Happy 4th of July!

Keeping it real

Source: rcm619 on Etsy

I've had a history of blogging healthy recipes and dancing around the fact that I struggle with getting into shape and being healthy, that is not secret. But I've never had the guts to blog about how I really feel regarding my own personal fitness. A few weeks ago when I saw The Nearsighted Owl start the "I am proud of my size" link ups, I thought to myself 'that is so great for her and them...but not me." And honestly, it made me feel even worse about myself that I couldn't even feel slightly proud of how I look. 

Then my blogging soulmate Beca wrote this amazing post that put into words exactly how I feel. If you haven't read it yet, please take the time to go read it here: 'A Truth I am Terrified to Tell You.'

In the spirit of keeping it real, I am 5'7" and as of yesterday I weigh 156lbs. This puts me wavering somewhere around a size 12. Last summer I was down to 144lbs and about a size 10. And I was happy there, floating only 10-15lbs above my goal weight. I was closer than I ever had been in my adult life. Then we bought the house and life got in the way of my fitness goals. Our kitchen was out of commission for weeks, so I started eating junk food with M out of convenience, and it just snowballed out of control. Once the house started to get in order, it was holiday sales time for my Etsy shop and I frankly did not have a spare minute to even THINK about exercising. So I got lazy. And now that I've gained back 12lbs, I'm not happy with how I'm looking. Which is crazy. I should be happy. 

There was a point in my life not so long ago that I weighed 30lbs more than I do now. 

I've just started to get a handle on all of this and start working back toward my goals, but it really is a daily struggle. And it's hard to put something on in the morning and be so disappointed that it doesn't look as good as it did 12lbs ago when I wore it last summer. 

You shouldn't feel pressured either way to be proud of or ashamed of your body. 

In solidarity with Beca, and every other girl out there who should be proud of their body, but just doesn't quite feel it yet, this post is for you.

Instafriday

 1. Emmett didn't want to go out in the rain  2. The rain   3. The Etsy tent at Troy Flea  

4. The crazy 15 minute thunderstorm that knocked out power in Hudson

 1. Take Your Dog to Work Day  2. On a walk in Hudson  3. M came home and crashed  

4. Like father, like son...

 1. So frustrated with my macbook lately  2. Snoring  3. Camo beetle  

4. Raspberry Mocha beer? Yes please.

1. Banana Bread and Mocha beer? Even better!  2. Little pretties in the yard  

3. Lots of work to do   4. Wild berries in the yard

Treat Yo Self Thursday

1. Lumberjack Breakfast print

2. Ultimate Pancake Breakfast Play Food

3. The Breakfast Bundle

4. Hazel Atlas Vintage Plates

Camp Crumster

 Saturday afternoon our great friends Mr & Mrs T invited us up to their camp at Lake Sacandaga. I had some orders to fill, and M had some work to do. But realistically, it was Saturday evening and the orders couldn't be shipped until monday anyway...so we took inspiration from Beca's post and took the evening off.

 The drive west to the lake was peaceful and stunning.

 Once we arrived and said our hellos, we walked down the short trail to the beach. It was still crowded with the pre-dinner camper crowd, so we decided to hold off on the beach until sunset.

 I brought along some Smart Dogs, whole wheat buns, and my go-to summer beer for 2012: Harpoon UFO.

 M housed practically this entire steak himself. 

 M was also psyched to drink some beer out of his brand new (to him) vintage Andre the Giant mug.

 The tall, old pines stood over us as we enjoyed our meal and conversation waiting for the sunset.

 Finally, it was time to walk back down to the beach.

 And the sunset was gorgeous.

After the sun had set, we gathered around the campfire. M & Mr T had to try out their new old man tobacco pipes and comment on how they are now officially old. It was a great night and I'm so glad we took the break to enjoy it!

Round Lake Antique Show

Sunday morning we got up bright and early to go to the Round Lake Antiques Festival. Here are some highlights of what we saw:

 A paper mache antique mask that looks like M!