A Bit of Whimsy for the Journey - Week 5

"Whimsy doesn't care if you are the driver or the passenger, all that matters is that you are on your way."                                                               -Bob Goff

Those who know me, know that I am not a whimsical person. This week's theme in my self-portrait class was whimsy. This is the second time that theme has come up for me in a class. I start the week with all these great ideas of what I can do with all these great props, but by the end of the week I still haven't taken the pictures. It is so hard for me to step out of my introverted self and act silly, especially in front of the camera.

Yesterday I made myself get out Mallory's dress up crown that she had made into a mobile for an art project. I did feel kind of bad cutting it apart, but I didn't think she would be hanging it up anytime soon. I put the crown on, set up my camera and tripod and started shooting.

*One side note - when you are doing self-portraits, even if you aren't going to see the bottom half of your body, it is better to put on real pants than to shoot in your sweat pants. You feel much more in the moment when your outfit is complete.

It took me a little while to get the right amount of the crown and my face in the pictures, more crown, less face :) Once I was done I had over 100 photos to review. Amazingly, I liked a lot of them, either I am getting better at this self-portrait stuff or it was just a lucky day. My smile is my biggest stumbling block so I just cut it off in a lot of them. Problem solved.

You want to know a big secret? I kind of liked wearing the crown. I think I stood up a little taller with it on and felt a little more confident. I might even get it out once in a while and put it on just for fun, just to add a little whimsy to my day.

SELF-PORTRAITS

WEIGHT

This week I lost: .5 lbs

Total weight loss so far: 5 lbs. (which was my goal for January)

EXERCISE

I got some new, heavier hand weights this week.

I am up to two reps of the toned arm youtube video. Next week I am increasing it to three reps.

FOOD

We love black beans, and I make a lot of recipes with them. I thought I would share one I made this week.

Black Bean and Spinach Pizza

1 (10) oz. package Prebaked Pizza crust (like Boboli brand)

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed, drained, and mashed 

1/3 cup chopped onion

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup salsa

1 cup fresh baby spinach

2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese

1. Place the crust on an ungreased 12-inch pizza pan. 

2. Combine the beans, onion, chili powder, cumin and garlic; spread over the crust.

3. Layer with salsa, spinach and cilantro.

4. Sprinkle with hot pepper sauce and cheeses.

5. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

*I am not a cilantro fan, so I don't use that or the hot pepper sauce.