January started off with Pantone’s color of the year Tangerine Tango. So while I was out and about this month, I kept my eyes peeled for something in that shade that I could make an image. I found it in Rockwall, Texas while at a photography retreat.

Wet Paint Pull from Paula P. on Vimeo.

Today I got out of work a little early. I had to go down to the George R. Brown Convention Center and pick up my race packet for the El Paso 5K. I won’t be running – I’ll walk the 5K but I’m glad I am participating. I also spent some time making some images downtown. My favorite was finding a Dia del Los Muertes Skull outside of Ben’s Beans.

I love finding bits of street art around Houston and have started a collection of images based on what I find.

The other thing I’ve done fun wise this week is to create a tutorial for a technique I used in my Book of Days. In it I use Gesso and Adirondack color wash sprays to create a background for my art journal.

Gesso and Colorwash technique for backgrounds from Paula P. on Vimeo.

I’m looking forward to the three day weekend. Time for playing in the garden and decluttering. Next week is going to be a short week. I’m going to Dallas for a photography workshop and I’m taking next Friday off as well! I am looking forward to some time devoted to photography and creativity.

I’ve been working to make sure that I keep a balance between my work life and my home life. Sometimes my work life comes home with me at night when it shouldn’t. So I’ve made a conscious decision to leave the laptop at work unless I know that there’s going to be some sort of weather emergency that’s going to mean that I need to work from home. If I need to do something from home, I can remote in to my work computer.

I’ve also been deliberately working on making an image a day. It may not be the best image, but I have at least one a day since December 27th, 2011. The image could be taken with my iPhone, my point & shoot, my DSLR or one of the many analog cameras I own. I’m getting some good images and I am capturing the life that is going on around me. I like that. Here’s some of my favorites from this week.

I’ve also been focused on my diet and moving more. Yesterday I worked working in the garden and today I’ll be doing more of the same. Plus I’ve been taking walks. Tonight I need to get my weight area finished so I can start lifting again this week. Nothing like moving iron to get a little stress relief too!

Oh and I made my first ever video using the web cam R got me for Christmas. I’m walking though one of the art projects this year – Effy Wild’s Book of Days Class (here’s the details). One thing I’ve got to work on is getting the phrase “um” out of my speaking. The former speech contest nerd in me is embarrassed by it. But it was fun to do, and I anticipate there being more throughout the year. So here’s the first one.

Paula’s BOD Show and Tell Week 1 from Paula P. on Vimeo.

2012 so far is looking to be a good year!

So I’m starting from square 2 since I have the knowledge about diet and exercise that I gained from the last time around. My weight workouts will come from Alwyn Cosgrove’s and Lou Schuler’s The New Rules of Lifting for Abs: A Myth-Busting Fitness Plan for Men and Women who Want a Strong Core and a Pain-Free Back and the diet portion will come from Men’s Health TNT Diet: The Explosive New Plan to Blast Fat, Build Muscle, and Get Healthy in 12 Weeks. Don’t let the Men’s Health reference fool you ladies, I’ve had several girlfriends who have had good results on this plan. I’m doing the option that incorporates veggies and lean protein the marjority of the time, with 1 day a week of higher, good quality carbs (no refined sugar, etc here). This option should give R and I a little freedom so we don’t go insane especially since I have a long haul ahead with 100+ pounds to lose.

R and I spent some time cleaning out the fridge this afternoon and taking our measurements this morning. We’ll be taking our before pictures in the morning and going from there. And I made this yummy Taco Skillet for dinner tonight and I’ve got leftovers for the next couple of days!

TACO SKILLET

2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped, 4 ounces
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons Taco Seasoning (lowest carbs you can find or make your own)
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
16 ounces coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
Salt, to taste
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
6 tablespoons sour cream, optional
Cilantro, optional

Brown the meat with the onion and garlic in a large skillet; drain the grease. Add the seasoning and tomatoes. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste, if needed. Sprinkle the cheese over the top, cover and cook 2 minutes until the cheese melts. Stir in the cheese. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream and a pinch of cilantro, if you like.

Here’s what the taco skillet looks like before the sour cream and cheese have been added.

Working on mixed media art is one of the areas that I want to focus on, so I’ve spent some time creating the cover for my Book of Days Class that I’m doing with Effy Wild. I’ve also worked on a few of the spreads.

I’ve got a couple of other things I want to do and I’ll be incorporating them into my art and blogs.

Today was a quiet day. R and I spent some time with his mom and the dogs. I spent some time weeding onions and getting rid of the thistle patch that has sprung up in the middle of the onions. I was pleased to see that my onions and garlic are doing well. Tomorrow I hope to finish up the onions and maybe plant some lettuce. Later this week I should have a couple of raspberry plants and bunch of strawberry plants arriving. I’m looking forward to adding them to the garden.

I hope you all had a wonderful new year and I look forward to sharing my many adventures with you.

#reverb11 is a daily reflective prompt that runs every day through the month of December. It is an opportunity to reflect on the year that has been and manifest what the new year may hold. It was started by Gwen Bell in 2009 and has been passed on to individuals to host in 2011.

#reverb11 is a daily reflective prompt that runs every day through the month of December. It is an opportunity to reflect on the year that has been and manifest what the new year may hold. It was started by Gwen Bell in 2009 and has been passed on to individuals to host in 2011.

These are things that I want for this year. Here’s my thoughts from when I put this together.

Okay so I finally worked on my collage from week 3 I think.

Faithful – Has a lot of meaning to me. I want faithful friends and a faithful man (thankful I have him). The man I almost married 8 years ago didn’t know the meaning of the word.

Scatter Joy! – I thought this was awesome when I saw it. Think of what the world would be like if we took time to scatter joy every single day.

Healthy – This ties into the image of the woman exercising. Actually I’ve met the woman in the picture – Her name is Alli McKee and she’s a Personal trainer and fitness competitor. She’s also the real deal and a sweetheart of a gal. I love her look – She looks strong and confident and sexy (also words that appear on my collage). I love lifting weights and I want to get back to it.

Beach – The beach is my centering place. I love going down and just floating in the waves for hours at a time.

Spirit – I like the idea of having a spunky spirit and a healthy spiritual life.

Art and the O’Keefe Cow Skull – Art has become very important to me over the last year.

Images of Japan – Japan has always been a place I wanted to visit. I think I need to make this a goal for my 45th Birthday (next year!).

Fresh – I want to see things with fresh eyes. I’ve been stuck in a rut for the last two years and it’s time to get out of it.

Quote from James Bertrand – “Once we rid ourselves of Traditional Thinking we can get on with creating the future.” I’ve always been an outside the box kind of gal. It’s served me well, even though sometimes I do have to color within the lines.

Light – My word for the year that I discovered at the end of June. The last year was so heavy emotionally with Mom dying. I’m ready to lighten up mentally and physically. I’ve been working on curating my home so that I only have things that I love in it. And once the remnants of the pneumonia clear, I’m boosting my activity levels so that I am moving iron again (I love weightlifting!) and monitoring my caloric intake more carefully.

Love, Desire, Sexy, Sensual – Bob and I have a good loving relationship, but the desire, sexy, and sensuality have gotten lost between his dad and my Mom dying. I want that spark back.

Play – I think I mentioned that earlier in the lighten up. I used to be a lot more playful than I am now.

Daring – I want to put myself out there more than I have in the past.

Real – I feel like a fraud a lot of the times. Everyone seems to think I have it together but I don’t.

Worthy – sometimes I don’t feel worthy of having the things I do. A good job. A good man.

Heart – This goes with the real. I want to be authentic and whole hearted.

Embrace the Extraordinary – I believe in Synchronicity and I believe that extraordinary things happen when you least expect it. Sometimes it’s hard to believe when the extraordinary happens.

How does your work nourish you? If not, why not? When do you plan to be who you truly are and do what you love?

#reverb11 is a daily reflective prompt that runs every day through the month of December. It is an opportunity to reflect on the year that has been and manifest what the new year may hold. It was started by Gwen Bell in 2009 and has been passed on to individuals to host in 2011.