Fat Sick and Juicing?

A little thirty second commercial had blipped across my television while I had it on for background noise three or four times over the course of a week or so. I didn't pay much attention it, but something about it caught my interest.   Each time I heard it, I thought to myself, "I should look that up."  When I finally did, it was transformational. Here's a little bit of what I found.

It was fascinating.  I was intrigued.  I watched the whole  movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead on my IPod. 

   
And then I watched it again.
 
Basically in the last five years since my cancer thing, I've been headed in the wrong direction in terms of health and fitness.  I tried, but could never make any changes stick. Then when I started my art gig and Creative Clearinghouse, I got even less exercise and ate even more stress. For my trouble, I've gained an additional 30 pounds to add to an already extensive collection.  I didn't particularly enjoy the additional pounds, but they didn't bother me enough to do much about it until recently.  Stuff is starting to hurt that didn't hurt before--back, ankles, swollen hands.   I crawl home from work every day (even if I'm working from home) because I'm so exhausted ALL.THE.TIME. 

I should not be feeling this bad!

But thanks to this:

and this:

and these spawn of Satan,:

I do feel bad pretty much all the time.  It's time to stop that.  October marks five years since my "cancer thing".  It seems especially appropriate to hang a u-turn at this time.

So that's what I'm going to do.  Join me as I share this experience in nutritional home health here on the blog.  I'd love to have your prayers and support. And prayers. Especially prayers. Lots of prayers.   It'll be an adventure for sure! In between, there'll probably be some art and maybe even some poetry.  

But that stuff will probably be after the nervous breakdown, just so you know.

Let's roll. 

<3 Lori

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You!

I've accepted a challenge from Michelle, my Australian friend from Shells in the Bush,  to blog every day for the month of October.

I thought it might be good to have a theme for the month.  You'll be very surprised by what I'm going to be doing for the month.  For real.  I'm having a hard time believing it myself.

See ya on October 1!!

<3 Lori

Why Did the Wild Hog Cross the Road

So.....I don't think some people really believed me when I posted this on Facebook this morning:  

We don't live completely in the boonies, although I'm sure it seems like it sometimes to you.  And to me, actually. It's been 14 years since we've lived close enough to a town to order pizza for delivery.  If I forget bread, I have to drive 6 miles to get it...unless it's after 8 pm, in which case I'd have to drive 17 miles.  It's 30 miles to "town" where civilization and things like movies and shrimp scampi are.  I buy a lot of gas and more tires than seems right.  It's weird to me that this is a whole other culture for some people because, except for 4 years in College Station (although even then we lived rurally, but that's a whole 'nother story) and 8 years in Houston, I've always lived "out in the country".  That's how I like it.

Anyway.....here is part of the herd of wild pigs. The first group passed in front of us and got away while I was in mortal combat with the seat belt.  This bunch passed behind us and almost got away while I was desperately attempting to remain upright.  Since I was shooting into the sun and just aiming in their general direction, I'm as surprised as you are that I even have this rather Sasquatch-ish photo.

 I love sharing these little glimpses of West Texas wildlife with you.  Thanks for being here! 

<3 Lori


PS--To be completely historically accurate, there were an additional three years of town living while I was in high school and junior college, but as evidenced by the fact that I just now remembered them, I have blocked out those years, so...there's that.

Friday Night Lights

My ability to formulate a catchy title is dwindling, don'tcha think?  

So...it's Friday.  I took the day off from my real job because 1) I'm plumb tuckered out, 2) I wanted to do some stuff for LeissnerArt, and 3) I got my evaluation yesterday and I figured I ought to end the work week on a good note and quit while I'm ahead.  I love my boss.  My job...er..well....not so much sometimes.  But that's why I have this place, right?

I made a light box today.  A friend of mine (Violet at KellyMaeKreations--check out her shop. She makes great jewelry!) looked over my shop for me and gave me some pointers about fixing the place up a little bit.  I knew my photos were not that great, but I just hadn't had time to do anything about it.  Today was the day to get started.  So I watched some videos on YouTube, checked out a lot of tutorials like this one and then kind of winged it to make this light box.

I must admit it. I'm pretty proud of myself. It's only cardboard, tissue paper and poster board, but, dadgummit, I made it and it works.

So here's an image that was on Etsy before of some cute little tea cup art:

And here's the one from the lightbox:

Hmmm...well.  It is brighter, so you can see the details a little better. Since it's pouring down rain today, I surely can't try to get natural light photos.  And since most of my LeissnerArt work needs to happen after working at the real job, a light box will help.  I need different lamps and light bulbs.  After that, I think I'll be able to rock this box. Um...as soon as I find both my camera power cords that are lost at the moment.   I took this one with my Ipad. ::sigh:: Seems like it's always something. 

If you need any info about my light box foray, feel free to hit me up. And check out my Etsy shop for new listings.

UPDATE:  Found my camera power cords!!  Yea!

May the good Lord bless you today with his brilliant light and may you let it shine.

<3 Lori

That Can't Be Right

Yesterday was homecoming in our school district.  As I was bringing my daughter home from school and she had her headphones jammed in her ears (as is usually the case these days with this well-practiced teen), I was thinking about homecoming and how this town doesn't feel like my "hometown".  You know what I mean?  

We live pretty far from school, so I had a lot of time to think.  I started thinking about my school years and my mouth literally fell open and I lost my breath a little bit.  I started counting decades on my fingers, and I realized that in two years it'll have been THIRTY YEARS since I graduated.  That cannot be right.  

*Our team mascot was the Bulldogs.  The fact that the yearbook is called "The Kennel" is really quite disturbing.  Someone should be punished for that.

But it is. I counted three times and then used the calculator when I got home. Thirty years.  Dang.  We moved in the summer between my sophomore and junior years.  Because of that rather badly timed move, the old school is closer to being my hometown because I was there longer, but I didn't graduate from there.  I graduated from the other school, but I was only there two years.  I always kind of felt hometown-less.

 ::cue the tiny violins::

So all this thinking about "home" and what that means, as well as a custom order to make some little canvases for a homecoming get together of girlfriends brought a realization to me.  

It doesn't really matter where life takes you.  When you are with friends, you are home.  That's the message the little canvases now carry for those girlfriends.  And, because the sentiment struck me so much, I made a few more.

And I'm giving them away!  There's one giveaway on Instagram for two sweet little 3 x 3 canvases with the "My Friend My Home" message (one to keep and one to gift).  All you have to do is follow me, share the giveaway photo (take a screen shot of it and then post it), tag me @LeissnerArt, and use the hashtag #myfriendmyhome.  We'll draw on Wednesday night!

There's another giveaway on Facebook to celebrate reaching 700 friends! (Wow! That's so cool!)  These are 4 x 4 wrapped canvas blocks.  You can hang them or sit them on a shelf.  And again, there are two...one for you and one for your friend!   For that giveaway, just share the image from the FB post that uses the image below, tag my page @LeissnerArt and use the hashtag #myfriendmyhome.

Here's the small print. Both drawings will occur on Wednesday night.  Also, I'm sorry, but these giveaways are open to US addresses only.  I just can't afford international shipping for a giveaway. I hope you understand! xoxo 

Thanks for playing, friends!  May the good Lord bless you this week with  good friends who make their home in your heart.

<3 Lori

On Being Brave

I haven't been making any art lately.  I don't know what's up with me. School has started, and I'm finding myself with more spare time than I've had in.....well.....ever.  But I cannot muster any art mojo. I can't seem to get inspired. 

I do remember that this happens periodically, though. There's an ebb and flow to my creativity.  I haven't figured out how to gather inspiration up and dole it out a little at a time.   I'm the same way with chocolate chip cookies.   I seem to have art binges where I'll go upstairs and knock out four or five paintings in a weekend. Then it'll dry up, and I'll be downstairs fretting about losing it for 3 weeks.  I guess it's just the way it's going to be.  But I need to find some creative outlets for these down times.  Maybe I should switch back to writing or poetry when visual arts leave me.  I don't know.  Anyway, I have done some things I needed to do during this time while I've been waiting for my mojo.  I've been brave.

AWESOME bracelet by my friend Kate at The Adopt Shoppe

I sent some work off on a trip in a cute box, which has been the only art I've done in weeks. I loved it.  I wish I'd gotten a few more photos of it before it went on its way. 

I took some other work on a little field trip to the fair.  That's right. I entered two pieces of artwork in the county fair.  I've never done anything like that before. Well, that's not entirely true.  When I was in third grade, I had artwork in the Brazoria County Fair when my entire class drew clowns on manilla construction paper and colored them with crayons, but that doesn't really count, now does it?   I don't really even know how it works. I guess I'll go visit them sometime next week and take my camera. I don't expect to win anything, but I'm trying to be brave and get out there in the public (where all those people are...eeek!)

I also wrote something creative and sent it off into the cosmos of the internet where, hopefully, someone will read it and like it.   I really don't know if anything will come of any of it, though......

Actually, now that I think about it, something has already come of it.

Last year, I printed out all the information for the fair, but couldn't muster the courage to deliver anything when the time came.  I didn't have the nerve to send any submissions last year.  Last year, I was even reluctant to let my coworkers and people in my community know that I do art on the side, that I have an Etsy shop where I sell it, or that I want to be an artist.

Maybe next year I'll be able to fully embrace that I already am one.

What is something on your list that you've been waiting for the courage to complete?  What's one thing you can do right now to get started on it?  Tell me about it!    I can't wait to hear how you were BRAVE!

May the good Lord give you courage to follow your dreams and lots of spare mojo.

<3 Lori