The Skinny on Being Pretty (a girl's perspective)

(In advance, you should know that this is a girl to girl rant so I have been excused if you are a man reading my blog post and have no idea what I am talking about. It's alright. Talk to your girlfriend, mother, friend that is a girl and they can explain if you don't understand the anxiety  that bubbles up in your veins when you stand on a scale. Or if you are a woman who has never struggled with weight, let me tell you, you are a VERY blessed person. Have a cookie on me ;) Much love!  ) 



Dear Friend, 

Now, we all hear these lovely talks about loving the body that you are in or that being you is the best- whatever the size etc  etc. I have always been a chubby girl. I remember being bigger than my lean older sister and thin younger sister since I was very young. I made up for not being thin with having an explosive personality  and using my strength to win arguments with my sisters. (To this day my sisters ain't got nothing on me! Haha! Kilah and Syd, if you read this- you know I am right ;) ) I had my bad days when I would come home from school after a boy had called me fat or I had tried every size of a dress and it still didn't fit the way it should have; but mostly I was alright with my weight. People are more comfortable talking to a girl that has chub and isn't put all together than the one that is thin and knows how to make the perfect cat eye with their makeup. 

Looking perfect on the outside never means that you are perfect on the inside- and sadly we are pushed to fix the outside instead of having the healthy balance of working on both. 

So- why all of this chit chat about fat? Well, I admit, I had a low moment today. This morning I went to the doctor for a checkup. I saw the horror of horrors... a scale. The assistant smiled at me and asks me to get on it. Oh lanta. The one that accurately weighs you. I  joked with the doctor's assistant and made myself not look at the scale-- but my eyes betrayed me and looked. Ahhkkk! Internally I was freaking out. "Oh my land! That is a lot... I haven't been eating wheat lately! I should be the thinner! Wait.. I had icecream last night. I shouldn't have done that! Oh no. That lady knows how much I weigh!.." The assistant noted my face of "wow, I hate this contraption" and brought me into the room waiting for the doctor. I was alone with my thoughts. "Ok. If I don't eat dessert and go running before everyone is awake, that would help..? Who am I  kidding?! I want cake right now. *stomach growls* That's it! I'm eating only veggies and drinking only water for the rest of my life! I can do it!" Later on I hop into the car and go to Walmart to pick up a few things with my dad. He had a few things to look at and I was free to roam around and see what could help me with my new diet plan. Still having dialog in my head such as, "That woman looks amazing in those skinny jeans, darn I wish I looked good in skinny jeans... Hey! Icecream is on sale! Yummy.... Rachel Ray looks really happy as she makes a cake.. must be nice having someone else making your portion sizes!" Angry at myself, I looked at the diet section of the magazines lining the wall. Skinny women and men smiling while sporting cute athletic wear that would make the common person suck in their gutt as they walked by. Frustrated I turned away from the magazine section. 
Needless to say I was upset when I got home. I went upstairs to my room and my sweet Grammy Coo had left a Milky way chocolate bar at the end of my bed. Ha! The coincidence! I collected the bar and put it away frusterated and really wanting to throw it across the room and then run over and eat it!  Later in the day I did devos. God is kinda cool because I ended up reading this:

 "Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
    forget your people and your father's house,
11     and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him." (Psalm  45:10-11) 

It was like God was saying- "Summer- you don't need to be a skinny model. You know I desire you no matter what size you are. I know you struggle with this- but you have Me. I'm not going to let you continue to feel sorry for yourself. Bow to Me and know that we can work through this together." 

I must say- He has got good timing. So, here is the skinny on being pretty- Bowing to Him and believing Truth. No lies, no diet, no makeup is going to beat that. 

Eat, Love, Pray, Exercise. Repeat!

Love, 

Your "big boned" hippie friend 

Inspiration for the Day

My sister Kilah showed me this comic today, with what I believe to be  perfect timing. It is made by the  guy who made the Calvin and Hobbs comics and his life story.."where he is today  and what he had to go through to get where he is"kinda deal. This is the life that I want. I don't want to be misled into doing things to climb a ladder to success; that won't bring me happiness and God the glory He deserves. I want my life to matter and I don't want to be stuck doing what I've been taught to do. Success to the world truly is not success.  I would love to follow the passions that God has given me and to love what I do every single day. Lord, help me not to conform, but to do what it is that You want me to do- to make my life a success. 

I'm inspired.. I hope you are too.

Love, your hippy friend,

Summer

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

Well Friend,

Here it is. I still don't have a job even though I have applied to what we would call some of these jobs the "bane of all my existence" or the "death of my social life." I suppose I am on the brink of desperation when I get e-mails of friends asking me what I am up to and I feel the need to make up some grand story that I am like Mother Teresa  to the cute neighbor kids, or becoming a doctor so I can go to Africa to save the people! (Ah yes, I do imagine!)  
I have called places, e-mailed, faxed resumes... nothing has come up yet.  Well, no calls except one creepy man who's name was "X231" something or other. Yeah, no thank you scary man! 

I was complaining to God this morning and being a bit pouty saying things such as, "God, I'm here in Texas and I can't even get a job! Isn't this what You want? I just don't understand! Wah Wah Wah.etc etc. " (The Israelites would have been proud of my whining!) Anyway,after that totally 

wonderful prayer (cough, cough!) I begrudgingly opened up my Bible and came across the verse:

"You will keep her in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because she trusts in You." -Isaiah 26:3

Yikes! I am definitely not at peace! And my mind is not staying on Him! It is unfocused as a fly! 

Bashfully, I hung my head and prayed again. (This time without so much wah wah-ing!)I am grateful for this time as I am currently unemployed and not "doing much". I am learning more about my family members, I am able to bless others by aiding my mother and grandmother with the chore load.  I am developing skills around the house.(domestic skills, lanta, I need 'em!) I have more time to read my Bible, to write letters, to develop a game plan for my money spending. Yes, life isn't a Hollywood production right now- but I'm trying to be patient and have some teachable moments with God.

Your Hippie friend,

Summer

My First Apron!

My first apron is made! 

I have been wanting to start making things to sell with my mother and sisters as they have been selling their crafts at a flea market here in town. This apron took three days of off and on working on it,but now I think the others will be made quicker. :)

 Little sis Syd is quite the model! ;)

 She's a ham! 

So many pictures, I know... I guess I'm a bit proud of it! :D I'm going to attempt to sell these on:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rabbit-Hutch-Ink/579233422115716 

along with the other things my sisters and mom come up with! ;) 

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,"- Col. 3:13

Pinning Material

MY LIFE IS LIKE A PIN...

Well, ok, not really.... but my little metaphor came to me as I was making aprons that I will be selling. (keep looking at Rabbit Hutch Inc. on Facebook if you want to see my creations soon ;) ) I was pinning the fabric for my new apron together and noted to myself what a pain it is to pin material... It makes the process of sewing longer and (if you are a bit clumsy like me :) ) you will most likely poke yourself a few times before the pinning is over and then the sewing begins. I think though, that my life is at the "pinning" stage of the "sewing project" of life. I am at the stage where I have tedious work to do and am wanting the "fun stage" to start. 
My prayers have been, "Lord, what is it that you want me to do?!" In more desperation than I care to admit especially when friends of mine are heading off to adventures that seem much more legitimate than mine... I want to be in the sewing part- where things are not so rough ahead of me.  Sewing is where the end results are in view... but I'm just not there right now. I am in the "pinning stage" where there are no results yet and what everything looks like is a big mess of pins and fabric. I must remember for myself that to get a masterpiece one must take the time to pin the material... to be in the unknown, so that the piece that you are working on will have the straight lines made by the sewing machine and a product that I can be proud of. God is my tailor and I am His material. So, as the first day of school begins for many, I am going to go back to the sewing machine. I need to continue being ready and willing to be pinned so that God will take my "material" and make me into something beautiful in His timing. Am I impatient? Yes! Am I  learning lots already here in Texas? Yes sir! I must learn to be pinned and patient.

Your hippie friend,

Summer

"You make known to me the path of life;you will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand". - Psalm 16:11