Soothe Your Throat >> Soothe Your Soul

Hi, guys. We were supposed to go to the mountains for a hike today, but instead we are taking our kitty in to the vet. She's prone to painful crystals forming in her bladder (TMI?) because sometimes she doesn't drink enough water, but usually we're able to catch it quickly and coerce her into drinking more. This time though, she doesn't seem to be getting better, so in we go. Her appointment isn't for a couple of hours, so I have a little extra time to work on blog stuff instead. Well, when life gives you lemons...you should whip this little recipe up...? ;)

When I came across this in my Facebook feed a few weeks back, I knew I had to make it. It sounded too simple, too smart, too obvious not to make it. I often suffer from frequent sore throats and dry, awful coughs in the winter, in particular following any type of cold or upper respiratory thing. The coughing gets so bad sometimes that it keeps me up at night. I have tried pretty much every cough syrup out there, including prescription ones, and I am here to tell you that they do not work. What does work? Honey! It really coats your throat and soothes that tickly feeling.

Here's how to make this simple elixir. You'll need:

> a glass container that seals
> enough lemons to fill it
> honey
> 1"-2" piece of ginger root

Slice. Fill. Done.

Refrigerate. After awhile, the lemons will sort of dissolve into a jelly-like substance, and you can just add a spoonful or two to hot water when you feel like you need a little self-care. In addition to the honey coating your throat, the lemons help to cut mucous, and the ginger works as a natural decongestant. The jar should last 2-3 months in the refrigerator. According to internet lore, this stuff is ubiquitous in Asia, and you can buy it pre-made in any grocery store there. But what fun is that?

While I certainly hope I don't get sick and need to use this, I'm glad I already have this mixed up and ready to go for when that inevitable first cold strikes. If only it worked for cat bladder problems!

shanti >> sondra

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The Leaves Began to Fall >> No One spoke At All

Hello, souls. I hope you all had a lovely and restorative weekend. Mine was mostly spent at work, but I wanted to share one little bit from my weekend, plus an update on how the first part of my cleanse went.

Yesterday afternoon we headed downtown for a bit of wandering, and then I suggested we drive out to the edge of Ballard to see what there was to see. We ended up at a marina on the Sound, and the light was so pretty. Luckily I had grabbed my camera to take along. Here's my favorite picture >

This is Leif Ericson, Norse explorer. Ballard was largely home to the Scandinavian seafarers who settled here to work on the docks and out at sea, and still maintains a strong Scandinavian community. Andy and I are both of Nordic descent, and grew up in place that is heavily Scandinavian. Feels like home!

I'm such a sucker for taking pictures into the sun. I just love the way it looks.

Well, cleanse update. I did it...! Well, the first part, anyway. It was a really interesting experience. The first day I didn't mind it at all. The kitchadi is pretty tasty, it tastes just like an Indian dish which is exactly what it is. But by the end of the second day, I just did not find it appetizing. I mean, there's not much I would still find appetizing after eating it two days straight. Instead, I decided to just go without. And the next day, too. I found the process of sitting with my hunger more interesting and thought provoking than eating the kichadi, which I did not expect at all. I found that I sort of liked feeling the dull gnawing in my stomach. It was a constant, but subtle reminder of what I was choosing to do, and I found it easier to focus my thoughts.

Some random observances:

> While watching a movie the other night, there was a scene with news footage of starving children in Africa. You know, the scenes you always see of terrible starvation, bellies distended, and people made of nothing more than skin and bones, held together by the last of their spirit. Right then I wanted to punch myself.

> Our social life pretty much revolves around consuming things. I honestly could not come up with anything I wanted to do that didn't involve eating or drinking something. At night, at least. Since I work until 8pm most evenings, all I could come up with on the fly was watching things. Or board games. Anybody have any other creative ideas?

> The things I found myself craving the most were cheese and bread. I have heard that consuming these things can create addiction pathways in the brain similar to other stimulants...perhaps there is some truth to that?

I have switched to eating unprocessed vegan foods for the the remainder of my cleanse. For me, I can already tell that the biggest benefits of a project such as this have nothing to do with my physical body. Being conscious, aware, and intention-ful in my everyday life is such a gift....

I'll be sure to share my final thoughts on this week when I'm all done. Until then...

shanti >> sondra

p.s. I have been keeping up with my photos of the day, but I can't find my USB cord to upload them! I've ordered another, but until then, I'll keep snapping away to keep up with this other goal. :)

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Hello, Autumn >>

Today is the first day of my cleanse. I have to admit, I sort of don't want to do it. I mean, I do and I don't. But by putting it out there, making it one of my goals, and then having the happenstance of Laura Emily hosting a clearing out event today, I knew that I must.

I have decided to do a very loosely based Ayurvedic cleanse. The full Ayurvedic Fall cleanse is pretty intensive, lasts several weeks, involves fasting, and traditionally, also involves forced vomiting and blood letting. Yikes! Clearly I will not be doing that! Instead, I took the parts that appealed to me, mashed together other things that appeal to me, and am calling it a cleanse. For the first 3 days I am going to eat an Ayurvedic dish called Kitchadi, which is an easy to digest dish of rice, mung dal beans, veggies, and lots of warming spices (think ginger, tumeric, cinnamon). The point of this is to support my body's natural ability to cleanse and be strong, by allowing it time to rest and revitalize. The spices aid circulation and blood flow, further allowing the body's natural processes to take place. In addition, I'll have warming herbal teas and LOTS of water. After three days, I'll transition to eating a seasonal diet of whole foods, prepared simply--vegan and refined sugar-free. This might not sound very intensive to some of you, but for me, it's a big step. I am a lover of all things desert, pizza, and chai lattes. While I do eat a pretty healthy and whole-foods based diet most of the time, I allow for plenty of splurges and enjoy lots of things in moderation. Well, not this week...!

The other part of the cleanse, is a mental cleanse. Every day, I intend to be mindful and set aside some time for yoga, meditation, and/or reflective thinking/journaling. These are also things that I do regularly, but not always everyday and not always with a specific intention. I hope to clear my head-space a bit, and develop a focus and clarity as we move more fully into Fall, and then to Winter. After such a chaotic year, I'm sure there is all sorts of mind clutter in the corners that could be swept out.

I'll post an update of my progress early next week...

Are you joining the Hello, Autumn clearing out? Do you have a space -physical, mental, emotional- that could use some attention?

shanti >> sondra

Image source 1 

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What to Wear >> Pumpkin Patch

This was the MOST fun post to put together! It gave us an excuse to head out of town for a brief adventure, plus the patch we ended up at was run by the nicest guy. It was just his little hobby farm, and he does the whole thing for fun. We were the only people there on a Tuesday morning (go figure), and he took us on a tractor ride and let us play with his dogs. Win. Anyway, here's what I wore for the affair.

It was chilly when we left the house, but after tromping around a bit, I warmed up. Thus why I am wearing a sweater in some of these pictures, and not others. I think anything comfortable is good for a trip like this, but I was mighty glad I had worn rubber boots for the fields. It's been a really dry September here, so the field was pretty dusty. The boots kept me nice and clean, and I didn't worry about the leaves and stems snagging my leggings.

As always, be sure to check out the other What to Wear ladies and their fabulous ensembles. And, if you'd like to join us, just send any one of us an email!

Nicole: Gypsy in Jasper | Adriana: Horses of Ares | Marcia: Moose in Chartreuse | 

Dorien: Bodacious Thought | Lisa: notladylike | Sarah: Exploring Woods | 

Katherine: thinkin' outloud | Amanda: Salvaged Strawberry | 

Lisa: lala faux bois

shanti >> sondra

<< wearing

dress, cardigan, boots >  target

leggings >  kensie

scarf >> h&m

belt >> anthropologie

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From Fading Light >> On Flying Wings

It's happened. I'm up to a four cups of tea a day minimum, I've been wearing scarves non-stop, and yes, I have baked with gourds. It seems like it changed from Fall-ish to F.A.L.L. almost overnight. Ahhhh, I love it when that happens. This is my first real Autumn since leaving Minnesota almost three years ago. Forgive me while I revel in it.

The change of the seasons is in my bones, in my cells, in the fibers of my being. I can't begin to describe how distressing it was to not be in tune with Nature's rhythms the last few years. While I was sloooowly adjusting to the beat of a new drum in California, I think it would have taken several more years to un-do the previous 25 years that my bio-clock was already synced to.

And now, some gratuitous photos of baked pumpkin goods.

This is a Pumpkin Pear Bread from this month's issue of Vegetarian Times. I loved the concept of the big chunks of pear in the bread, but I won't make this one again; I just wasn't a fan of the bread parts of this one. I think just adding pear to your favorite pumpkin bread would be delicious though.

These muffins, however, were quite good. Any muffin with a crumbly topping is a winner. I used raisins in them as the recipe called for, but dried cranberries would be super good, as well as maybe some chopped walnuts or shredded carrot.

Ahhhhh, isn't Yogi Tea the best?! Nothing like a little tea bag wisdom. Have you been cooking with gourds lately? Let me know if you have any killer recipes!

Embracing the season over here...
shanti >> sondra

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Lights >> From Pages

Here are my photos since my last photo of the day update. I can't say I am in love with any of these images, but I guess the point wasn't to take beautiful pictures, it was to capture moments of everyday life.

From l to r, t to b >

I have been spending my lunch breaks in the grass, in the sunshine, reading. 'Tis lovely | Another day, another lunch break | This was at a bar I was at, and it cracked me up | Ahhh, finally MY weekend! (Mondays and Tuesdays are my days off)

shanti >> sondra

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Find Where >> You Belong

Happy Monday, everyone. How was your weekend? Did you get a look at the Harvest Moon? My weekend was good, although I spent much of it at work. Working at a theater requires working a lot of nights and weekends, unfortunately. It's really a shame, because other than having to work on the weekends, I am loving my new job. Besides working, I went to a dinner party on Friday night, went out with new co-workers on Saturday night, and saw a play last night.

I did not, however, take any photos to speak of of any of these activities. I thought I'd share a few peeks of my favorite nooks in our new apartment here in Seattle. I took a few photos one day when the house was all nice and clean...which it is not anymore.

After moving 10+ times in the last 11 years, what I have learned is that any space will feel like home if you surround yourself with lots of things you love. As soon as we get unpacked and settled in a place, it always looks looks and feels like home. It's just like a, stuff re-mix, you know?

So, here's what our stuff is currently looking like.

This is my absolute favorite place in our new home. This is our front window, immediately to the left as you come in the front door. The window is bright and sunny, and has a view of a really cool pine tree right out of it. It's a great place to curl up with a book and a cup of tea. Or, just sack out all day everyday if you're one of our cats. They're pretty into this spot, too, as you can see. My yoga stuff is stored here as well, under the chair and in the basket under the table. The floor right here is just the right size to roll out my mat and practice, or to sit and meditate.

This is the corner directly facing the front window. We decided to set up our space a little unconventionally. Half of the living room are these sitting areas, and the other half is our computer and desk, with a loveseat facing it. This is partly because the layout of the living room was a little awkward, and partly becuase it makes sense for the way we use our home the most. We spend a lot of time on the computer, both using it and also watching things on it, so it works for us. We chose not to have a large space for entertaining a bunch of people, because honestly, we don't often have more than two people over at a time. Why set your house up to entertain and then barely use that space?

We opted instead to set up our smaller second bedroom as our "living room." We call it the den, though, short for "opium den." Haha, not because there is any opium doing going on, but because that was how I envisioned the room when I conceived of it. I wanted it to be nest-like, and full of pillows and comfort. We bought this this day bed from Ikea, which has storage underneath and pulls out into a full sized bed for guests. It's a pretty sweet piece of multi-tasking furniture. Plus, it's not upholstered so the cats can't scratch it up. Bonus. I threw a peach silk scarf over the lamp in there, so that the light is all soft and pink at night. So cozy! Our TV is set up in there, although we do not have it hooked up for actual TV. We stream Netflix to it, or watch movies via USB.

This is a small peek at my favorite places in our current home. All of the stuff you see here has been thrifted, gifted, or otherwise obtained on the cheap from places like Ikea and Target. If you have any questions about the origin of something, let me know!
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In somewhat related news, I have been feeling really grounded lately. I'm not sure what it is, but after all the stress from moving wore off, I just fell right into living here in Washington. We have been here one month exactly, today. It just feels like home, so quickly, which was not at all what happened when we moved to California. The quality of the light, the crispness of the Fall air, the sun glinting off Green Lake; it all seems just right. I am trying to stay in the moment and not over think it too much. :) I'll be back later today with my photos of the day from the last few days.

shanti >> sondra

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