FUN IN A BOX

... and what did you get up to today?

FAST AND FURIOUS

I don't know when I got it in my head that this would be a good idea, but I decided I wanted to do a sugar detox. Maybe after all of the holidays and this horrible endless winter I felt like I needed to reset my body and my eating habits for spring.

In any case, I found all this stuff online about how when you eat sugar it does the exact same thing to the dopamine receptors in your brain as nicotine or alcohol. Then I bought a book "The Blood Sugar Detox Diet". This detox purports to rid the body of all manner of toxins and who the hell wants toxins anyway? Surprisingly, Sam was game to detox too. Sam has never had to restrict his eating in his life. I once asked him if there was anything he wouldn't eat and he thought about it for a minute, and then said, "I don't think I'd eat another human being".

We are on day 5 of the detox, which means no sugar, no caffeine, no alcohol, no dairy, no carbs, very few fruits, no grains, and even no beans for 5 days. What the hell do we eat then?  Nuts. Lots and lots of nuts.  And seeds.  Our pantry looks like it was stocked by Tweety. Conversely, we also eat a lot of eggs. And a mountain of dark leafy greens and other vegetables. Like a goat.  So it's like a petting zoo here.    

Despite the detox's assertions that we will feel like superheroes any day now we are both still tired and cranky. But that's kind of the point, isn't it?  I was trying to recall the last time I went an entire day without any sort of caffeine... uuuummmm 13 years old?  12?  Hell, it was the 80's and Tab was ever present in our house so maybe I was even younger.  And the fact that I've had splitting headaches every day since I've given up caffeine indicates to me that perhaps my head was a little too reliant on the stuff to function. 

We'll see how this wackadoo self-experiment progresses but it's been interesting to see how strongly my body has reacted to giving up a bunch of stuff I don't actually need to eat in order to live. I think I will change some habits as a result of this but I am still counting the hours until I can imbibe a luscious, creamy (decaf soy) latte....

IMPROVEMENTS

I think I was 8 years old when I finally learned to ride a 2 wheeled bicycle with no training wheels.

I WANT TO RIDE MY BICYCLE

Maiden voyage on Roan's new bicycle - a refurbished hand-me-down from Sawyer and Ivy.  A bit wobbly.

THE SEVEN

A few months ago my friend and landlady Noemi, who is an amazing prop stylist,  asked if she could borrow some of Roan's old Halloween costumes and his bike for a photo shoot.  It turns out that the shoot, called "The Seven" was by none other than Pamela Hanson for none other than CR Fashion Book, former EIC of French Vogue Carine Roitfeld's new baby. In return for the favor Noemi gave Roan a massive tow truck with a Jeep to tow (never you mind that I was the one who sewed and hot glued the costumes until my fingers felt like hot pokers, but that's the way isn't it?)

Today on a whim I wandered into a magazine store, saw the CR logo, picked up the magazine and it literally fell open to the images below from the very shoot.  Weird, huh?  Here is a sampling of images. I love the shoot!  It's fierce and whimsical at the same time, not an easy feat.  Although, apparently the little boy wearing Roan's costume refused to wear the hat (amateur!) I still think he looks pretty cute.

Riding Roan's bike!

The Original

#TBT

This photo I have thanks to my fabulous cousin Melanie, the family historian on my maternal grandmother's side.  

Lest you might think that giving your children crazy names is a new trend, here is a sampling of the names from my family in small town Mississippi circa the late 1800s - early 1900s:

Patience Peacock  

Narcissus Lucinda

Sherley Schley
   

Dudly Dewey
  

Ozella Rovella

Minnie Maude

(my grandmother, named after a cow and a horse)

So suck it, Apple Martin and Moon Unit Zappa! Weird names are a time honored tradition in this family going back four generations. 

Here's Tally Lula, my great grandmother with three of the aforementioned crazy-named kids. Triplets.  Yes that's right, triplets.  In Mississippi. In 1897.  Ouuuuch.

Unfortunately the two boys died within two days of each other when they were about 18 months old, of what no one really knows. Oh, and the man, Abizer my great grandfather with 2 of their other kids, died when he was kicked in the head by a horse, leaving Lula to raise 8 surviving kids by herself. When people harken back to the good old days when life was simpler, is this what they are talking about?  Because I'm pretty certain this was not simpler than having indoor plumbing and vaccinations.

But I digress.  Happy #tbt folks!

From left, Noah, Abizer, Hosea, Tally Lula, and the triplets Dudly Dewey, Sherley Schley, and Ozella Rovella (though not necessarily in that order)

FIERCELY CURIOUS

I am so excited and honored to be included in this new online artists website, which has been expertly created by my friends Erin and Tom.  It profiles 7 artists whose work is all profiled and sold through the site.

Check it out!

www.fiercelycurious.com