After a busy and not-as-relaxing-as-I-thought-it-would-be weekend… I give you a few things that are going to to get me through this week…

I found this inspirational piece whilst catching up on my foodie blogs.

I bought some more of these for the bulk bin section at Whole Foods. The other ones worked very well but I wanted to try a different fabric. (I really should just find the time and make some myself).

I love this print and I’m debating whether to make it mine! It’s been quite awhile since I have purchased any Etsy art and this artists work would look absolutly lovely in my home.

I am finally enjoying this book like most of the women in the world.

and I had a pretty good harvest this week from my balcony garden which seems to be coming back to life after many invading caterpillars, a powdery mildew outbreak and some very hot and dry afternoons.

 Happy Monday! I like this poster and will use it’s wisdom in the week ahead!

Good Morning! I thought I would begin the week by creating a series of Monday Musings… things I’ve been particularly excited about, listening to, reading, discovered online… Hopefully they will be interesting to you as well!

… I’m spending a lot of time reading this.

We’ve been cooking from and loving this cookbook/book.

I can’t get enough of this music (check out all of his albums- you won’t be disappointed)!

And at work the kids and I are enjoying this lovely c.d.

I just bought me some of these to make my bulk bin buys a little greener

And I am pondering buying my doggies this and this because well,

they are just so darn cute!

I received this in the mail this past weekend and I am quickly pouring through its beautiful pages.

And something for fun because I can’t believe I am already thinking about Halloween!

Happy Monday!

Every Friday for the past month now, I have been biking to work. I have been wanting to do this now since we moved relatively closer to my work but not being extremely close and not feeling the most comfortable on my brothers old bike, I was still very cautious. So, a few months back I decided to finally buy myself a very nice commuter bike, outfit it with a front basket and bungy cords to strap on anything to the back and after watching the documentary No Impact Man– I finally decided to just do it. Take my car off the road for one day a week and get some much needed exercise while doing it. And believe it or not, the almost 10 miles were not so bad, in fact I rather enjoyed seeing a whole other side to this California city I very much dislike. In fact, these Friday rides have given me a reason to like this city and I am warming to the idea of it every time I get out on that road.

It’s as if I stumbled upon this natural treasure. Instead of SUV’s cutting me off and bumping over the same pot holes and hitting the same lights and listening to radio commercials with air conditioning blowing artificially into my face, I get to see wildflowers and wild bunnies and even the occasional coyote. The other day I even got to see a bobcat stare at me from the bike path and then jump into the bushes creating a frenzy of dogs barking from nearby houses. I had no idea this town even had bobcats!

I decided this past Friday to capture some of the images I see on my rides every week. I love the feeling seeing this nature gives me. It helps me appreciate Southern California’s open spaces, even though they are most often hidden behind the asphalt and brick walls.

On those Fridays I ride, I become more aware of my surroundings and I respect even the smallest of earths creatures. It’s good in my line of work to begin the day with this respect for the earth and I find it almost meditative riding my bike instead of driving.

I am trying to work up to a few days a week riding to work, but with so many things to get done in a day and the time it takes me to get home in the evenings, for now I will try and keep my once a week ride steady.

“Each new year is a surprise for us. We had virtually forgotten the note of each bird, and when we hear it again, it is remembered like a dream, reminding us of a previous state of existence… The voice of nature is always encouraging.”

-Henry David Thoreau

I had the opportunity to visit with dear friends this weekend and even though I see these women pretty often, it always makes me think about where our lives are headed, where they have been and how they are still intertwined after so many years of friendship. I stumbled across this fantastic website and it reminded me of how important gathering with friends really is and how I need to make sure my friends I do this more often. Just talking and being with these woman remind me of who I am and what I may become and what I want to be and even what I don’t want to be. Gathering with people you have grown up with and discussing the ways of the world is such an intimate, wonderful experience and I am thankful I have these women in my life. I am thankful I have had the opportunity to grow with them and to be learning from them. And I hope they in turn learn from me.