beauty that moves

a spring sale for you!

All prints in my shop are on sale - Two for $25!! I've been wanting to do this for a while and it kept slipping my mind. Now doesn't the time feel perfect (with Spring in the air) to find a fresh little something in the mailbox for yourself, for a friend... for you and a friend!

I'm getting ready to head back into the studio to explore and play out some summery ideas that have been occupying precious head space. Until then, if you had your eye on any of the prints that were available in my shop, it is finally re-opened and now might be the time to take a second look.

Any and all prints are on sale for a short time... Two for $25!!A savings of $11! Money will either be promptly refunded via paypal or you may convo me to set up a reserve listing for the $25 price. The choice is yours! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I haven't done anything quite like this before.

It's another rainy day here, but I am armed with a print out of your fantastic book suggestions (thank you!) and will be heading to the library later on. Thanks for all the book love, the school love, and just the love in general. You're a pretty awesome bunch.

what's the best fiction you've read lately?

I finished Mermaids in the Basement yesterday. It was checked out of the library because the cover was just so pretty. I do that. Check out books that have pretty covers and irresistible titles. I didn't love it very much. I would make a terrible reviewer of books because I feel badly about being (publicly) critical of a writer's work, regardless of it's constructive nature. I'm too sensitive. But again, I did not love this book. What a cover though. Last night I started The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder (did you know Miss Bellablue's photo graces the cover of this book?), a few chapters in finds me happily enjoying myself.

Have you ever seen Tammie's 'book' section on her blog? She reads and then writes a great deal about books and her thoughts are always helpful. Also Thomas, at My Porch reviews many, many books on his blog. Just look at the left side of his blog, scroll down, and check out the wonderful list of titles. The man reads a lot of books (and lives a very interesting life too!).

I like to ask all of you once in a while, and it's been months since I have, so on this very rainy and cool spring day, I wonder...

What are you reading and loving these days?

the first bit of news

This is something I've wanted for so long. Since I was in the midst of Yoga Teacher Training, I knew this would be the logical next step for me. The Institute for Integrative Nutrition and the Kushi Institute have both been in my sights for years now. I will get to the Kushi Institute someday, but in the meantime, I am thrilled to be enrolled in the distance learning program at Integrative Nutrition (with some classes at the school in the city, an option for any distance student, but very doable for those of us that live close to New York). I imagine being a certified Holistic Health Counselor will marry beautifully with being a yoga teacher and I'm happily dreaming of the possibilities ahead, both in virtual workshops/classes and in real life brick and mortar offerings as well.

I love to feed people.

Possibility abounds.

It's going to be an amazing year and it officially begins in May. Between now and then there are plenty of warm-up classes and orientations to keep me busy and excited. Above is the first shipment of my books, and an iPod fully loaded with audio and video classes taught by some of the world's greatest minds in medicine, nutrition and spirituality. The online virtual classrooms that students have access to are simply astounding. At this early point in the program, I am nothing but impressed with the vast, well-organized level of resources, support and materials available to students.

I hope you don't mind coming along on this journey with me. There is nothing quite like personal growth and evolution and I expect I'll be sharing a good bit of my experience right here in these pages.

Speaking of evolution... how about a revolution? Will you be checking out Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution tonight? I'll be tuning in for sure...

Have yourself a great weekend, and please know the support of like-minded souls such as yourselves is a gift that I treasure.

an everyday moment

I needed to smile. This photo did it for me. She'll be happy to see it posted when she reads my blog later on. That girl and her animals... it's a big love fest.

it's all about the struesel

Well, I'm calling it struesel... but technically speaking, it's more of a nut topping. Right up there in the little turquoise bowl. The meal was simply roasted veggies and quinoa, but to make it a little more interesting I made a nut topping that was mighty delicious. And super easy. I finely chopped a few handfuls of pecans, toasted them over medium-low heat (don't let them burn!) for a bit, and sprinkled with sea salt and ground cinnamon. Then, after they were nicely toasted, I drizzled them with a few tablespoons of maple syrup. At this point stir frequently and only for half a minute or so, just until caramelized. Remove from the heat and it's ready to eat, warm or let it cool to room temperature. The cooler it is, the drier and less gooey the mixture. Add liberally to whatever is on your plate and enjoy!

I glaze nuts all the time, but I don't generally chop them first. I can't believe what I've been missing out on! The finely chopped nuts (some so fine it was almost flour) made it feel like some sort of delicate, crispy, struesel topping that would normally be enjoyed on top of ice cream (which really makes me miss dairy right now), but why not over roasted veggies and quinoa? I can't think of any reason not to...

And to keep it real... after we ate platefuls of grains and roots, we happily devoured some chocolate cake. I always use the Six Minute Cake recipe from Moosewood. It's committed to memory, vegan, super economical, and trust me, it's the only chocolate cake recipe you'll ever need. I make it as cupcakes, layer cakes all dressed up with frosting, or a simple, unfrosted snack cake as you see above. It's all good.

Thanks for your understanding yesterday, it's good to feel understood, so good.

In case you are visiting via a reader, cannot view my sidebar, and might be interested... I have begun updating my vintage shop again. So many things to be added!