Be You Excellently

I am currently down 8 pounds from a week ago. Yes, it has been lost too fast. Entirely because of illness. IT will inexorably come back, unfortunately, and in spite of my best efforts at keeping it off. It's how it always works for me.

But I really like this smaller belly. And I'm still searching for a sustainable way to drop even ten pounds more than I am at this moment. I'd still be at the upper end of a healthy weight for my height. So I'm not chasing the impossible dream here. Though it often seems that way.

All of that as a preface to this quote from this blog. A lot of what they say in this post isn't applicable to what is holding back my weight loss. I'm a post-menopausal woman with thyroid issues, after all. My weird biochemistry is doing a pretty good job of holding me back on it's own. But I really liked this part of the post. I eliminated one word to keep this a family-friendly blog.

"Instead of being afraid–instead of of letting our fear of being a role model or a happiness or a new being stop us from living–let us dare to deal with it.

Life at its best is lived radiantly. Life is best lived with light and with grace and with positivity and love. Do it. Dare to do it. Do it in baby steps if you have to. But do it. Put on the hat of unapologetic wellness from time to time. Put on the hat of excellence. Take it off gently if it’s getting to be too heavy. Then put it on again.

Be you, but be you excellently.

Do not be afraid to do it. You are beautiful, you are yourself, you have nothing to fear in yourself and others. No one is going to laugh at you if you fall. And if they do– (expletive deleted) ‘em! It’s not worth your attention. Your attention is better left for positivity in your life and in others. Your growth is powerful for your soul. It’s powerful for your friends. It’s powerful for the universe."


Patti

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Fun with color palettes

Fun with color palettes, a photo by PattiP88 on Flickr.

I'm taking a class at Reneepearson.com called Color Confidence. This is something I did for this week's assignment of creating a color palette using either a standard, muted, or vibrant color wheel. This one is from the vibrant color wheel. I didn't use the standard color combinations though. These hues are each equidistant with 5 hues of separation.

Dreaming

Inspired by Ali Edwards via Katie the Scarpbook Lady, I thought I'd post this today.

http//www.gonorway.no/norway/articles/484

I'm dreaming of a trip to this specific spot in Norway. The reason being, that little farm pictured in the photographs was where my grandfather was born. My cousin visited the farm in the 90's, and took this photograph:

Part of the farm house dates to the 1600's, though my family didn't own it back that far. The farm is no longer occupied.

I have this photograph of the farm passed down from my grandfather.

His entire extended family, as I understand it, all emigrated to Minnesota together. Ultimately quite a few of them ended up homesteading in Montana at the end of the 19th century.

I dream about a trip there, to hike that old road to the farm, a path my ancestors would have walked many times.




Patti

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Color Confidence

I'm enjoying the Color Confidence class at reneepearson.com. We're in the first week of class. This week we were supposed to find photos or pictures in magazines that inspired us color-wise, and to create a color palette from the photo. One of the supplies with the class is a digital color card, which we can customize with the photo of our choice and create a color palette from the photo.

One of the photos I played with was a heliconia. I was very surprised when I started pulling colors from the photo how blue the "green" leaves were in the background of the photo. I could have found more subtle colors from the photo to create a more typical palette for me, but I really wanted to push myself to use the very bright red, blue, and the yellow from the heliconia itself.

So I decided I really needed to play with those colors a bit. Since I'm currently laid up with an infection, getting up and painting wasn't going to happen, so I did it digitally. I used word art by Ali Edwards, and the butterfly brush is by Katie Pertiet.

This color palette is definitely not my normal go-to colors, and I'm pretty sure it's not one I'll pick to create digital papers with, but it was instructive to try to create with it. I think I'm going to enjoy the rest of class.

Patti

Clean Pantry

While I've been laying around being sick this week, we hatched a crop of weevils from some grain in the pantry. They were everywhere! So today my DH got rid of every bit of grain in the cupboard except the Cheerios, pancake mix and popcorn for the grandkids.  

He also threw out expired canned goods, some of which had been hiding in the back corners of the pantry for years. 

With our change of diet (Paleo - we've totally cut out grains and are focusing on pastured organic meats and eggs, and vegetables), we no longer need grains in the pantry anyway. And we certainly don't need to keep expired canned goods!

He likes to throw things away, so it was a great job for him.  I totally appreciate it because it's the sort of thing that I put off as long as possible even when I'm feeling fine.

I now have room to prepare an emergency food supply (hurricane season isn't over yet) that fits our current diet.  I haven't figured out yet what that will be. It will have to wait until I'm no longer feverish for sure. 

There's still organizing to do when I'm well, and I do think those cookbooks need to come out from behind the storage bin!

Fun Project

Check out this post by Julie Fei Fan Balzer for a fun project

Canvas Necklace


Patti

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Not much

Not much going on here. I updated my iPhone OS, so now I can take easy panoramas that stitch together pretty nicely. My iPad is too old for the update (no camera, for instance), which is a bit bum, but I'll live with the old iOS. Definitely not spending the $ for a new one at this point in time.

Went to the dr. today & yep, I have strep throat. :( Started on antibiotics and can't wait for them to start working. In the meantime, I sent DH to the store to buy color aseptic so I can sleep a little tonight.

Patti

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Pashmina

http://www.thepashminastore.com/Pashmina-Wrap-Sage-Green-3-Ply-p/ppw3-181.htm

I ordered myself a pashmina from www.thepashminastore.com.  It is quite lovely. I purchased it for my trip to the mainland this winter. I'll be going to southern states, but for this Hawaii girl, 60° is really cold! I plan on wearing it in combination with a darker green light coat I already have, plus layers of sweaters etc. underneath!

I'm very happy with the quality and feel of this pashmina. I hope it keeps me warm!

Honey Heaven

Perfect timing - DH found my favorite honey at Costco today, just in time add to my ginger tea to fight a sore throat and hoarse voice.

Even when I'm suck this tastes sooo good!

Patti

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Blooming

P365, a photo by PattiP88 on Flickr.

I'm reposting this photo because this lovely orchid is blooming again. It always makes me happy!