Was I expecting to be expecting at this time in my life? No way! I had a five year plan, and it did not include shocking pregnancy tests, roller coaster rides of emotions and sickness, motherhood books, birthing classes, belly bands, and bigger bras (but I’ll take the latter if I have to 😉 ) Nevertheless, here I am preggo with a tiny bump to prove it at 17 weeks.
“God never hurries. There are no deadlines against which he must work. Only to know this is to quiet our spirits and relax our nerves.” -Tozer
Well well well, What have we here?
While studying the history of humanity – their cultures, social formations, philosophies and their artistic endeavors – in a secular academic environment and Christian liberal arts college, I observed that women are both corrupted and glorified through cultural expressions. Interestingly enough, when sin insidiously spread through the good earth and warped it’s perfectly effervescent qualities, woman became cursed with this stark reality, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” This commentary by theologian John MacArthur explains that to mean, “Sin has turned the harmonious system of God-ordained roles into distasteful struggles of self-will. Lifelong companions, husbands and wives, will need God’s help in getting along as a result. The woman’s desire will be to lord it over her husband, but the husband will rule by divine design.” In other words – what we see every day in this 21st century society – is the demoralization of the human soul, the fragile woman. Her natural beauty …
Today I finally did it. I took the plunge after over a month of avoiding it due to the holidays and the weather. No more excuses. It was time to swim again. I am no athlete by any mark, but a consistent exercise routine does my heart and mind good. I swim lap after lap after lap… until my arms won’t stroke and my feet won’t kick. That only takes about 45 minutes, and then I’m all swum out. To prevent poor form and unnecessary exhaustion, I watch youtube videos on channels like GoSwim and SpeedoInternational for helpful tips and tricks. Here are a few that I’ve found helpful: Breaststroke technique, which is my favorite, and Freestyle technique, which I am always perfecting. – – – – – – – – – – Maybe I secretly wish I were a makeup artist. I just have so much fun doing it on myself that I’d probably love doing it on other people for fun. There’s actually an all-natural makeup artist whom I follow and she kind …
no fuss, simple shape, easy living. what else can i say, i love short hair. i snagged this lovely teacup octagon necklace the other day for half the original price at my favorite shop downtown, The Handworks Gallery.
guilty pleasure… a recent favorite pastime has been watching episodes of What Not to Wear and Say Yes to the Dress via Netflix… this morning i was watching a couple of them while lounging in my running clothes. but later that day i had to clean up for a holiday work party… so i thought i should take before and after pics, because i looked disgusting this morning and then pretty this evening. anyone can look ugly and anyone can look lovely. no matter the trends or body types or color spectrums or personalities, anyone can look GREAT. no just okay. but really really GOOD. these pics reveal that mornings aren’t my best and that a shower, a little hairdo, makeup, and nice clothes make it all better! hence, my husband loves for me to look “put together” and coordinated every day. anyone can spruce themselves up, so be your most beautiful self.
i have had skin problems since puberty. rosacea and acne run in my family and i happened to get stuck with both. my mom has always had beautiful, flawless, creamy soft skin. i got the ruddiness from my dad (thanks, dad!). as a teenager, i used a dermatologist prescribed face cream to keep the redness down, the inflammation at bay, and the zits from exploding everywhere. for the most part that method worked. except for when stress piled on or bad eating habits grew. then i would get big white cysts that would build and build and they were painful! i still have a scar on my left cheek from a removal. during that stage of my life i didn’t understand the importance of a well-balanced, non toxic, organic lifestyle of products and food. i used drugstore makeup and soaps, ate few veggies and a ton of carbs. i don’t know how i didn’t end up bloated; i do know that the medicine was strong enough to keep my skin from getting yucky. overall i wasn’t making …
