"Because there's a little witch in every woman"

Stumbled upon this image via Cassia and loved it so much I just had to doodle it. And make it my new blog banner.

2nd Annual Through the Viewfinder Alphabet Challenge

The challenge ended yesterday. Below you can see my entire set. We had a great collection of images as a group, though. I encourage you to view them all here.

do-it-yourself halloween gravestone yard decorations

We had so much fun making these. Elle really wanted gravestones for the yard so instead of buying some, I suggested we make our own. Guy has a garage full of materials and tools. Why not, right? Under the patient instruction and careful supervision of my beloved, I wielded a jigsaw and created the "stones." A little bottom of the can primer, black and metallic paint and some craft paint for the lettering and backs later and VOILA! A wonderful family activity that we will remember fondly each year as we put out the Halloween decorations. Love!

Baby Love

Made these for one of Elle's classmate's family who just welcomed a baby girl. The pictures are pretty self explanatory, but if after viewing this you have any questions about how to make them, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email. Hope you enjoy viewing as much as I enjoyed making them!

what religion must feel like

Watching this, I like to imagine this is how people must feel after going to church. Inspired. Lifted. Happy. Wanting to be a better person [artist]. Wanting to share and spread their joy. Creativity is my religion.

Kiel Johnson's Cardboard Twin Lens Reflex Camera Time Lapse from Theo Jemison on Vimeo.

nice follow-up to the fat post, huh? (LOL)

Saw rainbow cupcakes on the Cupcakes Take the Cake blog and figured I'd give 'em a try. They will look great in Halloween colors, dontcha think?

Wanna make them? Here's what you need:

- White cake mix (I use milk instead of water)

- Food coloring

Divide the mix, create your colors with the food coloring, layer in baking cups, bake as directed and VOILA!

denial or ignorant bliss?

This afternoon I read two blog posts on weight gain back-to-back. It just worked out that way on my feed reader but it served to remind me, "Oh, yeah. I'm chubby." As if I could forget. I'm reminded every day of my girth by my very worst body image enemy: ME.

So consider this an update of sorts. I'm the heaviest I've been in 8 years. I weigh as much or perhaps even a couple of pounds more than I did when I was full term with Anna Sofia. I maintained my weight within a few pounds from the time Elle was born until I gave birth to Anna Sofia when my weight dipped dramatically. I was practically anorexic post partum to the point that I felt the same self-loathing...no, disappointment is a kinder, more accurate word...that I do now in my 15 lb. clinically overweight body. Isn't life funny that way? Body image is something I've always struggled with. Even when I weighed a mere 100 lb. in high school. Except in some ways it's easier for me now because I have certainty whereas when I was never-thin-enough (read: all my life) I constantly wondered "Do I look fat?" Now I know what I must look like. Wait, no. That's not true. I have no earthly idea what I look like. Maybe if I did I'd feel compelled to do something about it. My perception of myself depends on the angle, the reflective surface, the outfit I'm wearing. If I see a bad picture, I delete it. But the numbers don't lie. Also? The boobs. I can't see my feet and they are full and lucious. I feel myself up all the time. True story. I even offered my best buddy, Tracy, a friendly grope the other day which she politely declined.

Exercising more and eating less isn't working for me. I can run 6 miles (which I did just the other day) but I refuse to starve myself. So that's where I find myself: in yet another season of fatness.