12 reasons I love fall, in no particular order!

1.New Fall Clothes, this season REALLY has a lot to offer, lots of new things, I am totally digging the sweater dresses for work and all the cute patterned tights!

2.Getting to finally burn my Pumpkin fall leaves spice candle!! And my new Hot Buttered Rum Candle.

3.SOUP SEASON! Chicken soup to start off the season, then French onion and Cream of Potato, freeze it up for yummy left over’s all season long!!

4.All the kewl Halloween stuff I have can finally be showcased! And OH! It is the first of Oct!! I can put stuff up tonight! HOORAY!!

5.Long walks in the metro parks with Bill my dogs or Julia, crisp autumn air beautiful fall colors, not to mention the sweet smell of dead leaves.

6.Apples used in cooking, APPLE PIE!!!!

7.The tasty decorated Halloween sugar cookies that I make and bring into work!!

8.The two bands that remind me of fall, Cold Play and Portishead. And playing them endlessly on my ipod!

9.My homemade cranberry sauce mmmmm makes the whole house smell like cranberries and cloves!

10.Hot toddy concoctions! Try this: heat up some milk, add a teaspoon of honey (to taste),cloves, cinnamon and ginger, then top it off with a shot of rum!!

11.Lighting candles, turning off the lights and snuggling with the hubby and puppy.

12The ability to jump in a big ol pile of leaves with unbridled passion and gutso!

Insipring words

Picture by Ashley Forrette

Ok,so in case you have lived under a rock lately, shits been depressing here in the states, with the election debates under way,the crappy economy and the fact that I and many other people may be getting laid off soon, BUT!!! Cheer up babies!! Although we cannot choose our destiny we CAN choose our attitudes and the way we see things in these hard times.And since this blog is about the "joy of life", here are some inspiring words that I read recently that struck a chord.

From Stefanie LaRue Author of "Daring to date again, finding love with cancer"
A woman living with Metastatic breast cancer.
"As I see it, we all have a choice: you can wake up pissed off , or you can focus on everything that you are grateful for. You have to open your mind and you heart and accept everything that is happening to you, good and bad. Right now I am the happiest that I have ever been, i am living a no-bullshit kind of life. Just waking up every day is an orgasm-an emotional orgasm. I know there are more ahead of me, I live for that."

And from Crazy Sexy Cancers , Kris Carr

1. Telling people you love them even though there is so much poison that you think you hate them. Once you say it you burst open with white joy and then you miss the time lost in the negative.

2. Doing things that make you really scared but really exhilarated.

3. Muting the voice in your head that is always worried, always tentative, always keeping you in the land of stuck. "Fuck it". "Just do it". GO.

4. Saying no to people who only take.

5. Saying yes to people who give you as much as you give them.

6. Opening your heart so wide that you touch a space that is unknown, uncomfortable and exposed. Staying in that space. Holding it. Holding it. Ahhhh.

7. Turning addictions into accomplishments. Nothing has you in it's grips. You are the grips.

8. Service to God/Goddess. Everything else will fall into place.

9. Sacred sweat, lots of it. Dance till you bleed. Laughing so loud someone complains.

10. Forgiving the world and then making it better.

Now I do realize that both of these woman have cancer, that is just by coincidence, October is national breast cancer month, and I have been doing alot of reading, my mother recently kicked Breast Cancer so I feel the need to be as informed as possible to keep myself healthy, but also these women are INCREDIBLY inspiring. And we can learn a ton from them.

Enjoy your weekend to the fullest!!

Fall things I am mad for

Maybe its my new found adoration of http://www.nubbytwiglet.com/ or maybe its just my style changing a bit, but I noticed lately my style for the fall becoming a bit modern and Graphic. And I LOVE these shoes!!! (now if i can find a comfortable pair!)
Here is the beginnings of my fall fashion mind frame of mind.

This and That

I don't feel to great oday, and I am sore from the running.......ohhh soooo sooorrrrrree, so this hlped me get through the day, I lifted it from Super Kawaii Mamas Blog.

What are the last three things you purchased?
A Tall Soy Latte From Starbucks (yummy), Groceries, A Glass of Wine ( but today I am going to go buy a fall jacket at H&M!!)

What are the last three songs you downloaded?
The Pretenders Brass In Pocket, Grateful Dead Touch of grey (the only Dead song I really love)
Kings Of Leon Four Kicks

What are the last three places you visited?
Circleville Ohio to see my ladies in June, Myrtle Beach S.C. on my honeymoon, and Shipshewana IN on my anniversary

What are your three favorite movies?
Orlando with Tilda Swinton (fave fave FAVE), The Princess Bride, The Aviator

What are your three favorite possessions?
My entire Marilyn Monroe Collection of Dolls and plates and magazines, My Car, My Red super high platform Pin up girl patent leather shoes with big bows on them.

What three things can you not live without?
Concealer, Mascara and Food

What would be your three wishes?
Money so that I could quit my job and open up a coffee house while going back to art school (not technically three) That my husband would not get anymore anxiety attacks ever again and that my moms health problems would completely disappear.

What three things haven't you done yet?
Went abroad (I don’t consider Canada abroad) had a job I REALLY enjoyed (HMM I am seeing a job hating pattern here, sorry) had a child.

What are your three favorite dishes?
Vallarta Special from my fave Mexican Place, Rueben sandwich and a baklava from My Friends Restaurant, and mom or grandmas kielbasa and sauerkraut.

Which three celebrities would you most like to hang out with?
Gala Darling (to me she is a celebrity) Tori Amos, Trent Reznor

Name three things that freak you out?
If it crawls and its not a baby I am freaking out (yes including ladybugs) Deer, The Presidency

Name three unusual things you are good at.
The Slightest Color Differences,Bullshitting,Cooking super awesome meals on the fly. (Although not unusual)

Which three things are you coveting?
A pair of Jessica Simpson Dover Croc Heel (Hello!!! 160 dollars!!) A museum frame I saw on Dick Blick for my new art print, Ashley’s job (sorry, there is that darn job thing again)

Name three bloggers you are tagging.
CleverBlogNameHere
MrsMunster
GalaDarling

Run Fat Girl Run!!!!

Photo by CharcoalArtist

Ok so I don’t really consider my self fat, just a bit curvy….ye, that’s it… curvy. But in the past year or so I have had this real nasty urge to take up jogging/running. When I first told my mother about my new found ambition, she laughed and said “our family is not cut out for running” but AHhAH!!! Sweet mother you are mistaken! I pointed out that a recent family member of ours had taken up the sport. This is my crazy beautiful cousin Ashley.


And it was THIS post on her blog recently that made me think that I actually COULD probably do this. Now granted Ashley I believe you probably are way fitter than I to begin with, but we do still have the same blood line, so I like to think that in some physical sense we may be the same…… Photo by AdamDimech

Over the past year I have tried to do a bit of jogging, usually early in the morning (think 5:30 am) with the dog in tow. And at first it hurt….it hurt BAD….. My body felt like it was taking the pounding of a lifetime, and I only did it three days a week, for 5 minutes, not what you would call marathon material. Also let me get this straight, I have no desire to run in a marathon. Right now I just want to be able to go out maybe after work or before work and get my body moving. I love those 5 minutes when I try to jog my creaky bones down to the end of the block, the freedom of almost flying, and the high I get right before I collapse into a pile of defeat on my living room floor.

I am currently trying to research some programs that could get me up to speed, and fall is the perfect time to do it considering I join the gym each October for the cold season. I have a treadmill at my disposal there, where I can hopefully slowly but surely train my body to accept its new found pavement bashing. From what I hear, the pounding feeling and joint soreness go away after awhile.

I am also hoping that this helps melt away a few minor pounds considering my eating habits aren’t real bad, I think I just need some exercise. I want to push my self to get out there and really do it, and really amaze myself. And I am not sure what has ever held me back. So at 30, I think now is the time to give it a real go. We shall see how it pans out.

Brutus and Starsky Meet

So Julia has this new pup named Brutus, and for the first time a few weeks ago they met ( that didn't go real well), last week they met for the second time and things went better, after a few good crotch sniffs, we were good to go. We went for a two hour, yes TWO hour, walk in the metro parks, it was gorgeous out, and it felt so good to soak in the last bits of summer. Here are some pics of the pair now know as "Brusky" pronounced brew-ski.
Walking down by the river.LOL Don't you just LOVE this face??Third times a charm!Starsky enjoying his day out with a new friend.

Julias big 26!

Last night was so much fun, it was Julia's 26Th birthday, and we all went out to BD's Mongolian Grill in one of my favorite cities Cleveland Heights (actually the area is known as Coventry Village) Coventry is Cleveland's personal "Greenwich Village NY" very bohemian and liberal. It is home to great places like the Cedar Lee where you can watch artsy fartsy movies you won't see every where else and the legendary Grop Shop "think almost our version of CBGB's but waaaay dirtier."

I love this damn city, and while the hubby was at his motorcycle course, I had the opportunity to go alone, something which I haven't done in years!!

Ok,ok enough gushing.......

We had a wonderful meal at BD's then Julia held me at gunpoint and forced me to help her eat a fudge brownie sunday, it was pure torture and I shall never forgive her.

Julia, at the wine cave, I know it's a dark pic but it looks cool with the light.

After dinner it was off to the Wine Cave, otherwise known as "La Cave:" for drinks, I LOVE THAT PLACE!!! It is literally in the basement of a building, and is very cave like, has little black tables with candles, red and dim lighting, lots of real neat art and very cool people, including our waiter who was a sweetie pie. This place was totally Julia, I tried a delicious wine blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Shirah, very very dry with a hint of sweet aftertaste.

Ian's $25 bottle of beer, but hey it was aged for 30 years!!! (8-9 years older than he is) in a whiskey cask.

Julia, of course got something I cannot pronounce if I tried, and the boys all had imported beers, including Ian who got a $25 bottle of beer, with its own box and bottle necklace (fancy) We all had some really great conversation, the 7 of us, and just kicked back. I drove home warm but not at all drunk, listening to Portishead, as I drove back through the city and home to my sleeping hubby. Happy b-day Julia!