thankful thursday

i am glad to say goodbye to both packing boxes and to carpet! i did keep the beautiful little >^..^< though. :) hooray for (a little scuffed up) but beautiful old oak wood floors that squeak when i walk on them!!

once i get settled in a little more, i will definitely put up some pics. in the mean time, here is a shot of me doing yoga on my back deck yesterday.

this thursday i am thankful for this wonderful little house that i've found and being very happy in it thus far. what are you thankful for on this thursday?

september birthdays

today my little girl turns 11 years old!! my how time flies when you have a sweet little poodle (one of her many nicknames).




the ever adorable sanjay also turned 5 years old sept 1st. my little man is growing up - although, he still acts like a kitten :)




all photos taken by moi

monday moment of zen

"i like living. i have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all i still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing."
~ agatha christie

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monday moment of zen

"if we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking." ~ proverb

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last chance to sign up for the 2nd annual tea trade

don't miss your chance to sign up for the 2nd annual tea trade. details about the trade are here.

if you wish to trade, please send me an email with your information no later than 9pm eastern time tomorrow, september 15th. merci!

i hope you join in on all of the tea trading fun. hugs!!


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monday moment of zen

"the secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly."
~ buddha

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pittsburgh bound

by the time you are reading this ryan and i are probably already headed to this lovely old late 1800s house in the west end of pittsburgh for the night to celebrate our 5th year anniversary.

we had planned on going to frank lloyd wright's fallingwater home on saturday (technically our anniversary) since neither one of us has been there. but that will have to wait for another time.

we are cutting our trip short because ryan's dad is coming down to motown on saturday to help us get into the closed up fireplace in the house we are going to move into. why anyone would close a fireplace is beyond my imagination - they are so beautiful and add such an ambiance to the house!

i hope you all have a lovely weekend! hugs!!

morning and afternoon delight

i woke up naturally around 9am this morning. feels good to let my body decide how long it needs rest. i have been in quite a bit of pain since tuesday afternoon. i'm not sure exactly what has happened but i have a pain in my rhomboid/trapezius/latissimus dorsi region. say whaaaa?? see lovely image below:

due to the severity of this pain, i have had to turn down some massages and cancel a yoga class - boo!! i was scheduled to give the owner of blissblissbliss a massage today at but being the kind, considerate and lovely lady that she is, she is going to give me a massage to see if she can help relieve some of my pain.

now this isn't going to be a nice, sweet, relaxing massage (although i am sure there will be some of that love in there somewhere) but the focus of this massage will be harsh elbows and trigger points and who knows what else! but it is exactly what i need to get whatever the issue is out!! and hopefully out for good!!

so i've been spending my cool, crisp, autumn-esque morning snuggled up in bed with my laptop, cup of coffee, pets coming and going as they please, and my visual journal.

my visual journal has been rather neglected as of recent and i plan on changing that. this morning i have been incorporating my 2010 vision board/wheel of life into my visual journal.


so even though in pain, i am grateful for the opportunity to be able to take it easy when my body demands it.

what are you thankful for on this lovely thursday? hugs!!

image credit ici and moi

releasing your limiting beliefs

i get this in my inbox daily and this one really resonated with me. i wanted to share this with you my lovely readers. enjoy and hugs!!

When times are tough we tend to engage in a lot of fearful chatter.

We replay limiting beliefs such as, “I can’t ask for a raise now.” Or, “I can’t make a career shift in times like these.”

This fearful chatter is helping neither your peace of mind nor your bank account.

Fearful, limiting beliefs block your inner guide (or "~ing" as I call it) and prevent you from creating positive financial outcomes, blinding you to opportunities.

Try this three step process for releasing fear and add more ~ing to your finances.

Step One: Identify your limiting beliefs by listening to the fear-driven messages in your mind. What limits are you buying into: "I can't get ahead"; "I'll always be broke"; "There's never enough"?

Step Two: Release the chatter. Kick off each day with the affirmation, “Today I choose to release my limiting beliefs and stay positive about my finances.” Then, if a self-sabotaging message pops up, recognize it for what it is. Let it go.

Step Three: Forgive. Our fearful mind loves to compare. When you perceive your finances as better than or worse than someone else's, you're creating a negative dynamic within the relationship—and in your earning capacity. So throw down an F bomb and forgive. Forgiveness will clear space to receive clarity and more ~ing.

What limiting belief can you release right now?

article on daily worth by gabrielle bernstein, author of "add more ~ing to your life: a hip guide to happiness" (which is on my amazon wish list!!)

image credit ici

tranquil tuesday

ryan and i spent a little time on the rock wall at the wvu rec center this weekend. this was the first time i had ever been on a rock wall. let me just say it can definitely be a workout! i had a good time playing around on the wall as i definitely didn't follow the rules as to solving problems, or some i'm told. i make my own rules!! ;)

i also participated in a yoga flash mob this weekend. if you haven't seen the video, you have to check it out!

keep in mind that there are only a few days left to sign up for the 2nd annual tea trade. with autumn rapidly approaching picture all curled up with a mug of hot tea and a good book (preferably in front of the fireplace!). in a beautiful space like this for example:

may your tuesday be a tranquil one! hugs!!

image credit moi & ici

monday moment of zen

"life is just to sweet to be bitter."
~ kris carr

doesn't that just look scrumptious?! kris is right, life is too short and too sweet to be bitter. if you or someone you know doesn't think so, maybe they should "change their taste" as my friend told me her dad always told them growing up. :) wise words indeed!

have a safe and happy labor day everyone! hugs!!

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happy holiday & yoga flash mob

what a weekend already! yesterday i taught a free yoga class in the park. it was the most beautiful day for yoga in the park. love doing yoga outside!! i have one more free yoga class in the park scheduled for september. if you are local please consider joining me!

ryan & i went to check out a little 2 bedroom house to rent. we are going to get the fireplace working again (yay!! always wanted a fireplace!!) and paint a couple of rooms and hopefully get moved in by oct 1st!

later in the day we headed to chestnut ridge park for the last of the summer concert series to watch the hillbilly gypsies and to perform our yoga flash mob. it was SO much fun!!

have a safe & happy holiday weekend where ever you are! hugs!!

getting in touch with my inner hippie longstocking

ok, maybe i'm telling my age here (i am 31 if you didn't know) but do any of you remember pippi longstocking? i was in love with pippi back in the day. i gotta say, she's still pretty rad!!


here is me getting in touch with my inner pippi longstocking with a hippie twist (notice the groovy leggings!!)



i rocked those leggings - they are so much fun to wear!

i'm off to teach a free yoga class in the park and then look at a house that ryan & i are interested in renting. wish us luck!!

have a great weekend! hugs!!

image credit ici