A Visit To The Photo Roll

Hi! Hasn't this Spring been lovely so far? I've been loving these chilly sweater days. The herb garden is loving it too...everything is green and full of life.

I haven't been as active here on NPLH the past couple of months. I have a big project underway that is taking up all of my time and brain space! The good news is that in the not so distant future I'll be ready to reveal my project to you. Until then, my posts may seem a little weak, but I do want to drop in and say hi every few days.

Today I decided I would just share some photos from my phone's camera; always a good way to see what someone has been up to lately!

I give you, A Visit To The Photo Roll...

I saved this poster of delightfully dark flowers, because I'm thinking it would be really fun to do a shade garden full of these beauties. If I can find a spot, I'm doing it. 

Yasso frozen greek yogurt bars are a current obsession. I need to have them stocked in my freezer at  all times. You probably do too...just try them. 

As someone who identifies as a witch, I had to save this image and awesome description. 

I planted some cauliflower in the vegetable garden last week. I haven't put much thought into what to grow out there. I had bought these to use as decoration in my spring planters but they soon started to crowd out the pansies and had to be transferred to the vegetable bed. Between the chickens and the rabbits I'm not incredibly confidant about the veggie thing. 

My neighbors compost "pile". If you thought you were just looking at garbage thrown on the ground, you would be right! Ugh. Yes, that is their driveway RIGHT NEXT to the "pile". My carport is literally 3 feet from that mess. I'm not sure these people understand the way composting works, but the chickens, stray cats, raccoons and other critters love what they've got going on! *sigh*

Tori Amos and Robert Plant. The Queen and King. 

Lunch I can't stop eating; lentil soup with feta cheese and toasted sourdough bread for dipping!

Some tasty salad dressings to try!

HaHAhaHAhaAH! My hubs and the hound on the way home from doggie daycare. I love them so.

That concludes the snippet of random images from my phone. I hope you have a beautiful last few days of April! 

~ Love & Light ~

Coursera Is For Everybody!

I am taking a class on Curanderismo and wanted to talk a little bit about Coursera, the online education website that is offering the course. Coursera is an education platform that partners with top universities and organizations worldwide, to offer courses online for anyone to take, FOR FREE! That's right...it doesn't cost a penny. (unless you want to buy a certificate for courses you've passed).

Coursera has a class for everybody! They offer subjects ranging from Finance to Astronomy and so much more. What I think is the best part, is that the instructors are from top universities and the information they are taking the time to teach has such a great value. 

I am currently taking the Curanderismo: The Art Of Mexican Folk Healing class offered by the University of New Mexico. And next I want to participate in the Magic In The Middle Ages course offered through the University of Barcelona. I've always loved to learn and discovering Coursera makes it that much more fun! 

What have you always wanted to know more about but didn't think you could? Or what University have you always wanted to take a class from? Harvard? Yale? Because they are there! Why not spend some time discovering something new? After all, Knowledge IS Power! 

~ Love & Light ~

Mystery Mountain Lion

When Mark and I first moved here back in 2012, we were invited to a friend's 4th of July party. The shindig was held in a big workshop on the property (which we lovingly call The Barn) and the big garage doors were left open to let the fresh air of the night in. This was your typical Ozarks gathering. Food, good music, drink and of course lots and lots of fireworks. After hours of merriment, Mark and I were the last guests still there. Our hostess called it a night and headed back to her house to go to bed. We hung back to finish our drinks. As we sat talking, we were interrupted by a terrible screaming sound. We both froze; alarmed by this weird noise we didn't recognize. We started guessing what it might be...a coyote? No. A dog killing a small animal? No. The Chupacabra? Possibly. Then I remembered a Youtube video I had seen a long time ago. I think we might have heard a mountain lion!

We told our story to my friend a few days later, and she confirmed that a female mountain lion had been spotted in Ozark a few weeks earlier. We decided that must have been what we heard and that was the end of it. We didn't hear it again.

Female Mountain Lion.

Fast forward to last week, Mark is in our front yard late at night taking the dog to do her business. He was out there for a good five minutes and when he came in, he was excited to report that he had heard the same weird screaming we had experienced on that 4th of July almost 3 years ago. He said that at first he thought it was a woman screaming but he quickly realized it was an animal. We googled the sound of a mountain lion screaming, and he confirmed it was the same noise as he had just heard. The following video is audio of a mountain lion also heard in Missouri. Some kids recorded it with a phone. You can hear why Mark thought at first that it was a lady screaming.

I'm going to go ahead and declare that we have at least one mountain lion here in Ozark, which is great! If she isn't hurting anyone, then let her continue to hunt on the river and live peacefully. Do be cautious if you are one of the many people around here who have yard chickens, or small dogs that spend a lot of time outside. Come to think of it, I haven't seen the neighborhood dog called Lucky in a long time...

Stay safe, friends! And enjoy nature and her creatures! 

~ Love and Light ~ 

What I'm Loving Now

This post is all about what I'm loving these days. Spring is literally a breath of fresh air and feels like such an appropriate time for change and beginning creative endeavors, so I wanted to share some of the things I've just gotta have during this beautiful season. 

1. Outdoor Yoga. I'm almost positive I've posted about this before, but it is worth sharing again. One of my absolute favorite things about the warming weather is taking my yoga practice outside. I trade the spicy smells of incense for the smell of the river on the wind, my wall tapestries for the clouds in the sky and the low glow of candle light for nourishing sunlight! Being outside transforms my practice and makes it new again. 

2. Culottes. I hadn't worn a pair of culottes in years, and then my sister Sara gave me a pair. My love was rekindled. So comfortable, breezy and cute with a tee shirt or tank top, culottes are a major win for me right now. Maybe not suitable for all occasions though...I wore mine (which are soft knit cotton) to a yoga class I went to in Dublin, and lets just say my classmates got a peek of my legs ALL THE WAY UP TO MY BUTT every time we did an inversion pose. They are probably best left off the yoga matt.

3. Dried mission figs. Although these are even better if you can get them fresh, I like the convenience and lasting power of a bag of dried (one 16 oz. bag usually lasts me around 3 weeks). These flavorful babies provide plenty of health befits and go well with my morning bowl of oatmeal. I buy the organic black mission figs at MaMa Jean's Market. 

4. Raspberry Leaf Tea. This is my go to tea these days. Tasty hot or iced, it is refreshing and strengthens the female system. I love the organic Traditional Medicinals brand. 

Penny Marie

5. The Hound. Okay, I love this dog everyday 365, but c'mon! How cute is she? I had to share this picture. She is seriously the sweetest, most snuggly dog ever. And I totally love her. 

That wraps up my little post for the day! I'm headed to the market now to buy some fruit. I'll be back soon!

~ Love & Light ~

Spring Things

Spring fireplace mantel.

If you've noticed I haven't been blogging as much lately, you would be right. Spring is in the air and I have been keeping myself busy around the house and in the yard. I think we were all feeling a little stir crazy and it has been so nice to open the windows and get outside! 

Front door plaque. 

I spent the day of the Spring Equinox packing away all traces of winter and bringing out the spring decorations. You guys know from past posts how much I love celebrating the seasons and I always look forward to changing up the energy at Chigger Chalet on the Solstices. 

Silk flowers in a basket from Thailand.

I won't do most of my planting in the gardens until Mother's Day weekend (a tradition of mine) but I am cleaning up the herb and flower beds and we are putting in a vegetable garden this year. Our friend down the road got himself a truck load of zoodoo from the Dickerson Park Zoo, and had enough to spare a 4x16 foot bed for our yard! 

Zoodoo to become our vegetable garden.

I also made several spring planters for the front stoop and one for the back deck.

Spring planter.

Flowers are popping up from residents past...

Spring beauties!

The park across the river is buzzing with the sounds of children playing, dogs barking and people having fun. We have seen a lot of people kayaking and canoeing this past week too.

Spring planter on the deck, and a couple picnicking at the river bank.

Mark has been helping with the spring projects too. After loathing the wood paneling in the entryway every time I walked through the front door, we finally decided to do something about it! Mark painted the room a lovely pale gray over the weekend. The color is called woodsmoke by Eddie Bauer.

Wood paneling in the entryway.

We haven't added the finishing touches to the space (like new light switch plates, a new ceiling lamp and a storage bench) but I will post a picture when we have it finished. Just the fresh paint has changed the room dramatically and makes it feel much bigger than before.

New woodsmoke paint.

So, that's what we have been up to over here on the Finley. Soon the Farmers Market will be open, the festival season will be upon us and our calendars will be overflowing with things to do! I'll be sure to share my experiences with you! 

~ Love & Light ~

How The Heck DO You Get These Things To Come Off?

Recently I revealed that I got my very first manicure. It was a fun experience and I really liked the results. I sprung for the gel manicure and it was chip free and shiny. They lasted approximately 12 days before my nails had just grown out too much and the polish started lifting at the edges. So almost two full weeks. Not bad.


Now here's the thing. Removing gel nails is a bit more involved than wiping away normal polish. I was determined not to go back to the salon to have my nails returned to natural, so I did a little research, and this is what I found.


To remove gel nails applied to your own nails...not acrylic nails...you will need the following.

1. a towel to work on
2. 100% acetone polish remover
3. cotton balls
4. aluminum foil
5. a plastic cup
6. a rough nail file
7. cuticle oil (optional)


Before you begin, put 5 cotton balls in the plastic cup, then soak them in polish remover, and set aside. You will also want to pull apart 5 pieces of aluminum foil large enough to wrap around your finger while holding a cotton ball on your nail.

Supplies needed to remove gel nails.

~ The first thing you'll need to do is buff the top layer of the gel manicure with the emery board. The idea is to make cracks in the gel for the acetone to seep into.

Buffing my nails.

~ Next, take a cotton ball from the plastic cup, place it on a nail, and then wrap it with a strip of foil. Repeat on your other four fingers. Only do one hand at a time.

Nails covered with cotton balls and wrapped in foil.

~ Let the acetone do its thing for ten minutes. Then remove the foil. Don't unwrap the foil, just pull them off.

Nails after soaking.

My nails still had the gel on them, but it had been softened and peeled back.

~ The last thing I did was to pull/scrape the soft gel off my nails, giving each nail a final swipe with a polish soaked cotton ball once the gel was off, and finishing with a little cuticle oil. Then repeat the whole process on the other hand!

Clean nails. Gel free.

I'd like to say my nails are as good as new, but they are rough feeling, like sandpaper. I'm sure after a week or so they will smooth out. They don't look bad, but it definitely confirms my plans to only get my nails done a few times a year. Gel nails, anyway.

So that's it! No need to pay the salon to remove your fancy gel polish, just do it at home the same way they would do it at the salon. 

~ Love & Light ~

French Women For All Seasons

#Secrets #Recipes #Pleasure

I am currently reading French Women For All Seasons by Mireille Guiliano. This book is filled with secrets, recipes and little known facts about French women and their lifestyle. I picked this one up because I am a bit of a Francophile and I love reading books whose subject matter is divided up into seasons, as this one is. So far, this book has been a pleasure to read.

Visiting The Musée du Louvre 2012.

Mark and I spent a short time in Paris in 2012. Those memories are filled with amazing art, great food, romance, and will last a lifetime. 

Street art in Paris 2012.

Italian in France 2012.

To get your own dose of the French life, pick up French Women For All Seasons!

~ Amore et de Lumière ~