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Monday, January 31, 2011

Coconuts To The Rescue!

I was watching a new medical show on TV the other day, Off The Map, where doctors in a jungle used the liquid inside a coconut to act like plasma for a patient when the blood supply ran out.

I wondered if this was based in any kind of fact. Here is some information I discovered, and links to the information:

India's National Newspaper, Monday, Nov 24, 2003 states:

"It (coconut juice) is also considered a close substitute for blood plasma since it is sterile, cool, easily absorbed by the body and does not destroy red blood cells. To quote Morton Satin, Chief of Food and Agricultural Organisation's Agricultural Industries and Post Harvest Management Service: "It is a natural isotonic beverage with the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It is the fluid of life, so to speak." This quote taken from this site:


It is important to note that we are talking about the liquid inside the coconut—the juice. Coconut milk is thick and milky white, made from the meat of the coconut.

Also, the juice can work as hydration when needed in emergency situations. Course, you would need to be in the tropics or a jungle area.

I’ll let you go to this web site to read a little more the heroic coconut. There's also some great info in case you ever knock out a tooth!


By the way, the show was great. It is definitely a medical show, but what makes it so unique and fascinating is how they have to do their job in this remote location.

Hooray for Coconuts! Mahalo for visiting.

Cheryl

Thursday, January 27, 2011

What Makes a House a Home?

We all know the answer to that question, right? It’s love and family. And friends and sharing. And memories.

The early Hawaiians probably used caves for their first homes. Not much street appeal, huh? Probably not a lot of gorgeous interior decorating either, but I bet those homes were filled with love, family, food, friends, and memories.

Later the Hawaiians built homes. A home was called a Hale. Remember how to pronounce the Hawaiian alphabet? Say the “a” as “ah” and the “e” as “long a.” These homes were built with pole frames, cut and stripped in the wooded areas. The poles were then dragged to the place where the home would be built. The frames were made by tying the poles together with Sennit, and then thatched with Pili Grass or Hala Leaves.

The floor of the hale was dirt, covered with small pebbles. Hala Mats were woven and put down for the final touch on the floors.

There were no windows, so the hale was dark. Thank goodness they had the sun right outside!

I bet your home is a little brighter, has more street appeal, and has tons of modern conveniences! I know mine does. But the most important thing to me is the love and memories formed in my home, as well as how much we share our blessings with friends and other family members.

Enjoy the blessings in your home every day!

Mahalo!

Cheryl

Monday, January 24, 2011

How Cool is Your Wardrobe???

A bit delayed, but I’m finally back to talking about the first Hawaiians and how they used the plants, nuts, trees, and fruits all around them.

The early residents of the islands used plants for their wardrobe. Just how did they do that?

They made Tapa (or Kapa) Cloth from strips of wauke bark which was stripped and beaten. The women wore skirts (pa’u) made from Tapa Cloth. The men also wore the cloth around their waist and legs (malu.) Both men and women wore a type of shawl or cloak (kihei.) Although much of the time they didn't wear something on top. In the rain, they used their ti leaf capes (see post from January 10, 2011.)

Children wore the same clothes as the adults.

What about the chiefs and other important people? They added to their wardrobe with feathered cloaks and helmets. The helmets themselves were made of vine roots and called mahiole. If you weren’t a king or a great warrior, your helmet could have no feather decorations added.

The few mahiole available to view in museums today are as revered as they were by the first Hawaiians.

Stay with me as I pass on more information about the ancient Hawaiians. I hope you find their culture as fascinating as I do.

By the way, is there something in particular you'd like me to talk about? Would you like more stories about my personal experiences in Hawaii, more recipes, more history, places to see, or something else? Let me know!

Until Thursday!

Mahalo!

Cheryl

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Hau’oli La Hanau!



Happy Thirtieth Birthday, Ian!

Daughter, Ashley, and Son, Ian,
 With Balloons and Friends
Yesterday we celebrated my son’s 30th birthday. Man—how can that be???? Wasn’t it only ten years ago that I turned 30??


Ian hugging Dad after the Surprise!


































We celebrated by going out to dinner yesterday, but the big celebration was earlier in the month when 44 of his friends and family totally surprised him with a huge party! What fun—burrito bar, cake, football, and tons of laughter.


Ian Opening Gifts With Help of His Niece













Happy 30th Birthday Cupcakes!

























All ethnicities in Hawaii celebrate a First Birthday with a huge luau. Some Polynesian cultures, such as Tongan and Samoan celebrate a Twenty-First Birthday with a big feast and festive party.

Family!


When I lived in Hawaii I went into the country to an amazing luau (a REAL one done by the family) for their daughter who was turning 16. What a great experience that was—for me as well as for her.








More Family!














Want to throw a luau for your child’s first birthday? Here’s a blog that will tell you the steps and all your “must haves.” It includes all the things you’ll need to think about—theme, invites, guests, favors, reception table, decorations, centerpieces, banner, pupus (appetizers), main entrée, activities, etc., etc.





Enjoy! Mahalo for visiting.

Cheryl

Monday, January 17, 2011

Raincoats in Hawaii???

Most people don’t realize it rains nearly everyday in Hawaii. How else would you have such lush vegetation? The good news is—the rain is usually brief and warm. If you read my blog way back in August about my favorite places in Hawaii, I mentioned Waimea Canyon on Kauai. When we visited, we climbed the many stairs to the viewing area. Just as we arrived at the top, it started to rain—hard! We ran down all those stairs and across the parking lot to our car. Guess what?? The rain stopped as abruptly as it had started, so back up we hiked to enjoy the warm sunshine and amazing view.

The first Hawaiians experienced the changing conditions and discovered the need for raingear. They made capes out of Ti Leaves.

The leaves were also used to make sandals. When baked, the root became a candy for the children. Hmm . . . wonder what it tasted like?

Another amazing plant, ti, God provided to meet the needs of the early Hawaiians.

Join me on Thursday to see what else they used, and how they used it.

Mahalo!

Cheryl

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Artist In Residence!

Time to take another moment away from Hawaii
to let you know about the Artist in my family!

My son, Shane, had two pieces of art in the

Camas First Friday Winter Art Show
On January 7, 2011

The theme of the show was
Historic Camas and Its Natural Setting in the Columbia Gorge

Shane had two pieces in the show.
This first one is done with ink and
white out on paper.
It pictures a snow scene of
the historic library, entitled

Bliblioteca







His second piece was
an experiment for him--
an abstract acrylic, with ink and
white out on canvas.
It pictures the
historic Camas Paper Mill, entitled

Reflections






I'm a very proud mom, looking forward
to Shane's future shows
as he pursues his goal to become a
Graphic Novel Illustrator.

Thanks for joining me today!
I will be back to all things Hawaiian next week!

Cheryl

Monday, January 10, 2011

Quack! Quack! GOOOOOOOOO DUCKS!!!


Taking a moment away from
Hawaiian things to


Celebrate The Oregon Ducks!!

Here's to the National Championship coming up tonight in Arizona.


 Here are some interesting links to Duck videos! Enjoy!

This first one is the Sabastian Bach Ballad on
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Warning--There is one word bleeped, but I think it's
well worth a look!



This one is "The Return of the Quack--I Love My Ducks"


Now this is fun!! The Oregon Duck has a Dance-Off with
A Cheerleader from another team!


This is an interview with The Oregon Duck
about all his Push-Ups!!!


I LOVE MY DUCKS!!!

See you on Thursday!

Cheryl


Thursday, January 6, 2011

The Mighty Coconut!

The first Hawaiians used many things that grew around them to help them in their day to day living. Today I thought I’d talk a little about the mighty coconut.

Now, if you’re like me you just love coconut. Many favorite recipes from Hawaii use coconut. (check out my Bibingka recipe, a Filipino desert recipe.) Later this year I’ll try my hand at Haupia, another Hawaiian desert made with coconut—very popular!

How did the early Hawaiians make use of coconuts?

They ate the meat and drank the milk. The shell was used at containers. They also made use of the leaves in building shelters. The husk was used for braiding sennit. I’m not sure what they used the braids for, but my guess would be for rope and ties.

I had to look up “braiding sennit” to see what exactly it meant. Here’s a link to a site all about sennit.


If you’re ever in a situation where you need to survive, I hope you have some coconuts around. The husk also makes a great “fire starter.”

Those coconuts sure are mighty, huh??

Mahalo!

Cheryl

Monday, January 3, 2011

Welcome, 2011!!



Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!


A new year--and the start of a new decade! Wow--hard to believe, huh?


So much has happened in my life over the past year. Here a few highlights:




Winner of Novel Journey's Young Adult/Middle Grades contest in April.


Third Place (out of 100 entries in the Mainstream Mystery category) in Romance Writers of America, Daphne Du Maurier Excellence in Mystery Writing in July.


Obtained a literary agent, Terry Burns with Hartline Literary, in August.


Started a blog, Life in Flip Flops, in August.


Launched a web-site all about Hawaii in November.


Had the wonderful support of readers like YOU!!!!


Mahalo, Faithful Blog Follower,




Cheryl