my first milestone, my first reward

February 17, 2012: 170lbs – 17lbs lost!Way back when, when I started training for a half marathon and exercising regularly, I made a list. The list is of rewards that I will earn at each major weight loss milestone. In other words, I made this list in August. Exercising, doing crossfit workouts 2x a week, running 15+ miles a week… month after month… and I didn’t meet a single milestone. The list sat there, none of the goals met, none of the rewards received.…until I started Medifast in late December. Now I have 3 Medifast meals and 3 regular meals a day, and I also am still running about 10 miles a week. Pound after pound (after pound), I made my way (weigh? Ba dum ch!) to the first milestone weight – 170lbs.I saw 170 on the scale this Monday! My reward for hitting 170lbs was getting a massage (awesome, right?) so that very day I called and made an appointment (with a coupon, of course) to be pampered, and the appointment was last night. After having “170 – massage” written on my goals list for 6 months, I finally, finally, FINALLY got to check it off AND to reward myself. It felt so good – the massage and the achievement.{it was like this, only, you know, different.}Every 10lbs from here on out has a reward associated with it (but shhh… they’re my secret until they happen!), besides the intrinsic reward of getting my body back. The effort, the time, the discipline it’s taking to choose health, exercise, and have self-control have been demanding, but having a goals and rewards list is so encouraging (especially when I can actually reach the goals thanks to Medifast.)Another reward? All of the sweet and encouraging comments on recent posts that include pictures or video of me. (PS I totally agree, y’all. My face is showing the weight loss. Loving it!)My Journey to Health:February 17, 2012: 170lbsJanuary 30, 2012: 174lbsDecember 30, 2011, 187 lbs17 lbs lost!:: :: :: :: :: ::Want to join me this year on Medifast? If you use the coupon code, OFAMILY56, and sign up for Medifast Advantage, when you order $250+, you’ll receive 56 free Medifast Meals and free shipping! (More details at the bottom of this post.)Disclosure: I receive free product in order to evaluate and comment on my experiences on the Medifast Nursing Mothers Program. I will only ever tell you how I actually feel about this experience and the Medifast products. Pinky swearsies. I am supposed to tell you that the Medifast Program is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or illness and that any medical improvements noted while on the program are related to weight loss in general, and not to Medifast products or programs. K, you got that? Good. There will be a quiz later.

holly wales..

seeing as i am a typical new englander and all i can do is talk about the weather i thought i'd post holly wales graphic images of wintery landscapes. aren't they lovely? oh what i wouldn't do to be inside one of those toasty little triangular bungalows, sippin on some coca...oh, sorry i'm fading out over here. not only is holly incredibly talented, she's also a real hoot and a holler. here's part of her artist bio:

holly wales, one-time bicycle connoisseur,spends her time gallavanting about the countryside and contradictingherself at will. she can often be found 'midst the drizzle and thesleet in a london tea-haus drawing pictures and leaving them behind forthe amusement of deaf german tourists.

holly recently designed a print for early griffin, mentioned in a post last month, which is brilliant. class of 72 isa limited edition print which recreates a yearbook that somebody took amarker to. (my sister, brother and i did this to my mom's yearbook. she wasn't that stoked. surprise!) make sure to check out holly's other images. she's got a lot of great images on her site as well as some pretty sweet duct tape animal sculptures.

Gallery Walkabout with White Walls Recognition..

If you're unable to make it to White Walls to see the current show Recognition, check out this walk-about video they just shot. Featuring the show's works by Michael Holman and Hugh Leeman.The confederate flag imagery is intense! I'm stoked to get a littlepeek at this work being so far away. Recognition will be on displayuntil September 5th, 2009.

Obsessive Consumption..

I just got Kate Bingaman-Burt's brand new book Obsessive Consumption in the mail yesterday from Princeton Architectural Press. I have to say that it is a GREAT book. I love everything about it. The look. The feel. The fact that it seems like someone's personal sketchbook that has been painstakingly categorized, that I've had the opportunity to flip through. But above all what I love is that I can relate to Kate's need and want to pay her debt down and her need and want to still purchase everyday items, necessities and treats for herself. Over the past three years, Kate has meticulously drawn an item a day that she has purchased and her monthly credit card statements, right down to the fine print at the bottom about the APR. Vowing to pay off her debt in the process, this book is a representation of that journey. It's an earnest, thoughtful process that she so candidly shares with us.

car seats and loathing

OBaby hates his car seat. Just being set in it often brings him to tears, and we’re not even talking about the straps yet.Our strapping in process is probably comical to the by-stander, filled with the positive reinforcement of over-done smiles and high pitched happy voices that have the subtlest of “just please don’t cry” tones. And even if we make it sob-free through the shoulder straps and the five-point harness system, we could lose it if the click in is too jolting, I move too slow, or Mars is too in the 8th house. You just never know.I went to a baby super store (where they don’t, in fact, sell babies) and bought an over priced jingly animal figurine to hang from the car seat handle. ‘Maybe give him something to look at?’ I thought. Except it dangles exactly 3.5 inches from OBaby’s eyes and he has to cross them to see it. Fail.Ok, so I have a baby who likes to be held and don’t get me wrong, I love to hold him, but MAMA STILL WANTS TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE, which usually involves the car. Some days my nerves are stronger than others and I can stomach the necessary cries that come with getting from point A to point B, but other days I pull over on the shoulder of the highway and try desperately to calm my baby. A couple of times I have cried along with him because there is nothing I can do. Well, other than not leaving the house.But that really isn’t an option.I’m not sharing this to be Nelly Negative, I’m sharing because I need help. I have tried classical music (cranked) singing to him, that dumb $8.00 hanging toy, and finding my happy place, but none of them have had any consistent results.What worked for your kids? Will this end soon? Could his straps be on wrong or is this fear and loathing of a car seat fairly common?Seriously, what’s a girl gotta do to have a tear-free grocery trip?

jaakko pallasvuo..

I'm really digging Jaakko Pallasvuo's drawings and paintings, they have a medieval, apocalyptic edge that I can really appreciate. Plus, I'm kind of partial to an artist who calls one of his pieces Cattitude. But that's just me.

Install Shots Jim Houser at Subliminal Projects..

Jim Houser has long been a favorite of mine. His simple yet bold shapes and heartfelt work has always struck a chord with me. Subliminal Projects shares these install shots of Jim getting his show The Homebody ready for opening this Saturday. It's looking like every inch of the gallery will be included in the show including the airwaves. That's right, an original soundtrack scored by Jim will accompany the show with limited edition vinyl records for sale during the opening.

The Homebody opens from 8-11 July 10th - August 7th at Subliminal Projects, in LA

Hair today Gone Tomorrow..

That title couldn’t be more fitting!

Sunday started out kinda funky.. We accidentally slept in until 12:30.. I got up and made breakfast.Katie and her family were coming over for dinner. I was in charge of Spaghetti sauce, garlic bread and chocolate cake. Meanwhile, the house was a little bit messy. We had laundry everywhere. Aaron was more than willing to take care of all the hanging clothes and (Thankfully!) left all the folding for me.After breakfast I started on the chocolate cake. Everything was going great until it had been in the over for about 10 minutes. Aaron smelled something burning. The cake a completely overflowed. I check on it and put a cookie sheet underneath it. Aaron suggested we clean the cake batter off the bottom of the oven and I said.. naw… it’ll be fine.A few minutes later the ENTIRE apartment was filled with smoke! The batter was basically on fire. Aaron quickly cleaned it up and it was a nice sunny day so we opened every window and door to get it aired out.The dog choose to hang out on the porch..away from the smoke.

We knew we really needed to cut Aaron’s hair. It was getting way too long..

This was Saturday night..

We usually buzz his whole head at about a 2. (For any of you that know what that means.)

Well.. we could only find the 3. I buzzed his whole head at a three then cleaned up his neck, ears and sideburns with the naked clippers.

He stood up and faced me and I notice a little tuft of hair above his left temple. I picked up the clippers turned them on and placed them against his temple and shaved about 3 inches back before I realized there was not guide on the clippers!!! I just basically bic’d a 3 inch section on the left side of his hair. I cried for a really really long time and just kept saying I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.. He couldn’t stop laughing. (Have I ever mentioned how much I love him?????)

I made a few suggestions.. I could hit him with something and we could go get stitched right there, so it looked like the doctors had to shave it..

Or we could just play the cancer card..

I worked on it for about an hour trying to blend in that section. And yea… it wasn’t happening. So I buzzed his whole head with the naked clippers.

This is my husband today..

To make things worse.. he didn’t shave today so he has more hair on his chin than he has on his head..

He was such a good sport today after work.. We just laid on the bed and took silly pictures.

Look how cute my little baldy is..

He calls the picture below his “Alien” face. He did this right after I shaved his head with tears streaming down my face. I said..”What is that?” He told me it was an Alien. I said, “Because alien’s don’t have ears?” (he folded them down and smashed them) And he said “No, aliens don’t have hair.”

He laughed.. but I cried more!

As if he didn’t look like a starving victim before, he looks even more like one now! But it feels soooo cool! He suggested we could glue the hair on the floor back on. But hopefully it will grow fast!

By the way.. Riddick just stood around trying to figure out what we were doing..

Oh and just in case you didn’t notice how short his hair was.. here’s one last shot..

Aaron Nagel at The Shooting Gallery..

Kirsten over at White Walls took a little walk through Aaron Nagel's studio. His work leaves me utterly speechless. His photo-realist paintings are stunning and breathtaking. He makes black paint look damn sexy. See more of her studio visit here.Aaron's show Marks, opens Saturday night.

Aaron Nagel Studio Visit from White Walls Gallery on Vimeo.

aly su borst the maladies and treatment of an unkempt mind..

a doppleganger literally means in german to be a "double walker", someone who is acting like or imitating another person. recently aly su borst became somewhat fascinated w/ dopplegangers, leading her to research the possibilities of look-a-likes and what they have come to mean to her. in her latest group of photography, the maladies and treatment of an unkempt mind, aly focuses on women that resemble her and have had similar life experiences. by photographing her "double" she examines a parallel world. in her words: "the real and the imagined forms a discourse that reveals a filmic narrative that is tense and disjointed omitting closer and suggesting a missing whole." i find aly's work both intensely haunting and quietly beautiful. (the last photograph is not part of this group, but i fell in love w/ it and added it anyway...check aly's site for more.)

Mommy amp; Me Happy Thankgiving

Me and My baby right before we sat down to Thanksgiving dinner.

I hope he never gets annoyed with mommy and beeza self portraits..

thats what little boys are made of

That’s of what little boys are made?That of which little boys are made?O, whatever. You get the idea.OBaby is rapidly becoming OBoy.OMan.

OBabys first vlog (O, and a giveaway)

It’s rainy and yucky out. OBaby and I are inside and bored, so we decided to vlog. I need to apologize in advance for the poor framing throughout… pretty much right below where you can see, I’m working to keep OBaby from knocking off the computer the entire time (which would explain the ending) so the camera angle kept changing.I hope you enjoy, and we mean what we say at the end of the video: we think you guys are great (and we’re not often wrong about those kinds of things)!{Also, there is a giveaway below! Go take a look-see!}~~~~~~I have a new crush and his name is Pear Tree Greetings. Luckily, I get to share a taste of their awesomeness with one of you today:I am giving away 5 sets of address labels (up to 120 labels) from Pear Tree! (Winner will be given a code redeemable on peartreegreetings.com for 5 free sets of address labels.)No, seriously. These are not your grandma’s address labels. See for yourself. (Are you starting to understand the crush thing now?)To enter:Leave a comment on this post. Any comment. The end.Over acheivers:If you’d like, you can hop over and see Pear Tree Greetings’ entire collection of address labels here, then come back and leave one additional comment telling me about your favorite one. (Warning: it will be hard to choose. Very hard.)Disclosure:Pear Tree Greetings is providing the spoils of this giveaway today. (Thank you!)UPDATE: Somehow I forgot this lil’ nugget of info: This giveaway will close at 10pm CST on Sunday. I will announce the winner Monday morning!

interview kelly lynn jones little paper planes..

when i was 23 i bought a one way ticket to london and ended up living there for almost two yrs. previously, it had never occurred to me to set out on this adventure and had i actually sat down and planned that trip out, i don't think i ever would have done it. sometimes i think these sorts of fly by the seat of your pants adventures are the best experiences one can have in a life time. often times, if we think out the master plan it tends to be pretty intimidating.

kelly lynn jones opened little paper planes in 2005 to sell her own wares on line and in her own words: "it kind of just snowballed from there and essentially has become my "day job"." little paper planes is a great online shop that carries all sorts of wonderful things which not only showcases kelly's great work but an enormous amount of other talented peeps artwork, prints, jewelry, clothes and accessories. i am always impressed w/ kelly's pics on lpp, always one step ahead w/ her finger forever on the art pulse.

kelly was sweet enough to take a moment from this busy holiday season to answer a couple questions i had for her.

when did you start little paper planes and why? can you explain a little bit about your drive behind it?

i started LPP in 2005. it started as a place for me to sell things i make. at the time i was silkscreening a bunch of t-shirts and tote bags for some stores, one was an online store called Morning Craft which initially gave me the idea to have something online. since i had just graduated from art school, i had a bunch of friends who also were making all sorts of stuff so i decided to ask them to sell on the site as well.

is it everything you have hoped for?

well, since i didn't have any goals for the site everything has been a surprise. the response i have received from my customers and artists has been amazing. i feel honored to help other artists support themselves by selling their prints, books or whatever amazing things they make. for an artist, not having a "real job" is the goal, so you can just focus on your art. recently i have started to have goals for the site in 2008.

as in terms of online print galleries you are a little ahead of the game, how do you feel about the print websites that are popping up? do you have any favorites? also, what are your feelings about the abundance of prints that are now so affordable to peeps?

i think its great that art is becoming more accessible especially for young people that may not be able to afford pieces in a gallery setting. i think that artists though should be careful with over saturating themselves and having the same work at a variety of different sites. the work needs to stay in editions, which keeps it special and holds it's value. i really love tiny showcase, poketo, the beholder, poppytalk handmade, parklife store, and 20x200.com.

what are some of your favorite things in little paper planes right now?

the lithos by marci washington, the etchings by veronica press, healing crystal print by ryan jacob smith, game print by alyson fox, bear print by drew beckmeyer.

marci washington.

veronica press.

drew beckmeyer.

you're an artist yourself, what inspires you? what is your favorite medium? where do you work?

i am interested in urban sprawl and how industry and development affects the environment as well as how it affects a community as a whole. i love all kinds of buildings and structures and am obsessed with drawing houses.i use acrylic, pencil, and house paint on wood panels or paper.i work in my studio at home.

what's the best experience you have had as an artist?

just being blessed to have the gift of being creative is amazing to me. i never have a moment where i am bored or uninspired.

what are you working on at the moment? do you have any thing special in the works?

right now i am in the middle of grad applications so that is kind of time consuming. i have some shows coming up in here in LA, SF, and Sweden in 2008, and for LPP i am having the whole site redesigned, so that will be exciting as well as starting up a section for LPP exclusive prints and books with artists.

who are some of your favorite artists? any newbees you have your eye on that you can share w/ us?

laura owens, luc tuymans, frances stark, dan graham, matt green, kelly mclane, simon evans, jockum nordstrom and i could keep going.

what are some of your favorite blogs? what keeps you interested?

design sponge, poppytalk, bloesem, new-art blog, dear ada, jeana sohn, daily serving, the-flog, rubin recommends, shannon loves sabbath, sfgirlbybay, paintersNYC, and the list goes on.

I will be honest and I dont read the blogs everyday but I add new ones all the time to my google reader and try to keep updated throughout the week. I love reading my friends though I also love all the design ones which gives me great ideas as well as new artists to contact to sell on LPP.

what do you want for christmas?

some gift cards on amazon so i can buy some art books, some clothes (ha i am a girl) a really nice printer, an external monitor and keyboard....should i keep going? haha.

book mark little paper planes and kelly's blog, she's always got great stuff and it's always flying off the proverbial shelves. be sure to check out kelly's personal website, as well, where her art is showcased.