606 version of a beached whale

Is it wrong to make fun of Allister's big paunch?

Creative support cat

Still waiting.

I ask for the shrimp at the seafood counter. "Are you sure you called them in here?" says the nice man. 10 more minutes spent watching the rotating chickens. . .Oy.

Drawbridge Pasadena MD

Waiting. . .1 massive boat passage and 3lbs of steamed shrimp away from some cocktails and a few hours with fam and friends.

Fat Ass Dispatch #3

Despite the rain and storms still got in a 50 minute walk by the water. This was quite nice.

It was nearly dark so no glaring, rash-inducing sun; wore the good old faithful Sauconys so no miserable feet; walked along the waterfront promenade so we got a really nice breeze to cut the humidity; and we got to dream about living on a massive sailboat someday.

This activity and exercise stuff apparently does have it's perks.

So far so good. Time for me to log into WW Online and report I'm planning to suck on a lemon rind. JOKING!!!!!

Fat Ass Dispatch #2

I have sprouts stuck in my teeth.

Clearly I do not have a future as a food stylist either!

Later: How the summer sack dress encourages gluttoney, sloth and possibly other deadly sins!

The Scene at 6:30 AM

To snooze or to exercise? I think we know what Molly's vote is!

Good Mornin'

Start your day off right: A little smile and a whole lot of optimism!

Allister Likes to be the Big Spoon

And really, given his size, that's the only appropriate snuggle spot for him. I just hope these clowns behave tonight. They had us up about 4:46 yesterday!

The Fat Ass Dispatch #1

Ok. We've all heard this before but a few things have happened in recent years and even weeks with my parents' health that make me realize now more than ever. . .If I'm carrying around an extra 20 (and honestly if you asked a doctor they'd probably say 30) pounds at the age of 33, I'm likely to be carrying around 40 or 50 in another 10 or 20 years.

I need to get my act together and take care of myself. Neither of my parents are overweight but they've had other health issues and I want every possible advantage to help me be preventative.

I've always worn sunscreen. I've always eaten lots of fruits and vegetables. I brush and floss. Of late, I've become extremely cautious of over processed foods. . .And now I need to buckle down and get some exercise and force myself to consistently make smart food choices (i.e., will power for chrissakes).

I'm encouraged by my irrational but deathly fear of doctors, hospitals, and all things medical. No sense inviting a visit by being a lazy fat ass.

So I've committed. For real this time. . .And lucky you get to hear all about it.

Here's the latest and greatest:

Got up this morning more bloated than four day old roadkill. Know I should avoid coffee as it creates some kind of acidic/bloating reaction but sooooooo love the taste. Tried to exercise restraint but still likely drank 4 cups.

Went to the ladies room about 9:30 and realized that my fat roll had somehow managed to work button lose on my beautifully tailored white pantsuit in the past hour or so. WTF? I can't have this fat roll getting free will - it could lead to the demise of all mankind!

Ate watermelon for breakfast. Ate 10 almonds for a snack. Ate fresh mixed fruit, a piece of whole wheat toast, a little melted pepper jack cheese, a granny smith apple and low fat/cal honey mustard dressing for lunch.

Feeling very smug for a while until I started to feel the urge to mindless eat. Made some raspberry tea. It seemed to work ok.

Spent the last half hour at work logging in all my food into the Weight Watcher's website. Was tempted to lie about "activity points" but decided no one on the WW staff would judge. . .Contemplated buying a scale which I have always banned as I'm rather muscular and typically work off of inches rather than pounds.

Checked out the WW mobile app on my Blackberry in traffic. The detail with which I'm able to track every morsel of food I put in my mouth truly appeals to my OCD side.

Walked with C and Tilghman for close to an hour. It was not a breakneck pace but it was so hot and humid, I felt smug for enduring such vile discomfort.

Discomfort because a while ago I bought this pair of Asics because I liked the color and they were cheap at Nordstrom Rack. There is a flipping reason I've always been a Saucony gal. Asics suck for my feet. . .numb toes, minor blistering.

Ate more vegetation than a full grown panda for dinner. Plus a very very very good dippy egg on a piece of warm wheat bread. That egg was so simply prepared and the toast was warm but not too crunchy. The salad was cool and crisp and full of: romaine, sprouts, cucumber, broccoli, mushrooms. I precut a lot over the weekend so the whole meal took about 10 minutes total. It was so simple. It reminded me again how lovely simply prepared foods are - so long as the ingredients are stellar. \

That's a lesson for you skinny bitches too. Do yourselves and the environment a favor and eat simple foods that you can purchase in season locally.

It's now midnight. Not hungry. Today has been a success food-wise.

After dinner, I did my usual sit ups on the balance ball - the fat roll apparently cannot be beat into submission. Decided to use my puny 2lb weights to do some basic arm exercises. Ha! Those weights were so dusty, I should be bludgeoned with them!

Speaking of bludgeoning. . .Why am I so effing cranky? hahaha!

Shadow Box Back Mounting Side

I slapped a bunch of liquid leaf on this side. I'm thinking about using wallpaper scraps from our bedroom for the window facing side. That might change by tomorrow evening.

The back of the shadow box

Black Peeling Velour? Blasphemous! You know this will be re-tooled.

Liquid Leaf

Is less tedious than the little paper leaves but it also needs clean up with turpentine or similar solvent. I'd rather avoid those chemicals but I haven't found an equal or superior alternative.

I try to use a foam brush whenever possible so I can just dispose of it properly rather than ruin a bristle brush or dump chemicals in the drain or landfill.

I deliberately went for a streaky look so the black could peek through. I might also sand the edges very lightly after it dries to give it more age.

The leaf feels dry to the touch quickly but don't risk it. Leave it alone to cure for a while before handling a lot or treating further. We all know patience is not my most stellar quality but I've learned this lesson the hard way!

Do Yourself A Favor

For any paint project that involves glass: Tape it up. I'm a rather skilled "edger" but if the edges involve glass, I'd far rather tape than scrape the paint off glass with a razor blade after the fact.

Fine Grit Sandpaper

The actual sander isn't necessary for this insane project - unless you just got a manicure but its the only fine grit I could find at this hour!

Before you paint, be sure to wipe the frame down with a damp cloth so its free of dust.

Oh Hell What Now?!

I know. I know. I have issues!

I have an infatuation with eclectic items that still have a hints of tradition and I seem to find inspiration in nature.

A while back, I hand painted wooden eggs to resemble bird eggs and arranged them in a shadow box. It turned out pretty well. So I bought a bunch of shadow boxes. (Do you sense a pattern?). Some were on clearance. . .aka beat up.

That's ok cause I planned to beat them up even more! Here, the finish is too glossy for what I want and it made the knicks stand out too much anyway.

So I'm using some heavy grit sandpaper to rough it up, make it dull, scratched, etc. I'm basically putting some age on this mass produced MDF frame.

A finer grit (if I can find any) will fine tune it and then I'm going to slap some kind of paint on it. Browns with hints of gold leaf maybe?

(PS DIYers, if you're going to paint on this type of finish, you likely need to give it a light sanding regardless so your paint "sticks" to the glossy spray coat)

This frame is 5 by 7. Which could be my IQ after inhaling this paint dust! Who knows what it is? Where is CIH C? Far far away on the third floor. He is very wise indeed!

Memory Book

From time to time (and on-going for all our pets), I make memory books. It's basically a simple scrap book. I pick select photos and journal memories, store mementos, etc.

Two pets share each book so we're up to 4 of those. We have one about the house. There's one for our wedding and several for vacations.

Some are big, some are small - it just depends on what I have handy when I start. Like picture frames and canvases, if I see albums (must be a specific type of page tho) on sale, I buy by the arm load!

I haven't done one in a while so I decided to start one for summer 09 - in case the blog ever fails, we still have something better than a box of photos.

Its much more tedious to do the book than it is to do the blog that's for sure!

NOTE: I realize this is a dupe. I thought I was deleting from my Blackberry but I hit resend instead. I would remove it but that will remove the pic from the other post and I'm waaaaaaayyyyyy to lazy to deal with another pic, etc. right now.

Memory Book

From time to time (and on-going for all our pets), I make memory books. It's basically a simple scrap book. I pick select photos and journal memories, store mementos, etc.

Two pets share each book so we're up to 4 of those. We have one about the house. There's one for our wedding and several for vacations.

Some are big, some are small - it just depends on what I have handy when I start. Like picture frames and canvases, if I see albums (must be a specific type of page tho) on sale, I buy by the arm load!

I haven't done one in a while so I decided to start one for summer 09 - in case the blog ever fails, we still have something better than a box of photos.

Its much more tedious to do the book than it is to do the blog that's for sure!

Cadmium Yellow Canine

Acrylic on 11 by 14 canvas.

Allister at Rest

With work on progress "Rocker Chick"

Not sure who would be interested in this one but I wanted to see how it would come out. I'm thinking it might appeal to a "tween."

My "Little" Helper

Why he tries to wedge himself into this basket, I have no idea.