By His Grace I Can.

BMI. Are these 3 letters a bit triggering for anyone else? Yes, the BMI (Body Mass Index) is admittedly not as widely referenced or used these days, but let's be honest, our society is still fixated on "beauty standards" which is most often linked to weight and clothes size. I'd say that at this point at my life I'm generally happy and excited to be alive.  I'm happy with who I see in the mirror.  But then I see a picture that someone took of me and SCREECH! It's like I mentally put the brakes on. Is that me?? Do I really look like that? And then occasionally I self-sabotage myself by googling my current BMI.    According to this chart I am EXTREMELY OBESE. Does anyone really want these words to flash up on a screen when describing your body? NO.  Heck no. And REALLY, does the diagram need to make me out to be an oompa loompa? Now, let's take a walk down memory lane.  10 years ago, after having my second baby, I got my butt in gear and lost 65 pounds....

This morning my hubby pulled up all the blinds to flood the main level with warm sunlight.  It's been a gloomy and rainy few days, and it's a welcome change. Cleaning is a regular part of every day.  Yet, usually there are things that I rarely get to because I don't have the time or energy to conquer them.   But today my hubby is on a kick deep cleaning the kitchen and it has energized me to take on some other neglected projects. Cue our large pane windows. I set out spraying and wiping down the interior side then hit the exterior.  I came back in and saw the grubby finger prints gone, but only replaced with big smudges from my cleaning rag.   OK, take two. I started again to wipe down the interior sides then went back outside to try again.  As I was wiping the exterior side, for a second, time and looking through the two sides of the glass, I got to thinking. Does it ever happen that we are perceiving a situation through "dirty windows"? (Love th...

Several hours after I gave birth to our most recent child, I was finally getting out of the hospital bed to get cleaned up.  It had been a rather traumatic birth and I had needed that time to hold my new son and let my body rest. I lifted off the hospital blanket and slowly eased my way to the edge of the bed.  I felt like a deflated balloon with no strength, stiff and sore, my tummy covered with stretch marks, both old and new.  The very first thoughts that came were of shame, weakness and ugliness. BUT I quickly countered them with my own-- how proud I was of my body, nine long months of discomfort and pain, all that it had endured to bring this baby in to the world.  What a miracle and blessing. Yesterday morning while sitting in bed nursing my baby, I caught a glimpse of myself from across the room in our bedroom mirror.  My messy bun had reached a new level of messiness, my two-day old mascara was amplifying the bags under my eyes and my shirt h...

Click here for Video. After hearing that CHILDREN and teen suicide rates have greatly increased in the social media era--in large part because of the often unrealistic, perfect-seeming and unobtainable standards that are portrayed & shared--I made this video in an effort for me to personally be more authentic on social media for the people in my sphere of influence.  Recording in my PJs with a day old hairdo and makeup and giving a mini tour of my MESSY house contributed to those efforts ;0) As I mention in the video , I LOVE beautiful things.  I love designing cute invitations, throwing themed and coordinated events and decorating my house for each holiday and season.  It's easy for me to only post the beautiful, "perfect"-looking parts of my life.  But I desire to make positive waves with authenticity, to liberate myself from unobtainable standards and feel comfortable & confident in my skin AND to allow allow others to do the same. If you t...