today

i've been focusing on what isn't right instead of what is. an icky girl day where things aren't just so and i feel like i'm not lovable, worthy, etc. so, in a lovely gesture from my heavenly Father i was given a glimpse of a hummingbird drinking up the goodness of our fully revived lantana, a brief window between downpours to run in to home depot with mama and til to grab a few plants, and a nice phone chat with a good friend. i also received our new, begging-to-be-explored camera.



birthday party sneak peek.



my subjects











our garden over-groweth.



after finally figuring out the manual focus, things got a little clearer. literally.


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Back in the day, I had a “frenemy” who, as it turned out, was pretty hell-bent on taking me down. This person really did what they could to hurt me. I was deeply upset, I was angry, I was all of those things you feel when you find out that someone you thought you liked was venomous and dangerous. I restrained myself from fighting back. I tried to take the high road. But one day I heard that something unfortunate and humiliating had happened to this person. And my reaction was deep relief and…happiness. There went the high road.

- Gwyneth Paltrow
 read the rest here.

This struck a cord with me. Can't we all relate?



{we heart it}

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“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” ~ Exodus 14:13

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Love yourself

Some days I feel like I have something to say that will mean something to someone else, but blogging for me is also about self discovery and trying to be a better person inside and out and if that helps someone else along the way then I'm so happy. Lately I've been having a lot of conversations with girls about our bodies. I don't think there is one person that I've talked to that was even halfway pleased with their current looks. I've talked to all different shaped and sized women, with children and without. All of these women are beautiful. It just seems to me that we waste a LOT of time thinking about our bottoms and our waist size and how we look with clothes on or without. Sam has pointed out so gracefully;) that I do a lot of complaining, but with not much action to make things better. When my house is a mess I complain about how messy it is instead of just going along and picking things up. When my muffin top is more of a loaf top I complain and moan about not being able to wear any of my old clothes instead of just strapping on my sneaks and gettin' busy!

So, today I did my Fit to Strip workout. Don't worry, there was no stripping involved just lots of sweaty work. I hadn't done this workout in years and it was quite hard. I don't really like the rest of the Strip Aerobics series, but Fit to Strip gets my vote, that is if you can stomach Carmen Electra in pig tails and a Juicy sweatsuit.



My whole point is that we all struggle with how we feel in our own skin. It's hard to be a girl. I just want to do my part to be healthier and to feel the best I can. But above all we need to accept ourselves. As women we are our own worst enemies. We beat ourselves up. I think it's important to celebrate each other for who we are not what jeans size we wear. The only thing that matters in this life is that we make the most of it. I don't want to look back and think that I wasted 12343454 hours dwelling on my appearance. If I want a change only I can make it.

The media really makes things worse. I keep seeing pictures of Rebecca Romijn Whatever a month after giving birth to twins and she's rail thin. "Rebecca Romijn debuts her post baby body!". What kind of pressure can we endure? It's not just celebrities that feel the pressure to be thin after giving birth.



source:popsugar

And don't get me started on poor Jessica Simpson....I mean geez she's probably the happiest she's been in years and put on a few pounds and a really bad outfit and all of a sudden she's fat girl.



source:popsugar

I think we should look at exercise and eating right as a way of life, and that said healthy meals should be a family experience and exercise should include holding hands with your man and girl talk with your friends.

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Babies, beasts, and Bumbos...oh my!

Today I spent a lot of time reflecting. I wept all morning over the loss of a wonderful woman. I wept for her suffering, for her family. I put myself in her mother and father's shoes, I put myself in her husbands shoes. I thought about how she planned to be a lawyer, how she had to drop all of her dreams to focus on being well. We take our health for granted until it is no longer there. I just thought a lot about not wasting my time here, and the gift that is life.

I bought this poster to inspire anyone who visits as well as my family:



I don't want to spend energy and time dwelling over what I did or didn't do. I want to live my life to the fullest and be an example to my children. One of the ways I plan on doing this is by hopefully creating a way for me to have my hobbies become my lively hood. As much as I love my coworkers and enjoy my job, I know that I have dreams that haven't been followed...



Sam has been sick for over a week and today I was able to stay home with him and nourish his achy bones. I stuffed him with vitamins and vegetables and he seems to finally be on the mend. Again, I was brought to reflection on Melissa and how I can't stand for Sam to have a cold. How did their family cope with cancer? Cancer is the worst possible disease and I cannot imagine watching someone you love being consumed by it...





On a happier note...here are Matilda and Guinness just chillin'

I hope that you all will hug your loved ones extra tight and remember how precious your lives are.

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Today's Lesson

Sunday is a good day for lessons. I always try to learn and grow in my walk with God. I'm constantly trying to be better, a better daughter, a better sister, a better wife, a better mom, a better friend, a better employee. Anyways, this week has been pretty funny. I think lessons can be funny too. One day this week I was happily ringing up two customers. One of the customers had just sung my praises to a manager, I was feeling pretty good about myself. I had gotten several compliments that day on my ensemble. I was a happy girl. Then it happened, the question I was hoping to never hear..."So, when is your baby due?". The record scratches and I'm jolted back in to reality. "Excuse me?" I say and the question is repeated. I can see her face blush as I say, "Oh twelve weeks ago" and then I showed her Matilda's picture. She said she was so embarrassed and I lied and said I wasn't offended. I went home and cried to my Mom and Sam and anyone who would listen. I kept saying, "No one should ask that question unless they are 105% sure. No one should ask period."

Part two: The Lesson

So...the very next day, one of my favorite customers comes in. "Oh hello _____" I say, then I proceeded to pat her tummy and ask, "How are you feeling? When is the baby due?" to which _____ responds, "I had him a week ago." The record scratches again and I realize her friend is strolling her little baby. My face turned 50 shades of red.

A. Why would I touch her?
B. Why would I repeat the mistake I was just complaining about?
C. Why would I wish such mortification on myself? Is mortification a word?

Lessons learned: I won't be so hard on people. We all make mistakes. I will never touch another woman's belly again. I will never ask when a woman is due unless I know they're pregnant.



teamsugar


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