Pouf anyone?

If you haven't noticed, the Pouf is all the rage in decor these days. Everyone is selling them. I found some cool Poufs below. They seem to be great as room fillers to provide a bit of extra seating and lounging. 

They're seemingly cheap and come in tons of fun colors. Here are my favs. CB2 sells one cheap but these come from Serena and Lily. The lime one is delicious. 

Go ahead, pouf your house, I dare you.

Veganism: Can a busy mom really do it?

So the foodie news: I've decided to try a gluten vegan diet. I've been bouncing around between diets for a long time, some work well, but are hard to stick too, some work for a few weeks and then stop working. I don't mean weight loss by the way, I mean health improvement, better energy etc. So maybe this is my diet of the month, but after reading Eating Animals this past week I can't turn back.  Brutal book. A good friend of mine said no one is the same after reading this book. She's right. If I eat meat now it will be from the farm down the road, where I can see the animals and their happy existence before their time comes. That said, I've had a hard time digesting meat anyway since I had my daughter, so I thought why not really try the vegan thing? Here's why -  the hurdle is very simple - it means thinking about menus, planning ahead and cooking more. For a busy mom who doesn't like to overdo the time I spend in the kitchen, this is my challenge. The other hard part is getting the protein in, and feeling full. Which is why I'm not making any promises here. I feel very inspired but then again, I know it's going to be hard, and I may crack. Wish me luck.

The first great blog I came across, by Gluten Free Hippie, I found a beautiful picture of hummus and a good recipe I will try this week. Maybe tomorrow. Check it out..doesn't this look delicious...blogs and books and recipe and photos like this one will inspire me....I'll let you know how it goes.

Here's the recipe from GFHippie's blog:


3 cups chickpeas, cooked and deskinned (yes she really means it, I think she's onto something, maybe they're easier to digest this way!)
4 Tb. very thick tahini
1/4 water
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil (add less oil and more water if you're cutting fat)
3 Tb. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt, to taste
1/2 tsp. Hungarian paprika
2 cloves roasted garlic
pinch of white pepper

In the food processor, add everything but the olive oil. Blend until mostly smooth, and then drizzle the oil in an even stream until everything is creamy. Garnish with olive oil, paprika, and some salted, dried olives.

Have a great day!

A sweet photo to kick off the week that I found on one of my favorite food blogs. 

This photo reminds me of a warm summer day, and the sweet smell of a newborn baby...love it..

Credit: Charlotte Speaks

Easing into Holiday Mode

The beginning of my "gift giving" posts. I avoided black friday and stayed in. Boring I know, but I really dislike crowds and find online shopping so much more relaxing, and way easier. 

These clogs are really fun. I saw these in the city and looked them up to see where I could get them online. Here you go. Perfect if you want the comfortable clog fit but also want to de-fromp it a bit. Gold is in. And these are unique. The best price I found was at Shoe Buy.

How about it? Think you can get away with these?

A Grateful Heart

The title reads: This book is full of daily blessings for the evening meal from Buddha to the Beatles. 

I bring this book out every Thanksgiving and choose a new blessing every year. Below is the blessing I chose today. Happy Thanksgiving!

Now every living thing, young or old, 

weak or strong, living near or far, 

known or unknown, living or 

departed or yet unborn, 

may every living thing be full of bliss.

Buddha Blessing

Thoughts of the day

- First, I love the bedroom as seen above. This is my inspired color palette - tan, beige, soft pink, voilet in a delicate combo. I will hunt this wallpaper down and I will buy it, and I will use it! Second, I am a huge fan of color coding books. I did this on one book self, and tried to do it to our stacks and stacks of children's book (didn't last long) because I think it's a fab look. You will understand soon enough, I LOVE ORDER. I plucked the above photo from Lonny Magazine, btw, have you seen it? A fabulous online style magazine.

Coming soon attractions -  How much do you love sugar? And, a great Thanksgiving Book Review...

Book Review: Everyday blessings. The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting

This is an amazing book. Period.

Someone gave me this book when my son was first born, and I have to say this book has been monumental for me in offering insight and just basic common sense in how to parent. To me, it's been like a very wise relative you can call when you just don't know what your going to do and you feel like your kids are going to literally going to crack you. It's saved me. It shifts me immediately into my better self, a calm, rational, wiser self that can see a situation for what it is and the possible underlying causes, instead of always being in "reacting" mode, or "stressed mom" mode. Here's a quote:

"Becoming a parent may happen on purpose or by accident, but how it comes about, parenting itself is a calling. It calls us to recreate our world every day, to meet it freshly in every moment. Such a calling is in actuality nothing less than a rigorous spiritual discipline - a quest to realize our truest, deepest nature as a human being. The very fact that we are a parent is continually asking us to find and express what is most nourishing, most loving, most wise and caring in ourselves, to be, as much as we can, our best selves."

It's a great gift to yourself or a new mom. This will be by my bedside for sure this holiday season.

Child Artwork Collages

Just saw this on Gwyneth Paltrow's blog I'll confess, but it's so great. I wondering how long I should wait until I either contact the artist to get a quote or start thinking about how I can do this myself. Because don't all moms have mounds and mounds of artwork from our kids? And I can't bring myself to part with any of it but at the same time I don't like the clutter it creates. 

The woman who creates these prints, Jan Eleni, is a Brooklyn based interior designer who specializes in children's rooms, all of her designs are spirited and fun, exactly right for a child's room. Here are a few photos pulled from her portfolio that I favor. See more at

Another inspiring tidbit: Here's a great quote from Jan Eleni I found from an interview she did with Decor8.  "At the moment I think we are experiencing design overload – every where you turn – there is an ultra-designed home or a product more outrageous than the last. I think so much of it is silly. Too contrived. You can start to lose perspective on what is good design." I could not agree more! Well said Jan!

My all time favorite nail polish

Run, don't walk, to pick up some of this polish. I used to never wear nail polish. Color never looked good on my yellowish olive skin tone, and I tend to be manic about chemicals in products, and then a friend of mine in the beauty industry gave me some Butter....I've been a polish wearer every since. Somehow their colors are mixed just right and the tone is just right. I don't know how they do it, but finally, my nails look good with color.

The colors are unique and rich, the polish goes on thick, and best of all it's "3 Free", meaning the polish contains NO formaldehyde, NO toluene, NO DBP.

Go to www.ButterLondon.com to buy a bottle or to see their latest and greatest portfolio of colors.

Cy Twombly Exhibit

I was so excited to post about this artist, Cy Twombly, when I learned online this morning, the Portland Art Museum was going to showcase his work February - May 2010 and since Portland ME is only a short ride from where I live, how exciting! His work is amazing. At first pass, some of it looks like something you'd see on the walls of a preschool, but actually, it's the real deal - modern, beautiful and very thoughtful. 

The downside of this post is that his work will not be featured in Portland, ME, but in Portland OR - www.portlandartmuseum.org. But I decided to write about his work anyway and show you a few pieces because I think it's inspiring, and who knows, maybe Portland OR is nearby for you! Wouldn't you just love one of these pieces hanging in your house?

Lepanto, 2001

The Castle, 1958

To see more of Cy Twombly's artwork see www.cytwombly.info, or visit the Gagosian Gallery at www.gagosian.com

Souen, NYC. A Macrobiotic meal. Broccoli Tofu, Mu Tea anyone?

My first post of a few on our trip to NYC last week. How I miss it so. I took my family back to my favorite macrobiotic restaurant located in SOHO. www.souen.net I used to eat there by myself when I lived in NYC because I was really one of two people I know who like or would really desire to eat Macrobiotic. Not my normal diet - too many grains - but really good food too. Here is a sampling of what you might expect at a Macrobiotic restaurant: maze salmon, gluten free cornbread, vegetable curry, bean soup, steamed greens, and healthy dessert goodies such as sugar, gluten and dairy free parfaits, scones and muffins and tofu cheesecake. Really good food. Once I was in NYC by myself, I ate a basic lunch at Souen and the meal not only fueled me for an entire day of walking the streets of NYC, but kept me full until a very late dinner 10 hours later.

It's all about Yin Foods and Yang Foods (which fascinates me), and the idea that we should eat balanced food, local and unprocessed, that's easy to digest, and it should taste good. Ofcourse, I think we would all agree with that as the desired diet, but what is also means is that you basically do the following:

• Make well-chewed whole grains (such as brown rice) 25 percent of your daily dietary intake.
• Vegetables should be 30-40 percent of your daily dietary intake.
• Beans and legumes should be five to 10 percent of your daily dietary intake.
• Bean and/or miso soups should be approximately five percent of your daily dietary intake.
• The remaining intake should be composed of fish, nuts, seeds and fruits.
• Nightshade vegetables (such as potatoes, peppers and tomatoes) should be avoided.
• Avoid stimulating foods (such as hot spices, tropical fruits, sugar and caffeine) and dense foods that create stagnation (such as dairy, poultry, meat, eggs and salt.) Instead, eat foods that promote balance such as whole grains, beans, fruits and nuts.
• Don't eat dairy, meat or poultry. These foods are avoided on macrobiotic diets.
• Avoid coffee, tea and soda. Teas made with roasted grains or dandelion greens are acceptable.
• All cooking and drinking water must be purified.
• Select only organic produce.
• Use only fresh fruits and vegetables. Avoid canned and frozen produce.
• Avoid use of the microwave to prepare your food.
• Avoid intake of all animal products except for fish.

Yikes, a tad strict for me, but I admire those who can stick to it. It's truly a very healthy diet for most people. What about any of you, who may be reading this post one day - seem appealing?

So there you have it foodie readers. Check it out next time you're in NYC. I do recommend! This btw, will be one of my many posts about food and diet. An obsession of mine.

Fabulous Storage Containers!

I've been waiting to get this blog up and running so I can post about these fabulous bins! Finally, fun colorful storage containers by www.serenaandlily.com. These pretty bins come in several colors as seen below and seem to me to be perfect for toys, laundry, linens! I love baskets, and these are just the right shape with a little spunk added in. 

Blue/Green

Pink, my fav

Blue