Girl Talk: The Evils of Bathing Suits and Win Some Swag

After a chilly spring and a cool early summer, the heat has finally kicked into high gear around here. It’s been 90 degrees and humid for days now. That’s pretty hot for us Yankees up in Michigan.

That means I’ve been spending a lot of time in the pool with my son, and a lot of time in my bathing suit.

Bathing. Suit. Season.

Three words that strike fear into the heart of many a woman be they short, tall, fat, thin, pear or twig shaped.

Oh, the horrors of searching for that perfect swimsuit.

It’s torture to try on suit after suit in a tiny little dressing room all the while scrutinizing yourself in one those evil three-way mirrors under fluorescent lights that create cellulite you don’t even have. You’ve got to find the right color, the right support, the right coverage.

For a few year now I’ve coveted one of those mix & match tankinis from Lands’ End. With so many different styles of tops and bottoms to choose from and a big range of sizes, they’ve got something for just about anyone. In fact, you can choose the customize option and even get a top in your exact bra size, with or with out under wire.

Alas, I can not justify spending over a hundred dollars on something that I’m just going to hang around my backyard in. But I also don’t want to scare the neighbors, and we do make a few trips to Lake Michigan each year.

In August.

When it finally thaws.

Oh, if you have not had the pleasure of swimming in one of our country’s beautiful Great Lakes, baby, you don’t know what cold is!

If it were up to me, I’d wear this to the beach.

I personally think the Victorians had it goin’ on when it came to swimwear. Modest, full-coverage, nothing to keep tugging back into place. It is the mystery of what is not reveled…

Unfortunately it’s the 21st century now.

I never was comfortable in a skimpy swimsuit. There were a few years back in my younger days I could have rocked a bikini, but most of the time I stuck to the one piece. And then along came the tankini. If that’s not one of the best advances in women’s fashion in recent history, I don’t know what is.

But since hitting, and passing, 30 and carrying a child for nine months my hang ups about exposing my figure to the world in a swimsuit have exponentially increased.

Well, I unexpectedly hit the swimsuit jackpot this season at, of all places, WalMart.

O.K. First of all, I know it’s a “mom” bathing suit, but I’m a mom. Get over it. I don’t wear mom jeans, so just let me have this.

I love this suit, which I think is technically called a swim dress. It’s so flattering, if I do say so myself, that I actually get excited about putting it on. I considered taking a picture of me modeling it, but decided that no matter how good it looks, a photo of me in a swimming suit just does not need to be out there on the World Wide Web.

The V-neck accentuates one of my better physical attributes while the a-line cut and princess waist causes it to fall away from the rest of my body, smoothing and slimming everything. The length is just right to hide my thighs, my biggest hang-up of all. In fact, it fits so well, I wish it were a real dress. I’d wear out everywhere.

I also happen to like the sassy little animal print. Not sure what it is. Giraffe, maybe? I don’t think that animal actually exists anywhere on earth, but it’s cute. And it’s brown, the new black, don’t you know?

Lake Michigan, here I come!

Just as soon as the glacier melts.

Talk back to me! Gotta swim suit story? Leave a comment and share.

Girls Just Wanna Win Swag

Girls Just Wanna Win Swag is a new weekly giveaway I’m starting next week in conjunction with Girl Talk. Each week I’m going to feature a different woman-owned small business that offers products for the “girl” in you. You’ll have the chance to win some swag from the featured company.

I’m really excited to help promote women in small business, and introduce you to some wonderful companies and products you may not know about. I’ve got several weeks of great giveaways lined up already. You don’t want to miss it. So come back next week for our usual chit-chat, and some great swag.

Have a women-owned business you’d like featured in a Swag givewaway? Fill out the contact form in my sidebar and let me know.

Wednesdays for Wives

If you came by looking for the latest edition of Wednesdays for Wives yesterday you didn’t find it. You’d think 10 years of marriage would give me plenty of fodder, but I just haven’t been feeling inspired lately when it comes to that topic for some reason. So I’m going to take a break from it for a while. It may pop up now and again if I have something to say. Or if you’re interested in taking the reins over and being a guest writer let me know. I’d love to have you. In the mean time, I hope you’ll keep stopping by and visiting,  especially on Thursdays. I’ve got something new and exciting planned for Girl Talk each week. Say tuned!

Vintage Finds

I made these finds recently to add to my collection of antiques and junk other people throw away.

This hat came from Salvation Army. You might not think of Salvation Army as a place to find antiques, but you would be surprised.

The hat’s way too small and I don’t think I’d actually wear something like this anyway, but I was drawn to color scheme which is very of-the-moment right now. It’s in near mint condition. I got really excited when I turned it over and saw the Saks Fifth Avenue tag on the inside.

I’ll have to find somewhere to display it.

I purchased this old box of starch at a yard sale down the road from my house for .25 cents.

It was open, but still mostly full of starch. I an not fond of ironing, and have no intention EVER of attempting to starch something. So I emptied out the starch. That was a messy, dusty project. I can still taste it in my mouth. I’ve got a place on a shelf in the kitchen to keep this.

Made any cool finds lately? Got a good tip for hunting them down? Please share.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

I Blogged in Church or Love is THE Thing

“…He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” Isaiah 53:2

They showed a short video during church on Sunday that mentioned the above verse. The person speaking in the video was making some point about how we don’t know what God looks like. But I’m not sure exactly where he went with that, because after I heard him quote from Isaiah 53:2 my mind went off on a tangent, as it is often apt to do, and I missed the rest of that particular presentation–

and a few announcements–

and maybe a worship song or two.

The truth is I was formulating this blog post in my head while I was supposed to be praising the Lord. He and I are OK. I’ve since confessed and repented. It’s a good thing I can’t afford the IPhone or it’s ridiculous monthly service fee.  I would’ve been bloggin’ on it right there in the middle of the offertory.

There. I just went off on another tangent. See what I mean?

Anyway, I took that verse and went in a whole other direction with it.

The “He” Isaiah is talking about is Jesus. According to that verse Jesus just looked like any other ordinary Jewish man on the street.

And I always thought Jesus was an attractive Caucasian man with long flowing hair. Seriously? Why do artists’ interpretations make him out to be some sort of sandal-wearing Fabio?

Tangent again!

In fact we know that Jesus had no real earthly possessions. Not even a home to call his own as an adult.

While Jesus may have been ordinary looking during his days on the earth, we know that he was, and still is, extraordinary. And though not drawn by his appearance, people were drawn to him because of the person that he was inside. People were drawn to his love, and his character. Even those that didn’t believe he was the son of God, such as the Pharisees, took notice of Jesus.

If you’ve accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life, you too were drawn to him by his immeasurable love and sacrifice of his own life on the cross that you might live forever in heaven with him someday.

As I was contemplating all of this during a rousing — well, apparently not rousing enough — rendition of some Micheal W. Smith song — I wasn’t paying attention, remember? — Could I use the  Em dash one more time? — Yes, Yes I could — TANGENT!– I began to question with what qualities of my own do I desire to draw people?

I want to be thin and have great hair, nice clothes and well-applied make-up so that people will find me physically attractive.

I want to be funny and clever and interesting so that people will want to be my friend — and read my blog.

I want people to think I’m Mom and Wife of the Year. Both awards I probably don’t deserve.

I want people to think I’m smart.

I want people to think I belong to a certain level of social class.

In this world where image is EVERYTHING it’s easy to get caught up in keeping up appearances. But all those reasons for wanting people to like me are shallow and selfish. They put all the glory on me, and actually do nothing to contribute to the well being of those people I want so desperately to like me.

Instead I should be more like Jesus, drawing others to me by demonstrating God’s love and ultimately helping draw them to God.

It doesn’t matter how thin my thighs are or how nice my house is or how hilarious by blog posts are if I’m not outwardly showing the love of God to others.

Verses 1-3 of 1 Corinthians say, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

The real kicker is that I don’t need any of those qualities that world thinks are important for God to use me to share his love with others. I only have to surrender to him and allow him to work through me.

I going to work more on showing God’s love, and worry less about what my hair looks like.

Whew! I got through the rest of that with out another tangent.

Next week I’ll try harder pay attention to the service.

As long as the church doesn’t get free Wi-Fi.

Listen, I’m still human, so if you do like me, or this post — even just a little  — give me some luv and leave a comment.