another beaded art doll

another beaded art doll, originally uploaded by smartcakes.

Here's another one I'm working on. I've actually done quite a bit more work on this since this photo was taken.

I haven't had much time/energy to work on these dolls lately, due to the fact that my garden is a bit of a demanding bitch.

front of Janet's doll

front of Janet's doll, originally uploaded by smartcakes.

Here's one of the things that keeps me busy these days. This is a fully beaded doll - yes, each seed bead is stitched on individually by hand.

I made this for my therapist (who just happens to rock). She takes it everywhere with her - in fact, the doll will be accompanying her to Finland and then France next week.

One of the best things about this doll is that she feels so good to hold in your hands - the beads give her a wonderfully squishy texture.

She reminds me a bit of a jellyfish.

(psst - can you tell I just figured out how to post photos to a blog from Flickr?)

Janet's doll

Janet's doll, originally uploaded by smartcakes.

This is the back. Don't you love her hair?

Kitty Bea

Kitty Bea, originally uploaded by smartcakes.

And this is Bea - aka the cat who likes to pee on things.

Kitty Zoe

Kitty Zoe, originally uploaded by smartcakes.

I don't think I ever, in my long-defunct journal, posted photos of my cats. Anyway, this is Zoe. She's my baby.

So. I wonder if I'm officially a Weight Loss Surgery Failure yet.

I feel as though I'm always fighting against my body. I eat right, exercise, hell, even went to the point of having my insides permanently rearranged, and yeah, I'm still fat.

Well, I did get down to about 130 lbs, and stayed there for a few years. That? Awesome. It felt so good.

I think things sort of went to shit when I got pregnant. I managed to gain over fifty pounds, which freaked me the hell out. Only five and a half pounds of that was baby - the rest was all me.

I never did actually lose the weight after the pregnancy. My weight is currently hovering somewhere between 198 and 202 - my scale is a little wishy-washy.

Why can't I lose weight? I almost always avoid processed foods. I grow almost everything I eat - including some grains - millet, quinoa, amaranth, blue corn. I keep careful track of calories - I rarely go over 800 calories a day.

I'm very active - I'm one of those wacky car-free people - I rely on my bike (with Dusty in the bike trailer) for transportation, or public transit if I have to go into Boulder. I do yoga at home seven days a week, as well as a Monday night yoga class and a more advanced Friday morning yoga class. I take a rather high energy dance class on Tuesday nights, and also dance at home. I have an African dance DVD that rocks, as well as an Indian dance DVD. Both are known to totally kick my ass, but I love em. I also occasionally do pilates at home.

I was running several miles a week, but am not doing that right now - I badly sprained my ankle in January, and it's taking for-freaking-ever to recover from that. I desperately want to avoid re-injuring it, so no running for now. I was supposed to do the Bolder Boulder 10k run this year too, dangit.

So, I'm starting to think that I just have shity shitty shitty metabolism. The shittiest.

Yes, I've thought about making an appointment with the surgeon who did my bypass surgery six years ago, to see if he has any ideas about why I can't lose weight, but I'm really afraid that I'd just end up being talked into having a revision to a more drastic surgery (I had the RNY). I really don't want to have more surgery, thanks.

Well, Dusty and I are off to walk to the drugstore before it starts raining. Yes, rain! Woo! I love days that I don't have to spend hours watering everything by hand.

Dusty May 2006

Dusty May 2006, originally uploaded by smartcakes.

I love this photo. I took this yesterday, while he was "helping" me in the garden.

dusty33months1

dusty33months1
Originally uploaded by smartcakes.

Dusty at Roosevelt Park. He's in love with this teapot/teacup sculpture - we have to stop and check it out almost every day.

Hmm. Will the neighbours hate me if I take an enthusiastic almost-three year old outside in the yard at 6:43 am on a Sunday morning?

Maybe so.

Dusty got up at 4:55am this morning. Ugh. I can't function. And he's so whiny whiny whiny. I have so much to do today - I want help with the kid! I want a nanny! I want a husband who doesn't sleep all day! (well, he works nights.)

Every time we go grocery shopping, I try to sneak another perennial into the cart. I adore the end of the season when they're all really cheap, because they look 84 percent dead. Anyway, yesterday I picked up a torch lily and slapped it into the herb garden.

I sure wish I could fast forward a year or two to see what all the perennials will look like!