My virtues, and the Blubber Butt Chronicles!

Project 31. Day#9

What virtues do I value in myself?

Well...not to toot my own horn but.....

I am honest.

I am dependable.

I am loyal.

I am a follower of the Creator of the Earth.

I am a princess (read more about that here).

I am determined.

I am me.

And in other news:

It's another edition of...

We were in a much better mood this Monday than last Monday and so it was much easier to get into the whole let's-see-how-much-weight-we-lost-thing.

I was feeling optimistic this week because I had done a really good job eating well and exercising the past week. The treadmill and I developed a great bond and L and I put in some great workout time after work.

SO I was really excited when I stepped onto the scale and saw 138.2 on the scale! Woohoo me!!!!

I am finally back into the 130's. It's been a long time since the scale read those numbers!

L also had a great week and was somewhat disappointed to find that she only last 1/2 a pound. But I was so proud! I know she felt discouraged but that's still a LOSS in weight and not a gain. So we both discussed what we could do this week to challenge ourselves. I decided to reluctantly give up my 250 calorie Jif on the Go peanut butter cup that I enjoy everyday for lunch and only eat it on Wednesday.

Boo.

BUT I'M IN THE 130's!!

So here we go again this week. I had a salad for lunch and chicken and veggies for dinner.

I have to admit though. For the first time ever I feel free from the bondage of food. I no longer plan my life around food. I am starting to plan food around my life. It's amazing what can happen when you give God control of something. Even something as simple as dieting!

So here ya go. Pictures...and yes we are in our workout clothes. Enjoy.

A beautiful tip:

Project 31. Day #8

A beautiful tip.

Oh wow, this has definitely been the most challenging day of the Project 31 challenge so far.

When I first started thinking about what to write I panicked! I don't really do anything special to myself to be "more beautiful". There are tons of hair-styling videos and make-up preparation tutorials already all over the web and to be quite honest, I wear the same makeup and generally wear my hair the same everyday.

Soooooo I'm probably not the one to be asking about beautiful tips.

But THEN!

I had an epiphany.

I do have a beautiful tip to share!

Are you ready for this?

SMILE!

I am amazed by all the people who go through life NOT smiling. What a great way to make yourself look better, and it only takes a second!

Not to mention smiling makes you feel better on the outside.

So there you have it.
My beautiful tip.

:)

Project 31. Day #7: A blog about you...

Hey, you!

Yes that's right, I'm talking to you?

You are beautiful!

No, really, you are.

When I saw you for the first time I thought to myself

Wow. I wish I could look like that. I wish I could have such amazing beauty surround me everywhere I go.

Your glow about you is infectious

and everyone's head turns when you walk into the room.

I am so jealous!

What do I have to do to become as beautiful as you?

Exercise?

Eat less?

No?

Wait, what do you mean?

You don't do any of those thing?

You do what!?!?

So you are telling me that if I walk in faith

show compassion to everyone around me

live thankfully

pray daily

seek God's will constantly

worship continuously

and love deeply

I can be as beautiful as you?

Hmmm...I think I can manage that!

You deeply inspire me to do all those things.

Will you help?

I long to be as beautiful as you, my friend.

Dedicated to all women out there who need to strip off the outer expectations of beauty and learn to strive for beauty on the inside!

And especially dedicated to one woman who does all of these things and more. A beautiful daughter, a beautiful mother, a beautiful friend!

Love ya, sis!

J-j-j-jaded

Okay, so I am loving this Project 31. challenge that I am participating in.

It's quickly becoming the highlight of my evening.

After the laundry is done, and the dishes are washed I love to sit down and check out the next's day challenge and think long and hard about what I want to write about.

(I do my posts the night before that way it can go out on my email subscription list. Not subscribed? You should)

Anyway, I digress.

The question for the week was about jaded beauty and if the world's definition of beauty has ever jaded me.

This started me thinking.

What does "jaded" mean?

Other than the name of a fantastic Aerosmith song.

So I looked up the word all scholarly like and this is what I found:

jaded:

1. fatigued by overwork

2. made dull, apathetic, or cynical by experience

So, in response to this question?

YES!!

Turn on your t.v. Alright it's probably already on. Now, count how many skinny, beautiful, flawlessly skinned, women you see in..oh.10 seconds.

And you wonder why I would feel jaded.

I get so tired of wondering what I could do to be more beautiful. If I watch my food intake enough, exercise enough, tweeze my eyebrows enough, bleach my hair enough, MAYBE I will measure up to an ounce of what those women look like.

It's so tiring!

Luckily, and through much prayer, God is teaching me that I am beautiful all in my own way.

I read a book with some of my kids at school about a bluebird who bragged to everyone he met that he was the most beautiful animal in the forest because he was the color of the sky.

He ended up making a mouse feel like crap because he was gray, not blue and therefore not beautiful.

He made a flamingo feel ugly because she was pink and not blue, so again, not beautiful.

So one day he goes up to the Wise Old Blackbird and begins to strut his stuff and flap his jaws about how beautiful he is, blah blah blah.

What does Blackbird say?

He reminds the bluebird that the sky is not always blue. Sometimes the clouds are gray and casts a beautiful sky over the Earth, and sometimes, when the sun sets it sends the most beautiful pink colors stretching across the horizon.

The lesson?

We are ALL beautiful and we all have our place in this world.

It doesn't matter if this girl can't compare to Miss Carrie Underwood over there. I AM BEAUTIFUL!

So I encourage all you beautiful women out there to rest easy. God created you in an image of Him. We can't be anything but beautiful!

Will I still be jaded at beauty sometimes after I post this? Of course. Beauty is exhausting.

I guess at times like that I will just have to re-read this post and remind myself.

You are beautiful. No matter what they say.

(Thanks Christina for such great lyrics)