I personally have been ‘clean and sober’ for over 16 years, however, did have a pretty great ‘hippy brownie’ recipe in my younger days.

These days, my favorite cookbook, “rebar modern food cook book” by local BC chefs, Audrey Alsterberg & Wanda Urbanowicz has the most unbelievable recipe, which is my new ‘hippy grandma far out and fab’ brownie recipe.

Check out the ‘vegan fudge brownies’ on page 218 of their cookbook and let me know what you think! While you are cruising through the cook book, also try the ‘wilted spinach salad’!

peace, namaste & hippy love for generations,

Zoey ~ founding hippy at the hippy grandma eco-tique

Are you a heart centered and soul-filled shopper? Have a look through our on-line eco-tique featuring unique, green & groovy baby gifts and treasures. Our suppliers are grandmas on pensions, women solo-preneurs and women’s fair trade co-ops. Your purchases help care for Mother Earth and vulnerable pregnant moms and babies! Please share this information widely and wildly with your soul brothers and sisters!
www.hippygrandma.com

We strongly believe in paying a fair & honest wage and wholesale price for beautiful treasures. This is honors the entrepreneur and supports socially conscious and aware purchasing and gifting!

Our ‘hippy love welcome to the world’ bundle is our ’signature treasure’ and I used it to show the hours of ‘woman time’ that go into this gift of love.

This love bundles includes the following treasures with approximations of time:
- a baby jacket made from vintage chenille ~ 6 hours of labour
- a bamboo blend baby towel ~ 1 hours of labour
- tie dyed onsie ~ 1 hour of labour
- Ayurvedic Aromatherapy oils for mama & baby and soap and shampoo ~ 4 hours of labour, including wildcrafting the herbs
- hand-made toy ~ 1 hour of labour
- a bamboo blend wash-cloth ~ 1/2 hour of labour
- Dream Child CD ~ 1 hour of labour
- packing, promoting, marketing, wrapping and shipping ~ ~1/2 hour of labour

Total: minimum of 15 hours

Sending this love bundle to a special baby not only makes a unique & extraordinary gift; it also supports women entrepreneurs who are paid a fair wage for their beautiful works!

See more of our treasures at our hippy grandma eco-tique.

peace, namaste & hippy love for generations,

Zoey ~ founding hippy

Are you a heart centered, soul-filled & green shopper? Have a look through our on-line eco-boutique. Our suppliers are grandmas on pensions, women solo-preneurs and women’s fair trade co-ops.
Your purchases help care for Mother Earth and vulnerable pregnant moms and babies! Please share this information widely and wildly with your soul sisters!
www.hippygrandma.com

This is a list that I compiled together with Pamela Chatry, (a Personal Business Manager) and my strategic business alliance partner for many years. We highly recommend all of these business books for women entrepreneurs and I have used the many of the wonderful ideas in creating Hippy Grandma

1. “Body and Soul” by Anita Roddick

2. “Make a Name for Yourself” by Robin Fisher Roffer

3. “Good to Great” by Jim Collins

4. “The 80% Minority” by Joanne Thomas Yaccato

5. “Finding Our Way” by Margaret Wheatley

6. “Attracting Perfect Customers” by Stacey Hall & Jan Brogniez

7. “9 Lies That Are Holding Your Business Back…and the Truth That Will Set It Free” by Steve Chandler & Sam Beckford

8. “Megatrends 2010″ by Patricia Aburdene

9. “The 7 Irrefutable Rules of Small Business Growth” by Steve S. Little

10. “She Wins, You Win” by Gail Evans.

I hope that you find this list helpful and in the words of Anita Roddick “To succeed you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality“!

peace, namaste & hippy love for generations,

Zoey – founding hippy & ceo (chief enthusiasm officer) at hippy grandma

Are you a heart centered and soul filled shopper? Hippy Grandma eco-tique features unique, handmade treasures and gifts for hippie babies and their mamas. Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable women and children. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters.
www.hippygrandma.com

I recently read “Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother Daughter Story” by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor. This book is “a wise and engrossing book about feminine thresholds, spiritual growth, and the relationship between mothers and daughters” and I loved it!

The sections by the mom, Sue explore many facets of aging and deepening spirituality, while Ann’s chapters are lighter, exuberant and achingly truthful.

Being the mom of three daughters and personally going through many of the mid-life questioning and questing that Sue is doing, I am savoring this book as one would savor a big, round ripe pomegranate! I am finding a deepening and an enriching of my spirituality emerging with the reading. It also gives me distinct pleasure to be reading this book in an area of the western world that has welcomed Eastern spirituality and religious freedoms. Vancouver, with it’s partner city San Francisco, spawned the hippie movement, which provided a gateway for the emerging Eastern spirituality and the furthering of a differentiation between religion and spirituality

First, here are some definitions from Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org ):

“Religion: A religion is a set of tenets and practices, often centered upon specific supernatural and moral claims about reality, the cosmos, and human nature, and often codified as prayer, ritual, or religious law. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and religious experience. The term “religion” refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction.”

“Spiritual: Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit, a concept closely tied to religious belief and faith, a transcendent reality, or one or more deities. Spiritual matters are thus those matters regarding humankind’s ultimate nature and purpose, not only as material biological organisms, but as beings with a unique relationship to that which is perceived to be beyond both time and the material world. Spirituality also implies the mind-body dichotomy, which indicates a separation between the body and soul.

As such, the spiritual is traditionally contrasted with the material, the temporal and the worldly. A perceived sense of connection forms a central defining characteristic of spirituality — connection to a metaphysical reality greater than oneself, which may include an emotional experience of religious awe and reverence, or such states as satori or nirvana. Equally importantly, spirituality relates to matters of sanity and of psychological health. Spirituality is the personal, subjective dimension of religion, particularly that which pertains to liberation or salvation.”

So, while spirituality may be connected to religion for some, it can also be the subjective sense of “a power greater than oneself, a sense of expansiveness, connection and awe” that is experienced outside the realm of organized religion. It is this sense of expansiveness and connection that guides hippy grandma to keep the hippy love flowing for generations so our children and our grandchildren and on and on, may also catch some star dust!

“The true harvest of my life is intangible – a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched” – Henry David Thoreau

Enjoy your day.

peace, namaste & hippy love for generations,

Zoey – founding hippy & ceo (chief enthusiasm officer) at hippy grandma & life & biz coach for women

Are you a heart centered and soul filled shopper? Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters.
www.hippygrandma.com

Love Your Self: Self Care is Not Self Improvement!

I hope you enjoy this article, have a wonderful February, the month of ‘love’ and share your hippy love with your friends and family!

peace, namaste & hippy love for generations,

Zoey – founding hippy & ceo (chief enthusiasm officer) at hippy grandma & life & biz coach for women

Do you ever find yourself wondering exactly what does “unconditionally loving one’s self” or “self care” mean? In my coaching practice, I have many women ask me, “but isn’t it selfish to put myself first”? In the following coaching conversation I often use the phrases “motherly love” and “compassion towards yourself” as capturing the essence of self-care! Another word that fits into this discussion is “maitri.” Maitri is a Sanskrit word often translated as “unconditional friendship with oneself”.

What strikes me is that as we can develop “unconditional friendship with ourselves”, we bring compassion and gentleness into our “self-care” practice. Starting from the perspective of gentleness and respect allows life to flow forth in quite a different way than striving towards the completion of projects.

Self care is not self-improvement!

In coaching, my clients and I also talk about self-care and how the tendency is for many women to start making lists of how to improve. The lists often include: eat better, exercise more, start meditating, spend less, get organized, do more yoga, pray more, lose weight, spend more time with elderly parents and on it goes.

Self-improvement as a generalization, starts from the place of being “not good enough”, and “there’s room for improvement” and certainly, there is a time and place for self-improvement (like, say, when you have just had a heart attack and there are a whack of new lifestyle changes to make). Yet, self – improvement is different than self-care.

Self-care is about starting from the place of “I am enough, I am good enough, I have enough, there is enough, I know enough, I do enough.” Self-care is about affirming “my life is unfolding perfectly, in the right order, with the right events, in the right timing.” Self-care is soft and gentle and respectful of your basic goodness.

Now, of course there are times in our lives when self improvement is necessary and important. The key part is in recognizing in oneself if there is a pattern of “not feeling good enough” and continually playing that out in one’s life. Practicing daily “self-care” can help to shift that pattern and deepen a sense of self-acceptance, peace and fulfillment.

So, from that soft and gentle place for the month of February, here are some exercises for deepening your “self love” with “self-care”.

1. Read the descriptions of self-improvement and self care again, then stop, go inside yourself and see if you feel the difference in these two important concepts. Use the following questions to help:
• if you had to give the two concepts each a colour, what colours would you chose?
• when you say the phrases self-care and self-improvement where in your body to you feel each phrase?
• what does your heart say about each phrase?
• what does your head say about each phrase?
• hold each phrase in your hand (metaphorically), which one feels heavier?
2. Write about the above exercise and your “learning”.
3. Explore the concept of friendship, and consider if you hold yourself to a higher and different standard than you hold your friends ie are you more critical of yourself than you are of your friends?
4. Be gentle with yourself and notice when this is easy or difficult.
5. Celebrate your wonderful heart! You may wish to buy a new journal or buy yourself flowers or design another ritual that helps you say “I love me”!

“May your life be like a wildflower, growing freely in beauty and joy each day.”

- Native American Proverb

Are you a heart centered and soul filled shopper? Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters.
www.hippygrandma.com

Are Your Business Values in Sync With Your Personal Values?

Enjoy the following article I wrote a few years ago as I was generating ideas and energy for hippy grandma! One of our business values and a strongly held personal value is ‘unconditional love’, hence our tag line ‘hippy love for generations’!

namaste,

Zoey

“Values” are the essence of who we are. Values are principles that you hold to be of worth in your life. Values are those things considered right, worthwhile, and desirable- the basis of guiding principles and standards. “Crystal values” are those values that are so important that if not present in your life will cause your life to shatter. Think of what would happen if you dropped a crystal ball. “Rubber values” are those values that you can drop for awhile with no problem and will come bouncing back when necessary. Think of what happens when you drop a rubber ball.

Getting really clear on the values that are most important to you personally and in your business will give you a framework for making decisions, taking forward movement and assessing dissonance in your life. Let me tell you about a client of mine. Carol had identified that she held “social responsibility” and “respect for nature” as very strong values. She found out that the company she was working for was pumping toxic waste into the local watershed. She decided that she could no longer work for that company and in fact, felt she needed to report the company for the poor environmental business practices. In spite of the fact that being unemployed was not attractive, Carol stayed true to her values and resigned. While she had to deal with some short- term financial issues, this decision was worth it to her as she gained so much in the areas of self-honoring and self respect.

Is your business in sync with your personal values? If it is, you likely feel great about the work that you do and love your business. If you started your business without consideration of your personal values, and your personal and business values are out of sync, you may feel unfulfilled, dissatisfied and unhappy in your work.

In our current business environment, it is vitally important that you, the business owner knows what your personal values are, what your business values are and has a marketing program consistent with those values in every way.

Clarity, transparency and communication with your clients around personal and business values leads to a happy and fulfilling life and business and a powerfully positive business reputation!

Do you know what your business values are? What about your personal values? What about your crystal values and your rubber values? Are you in sync with your values? Working with a life & business coach to support you to gain clarity on your values may be beneficial to both you and your business.

peace, namaste & hippy love for generations,

Zoey – founding hippy & ceo (chief enthusiasm officer) at hippy grandma & life & biz coach for women

Are you a heart centered and soul filled shopper? Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters.
www.hippygrandma.com

February is all about “the heart”! We have Valentines Day and Heart month with the Heart & Stroke Foundation, not to mention our ‘far out & fab fan contest’ for February!

As some of you know, I had a heart “attack” in September. My heart attack occurred after receiving a serious health diagnosis for my husband and after meditating on opening the heart and “walking right into the sharp point of the pain”. There could be numerous discussions about the timing of all of this, however, today, I want to tell you more about the type of heart attack I had, as many women I talk to have never heard about this kind.

A “heart attack” or myocardial infarction (MI) by definition, occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart muscle is cut off because of an “occlusion or obstruction”. Most of us know about coronary artery disease and about “fatty plaques” that can block or occlude blood vessels in the heart and lead to a heart attack. This is the only type of a heart attack I knew about, even after being in “health care” for over 20 years in a “previous life”.

The type of heart attack I had; occurs predominantly in women, is likely under-reported, is not very common (thankfully) and seems to be associated with hormone levels. I want to tell you about it so you will have personal awareness and be attentive to your body, even if you are healthy and do not have heart disease! I had what is called a “spontaneous coronary artery dissection” (SCAD) and what happens is that a few layers of the artery wall pull away or self dissect, creating a “flap” which then pulls away from the artery wall and stops the blood flow. Upon investigation, my arteries were completely clear of “plaques” and I do not have “heart disease” in the way most people think of it. The symptoms of both types of heart attack are the same though.

Here are the symptoms I experienced; for about 2 days prior, I felt a tightness in my chest, which felt like I was developing bronchitis; I felt abit light headed, during the “heart attack”, I felt like a 50- 200 lb dog was sitting on my chest and I had difficulty breathing, this sensation would ease for a while and then it would resume. I had the “heavy dog sitting on my chest” sensation, three times or so and it lasted about 20 minutes each time. I had very little pain! My reference for physical pain is childbirth and relatively speaking, I had virtually no pain, just a slight discomfort in the right (not left) side of my neck, shoulder and arm. I felt pretty calm and relaxed until I googled “symptoms of a heart attack for women” and found I had about 8 out of 10. At this point, I decided I should go to the hospital, still thinking I was being very silly and melodramatic. Very sensibly, I did not drive myself to emerg, I had my daughter drive me. When I arrived in emerg and told them I was having chest tightness & heaviness and difficulty breathing, I was whisked right in. My blood pressure was “sky high”.

My story has a very happy ending; I am healthy, happy and alive. I did not need a stent or bypass. I received incredible medical care and attention. In my recuperation, I was exhausted for about a month and then my energy started to return, although I could resume my walking program almost right away (with my Dr’s OK). I had “critical illness” insurance, so could relax and not worry about finances. I have since talked to another woman who had a very similar experience and apparently there is a North American research study going on about SCAD, let me know if you want more info.

Here is my big “surprise”; I really didn’t experience significant pain, it was more discomfort, heaviness and chest tightness!

Here is my learning: trust my body’s wisdom, listen to the messages of my heart, do not minimize intuitive concerns, know what a “healthy body” and organs feel like, understand the mind/body connection (I was feeling pretty stressed about my husband), know the symptoms of a heart attack, understand that a heart attack doesn’t always contain a lot of “pain” as I was used to thinking of pain, ask for help and don’t drive if I think I am having another heart attack! This experience also re-validated the importance of self-care, a healthy lifestyle, loving relationships and the importance of living each moment fully present and in the now.

Please share this information with your women friends!

peace, namaste & hippy love for generations,

Zoey – founding hippy & ceo at hippy grandma

Are you a heart centered and soul filled shopper? Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters.
www.hippygrandma.com

Canada’s National Parks exist to protect and present outstanding representative examples of natural landscapes and natural phenomena that occur in Canada’s 39 natural regions. Of the over 40 National Parks in Canada, possibly the most well-known is Banff National Park in Alberta.

In the summer of 2008 the municipality of Banff became the first in Canada to introduce an all-hybrid electric transit fleet. Not only are the busses in Banff environmentally friendly, they’re cute too!

James Marriott, a Canmore, AB based wildlife photographer, provided four images to decorate the ROAM busses; grizzlies, elk, goats and wolves, each representing a season of the year in the park.

“We live in a national park and Unesco World Heritage Site, so it is really important to us to always consider the environmental impacts of our decisions,” says Banff Town Councillor Stavros Karlos. “With these new hybrids, we’ll reduce emissions and lower our fuel and lifecycle costs. And the buses look amazing. I think people are going to want to leave their cars where they are, and Roam instead.”

The next time you’re lucky enough to be in Banff, hop on a bus to get around town and know that you’re contributing to preserving such a special place. And check out James Marriott’s photography anytime online – www.wildernessprints.com. A photograph of his was on the cover of Canadian Geographic in December 2009. (You can also read the heartbreaking story about the wolf who is on the cover, and featured on one of Banff’s busses, on the storybook on James’ web site.)

peace & namaste,

Zoey – founding hippy & ceo at hippy grandma

Are you a heart centered and soul filled shopper? Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters.
www.hippygrandma.com

You may have heard of the 100-Mile Diet, made famous a couple of years ago by Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon in their book of the same name. From their web site: Locally raised and produced food has been called “the new organic” — better tasting, better for the environment, better for local economies, and better for your health. From reviving the family farm to reconnecting with the seasons, the local foods movement is turning good eating into a revolution.

It has been a couple of years since James and Alisa’s book was released and we wondered what they’d been up to lately. A lot, it turns out!

First, in the town of Mission, BC 100 people took up the challenge of eating locally for 100 days. By all accounts the experience was rewarding and enlightening, providing a few surprises that James and Alisa hadn’t encountered when they spent a year on their 100-Mile Diet.

Second, they’ve got news about a ground-breaking (pun intended) urban farm that will be created in Richmond, BC. More details about that on their blog as well.

From getting individuals to think about the impact our food choices make to influencing larger grocery store chains to stock locally-produced food, the experiment of two people and a question about what was possible has created a lot of unexpected change in the past couple of years. Congratulations James and Alisa!

peace & namaste,

Zoey – founding hippy & ceo at hippy grandma

Are you a heart centered and soul filled shopper? Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters.
www.hippygrandma.com

The 13 Days of Green & Groovy Holiday Shopping: Hippy Love For Generations – Gifts From the Heart from our Hippy Grandma Eco-Boutique!

1. On the first day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Holiday, hippy grandma said to me:
*The Mystic Masala Botanical Oils, using Ayurvedic Aromatherapy makes a wonderful gift for a tired gram or mommy!
Learn more

2. On the second day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Holiday, hippy grandma reminded me:

* A natural cotton hippy grandma BYOB shopping bag needs to be next on your list to bring home all the organic and natural holiday yummies! Learn more

3. On the third day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

* Surprise some little ones with the “Bobs & Lolo” DVD. Add in 2 CD’s for the car and make it a groovy gift of three!
Learn more

4. On the fourth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

* The “Hippy Love Welcome to the World” Bundle, makes an adorable gift for a new addition to the family and her mommy!
Learn more

5. On the fifth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

*Five sets of in-laws, mom & dad, hippy sister & baby! Bamboo towels from Shoo-Foo bundled into “spa combos” are wonderful gifts for the extended family! Learn more

6. On the sixth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

*Ayurvedic aromatherapy assorted dosha tea lights from the Mystic Masala would make luscious and fragrant hostess gifts don’t you see? Learn more

7. On the seventh day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

*handknit by a real hippy grandma, these bamboo hippy baby socks will keep baby’s toes warm, cozy and happy!
Learn more

8. On the eighth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:


*The “oh so soft and cuddly” bamboo baby blanket from shoo foo makes a wonderful gift for a little baby!
Learn more

9. Day 9

On the ninth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

*Do you have travelers on your gift list?  The delicious “spice bliss” ayurvedic aromatherapy travel candle from the Mystic Masala will add exotic fragrances to the travel adventure for your gypsy hippy. ”
Learn more

10. Day 10

*On the tenth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma absolutely fell in love with the amazing homecrafted vintage chenille baby jackets and sent these exquisite heirloom gifts to all the little darlings in her life and guess what, you can too! Groovy!
Learn more

11. On the eleventh day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

* The “Mama Spice Love Bundle” with the Mystic Masala natural source massage oil and soap from a women’s fair trade co-op in Nepal and ayurvedic aromatherapy soy tea light candles would be a lovely gift for a hippy mama who wants to feel pampered and lively!

12. On the twelfth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

* For an amazing personalized gift for your grandbaby or special angel, commission a piece of original, an angel heart art doll by cdgood and leave a legacy! Learn more

13. On the thirteenth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma reminded me:

* Wise women of all ages love a lunar based calendar and the 13 Moon Natural Time Calendar makes a groovy gift for any type of hippy!

This calendar is lunar based and like the farmer’s almanac incorporates celestial, biological, agricultural, mythological and chronological processes. Women, who are naturally cyclical beings tend to love re-calibrating to natural time. The new year in the 13 moon calendar starts at the end of July. Learn more

Enjoy your heart centered and soul filled shopping! Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters. www.hippygrandma.com

peace & namaste,

Zoey – CEO & founding hippy at hippy grandma

Zoey Ryan
life, business & leadership coach for women
inspiration * clarity * wisdom * enchantment
www.shaktisage.com
604-323-3700

“Coaching for your heart & soul and the heart & soul of your business”

Our prices are in Canadian dollars. We ship internationally. For orders placed after Dec 2nd, to ensure a before Christmas arrival, expedited shipping will be used. For your on-line security, we use 2checkout a secure e-commerce system. 2CheckOut.com Inc.(Ohio, USA) is an authorized retailer for goods and services provided by Hippy Grandma.