Friday, August 27, 2010

You Have Such A Pretty Face!

I was en-route to teach my water aerobics class this evening when "You have such a pretty face" popped into my head. It echoed in the car as if far away but the feelings those words evoked were so close I could touch them.  It took my breath away.  "You have such a pretty face." I paused remembering how painful those six words were.  You see I had heard these words in the past as a chubby child, an overweight teenager and even as a morbidly obese adult. Each time someone told me, "you have such a pretty face" part of who I was was lost.  I retreated, wounded, beaten up, full of doubt and hurt.  Did I have a pretty face?   Were they surprised by the mass of me?  Did they feel the need to find something nice to say?   Did they think they were being kind?  You see what I ALWAYS heard when someone told me, "You have such a pretty face" was "Why is the rest of you so gross?"

"You have such a pretty face"  Thank you!  :)

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Great Quote!

Maybe I'll learn self-love fully in this lifetime, maybe I won't. But I have learned three things: to commit to loving myself no matter what, to take care of myself when I am hurting, and, most importantly, to be grateful for my life-lessons and the teachers who make me face them.


~ Sue Patton Thoele

Friday, August 20, 2010

Shaffer dips or Thompson dips?

"Serving size 1/2 cup"    Breyers Ice Cream container

My mother loves ice cream and so my brothers and I learned to love ice cream.  Learning to love ice cream was an easy assignment!  What is not to love about something that is cold, creamy, and delicious which can be eaten in a bowl, on an ice cream cone or with a spoon straight out of the container!  Ice cream comes in so many flavors Baskin Robbins capitalized on its popularity and variety with their well known store boasting , "31 flavors."   I can't think of a time when we didn't have at least one container of ice cream in the freezer, and by container I mean large plastic tub.  My mother loves ice cream!  A dish of ice cream at my house was something to see.  Imagine an average cereal bowl piled high with three or four solid scoops of  ice cream.  Enormous and delightful!  Totally satisfying!  Chocolate heaven!  Shaffer dips.

"Serving size 1/2 cup"

My husband's family also loves ice cream.  They buy it in pints or half gallon containers, usually  vanilla.  My mother in law makes fantastic chocolate syrup which is spooned over the ice cream but the difference in the size of the ice cream serving is substantial.  Early in our dating relationship I was offered and accepted a dish of ice cream.  The bowl placed in front of me was not piled high with the 3 or 4 solid scoops of ice cream that I was accustomed to but rather was a single scoop (with a little extra)  in a small bowl with several tablespoons of homemade chocolate sauce poured over the vanilla ice cream.  I was shocked!  Thompson dips!

Jay and I continued our relationship in spite of the ice cream trauma, married and will soon celebrate our 35th anniversary.  We continue to enjoy ice cream at our home and at both of our parent's homes.  We now know that Thompson dips are the more appropriate size for a serving of ice cream but if you happen to be at our house when we are serving ice cream, don't be surprised if you are asked if you want Shaffer dips or Thompson dips.

"Serving size 1/2 cup"