I just discovered the website designhergals, which lets you create a cute cartoon image of yourself or any woman you know and then have it printed on stationery, notecards, stickers, etc. I was playing around with it and created these little cartoons of myself and my mom. Adorable!

My whole "lose 21 pounds by the end of the year" thing got derailed a few weeks ago when I got really, really sick. I’ve since recovered, but I just haven’t hopped back on the fitness bandwagon yet. I think I’m on my way, though. I’ve been reading an interesting fitness book, and today we joined our local L.A. Fitness, which offers lots of classes (yoga, cycling, pilates, etc.), a pool, lots of machines and free weights, and affordable personal training. We’re going to start going in the mornings before work (ugh), so I guess I need to work on my whole night-owl thing. My bedtime simply cannot be midnight if I’m getting up at 5:30 every day. But here’s to good health, which is what I really want for my birthday (well, that and smaller thighs).

He has a hilarious rant about everything: the Starbucki at the end of the world, candy corn, Mormons, the president, airline security…I had the pleasure of seeing him live on Saturday night, where, in his words, he did the dumbest thing he’s ever done on stage, and received his dumbest heckle. He also told an amazing story about a 12-foot tall animatronic Jesus, and ended his show with “Hippo Swallows Dwarf,” a news story about a dwarf that bounced sideways off a trampoline and into the mouth of a yawning hippo, who accidentally swallowed him. This is supposedly an urban legend, but Lew had the copy of the article with him, so maybe it’s true. Either way, it’s damn funny.

I really like it because it’s about getting in touch with autumn, which is my favorite season!

Shifting With Nature
Change Of Season
In today’s world, office jobs and supermarkets have made it possible to work and provide for ourselves and our families regardless of nature’s cycles. While most of us no longer depend directly on nature’s seasons for our livelihood, our bodies’ clocks still know deep down that a change of season means a change in us too. If we don’t acknowledge this, we may feel out of sync, as though we have lost our natural rhythm. These days, autumn is more likely to bring thoughts of going back to school than harvesting, but in both cases, the chill in the air tells us it’s time to move inside and prepare for the future.We can consciously celebrate the change of season and shift our own energy by setting some time aside to make the same changes we see in nature. We can change colors like the falling leaves and wilting blooms by putting away our bright summer colors and filling our wardrobes and living areas with warm golds, reds, and browns. While plants concentrate their energy deep in their roots and seeds, we can retreat to quieter, indoor pursuits, nurturing the seeds of new endeavors, which need quiet concentration to grow. We can stoke our inner fires with our favorite coffee, tea, cider, or cocoa while savoring the rich, hot comfort foods that the season brings in an array of fall colors: potatoes, apple pies, pumpkin, squash, and corn. As animals begin growing their winter coats and preparing their dens for hibernation, we can dust off our favorite sweaters and jackets and bring blankets out of storage, creating coziness with throw rugs and heavier drapes. We can also light candles or fireplaces to bring a remnant of summer’s fiery glow indoors.

By making a conscious celebration of the change, we usher in the new season in a way that allows us to go with the flow, not fight against it. We sync ourselves up with the rhythm of nature and the universe and let it carry us forward, nurturing us as we prepare for our future.

Around this time every year I really start to think about jewelry. I love jewelry. Really love it. Wear it all the time. Buy it pretty often…Anyway, I think the reason I really start to contemplate it in the autumn is because my birthday and Christmas are approaching, and not only do I add sparklers to my wish lists, but I dress up more during the holidays and like to complement my outfits with great accessories. For several years now I’ve been saying that I want to start building a collection of real gems. They don’t have to be extravagant; I just want to have a few genuine articles.

This isn’t to say I don’t love costume jewelry. I have some fabulous faux gems, and some are vintage pieces from my grandmother and great-grandmother. I buy most of my jewelry at Target, because it’s affordable, cool-looking, and I can wear it on a day-to-day basis without too much worry. I had a ring phase a few years ago, followed by a necklace phase, and this year I’m having a bracelet phase. I can’t seem to get enough of them, and I like to wear them all piled on, with lots of different styles and textures. So naturally, when I was browsing at target.com this week, I found these two pieces that are just fabulous:

The Baroque Hinged Cutout Bracelet, which is only $10.79!

The Burnished Goldtone Flex Bracelet, which is just $14.99!

As for my collection of real gemstones, it’s pretty small right now. I have my aquamarine and diamond wedding band, a diamond ring from my mom, a ruby ring from a friend, a garnet ring from my parents, and a set of pearls (necklace, bracelet and earrings) from my dad. Actually, now that I think about it, it’s a pretty good sized collection, but what can I say? I want more! I had a diamond necklace at one time, but the whereabouts of that particular bauble are currently under debate.

So, I decided to buy myself a present. I’ve been eyeing these peridot earrings for two years now, so I’m going to bite the bullet. I have to go to the jewelry store anyway this week, and if these are in stock, I’m bringing them home.

I also stumbled across these stunning ruby, mother-of-pearl, and diamond earrings. I can’t afford them right now, but they really aren’t that outrageously expensive, and they are just so gorgeous. They are definitely on my list of things to save up for…