What brings me joy

*messy bed head that actually looks good
*laughing with my son
*a good, long hot shower
*front porch conversations
*writing lists
*a long yoga class
*an hour and a half massage
*dancing like a fool
*reading a really really good book
*watching a great live music show
*napping in a hammock
*windows down, music blaring, singing at the top of my lungs in the car
*bonfires
*checking things off my lists
*my son waking me up every morning with a kiss
*soup
*30 minutes on the elliptical
*making something that tastes so good my hubby smiles
*hearing my hubby laugh like a little girl
*good music
*pregnant bellies
*walking on the beach
*pedicures
*coloring in a coloring book
*baking with butterscotch chips
*mixed tapes
*drum circles
*life changing conversations
*Natasha Wescoat's art
*exploring
*listen to someone talk about their passion
*witty banter
*solving a word jumble
*belly laughs
*smiles
*playing the piano (and oh how i miss it)
*tomato soup & grilled cheese sandwiches
*dining by candlelight

I could keep this up all night but I'll stop for now

Her Morning Elegance

This makes me beyond happy

37 before I'm 38

37 before I'm 38:
1. Write a 100+ Things I'd Like to Do Before I Go list
2. Make orgami of some sort
3. Take a jewelry making/beading class
4. Pay off car May 2011
5. Lose 100 lbs from where I originally started
6. Own a pair of black boots October 2010
7. wear heels
8. Go to a movie alone
9. Wear a dress October 2010
10. Visit an accupuncturist
11. Walk a 5k May 2011
12. Take Monkeyface to an aquarium
13. Do a Miranda July project
14. Send out 12 surprise packages to the unsuspecting
15. take a solo trip to the beach
16. Wear my hair in pigtails
17. Teach Monkeyface to fly a kite
18. Run a mile without stopping
19. Read one classic novel per month
a) Their Eyes Were Watching God
b) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
c) Love in the Time of Cholera
20. Visit Ikea again
21. Wear my hair straight once
22. Have a family portrait taken
23. Take Monkeyface to the beach for the day
24. Take Monkeyface to a drum circle
25. Have a great conversation with a complete stranger
26. Get a new camera (October '10)
27. Take a photography class
28. sneak away for the weekend with the hubby
29. get rid of treadmill
30. Plant something in my yard
31. Get a bed for the guest bedroom
32. Get a bookshelf for Monkeyface's room
33. Do a headstand
34. Buy a piece of Natasha Wescoat art
35. Rappel down Wachovia building
36. Entertain a group of friends at my house
37. Skydive with hubby

Hello old friend

I love autumn. It's when I feel most alive. It's when I want to be outside looking at all the colors. It's when I feel my most creative.
I read something recently that won't get out of my head.
Those nagging ideas that won’t leave us alone, the places where we feel jealous, the urges we have to create something we have no business creating, they are all there to guide us, to take us somewhere interesting.
This is one of my biggest truths. Right now my creativity has to do with activity. Normally I feel the need to create something. This year I'm feeling the need to recreate me. I want to be outside walking, jumping in big puddles, jumping out of planes. I want to create a home where I feel alive and not stifled by the things I've accumulated over the years. Things that no longer have anything to do with the person I'm becoming. Things that make me angry b/c I don't have the storage for them. Clothes that are becoming too big, art that just doesn't suit me, toys that no longer work for my child. I need to get my hands dirty & I need to plant something.
I'm ready to go somewhere interesting. I'm ready to stop being jealous and start doing.
Now if I could find somewhere to dance outside by a big 'ol bonfire, I think the hippie in me would explode.

Balsamic Black Bean Salsa

This is some of the best salsa I've ever made. It's delicious on chips and by itself. Every time I make it people ask for the recipe

Black eyed pea casserole

You should totally try this