aloha friday

It's Aloha Friday!

I've been really busy painting - which is nice. Feels good to be productive again. Still have my lingering cough, but all the other annoying symptoms seem to have passed. The air outside is crisp and breezy - storm supposed to be moving in for the weekend. Sounds good to me. I'd love to be huddled inside, listening to the rain. I love the clouds on a day like today. Big puffballs with the blue sky poking through every other cloud or so, moving quickly, making way for the storm clouds pulling up the rear. Tonight we go see The Times They Are A-Changin', a show choreographed by Twyla Tharp to Bob Dylan music, at the Old Globe in San Diego. Fun fun fun!

weekend in review

A little sampling of my weekend...

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First, finished a painting. It's always fun to paint on a Saturday morning.

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Next, played around with an idea that came to me in the middle of the night - zinnia flower necklaces. I like them. I think it's the first time that an idea came out pretty good on the first try. It's one of the ideas I have swarming around in my head for the probably one-in-a-million shot I have (please please please fingers crossed!) of getting into the Bazaar Bizaare, San Francisco.

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And I got an early Valentines' Day present - Almond Cookie Body Spray from Carol's Daughter!!! I'll have to update you on this later because my nose is still stuffed up and I can't smell...wait...wait! I just gave it another try and it seems my nose is back in business. This smells WONDERFUL!!! (I can't believe I couldn't smell this yesterday) A perfect blend of almond, vanilla, lemon and sandalwood. Doesn't smell too sweet like some food-flavor scents tend to be - so sweet you almost get a bellyache from wearing it too much. (thank you Tommy!)

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And last, an afternoon spent sitting at the beach while my son took his nap in the backseat. Waves looked to be in pretty good condition (but, what do I know?). Hoped this photograph would bring some warmth to those of you trapped in the "blizzard of the century", as Katie and Matt keep calling it. If you want to see more, check out my dad's surfing album here.

can you smell them?

Smell the Flowers

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I have a mountain of mail (and I haven't been out of town) to go through - need to find the bills that need to be paid. I absolutely hate all this junk mail. It puts such a damper on the good mail. Nice cover on the Feb. 6th New Yorker, though.

I heart...

Things I Y Today:

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Y Starting each day with a cup of tea and a quiet moment with my gramma

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Y Mini muffins (fresh batch this morning!)

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Y Thrift store finds (like this funky floral table cloth) that remind me of my gramma

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Y Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole's voice

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Y Jiffy baking mixes

Y Scent of tuberose
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Y That my fever and sore throat are gone.

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Things I Don't Y Today:

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x The fact that the Jehovah's Witness lady will probably be coming round and I need to get up the guts to tell her I don't want her coming by no more. (no offense to anyone out there who may be a JW...but my husband's a Holy Roman Catholic!)

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x The kink in my neck. (if it ain't your ass it's your elbow...grrrr)

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x My persistant cough.

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x My inability to just break down and buy that $6.95, outrageous green mu-mu at the thrift store yesterday...sure it was obnoxious, but it would make anyone who saw me in it smile, and that's a good thing, right? (maybe I'll go back and see if it's still there today!)

Self Portrait Tuesday

Self Portrait Tuesday
February Theme: All of Me

(my picture is small because I'm too insecure to tackle this theme head on)

Ah, yes. Here I am, ALL of me, in Hawaii last year. Big ol' floppy hat to keep the sun from turning my nose lobster red, swimsuit with the little skirt (you know the kind - not very sexy I'm afraid) and wrap around my shoulders to protect the sunburn I'd already gotten after probably a couple hours on the islands.

I think I'm close to simply embracing what I am. I'm sick and tired of beating myself up - you need to diet, you need to exercise, you need to you need to you need to. I'm exhausted with it. Cuz let's face it - even if I did manage to lose 50 pounds, I'm never gonna look like Audrey Hepburn. Nope. It just ain't gonna happen my friend.

So I have to wear a one piece swimsuit that uses more fabric than a pant suit for some women. Big deal. So I can't walk around the beach in a bikini top and a sarong. Like I said earlier, I burn anyway, so a big floral sun dress not only covers my curves it keeps me safe from the sun.

I don't want to waste another moment counting my calories or writing a food journal. I got a ton of other things I'd rather be doing.

Hi, my name is Dawn and I am curvy. Botticelli would've LOVED me!

without further adieu

I hardly expect that there is this huge gathering of people out there checking this here little blog on a daily basis...maybe one (if that), so, for you, my one dedicated reader, I apologize for my lack of posts over the past couple weeks. I lost my Grandma. The things that used to bring me so much joy are now taking some time for me to get back into. But I'll dust off the cobwebs and try to channel my emotions into something productive. That's what she would have wanted me to do, afterall. Finally started drawing again yesterday:

And, while in the process of recovering from a cold, I found myself with enough downtime to finish a couple books I started reading months ago. One of them has left me with a lot of inspiration and encouragement. I highly suggest reading Lisa Price's memoir about starting her fragrance, bath and body company, Carol's Daughter. (one of these days I'll order myself some Almond Cookie body spray - doesn't that sound wonderful???)

Success Never Smelled So Sweet: How I Followed My Nose and Found My Passion