Tax Free Savings Accounts
Let’s talk about Tax Free Savings Accounts (TFSA). The government does not give you many chances to save on taxes, this is definitely one you should be taking advantage of. You have been allowed to contribute to a tax free savings account since 2009, with varying maximum annual contribution limits. You do not have to contribute annually, or even the maximum annually, and all limits can be carried forward to future years indefinitely. TFSA contributions can be made all year, not to be confused with RRSP contributions which have to be made by the 60th day of the year to qualify for the...
Read MoreReflexology for Sleep
After looking at my website statistics, I noticed many of you are visiting my site in the middle of the night! My website CenterlineReflexology.com was getting viewed at 3am by many of you. It didn’t take me long to realize, you night owls were obviously not sleeping and perhaps not by choice. So this article is for you insomniacs and restless sleepers out there. I put together some pressure points you can do on yourself to help you get back to the land of Zzzzz’s…Let’s start with reflexology points on the foot: Sleep Routine 1) Say hello and goodnight to the nervous...
Read MoreIt Was Magical.
Our incredible Canadian women in Rio have restored my faith in what competitive sport should be. There was no chest beating or posturing, just beautiful smiles and hugs. No words were needed because the joy and the excitement in their hearts shone through. Their love was strong; there were no winners or losers; they were as one; sharing their love of...
Read MoreMy Haibun Memoir
Within my heart I always knew at some point I would write about those magical days leading up to the reunion with my daughter whom I put up for adoption shortly after her birth. Almost 20 years later the first 32 copies of Dancing Into Reunion have just arrived by courier. I am so very pleased with all aspects of this book. I am also sincerely appreciative of those who encouraged me. My first experience of venturing into publishing has been a satisfying and a rewarding one. A professionally made CD featuring three songs I have written and sung as part of my healing journey...
Read MoreGlen Eden Organic Farm
Certified Delicious! Originally from London, UK Howard and Sally Green met in Toronto where they were both working in an advertising agency. Interestingly they discovered that they shared a common interest for gardening. They left Toronto, turning their caps towards the West Coast in search of a quieter life. Soon their gardening interest took over and retirement plans of sunbathing, traveling or resting on their laurels quickly turned into a farming frenzy. The 8 ½ acre property located on Cowichan Lake Rd, was acquired in 2002 and a great amount of work and effort as well as extensive...
Read MoreOma’s Pflaumen Kuchen
Granny’s Plum Slice.This is one of my summer favourites, my Grans used to have a farm and we had an Orchard, including plum trees. Oma used to make a plum cake baked in a tray from the first batch that we pulled off of the trees, it’s the best – Oma’s baking always was. This particular sheet cake is not sickening sweet, it preserves the tartness of the plums and the dough is rather dense. You can add ground filberg nut flour to give it that special nutty touch You will need: 250gr. Unsalted butter 200gr. Sugar 2 eggs 1 lemon zested 3ml Vanilla Pure...
Read MorePerfect for afternoon tea …
A little while ago, over on Local Loves Nanaimo, I made a TON of pumpkin puree using fresh local pumpkin and decided to have a baking marathon. So far I’ve shared my pumpkin pie recipe as well as my twist on the classic roasted pumpkin seeds. Well today, I’m going to show you how to make pumpkin bread! I’ve never made pumpkin bread, or even tasted it, before this! But I had it in my mind that it was the same as banana bread, only with pumpkin. My educated guess was right! This festive autumnal loaf is super moist, with the right amount of pumpkin and spice (and everything nice!). It’s...
Read MoreEmotional Health Issues.
Emotional Instability and other health problems are caused by a combination of environmental factors: for example the increasing exposure to Electro-Magnetic-Fields (EMF)- industrialized diets – toxins – the microbial world – Votile Organic Compounds (VOC) – bacteria that are around us. The result is an inability of the cells to communicate properly, causing an imbalance in brain and body. Dr. Mercola in a conversation with Dr. Suruchi Chandra said science has found out cells are signalling then to each other that they are in danger and when the cells do not feel safe they...
Read MoreOur Vancouver Island.
Yesterday I came across a very rare and refreshing item, an article in a newspaper that made me feel happy and content. By and large the mainstream media, especially television, have become peep show galleries to other peoples misery and distress. They intrude with microphones and stupid questions when people are at their lowest, it’s amazing that reporters are not verbally and physically attached. Please read the article below, I guarantee will make you feel better. We are so fortunate to live on the Vancouver Island. ******************************************************* This...
Read MoreA Lifetime Fear…
I recently worked with a client who came to me with many questions about metaphysics and with an innate curiosity about how to connect to the spiritual and energetic worlds. One of her biggest blocks to connecting with her own intuition and psychic abilities seemed to stem from her irrational fear of priests. She shared with me that she came from a strict, Catholic upbringing and yet had no recollection of a priest ever harming her in any way. They were strict, she told me, and her upbringing as a girl and young woman was very limited as to her opportunities and expectations. Yet she...
Read MoreSeniors Care Falling Behind.
The BC Seniors Advocate holds an important role in supporting our province’s seniors and through close communication with seniors and key stakeholders in BC senior care/supports, compiling information, making recommendations, and initiating action on key items. Just this month the Seniors Advocate for BC, Isobel Mackenzie, released her annual report which detailed the current state of senior care and seniors housing in BC, amongst other important issues facing seniors in BC as well. Out of interest, some of the key highlights from the report are summarized below….see if you can spot...
Read MoreMindfulness:
Mindfulness generally refers to the ‘practice and capacity of being fully engaged in this moment without any judgment of what is present, either in consciousness or in form’. There are also many mindful practices which stem from Buddhism, including compassion, generosity and reverence for life. Being mindful, or present, is a starting point to becoming more self- aware. Most people tend to carry on with their daily activities without much awareness of what is going on in their thoughts and emotions. Thoughts are very powerful and unchecked, can lead to anxiety and depression. ...
Read MoreTrying on a decision
In my last post, we talked about intuition, where it comes from and why it’s a useful tool to develop. If you missed the last edition, click on “All posts by Erin Lee” below. One of the most valuable ways we can use our intuition is in decision making, and I’d like to share one of my favourite exercises, “Trying on a Decision”. Trying on a Decision is kind of like shopping for jeans. Most of us don’t take a pair of jeans off of the rack, look at them and say, “yup, these will look good!”. No! We take several pairs of jeans into the change room and try them on. Have...
Read MoreArtisans of Gabriola
In the clearest, broadest sense, Arts Gabriola “A creative, engaged, and inclusive community sustaining Gabriola’s vibrant island culture, oversees the importance of arts in community and individual development—both social and economic”. When I was scanning the scape looking for gifts for buyers and sellers of real estate properties here on Gabriola, I discovered right before my very eyes, Allana Thorne, creator of The Thorne Crate Co. Established in 2012 as a start-up she focuses on quality Gabriola-made juicy items stuffed into nifty baskets, all wrapped up spiffy so you can see...
Read MoreFind “Hidden” Money
Investing regularly is important. If you’re going to achieve your retirement and other financial goals, you should consistently contribute to your registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs), tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs) and non-registered investments. “Paying yourself first” through monthly contributions is an excellent strategy to build an investment portfolio. If you’re like most Canadians, however, you are not sure where to look to find the extra money needed to invest. There is a way – in fact, there are four good ways to perhaps uncover “hidden” money you already...
Read More“Dear Little Buttercup”
With a quote from Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore many a gardener could well agree: “I’m called Little Buttercup – dear little buttercup, though I never could tell why”. It’s that word ‘dear’, likely the very last adjective to come to mind as on hands and knees, we try to extract, eradicate, and remove forever the creeping scourge of Ranunculus repens. Although the buttercup has its tame and cultivated cousins, it’s the one that fills our spring fields and garden beds that earns the title of an aggressive major weed. A favourite walk down the back lane where I can...
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