Kimberly Wilson's Blog, page 96

Vegan Pumpkin Scones

On Saturday we’re celebrating Tranquil Space’s 17th birthday so Tim and I will be baking heaps of vegan pumpkin scones to help kick off the festivities. Last year I used gluten free flour and they were a bit dense, so we’re going with regular flour this round.

Here’s the recipe in case you’d like to try them at home. Super simple (which is ideal if I’m near an oven) and a tasty treat for pumpkin season. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: about 12 scones

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp ginger powder
1/2 cup vegan margarine
2 cups pureed pumpkin

Preparation

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and ginger). Cut in vegan margarine, adding a bit at a time until mixed. Add pumpkin and combine well.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough a few times, pushing it into a large circle, a few inches thick.

Cut into 12 or so triangular pieces. Imagine you are cutting a pizza so that you get even, triangular slices.

Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until done.

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What I’m Obsessed With Right Now

Painting pumpkins
Teaism’s veg udon soup
TranquiliT‘s leggings and 2in1 top {worn *every* day}
Gold glitter paint
Finishing books to make my Goodreads Reading Challenge {#nerd}
Filling in my new Daybook
Honeycrisp apples topped with peanut butter
The psychology behind Trump
EmergenC packets
Peppermint oil on my temples
Licensing exam prep
Saving animals
Baking vegan pumpkin scones
Celebrating Tranquil Space’s 17th birthday
Writing HTC10: the new 10-year Hip Tranquil Chick chapter
Face oil
Noticing my breath
Belle Starr {love having a little girl}
Pink Bic Velocity pens
Rose candles

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Week in Review {Pics + Links}

Week in Review

While no two weeks are every the same, this one has been particularly fraught with highs and lows.

Wednesday morning a truck carrying pigs to slaughter in Canada overturned. As soon as I heard, I reached out to Happily Ever Esther Sanctuary asking if they were close and could help.

I watched the chaotic scene unfold throughout the day. That afternoon I received a response back Happily Ever Esther to check their Facebook page for an update. Happy to see they were close and had gotten involved, I clicked and scrolled, eager to hear. The situation had turned horrific. You can read more about it online. It’s too hard for me to write about it yet.

Shocked and saddened, after learning the injured pigs’ fate, I sat down to catch my breath. Every time I think about it, all I can do is shake my head. I haven’t been quite right since. This particular plant “processes” 10,000 pigs per day. Trucks packed with farmed animals overturn en route to slaughter. Piglets fall out of transport trucks (remember cutie Wee Wee’s happy ending?). While I know this all to be true, the lack of compassion shown on Wednesday took cruelty and commodification to a new level.

This week I collaborated with clients, heard Peter Singer speak, attended parts of the Future of Food conference, taught mindfulness at the studio and in a corporate setting, practiced yoga, dined with a friend, released a podcast with Tim, interviewed Camille for a future podcast, connected with my writing teacher about the Hip Tranquil Chick 10 chapter, packaged and shipped Daybooks (30 left), wrote 17 Tranquil Space trivia pieces in honor of our 17th year, co-hosted a 5-hour mindfulness workshop, hosted doga, sent a Love Note, and penned October dreams.

Tim’s off on an overnight biking/camping extravaganza so I’m home solo with the pups. A perfect Saturday night. We’ll have dinner (hello vegan mac & cheese), wander the misty streets of DC, and settle in early. A cuppa tea, pile of books, and cozy bed is beckoning. My soul needs it. Bisous. x

Pics in Review

Three new reads
Daybook joy
Belle eyeing my vegan pizza
Jackson stuffed into a basket
Mookie looking anxious
October dreams penned

Savvy Sources

Why Writers Are the Worst Procrastinators

28 of Poetry’s Most Powerful Lines

Pigs Comforting Each Other After Crash

How To Be a Vegan On a Budget

The End of Solitude: Overtaken By Technology

A Writing Practice for Those Who Like to Keep Doing

11 Tips To Care For Your Muse

How Libraries Save Lives

10 Writing Tips Inspired by Jane Austen

Why Everyone Should Experience One Prolonged Period of Solitude

Weekend Wish List

Study

Write

Yoga

Nap

Read

Kennedy Center date with Tim

Paint pumpkins

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Daybooks Are Here {Pre-Sale Ends Tomorrow}

My rock star, veteran-owned printer in Ohio {yay made in America} shipped Daybooks a few weeks early and the gold coil looks ah-mazing.

This means that your beautiful package of the Daybook, confetti-filled packet, and yoga CD ships this week.

Pre-sale bonuses end Friday, October 7 at noon ET.

We have only 62 copies left so if you’d like yours, plus the additional four bonuses, grab one today. This elf {and Tim} have been putting finishing touches on the confetti-filled pink and gold packets for days. And they’re super cute!

A portion of all sales benefit Farm Sanctuary and Tranquil Space Foundation and a tree is planted for each Daybook sold. Thanks for supporting artisanal products created with love. Bisous. x

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Fall Love

louis the pug and a heart leaf circa fall 2012

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.—Albert Camus

Happy October. Welcome to a brand new month and a chance to start anew. Sunday I gathered gold washi tape and a Sharpie, made a cuppa tea, and pulled out my Daybook to review September dreams and pen October’s. This monthly ritual helps me stay connected to the bigger picture, so I don’t get too lost in the day-to-day minutia.

Bundled in layers, Tim and I sat outside last night with the pups. There was a sliver of the moon hanging in the dark sky and a comforting chill in the air. I feel like fall wraps me in a warm blanket while offering a sensory-filled variety show—mums, fall foliage, apples, fires.

During Monday’s podcast, Tim and I discussed the evolution of Tranquility du Jour over the past 11 years. We also noted the slew of anniversaries happening right now—Tranquil Space turns 17, Tranquility du Jour blog turns 12, Tranquil Space Foundation turns 10, Hip Tranquil Chick turns 10. Clearly a lot of seed planting and sprouting takes place this time of the year.

While we typically think of spring as the time for blooms, for me it must be fall. This season is often associated with back to school and for some it’s the start of a new year. During our recent Tranquility du Jour Live, one of the suggested tips was to create a Q4 wish list. Possibly the realization that the year is coming to a close ignites a fire to bring forth those tucked aside dreams.

Whatever fuels me in fall—besides pumpkins, campfires, and tall boots—it works. There’s something about this season that feels ripe for creation. While I don’t have anything new in mind, I do plan to paint my pumpkins pink and purple, polish the new Hip Tranquil Chick 10 chapter (5k words so far!), and celebrate anniversaries. Oh, and there’s drawing in the new Ladies Drawing Night book, baking vegan pumpkin scones, and seeing two Garth shows, too!

My Q4 wish list hangs next to my desk as a gentle reminder of how I hope to close 2016. Making space to savor fall’s bounty must be added to the top of that list. Bisous. x

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Tranquility du Jour #380: Celebrating 11 Years of Tranquility du Jour

Celebrating 11 Years of Tranquility du Jour with Tim Mooney. We talk anniversaries, the evolution of this podcast, tools for podcasting, and updates on our rescues.

Direct download: Tranquility du Jour #380: Celebrating 11 Years of Tranquility du Jour

Upcoming Events

Writing in the Woods: October 28-30 {sold out}

Hip Tranquil Chick 10-Year Online Celebration: December 4

New Year’s Eve Mini Retreat: December 31

Yoga, Creativity + Mindfulness in Costa Rica: February 18-25

 

Tranquility du Jour Guest

Moi and Tim:

Tim Mooney serves as General Counsel and Director of Operations for Tranquil Space, Hip Tranquil Ventures and TranquiliT. He also serves as a board member of Tranquil Space Foundation.

Tim maintains a solo law practice focusing on a small number of nonprofit clients. He is also the founder of Nineball Media, an independent podcast and social media production outfit based in Washington, DC.

Most recently, Tim has discovered the joys of bike touring and has launched an online community devoted to bike touring lifestyle at Pedalshift. He was also one half of the 2013 book tour / 11,000-mile North American RV adventure that was Tranquility Tour.

Tim received a B.S. from Syracuse University/SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry and a J.D. from Pace University School of Law. He splits time between the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC and his cabin retreat in Berkeley County, West Virginia with his girlfriend Kimberly Wilson and their pugs, Mookie and Belle Starr.

Savvy Sources


Instagram: Belle Starr, Mookie, Tim
Tim-Mooney.com
Daybook 5.0 pre-sale
Download Fall Tranquility du Jour Live
TranquiliT’s fall look book
Sign up for Love Notes and access Tranquil Treasures
Weekly Doga videos featuring Mookie and Belle Starr
Eye candy on Instagram
Pin along with me on Pinterest
Let’s connect on Facebook
Follow moi on Twitter
My 5 Books
New to Tranquility du Jour? Peruse my FAQs
Tranquility Tools E-courses
Shop slow fashion: locally-sewn, eco-friendly TranquiliT clothing line
Tranquility du Jour Podcast App: iPhone and Android
Read about my passion for animals
Pen a review on iTunes or your other social media outlets, s‘il vous plaît
Hip Tranquil Chick #1

Direct download: Hip Tranquil Chick #1

More Tranquility

Tranquility University E-courses.
Shop my locally-sewn, eco-friendly TranquiliT clothing line.
Read along on Goodreads.
Tranquility du Jour Podcast App: iPhone and Android.
Read about my passion for animals.
Pen a review on iTunes or your other social media outlets, s‘il vous plaît.

Techy

To listen, click on the player at the top of the post or click here to listen to older episodes.
New to podcasting? Get more info at Podcast 411.
Do you have iTunes? Click here and subscribe to the podcast to get the latest episode as released.
Get the Tranquility du Jour apps to get the podcast “automagically” on iOS or Android.

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Week in Review {Pics + Links}

Week in Review

Tonight I’m back to Politics & Prose for the third time in two weeks. This time I’m taking a workshop on the Habit of Writing taught by Justine (formerly interviewed on the podcast). Just walking in the doors of this iconic indie bookstore makes me feel smarter and more connected to DC culture.

This week I got tickets to upcoming Garth shows in Richmond, VA and Charleston, WV, collaborated with clients, met with my social work supervisor, enjoyed a brunch and farmers’ market date, took yoga, prepped Daybook pre-sale packages, attended a WARL/WHS charity event called Whiskey and Whiskers (and discovered I dislike gin), got my hair done, hosted doga, took a writing workshop, organized tax documents for my accountant, attended VegFest, met with Tranquil Space studio directors, penned an essay for Unstuck.com, taught a mindfulness class, and watched the debate.

I’m love this fall weather and find myself crawling under the covers and putting on my eye pillow around 9pm. We’re overcast and rainy in DC right now, so it’s like a dose of melatonin. Perfect sleeping weather. And perfect for resting the soul.

Wishing you a weekend filled with rest and renewal. It’s that time of the year and lord knows you’ve earned it. Bisous. x

Pics in Review

Loot from the farmers’ market
Flowers spotted at the farmers’ market
Belle’s tongue
Mookie post-doga
Belle stealing arugula

Savvy Sources

50 Fantastic Ways to Make Your Writing Remarkable

48 Hours in Paris

6 Incredible Lessons I’ve Learned In My 20 Years In India

Dani Shapiro on Authenticity

Why It Doesn’t Pay to Be a People-Pleaser

Purposefully Designing Your Days

13 Ways Book Lovers Make More Time for Reading

How One Man Changed the World for Farm Animals

Weekend Wish List

Yoga

Compile written essay into word document

Create confetti-filled packets for Daybook orders

Host Mindfulness Urban Retreat at Tranquil Space

Pen Tranquil Space October Muse (we’re 17!)

Record “happy 11 years” podcast with Tim

Nap

Finish Life Without Envy (podcast with author forthcoming)

Pen October dreams

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Feeling Fall

Bundling up in scarves, putting on boots, and adding tights to my summer dresses feels invigorating. Change is in the air. Nature’s dropping leaves and temperatures. There’s a whisper of slowing down and shedding all around me.

I’m writing an essay for Unstuck.com and reading If The Buddha Got Stuck: A Handbook for Change on a Spiritual Path by Charlotte Kasl (highly recommend), so the idea of stuckness and reflection is on my mind.

Kasl writes, “Getting unstuck is not a one-time endeavor because, as the moon waxes and wanes, life’s natural experiences of loss and change repeatedly challenge us to let go, shift our perceptions, and bring new ideas and plans into our lives.”

This serves as a reminder that  we’re continually straddling being and doing, change and stability, growth and stagnation. Evolution is not something we check off the list as completed because it’s ongoing. And this season feels ripe for deep exploration.

“Lose yourself. Escape from the black cloud that surrounds you. Then you will see your own light, as radiant as the full moon,” reminds Rumi. Shine brightly. Bisous. x

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8 Tips for Fall Tranquility

Thursday night we gathered online to set intentions, learn eight tranquility tips, and create community. These quarterly gatherings are a delight to host and I so appreciate your involvement. We were blessed with visitors from Japan, France, England, Canada, and all over the US.

I introduced my beloved pugs Belle Starr and Mookie (who were deeply immersed in a nap most of the time) and shared a few books I’m reading. Extra treats included a favorite poem, a 20% off TranquiliT code, a colorful PDF Playbook, and shared resources in the chat box (hello hygge).

My eight tranquility tips are:

Reflect (with provided journal prompts)
Indulge in 25 suggested fall pleasures
Try transitional style (ways to make summer items work in fall)
Create your Q4 wish list
Practice RAIN
Incorporate eight daily tranquility tools
Soak in the tub
Practice loving-kindness

To learn more about these fall tips, download the one-hour video and audio recording to watch and/or listen to at your leisure. This includes the TranquiliT discount code and Playbook PDF. May fall bring a welcomed respite from overdoing.

Our next TDJ Live is Thursday, January 12, 2017 and you can sign up for it here. Bisous. x

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Week in Review

Week in Review

I’m sitting at my desk overlooking a patio garden with a purring cat on my lap and pot of tea next to the computer. Sounds tranquil, yet piles of books, confetti, and paperwork are closing in on me—taxes to prepare, packets to create, study materials, books to read, mail to open, papers to file.

It’s that time of the year. There’s a social work licensing exam to take, gold and pink patterned Daybook packets to be stuffed, tax documents to pull together for my accountant, and projects to complete. So much stuff oozing into my sacred work space and creating a sense of urgency.

Earlier this week, instead of working on these to-dos, I pulled everything out of my closet and did a big overhaul. My seamstress is usually the beneficiary of these deep cleans—a chandelier, room-sized leopard-print rug, never used exercise balls, dozens of vintage slips, a large silver bag made of recycled wrappers, no-longer-wearing pieces of clothing. Although my feet and back usually ache after these escapades, I feel lighter creating space and sending items off to a new good home. Now to conquer this desk.

This week I collaborated with clients, hosted Tranquility du Jour Live (replay available for $10), held two mentoring sessions, organized, heard Scotlund speak at Politics & Prose, savored brunch with a friend, sat outside with the family to read, practiced yoga, taught mindfulness, did doga with Mookie, got a mani and pedi, collaborated on new studio tee designs, released a podcast, sent a Love Note, and wrote in my Moleskine.

During last night’s Tranquility du Jour Live gathering, many participants shared intentions around simplifying and slowing down. This idea aligns with what we observe in nature. A shedding, a softening, a retreating within. This season urges me to hit the pause button with so many tempting alternatives. Bake vegan pumpkin scones. Build a fire. Hike through a forest of red and yellow leaves. Go to a pumpkin patch. Sit around a campfire.

Wishing you a chance to step into a state of human being this fall. Even as the paperwork and projects piles up. May our moments matter beyond checking to-dos off our lists. Bisous. x

Pics in Review

Photos found on social media from last night’s TDJ Live {@sonjawithaj, @shizukat, @ludidryu, Lacey}
Read Flow outside with Mookie
Tried out a possible way to do long walks with Belle
Loved hearing Scotlund Haisley of Animal Rescue Corps speak about his new book, Compassion in Action

Savvy Sources

5 Rules for Hosting a Crappy Dinner Party {+ Seeing Friends More Often}

8 Ways You Can Survive–And Thrive–In Midlife

How to Be a Good Citizen

21 Ways to Simplify Your Life

Hygge: 8 Ways to Embrace the Danish Lifestyle Concept

10 Tips on How to Be a Writer by Rebecca Solnit

20 Things to Do This Fall

Mini Vegan Pumpkin Pie Tarts Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

Weekend Wish List

Learn lots at Writing a Spiritual Autobiography workshop

Learn lots at Trauma-Informed Facilitation workshop

Do yoga

Savor VegFest with the family

Reconnect over dinner date with a friend

Start stuffing treats into Daybook pre-sale packages

Write essays

Finish Compassion in Action

Study, study, study

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