(salute the) sunday

morning time yoga
post-savasana bliss
post-latte bliss

*
please meet kiran ahluwalia:



she is a lovely lady
who recently played in regina
it was the perfect way to end a week
a little spice, a lot of rhythm, a beer and some relaxation


*

something you should know about me:
in the average week
i consider quitting school
packing up
moving to nelson
learning to metal smith
and making jewelry for all my days
approximately 5 times per day.

i am fairly certain that one day
i will just do it.

*

please look at this
it is amazing.

*





i want these.
for everyday wear, of course.

aum

there is something exhilarating about letting go
and trusting your body
my new favourite sequence to practice in my evolving ashtanga practice is this:

i am

intrigued.

and pleased.

today

i honor the great women in my life.





especially the furry ones.

"With the qualities of cleanliness, affection, patience, dignity, and courage that cats have, how many of us, I ask you, would be capable of becoming cats?"
- Fernand Mery

wants

fluevogs = politically and fashionably amazing.
and i love love love the style of these boots.


i really want a siwash, too.
not only cause they are cozy
but because they are simplistic and awesome.
love the hood on this one.

actually, no.
needs.


******

on having plans:

don't bother.
if you have a plan
and it goes awry (which they usually do)
you might find yourself on the phone with the student academic advising office
at approximately 2:35 pm
struggling to answer the question
"what is this appointment going to be about?"

and you might hold your tongue and not say:
i think if i knew
something
anything about my academic career
i wouldn't be contacting you
if i knew what i wanted to do
how long i wanted to be a student
how useless this sometimes feels
how frustrated i get with the entire school system
how badly i want to not be here right now
i.
would.
not.
call.
you.

and, instead, you would say:
"my life".

monday at 9am, it is.

**********

what the **** am i doing in a geography class?
really?
dear ganesh.
we have lots of work ahead of us.

perfection on a friday night

KATI brewer
1 tsp loose earl grey tea
brew for 5 minutes
add 1/4 cup of soy milk (or whatever kind you drink)
and .5-1 tsp agave syrup


( you can, of course, use an earl grey tea bag instead )

sip slowly.
savour it.

bittersweet

life gave me lemons

lemons
a horrid school schedule
that is lacking one class
that sets me behind in life
that likely means i will take a spring/summer course
instead of working full time this summer
which means i delve a little deeper into my savings
which means i may not get a lovely vacation this summer.

i will make lemonade

lemonade
more time to work on my projects:
upholstery
making soap
baking
and yoga
more time to cuddle my puppy
and kitty
more time to cook
more time to read
more time to spend with friends and family
more time to devote to a special class

twenty 11

i need to introduce my new calender
i heart it through and through.




the best part?
(aside from the beautiful patterns!)
the back of each month has
templates so you can re-use
each month after it has past

you can make:
envelopes
gift tags
pillow boxes
gift wrap
mini storage boxes
file folders
etc
etc.

i get real excited when you can re-use something!

grow.eat.flourish.

two great books this weekend
one awesome theme:

eating local.

book one is called locavore
(locavore: one who tries to eat only locally grown foods)

locavore has some really great information
interwoven with biographies and tales
of small farms
trying their best to provide for their communities
i was hooked on these tales
i found them fascinating
i, unfortunately, was not so hooked on the numerical information
(i.e. stats, years, company information, history)
i know it is super important and i respect that
but at the end of the day,
i want some easy reading
nonetheless, great read
and i love love love the cover!


book two is called the 100 mile diet
i have to say
i was completely and totally tickled by this book.
i quite fancy having a big old farm and completely and totally sustaining myself
so
i was totally impressed by this couple who did just that
they sought out farmers, friends and resources (all within 100 miles - of course)
and made delicious meals.

(also impressive: they made their own crackers! and salt!)

also.
each month (the 100 mile diet began as a year-long experiment)
commences with a quote that is closely related to the development of food
the beautiful thing?
each quote comes from completely different backgrounds (i.e. ghandi to a graffiti artist to a 1950's housewife guide)
it proves - so strongly - that we are all interconnected

i was so wrapped up in this book
that i was nearly star-struck when a friend of mine
casually mentioned that she knew one of the authors
i managed to stammer
"rea..really? i think i need to meet him..."

book one and book two both speak to a true crisis in our world:
it is not that we do not have the means to create food to feed the entire world
it is that we are too "lazy" to do so. (i would even go so far as to say "greedy")
and it is true.

one garden can go a long way
(i.e. novella carpenter - amazing lady who nurtured an urban farm in the hood
and shared with all her neighbours. awesome.)
imagine if we all did just that.
i have a friend who grows a lovely garden each summer
and she prays for the day her neighbours will come steal some harvest
because that is what it is about.

we are all people
we all need food
lets make it happen.



make soil, not war - graffiti artist

listology

soul pancake wants to know:

what are 5 things you (we) can learn from a 5 year old?

i respond with 5 beautifully-awesome things about kids:

1. question. every. damn. thing.
kids learn things for the very first time. and when they do, they tend to ask a lot of questions.
why? why do i have to? who says?
while it may be somewhere between cutely charming and ridiculously annoying,
they pose a really great question.
why?
as adults, we lose our right to question somewhere along the way.
maybe it is because our constant "why's" are generally answered with,
"because that is what we do"
but really, it is not.
not everyone is we.
people do different things differently.
so, why (or any w question word)
is totally valid.

2. find awe in the simple.
a peer of mine has a two year old.
on a particularly stressful day
she spots her two year old
stare at a leaf in complete awe
carefully observing its autumn colours emerging
the roads, ripples and life lines buried deep within the bursting colours
and suddenly.
her stress evaporates.
leaves are all around her.

3. laugh.
laughter really is the best medicine.
it does wonders.
and kids laugh at mostly everything.
life changes as we age,
but to find humour in the darkest of times
is a great gift.

4. imagine.
imaginations are beautiful things
at some point,
kids are scolded for their boisterous brains
they are told to ignore their imaginary friend
they are told to stop doodling
they are discouraged from picking their own outfits
(god forbid they do not match and then, of course, they do not make any friends)
kids see things differently. and if we could only carry that vision through,
our world might be very different.
tantalizing thought, no?

5. love.
kids love.
kids hug and kiss and cuddle
and giggle
and do not see colour
do not discriminate
they just love.

yup.
kids know where it is at.
one day they will rock this world
into unfounded beauty.

teapots deserve clothes, too!

i heart teapot cozies
such a cute disguise!



i also heart squirrels



also heart elephants.



et les oiseaus (and birds).

(obviously?) i am getting my fair share of tea on these winter days
still waiting not-patiently for iced tea on summer days.
cuddles and i have that in common
(aside from our selective cuddling and grazing habits)

every few days during the winter
she wakes after a sleepy yawn and
stretches for approximately 3 minutes
then lazily slithers to the door
and demands that we peek outside
(there is a really good chance that it has changed seasons
at some point during her 3 hour nap)
once she realizes that it is still not time
she resumes her nap.
soon, my kitty. soon.

sunday wants

to read this book
cover to cover
(and have all the answers)
yet.
sometimes. the question is far more important than the answer.



to listen to this song
on repeat.


to own all this artwork
because it is stunning

"





to rest (yes, rest) in several yoga poses

soon.