Welcome February

On the first Wednesday of each month we like to pause and take a look at what’s going on in the world around us.  We’ll highlight some nature and environmental news, give you a bit of inspiration, and ask you to partake in a monthly sustainability initiative with us.

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In the news

We love nature and we love animals, but we also love humans and we’re commending this 30-something man for fighting off a mountain lion and surviving the ordeal. Mountain lions are a big fear of mine (Sarah) even though I know it’s highly unlikely I’ll ever see one, let alone get attacked or killed by one.

Sometimes rationality doesn’t prevail. I think this is especially true in the case of snakes – did you know that only six people in the U.S. died last year because of snake bites? Six! Meanwhile, 39 people died of dog bites and we’re all like hell yeah, let’s invite them into our beds!

In our homes

This month we’re focused on staying warm and cozy. You could say we’re deep into the Hygge game. We are making plenty of time to bundle up and head outside, but once we come back in, we kick off our boots and promptly put our slippers on. Candles are lit, music is played, and golden milk is warming on the stove. A nice oil diffuser and heating pad also add a little warmth and moisture to my evenings. Curling up with a good book is my favorite way to spend all of February.

Of course, V-day is right around the corner and each year it serves as a reminder to buy organic + sustainably grown flowers. February and May continuously boast the highest flower sales in the United States.  Join us in this month’s sustainability initiative and give your Valentine and your mama flowers free of pesticides. Please buy organic, fair trade blooms, add extra karma points if they’re local. Next week we’ll share the scoop on why buying organic and fair trade is important, even when it comes to flowers. We’re hoping this will shift your (and your partner’s) habit for the rest of this year and your life. 🙂

In our backyards

We tend to agree with the Norwegians when they say, “There is no bad weather, only bad clothes!” Regardless of the weather, we make time to go outside each day. We know this is the only way to burn off our excess angst (and that of our kids and dog) and we feel better each time because of it. If you need a bit of inspiration to #OptOutside, remember that the Great Backyard Bird Count happens this month! This year it is February 15-18 and if you remember, participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as you wish) on one or more days of the four-day event. The most important step is reporting your sightings online at birdcount.org. We are in, are you!?

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In our hearts

February can be a dark month for many of us. When Cupid, love, and heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are everywhere we look, it’s no wonder we feel depressed if things are not going quite right. This month we are focusing on self-nourishment. Some peeps call it self-love or self-care and hell, it’s all the same, but in short, we are looking to things that are necessary to sustain our growth, health, and goodness.

Some days we’re focused on healing our bodies through food, exercise, and beauty routines, while other times we’re focused on personal growth by learning new skills, like how to successfully cook that recipe or knit that sweater, or write that book chapter, and sometimes we’re cultivating our goodness by sharing kind words with our friends, writing love letters to ourselves, and spending a few moments in silent meditation each day.

This month we’re going to share our little remedies and rituals that help keep our blues at bay. If you or anyone you know is suffering, please reach out to them, offer an ear and ask them to seek help, life is hard, but it should feel worth living.

Welcome February

On the first Wednesday of each month we like to pause and take a look at what’s going on in the world around us.  We’ll highlight some nature and environmental news, give you a bit of inspiration, and ask you to partake in a monthly sustainability initiative with us.

With all of the snow that’s falling, there’s no doubt that we’re definitely deep in the middle winter, yet the slowly growing days are making it all bearable. Did you join us during January in trying to reduce your salt/chemical use when clearing the snow? Katie spent a boat-load of time shoveling her Colorado driveway. All of that exercise was fueled by her afternoon milkshake habit!

This month we’re excited to share our new challenge as well as a bit of inspiration and some stories that caught our eye in the news.

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Welcome February!

On the first Wednesday of each month we like to pause and take a look at what’s going on in the world around us, with a particular focus on animal activity, celestial events, and our farmers’ fields.

Welcome February! Bye, bye January.. you suck.  Am I the only one who thinks that? Hands down my least favorite month of the year, which makes February that much sweeter.  Even though February is only a few days shy of a full month, it always seems to scoot on by.  Here’s what’s happening this month:

Animal Activity:

I usually take a walk in the woods every day because it’s my job. Actually my job is dog walking, but they like to hike, I like to hike, to the woods we go!  Anyway, this week I have been hearing and seeing a lot more bird activity.  The squirrels started scurrying about more and more a couple weeks ago, but now I’m hearing lots of rustling in the bushes.  If you focus your eyes you’ll notice little song birds hopping around in the brush.  I also saw a few red-headed woodpeckers this week.  It’s nice to feel like you’re not the only animal (besides the pups) in the woods.

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Seasoned View: Vol. 11

Each month we share our Seasoned View.  Snapshots of nature taken by the Seasoned sisters. Find last month’s here and past months’ here.

It’s February! One-twelfth of 2015 is over. That is totally cool with me.  One more month closer to summer says the bitter winter-hater in me 😉  Each month I post a screenshot of my desktop with one of the new seasoned view backgrounds.  Did you notice that it always looks so clean and tidy?  Well, I wanted to let you know that it’s a total illusion.  Each month My desk top really looks like this:

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Then I simply make a folder entitled everything or entire desktop or all of it and select all the crap on my desktop and throw it in there.  I wish housework was that easy!  See? All clean:

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You can upload one or all of these photos to use as your desktop background or even as phone and tablet wallpapers.  Simply click on the download link below each photo and save the image.  Enjoy!

liveseasoned_winter14_seasonedview11-1Click here for You’re Perfect.

liveseasoned_winter14_seasonedview11-1-3Click here for White Birch.

liveseasoned_winter14_seasonedview11-1-2Click here for Iced Tea.

liveseasoned_winter14_seasonedview11-1-6Click here for Chesapeake Sunset.

liveseasoned_winter14_seasonedview11-1-4Click here for Snowfall.

Hope you dig ’em and download ’em.  Happy Monday!

Oh and a reminder that I’m challenging myself to meditate a little bit.  Join in!