Best Ottoman Award (a Story of Relaxation and CSN Stores)

On these winter days, I often get home from work feeling tired and ready to kick back. After trudging through the snow, I'm ready to get inside. It's so nice to finally warm up, get dinner started, and relax a bit. 

After figuring out what to cook and starting it up on the stove or in the oven, I'll generally make my way to the living room, and plop down on one of our comfy couches. The perfect moment just to be. Not figuring anything out or working on any projects, but just letting go and meditating for a minute.

For a while now, the Hubs and I have been longing for a way not only to sit back but also to put our feet up after a long day. And we got lucky: we scored a sweet ottoman from CSN Stores that goes perfectly in the living room! 

I cozy up and immediately feel like this:

Full relaxation achieved! Slippered feet on an ottoman. And one that's attractive and has great storage, too!

See, one of the best parts is that we can stuff our living room cuddle blankets in there, so it keeps the whole room tidier, too. Win-win.

I'd highly recommend checking out CSN Stores if you're in need of a new piece of furniture or decor. They've got a huge selection -- over 200 online stores where you can find everything from wall art to these Herman Miller chairs to cookware. In all my shopping there, I've had great turnaround times on shipping time, too.

CSN Stores, I award you the Best Ottoman Award -- a little footrest that's the perfect size for my living room, that was right in my price range (only about $40!), and that makes relaxation and a tidy apartment that much easier. (FYI it's this one, but in black.)

Now I don't even mind looking out the window to find the snow falling... because I know I can just curl up on the couch and know I am home for the night. :)

It's Crepe Time! (Almost)

Photo via 101 Cookbooks. May have to use their crepe recipe too!

I'm super excited about an upcoming review I'm going to do for CSN Stores, an awesome site that features a huge variety of kitchen products, house wares and decorations, and these cool Herman Miller chairs I keep hearing about.


Anyway, I just wanted to give you a heads up because CSN is sending me a crepe maker and I'm totally going to do a fun brunch with friends, or breakfast in bed for the Hubs, or something equally as lovely.


Keep your eyes out for amazing breakfasts here. (And if you have a crepe recipe you love, please do share!)

Nora the Explora, Our Baby Bunny

After Thanksgiving in MN, we brought home baby Nora from our cousin's farm.

I'd like to introduce you to our newest family member, Nora! She's an adorable, fuzzy mini lop bunny who loves to play, cuddle and munch on carrots.

We welcomed Nora home after Thanksgiving weekend in the Minneapolis area. She was so calm and sweet on the car ride to Chicago; she loved just sitting on our laps and peering out the window every now and then.

Nora is adopted from our aunt and uncle's incredible farm, where one of our cousins raises and sells rabbits. Thanks, Kiera, for helping us get set up!

Yep, I'm now a happy and proud BunnyMama.

Nora is adjusting well to city life and loves exploring our apartment. We've potty trained her (for the most part) to return to her cage when she has to go, and that way we can let her roam free.

BunBun on the loose!

So far, her favorite spots seem to be underneath the bowl chair (cozy), behind the couch (super cozy), and anywhere on the black carpet in the living room (great traction).

Nora loves to get her exercise on our carpet. She goes crazy!

We recently discovered that she does tricks -- flips and jumps and spins -- whenever she's on the carpet! It's hilarious and so entertaining. Nora will literally be sitting on the floor, motionless, calm as can be, and then suddenly leap into the air and bust a move. I love it.

Hoppity hop hop.

She also loves to run about and sort of glides and slides whenever she's on the hardwood. Adorable, and always great for a laugh. I also enjoy giving her little baths in the the tub. She looks so silly when she's wet! But she smells like baby soap after, so it's worth it.

We'll miss you while we're in Puerto Rico, baby bunbun, but you will be in good hands staying with Cassi. Love you, Nora!

Bunny love.

Keep an eye out for upcoming posts about Nora and her antics, as well as input from bunny farmers and vendors who sell incredible pet products. I'll be featuring BusyBunny, GottaSpoilEm Pet Accessories, and QualityPetHammocks in the near future. 

Bunny love giveaways to come soon!

We've also got lovely giveaways from a few Etsy sellers such as HooLaLa and Marathon1981, so be sure to check those out.

YogaEarth: For Rainy Days & Quiet Mornings

A lovely morning in the kitchen ends with a balancing drink from YogaEarth.

The dishwasher is humming, its cyclical rinse turning over and over.


Outside, rain patters on the windows.


The day is dark, kept, soft. It is a Saturday for small moments and hushed sounds, for making soup, for curling up and chatting with friends.


It's a peaceful, quiet morning here at home. The Hubs is off on a shoot, Nick's asleep on the couch, and I'm in the kitchen, moving effortlessly between bundt cake batter and wild rice salad, simmering homemade chicken stock on the stove as I finish up the dishes.


Before pulling on my wool socks and cowboys boots to brave the rain, I mix a quick drink. YogaEarth pre-practice mix (beet, apple & acai flavor) with goji, carrot and pineapple juice. I can picture myself on the beach in Puerto Rico. Refreshing. Their products are relaxing, nutritious, effortless.

Plus, they blog about yoga here. Thanks, YogaEarth!

The Pumpkin Chronicles

Hey yogis. Happy Thursday. Today I have an important question for you, though it is a couple days late. What's the best way to use a pumpkin on Halloween? 

The answer: make a luminary, of course!

Check out our sweet holiday fireplace display from last week. Luminary light is my favorite!

My guys dressed up as... video gamers! :) Hehe. Just kiddin'. But they did enjoy a nice Saturday afternoon round of LOL.

Oh, and check out this sweet cake I made tonight:

Pumpkin spice buttermilk bundt cake! Amaaazing. I love my new World Market bundt pan, too. I have a feeling it will get some use this winter! I'm off to enjoy a slice of cake now, actually. What are you up to tonight, yogis? Would love to hear from you. Happy almost weekend!

Hooray for Evanston Shopping: Walsh Natural Health & Healthy Green Goods

Photo by Jacinta Moore via the 1010 Project.

Yo Evanston yogis! Do you need some new places to shop for all-natural products for your home? I'm talking: amazing bath sea salts, vitamins and supplements, food storage containers, clothing & linen, baby supplies, and more?

I've got some great spots for you: Walsh Natural Health on Central Street, and Healthy Green Goods on Main Street!

Not only do these stores carry fantastic products, but their owners are extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and passionate about their healthy approach to living well.

Located at 2116 1/2 Central Street in Evanston.

Located at 702 Main Street in Evanston.

I recently got some wonderfully relaxing Masada eucalyptus dead sea mineral salts from Walsh, and a super-handy and compact ChicagoBag from Healthy Green Goods. I use them both quite often and love the results! The sea salts leave me feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, and the shopping bag is quite convenient since it fits in my purse and I tend to forget my other reusable bags when I go to the store.

If you're looking for a new place to shop, I highly recommend these two stores. I've also recently visited J.D. Mills Health Food Store in Evanston and loved that place too! Quite a selection of all-organic foods, bulk foods, frozen foods, and vitamins and supplements.

Hooray for Evanston shopping!

Where do you stock up on organic & all-natural goods?

Photo by Victoria Hannan via the 1010 Project.

CSN Stores for the Win: House Goodies

Oh hi there.

Well hello, friends. It's Monday. How are you doing?


I'm enjoying the day so far. Checked out a little presentation on climate change at Northwestern, had coffee with a dear friend, biked home for a bowl of soup.


Plus, my rockin' haircut (which I'll tell you bout in a post coming up soon) is making me feel like this today:

 Rockstar for sure.

Oh, I'm also super excited about my new kitchen stuff. Like this sweet tea leaf holder from CSN Stores' site AllModern:

What I like to call my little "tea baby!"

You throw the loose leaf tea inside, toss it in your mug, and bam: tea time! It's easy, tasty and hassle-free. My bedtime routine is lovely now and I get to relax with a hot mug of chamomile or green tea before sleep. I'm also greatly enjoying our fun and silly doormat!

Welcome home, enter here.

It's made of recycled rubber and totally fits with our back porch's eclectic style. Our neighbors dig it, too!


Well, I'm off to run a few errands, get some editing done, and take class later on. Be seeing you!

Coming Up in the Letting Out the Domestic Series: Products You Don't Want to Miss

Hey readers, are you getting tired of reading about products that are popping up in my life?


Like the fact that I'm super pumped about CSN Stores, where you can shop online in over 200 stores and discover awesome kitchen ware or a chic bar stool? (Frying pan, anyone?)


Well, too bad :)

I wouldn't post about anything I wouldn't recommend to my very own nephew, Zeke. What a cutie, eh? Miss you, Big Z!

Ha, but seriously: I hope you're not feeling spammed here on the blog lately. I post reviews, but I post them from the heart. I'm very careful about what I discuss on Alive in the Fire and I approach product and service review with a skeptic's eye.


Bottom line is this: if it's not a product I love, use, and would buy for a friend, you won't be reading about it here. Other key factor: the blog will never be overtaken by posts which are not focused on the yoga. Ever.


Lately I'm pretty passionate when I find a blog that sticks to the topic it promises to be about. If you have a yoga blog, it should be about THE YOGA. If you post about culinary arts, I want to see food pictures. If you're a writer writing about your craft, I don't want to read about your dog. 


Unless your dog is the topic of your latest novel, or somehow managed to stand on his head, or something ridiculously cool like that. And in that case, you should post some pictures too!


I'll admit: occasionally I stray from the yoga and bring you my insights on cooking, biking, art, pumpkins, relationships, living by sustainable and green methods, or the music that's playing in my speakers. Or my awesome family members, local events, or chillin' with Seth Godin.


I hope you don't mind me mixing it up, but I often find that these areas of my life do inform my yoga practice, and vice versa. And that's a great thing! I would highly encourage you to do some serious thinking about how you are living the life of a yogi, not just practicing yoga.

Are you putting what you learn in the Hot Room into practice outside those walls?

And if not, what's stopping you?

If you haven't started practicing the yoga in your everyday life, you haven't started your Bikram journey quite yet. As we say in Standing Head to Knee: start by locking the knee. That doesn't mean jamming the leg back without pulling up and tightening all of your muscles in your leg and hip. That doesn't mean kicking your heel out before you have a solid foundation. That doesn't mean moving beyond Step #1 until you've got it down and you're ready for Step #2. Period. 

"If your knee is bending, posture hasn't even started yet." Bikram's words.

So get your foundation. Rock solid, concrete, one piece, lamppost. (Whoa, I just typed that from memory! Sweet.... Yoga teacher in the making, what what!)


Anyway, philosophical ramblings aside, I hope you're enjoying what you read here at Alive in the Fire. And I also hope that you know I'd love to hear your feedback if you have any ideas about what should change! I love getting messages from you guys, and I trust in your opinions, I'm curious about your ideas, and I'm so, so grateful for your support. I love hearing from you!


Alright, so down to business. We've got some ridiculously cool stuff lined up. I literally have a list of about 20 posts that are in the works! So stay tuned.

Fiery Posts to Look Forward To

• CSN Stores is generously gifting another few items to Alive in the Fire as part of the Letting Out the Domestic series. Very soon I will be reviewing their hilarious and awesome "Enter" welcome mat and these beautiful tea strainers. Both can be found at AllModern.com, a sweet site with hip style. I really love their wall art selection, too. Those sticky wallpaper cutouts are so popular now, it seems! The Hubs and I keep oogling over pretty things to hang up in our place. We're also desperately seeking a unique and sleek coat rack. We located this gorgeous calligraphy-inspired one, but it's a little pricey. Might have to wait for Christmas!
• Hammer Nutrition carries some ridiculously awesome fuels & supplements for endurance athletes. That's right, Bikram yogis, you qualify! Their line is great not only for long-distance bikers and runners but also people looking to sweat a bunch, keep hydrated, and stay strong throughout a workout. Highly recommended especially if you're considering a double class. So far I've tried the electrolyte pills as well as several drink mixes. I will do these tasty products justice in a full post within the week! I may also feature a contest on the site coming up, so keep an eye out.
• Another electrolyte drink mix provider, Cera, shipped a box out my way to share some of their juice boxes and dry powder mixes with me. Can I say, amazing?! Their flavors are so delicious and fancy, including my favorite: pomegranate acai berry! These mix so well with coconut water (I recommend pineapple VitaCoco) and are even tastier than EmergenC, which I am a big fan of. Although I did also recently discover EmergenC's Berry Blue flavor, which provides vitamins and electrolytes. I'm pretty much becoming an expert on this stuff :) I feel like by the time Teacher Training rolls around I'll have too many to choose from! Hoping some of these companies will consider sponsoring me during those nine weeks, actually. I'll be postin' up a storm about how much their products are saving me in Bikram's Torture Chamber!
• Spa time: say aaaaaaaah. So I've been spoiled lately -- well, sort of. I've had several massages in the last month, but in part because my neck and back have been giving me a bit of trouble. (Get away from the computer when you can, yogis! Get to class!) Anyway, I hit up Egea Spa as well as Flow Body and Mind Connection recently and had SUCH a lovely time at each. Easily the most talented massage therapists I've ever visited, and some of the most relaxing and comforting treatment you can find locally in Evanston. And both are in walking distance! Love, love, love. I'll post more about the treatments I had, my recommendations, and pricing. Also coming up: a post on these awesome eucalyptus sea salts donated by Walsh Natural Health on Central Street. A beautiful shop!
• Yoga mat cleaner and a reusable compact shopping bag I bought from Healthy Green Goods on Dempster Street. Knowledgeable and helpful store owner (she's a pediatrician too!), great products, inspiring philosophy behind the shop. Highly recommended. I'll also be writing about the dangers of neoprene and ways to find safe, stylish, modern adult lunchboxes soon. And water/ water bottle safety!

Is your head swimming yet?

Me too. 

Here, another wedding picture to break up the long post. Thanks for reading!

But I promise these will be worth a read, especially if you're interested in shopping in a way that's green, healthy and affordable. It takes a lot of patience to be all three, but it can be done!

Another shameless plug, before I head out to class. If you're in Evanston this weekend, please visit the Green Living Festival (Saturday) and Bike the Ridge (Sunday)! I will be attending each, and would love to meet up. I'll even have my nifty business cards for Alive in the Fire along :) I would love to chat with you, learn more about your yoga story, and spread the word to other Evanstonians!

Hope to see you there. Namaste and Happy Friday, peeps!

A Killer Frying Pan: Thanks, CSN Stores!

Once upon a time, a lady got married. She was so, so happy with her new Hubsband in their beautiful apartment.


She loved the clean, bright, peaceful atmosphere of the kitchen. It made her want to cook new and delicious dishes with fresh ingredients and exotic flavors.


She was so thrilled to try out new recipes from her lovely bridesmaids, moms, and friends who attended her Bridal Shower and brought handwritten recipe cards to share.


One morning, she discovered the perfect dish: tagliani primavera. A creamy noodle, ham and vegetable dish featuring some of her favorites. Fresh asparagus. Smoked prosciutto. Real whipping cream. Heaven!


She knew she had to make it. But what cookware would she use?


Ah! The perfect frying pan! A beautiful red pan that would fit the ingredients just right. The generously-gifted sample product from CSN Stores! It was meant to be.

She donned her new kitchen apron and set to work.

She cooked. She smiled. She smelled. She tasted! YUM.

A more serious note about the pan, fairytales aside :)


This Trimmer Gourmet Chef 10" x 10" pan is a stellar product. Top-notch, beautifully made, lovely color. Keeps heat even and thorough while you're cooking on the stove, and the coating was in premium condition to keep anything from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Many thanks to CSN Stores for carrying this and hundreds of other awesome products for your home. And for having a wonderful staff of extremely helpful and responsive people!


The size is great for working with large dishes. In fact, I probably could not have made this recipe without it!


Also note: the photos don't accurately capture the gorgeous thunderstorm I could hear in the distance, the quiet fall of rain outside the window, or the awesome Phil Collins songs I was blasting while I paraded around the kitchen.


It was love, pure love. What are you cooking lately?


Here's the recipe for you to try if you like. Thanks to my stepmom for sharing it!


Tagliarini Primavera


1/2 lb asparagus, cut diagonally into 1 inch lengths
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c slivered prosciutto
1/4 butter or margarine
1 med carrot, sliced thin
1 med zucchini, diced
8 oz. thin noodles
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 c frozen peas, thawed
1 teaspoon dry basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground nutmeg and of white pepper
1/2 pint (1 cup) whipping cream
1/4 c Parmesan
fresh chopped parsley
*Note: I also added fresh spinach to the mix, about 3/4 cup. Also, I suggest using the rest of the whipping cream to make homemade whipped cream to go on a pie or ice cream. The Hubs and I enjoyed this a few days later and it was amazing!


Melt butter in frying pan, sauté mushrooms, prosciutto, asparagus, carrot and zucchini. Cook 3 minutes.
Boil water for noodles and prepare per package directions. To vegetable mixture, add green onion, peas, basil, salt, nutmeg, pepper and cream. Cook on medium-high until mixture boils and forms shiny bubbles. Pour sauce over noodles, lift and mix gently until coated with sauce. Add Parmesan and mix again. Top with fresh parsley. Yields 4-6 servings.

Eat with a pineapple VitaCoco and you'll be completely re-charged after Bikram class!