thought no.1

Stop looking around you, and look inside. That was my thought today as I was walking through the woods this morning. Since I was a child growing up with an alcoholic mother, I was trained to stuff my feelings down. And since it offered temporary pleasure, food helped me to do just that.

Now at 41, I am turning away from the food, a major distraction. I am looking inside my heart.

For years of struggling with "weight loss", I've come to this conclusion. "It" has nothing to do with the food, and nothing to do with the weight.

It's your willingness to peel back the layers and look inside yourself. If you've had a dysfunctional childhood as I did, this will be very painful. But you might also realize that you've come to a point in your life that you want more for yourself. And just because you were born into a family that you didn't choose, and you were shaped in your early years by negative influences...........you just want more. Because you know there IS more.

I'm not going to say, "don't be afraid, you can do it!" But take a moment and ask yourself, is this what I want for my life? Whatever it is.........your health, your career, your family, where you live, etc.

It's not about looking around, at people for advice, or circumstances.

It's about looking inside and facing the truth about your past and how to break the chains that are holding you back.

"The Lord is my strength and my shield, I've learned I need to trust in Him" -lyrics from Whitecross song

creative energy

Over the weekend, I went to the park and brought a little red heart gem with me. I love photography and wanted to see how many interesting photos I could take with it as the centerpiece. I also altered some of the photos for some cool effects:) hope you enjoy!

This first photo was taken in the parking lot.

this was on the side of a stairway

on top of a drain

on the patio furniture

on top of some leafy greens:)

on some concrete

with a beautiful branch



on a rock

in the garden

and then back to where I started.

It's great to stretch your creative wings. I love to paint, collage, and journal, but this was another great way to get out my creative energy out and satisfy my expressive soul:)

Simple Summer

Spring is my favorite season, but there is truly no denying the awesomeness of Summer's bounty. I LOVE LOVE LOVE all of the produce that is peaked in perfection! And the fact that a snack or meal can be so simple is another reason to love this time.

I just finished this delicious bowl of grape tomatoes.

All I did was wash and cut the tomatoes, add a drizzle of olive oil, fresh ground pepper, sea salt and some dried thyme. Yum! I'll post again soon with another simple Summer recipe or some more art.

yay for tomatoes!