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This is it! - Average Goddess, meet THE WORLD.  *trumpets!*  *fan-fare!*  *Wahoo!*

As you probably know, my free ebook, How To Be An Average Goddess, was finished a couple of weeks ago.  Since then, I’ve been striving to find just the right way to bring it to you, and how to bundle it with other things you might find equally wonderful and useful.  Ulterior motives?  Of course!  I want you to fall madly in love with all things Average Goddess.  I want to build an entire alliance of Average Goddesses across the globe – a pageant of motivated and goal-oriented women who are NOT afraid of their own strength and success!  I want to provide you with every tool you need to take that journey, and to become that woman… to find the goddess that lives in every single one of us.  I want to over-deliver on all of your expectations.  I want to show you that eating healthy is NOT a monumental task, that fitness does NOT have to be an elusive concept forever just out of reach, that success IS garnered one achievable step at a time, that family and friends CAN be the most rewarding facet of your life instead of the most taxing, and that the universe IS conspiring at every moment to bring you the life of your dreams!

What you get right this second is a FREE newsletter that’s packed with articles, tips, products, and inspiration to get you started.  Join me now and grab your newsletter, Secrets of the Sisterhood, and the book How To Be An Average Goddess, hits your inbox Saturday morning (assuming technology performs as it should!!).  And of course, you still get all of the regular articles here at Divine Musings, as the world continues to spice up my life with things I feel MUST be discussed!  What you can look forward to in the future is a whole series of books, cds, interviews, videos, and an entire website devoted to nothing but helping you achieve your dreams! 

Ready?  Then get your goddess on!  Just click the link below to be a part of this revolutionary community… filled with goddesses just like YOU!

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Community Supported Agriculture (CSA):  A means to support local economy, improve your diet, reconnect with the land… maybe even lift your spirits. 

About a week ago, I heard about this thing called “Community Supported Agriculture,” or CSA.  Now, not only am I considering becoming a member myself, I’m looking for ways to spread the word about this remarkable concept to everyone I know.  In this fast-paced world of junk-food convenience and internet isolation, Community Supported Agriculture is a means of directly connecting to the highest quality produce available, while simultaneously building community and increasing local awareness. 

As many of you know, I’ve become quite the organic food junkie over the last six months or so.  So much so, that I call it no real sacrifice to drive a half hour north to a large, bare-bones-style grocery store with a well-stocked organic section of both produce and dry goods, all of which they carry at significantly better prices than the organic giant, Whole Foods, or even the large chains like Jewel.  I recognize that there is some irony in my driving an hour round-trip to purchase food that hasn’t been flown in from Spain, but until now, it was the best option available to me.  Call me out of the loop, but I just found out about an amazing way to get fresh organic produce on a weekly basis – maybe even delivered to my door – for a significantly lower price than I’ve been paying, even at my favorite grocery store.  Oh, and when I say “fresh,” I mean really, really fresh.

While the concept originated in Asia roughly 30 years ago, its manifestation in North America was more heavily influenced by the biodynamic farming practices of Europe, and it’s just now exploding in the U.S. in light of rising fuel costs.  This phenomenon goes by the name Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA.  CSA are small farms selling shares of their harvest to individuals, who, in return for their very reasonable upfront investment (usually around $500-$800), receive a weekly share of produce throughout the growing season, which typically runs from late spring till early fall.  Some CSA offer other products like meat, eggs, milk, cheese, honey… even fresh flowers!  The price of membership is designed to cover the farm’s yearly operating budget, including everything from seeds and fertilizer, to labor and equipment maintenance.  The “shares” received in return generally are enough for 2-4 people, although some farms offer options regarding share size.

There ARE a few details to be aware of, for those who are used to grocery store convenience and shelf life (which would be pretty much all of us).  First, part of the deal with CSA is that you are sharing the risks as well as the bounty.  If the season goes badly, or if the crops are wiped out by weather or pests, there may BE no harvest.  Second, it can take some adjusting to get used to natural produce, which is not always fluorescent-light-pristine – there may be spots, or dirt, and some specimens might be on the small side.  That’s the reality of nature, as opposed to the vast wastefulness that occurs in the supermarkets where “inferior” produce are simply thrown away.  In the very long list of potential perks to this process, here are a few of the biggies that really stand out for me: 

1.      CSA fosters a sense of community, in that all of the members of a CSA have a vested interest in the success and wellness of the farm, and by proxy, the other members.  You will begin to see some of your neighbors on a regular basis when picking up your shares (or volunteering at the farm), giving you the opportunity to build relationships with like-minded individuals.  In addition, money stays in the community, thereby improving the local economy.

2.      When one lives so near to the land where one’s food is being grown, maybe even making regular trips to the farm to pick up your shares, it can’t help but encourage stewardship of the earth, and the teaching of these habits to our children.

3.      For those of us living in a predictable rut of side salads, this is an excellent opportunity to explore new produce.  While it’s a common phenomenon for CSA newbies to sort through their bin with some trepidation at the new faces inside, variety is well known to be one of the keys to diet success.  Even if you’re not actively trying to lose weight, a wider assortment of fruit and veg can only increase the amount of vitamins and nutrients you’re receiving.

It’s a pretty incredible system really.  I’ve just begun checking into it in my area, and found there are eight within an hour of me!  Think there’s no way there could be one near you?  Think again – there are nearly 2000 across the U.S., and me checking a few random states returned the following numbers:  IL=70, WI=114, PA=113, NY=151, CA=136, FL=23, AZ=19, NC=64, HI=9, TX=48, WY=5, and UT=7!  So why have I never heard of this before?!  It turns out that they now need to do very little actual marketing, as word of mouth is spreading the news like wildfire.  Well, consider this my kindling contribution! 

For more information on CSA, or to find a farm in your area, check out localharvest.org.  They offer current news, a farm locator, and a wonderful blog of their travels around the country.  For our friends seeking CSA Down Under, check out Andrew the Organic Maven.

All my love, Kristy

Yesterday was a magnificent day.  It was one of those very, very rare occasions when I was off on a Sunday, and there were a zillion things I wanted to do.  You see, I work weekends.  Every weekend.  Yes, every.  Gasp!  *Steps up on soapbox.*  You know how on weekends you like to run errands – maybe go shopping, go out to eat, get some work done on the house?  Next time you’re out doing those things, recognize the fact that all of the people RUNNING the establishments you’re entering are working – yes -  on a weekend, instead of spending time with their families.  Maybe you could just think something nice about them, or be a little extra polite?  Ok, I’m off my soapbox, and back to the story. 

So I was off yesterday.  We moved to the Chicago area just over six years ago, and I immediately embarked on taking my husband on a full-scale tour of all the things I loved to do in my childhood:  the malls, the museums, the gardens, the parks, the theme park, the drive-ins (ahem), the lakes, and the forest preserves.  Somehow, there were two notable things that I missed, and they have been absolutely plaguing me this summer.  One is the giant flea market just south of Milwaukee, called Seven Mile Fair, and the other is the Bristol Renaissance Faire.  We’ve always meant to go, but recently I glanced up and realized SIX YEARS had gone by.  Holy crap!  I guess when you’re only off on a weekend once in a blue moon, you’re hard pressed to remember all of the things that can only be done on a weekend.  So, yesterday’s mission… was to do both.  We knew it would be a challenge, but we (read: “I”) were determined. 

The weather was flawless:  perfectly blue skies, and just the right amount of hot for an August summer day.  We gave a masterful performance.  We were at the flea market by 8am, and after spending a trifling $17 to make off with a ludicrous abundance of fresh produce from the farmer’s market, we were having lunch around noon-ish.  (Since I know you’re curious, we got 1 lb green beans; ½ pound sugar snap peas; 3 ears of corn; a cute little sack of russet potatoes; 4 roma tomatoes so pretty they don’t look real; 1 each red, yellow, and orange bell peppers that fall into the same category as the romas; 6 beautiful jalapeños; 2 mid-size sweet potatoes; 2 lbs of dark, dark red cherries; 2 peaches the size of your head; 2 nectarines; and 2 of these things called “cactus pears,” that I’m going to have to Google to find out how to eat.  Yes, $17.)  Lunch was at the new Famous Dave’s  that just opened up nearby, and since I knew we were going to be walking for at least 10 hours, I didn’t feel bad indulging in the bread pudding after my meal.  (Oh.  My.  God.  It was delicious.  Thank goodness Ian and I were splitting it, or I would certainly have eaten the whole thing.)  Off to the Ren-Faire.  What a treat!  I realized as we were pulling up that I hadn’t been there since high school, and it was absolutely delightful.  We left at about 6pm, having seen people eat mud, juggle knives while performing acrobatics, and joust.  Ian had his first rock climbing experience, and we were now carrying a new wool kilt (for him), and a giant pair of wings (for me).  The plan had been to go home, grill steaks in what became a very lovely evening, and whip up some of our new veggie treasures.  Well, not everything can go according to plan, right?  Ian was totally pooped, and just couldn’t work up to standing at the grill.  It still being Sunday – our usual pizza night – we decided to go ahead and order (oops, maybe I shouldn’t have had that bread pudding!!), and he volunteered to skip Tae Kwon Do the next night so we could do the grilling.  

So here we are, Monday night.  Ian did, in fact, come home after work, and we are just clearing away the dishes from a scrumptious meal.  (I should mention that Ian skipping Tae Kwon Do is a bit like the sun skipping rising, so it was a real treat.)  We even ate dinner at the table, with napkins and silverware, like real grown-ups!  We talked a lot about how much fun we had yesterday, a little about all of the social activities we have in the coming weekends, and how excited we are to see my BFF Luis in Paris next spring.  It is critically important, I’ve discovered, to remember to TALK to one’s husband now and again!  Try it – you’ll like it.

Tonight’s menu:

• Grilled filet mignon, about 4-5 oz after cooking, marinated in a blend of Worcestershire, ground mustard, rosemary, and sage.  (We were supposed to be having this new parmesan / caper sauce, but Ian forgot the plan!  Lol – oh well!)
• Grilled corn on the cob, which was seasoned with a wonderful blend of garlic, onion, salt, pepper and nutmeg before cooking.  We actually had no idea how to grill corn, but Google is a magical invention.  It turned out incredible.
• Sautéed veg, including fresh green beans, sugar snap peas, and russet potatoes, in a very simple seasoning of EVOO, butter (and when I say “butter,” I mean Smart Balance), sea salt, and fresh ground pepper.
• Wine was a 2003 Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon, called St. Francis. This has been one of our favorites for a while, but it’s been months since I pulled a bottle out.  It was fantastic – like a surprise visit from an old friend.  St. Francis runs about $12 in our area.
• For dessert, I took a couple chunks of fresh Mexican cinnamon bread we had also picked up at the market, spread it with butter, microwaved it for about 15 seconds, then topped it with a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon.  Yum!

When is the last time you went outside to play with your significant other like a couple of kids?  What did you do?  I’d love to hear about it in your comments!

All my love,

Kristy

Days off.  I love them.  I love my workdays, too, but in a much different way.  Since “discovering” the laws of the universe some nine months ago (“discovering” in the same sense that Christopher Columbus “discovered” America), my life has taken on this sort of golden shimmer in the light of my appreciation for all the gifts that I’ve been given.  I’ve been learning to let my body and my intuition guide me, rather than my sense of obligation.  Can I just take a moment to tell you how much HAPPIER I am?  Further, let me tell you how much happier everyone around me is.  I’m not burdening my coworkers with my constant sarcasm and negativity (brilliantly snarky though I am).  My husband comes home to a happy wife, and one who frequently has dinner ready (just because I feel like it), instead of a harpy ready to explode with all the drama of the day.  My mother and I can spend copious amounts of quality time together without her worrying whether I’m “really ok.”  My friends see and hear more from me than they ever did before.  All of this, just because I’m doing what I want to do anyway.  It infuses me with energy, with passion, with a sense of joie de vivre.

Which brings me back to my days off.  In preparation for the launch of my next big project, and possibly the next phase of my life, my new favoritest-thing-in-the-whole-world to do, is to sit out on my patio, soaking up what few glorious rays of summer we’re gifted with in the Chicago area, drinking wine, listening to music, and writing away.  I’ve come to term my new way of life as “dangerously European.”  See, I live in the burbs, and my neighbors are less than 30 feet from me.  In fact, I’d bet they’re at their kitchen table watching me right now, shaking their heads at my rapidly disappearing wine.  Oh, did I mention it’s 10:30am?  Haha! 

I get up at 6 (although today I slept in till almost 7:00!), and I was just saying to my mom this morning via IM (which has revolutionized our relationship – more on that in another blog), how much I’ve grown to love the mornings – to the point that I feel a little bad for people who steadfastly proclaim themselves “NOT morning people.”  That used to be me.  Now I see that the morning has a quiet, and an energy, and a smell I find virtually addictive.  By 10:30, I’ve caught up on emails, posted to my favorite forums, chatted with Mom, fed the cats and cleaned the litter, eaten breakfast, and worked out.  I’m due some down time!  Thus you find me here, typing away to you, my darlings, with a veritable picnic spread out beside me.  My feet are on the patio table, as I recline in my chair with my computer on my lap, and to my right is a blue checkered kitchen towel with the following:  a bunch of organic grapes, a round of Laughing Cow French Onion cheese wedges, organic crackers of the Ritz type, a bag of organic whole wheat tortilla chips, a jar of Wild Garden organic hummus, a bottle of water (glass, that originally held Tazo organic green tea and has been refilled hundreds of times to reduce landfill waste), a bottle of merlot, a bottle opener, and a glass.  Good golly Miss Molly, it is GOOD to be me right now.  (Well, anytime, but ESPECIALLY right now.)

So what’s my point?  My point is just this:  My toilets need scrubbing.  My car needs to be picked up at the dealership.  My bushes need pruning, and I haven’t done laundry in over a week.  SO WHAT?!?!  Let me ask you this – when would be a GOOD time to do what I’m doing?  Many people’s answer to that would be, “Never.”  That’s too bad, because they’ll probably never get the chance.  My answer is, “Right now, and as often as possible.”  When is the last time you showed up to work after a day off and said, “Man, yesterday was AWESOME!  I did laundry, and dishes, and for the coup-de-grace, I VACCUUMED!”  Um, yeah, right.  Do you see where I’m going with this?  There will always, ALWAYS be things you need to get done.  It’s part and parcel of being a grown-up.  Period.  If you don’t MAKE the time to do the things that bring you pleasure, you may run out of time before you know it.  Gotta go, the cicadas are singing my favorite song.

How will you experience joy in your next day off?  Leave me a comment and tell me about it!

All my love,

Kristy