Weight Loss Wednesday -- It's All in the Toes

It takes two to tango -- one stubbornly slow set of bathroom scales and one girl who will stand, shift, tip-toe, and turn to adjust that scales' numbers to an acceptable loss.  My morning dance routine with my scales has become more intense with every passing week.  In the past, I thought I could coax the numbers down by standing on my heels and shoving my toes toward the tub and the bathroom door, but now I realize the folly of my ways.  By placing my weight on my toes, holding my arms above my head, and slowly pulsing my heels against the scales, I can successfully shave a pound from my weight -- and I may even burn a few real calories in the process.  Thanks to this week's dance, I have now lost a total of 8 pounds.  That's the weight of an entire human being!  Here's a peek at my current chart:

 

So far, so good.  Now excuse me while I contemplate eating a 100-calorie ice cream cup paired with nutritious berries.  

Marginalia Monday -- This Week Is My Pedicure

My back aches.  My lungs lag behind on their breathing schedule.  I hold dearly to the 19 hours I have left until I once again jump, run, tip-toe, kneel, stand, dance, squat, lunge, and otherwise corral 20 pre-K kiddos at VBS.  I typically love 3-5 year-olds.  They say funny things.  They hug.  But in abnormally large quantities, they also destroy my muscles with pain and wreck my hair with sweat.  On days like yesterday, today, and the two days coming, verses like Isaiah 52:7 make me feel better (at least emotionally).  Every time I play follow the leader -- emphasizing, of course, that Jesus is our real leader -- and each time I sing "Jesus Loves Me" while holding my baby doll that is usually named Lucy, I am spreading the Gospel to these little munchkins.  By the end of this week, I should have my most beautiful feet yet.

Through the Lens Thursday -- DIY Ribbon Camera Strap

Happy Thursday!  I have been having tons of fun with my camera this summer, and I have successfully avoided my auto setting so far!  Since I'm spending so much time with this thing slung around my neck, I figured it was high time to dress it up.  Today I decided to try a DIY camera strap alternative to personalize my camera, and I think I like how it turned out.

Here's how I did it:

1.  Choose a spool of ribbon.  I chose a spool of Offray decorating ribbon with wire edges.  I love how the ribbon looks next to my black camera body, but when I raise my camera to take a picture, the stiff wire sides rise up like wings, and I look as though I would fly away into the sunset.  If I were to do this again, I would probably choose a soft organza ribbon with satin edges or an entirely satin ribbon that would lie flat. 

2.  Cut the ribbon to an appropriate size.  I cut my ribbon to exactly 110", and this length works great for my 5'7" height.  The camera doesn't hang so low that it sucker-punches me in the stomach with each step I take, and the strap isn't so small that it gets stuck around my forehead when I try to put it on.

3.  Thread the ribbon through the camera.  My camera has two little metal hooks for a camera strap, and this is where I threaded the ribbon.  I folded the ribbon in half lengthwise twice so it could fit through the small opening.  I pulled the ribbon through so that the ribbon between the two hooks was long enough to go around my neck, and the extra ribbon on either side of the hooks was longer than the distance from the camera to the back of my neck. 

4.  Tie a bow.  I took the extra ribbon and tied it in a bow so that the ribbon is double-enforced around my neck.  Ta da!  I'm not entirely certain how long I will keep the ribbon strap (as I prefer to photograph from the ground), but it's a cute accessory for the time-being. What are some fun ways you accessorize your camera?

Weight Loss Wednesday -- On the Charts

Twenty-one has always been my favorite number.  I was born on the twenty-first of the month.  I started teaching when I was twenty-one years old.  Twenty-one rhymes with fun, and twenty-one days into my diet, I am finally starting to see some pounds shred into oblivion!  Inspired by my mom and other admired long-term dieters, I decided to chart out my progress on some good, old-fashioned graph paper.  Right now my weight is still in the red zone (STOP eating ice cream), but soon I will be in the yellow zone (eat ice cream very SLOWly), and eventually I will get to the prized green zone (GO eat ice cream [within incredible and disciplined reason])!  I just have to stay on that pencil line to get into my favorite dress in time for my book release party.

What tools do you use to track your progress?

Marginalia Monday -- Bold as a Lion

My pencil flew out of my hand as the teacher continued to lecture at the front of the room.  I watched the pencil swoop to the floor and roll over the carpet toward another student's desk.  My worst nightmare.  I couldn't stop taking notes.  I would fail the next quiz.  I couldn't ask the person next to me to hand the pencil to me.  I would have to talk to someone I hardly knew.  Oh, the agony!  After a few minutes, I finally asked the kid next to me to hand me my pencil, and after a few years, I finally learned some social skills.  Still, boldness has never come naturally to me.  Perhaps this timidity is what drew me to Proverbs 28:1:  "The wicked flee when nobody pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion."  Drawing a lion free-hand was a bold move in itself, but I'd like to make a few more bold goals for the upcoming school year.

1.  Begin a Bible Art Journaling group of some sort.
2.  Get at least 3 spiritual articles published in various magazines.
3.  Lose 35 pounds (31 now -- woot woot).
4.  Make a new friend.
5.  Find a photography client.

What bold dreams does God have for you?

Through the Lens Thursday -- Photo Scavenger Hunt Underway!

Apparently I will have to complete a photo scavenger hunt every summer from now until forever because I love it!  I have visited this summer's destinations countless times, but this year I have experienced their beauty like never before because I have been actively searching for elements that otherwise may go unnoticed.

Here is my first scavenger hunt item -- a bridge:

If you're planning on trying this scavenger hunt yourself, I suggest devoting an afternoon to an active, mapped-out search for the items on the list.  My hubby and I asked family and friends for suggestions of culturally rich areas that would display "that which is the essence of the state," and I think the results turned out spectacularly.  I would love to hear your ideas for more items to add to the list next year.  Leave your suggestions in the comments below!

Weight Loss Wednesday -- Of Tortoise-paced Scales and Half Burritos

I like slow summers.  I like slow mornings.  I like slow-cooked pot roast and slow-moving molasses.  I do not like slow scales.  I like fast scales.  I have not cheated once -- not once -- on my diet, and I have exercised in the pool, lifted weights, danced with dumbells, and ridden my bike in the cool of the evening.  If I stand gingerly on the scales, shifting my weight to my heels and pushing my toes toward the sides of the contraption, I lost one whopping pound this week.  Even so, I feel triumphant.  I walked into a Qdoba Mexican Grill and walked out having eaten only one half of a burrito.  Even typing this now, it seems impossible, but it's true.  I cut my burrito in half before I even started eating.   I knew if I started munching on one end of that burrito, I would make my way through the whole thing before I knew what happened, so I separated my lovely 440 calories ahead of time and packed the rest for leftovers. I chewed each bite of that half-burrito until it could be chewed no longer.  I savored each grain of rice and every tiny chunk of pico.  I left the restaurant victorious.  Now if only someone would let the scales know . . .

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