peace{FULL} living from Zen Baby!

Il Bel Far Niente!

 

I just saw the movie, Eat Pray Love, this weekend. I read the book in my book club when it first came out- and loved it...felt it...connected with it. Of course, I was both excited and a little hesitant about seeing the movie - would it live up to my experience of reading the book? I did end up enjoying it very much. I loved seeing the landscapes come to life in Rome, India, and Bali...and I did think Julia Roberts did a nice job of capturing the feel and essence of Elizabeth Gilbert without trying too hard to 'be' her. But I especially enjoyed the movie because it reminded me of how much I loved the book,(which I think I'm going to reread)! The book has so many wonderful quotes- some of which made it into the film. The one I was left thinking about was the Italian expression, "Il bel far niente!"- the beauty of doing nothing.

Elizabeth Gilbert writes in the book, "This is the goal of all your work, the final accomplishment for which you are most highly congratulated. The more exquisitely and delightfully you can do nothing, the higher your life's achievement." (pg.61)

The beauty of doing nothing...just thinking about the phrase helps me slow down and pause with reflection. I immediately go to questioning whether that's something I've fully embraced in my life. And, 'no' is the answer. If anything, l've been a doer for as long as I can remember...go, go, go....do, do, do! And that certainly hasn't changed much since I've had kids. If anything, now, more than ever, I find myself with a to-do list of things that never get done, and weigh heavily on my mind. Sometimes, I feel, the  closest I get to doing nothing, is the paralysis I experience from the stress I have about everything I need (and want) to take care of! That being said, I try to balance all my 'doing' with just 'being'---being in the moment, pausing my mental to-do list, and taking a deep breath to center myself so I can be as present as possible in all that I am doing...But that's still not nothing!

There will never be a time when there is nothing to do--- the dishes and laundry alone, will keep us busy for the rest of our lives! But taking the stress off ourselves about doing so much all the time, making an effort to do less, slowing down and simplifying our lives, I do believe, will create the opportunity for us to experience Il bel far niente!. And this, I think, will bring joy and peace, not just to ourselves, but also to our families!

The Giving Tree!

I love Shel Silverstein's classic book, The Giving Tree! It's a sweet, sad, and haunting tale that touches on the gift of giving and the capacity to love openly and unconditionally!

At our house we have our own Giving Tree of sorts in our own backyard...it's our beautiful lemon tree! It's our Giving Tree, because that's exactly what it does...it gives us an abundance of lemons all year long. But this time of year in particular, it's branches are full of fruit! No matter how many lemons we pick, or how often we collect them, there still seems to be a tree full of lemons!

 

The photo above was taken sitting under our tree where I have a a rocking bench. One of my favorite places to relax in the backyard, watch the kids play, or take in the evening sunset.

We, of course, have been making delicious homemade lemonade, and I've been using lemon juice in all my salads, sauces and soups! We've also been making some delicious desserts! My favorite being a Raspberry Lemon Bar Pie!

Raspberry Lemon Bar Pie:

I used the Barefoot Contessa Lemon Bar recipe -but instead of making my own crust, I used a ready made pie crust. A bit of a cheat, but it's quick, easy and tastes great. Ina's recipe will make two pies. As a little something special, I added fresh raspberries on top! They look beautiful and transform this into a sophisticated dessert!

Unlike the book, we won't be cutting down our Giving Tree...but we do intend to love and nurture it, and hopefully, in return, it will continue to grow and give us it's beautiful fruit, bringing much joy and nourishment to our family!

(I'd love to hear some of your favorite recipes too!)

So Simple Sugar Scrub!

I used to love using Trader Joe's Tangerine Sugar Scrub...but I haven't been able to find it there for the longest time. This inspired me to consider making my own. After a little research, it became clear that that I could do this very easily and cost effectively! So, why not! Sugar scrubs are one of those items that seem quite luxurious, and can be quite pricey. (on a recent search, I found a tangerine scrub for $22 a tub on-line!). But within minutes you can make it at home with a few simple items in your kitchen - namely sugar and oil! And it's a fun project to do with the kids- plus they get to use it in their bath too! Sugar scrubs will leave your skin smooth, soft, and moisturized!

 

Basically it's about 1 cup sugar to 1/4-1/2 cup oil.

Sugar: I used the raw turbinado for it's coarseness. The finer the grain of sugar the more exfoliation it will have on the skin. Keep that in mind when choosing your sugar. Or mix it up with two kinds of sugar.

Oil: I used a combination of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and organic Coconut oil. Other oils to use are almond oil, jajoba oil, or grape-seed oil.

Essential Oil: add 8-10 drops. Or a combination of essential oils. I used grapefruit (balancing, refreshing, cheering properties) and geranium (stress relieving, balancing, detoxifying properties)! It smells so good- it's definitely a mini mood enhancer! Add 1/2 teaspoon of vitamin E oil for it's antioxidants and it's anti-inflammatory properties.

Mix all ingredients together in a jar/tub. I found this tub for 99c at the grocery store.

Some other yummy combinations:

Lavender essential oil / rose essential oil

Brown sugar/ tsp. vanilla extract

Peppermint / Tea tree oil for an energizing scrub

Lemon grass essential oil / add lemon zest ( I think that's what I'll try next - I have lemon grass and lemons in the backyard!)

~ Another idea would be to substitute the sugar with sea salt - or make a combination of the two! The possibilities are endless.

Have fun creating your own luxurious mix!