APRIL 10th ReCharge & ReFocus Time

Hi Journal & Friends,

I've been wanting to do something for myself for years and years, yet always put it off, thinking it should be "earned". Such as a reward for when I got to X amount of weight loss.

Last week, I realized that I was worth it NOW. Sure, goals with little rewards along the way are fun. But this was different. I felt almost punished for having to wait so long. So... I did it. What did I do??

I couple of weeks ago, I went to a "real" hair salon and got my hair cut by a "real" hairdresser. Then last week I returned and had her put in "real" caramel highlights. 

It might not sound like a big deal to some of you, but it's been over THIRTY YEARS since I darkened the doors of what we used to call a Beauty Parlor. And I was nervous. But she was so nice and patient, and I feel maaahhhavelous that I did it!

Here are before pics:

And here's the after:

It doesn't look like "my" idea of caramel, but I like it fine. Maybe next time I should take a "paint chip" in with me. :-D 

Lastly, I just wanted to mention that I plan on taking the rest of April off from this blog, and do some thinking and catching up. 

I'm excited and motivated, and want to do some long-term planning. I might pop in occasionally to read a few blogs, and will try to keep up with my art blog (Here)  . And I'll probably sneak a peek on Facebook (my Facebook page)  now and then... but my intent is to hugely reduce my computer time. 

So... I hope you all have a wonderful April. I sure plan to! See all you wonderful people in May.

My book quote for today: "Being a warrior is not about the act of fighting. It's about being so prepared to face a challenge and believing so strongly in the cause you are fighting for that you refuse to quit." --Richard Machowicz, Unleash The Warrior Within

My verse for today: "Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord."

My quote for today:  "If you want to get there, you can't be a shrinking violet." --Craig Sigl

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

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DAY 967

JAN 24th Toon Tuesday, A Freebie & Playing With Fire

Hi there Journal & Friends,

With the shiny new year of 2012, I am shifting some of my emphasis to what I want: my art, and to live my life to the fullest, becoming who I was meant to be, living with passion and purpose. 

That's why I'm working, afterall, to lose weight and regain health. That's my WHY. I want to focus on that, on what I WANT, not focus on what I do NOT want. To look forward, not backward. 

I was reminded recently that our brain can't tell the difference between a negative or a positive. For instance, think of a pink elephant.

Now... do NOT think of the pink elephant. I don't know about you, but every time I close my eyes and say "do NOT think of a pink elephant"... I DO! This silly example helps to remind me not to focus on "I don't want to be fat"...but rather... "I want to be healthy, strong and lighter". 

So... on to focus on what I DO want. :-D

For my birthday, my sister Karen sent me a birthday card with this quote: 

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." --Albert Schweitzer

Today for Toon Tuesday, I want to offer a VLOG showing--in speed drawing mode--my doodle of Word Bubble #1. It will be blank in the middle, and I offer the finished doodle below as a free download to anyone who would like to play along. You get to pick your own inspiring word to add to the center. 

By the way, I kinda sorta goofed, and didn't leave a very large word bubble in the middle. Sorry 'bout dat. Next time I'll make the blank space bigger. :-}

Here's the finished blank for you to download. Be sure to click and enlarge, so you download the large file, not the thumbnail.

 I'm going to dink around this coming week and color mine. You are welcome to do whatever you want to yours... color it, change it, glitter it, alter it, collage it, whatever. And next Tuesday it would so fun if you came back and gave a link to your blog to share your results, if you're comfortable doing so. 

Only one rule: Have fun! Remember when we were kids and not worried about "being good"? So give yourself permission to just goof around and play, okay?  :-D

Remember the above quote from my sister Karen? The inspiring word I added to my word bubble is FIRE!

This is a first for me, drawing with a camera watching. In INK! No pencil, no eraser. No plan, other than to leave a word bubble in the middle. New year... new adventures!

Speed Doodling - Word Bubble #1 by Retta

(For an easier to see larger version, just

go to my YouTube Page HERE)

For you busybees who don't have 6 min to watch (or maybe you're at work) that's okay, just swipe a copy of the doodle and play along anyway. :-)

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

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DAY 890

DEC 26th I DID it!

Hello Journal & Friends, 


I know, I know. I said I was on a blogging mini-vacation. I am... but I didn't say anything about VLOGGING!


As a Christmas gift to myself, I spent all day Sunday learning how to do The Vlog Thing. It took me 13 hours to get it right and able to upload, but my stubbornness paid off, LOL!


So now I'm sharing the results with you! :-O

Enjoy the Journey,


Loretta
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Day 861

DEC 9th Planning a New Adventure

Good Evening Journal & Friends,

Okay... nuff controversary. Time for some fun! Well, it's fun for me, anywhoo. ;-)

I mentioned recently that next year one of my goals was to pluck up my courage and open my very own Zazzle  store. I no longer feel as though I have to get "skinny" before I step outside my comfort zone. :-)

Zazzle is an online shop that takes our own designs and puts them on stuff. Everything from prints, cards, posters, key chains and stickers, to personalized postage, t-shirts, buttons and coffee mugs. And tons more, too boring to list here. 

Anyway, before I get involved, I'd like to make sure I really want my NAME associated with them. In other words, I want to check out the quality of their printing and merchandise. So, I bought some stuff.

And most of them turned out terrific! 

I'll be honest in my review... I bought 5 things and: 

3 were fabulous 

1 was just okay 

1 was a little disappointing  

The actual merchandise seems very nice. For instance, the apron is not flimsy at all, but nice, bright white heavy poly/cotton fabric, neatly sewn. Same with the coffee mug: nice size and fabrication. My minor beef is just with how the images turned out on 2 items. And one of those might be because I didn't read close enough to know how big the final image was going to be... not sure about that one. Here's the deets:

We got two mousepads... here

is the one Jim chose, from one

of his waterfall photos. He likes the

quality and richness of the image.

Here is mine. I used one of my 

designs, and stuck on text that

was meaningful to me. I think it

came out crisp and colorful; overall

I am very satisfied. The background

is a soft gray, and my mouse glides very

 easily over the silky smooth surface. 

Eek, I sound like an infomercial!

I love the sturdy white fabric of my apron,

but have to say that in person the image

is not as bright as I had expected. 

Perfectionist?? Me?? Why, never. ;-) 

My mug turned out bold and fabulous!!

I am drinking tea out of it this very minute.

The colors are strong and vibrant, and

I added my new Mantra: 

I Can Do Hard Things

And last but not least... we got Joey

her very own t-shirt! We love how 

she looks in it, and it's adorable. But,

this is the one I was most disappointed 

in. The photo was sooo much smaller 

than I expected. Good thing we have

her in person to look at, LOL!

We're starting to get frost and snow here

in Southern Oregon, so she can keep cozy

when she goes outside to Do Her Business.

Oh, and dig to China after the gopher that 

decided to move into our backyard!

So far, I am leaning towards a thumbs UP on opening my own Zazzle store. It would be called Art by Retta, with a bunch of my designs available to put on shoes, hats, t-shirts, ipod cases, mugs, posters, office accessories, blah blah blah... all the stuff I've mentioned and more. I'll just do it in my spare time. (choke choke... if you only knew what a joke THAT was, LOL!) 

But Jules at Big Girl Bombshell recently had a wonderful post on choices, time and our goals. So my Zazzle store will happen when I make it a priority. Period. Thanks for that nudge, Jules.

Anyone use Zazzle before? Would you recommend it? If I'm headin for a cliff, I'd rather know BEFORE I feel air blowing in my hair! Just doing my research before I decide. :-D

From Dr Phil's book: "Having specific carefully mapped out, vividly envisioned goals is an absolute requirement for success."

My verse for today: "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless."

My quote for today: "Age is something that just doesn't matter, unless you're a cheese." --Billie Burke

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

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DAY 844

DAY 494 A Wonderful Day!

Hi Journal & Friends,

It was such a wonderful day yesterday! My first day as a Greeter at church. 

Remember me talking about all my trepidations last Thursday? Of COURSE you hung on every word, ha ha ha. (HERE) 

Anyways, I survived just fine! And after I "got over myself", I could focus on others and really try to offer them a warm welcome. I know first hand how it feels to walk into a new church for the first time, and feel almost invisible... insignificant, and like no one gave a rat's boohind if we were there or not. 

The day that happened to Jim and me, we were going through some hard times, and were reaching out. And the ONLY person in that huge church that said BOO to us the whole time was one little Greeter at the door, who looked us in the eye and made us feel like he was genuinely glad we were there. So yeah... that which I have freely received, I now get to freely pass on!

Well... that wasn't what I had planned to type!! :-D

I wanted to share what a glorious day it was yesterday, from start to finish. Wonderful and full of life and joy. Lots of little stuff that made me smile.

I've decided that's IT! I've just got to figure out how to bottle this for later when I start to whine again about how "nuthin's changed", boo hoo. I seem to recall I did that recently. :-}

Well, here's the answer... when needed, just pick one and dab some on:

Sunday started with me almost ruining my make-up with tears when I asked my husband, "Do I look okay?" I was kinda nervous, still a little too self-focused, and wanting reassurance.

He floored me by saying something he hasn't said in, literally, years: "I think you look gorgeous!"

That made my day right there!

But it continued. I put on a new saffire blue crocheted sweater over my blue dress... and it was comfortably loose! When I bought it a few weeks ago in a new-to-me smaller size, it was on sale, and I thought I would be buying it for "later". Later is now! :-D

Last year, my sister Karen (the writer with a blog, hint hint)  made me a set of Christmas Jingle bells jewelry. I love them... they jingle and are fun to wear. And she sized the bracelet perfectly for my wrist. 

But when I put them on THIS year, it was too big... TOO BIG! I had to be careful because it could slip right off. Who knew?!

And... yes, there's more. I think God must be trying to get through my thick skull that I really HAVE made progress, even though it doesn't feel like it, and even though the last 6 months have been a bust, numbers-wise.

Anyway, I put on my coat.. the one I haven't worn since... yep, last winter. And yes, it was TOO BIG.

This weeks most fun Greeter moment?? Greeting Roxie, the Working Doggie. It was slow, and her owner/companion told me Roxies' amazing story. But it's too long, so will save that for another time. Just know, she is amazing! 

Then we came home to lunch. It had cooked overnight in the crockpot: corned beef and cabbage, with carrots... and instead of potatoes, I tried turnips. They were a first for me this way, and were delicious! They had soaked up the flavors, and were softened just like potatoes. Mmmmmm.

Below is my name tag. The glue I used to make them didn't hold well... Jim's only lasted until after church, then popped off the tie tac doohickey! I made 15 for the whole crew... now I am wondering who else was left nameless?! Oh well, it was a grand experiment. The next batch will be held on with alligator clips. :-)

A most excellent day. One to remember next time I am tempted to whine.

From Dr Phil's book: "Be willing to leave behind the safe, unchallenging, and familiar ways of doing things in order to have more."

My verse for today: "Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. To Him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever."

My quote for today: "Promise me you'll always remember: Your're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." --Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

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DAY 416 Another New Adventure!

Hi Journal & Friends,

Mary at Wistful Nebulae asked a probing question recently: 

 "How about you?" What have you planned to keep your dreams alive?"

At the time, the minute I read it, I knew there was something for me there... and I KNEW what had been bugging me for weeks now.

Since all this hassle about my husband's job situation, I've been up to my eyeballs in paperwork, phone calls, research, meetings with lawyers, doctors appointments, etc etc etc. 

NO time for things that didn't have a deadline... like my art. I squeaked out a couple of small, fast projects... but nothing else, not what I really wanted to work on.

I almost typed "no time for frivolous things, like my art." But ya know what? That's not true. It is important to me, meaningful, something that comes from deep within. And when I am not actively engaged in it on a regular basis, I feel something is wrong... missing... colorless. And like I am wasting a gift that I was given.

SO! Guess what I did yesterday?? I went to an Art lecture by Stefan Baumann.  He has a PBS art show, The Grand View, and teaches workhops both here in Southern Oregon and in California. 

From Stefan's brochure:  Whether you paint, write, compose, or cook, would you like to do it with more passion and power, to take your creative skills to the next level?

I LOVED IT! Jim, who is a photographer in his free time, went with me and enjoyed it also.

Jim, talking with Stefan at the break... you can 

just make out the simple yellowish-brown of the 

underpainting on the demo canvas behind Jim's 

head that Stefan pre-prepared for the demonstration.

I haven't done anything like that in... 25 years, at least. I allowed obesity to rob me, to strip away from my life things that make it rich and colorful. I missed out on sooo much.

There is a vibrant, thriving and active community of artists in the valley where I live... yet I have not interacted with them hardly at all. 

I was ashamed of how I looked, it's that simple. It affected my level of confidence, and didn't allow me to be comfortable around strangers. And eventually I became almost a shut-in, with limited mobility, not ABLE to go even if I wanted to.

I am reclaiming my life. Bit by bit, as I am able, I am determined to blossom. 

Just to "lose weight" is not enough... that is not a powerful enough goal, with enough deep meaning to give me the determination to gut it out when it's hard. 

To keep going during those times I would dearly love to crawl in a hole somewhere and hide.

To face the scarey stuff... my innermost feelings and fears... and to deal with raw LIFE without the buffer, the drugging effect of food.

For over a year now, Mary has encouraged people to go after the passion in their life. To plug in, to connect with others of like passion. I wasn't sure I even wanted that... or if I needed that. 

But today, in a room with about 50 other people who were just as excited about the subject as I was... I KNEW I wanted it. I felt like someone who had finally been let out of a dark prison, and was soaking in the sunshine. It was wonderful.

So you ask me why I want to lose this weight??

Because I want to LIVE this life, not just pass through it. 

Because I have been given a gift, and it only comes full circle when it is given away, and blesses others.

Because it is MY time. Finally. And I believe it with all my heart. 

Stefan is offering a 3 month long, once-a-week-class-with-homework Workshop, to a limited number of students. I dearly want to go! 

We did something daring... something radical... something desperate... we PRAYED for the money for me to go! Okay, I was being cute there... but honestly, we did ask God to help me find a way. And in the meantime, I am planning on it. I am soooooooooooooo excited, and look forward to it.

Wanna see some pics of the lecture and demo?? He is an oil painter, and even though I was near the back, it was still fun, and you can just make out the progression as he paints (click to enlarge).

He was almost done here, but his spotlight 

washed out the blue sky and misty clouds. 

He gave it away afterwards in the drawing...

I wouldn't have minded winning that won!  

Today's Peek at the Past (Yep... I was working on my Big Why back then, too.)

From Day 54, October 2, 2009:

Hmmmm....just last night I had been going over some notes from a past episode of the Biggest Loser. One contestant that I really liked, Filippe, said: "You never do anything with all your heart unless your WHY is big enough."

(For complete post "Challenge Those Thoughts & The Big Why " click HERE) 

Stefan's assistant in front of a gorgeous

waterfall with a rainbow. It's not a trick of 

the light that was shining on it... that 

painting really did almost glow on it's 

own! He loves to get that luminous 

effect in his paintings.

From Dr Phil's book: "Don't isolate yourself."

My verse for today: "...for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago."

My quote for today: "If you approach each new person you meet in a spirit of adventure, you will find yourself endlessly fascinated by the new channels of thought and experience and personality that you encounter." --Eleanor Roosevelt

Enjoying the Journey!

Loretta

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