She's Ready to POP Baby Shower!

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before that I have some of the greatest friends in the world.

Seriously.

You should be jealous . . . don't hate.

One of my very bestest friends is having a BABY!!!  We can't wait to meet baby #3 and find out who he/she is!

This pasty Sunday, we had a fabulous gender neutral red and aqua She's Ready to Pop baby shower!!!

Everything went with our theme- including the food.

We had popcorn, veggie pops, cake pops, fruit pops, Soda pop, and Cherry Poppin' Punch!

Our favors even matched the them - Ring Pops, Tootise Pops, and Blow Pops!

Why My BIBLE is Part of My Diet

Self-discipline is hard.
That is why part of my daily routine MUST be Bible reading.

Think of somebody you really really love.  Maybe your spouse, your child, or a best friend.  Do you know them well?  Do you know what they like?  What they like about you?  What they need, want, and expect from you?
Probably so.

Who should we love most of all? Of course, it is God.  How can we really love him if we do not know him?

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.  John 15:10

If we love Him, we will follow Him - we will control ourselves - we will not be so pre-occupied with food and our own desires, but with living our best lives for HIS glory!

How can we get to love Him so much?  By getting to know Him.  How do we get to know Him so well?  By reading His Word, meditating on it, praying and praising in the ways He has gifted you.

Does anyone else have a hard time finding the time for prayer, or what some refer to as their "quiet time"?  I've found that the best time is your own peak time of the day.
Some people are morning people.  They have the most clarity first thing in the morning.
Some of us are night owls.  We have the most clarity when we are winding down from the day - while we are reflecting on everything that has happened.
And some are energized most mid-morning or in the early afternoon.
Whatever time is your best time is the best time to study the Word and pray.  Find your own time.

I am hopeful, and I'll even say certain, that getting to know Him better will help me desire things of God so much more than anything of this world - including food.

For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit for what is contrary to the sinful nature.  Gal 5:17

Time to Talk 'Tude

I need to talk about attitude because mine is bad today.  Very very bad.

Yesterday was the end of the first week of our 8 Lbs in 2 Weeks Challenge.  I lost 2.6 pounds!  This morning I was back up .8 pounds.  I know the scale can fluctuate, but it just ruined my good attitude!  So, here's my pep-talk to myself.  I'll let you watch.

Attitude Adjustment #1: 

I keep thinking of the words written by Candace Cameron Bure in her book, Reshaping it All.

"God calls us to be content.  Stop hoping and be content with what you have."

Here's what I have: the ability to exercise, enough to eat, the intelligence to make healthy choices, the support of friends and family, and good health that I can choose to keep by taking care of my body.
I do have a lot to be content with.  I'm a work in progress.  I cannot make a decision, say my prayers, and make it so.  But I can make a decision, say my prayers, and allow God to mold me.

Attitude Adjustment #2:

This journey isn't about the food I'm eating (or NOT eating) or the exercise I might have to be forced to do today.  It is about my attitude.  I need an attitude of self-control and discipline.  Submission to the spirit.
I would really love to make a batch of biscuits and eat them all myself with melty butter and honey.  Then I would like a cheeseburger for lunch with peanut butter pie for dessert.  Maybe some pasta and lemon cake for dinner.  And in between all of those meals, I'd like to lounge on the couch and watch chick-flicks.  But, that is indulgent and unhealthy and I have more respect for my body than that.
So it isn't about the food or my time, really.  It's about the fact that I am allowing the Spirit to fill me with all of His goodness!

Attitude Adjustment #3:

I'm not hideous or gross...even though I feel like it.
I'm made in His image.
He see me as beautiful.
He finds me interesting.
He loves me.
He accepts me.
There I can find contentment in who I am right now.  And I know that who I will be tomorrow will still be beautiful, interesting, loved, and accepted.

Attitude Adjustment #4:

Is it just me or do all of the skinny people in the world eat junk food and don't exercise?
How many times have I asked myself, "Why can't I be like them?"
Well, because I'm not. That's why.
But who am I and what am I called to do?

You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.  Matthew 5:13, 14

How can I be salt of the earth if I've lost my saltiness?
How can I be light when I am trying so hard to blend in.

I gotta be me!

And me is a person who must make healthy choices in diet and exercise.
And my display of self-control and discipline may be the salt and light that somebody else needs.