the eagle

This picture makes me realize a number of things about myself. A few of them I will share here:

a] my head is bigger than previously thought. it is way too big for my body. maybe that's why I have so many headaches? that is massive.

b] I have a lot of hair.

c] not only am I skinny, but also gangly. I thought I grew out of that.

d] I love doing the eagle. wanna try it? instructions here.

This picture was in the Metro today about the Power of Movement. Cool!

the power of movement

Today was the day! I've just returned from my yoga challenge,The Power of Movement, and I am energized, revitalized, positive and feeling all around fantastic. I have much to say so I thought a post was in order. I also want to remember what this feeling feels like... so that if, in two weeks I'm feeling not so upbeat due to a] work, b] winter, c] jerks at the grocery store, d] anything else life may throw our way,  I can return here and think... pull yourself together.

So. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who donated to sponsor me. You all really blew me away and your generosity, kind thoughts [and words] and involvement have all helped me to shift my perspective and remind me how great it is to be involved in something. I love yoga. Yoga has helped me become who I am suppose to be, it's my balance, it keeps my body and mind moving, it connects me to myself and the earth around me. It challenges me, it inspires me, and it makes me feel really good. So to be able to do that for an hour and also contribute something to a greater cause today felt exponentially good. AND... can you believe that I was the top fundraiser in our group for Halifax?? hell ya! You all donated $310 and I was the top fundraiser in the group! I was shocked. I 'won' a container of granola and a one hour massage! THANK YOU!

Part of yoga is about being grateful. Honouring yourself and honouring those around you. And for me, honouring something involves being grateful for it. So on my drive home I thought about all that I was grateful for, and reminded myself to continue to express gratitude to the people around me. To spread gratitude and to share positive words and thoughts. Because I have much to be grateful for. We all do. A year ago, many of you helped me raise money to help a family in need at our centre. And through your generosity I was able to buy seven pairs of shoes for seven children, and give their mother gift certificates to buy food for her family. It felt amazing. This year, all of you helped me reach my fundraising goal in 24 hours, and then surpass it by $210. Outstanding. Thank you. YOUR generosity and support gives me faith, gives me strength and motivates me to do more, to take on more, to connect more, to become involved more. More more more. I need more. I don't know what my next goal will be, I have big thoughts, but thank you for helping me realize that this is something that not only can I do, but I think I can do it well, and I think I have much to offer. That's pretty big for me.

Thanks. Danke. Grazi. Merci. Gracias.


Have a great Sunday.


All the love in the universe, Jillian.

Here is my granola. Doesn't it look yummy? Looking forward to it tomorrow morning.

Vrksasana [Tree pose] on the Dartmouth waterfront. Halifax, you look gorgeous. The sun came out late this afternoon so we went for a walk. And then got cappucinos. 

welcome!

Hi friends!


Welcome to my new blog. I've decided to switch from Wordpress to Blogger, so you can find me here now, thanks for reading! I didn't realize that blogger had been bought by Google... so you know what that means. It's awesome! A few things will change, but most will stay the same. Hope you like it!


xo Jill.

did you know?

Deep thoughts for a rainy Friday. Enjoy!

re[fresh]

I made something amazing this week. When in Toronto over Christmas this year, I bought a new cookbook. I love cookbooks. This one is from the restaurants in Toronto, called Refresh. Full of vegan/vegetarian goodness. I've been sick for what seems like forever [strep, chest infection, flu ... why all of them? why?] and have been overloading on my fruits & veggies. Which brings me to my point :

peanut sauce!

homemade peanut sauce. I'm shocked I've gone 32 years without having it regularly in my life. I love it, I love it, I love it. I've been racking my brain to think of any and all foods I can dip in peanut sauce. So I'm going to share the recipe with you because it's so damn good, I'm not sure how the people over at refresh would feel about me posting one of their recipes, but I also highly recommend buying the book because the recipes are really really yummy. Here it is ::

Thai Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

+ fresh garlic, minced

+ fresh piece of ginger root, minced

+ 1.5 cups of natural smooth peanut butter [this is important, ONLY use natural peanut butter, not jiffy or skippy or kraft]

+ 3/4 cup lemon juice

+ 5 tbsp tamari

+ 2 tbsp paprika [I didn't have paprika, so instead I used crushed chili flakes and loved the spiciness]

+ 2 cups vegetable stock

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
2. Heat gently for 10 minutes, stirring often. Serve hot.
[be careful re-heating, it burns really easily. 30 seconds in the microwave was too long]


Easy, right?



The last of my peanut sauce. Consumed tonight with a broccoli, carrot, and asparagus stir-fry and brown rice. Yum. Also, it can last in the fridge for up to a week. Happy eating!

february

EF - Live The Language - Paris from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.


EF - Live The Language - London from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

I just adore these videos, particularly Paris. That typography! gah! They are gorgeous. I'd like to see one on Amsterdam, that would be dreamy. Maybe I'll send a suggestion along. Because I think these are great. And now I want to have fish & chips and macaroons for dinner. mmmm....

v-day

I don't particularly like the group Cake. But my husband loves them and has tried, for many years, to convert me. So today, on this most holiest of days, this one is for you my love. Here is some Cake with what looks like Kitchen Nightmares, also one of your favourites. Happy Valentines Day, husband.

yoga challenge

Check out this great little video from the Power of Movement. And did I tell you how much money everyone helped me raise? My goal was $200 and in just a few days I've reached $290! Wowza. Facebook sincerely couldn't make it any easier, thank you Facebook. And thank you family & friends.

blargh.

I stumbled upon yet another blog... I think I read an un-natural number of them, but that's okay, isn't it? Yes, I think it is. Anyway, this womans words resonnated with me today, AND, she lives in Brussels. I can definitely relate and enjoy her stories. But she wrote,  'focusing on my dreams and ditching the dull stuff'. Yes please. The reminder that you are not the only one is oh so liberating. I don't know why, but it helps to propel forward, doesn't it?

So, trying to make sense of it all today. This helps, don't you think?  Spotted on Design Sponge.

Focus on the good [because there is plenty] not the crap [unfortuantely, also lots of that too].

monday.

I feel a tad bit overwhelmed these days. I want to open my own child care centre, but I don't quite know where to start. And there are so many places to start that I feel stuck ... maybe even apathetic. So I need to get myself organized and kick my butt into gear. My biggest obstacle [in my mind anyway]  is space. I feel really discouraged or worried or stressed that I won't find the right space. I've found lots of places that I'd love to be. But I need outside space for a playground. That makes things tricky. Or maybe I'll start looking too early, I'll find it, but I won't be ready to move on it. Destructive thinking? yes. But I really don't know how to start. So I may use my space here to get a bit organized. First things first: I have a name. Big check. I have so many ideas in my head of how I want it to look, feel, operate... so I should write these down. I need a mission statement, I need policies and procedures. I need lots of stuff. I need a plan.

Have you heard of Waldorf schools? I'm a big fan of them. I"m kind of shying away from branding my centre as following one strict philosophy, I don't typically adhere to that. But I do like to draw from different theories, and Waldorf is right up my ally.  Read about it right here. Interesting stuff.

What I can tell you is that my centre is going to be beautiful. It will be filled with natural materials, light, beautiful art and simple furnishings. There will be little to zero plastic. There will [hopefully] be a small vegetable garden, or at the very least herb garden planted in an outside garden that the children will have access to and be a part of. Mindful and healthy eating habits will be incorporated into our philosophy. Children will learn about what they are eating, why they are eating it, and where it came from. There will be beautiful music all the time! We will explore outside, every day. We will go for walks and know our neighbours. Children will have time to explore, imagine and create every day. Every day.

Okay. Well that feels a bit better. Helps to put my mind back in the right space.

And on another note... here are some drawings from the classroom that I used to teach in. The kids are phenomenal. I love that classroom so much. Right now I'm helping to organize a few conferences/workshops that we'll be hosting in the spring [I'm presenting! exciting!]. And we are using some of the children's artwork... here is a sample. These are all 'human bodies'. The title of the project that we'll be presenting is, "It's not a Skeleton. It's a human body". There was much exploration in the preschool room about our bodies, how they work, what they look like. Really great conversations and art work came out of it.



Can  you handles these? Because I can't.

kate spade.

A lovely [beautiful really] little video that is timely in it's anti-Valentine-ness [or actually, maybe it captures the Valentine experience perfectly, what do you think?]. In my mind, the only thing worse than Valentine's day is the Easter Bunny. And I despise the Easter Bunny.

And how about Kate Spade? It's true love, I tell ya.