Meet Leo

I love this cat. He's adorable! Just look at that fur! I call him feral cat because he'll perch himself in the tree and harass squirrels. It's one of the most hilarious things I've seen.

But man, is this cat sweet. His fur is so incredibly soft, and he'll let you cuddle him. Sometimes when I'm giving him pets he nudges my nose with his. If I'm doing a seated meditation he'll rub his body against my open, resting palm. And the other night I was in dolphin pose and he thought it would be fun to "go under the bridge" and then he got annoyed when I came out of the pose. I've never seen a cat enjoy yoga as much as he does.

He's constantly doing unbearably cute things. Like when he falls asleep under the desk in my room.

Thoughtful Thursday [wk.2]

"I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself,

than be crowded on a velvet cushion."

-Henry David Thoreau

Well here's something I can relate to! I'm not sure where my socialization got screwed up, but it did and still is. I have a hard time with groups. I'd much rather keep gatherings small and intimate. For nearly as long as I can remember groups of people make me a little anxious and uncomfortable. Maybe I feel too much pressure to "contribute" and say the right things at all the right times. And if I don't feel that way, I start to feel like the walls are closing in... But the fact is that I would much rather keep my space and spend time outside, with or without people. And sitting on a pumpkin all to myself sounds much like how I'd like all of my social experiences to unfold.  Plus, I love the autumn season and I love pumpkins. But don't worry, I'm not completely anti-social. I'm really working on re-socializing myself, I promise!

bargain of the day

Source

I snagged this up on sale for $10 today. Over 500 pages of craft inspiration and tutorials. I. am. so. excited!!!

Thoughtful Thursday [wk.1]

I love quotes; they're so inspiring to me. I've tried integrating quotes into my yoga blog, but, as usual, I tried to tackle too many all at once. That just lead to confusion and... what was I talking about? Now I've decided to take a slow approach and muse on a single quotation every week.
Thus, the birth of Thoughtful Thursday. I'll share where I found my inspiring tidbit, why it's inspiring to me, and how I'll integrate its message into my life.

And today's quote is:

"Who, being loved, is poor?"
-Oscar Wilde

Simply put: when you have love, you have everything! It's easy to be distracted by the demands of life, but that doesn't mean we can't find comfort in the love our friends and family offer us. Love is a very powerful thing. It's important to never lose sight of that. I'm lucky enough to be surrounded by my family at this time, and I'm absolutely relishing the love and fun times we're able to share! In fact, we're on our way to the library right now. That's a double dose of love!

the simple things make you feel alive

I'm not used to completing so many of my tasks quickly [see here for my change of habits], so I have lots of time to relax and do what makes me happy. Here are some simple pleasures I'm enjoying today:

*delicious orange spice tea

*a hot bath infused with tea tree and lavender oil [my skin is so soft!]

*the leaves rustling in the wind

*gallopinto with eggs and avocado for breakfast

*reading a good book next to the window

*a bike ride around the river with my brother

*sleepy kitties

cold toes

Today is beautiful. The sun is warm and the air is fresh and crisp.

My good friend was on vacation for a little while and today we met at the coffeehouse I used to work at. She brought me back some really pretty sea shells and coral that I might try to work into a painting or a picture frame, or something. They're so cute that I have to create something pretty with them! I also saw my old boss today, and that was nice. She's such a nice lady and I'm glad her coffeehouse is still successful. I think they have the biggest assortment of teas in the city and I'm very, very grateful for that.

So, readjusting is taking some time. I'm mostly settled into my new room, I've been spending a lot of time with my family, and I hang out with my friend whenever our schedules match up. But it is really nice to be in a place where I feel comfortable. The air is different here; it's not dirty or stinky, it feels fresh and clean against my skin. I know this transition is probably going to last for a while, but the beautiful season helps cushion it. It was great to sip a warm drink and catch up with my friend while feeling the cool air. It's so reassuring to me. Although I don't know what's going to happen next, or even where I'll be in a few months, it's nice to know that right now I can relax and enjoy my time, with no pressure to do anything.

Coconut oil

Source

Ayurvedic medicine loves coconut oil. It's one of the most important oils in this ancient science (sesame oil might take first place, though). Coconut oil is known to speed up skin regeneration after wounds and helps prevent sagging skin and wrinkles. Here is some of the science behind it. It's really very interesting to see how our body uses the lauric acid found in coconut oil to prevent diseases.

It's also excellent for hair, making it shiny and adding necessary proteins. It even helps prevent hair loss! I have yet to try it on my hair (treatment post coming soon) but I did trade in my sesame oil for coconut oil as a skin moisturizer for a few weeks. I must admit, I wasn't thrilled with the direct application on my skin. It felt wonderfully silky going on my face, but I noticed that my complexion was a bit red and it didn't help my blemishes at all. I know of people that adore coconut oil for their skin, but sesame oil works better for me. I think it's because my dosha is primarily Vata, and sesame oil is the most calming to that airy element (to find your dosha, take the quiz). Coconut oil is known to help balance Vata and Pitta doshas, but I think for me it's best to stick to ingesting it instead of direct application.

What have your experiences with coconut oil been like? Do you prefer a direct application or ingesting it?

marmalade

 Last week my family and I picked a bunch of plums from the tree outside. Today Laci and I made plum jelly. I think we cut something like 230 plums today and used half for jelly making and froze the other half to use in smoothies over the winter. We're pretty new at canning and making our own treats, but it's so much fun and so rewarding. 

Drizzly goodness

Isn't that color gorgeous? I can't wait to try my hand at more homemade goodies!

Fall(ing) Apples

On Friday my sister-in-law and I took her kids to a family owned apple orchard just outside of town. I've never been to an orchard before, let alone had the opportunity to wander between the rows collecting ripe fruit. I think it's one of my new favorite things.

Honey crisp apples: delicious!

She found a lady bug

More apples than we can carry!

I love being out in nature. It's fun with small kids, too, because they get so excited and stare in awe at what nature gives us. It was so fun to hang out with my nephews and niece, see them get excited over fruit (of all things!) and answer questions about how the fruit forms.

Being out in middle of that orchard made me want an apple tree. I couldn't believe how many apples grow on a single branch, hundreds to a single tree. It truly is an inspiring and humbling sight.

The apples ripen faster than they can be picked. It was so surreal to walk a path that was sprinkled with apples underfoot as well as overhead!

Absolutely stunning

The reason we went in the first place was because we could get a bushel of apples for literally a fraction of the price than you can find at the grocery store. My sister-in-law and I have been on a canning kick lately and we wanted to make apple butter and apple sauce. The opportunity was too good to miss!

After everything was said and done we spent $8. Our final prize: A trunk-full of apples!

Score!

Catch the Sunrise

The sun is gonna save me

Put a little love into my lonely soul

The Earth is beautiful. Sometimes I get irritated with myself that I don't take the time to enjoy the awesome opportunities I have to experience raw, true beauty.

I decided that one of the last things I had to do before leaving Florida was watch the sun rise. I drove out to the east coast with my close friend, and together we dug into the cool sand and waited for the sun to peak above the horizon. I was lucky this day. The last time I tried to watch the sun rise it was too cloudy to see it progress across the sky. Other times, if there are no clouds, the sun can be glaring and overwhelmingly bright. But this day, this day was perfect. The clouds danced with the sun and waves in a way I haven't experienced often.

It's hard to find words to express the joy and peace I felt watching the sun come up that morning. It's funny, too, because my favorite time to swim in the ocean is in the early morning, before the sun heats up the water and sand; I love that chill! That's also the best time to catch the crabs digging out their holes! I don't know, I guess the beach just feels more genuine early in the morning.

*All images are copywrited by Clarissa OM. Please do not use or copy without permission.

Guess what...

It snowed about 8 inches yesterday in eastern Idaho. It's still on the ground today. But how funky do the green leaves look with a bunch of snow!? I'd say the seasons are confused.

It's definitely time for me to invest in some warm boots for the winter because I don't want to be stuck indoors, or have cold wet feet. Having wet feet is the worst feeling!

Abby

She makes me happier than I've been in a few months.

She doesn't care if I'm doing research;

she nudges her way onto my tummy

and encourages me to take a much needed break.

Years ago she would nap with me.

It's like time doesn't matter to her.

She doesn't mind that I've been away for a while.

She cuddles me as if I've always been near her,

as if I never left.

Time doesn't matter to her.

She still naps with me.