Fall is here! And with it comes these photos of me in digitally orange-colour underwear!

So things in my life have been changing a lot lately, much like the leaves on the trees. I'm only working one job currently so I have much more free time. And I've made it a priority to focus more on my photography. Or as I call it: Taking myself more seriously. And apparently in order to do that I need to start by photographing the scariest thing I can think of. Yep. Myself. Now, if you want the whole pitch about why I take photos like this you can see it here: http://ourlostthings.blogspot.ca/2012_01_01_archive.html Under the January 11th post.

All the things I said in that post are still true. Except I have a slightly better idea of what bra size I should be wearing. I'm still not ashamed that I look like this. I still think it's important to feel sexy and beautiful. I'm proud that I'm not a size 2, although women of all sizes are gorgeous as well.

I saw a picture on Facebook this past summer of a VERY curvy girl rocking a bikini in knee-deep water. The caption read "Summer; Not just for size zero". There was a flood of comments. Some people were incredibly supportive, expressing how proud they were to have curves too. However some people had a much different reaction. Some people mentioned how they think being plus size means being unhealthy. Some people just expressed how unattractive they thought the model was. One comment said something along the lines of "Summer isn't just for plus size people either!" 

I want to address these comments and offer my own opinion.

1. "Being plus size is not healthy."

Here's my first reaction: Says who? First of all, plus size does NOT mean Obese. Having a little more meat on my bones doesn't mean that I'll die of cardiac arrest at the age of 45. And even if I was obese, should I stop loving myself because of it? Being ok with my body doesn't mean that I no longer want to take care of it. I can love myself and still want better for myself all at the same time.

2. "Plus size girls are not attractive."

You have every right to your own opinion. And I personally don't mind if you express it. Please keep in mind that it is YOUR opinion and yours alone. Other may share the same belief as you, however you only have your own voice and can only speak for yourself. That being said, there are lots of people who love curves on a woman. Myself included.

3. "Summer isn't just for plus size."

Ok. Really? This is the one that bugs me the most. When skinny people get upset because curvy girls aren't afraid to show off their bodies and be proud of it. I want to make one thing perfectly clear. Just because I LOVE my body at a size 8 or 10 or 12 or whatever I might be, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't love yours at a size 4 or 2 or zero. So for all you skinny minnies who get tired of hearing "I love my curves," please don't think it's an attack on you. It's only us loving ourselves. And you should too. Us girls are told far too often not to be happy with what we have, even though in my opinion, we are one of the most beautiful things on this planet. The last thing we need is to start turning on each other.

On a final note, why are we all so afraid to tell each other how beautiful we are? If there's anybody out there listening, I challenge you to tell somebody they're beautiful. Just because... They are.

So I haven't posted much this summer and here's why:

This beautiful kitty went missing. And I was heart broken. I went to bed feeling strange and when I woke up I knew she was gone. As far as we know she was inside when we all went to bed. I think she chose to leave. I think she never planned to stay for long. Her name was Moggy but I called her the Grey Ghost. She was very quiet and sneaky. She wasn't even with me for a year. She left such a small imprint on my physical life that it's almost like she was never here. But she's still in my memories.

So... Moggy was technically a rescue cat. After she left I realized how much I love having cats around and how many didn't have homes. And that's how this happened...

Luna was a year and a half old when I adopted her from the SPCA and she'd been there for 6 months. From what we can tell she was likely a barn cat and had a litter within the first year of her life. I thought I would take an innocent look at the SPCA website, and I saw her picture. I loved her instantly. And a few days later I brought her home. 

 Adopting a cat through the SPCA was really easy. The only thing is, there's an adoption fee in order to pay for getting the animal fixed, it's shots, and a few doses of worm medication. When I adopted Luna there was a special at the SPCA and the fee was only $100. So here's how I paid for it.

I've been knitting since I was about 4 years old. And I recently started knitting stuffed animals. I thought that I could maybe raise some of the money to pay off the credit card bill of Luna's adoption by selling these funny creatures. 

And it worked. I got a much bigger response than I expected. And I found myself knitting day and night to fill orders and pay for my Luna. 

It took up almost all of my free time and I'm sure I caused some permanent damage to my eyes but I didn't care. Cats complete my life, so Luna was worth the work.

And of course I couldn't stop at just one. My brother has two barn cats that had litters very close together. These two little guys are from the second litter. The little guy above is officially named Mr. Pip. Matt calls him Mister. I call him Pipkin. (Pipkin is a character from my favourite Halloween story, The Halloween Tree.) He was born with a bad leg and my brother was worried about finding a home for him. So he lives with us and Luna now.

And the little girl below is named Poe, as in Edgar Allen. We call her Posy. She was just too sweet to give up. She's incredibly energetic and takes care of Pipkin... for the most part.

I'm still knitting all sorts of things and selling them to raise money for adopting cats. If you'd like to order something, I'd be happy to make it.

And for today's rainy day project... Patchwork Pumpkins!

The Island.

I've probably walked passed this place over a thousand times. But I can't help wondering how many people have actually walked on this tiny island. Britt swam over to it (because she's a trooper) and the adventure commenced. 

It was hot and muggy. The sky was slowly growing darker as we walked to our shooting location. When Britt arrived on the island the rain started. She scrambled to dress herself and I pulled my shirt over my head to shield my camera from the rain. Somehow this didn't rush us all that much. We both knew that the more trouble you get into and the more hardships you face, the better the adventure.

Britt and I have discussed story lines to go with these images as part of our future project together, but I'll keep that all a secret for the time being. 

Underwater attempt #4. It's getting better but still nowhere near what I want it to be. But fear not. I'm still working on it.

What Happens when all our Hiding Places have been Found

(Just threw in this old image - which everyone has seen before - because I think it's suitable for this post)


My childhood was spent in games of hiding. Hide and seek, cops and robbers, things like that. But I've always sought out quiet places for more than just games. I crave moments of solitude in safe places. I've retreated to rooftops,  beaten paths in forests, waters' edges, homemade structures, whatever kind if place I could find to feel grounded and comfortable in my own skin. To spend some time with myself and sort out the whirlwind of thoughts that constantly spin in my head.

But what happens when your special places start to become known to more people? Strangers showing up in spots you thought were secluded. Strangers who see the beauty of a place but ruin it immediately with greed, jealously and exploitation at another’s expense. Do you stand your ground and fight for the magic that these places hold? Or do you retreat and hope that you can come back another day when other’s will hopefully be busy with something else and leave you alone?

Or what about when you need those times alone and you feel like you have nowhere to go, or no chance to escape. The concept of wanting to be alone can be very foreign to some people. Why would you want to be alone when you can be with people? Don’t you like people? Aren’t we fun enough for you? Don’t you love us at all?  People see your need for time alone as a desire for them to go away. That is, of course, not true. It’s never that we WANT to be away from our loved ones. It is, instead, that we WANT to be with ourselves. I find that sometimes while I’m with people I forget how to be with myself at the same time.

And your relationship with yourself is the most important one you can ever have. Nobody should know you better than you do. But sadly this is the case with most people. We don’t like to get to know ourselves well enough to see our flaws, or even the parts of us that make us beautiful. We are so self-conscious that we’d rather not learn the reasons for why we’re wonderful. But don’t you think we would be so much happier if we did discover these hidden treasures within ourselves?

 I recently told a friend that what I want in life is a quiet place to drink tea and read books. She told me not to ever let go of that want. So basically my solution is this: I will always find places to be by myself. I might sometimes share those places with loved ones, or, depending on that place, strangers. And I will never feel guilty for needing the time to escape because after all, it will make me a better person to be around when I do return.

The other day Britt and I decided to get together and do a photo shoot. She asked if I had any ideas, and I didn't so I thought for a moment and said "How about someone being swallowed by vines." And here's what came of it. It may have been a bit rainy and there may have been a thunder clap or two while we stood under lots of tall thin lightning rods - I mean trees... But what's adventure all about, right? At least our destination was close and we miraculously got back inside just before mother nature sent a hail storm our way. 

This shot haunts me to my very core but it turned out so intense that I wanted to share it. My Mom says it looks like an old movie poster for a horror flick.

On a somewhat related note, Britt and I are planning a very big ongoing project together which I am very excited about. I'll share more about it once we get some details sorted out. Oh! The anticipation!