Blog Nosh Magazine

This is what beautiful looks like.

Originally published at oh my seven.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this subject lately… so many women have issues with their bodies, myself included. And you girls all know all the usual suspects… billboards, magazines, movies, television, romance novels (would you really want a heaving bosom anyway? I don’t get that.) and the like. I love this Dove commercial that’s been floating around on YouTube, because it displays an important truth: Advertisements lie to women. They say that you have to be This Thin and have beautiful flowing hair and sultry, smoky eyes and full, pouty lips and be a 32D… but most people don’t look like that! It’s telling that models even have to be Photoshopped, because they’re not good enough! Girls, why are we buying this lie? It sucks.

I read in a book recently that you can’t give what you don’t have. We’re taught that loving ourselves is just vanity and pride, but can you really love other people if you don’t know how to love yourself? Even the Bible says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18) So if that’s the case, obviously we are to love ourselves. Otherwise we’ll go around saying, “You’re fat, and you’re ugly, and whoa! Look at that bird’s nest of hair. Looks like you could use a shower. You’re a lazy bum, and you’ll never amount to anything. You can never do anything right… you always just screw everything up.”

I want to kick that habit, so that someday when I have children, they won’t grow up thinking poisonous thoughts about themselves that will only cause them hurt and not growth.

5 Misconceptions About Social Media

Originally published at The Social Path

Yes, I know. We're all tired of lists. But studies have shown that they're still the most effective way to list things, and I can't argue with science.

Myth No. 1: This is all just a fad.

We could talk about how socializing goes back thousands of years, blah blah blah, but let's go ahead and skip to the modern era. Social networking online has actually been going on a lot longer than most people think.

I got started as a teen in the early 1990s, when I was running a BBS. If you're not a nerd, I should explain that a Bulletin Board System was like a prehistoric Web portal, except without the Web. You would dial in on your modem, then be able to e-mail or play games with other folks who used the same BBS. Some were even networked, letting you communicate across the whole nation. Yes, hard to believe there was a time when that was impressive.

So why does social media feel like such a new trend? Well, the technology has gotten a hell of a lot better in recent years, making it easier than ever to join or even start a new network. Faster Internet connections have also made it possible to share more than just words. High-res pictures, podcasts, movies -- you name it, it can finally be passed around without hours of wait.

Myth No. 1: This is all just a fad.

We could talk about how socializing goes back thousands of years, blah blah blah, but let's go ahead and skip to the modern era. Social networking online has actually been going on a lot longer than most people think.

I got started as a teen in the early 1990s, when I was running a BBS. If you're not a nerd, I should explain that a Bulletin Board System was like a prehistoric Web portal, except without the Web. You would dial in on your modem, then be able to e-mail or play games with other folks who used the same BBS. Some were even networked, letting you communicate across the whole nation. Yes, hard to believe there was a time when that was impressive.

So why does social media feel like such a new trend? Well, the technology has gotten a hell of a lot better in recent years, making it easier than ever to join or even start a new network. Faster Internet connections have also made it possible to share more than just words. High-res pictures, podcasts, movies -- you name it, it can finally be passed around without hours of wait.

The Very Strange Day of Miranda P. Stick

Originally published on Anne Nahm

Dear Diary,

I could tell the moment I woke up: Today was going to be a day like no other. The sun was shining and birds were chirping. I knew because guess what? My wrapping was open! I don’t think that’s ever happened before.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Originally published on craftykeg.

I love twice baked potatoes. If they weren’t food, I would marry twice baked potatoes. So, when my sister and I were talking about a side dish to make for a party at her house (during the weekend of our brother’s college graduation!), we were sad that twice baked potatoes would be too much work for 27 people. So, we decided to turn it into a casserole! It was a hit, and was all gone by the end of the night! The recipe is below.

The Trip of a Lifetime

Originally published on Missives from Suburbia

Before we left for Egypt, more than one friend called it the “trip of a lifetime”. Between you and me, I smirked to myself just a bit, because I’ve been fortunate to travel to incredible places all over the world, and I’ve had many trips that I would classify as “trips of a lifetime”.

I’m not going to back down completely – I still think I’m a lucky, lucky girl when it comes to my travel experiences, and I’ve had many “once in a lifetime” experiences – but standing in the shadow of the Pyramid of Khufu, the only remaining member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, filled cynical little me with awe. Hubby and I kept repeating, “We’re at the pyramids. We’re at the pyramids.” It’s so surreal that we had to remind ourselves we were actually there.

Within minutes, we were climbing the pyramid’s external stairs, leaning and stepping on stones that were thousands and thousands of years old and worn smooth and shiny from the touch of countless hands and feet. Stooping and crawling, we scaled the interior passageway to the main chamber.

Gagged and Bound

Originally published in They Hang Like Paper Lanterns.

The drops weave together daily,
their fibrous web,
and bind me in this sticky love.
I trip upon my own heart strings.

They shoot me full of adrenaline, then entangle me, gag me, rob me
Leaving me to finish off what's left of myself.
Heart racing, eyes bulging; wet, salty and gasping.
Wishing, perhaps, they'd completed their aim this time.
Please stop toying with me and end it.
(Then thinking that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.)

Pinch Me!

Originally published on emilie inc. photography.

I could hardly sleep last night because I was so excited for today! I popped out of bed early for one final cleaning of the studio and a few last minute additions to the walls before the art walk. At 10a, the balloons and signs went up outside my door, and I started distributing stickers on each visitor's map- those who received a sticker from each studio was entered to win a raffle.

I would say, in the 6 hour span of the walk, I easily had 100 visitors. I was very humbled by the kind people, many of whom gasped when they rounded the corner at the top of the stairs and peeked in the studio (a few asked if they could move in!). Everyone offered their congratulations and "welcome to the neighborhood," as well as tips for great brunch spots and neighborhood organizations to join. Mothers with not-yet-engaged daughters tucked my business cards into their purses with a wink. People marveled at the artwork, the beautiful light in the space, and the yummy cupcakes (yes, the mini version of my birthday party treats- I'm hooked!). It was a long day, but boy, what a great way to introduce emilie inc. to the East End and kick off the official wedding season.

Once the tour wrapped up, J and I headed to dinner at Flatbread with the emilie inc. associates and their families. What a treat to spend an evening with Geneve, Steve & Sage, and Wyndee, Pete, Olivia & Chloe. Really looking forward to working with you!

Here are a few pictures of today's set-up with the studio's finished look! Some of you may recognize photos of yourself on my walls!

"Whatever" Is Not a Salary and Won't Pay the Bills

Originally published on Julie Pippert: Using My Words.

It was a pretty innocuous mother's club meeting, and we were talking about babysitters. I don't even recall why it came up, the talk about babysitters. Conversation unrolls so organically in these meetings, these times we get together, without children, and get to just talk.

But sitters came up in conversation and the turn of that conversation surprised me. Greatly. Apparently around here it's bad manners to quote an hourly rate for one's babysitting services.

"You know what gets me?" a mom said, "You know what sitters I prefer? Who I pay the most to? The ones who say 'oh just pay me whatever.'" She went on to explain that (and this is my paraphrase not her exact statement) to her, it came across as very forward, rude even, when these sitters said they charged X dollars per hour.

My mind rolled that concept around for a minute: it's cheeky and rude to state upfront how much you charge if you're a babysitter.

I looked around the room, seeking the people who ducked their heads to avoid disagreeing or the people shaking a no with their heads, and waited for someone to say, "Well for heaven's sake, it's a business. Of course they need to---and should!---tell you in advance how much they charge! How else will they learn to value their own worth and services? How else will they learn to deal with people and money? How else will you be able to figure out how much to budget and how much cash to have on hand for the time?"

But not one person did. Not one ducked head. Not one shaking head. Not one verbal alternate perspective.

Her

Originally published on Loralee's Looney Tunes

I visited my son’s grave today.

There was no special reason.  No holiday or anniversary.  No family or friends that live far away who wanted to pay their respects.  I was just driving and saw the snow on the ground and wanted to check on my son, clean up his grave, and remove the decorations that I put up for Autumn.

Matthew is buried in a beautiful spot.  We put him next to family, a cousin of Jonathan’s that was killed in a car crash with his grandmother when she was only 19.  It makes me feel better that his cousin is close by.  I will be buried near him, but not next to him because that space was occupied, which makes me very sad.

It used to make me angry.

The grave right next to my son is occupied by what they call a “Pauper grave”.  Meaning, that the plot was donated and the family doesn’t have the resources for a headstone.  There is a metal marker that has an index card with typing on it.  The womans name has been obliterated.  All I know is that death occurred in July of 1998 and that she was only 41 at the time of  passing.

In the four years since my Little Bug has passed,  my feelings about “Her” have changed. It’s still hard to know that this stranger gets a place that I yearn to have, but instead of being angry, I began to be curious about this neighbor of my son. Who was she?  What was she like? Did she have any family?