Women's Size 8: the new plus-size

(Photo from Glamour magazine, September issue)

"I started doing some modeling recently," said my friend's hairdresser.
"Oh, really? That's great! What are you modeling for?" was my friend's response.
"I am working for a plus-size modeling agency."
"Plus-size? How could that be? You are so thin!
"Yeah, well they were looking for women who wear size 8."

Size 8? Size 8? Since when did the ultimate size that every woman strives for, size 8, become plus size?

It reminds me of an article I just read about a 180 pound women featured in Glamour magazine who was referred to as a "plus-size" model. While the woman is not in tip top shape and has a belly role and some stretch marks, she hardly looks "plus-size" to me. She looks like the rest of us normal ladies who are far from perfect. The question begs to be raised, who is defining what plus size is and who had the nerve to coin that term in the first place! It's an absolute ego buster for anyone!

When I sit and think about, I am just as bad. I am 157 pounds and I constantly obsessing about how "heavy" I am. My friends and I are always discussing it. In fact, just this morning my friend Marla and I were talking about weight and what it will be like to put on so much more weight when we're pregnant someday. Is this what I should be worrying about? I suspect not.

My mother-in-law told me a story that should help put this weight thing in perspective and it's something I try to keep in mind every time I am tempted to ridicule myself for eating that ice cream sandwich.

Her friend has rheumatoid arthritis and for a long period of time was unable to do hardly anything for herself. This highly active busy woman had to drop out of most of her activities and was even confined to a wheel chair. Her doctor treated her for a long time before finding the right medicine that really helped her gain her life back. Now she is back up and running from event after event, helping her community, working and tending to her family.

Although the medicine is working wonderfully, it has one draw back: it made her gain weight. She's not worrying about though. She is really grateful to have her life back and can't imagine why she, or any of us, should waste our valuable time her on Earth fusing over our weight. As long as we are healthy and able to move about and do what we want and need to do during our day, shedding a few pounds should be the last thing on our minds.

Let's focus on the important things in life and stop worrying about looking perfect. Ignore the media and their constant nagging to be thin and don't bother with the magazines that are always telling us how to loose weight. Focus on family, friends, good health, and the unlimited number of other blessings we've been given! God loves us just the way we are and we should love ourselves too.

Go enjoy that cupcake, ice cream cone, or decadent piece of dark chocolate candy! Life is short!

Blessings.

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"

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My Bucket List

When you are overwhelmed at work, tired of hearing the kids cry, or at odds with the hubby, it can be really hard to focus on the good little blessings in life. But as Joyce Meyer's, Christian author and speaker, says "Your future is not determined by your past or present." Look beyond today and into the future and realize that things can and will improve. There is much to look forward to.

In examining my own future, I've decided to create a "Bucket List," a list of things I would love to do before I kick the bucket. I found the little exercise inspiring because I got the opportunity to see all the wonderful opportunities for enjoyment and personal and professional growth. And it serves as a visual check-list of things I want to do with my life.

If you aren't familiar with a Bucket List, rent the movie "The Bucket List" starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson.

Curious what's on my Bucket List? Here it is goes. Hang on, it's a long list!
1. Write a book(s)
2. Write my own column
3. Write for newspapers or magazines regularly.
4. Run a successful blog (hopefully this one!) that earns money some of which will be donated to charity.
5. Provide a scholarship for a college student.
6. Go on a hot air balloon ride.
7. Go on a helicopter ride.
8. Become a mother.
9. Teach in some capacity.
10. Learn to cook better and make elaborate meals for others.
11. Be helpful at church.
12. Grow a vegetable garden.
13. Take a Gondola ride in Venice. (I was there and wouldn't you believe we couldn't do it! It was raining and hailing so they weren't in operation! So close!)
14. Be an inspiration to others.
15. Read the Bible from cover-to-cover.
16. Visit all 50 states (I've been to 21 as of 7/09)
17. Visit southern Italy.
18. Be content with myself and my life.
19. Go skydiving.
20. Go hand gliding.
21. Go to the Greek Isles.
22. See the French Riviera.
23. See the Mexican Riviera.
24. See the American Riviera.
25. Visit Yosemite National Park.
26. Visit Lake George.
27. Visit Quebec and Toronto.
28. Visit Cape Cod.
29. Visit Sweden.
30. Visit Denmark.
31. Learn more than one crochet stitch.
32. Own a dog.
33. Be a successful freelance writer.

I've got a lot to do and I plan on doing most of it if not all, God willing!

So what's on your "Bucket List?" Feel free to share it with me.

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"

If you were blessed by this post, please leave me a comment or share it with others by clicking on the "Share" button.

How have you been blessed?

Happy 2009! I hope that you had a wonderful and healthy holiday season. We're now beginning the new year. I hope that it is a blessed one for you, your family and your friends.

With the start of the new year, I'd like to post stories of how God has blessed your life. Did God turn that stop light green just as you approached it knowing that you were late for work and would be reprimanded if you were? Did God cure that disease that the doctor's had little hope of healing? From the minute to the biggest of miracles, I want to hear about it!

If you are interested, please leave a comment on this post and let me know how you'd like to communicate. I'll gladly except complete posts that you've already written (length is your choice). If you aren't comfortable with writing but still want to share, please provide a contact email where I can reach you. Then we can set up a time to either do a live chat online, talk via telephone, or simply go back and forth by email.

To see a story of blessings already posted on my site, please visit: Six Plus One = Seven Blessings!

I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"

If you were blessed by this post, please leave me a comment or share it with others by clicking on the "Share" button.

Blessings in the Kitchen Sink?

Last night I washed out the few pots and utensils that I used to prepare our filet mignon dinner, complete with baked potatoes and the fixins', and apple sauce. It wasn't a difficult meal to make and it didn't really take many utensils to make it. That's why I was so dumbfounded by the fact that the kitchen sink backed up and refused to go down.

I was sure if I called my husband it to fiddle with it a bit it would go down and we could resume our evening plans of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, popcorn sprinklied with Dove chocolate dusting powder, and a Christmas movie by the fire.

You can imagine how annoyed I was when two hours later, my husband determined that the problem was far further than just the sink. He didn't have the proper tools to work on it so we couldn't fix it and our night was pretty much shot.

This morning didn't prove to be any better. When we got up, we discovered that the shower in the master bedroom was clogged as well (obviously related to the kitchen sink) putting it out of commission. We spent the morning before going to work surveying the pipes in the basement and assessing whether or not the other bathroom was a problem. What we thought was an isolated problem was becoming something bigger.

On my way to work, I sulked a bit. I was annoyed that this had to happen now. After all, this simply didn't fit into my agenda. I have grocery shopping to do, gifts to wrap, chocolate chips to bake. I don't want to play with pipes and I don't want my husband to have to either!

Then during lunch time I dropped off gifts for the family I adopted through an agency geared toward those who are victimes of domestic violence. The place I had to drop them off at was at a beautiful restored home in our area filled with people whose lives have been broken. There were moms walking around feeding their infants while they waited for counseling and other help. It saddens me to think that these people are enduring such pain and anguish. And what about the babies? Were they abused too or where they subjected to such hostility while still in there mother's womb?

It hardly makes my "kitchen" sink problem seem significant at all. I am just thankful that we have family and friends who are decent to each other and do not inflict such torture on each other. I am happy to have a warm roof over my head with two bathrooms and a kitchen sink to have to worry about.

Compared to those families that I met today, I already have all the Christmas presents that I could ever need.

If you or anyone you know is a victim of domestic abuse, visit the following websites:Helpguide.org; Domestic Violence E-Book; and National Domestic Violence Helpline.

Blessings.

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"

If you were blessed by this post, please leave me a comment or share it with others by clicking on the "Share" button.

Win a laptop sleeve, an iPhone and more!

There's an excellent giveaway going on on the Kirsty - Chicks Who Click blog. Help them promote it and you'll be entered to win a laptop sleeve, an iPhone, and even a two-day ticket to the Chicks Who Click conference for all you bloggers out there.

Check out their blog for more information: Chicks Who Click.

Good luck!
Wishing you Blessings from Above,
Denise

Christmas present ideas

This isn't exactly the inspiring message I usually like to post on my blog, but hey, it's my blog so I am posting it anyway!

I've written a series of articles for AssociatedContent that suggests gifts to get various types of people in your life. Check them out when you have time. You never know, you must just find a little something on my list.

Christmas Presents for Recreational Vehicle (RV) Lovers
Christmas Gifts for Writers
Christmas Gifts for Stay-at-Home Moms
Christmas Gifts for Animal Lovers

I've also made a few other holiday suggestions on how to wrap Christmas presents:
Unique Ways to Wrap Presents for Your Man
Unique Way to Wrap Presents for Your Woman

And a few other things....
Spruce Up Your Cubicle for the Holidays
Buy Christmas Presents While Helping Charity

Enjoy! Feel free to let me know if you have any helpful Christmas related articles that you'd like to share.

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"

If you were blessed by this post, please leave me a comment or share it with others by clicking on the "Share" button.

Don't Forget the Reason for the Season

It's mind boggling how just last week at this time I was making preparations for Thanksgiving dinner (when went very well by the way!) and now I am fully focused on Christmas. My house is decorated top to bottom except for the tree. We're still working on that. I've got a list of the things I need to shop for and am all set for Christmas cookie exchance next week. I even have a full itinerary of Christmas-related events that I will doing with my family - New York City here we come!

I am determined though, as the Christmas season rolls on, to remember what is all about - the birth of Jesus - and to not get caught up in all the hoopla. If the scrap booked Christmas cards don't come out perfect, oh well. If someone doesn't like what I am wearing or what I plan to do on Christmas day, I am not addressing it. That's their problem. And as far as shopping goes, I am going to cut back a bit, order what I can online and only go out shopping as part of a social outing. I pledge not to go crazy over materialism. Maybe it's just my age (I am 34 now!) but I totally get it! This isn't important people!

We have so much as it is I can hardly believe that there are crowds of people at Wal-Mart trampeling perfectly kind employees. It's sick. When is all this going to stop? At times I am ashamed to be a human being. And I almost feel like I can't call those at the Wal-mart humans for doing what they did. My heart really goes out to the man's family.

Let's turn our eyes to the reason why we are doing this is the first place. It's because Jesus was born and we should spend the season being thankful for him and all he has done for us. Remember that when you get yourself into a frenzy at the mall. You know the saying, "What Would Jesus Do?" He wouldn't get caught up in this materialism craze I can tell you that. Let's not either!

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"

If you were blessed by this post, please leave me a comment or share it with others by clicking on the "Share" button.