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The recent snowstorm caught me by surprise. I was just gearing up for Halloween festivities (also my birthday!) and was unprepared for the power outage, bitter cold and dangerous ice everywhere. It certainly wasn’t like any Hallows Eve I can remember! All I wanted to do was to stay home (which isn’t like me) and keep warm. I must be getting old, I thought. But hey, it happens to all of us, and birthdays are a perfect time to remember what matters most … and this year what mattered was to be home, warm, with my man, snuggled in bed.

I’ve lost a pound in four days, and we’ve eaten healthy, organic meals the past three nights.

New diet? Nope. I just signed us up for organic produce home delivery.

I received my first delivery this week, and it’s already delivering much more than I had hoped for: a reason to try new recipes, eating fruits and vegetables I’ve never ventured to buy in the grocery store (hello, kale!), and losing weight in the process.

Also, I swear, the carrots just taste better.

No matter what
No matter where
It’s always home
If love is there.

I grew up with this quote hanging on our kitchen wall. As a little girl, I admired the fine needlework (yes, I grew up in Kansas) rather than the actual message embedded in the thread. As I’ve grown in life and with my yoga practice, I’ve come to fully understand the power behind this simple message. Home and comfort reside in the small things, and love is magically woven into every crevice of our lives when we learn to let go of the story we’re telling ourselves and open our eyes.

This summer I’ve spent a good deal of time upstate in the Catskills where my boyfriend manages a 2,000-acre estate. (Two and a half times the size of Central Park!) This Gilded Age estate includes a once grand 20,000-sq-ft mansion and riding stables. Needless to say, it’s paradise for me, Nature Gal. The abundant wildlife (including bobcat and bear), fresh air, pure spring water and total lack of light pollution has me ‘blissed out in the boonies.’ I believe nature is our ultimate healer, which is the reason I incorporate all things natural into my design work. And I have never felt healthier or happier in my whole life than I have this summer, enveloped in this magical kingdom.

I’m a bit of a fanatic regarding pure air. I once (single-handedly) moved a dresser into the hallway of a charming B&B because of the mothball smell (my boyfriend at the time was not impressed). Admittedly, it has never been easy being me/green — I smell everything! Synthetic perfumes, soaps, laundry detergents, “air fresheners” and other conventional “fresh smells” gag me. (I must have been a bloodhound in a previous life.)

The “official” first day of spring may have been March 20, but with the cold weather, it certainly didn’t feel like it then. Now it seems like spring has finally sprung!

I may have “reached that age” when I appreciate each spring just a little more (or maybe it’s just my recent memory of the brutally cold winter), but the colorful spring buds are making me extremely happy this year. Another thing that makes me happy is the feel of a de-cluttered, freshly cleaned home, so spring cleaning is on my mind. Some of you may not have gotten around to this annual rite of passage yet, while others may feel ready for a second pass at it after all the recent rain (and the inevitable mud it invites in). Either way, before you start cleaning your home, consider doing a clean sweep of your chemical cleaning products first.

You’ve had “spring cleaning” on your to-do list for weeks now, but it hasn’t happened yet. Don’t despair; as with meditation and yoga, now is the perfect time to begin again (and again … ).

It is also a perfect time to detox your home environment. We spend much of our time indoors with our windows closed, so it is even more important to be mindful of healthy air quality. Consider this: The average home contains 500-1,000 chemicals resulting in indoor air quality that is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. Yikes!

Here are nine easy ways that you can detox your home, so you and your family and enjoy a healthier spring:

When my husband and I bought our first place, my answer to that question would have been 440 square feet per person.

We had everything we needed in that space, including a spare bedroom for guests and enough “party space” for gatherings with friends. But it didn’t take long before the lure of our first house — an 1800s Victorian — made us feel as if we needed to double our living area to 925 square feet per person. (Sound familiar?)

Happy Chinese New Year, new moon in Aquarius, Candlemas (which is the midway point between winter solstice and spring equinox), Imbolic (which honors Brigid, the goddess of creative inspiration and fertility) … and all New Beginnings!

I love mythology and ritual, especially when they honor and align us with the natural world. With spring approaching, it makes sense that many traditions consider this time the true beginning of the year, a time of rebirth and renewal.

The holidays are a festive — and often frantic — time of year, with family and friends gathering together. The setting for all these celebrations takes place in our homes, where creating comfort for our guests is the primary focus.