Summer In the City

I had the blessing of living & learning through

my 30's in New York City.

I lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for a year in the late

90's and then moved in with my boyfriend at the time who 

had a beautiful apartment downtown. 

The relationship didn't last,

but my love for NYC did.

Now I share that love with my eight year old, who can't get enough of taking the

ferry or driving over the bridge to get there...

Either way, as long as we go!

Mama/Daughter Mani-Pedis...a good way

to kill time before my appointment to 

get some new specs.

Wouldn't typically gravitate to the Upper East Side, except for the park, Whitney or the Met.

But our dearest family members live there and we have a knack for discovering hidden

treasures up there...Like the garden courtyard 

of All Souls Church. 

There is beautiful energy there and you can easily feel its

welcoming presence.

Nothing like ending the visit with a candlelight
sushi dinner al fresco-style.

Can't wait to go back on Friday for our last Kirtan downtown 

before it's back to school & work.

We've spent a lot of time in the city this summer, more than any other 

and it's all been blessed.

New Moon Kirtan

What is Kirtan, you ask?

Kirtan in Sanskirt, means "to repeat."

It is a form of call & response chanting, whose

roots go back to over 500 years in India. 

Read more about it here.

It has changed my life and my daughter has

become a huge devotee...and so has our neighbor friend

who has been joining us regularly. 

We enjoyed celebrating the New Moon Kirtan this week. 

New moons usher in change...

and that has been most appropriate for us at this time.

It's a beautiful trip into the city for us every few weeks and 

a blessing to be able to chant the names of God

with such a wonderful yoga community. 

I "LOVE PANDA"

Me & the girls below after

we were gifted some bindhis to wear. 

Below is a photo of my girl reading over the evening's chants. 

I am so proud of her. 

She is also a really excellent conga player.

The drummer and other musicians even stopped to comment 

throughout the evening and 

complimented her at the end of the night. 

Ashram Life

Is 

Peaceful, Beautiful, Gentle, 

Community, Spirituality, Serenity

Creative, Intellectual, Sacred

LIFE.

Natural Beauty Routine

For the past few years I've been switching over from store bought beauty products to more natural, homemade recipes using ingredients I have on hand from my very own kitchen.
I have fallen hard for the whole "do it myself!" concept and love the fact that me and my girl have chemical/preservative-free products for our skin and hair. Some favorite recipes:

Mama's Homemade Facial Cleanser: 1 T. baking soda, 2 T oatmeal, 1/2 t. sugar, 1 t. green clay. I gring all of it up in a coffee grinder and store in empty baby food jar. I keep this in my medicine cabinet and use it each morning. So good.

Natural ACV Face Toner (Thank you, Velvet Bird blogger): 3 parts Apple Cider Vinegar to 1 part distilled water. Store in mini spray bottle and use it on a cotton ball. It's fabulous!

Homemade Shampoo for blondes: 1/4 cup Dr. Bronners Baby (unscented) Castille Soap, 1/2 teaspoon grapeseed oil, 1/2 cup distilled water infused with chamomille herb tea (made on the stove separately, then cooled to use in recipe). Put into bottle and shake well before using. Love this stuff. So does my girl-cub!

Olive Oil Hair Mask: Rub 1 t. olive oil in your palms and run through hair. I put it on my ends first...then work up to middle then roots last. Put on a plastic shower cap or makeshift plastic bag-cap and read a good novel or meditate for half an hour. Shower and shampoo. It works beautifully.

Deodorant: Place 1/4 c. corn starch and 1/4 c. baking soda in baby food jar. I add a few drops of tea tree oil. (For my deoderant container I take a nail and hammer through the top of the baby food jar a few times to make a shaker top) then I tie a pretty ribbon round it just 'cause.

ENJOY! Good health and blessings to all!

Happy 2012!

(Crocheted and gifted to my beautiful new niece born this year.

One of the highlights of my 2011)

It's a new year! Wow. The holidays sure did go quickly.

Today we went to church and celebrated Three Kings Day.

The priest reminded us that there is still one more official day left to the Christmas season.

At least I don't feel guilty for leaving our tree up! One year, I left it up until February! Okay, that was a little much, but it all goes along with my theme of the year for 2012.

We're sloooowing down. I had to cut back on the extracurricular activities my girl was involved in. We got pretty sick and rundown during Christmas vacation. All the activity caught up to us and made me realize, we have very busy days...and both me and my girl require a lot of downtime. We love being home and unwinding.

We don't need to keep up with anyone or any activity level.

I'm going to slow down this year and I'm going to savor our precious time together at home.

This year there will be more:

quiet, listening, reading, early bedtimes, movie-watching, easier healthy meals,

pajama-days or at least pj mornings, cooking/baking lessons for my girl while I'm preparing in the kitchen, drawing, painting, sculpture time, nature walks.

There will be more good old fashioned time spent together.

And that is all I want.

That, and to be a better human being, a better mother...a more devoted child of God...

living my life to the fullest in the small, simple joys of

just being alive.

Happy New Year to You All.

I'm wishing you peace, joy, and love throughout every day

of the year ahead.

Holiday Pre-Game Photo Dump

Been meaning to post for a while...but been busy. Life has been good

in that happily contented way.

Time to catch-up now.

Thanksgiving was my first as a vegan/vegetarian. It was awesome.

I had a Tofurky turkey and it was okay. Just okay.

Wouldn't do it again...especially 'cause there are so many other goodies to eat.

I am all about the sides, anyway. Next year, I'll know.

Here are some pre-holiday photos of the goodness we've been enjoying in our little corner of the world. Me and my girl both LOVE everything about preparing for Christmas, so it has

been all about holiday songs, hot chocolate, advent activities, crafting, and the like!

Our holiday kick-off: We saw the Beach Boys at the St. George Theater.

John Stamos performed with them and it was magic.

We had a ball on cold Sunday night.

Our little white Christmas tree. I always dreamed of a white tree when I was a child, now I have one. It just reminds me of sweet confections, snow, and all yummy wintry things.

I love it. So grateful to our babysitter and my daughter for putting it all together this year while I was at a class one Saturday. It looks so pretty in our living room.

A sideways photo of an advent activity calender I made for my girl.

Each day she turns over a card and there is a holiday activity we will do together.

Tonight, it's singing a Christmas carol together. Tomorrow, we'll play Uno or Scrabble Junior and the winner will get a candy cane. That kinda thing...

She's lovin' it. This was so simple and easy...and sweet to create.

Still in love with this Martha Stewart holiday letter banner I made three years ago.

It's perfect on the bookcase.

Jumped on the "cover everything in yarn" wagon that seemed to have taken place around Thanksgiving. I'm going to make a yarn covered initial for my new niece. But to warm up,

I covered an olive jar. It's cute enough.

Thinking of making a few mini jars to go next to it in other bright jewel colors.

Lastly, this was my economical teacher-gift prezzie this year. I made up four of these and they are wrapped pretty in cellophane and satin bows. Two for my daughter's classroom teachers, two for my grandmother's home health aides.

Everything was purchased at the dollar store: pretty vases, silk holiday flowers, an ornament, and peppermint candies.

I thought they were pretty festive and practical, too.

My favorite kind of gift!

How are you all preparing for the holidays?

Things left on our list: Only two more gifts for Mama to buy, a trip to the tree at Rockefeller, a trip to the American Girl store 'cause Mama promised, a meal at my favorite vegan restaurant in the E. Village, more crafting...and our favorite activity...

Baking (vegan) Gingerbread for Santa!

Can't wait!

Halloween 2011

Halloween was rather spontaneous this year. We had our costumes planned,

but did not know where we would go or who would be included

in the trick-or-treating candy parade.

Turns out it couldn't have been more perfect.

Isn't it always like that?

Little Cub, our "Spanish Flamenco Dancer" was joined by

her BFF "Princess Peach" and the rest of our neighborhood gang.

Even Daddy joined the fun!

I broke-out another homemade costume using clothes from my "vintagey-costume"

clothes bin in my closet.

Disco Zombie Mama. Although, Cub's daddy said it was more like

"Prom Zombie!" Either way, it was all good.

And Daddy got to carry her candy while I got to gab

with my mama friends while walking.

There was a delicious diner visit afterwards where lots of yummy food was enjoyed as we were all starving.

Then we ended the night with hot apple cider before dropping off Daddy at the bus stop.

It was a great little holiday.

Now looking forward to planning my first vegan Thanksgiving.

Can't wait!