NSV = Non Scale Victory

So this week I am posting a non scale victory since the scale is being a little mean to me right now. I am wearing a new outfit today. My new pants are a size 8 - this is the first time in my life I remember wearing clothing in the single digits other than one pair of pants that I am still sure were mislabeled. And my sweater is a medium. It feels amazing. It was wonderful to try on clothes in my usual size and have them be too big. So even though the scale shows I am up this week I know I am on the right track.

19 Things

Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says:
and ran again to the well to draw water, and - The Holy Bible
Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first?
phone
What is the last thing you watched on TV?
weather
WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what time it is:
3:45
Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
3:50
With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
air conditioner running
When did you last step outside? what were you doing?
noon - went to lunch
Before you came to this website, what did you look at?
my calendar
What are you wearing?
brown courderoy pants and a pink shirt
Did you dream last night?
not that i remember
When did you last laugh?
not long ago
What is on the walls of the room you are in?
a couple of pictures, a mirror, and a wreath
Seen anything weird lately?
all the time
What is the last film you saw?
I dont remember but I am sure it was a kids movie
If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first?
new house
If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
people would be more friendly
Do you like to dance?
no
Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her? a boy?
Skylar & Stephen
Would you ever consider living abroad?
not unless I could take all my friends and family with me

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of bread?
homemade sour dough with lots of butter

Soup
When was the last time you bought a new pillow?
The last pillows I remember buying were right after I found out I was pregnant with Stephen - gee he just turned 7 - it's time for new pillows

Salad
Approximately how many hours per week do you spend surfing the ‘net?
I plead the fifth on that one

Main Course
What’s the highest you remember your temperature being?
I really don't remember my temp being unusually high.

Dessert
Fill in the blanks: When I ____________, I _____________.
When I get home, I am cleaning house.

Get your Friday's Feast Fix here.

Let's see....

Since last week there have been several things that have happened. I finally got my ring back on Friday. Brian not only got my rings sized but he had a new wedding band made for me. It is really pretty. It has crosses engraved on either side of the diamond in my engagement ring. I will post a picture as soon as I get a chance to take one.

Tax season is officially over - FINALLY!!!!! It was really getting stressful on everyone by the end. We have all had a few days to recover now and things are getting back to normal. We are all looking forward to a few days off to get our lives back in order. I plan on taking off one day next week just to clean house - by myself. And next Friday, the whole family is going to the zoo with Stephen's class.

Speaking of Stephen - he got in trouble at school for the first time this week. I don't know what is up with him. He has always been a good kid at school even when his attitude at home leaves a lot to be desired. He tried to scare a kid coming out of the bathroom, which disrupted not only his class but the class next door. Then he was caught throwing rocks on the playground with a group of boys. Next he pushed a boy at the water fountain. None of this is like Stephen at all. He will be in discipline p.e. today at school because of it, and he is grounded from playing with any of his Star Wars toys or his X-Box at home for the next week in addition to being made to go to bed 20 minutes early each night for the next week. We also made him write a note to Mrs. Heidenreich explaining why he acted the way he did and apologizing for his behaviour. I hope he learns a lesson from this and we don't have anymore discipline problems.

Psalm 37:4

I recently finished the book Red Bird by Stephanie Grace Whitson. It is the third book in her Prairie Winds series about the Lakota Indians and the missionaries settling in the Nebraska plains. It is an inspiring and uplifting series of books that I would recommend to anyone.

One of the passages that really stuck with me after finishing the book was a conversation two characters had about Psalm 37:4, which reads “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Much like Carrie in the book, I once selfishly believed that if I was a good girl then God would reward me with whatever my heart desired. It wasn’t until I really knew Christ that I realized that being good isn’t good enough. I have to delight in the Lord, put Him first – do His will even when it’s not mine – and He will reward me not by giving me what my carnal heart desires, but by changing my desires to match His. That’s what Christ does for us, He changes our hearts and makes us a new creature from the inside out.

Adorable

Brian’s mom has recently acquired some baby chickens. She took Skylar out to see them today and when she first saw them she gasped and exclaimed, “They are so adorable!” Of course she had to hold one. Barbara said she trembled the whole time she held it. But then she had to hold another one, and another one.

When they came back in the house she saw some baby chicks on tv and said, "Mamaw, they have adorable baby chickens just like you!"

It's My Birthday

And I’m not crying. I lost 3 pounds this week. I am inching closer and closer to my goal. I went shopping Saturday and couldn’t find anything that fit – because everything was too big. I have never had that happen before. Makes me wonder though – is everyone in the world always the same size I am? It never seems to matter what size I am, that is the size they are out of when I am looking for clothes.

As is obvious by the loss this week, I made it through both the cookout Saturday and the breakfast Sunday without getting off track. I took my own food for both events and stayed away from the fat laden items everyone else brought – and I didn’t feel a bit deprived. It helped a lot that Tanya was there eating the same things I was. We supported each other and it makes a big difference. I am really proud of her too. She has lost quite a bit since the beginning of the year and it is really starting to show.

My birthday also means that tax season is almost over. Only one week left, and trust me the countdown is on. I am ready for things to settle down here at work. The constant phone ringing and people in and out all day long begins to get on everyone’s nerves by this time of year.

Good Friday...No It Was GREAT Friday

The most amazing thing happened Friday night. We attended a Passion Play at the Russellville Assembly of God church with our church. It was a very moving production. At the end of the play, the preacher led the congregation in prayer asking anyone that wanted to become a Christian to repeat the prayer. Stephen was sitting with Kelton in front of Bro. Wayne. After prayer Stephen turned to Wayne and said, "I prayed that prayer." Wayne later said that he didn't think much about it, and just told him good job buddy.

A few minutes later as everyone was leaving Stephen came up to me crying his heart out. He was supposed to spend the night with Kelton and I thought that he had backed out. I kept asking him what was wrong and he kept saying he didn't know. I asked if he still wanted to go to Kelton's and he said yes that wasn't it. So I continued to ask questions, and I finally knew what was happening. God had broken his heart. He wanted Wayne to come and pray with him.

Wayne's first reaction was the same as mine when he saw him crying. He thought he had backed out on staying over with Kelton. But it soon became apparent to him that my boy was being called by Jesus. He asked him a few questions and then prayed with him. Sitting on the next to the last pew by door 2 at the Russellville Assembly of God Church, Stephen accepted Christ into his heart and confessed Him as his saviour. It was the most amazing and touching thing. I will never forget it as long as I live, and I pray that he doesn't either.

Going Good

I'll start by saying that I really feel like I am on the right track right now with my weight watchers. I have had a really good week full of good choices and while the scale didn't show it Tuesday on my "official" weigh in day, I really think it will next week. Of course a lot of that will hinge on my making good choices this weekend. Saturday we have a cookout to go to and I am seriously considering taking my own fat free hot dogs or a boca burger so that I can have what everyone else is having without paying the consequences. Then on Sunday morning we are having breakfast at church after sunrise service. Of course there is nothing low fat on the menu so I think I will take a tray of fresh fruit. Now if only I don't get lazy.

I am finally getting my wedding set re sized, after over a year of wearing a sizer on it to keep it from falling off. Brian asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and since he made it very clear that he did not want to buy a new wedding set, I told him to have this one sized and the prongs fixed on my engagement ring. He took it to the jewelry store yesterday and I really feel lost without it.

On another note, I saw this video this morning and it really made me think. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2gD80jv5ZQ If you watch it you will see that they transform a very average looking lady into a gorgeous model for their ad. However, this really distorts our view of what beauty is. When we see these models in ads we really don't see what it takes to achieve this look. She has tons of people working on her, and then the photo is edited so that it doesn't even look like her. So how in the world are we supposed to ever achieve this notion of beauty if the model in the picture cant even get there without the help of makeup artists and photo editors?