Baloo's tune, smile and laugh at the silliness of it all for you will always have exactly what you need.