Tell The Truth Thursday - Physical Features

Welcome to "Tell The Truth Thursday" where the question that has been posted in my right side bar gets answered by me and you...and sometimes my husband too! Did you prepare your post and are you ready to drop your URL into the McLinky so that we all can follow? Grab the thumb above linking it back to this blog posting and let's get started...

The question this week is :

What do you think is your best physical attribute? What do other people think is your best physical feature?

I find it to be true that we often want the things we don't have and are not grateful for the things that we do. I'm as big an offender as anyone else which is precisely why I write about such things as women being physically beautiful and feeling it. I think we all suffer with low self-esteem at different points in our lives.

Physically, I am not even close to the body I would love to inhabit. My ideal body...Let's see, I want to be blond, have a golden bronze tan, no freckles, blue eyes, height of 5'11" and fashionably fill a size 44D bra. Obviously, I don't come anywhere close to that ideal which is precisely why I have felt ugly most of my life.

Stupid?

Yes!

Women, myself included, have that horrible habit of comparing ourselves to not only an ideal in our head, but also to other women. This practice NEVER makes me feel better about me. As a matter of fact, it is just depressing!

After an abundance of self-talk, I usually get to the same conclusion...Our physical appearance does not define the person we are inside. Isn't that what really matters anyway? Besides, if we are able to live eighty or ninety years on this planet, won't we all be wrinkled and if we are lucky enough to have hair, won't it be white? Obviously, there are not any ninety year olds that look like a twenty-five year old Victoria Secret model.

I wonder why we torment ourselves with unrealistic expectations instead of just being grateful to be alive?

Well, there are things about myself that I do like, but they are really qualities or inner characteristics instead of physical features. If I have to pick something on my body that I like, it would have to be my hair. It is naturally curly which is a real time saver. I don't have to mess with curling irons, flat irons, curlers or perms. I just wash, add a little mousse, blow dry for three minutes, add some hair spray and the rest dries and curls without any help from me.


My honest belief is that no matter how you look on the outside, if the inside is shallow and ugly, the outside becomes totally unattractive. If the inside is filled with love and compassion, the physical appearance is beautiful.

So will I still wish for a bronze tan when I turn out the lights tonight and my glow-in-the-dark skin brightens the whole room?

Yes! Duh!!!!



Now it is your turn to answer the Tell The Truth Thursday question. Enter the post URL that answers the question in the Linky below...

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Snooze You Lose

I'm sure you've heard, "Everything has a place and everything in its place."

This is a perfect example of why this concept should be an integral part of every day life.

Can you recognize the item in this photo?


Let me tell you that if you fall asleep on our couch with your glasses on, they will end up looking like...


When you awaken, the perpetrator can be found satisfied in her mischief and asleep on my slippers.


Isn't that right Tom?

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Undesirable Surprise

This is going to make you sick.

No, really. This is a true story with a great lesson, but the squeamish will want to puke. That's your warning.

Mom, if you don't want relive this story, I understand. Just click to a prettier story on another blog today. Maybe you want to look at damask here or the recipe for apple bread here instead.

Oh, so you're brave and want to continue reading the story. Okay then, let's get on with it.

Once upon a time...

Many years ago my family lived in Texas. Every Saturday, my ex-husband and I would drive about fifteen minutes down the highway to get to my mother's house. He would mow the lawn and I would help Mom clean and gab. This was our Saturday routine and I loved spending time with her.

Mom is a fanatically clean housekeeper and I say that in the nicest way, I promise. She always said, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" and her home reflects clean on every surface. However, there is one task that Mom just doesn't focus a whole lot time...food rotation.

When grocery shopping, it is wise to put the old food behind the new food. For instance, if you buy a can of green beans, put that can behind the green beans that are already sitting in the cabinet. That ensures that the oldest is eaten first and nothing ever goes past the expiration date.

Well, that didn't happen at Mom's house. I would often reach into the pantry to find a can that was about to burst like an atomic bomb. Eventually, I gave up trying to teach her the rotating concept and bought a black marker to write dates on the tops of the cans. That made it really easy to keep track of old and new food. It worked like a charm for her.

Dry food was a different story. Mom kept the flour in the freezer and everything else was usually eaten fast enough to not cause a need to worry. Things like spaghetti noodles and rice disappeared pretty fast!

On one of those lovely Saturdays together, with the chores completed inside and outside of her home, we were all sitting around talking. I can't remember the topic of conversation, but it was late and Mom wanted a snack. She disappeared into the kitchen and I could hear the cereal being poured into a large bowl. Mom hates milk, so whenever she eats cereal she sprinkles a little Carnation Evaporated Milk on top to just make the cereal a little damp. I know, gross, but to each their own.

It is important to note that she was not wearing her bifocals.

Rice Krispies was the cereal of choice on this particular evening and Mom's bowl was filled to the top when I walked into the kitchen. She was just munching away. I noticed that their was a powder that wafted around her spoon every time she dipped in for another bite.

I walked over to the cabinet and pulled out the box of Rice Krispies. Opening the box I noticed that not only were their very small dead weevils on the outside of the bag, but there were also hollow weevil bodies and disintegrated Rice Krispies all of which turned into powder when touched or moved in the bag.

Gagging, I ran over to Mom's bowl and took it from her while trying to tell her to stop eating. At this point my ex-husband was confirming my belief that the very, very, very old Rice Krispies box was the burial ground for way too many weevils to count. The "bowl of cereal" that Mom had been munching on was all the powdery remnants of weevil bodies and previously bug-munched-on cereal puffs.

Trying desperately not to throw up, my ex-husband and I told Mom to spit out the food in her mouth and wash the powder off her lips.

I distinctly remember her saying in quite an aggravated tone, "What's wrong with the two of you? I'm hungry! Give me my cereal back!"

Eventually, we were able to explain our actions to her. Then Mom had a sweeping emotion cross her face like she was going to puke. It only took a few seconds and with her normal upbeat, positive attitude she said, "Well, it is too late now. It's just bugs."

Moral of the story: Rotate your food, wear your bifocals and don't trust the cereal in Mom's pantry.

Image: H. A. Turney

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Look Into My Vegetable Eye

Art is expressive, creative and requires no words.

Art draws in the senses and evokes memories and feelings.

Art is often quiet.

One of my favorite forms of artistic expression is in sculptures. I searched high and low trying to find the originator of the follow pieces of art, but to no avail. Regardless of the anonymous artist, I hope you enjoy looking at the sculptured people gaze into each other's vegetable eyes.

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Leather Meets Stitch

We have a worn, brown leather desk chair. While I was dusting and polishing it, I looked close to ensure that all the stitches were still intact. In spite of the chair's age or the number of times it has been occupied with a sitting or standing person, the stitches still are holding strong.

Each stitch begins in a hole and ends in a hole to be immediately followed by another stitch that looks the same as the one before. If I were to pull without breaking the thread that forms the stitch,I would have one piece of thread although the leather wouldn't be held tightly to the chair any longer.

Let's leave the chair for a moment and talk about relationships and specifically families. There are different members in our families - mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, cousin, husband, wife, grandmother, grandfather, in-laws. Every family is unique because there are different members and every member is an individual.

When family members (stitches) have a common goal of increasing the bonds of love (holding leather together on the chair), then their actions also speak of attaining that goal through love and respect (staying stuck in the leather without fraying). If by chance something happens catastrophic, the loving family will not fall apart. Instead, each member rallies together and holds on tight to each other making a unified family (the stitches turn into one strong thread).

However, sometimes the threads get cut making not only the leather separate from the chair, but also the stitches turn into more than one thread. The same thing happens in families. Every day the members of a family have the choice to either strengthen or weaken the family bond. Members who exhibit selfishness, disrespect, quick tempers, narrow mindedness, and a lack of forgiveness cause a weakness in the relationships of the family.

Life is not easy.

Catastrophes will happen.

During the times of peace, families should make a concerted effort to grow in love so that during times of pain and sorrow, they can hold each other together and make it through the difficult times.

Is this easy?

No.

What is the adage? "Power is knowledge." If you've read this post, you now have the knowledge that YOU can make a difference in the family. That YOU can decide to work with the family towards a mutual goal thus finding happiness together. YOU have the choice to put aside the weakness of humanity and focus on exhibiting the good thus strengthening each member of the family.

Simple information that we already knew before reading this analogy.

Do you need to change some undesirable traits to ensure that the stitches in your family stay sewn together in the leather?


"There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human society, are created, strengthened and maintained."~Winston Churchill~

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Don't Eat The Fruit or Vegetables

If you're like me, the kitchen might be the room in the house where you spend a huge amount of time preparing meals. I must say, during the rush of getting food on the table, I've never thought about artsifying (yeah, I made up that word) the fruits and vegetables. Wouldn't this be in the category of "playing with your food" which is a big no-no according to mothers everywhere?



"Life may not to be
the party we hoped for,
but while we're here
we should dance."

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Rockin' Friends Spotlight

Image: source
I love surfing the internet. Part of that adventure includes visiting other blogs and building relationships. So let's talk about that for a moment.

People start and stop blogging for many reasons . Often when they stop creating posts, the blog just hangs in the internet world without updates and looks deserted. I always wonder what happened to the person that caused them to just stop posting or deleting the blog. I think there are a few practices that will prevent a blog from becoming extinct:

• Identify the goal. No matter the task, without a goal, nothing will be accomplished. Decide why you want to blog and what you want to accomplish with your blog. Then, WRITE IT DOWN. Refer to it often. Rethink the path to a successful blog and hone in on the plan details. You can even post you goals on your blog and ask your readers to help you reach them.
  
• Post often. It creates a discipline to continue with the original goal. Without posting, there isn't a blog. Infrequent posting doesn't increase traffic, but if that isn't important to you, then don't worry about it. However, if you do want your voice heard, posting often is a requirement.
  
• Build relationships. You begin to get to know people through discussions, their blogs and meeting them at blog conferences. A community of friendships can make blogging not only more enjoyable, but also successful.
  
• "To thine own self be true." Be yourself. Fake people are always revealed as being insincere in the end. Besides, who wants a pretend friend? Who wants to think they are getting to know someone only to find out that their character is 100% fictional? People are more interesting when they are being real.
• Venture out. In order to be noticed positively at a job, first you have to show up, then you have to work hard and network. The same is true with blogging. After writing your blog, venture out by marketing and advertising your existence by commenting in forums, listing your blog on directories, participate in memes or even pay for advertising on more popular blogs. Just like at a job, you have to be seen in order to be noticed.
  
• Be patient. The moment you graduated from high school were you able to bring home a $500,000 paycheck the first year, buy a large house and a fancy new car? I would bet not. To acquire anything of value, it takes perseverance, hard work and patience. Blogging is no exception to the rule. Everyone starts at the same place - zero readers and no followers. Blogging can be compared to opening a business. Depending on the type of business, statistics show that up to 90% of businesses fail the first year. The same is true with blogging. Don't let low readership statistics drag you down. Giving up will always ensure failure.

I hope those few tips will help you in your blogging endeavors. Now on to something really fun.

I think the weekly Rockin' Friend Spotlight is a great way to thank my loyal followers and those who support my forum. So remember that if you are active in my community, you may be mentioned here next week in the Top Nine Active Participants!

With a big thank you for their participation, below are the Rockin' Friends this week:

The Jilted Ballerina
The Zany Housewife
Homesteading on the Internet
Marlene
More Milestones
Sweet Hearts
Teresa's Thoughts and Ideas
Nouns and Violets
Believing He Will Provide

I thought I would spotlight the person that was the most active in my community this week and that was Tracey Leigh of The Jilted Ballerina. I love the cute items that she has crocheted on her blog and the in-depth and well made instructional videos she has posted on YouTube.

Reading through all the posts on her blog, I eventually ended up on the first one which she appropriately titled "Beginnings." and I think it supports my belief that we all share many of the same feelings. We are just people on the planet trying to get along with each other and be heard.

"I cannot believe that I'm blogging... It seems like such a self-absorbed endeavor.

Of course the obvious thoughts ensue, "Who would ever read my measly ramblings?" and "I'm pretty sure the subject on crafty matters of the needle-y kind have been thoroughly explored. "

And yet here I am, finding the process somewhat cathartic...realizing I may have a few worthy things to say after all."

So hop on over to The Jilted Ballerina and don't forget to check out her You Tube videos focused on crocheting. Thank you Tracey! I've also highlighted her blog at my Crafting & Selling Blog.

For everyone mentioned in the top nine this week, feel free to grab the Rockin' Friend badge below for your blog.



<a href="http://theredheadriter.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Rockin' Friends" title="Rockin' Friends" src="http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt308/TheRedHeadRiter/2009%20TEMPLATE/69015f9c.jpg" /></a>

What do you do to cultivate relationships on the internet? What qualities do you value in a friend?

Thank you for all your support and I'm looking forward to spending time building our friendships.

"Truly great friends
are hard to find,
difficult to leave,
and impossible to forget."

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Money or Clothes

Some people love to have clothes and some people just love to hang onto their money. However, I have found a way to have clothes and have money! It isn't exactly the kind of clothes that can be worn, but it is fun nonetheless.

Image: source
Does it look a little different? Well, that is because this jacket is made from a dollar bill with a method called origami. This paper folding technique is a traditional folk art method that became popular in the mid-1900's. To create origami objects, a flat piece of a paper is folded without any cutting or gluing to create objects into intricate designs.
Image: sourceImage: sourceImage: source
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So what do you think? Do you think you have enough patience to create origami designs?

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