so… i’ve been taking a much needed break from the computer in recent months… but i thought i’d share a few things that i’ve been into lately.

1. solar lights — i’ve recently become obsessed with solar lights. the design of these things has really improved over the years, and you can now find some really nice looking ones that burn for hours. the smith & hawken rock lights at target are surprisingly bright, and these mosaic lanterns are my new favorites. i have them in both orange (pictured above) and green. good luck finding them at a bay area target because i’m pretty sure i cleaned them out last week.
2. organizing things — well, let’s be real… i’ve always been obsessed with organization. but i’ve gotten extra handy with it lately. just cleaned out and organized the garage for eric… and in the house, i made us two “photo drawers” so that our equipment is easily within reach.
3. my bike — i got a new bike from alameda bicycle a few months ago and have enjoyed riding all over the island with eric. i love that it is so flat and bike-friendly here.
4. myfitnesspal — a great little calorie counting app that has a social aspect to it. i’ve connected with my sister, friends, and other family members that are hundreds and thousands of miles away, and together we’re getting healthier and losing weight. i’ve lost 9 pounds to date. woot!
5. instagr.am — i downloaded it when it first launched, then it sat on my phone, untouched. i was mostly put off by the square crop, limiting filters, and annoying borders. but i kept hearing about how great the community is there, so i’ve been giving it a try. what i’ve learned is that the people on there are really nice, and there aren’t many ‘rules’ for what you post. i’ve seen people post non-square cropped images, and many folks are even using other apps for filtering, or none at all. all in all, it’s pretty fun, and some of the photos people post there are downright amazing. look me up — i’m “capturinglight” :^)
6. pinterest — i looooove pinterest. this is one of the best go-to sources for anything design and diy related. my account is slightly underutilized at the moment, but i’m careful not to repin things that have already been pinned a dozen times, and i don’t want to load my boards with a million things i’ll never get around to doing. trying to be realistic, y’all. but i am so loving the site and the concept.
7. trader joe’s — i used to have a love/hate relationship with this place… mostly because of the insane crowds and the difficult-to-read-in-a-hurry (albeit cute) handwritten signage. but now, i think i’ve found a groove with tj’s downtimes and have discovered some products that we really love. a few recent favs: lemon verbenna triple milled soap (smells so good i might eat it), lavender sea salt body scrub (amazing), nourish spa shampoo & conditioner (this stuff is better than a lot of high-end products i’ve used, but it’s only $2.99 a bottle… score), and finally… dark chocolate peanut butter cups (which is not really helping me stay on track with item #4).

what about you? what are you enjoying these days? :^)