Snip, Snip...Snow! ~ by Nancy poydar

A very well thought, expressive, realistic and colorfully illustrated book.
With no snow in forecast and all the winter fun on hold this book makes a beautiful read with all its sighs and squeals!!

Colormehappyworkshop!

I am in you as you, you are in me as me~ A beautiful poem by Sri Sri!

Words are too small to convey the truth,
Yet they can trigger the flames of wisdom,
Shower comfort on the intense longing,
Raise cheers of joy and make you know
I treasure your love for me.

Like god his creation,
The root its trunk,
Unknown, unheard, unseen,
In the silent chamber of heart
I am in you as you,
You are in me as me!

Beautifully written by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Find your happiness at www.artofliving.org

I promise~A beautiful poem by Sri Sri!

If I had to promise you something, what would it be?
I can’t promise that you would always be comfortable…Because comfort brings boredom and discomfort.
I can’t promise that all your desires will be fulfilled…Because desires whether fulfilled or unfulfilled bring frustration.
I can’t promise that there will always be good times…Because it is the tough times that make us appreciate joy.
I can’t promise that we will be rich or famous or powerful…Because they can all be pathways to misery.
I can’t promise that we will always be together…Because it is separation that makes togetherness so wonderful.
Yet if you are willing to walk with me, if you are willing to value love over everything else
I promise that this will be the most rich and fulfilling life possible.

I promise your life will be an eternal celebration,

I promise you I will cherish you more than a king cherishes his crown,

And I shall love you more than a mother loves her newborn.
If you are willing to walk into my arms,

If you are willing to live in my heart,

You will find the one you have waited forever….

You will meet yourself in my arms…

I promise.

Poem written by H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Find your happiness at www.artofliving.org

For the last 31 days of year I plan to~

Organize myself, my thoughts, my belongings and my mind.

Declutter life physically, mentally and emotionally!

My mantra ~

Own less ~ live more:) ❤️ 
Those activities which you have to do, do them and rest...
Those activities which you don't need to do, leave them and rest!!

Clay Ganesha ~ had a super fun workshop using crayola air dry white clay and beads (Rakhi's recycled)!!

Eggless chocolate/chocolate chip cookies

What you will need

•1 1/3 Cup organic whole wheat/all purpose flour 
•1/2 Cup organic chocolate chips (Sun spire 65% cacao)
•1/2 Tsp organic vanilla extract (optional)
•1/2 Cup organic sweet cream butter melted at room temperature (we leave the butter out overnight)
•Pinch of salt (Skip if you are using salted butter)
•4 Tbsp organic milk
•1/3 Cup organic coconut palm sugar
•2 Tbsp organic cocoa (add for 'chocolate' choco chip cookies only)
•1/2 Tsp pure baking soda
•Pizza stone or cookie sheet

 Here is how to..

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
2. In a large bowl whisk well dry ingredients (add cocoa for chocolate cookies only) 
3. Whisk together butter, milk and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy
4. Mix wet and dry ingredients and knead well. 
5. Pinch off tablespoon-size pieces of the dough, press them gently and place them on pizza stone.
6. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes or till they are golden brown. Remove from oven n cool on a rack.
7. Enjoy!!

Eggless/vegan chocolate cake!!

What you will need

• 2 Cups organic whole wheat pastry flour (Bob's Red Mill organic pastry flour) 
• 2 Cups organic coconut palm sugar (Madhava organic coconut sugar)
• 2 Tsp pure baking soda ( Bobs Red Mill pure baking soda)
• 1/2 Tsp freshly grounded organic cardamom ( Frontier organic cardamom)
• 1 Tsp salt (real sea salt)
• 6 Tbsp organic non alkaline cocoa powder(Ahlaska organic baker's cocoa)
• 2 Cups water
• 2 Tsp organic vanilla (Frontier organic vanilla)
• 1 Tsp Fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 10 Tbsp organic canola oil (Spectrum organic canola oil)
• 1 Cup organic walnuts ( 1/2 cup to mix in batter, 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat pan with oil and flour. Add an extra bowl of water to oven to keep cake moist.
2. In a large bowl mix dry ingredients and whisk well.

3. In a separate bowl mix well wet ingredients.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix them together with 1/2 cup nuts

5. Pour batter in pan and sprinkle with leftover nuts.

6. Bake for 35-40 minutes
7. Cool in pan for 15 minutes
8. Loosen edges, and turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Vasistha's Yoga ~ An ultimate masterpiece for the spiritual seekers!

This world-appearance is a confusion: even as the blueness of the sky is an optical illusion. I think it is better not to let the mind dwell on it, but to ignore it. (1.3.2)

Yatah Sarvani bhutani pratibhanti sthitani ca
Yatrai ‘vo  'pasamam yanti tasmai satyatmane namaha. (1)

Salutations to that reality in which all the elements, and all the animate and inanimate beings shine as if they have an independent existence, and in which they exist for a time and into which they merge.

Jnata jnanam tatha jneyam drasta darsana drsyabuh Karta hetuh kriya yasmat tasmai jnaptyatmane namaha. (2)

Salutations to that consciousness which is the source of apparently distinct threefold divisions of 
knower, knowledge and known.
Seer, sight and seen.
Doer, doing and deed.

Sphuranti sikara yasmad anandasysa ‘mbare ‘vanau 
Sarvesam jivanam tasmai brahmanandatmane namaha.(3)

Salutations to that bliss absolute (the ocean of bliss) which is the life of all beings whose happiness and unfoldment is derived from the shower of spray from that ocean of bliss.

Have a colorful day:)

"LOVE" by Alexandr Milov ~ One of the most powerful art pieces!

The sculpture of two adults after a disagreement with their back to each other. Yet the inner child in both of them simply wants to connect and love the other. Age has taught us much, but what we all can live without is Ego, Pride, Vanity and Grudges that prevent us from forgiving and moving ahead. The free spirit exhibited by children IS OUR TRUE NATURE!

Slow down!! "There is more to life than increasing its speed!" ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Food for thought!

Mantra of peace!

OM!
Asato ma sadgamaya!
Tamso ma jyotirgamaya!
Mrtyorma amrtam gamaya!
Om shanti, shanti, shanti!

OM
Lead me from unreal to the real.
Lead me from darkness to the light.
Lead me from death to immortality.
Let there be peace, peace and peace!

:) findyourhappiness at www.artofliving.org

Aap saab ko Diwali ki bahut bahut shubh kamnaye!

May this Diwali fills your life with loads of happiness, light and love:)
Sharing a note by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar explaining the meaning of Diwali
Have a colorful n joyful day!!

Dream catcher - Colorful world of stories!

Featured in Times-Republican

Being a mother of two lovely daughters is one of the best things ever happened to me in my life. Their colorful and joyful stories, silly grins and giggles, fill my days with so much love and happiness.

I see them cracking silly jokes and laughing till their tummies hurt and wonder why and when in life we grow up and stop living like a child? We get stuck on things and cannot let go, we forget to forgive and start worrying too much. Why does growing up really needs leaving our innocent, beautiful heart and world behind. Even the jokes should make perfect sense:((

Dream Catcher is a joyful artwork from my daughter’s colorful world of stories! I feel blessed that I get to experience through my daughters what I left far behind in the life and even forgot how it felt.... to be a child!

To create your own masterpiece, take mundane materials from your life, run them through your imagination and let your personality shine through your work following these simple steps.

• Choose a design

• Draw pattern with pencil

• Outline with markers

• Fill in with crayons

Revisit your lives through your art work... it's so much fun:)) Thanks for stopping by and have a colorful day!!

Duck on a bike - A book with prespective that teaches to have fun in what you do and don't worry about what others think! The last page is a favorite in my home:)

Starfish - A thoughtful art project!

Featured in Times-Republican

I am surrounded with friends and family who do not share the same passion of green and organic living as me. I tell you, it can be very difficult to be able to live your way as others are either trying to question your thinking or justifying their actions.


Often the question get raised, what can a single person do? Or what difference it will make?

It’s not an easy conversation especially when people have preconceived minds.

I feel so blessed that I am raising the kids who share my passion towards the happier and healthier world. Few days back my daughter got a lovely gift for me and she told me” mommy thanks for making us the throwers of starfish”. I wondered what it meant.

When I opened the gift, it was a beautiful story titled ‘Starfish’.

I got so touched with the story. It’s a beautiful read so I thought of sharing with you all.

A man saw a boy throwing starfish into the ocean, he asked the boy why he was doing this and the boy said, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

The man looked at the miles and miles of beach and saw starfish everywhere. “You just saved one starfish. You can never save them all. What difference will it make?”

The boy picked up another starfish and threw it in. He smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one.”

As we become throwers of starfish, we too have the power to change the world!

This month’s art project is also inspired by this story.

For this project what you will need

• Cardstock
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue
• Paints or markers
• Paintbrush

Draw starfish on cardstock. Cut using scissors. Dip paintbrush in paints and dab it gently on the paper for polka dot impressions. Write the story or print for the base. When dry, stick starfishes using glue to the base.

Be colorful, joyful and the change you wish to see in the world!

You are what you think!

Pic from- The Resonance Project

If you think you are free...
you are free!
If you think you are bound...
you are bound!!

Your happiness is not lying somewhere outside, Its all in your mind and how you think.
Give yourself the freedom to live, love n laugh!
Change your thoughts and you change your world!

Thanks giving art and craft idea for large group of kids - Each child decorates their own feather!

Q-tip Skeleton - Happy Halloween!

Fall Fun - Fishes using dried leaves!