Make Me Over?

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I was watching Love, Lust or Run this weekend.  I enjoyed seeing the before and after photos, and I wish I could be one of the people who is made over.  I know my fashion sense is nearly nonexistent, but I know what I like.  I see magazines, and I know what’s “in style,” but most of it I would never wear.  For me, the bottom line is I want clothes that flatter my (fat) body style—I’m not sure those clothes exist!  The ladies who were made over were not the size of sinewy fashion models, but they looked nice in their new clothes.  Maybe there’s hope for me?

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It’s more about perception than reality sometimes.  For example, someone who has been heavy and lost weight still sees “heavy” in the mirror.  The heavy part is in the head even with a smaller body.  It reminds me of fun house mirrors.  🙂  Only it’s not so much fun….

For those of us who are still in heavy bodies, shopping can be so frustrating!  Maybe I should find out how to get on Love, Lust or Run.

http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/love-lust-run/

 

Wow!

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Dance class was interesting tonight, to say the least.  I showed up at the appointed time to discover that my CD (my beloved CD!) would not play on the library’s CD player.  I had already changed clothes at that point, but I ran out of the library wearing my leggings, exercise top and socks…yes, socks, no shoes.  I had to pick up my laptop to play the music for us.  I made it back in about three minutes right before the rain hit!

I expected maybe two ladies, but there were five of us!  Successful first meeting in my opinion!  I hope the ladies enjoyed class as much as I did.  It was so refreshing to have adult company at the end of a long school day.

Now I have homework of my own to prepare for next week’s class.  🙂  Practice makes perfect!

S-T-R-E-T-C-H

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After a really long, busy week, I am still looking forward to starting up a belly dance class this coming week.  I am very sure this class is going to kick my butt—hard.  I am equally sure it will be worth it!

I took belly dance lessons (Egyptian style) many years ago, but I have such happy memories from that class.  I still have my CD of songs we used for everything.  I can still picture our warm-up stretch routine when I hear that first song.  The bad thing is that I do not know—and have never known—the names of the songs on my CD.  The good thing is that I have a copy of that beloved CD even though the old one was damaged.

I’m so excited about the class that I even dug out my hip scarf!  It has been with me through every challenge I’ve faced over the last fifteen years (or more!).  I guess it means more to me than I ever imagined it could.  It symbolizes things I’m not sure I can name, but the immediate one that comes to mind is joy.

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More Training

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Firefighters always benefit from training, but so does the community.  The more efficient we are, the better our reactions in a real emergency.  For that reason, our fire department hosted an all-day training event Saturday.  Firefighters practiced SCBA skills, nozzles, search and rescue and live fire fighting.

I played a victim for search and rescue.  I felt a bit like I’d been typecast into the helpless female role, but I did get the chance to run back in to cause havoc.  🙂  Dan took this picture while I was waiting for rescue.

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Below are some guys practicing with the nozzles while the chief gives pointers.  Patterns are important when attacking fire.  Some situations call for the straight pattern while others need the fog with a wider spray.  This practice is needed because in an emergency situation, firemen wear heavy gear that includes thick gloves.  The clicks are different and depend on the type of nozzle used.  Practice minimizes errors.

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Love Thy Self!

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I had a super long, busy day today (firemen training, but more about that later!).  This may sound funny, but before I went to training, I used my new facial cleanser.  When I got to training, I had an “aha” moment: it made me feel cheerful knowing I’d done something for myself before starting my day even if nobody else knew.  My skin felt great!

Ladies, listen up!  Be nice to yourselves!  🙂  It sets a positive tone for the entire day.  Who doesn’t need that?

Beauty for Ashes

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Remember last week’s post?  I wrote that any time I was invited and thought about attending a service it seemed that the universe was plotting against me?  Saturday was nothing new.  I’d been invited to a ladies’ retreat that ran from nine until three.  I woke up after nine, but I needed the rest, so I wasn’t really worried about the extra sleep.  I had a list of things to get done before I went, and that ended up taking longer because I sat around with coffee too long.  After a quick shower, though, I was on my way.  I figured I’d arrive during the lunch break since it seemed like a logical time to avoid interrupting.  Before heading to the church, I took out the trash and stopped at the store for some necessities.

While in the store, I ran into someone, and we started chatting.  Time escaped, as it does, and I noted it was after one while I was in the checkout line.  I drove up the block to the church anyway and pulled into a parking space right in front of the door.  That rarely happens, and I took note of it.  It was, again, chilly, but I dragged my carcass out of the car anyway.

The pastor’s mother-in-law was the guest speaker, and her message was from the book of Isaiah.  She noted the multiples of three in his message.  I’d never realized that before.  At the end of the meeting, we ladies were given a rose for ourselves and a rose to share.  I brought mine home to my Bela.  They serve as a lovely reminder that all women are beautiful.

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Valentine’s Day

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It’s really just another regular day.  Why wait until February 14th to show love and friendship?  Wait!  I remember—so the stores can sell flowers and gifts!  For businesses, it’s one more special day of sales.  It’s a bit like living like a devil all week and heading to church on Sunday.  You’re not fooling anyone!  There’s surely nothing wrong with buying a loved one flowers or a card, but one day a year means little compared to the other 364 days.

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When I had a valentine, we showed each other love every day.  It happened with the little things.  A kiss at breakfast, a phone call on break and chatting over coffee before bed.  We had love and respect every day.  How many couples can say that?

Sometimes I hear a woman refer to her partner in a derogatory way.  My take on that?  Well, honey, you chose to be with him!  I remember once in the store, this lady was nearly screaming at her husband in the baby aisle.  My man and I exchanged an incredulous look when we heard that.  The look we shared said it all.  We’d never treat each other that way because we had a foundation of friendship and respect underneath the love we shared.

Why not show your valentine love every day?  You don’t need a special day set aside for love and friendship.  You may be wondering why I add “friendship” to the mix.  In Mexico, Valentine’s Day is referred to as the Day of Love and Friendship (amor y amistad).  Adding friendship is better than forced affection and desperation for lack of a valentine, right?

Entrepreneurs

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Every time I look on social media, I see new advertisements designed to sell me something.  That’s fine because I’m smart enough to decide between “need” and “want.”  I also understand that people have to make a living, and many times one full-time job isn’t enough.  That’s when I started noticing the businesses in my town.  I wonder if it’s a phenomenon in larger places or if it’s something unique to my town of (more or less) five hundred residents.  It could be that jobs are not very plentiful in smaller towns like mine, so people have to be creative and make their own jobs.

One lady designs and sells T-shirts; another advertises nail wrap parties.  Then there are small-town entrepreneurs selling Tupperware, Mary Kay (which I love), Avon, cleaning products, candles, natural oils and health supplements.  Another personal favorite of mine—Thirty-One Gifts.  One enterprising woman has finally opened an Etsy shop to market her hand-made scarves.  I’m surrounded by businesswomen.  I might even be able to count myself as one of them.

My main sideline is placing foreign exchange students, but now I’m exploring selling photos on iStock.  There are other options as well if I look.  I could write articles for magazines or newspapers (which I have done in the past), or I could even bake cupcakes.  🙂  No matter what business, the main thing is to advertise and make contacts.  After all, it’s not only about selling; it’s about building a personal brand and a reputation people recognize and respect.  Maybe we small-town businesswomen can help each other as we build our personal brands.  Why not?  Let’s grow those networks!

In the meantime, if you are remotely near “my area” and need any of the aforementioned products, please let me know!  I can sure put you in contact with a friend!

https://www.jamberry.com/us/en/

https://www.etsy.com/

http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/

http://www.marykay.com/

http://www.tupperware.com/

http://www.istockphoto.com/

http://www.academicyear.org/

The Spirit is Willing…

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…but the flesh is weak.  Believe me because I know all about it!

I was invited to Sunday’s service because of a special guest from Chile.  The invite was days before, so I had time to decide and plan.  I set Sunday’s alarm for 8:30 so I’d have plenty of time if I wanted to go to Sunday school at ten or the service at eleven.  I got up, had coffee, checked email and everything else online.

I was undecided about going to church until almost 9:30, but then I managed to take my shower and get dressed.  You know how it goes—every reason NOT to go crops up in a matter of minutes.  The wind was vicious and cold.  I hate to walk into a meeting that’s already in progress.  I don’t know what to wear.  I’m tired.  I could read a book instead.  I took all of those excuses as a sign I probably should just go.  I warmed up the car and drove to the church.

I pulled in at about 10:40.  I knew it was class time, so I waited for ten minutes.  The wind was still nasty, and I was still cold, but I dragged myself out of the car anyway.

I finally got the sanctuary door open and was welcomed inside.  They had coffee and bread set up for everyone.  Jim was an interesting speaker who spoke about Chile and the work his ministry does there.  They focus on children being raised by single moms or grannies.  He takes food to the homes if needed and tells them about the love of Jesus.  Since Chile is a Spanish-speaking country, I expected to chat with him in Spanish later, and I did.  He also shared that he had encountered a deaf child, so the team members were learning sign language.  My friends know I speak Spanish and have studied sign language as well.

Teams are welcome to come and help with construction and more.  That might be our next trip.

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