Allyson, I'm saying this as someone who has shopping phobia and needs to gain weight: you're very pretty. Please try and remember that as you shop. I hope you can avail yourself of Robin's help. She's very wise.

Randomly, I just got my first CI test recipe, and I'm ridiculously chuffed.

Also, I just got my first bitching-out of the year from a student who was looking for his online course materials in the wrong course site. I think I shall make a lovely cake and test how well it smashes in firstname.lastname@looniversity.edu's face. There must be a place in the test recipe thingy to report those results, yes?

paperdol, you ARE pretty. And you're smart. And you can write. So rely on Robin and anyone else who offers real help.

did you guys see this?

[link]

ugh, i've done nothing on my first day of at home vacation and my throat is sore. I AM NOT GOING TO BE SICK, UNIVERSE!

Awww, wee baby hedgehogs.

My dad made me a hedgehog out of a wooden brush for me when I was little. Still have it. it's awesome! (Three hedgehogs featured in his nightly bedtime stories.)

paperdol, I think the blouse Robin linked to is gorgeous -- pretty and sophisticated and should look awesome with that skirt, but versatile enough to probably go with a ton of other stuff you've already got.

And, what everyone else said about you and the pretty. You've got gorgeous skin and thick, shiny, usually very fun-colored hair, great eyes, a lovely mouth, and a beautifully sly wicked grin. The only better thing for you than that blouse would be something in a deep jewel tone that'd play nicely off your hair and skin.

The thing I really love about both What Not To Wears is how emphatic they are about Body Image Demons fucking with all of us, and that style isn't about being thin enough to wear the really great stuff, it's about learning how to do the best you can with the body you have (and also that it's the body you have that deserves the pretty things and the nice treats, not the mythic perfect body you're waiting for that will likely never happen). Dressing up is all smoke and mirrors and sleight of hand and misdirection with fabrics and accessories, all tricks anyone can learn.

did you guys see this?

DED FROM THE CUTE!!

Our friend Ed was here this week and we had a talk about the "I am fat, but you look fine" mindset. Ed, DH and myself were all CONVINCED that we were ourselves fat, but the other two looked great.

I'm sorry, Daisy Jane. We owe you because you are our countrypeople. That's why.(That used to be enough...fucking neocons.) Arizona has heat, dust storms and a scary ignorant populace.