My new crow sticker

It's really for the Crow Bookshop in Burlington Vermont but I called them and he sent me some.

Pleasure Camp!

I got an email from a great health coach on Monday. Her name is Jenna la Flamme and she gives online lectures and webinars focusing on listening to your body and allowing eating to be motivated by pleasure. Here's her blog:

http://www.pleasurableweightloss.com/blog

Here's the email she sent to her list:

"I was thinking about what I could do to blow your mind. And I decided to offer one full scholarship to Pleasure Camp this weekend. It’s simple to enter. Just write a short paragraph explaining:
1. Why you want to come to Pleasure Camp
2. Why you should win the scholarship
Just hit reply to this email. I’ll pick one winner, who will attend PleasureCamp on me.
Go ahead. Imagine basking in the glow of multiple, sincere compliments about how good you look this holiday season. That’s a known “side effect”of Pleasure Camp.
I can’t wait to read your email. Good luck.
Love,xo Jena

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After a dog walk where I brainstormed a letter, I sent it out.

On Nov 7, 2011, at 11:42 AM, K Harris wrote:

Hi Jenna,
My husband looked at me with amusement and concern yesterday and correctly stated, "You need a vacation!" because I was on the verge of tears. I had forgotten about daylight savings TWICE in one day and was apologizing to my mother for crashing past her out the door when she Finally arrived (actually she was right on time. Uggh!) Balancing life being a mom to two lovely girls, managing a not quite so lovely but still lovable naughty one year old mutt, being a loving wife and working three different jobs as a nurse to coordinate with everyone else's schedule has pushed me to the verge of crazy. I know what I need to do to take care of myself but I just don't have (haven't made?) the time to create it and it breaks my heart.

I have realized that sugar makes me feel terrible and I just discovered I have a gluten sensitivity (oh that's why my stomach sticks out all uneven like that after I eat bread!) and I am so overwhelmed with the changes I have to make in my life, my family's life and my diet I want to cry.
I NEED YOUR PLEASURE CAMP JENNA!
It is the first weekend I'm not working in forever and my husband is on board to give me whatever I need to recharge and come back renewed-That in itself is a miracle and makes me think this pleasure camp offer is for me!
I am on the verge of (hopefully) expanding my herbal potions and products business, stepping out as an energy healer (using Reiki and Emotrance and aromatherapy) and I need some sassy healthy living learned from a pleasure weekend to support the whole shift and the people I hope to assist in their healing!
See my etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrowLadyHerbals
See my blog http://katsuzharris.blogspot.com/

I hope to see you soon!Thanks for the offer, Jenna. It is very generous of you. If I don't make it; I hope it is a magical healing weekend for you all.
Love and blessings, Katherine Harris


Here's what I got at work the next day!!

Hi Katherine,
Thanks for your application, you are the winner!!
I'd like to offer you a full scholarship to Pleasure Camp.What's not included is your travel and accommodation costs so please confirm that you are equipped to take care of those and therefore able to accept the scholarship.I can't wait to meet you and was really touched by what you had to share in your application, thank you. Drop us a note back as soon as you get this and we'll get you officially registered if everything lines up for you.
With love and excitement,xo Jena

I was shocked! Oh my! Now I actually have to go. I emailed my dear friend Miranda and she graciously said she'll put me up in her apartment in Brooklyn and has been sending me really helpful emails about where to park, eat, and how to get from one place to another. I'm so excited! I just printed out directions here at work and I am heading out tomorrow at noon. The girls were bereft and sobbing when I told them, but they cheered up when Rob said they could eat candy and watch bad TV.

Here's the link to Pleasure Camp NYC.
http://www.pleasurableweightloss.com/pleasurecampnyc/go/index.php
and one she did at Omega
http://www.weightlosspleasurecamp.com/go/
I'll tell you how it goes!

Sharing day for Georgia

I brought in Henny Hen Hen for Georgia's sharing today.
She is such a sweet chicken, she didn't mind the screaming of the children or all their hands patting her. Two of the children cried in terror of the quiet chicken and wouldn't even come down the steps to see her.

Georgia had a grand time holding her chicken and showing her off. (She is wearing the medal from the final day of soccer practice yesterday. It looks like she just won some honor at a county fair or she and her bird just won a race, but no.)

Cookie napping

on Lily in the warm car on the way home from Rob's race in Northampton this weekend. Cookie doesn't sit still very often so Lily really enjoyed the weight of her soft sleepy head on her lap. Usually I can't get Lily to tolerate a photo but she sat still for this one.





It was cold being a spectator for the race. Half way through the 40 minute race we had to go warm up in the car, Rob noticed a lapse in our hollering and whistling from the sidelines.

Trick or Treat on Halloween

was sort of canceled, but we met up with some friends and did some trick or treating before it got too dark and we couldn't see the downed wires!

Georgia was to have an elaborate Hyena costume coming from my mother, but she couldn't make it out to deliver it due to the storm. Instead, Georgia ran upstairs and threw together a fairy outfit and some wings and she and Rob made a crown. Very nice.

Here she is holding Olive, the cutest pug in the world.




Lily was Tonks from Harry Potter and wore "clothes that pop"






Here's Georgia before and after a lick from Olive!
























We trick or treated at our cars, some friends houses on Highland and then drove to Main Street where there was more of a party.

One lively soul had candles and pumpkins lit, leading us down a long dark road to "full size candy bars!!"







































We went home to our dark home and lit the candles and got the fire going while Lily took a shower to get the orange out of her hair.

It was a fun night and we parents were glad to have less candy to tempt us than other years.

Oct 31st-Cookie's First Birthday!

We did the math when we first got Cookie in February and found out she was @ 14 weeks old so we chose a birthday. When we counted back it was somewhere around Halloween; so a Halloween baby she is.

Here she is licking her chops for a cornmeal muffin frosted in peanut butter, sprinkled with kibble with a chew stick for a candle; all creatively done by Lily.

Look at the size of that dog's tongue!

She was very focused on the prize during the song and hug. She ate it quickly. Between her recent not-coming-when-called, almost devouring the chickens, and humping everyone's leg, she didn't get a really big party.
But she liked her muffin.
I ordered a dog whisperer DVD today.
Soon I will be exuding calm assertiveness and the dog will settle down....

Snowy Day

A walk with Cookie and the girls on the golf course. Cookie was in heaven!

Last night when I was at work, the power was out and it was cold and dark outside, Cookie decided to sneak out and not come when the family called her. They were all cold, hysterical and furiously frustrated with her, so they called me at work. Totally stressed me out.
She finally came in and they all went to bed in front of the wood stove.
I got home the next morning and they were all still annoyed with her.
I took her to the golf course and she ran away from me, too. Luckily I brought some rotisserie chicken and tempted her back, but at one point she stole Georgia's mitten and ran away with it. She tossed it in the air and bolted around us. It really pissed me off.

She had been good about coming when we called her, but I think it all went wrong when she got loose to chase the chickens. Now she sneaks out around us as we go in and out of the slowly closing back door. She is rascally and obsessed. Lord help us. I had no idea how taxing our Cookie would be.

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Deep snow photos I took for the relatives in Florida! No one around here would be impressed, but my nieces in Florida were very jealous my girls got three snow days in October.



















Getting a little stir crazy! Note the leaking air mattress in the background and the wild eyes of the child.