it's in you...really

c'mon and celebrate with the betties....10,000 views!

okay, so here is the what of the what. this week i have been

overwhelmed with so much goodness going on. little random

acts of kindness, proving to me that we still get it, there

there is hope and that i am not alone in this crazy, stress-ball

of a world. so today in celebration of all the help heading

to sister haiti's way, little acts that mean the world and

just because some days we need a little more light than

others. here is my list of 5 superbad-ass things!

1. scrappybetties are celebrating their 10,000 views. their blog

is full of happy. i love hopping over there to see what they are

working on and this week there is a party. so head over, each

day they will post another prompt and the best part is, if you share

the link with your friends and let them know - your name goes

in the fishbowl.....free giveaways! day 1 is send an anonymous

card. i have a list! so i better get busy. go on...i said hop on over

to here.

2. myriam has began her own little push to raise money

for her homeland, haiti. born in the states, as a little girl she

was sent to live with her family in haiti. today, she is showing

up and believing that she can bring them hope and love. i love

that! joy for haiti is an easy way to give back and show a little

love yourself. if you can, please make a donation, size does not

matter here folks. it is simply about taking a little step. together

we can make a huge dent in this. since i made my donation last nite

the amount has grown by $2,000. that just makes me smile.

3. and i can't continue until i give you a little more encouragement

to donate to myriam hope. the most talented kelly rae roberts has

a little opportunity to anyone who does take part in myriam's quest.

head over to her blog to find out what she is up too...calling all hearts.

3. etsy....lots of little shops are supporting haiti. and the best part is

you can find some really fun and unique arts and crafts while you

donate!

4. indiefixx has a haiti fundraisor as well. it is all in the bidding on

this one.

5. ....and last, just a little excitement for me. the dali lama will be back

in may. i will be there! this makes me so happy.

now, how can you even feel down today with all this kindness!

peace.

..alter..

...love for haiti. peace for all.

i have several little alters in my house. they

are reminders of places i have been, moments

of life. my alter on my mantle in the family is

filled with little tea candles and twinkle lites.

several icon pieces and my holy candle. she has

burned quite a bit lately...first for brian

bowman, our sister HAITI, kurt glancy and now

for a family i hold so dear to my heart. they

have lost a son, grandson, brother, nephew.

his name is henry. i never met him, i love and

adore his family. today i send my thoughts and

prayers to circle them with warmth and care.

just as i raise our sister haiti up. that they find

a speedy way to find homes for all those children

who are without a family.

january will be leaving soon. dear february -

show us all a little kindness and grace.

peace.

..honor..

spc brian bowman, our hometown boy, was killed jan.3, 2010

today our little town step up to show honor for a young

man who has died protecting our country. i knew they were asking

people to show support and stand along the funeral route around

11am today. bryce had my car and was going to swing by the house

to pick me up at the same time and i had decided to run on the

treadmill, at the high school when i took him back to drop him off.

...i was really feeling bad that i wasn't going to be standing on that

route. but i hadn't ran since sunday and with our car situation, i

had to take the opportunity to get there and exercise. so we headed

out to the high school and as we hit st rd 47...you could see hundreds

of people lining the street flags held high waiting to show their respect.

...i had mentioned to bryce, that i wished the school had the kids out

lined up in front of the school and he told me they would be out there.

we decided to head to the school, taking the back way, incase the drive

was blocked . as we pulled in you could see the whole student body

standing along the highway. it is so cold here today, but the sky is blue

and the sun is shining...but the wind is pretty crisp. what does that

really matter....doesnt. what mattered is that as bryce and i walked

towards the crowd of students and teachers...you could see flags of

all sizes, the students were braving the cold, they were participating.

....i found it very hard not to lose control of my emotions. i hold so

many deep inside about this war. and regardless....i respect every single

one of our men and women who sacrifice for each of us.

..as the sirens of the motorcade came closer, i suddenly realized the hush

that had come across the line of students. those kids step up and got it.

it was a beatiful sight.

...from the cars you could see some of the people wave, some smiled at us.

many held flags outside their car windows and two large double decker charter

buses full of supports, also passed.

...our little city hasn't experience a hometown loss since 1969. and that astonishes

me. as a mama, it is not even possible to put my arms around the emotions that

his mother is experiencing and as a wife, can't go there either. but today i am

proud to be part of this burg, thousands left work, left their warm homes and our

school stepped up and allowed our kids to experience something important.

..honor..

..spc brian bowman my thanks and respect follow you..

..gettting there..

getting these is the battle.

since my birthday in october, i have been working on a diet. as

much as i hate to call it that, that is exactly what it is. what pulled

me to this specific plan was the "clean" eating. and in the beginning

it was pretty radical. i have cut out sugar, salt and caffeine...and

that was just the beginning. cutting sugar meant no more lattes,

no more dirty hippies, peanut butter m&m's...nada. no salt meant

no longer shaking the salt over my food 3-4 times during he meal

and of course no caffeine also meant cutting out the lattes, diets,

chocolate. all of it. and i did. the first two weeks weren't terrible

but by the end of it, i was literally gagging on lettuce i had had so

many salads. but by week three....the menu opened up a bit

and one of the biggest savers was getting fruit at lunch. so after

2.5 months....today i weighed in and ihave lost 25lbs.

...before i go any further, i just want to say this - i am not looking

for any kudos, or cheers....i put myself in such a bad place with my

eating and my weight, but i am writing this only because i know

there are so many others out there feeling the same way. so if

you are someone who is down on yourself because you feel you

are too heavy, or you feel tired and unmotivated - you can do it to.

i was at the point where just a drive down the street meant me

sitting in the car very upset because as we drove, my belly jiggled.

i had quit all exercise because i had no energy and i hated feeling

my flabbyness in constant motion. i was so self conscience, that i

found myself always tugging on my shirts to make sure they were

pulled down over my waist band. and most would say...kelly you

really aren't that heavy....well yes i was. since bryce and i got

married over 9 years ago - i had gained over 40lbs. for someone

who is 5'3.5 - that is way too much extra weight and the worse

part was i would eat so many high carbs and sugar, that i would

literally crash almost daily. it wasn't healthy and i had begun to

hate myself because of it.

i have 5 weeks left before i work on the stabiliazation period

and 10 more lbs to go. i still will be keeping sugars, salts

and caffeine out of my diet. my goal is to never put myself

back into that bad place....will i eat sugar again...sure

i already have. i allow myself a spoon of ice cream, i have

nibbled on a french fry. because that just isn't in my reality

never to have those things. but what is in my reality is that

i feel the best i have since we got married. when i run on the

treadmill now, my stomach isn't in the way, i can run with no

pain...it is glorious.

so...if you are wanting to start, or you are down on yourself

because you have gained more than you are comfortable with

then find what will work for you. you can do it. i sat for over

5 years, feeling worse and worse about myself, refusing to

believe that i could do it. never daring to just pick myself

up and say no more. but after a little over 2 months i have

lost a significant amount of weight. see you can do it - and

in a short amount of time, in a very healthy manner.

really....

..full tank..

hula's ttv class - squam art workshops 2009.

still pondering my "word" of 2010. i mean, seriously...the choices

are endless. when i think back over 09', i see much transformation.

which was necessary and very good. and i am ready for goodness

this year. and for a really quick short list of what i want to accomplish

here we go.

1. work harder to be organized and keep up on the biz side of things

2. work along with my craft inc. books

3. paint several hours each day...excluding weekends.

4. work on ideas for new products

5. move forward in my new venture in digital scrapbook designs.

6. open my new website and etsy shop

7. take a vacation...a real vacation. beach, beer, books and me.

8. keep a book with my goals. update as things happen

9. read more

10. continue to take care of myself. maintain weight and exercise.

11. finish a sprint tri

12. run another 5k

13. paint the studio, add inspiration board and artwork...damn gabled walls

14. add new painting station. so i can stand to paint.

15. find fun new boxes to store and organize.

okay...15 is plenty for now. lets see how i am doing by the end of july.

peace, ya'll.

...baubles...

new baubles in the shop.

stop by and take a look....

peace and thank you.

a new gig

there are times in your life when you meet someone
and don't realize where that may lead. i met
miss danielle in october at the be present retreat
and we really didn't talk to much until the last nite
when we both leaned against the fridge door and
just started spilling. we both soon realized that
our path was quite the same. we had both gone
back to school to get our graphic design degree,
we have kids about the same age, we are blonde
and we love color and to paint. most importantly
we have kept in touch.

and my curiosity about her "off hours gig" lead
to a new gig for me. this month i am the featured
artist at scrapartist.com. an online digital
scrapbook resource.

some days you just need a little warmth on the bun
and my how those creative juices begin to flow.

please head over and see all the fun stuff. you might
just find some fun kits to work with for your own digital
art!

this has been so much fun!

happy . happy!

new goodness...in the shop.

bloom girl one . bad fog vintage locket . free me

new originals, prints and baubles in the shop.

..come on over for a visit. we would love to see you..