wheel of life/2010 vision board

for those of you that have been reading my blog for a while you probably recall my 2009 vision board, if you are new or need a refresher, click here.

for the last few weeks i've been playing around with making a visual wheel of life. while it isn't exactly in a "wheel" shape, you get the idea. if you are not sure what the "wheel of life" exercise is, you can check out a few variations & explanations here, here & here.

i decided to make an artist's date out of my visual wheel of life. i had magazines, construction paper, scissors, a glue stick, water with a slice of organic lemon (i am on a lemon kick recently), and the drive to make something beautiful and creative.

now for a little closer look into each of the categories...

finances
relationships
health
home environment
self-care
spirituality
creativity
career
(sorry for all of the glare from the glossies)

have you tried the wheel of life exercise or a vision board? why not combine both into one.

simple joys

this friday was a delicious treat. i had the morning off and had planned on going to class this afternoon but due to a scheduling mix up at school i ended up getting the entire day off! this was a welcome surprise as it's the first friday i've had off in months & months and it's the first day i've had off in over 3 weeks.

today i enjoyed:

*sleeping in
*watching the beautiful snow that fell all day (i know a lot of people are upset about more snow but not moi, i love it!)
*a huge nap
*watching a little food network (food network & the travel channels are my favs)
*looking through my newest cookbook "eat taste heal: an ayurvedic guidebook and cookbook for modern living"
*enjoying h2o with a slice of organic lemon
*writing with my new sakura souffle 3-d opaque puffy ink pens (thanks for the recommendation stephanie)
*snuggling with my kitties and pup
*relaxing around the house not worrying about the to-dos (they will be there tomorrow)
*noshing on some tagalongs (girl scout cookie time!)
*observing the ongoing kitteh antics....

dooty snuggled up on the couch

intruder alert

sanjay always wanting to be near his brother

good thing dooty is so accepting

tranquil tuesday gratitude

today i am thankful for:

*it being tranquil tuesday

*knocking out a lot of to-do's
*snuggling with my cuddly kitties
*being interviewed on life breathing
*hot tea on a cold & rainy day
*connecting with all of you

image credit ici

monday moment of zen

"each of us has a gift, a special purpose that we alone can give to the world. this is our individual dharma. we are meant to discover and share this unique gift. when we do, you have achieved our true purpose in life."
~deepak chopra

what is your gift, your special purpose? namaste

image credit ici

pink & purple tresses

i got my hair freshened up this evening. i've been rocking pink in my hair (a la inspiration - kimberly wilson) since june. i decided to try something different this evening. i got pink & purple added in!! i've been calling it my rainbow brite hair or my easter egg hair. ;)

dooty enjoying some lap and face time

green beauty

i love coconuts, love the smell, love the taste, love everything about them. i am really loving barleans coconut oil. i picked this up at the morgantown coop. it's cold pressed, extra virgin and 100% organic. it's perfect for cooking, a hair conditioner, in lieu of lotion, and for massaging. what's not to love?!

tell me, how do you love your coconuts?

monday moment of zen

“better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one.”

~ancient chinese proverb

take the time today to sit and sip your mug of tea, savor every drop. namaste

image credit ici

salt scrub

ah the joys of massage therapy schooling. during a stress management class we made salt scrubs. we each brought in our own salt (or sugar), essential oils and of course we used our massage oil. we each made a scent that resonated with us. i did a combination of lavender (my fav!) and geranium. it was divine!!

to make your own salt or sugar scrub, find a container with a lid and add:

- some salt (preferably sea salt)
- add to that oil (any oil will do but you want an oil without any scent - olive oil will do nicely)
- an essential oil (or oils) of your choosing

depending on how dry your skin is is how oily you want your scrub to be. there is no right or wrong way to do this so just eyeball it and go with what you think is best for you. since my skin tends to dry out in the winter i made my scrub a little on the oily side. add to the salt and oil mixture drops of essential oil. depending on how much scrub you made will determine how many drops of essential oil to use. you can usually determine this by smell. you don't want it too strong.

- take your salt scrub to the bath tub. while standing in the shower rub the salt scrub all over the body. let it set for just a bit and then rinse off. don't wash off as you will defeat the purpose. after you towel off your skin will be soft and smooth and you will smell wonderful. enjoy!!

gussying up my planner pad & some news

i spent part of this snowy weekend gussying up my planner pad. after hearing kimberly wilson rave about the planner pad i knew i had to try it out. this is my second year with the planner pad and i don't see myself buying any other planner. i am a changed woman ;)

it's too bad that you can't get planner pads in colors, however, you can gussy it up any way you'd like. here's what i did:

front cover
inside front cover
inside back cover
back cover

now for the news... you'll notice on the inside front cover of my planner pad is related to all things buddhism and zen. a while back i asked if anyone had any input as far as a business name. i thought & thought & thought about it and finally come up with "zen from within." i think it's pretty fitting, don't you?!

although i haven't done anything with it, i've registered the domain. since owning my own business is a 5-10 year goal of mine i figured i'd snag the domain for safe keeping. i'm excited!! :)

monday moment of zen

No hawk hangs over in this air:
The urgent snow is everywhere.
The wing adroiter than a sail
Must lean away from such a gale,
Abandoning its straight intent,
Or else expose tough ligament
And tender flesh to what before
Meant dampened feathers, nothing more.
Forceless upon our backs there fall
Infrequent flakes hexagonal,
Devised in many a curious style
To charm our safety for a while,
Where close to earth like mice we go
Under the horizontal snow.

~ The Snow Storm by Edna St. Vincent Millay

chances are some of you got pummeled with snow this weekend. chances are that some of you were stuck at home and couldn't get out. sometimes mother nature has a way of making us slow down. take the time to slow down and enjoy the beauty that mother nature has bestowed upon us. namaste

if you look closely cadyn is at the end of the path

cadyn and dooty staying on the path

monday moment of zen

"let the beauty of what you love, be what you do."
~ rumi

life is too short to be unhappy. take an hour, few hours, or even a whole day to consider what it is that makes you happy and what it is that you love. it may not come to you quickly since we have a tendency to love lots of very different things (or at least i do). once you hone in on what it is that you love see what steps you can make to make what you love what you do. you will be so much happier that you did. every day will be a new adventure and you won't regret it! namaste

image credit ici