Flaunt It

I just LOVE it when people are proud of who they are. More specifically, when women are proud of the way they look. Whether that's tall and thin and model-like or short and curvy. I have a dear friend who is just barely over 5 feet and a voluptuous little thing, and she just exudes confidence about it, and I love it.

But, I also know it's easy to not think that way. I am 5'4" and curvy to be sure, and when I try something on that I know would look just SO much better if my hips were a little straighter or my bust was a little bit smaller, it's a little discouraging.


So, here are a few things about myself that I (almost always) love that society probably wouldn't encourage, just to remind myself (and yourself!) that they're beautiful anyway:

- Hips that look a little bit like any extra bit of fat on my body
just decided to settle there and hang out.

- A broken-looking nose. Not Owen Wilson-broken, mind you, just maybe like Owen Wilson
after the first time he broke it, not the fifth.

- The roadmap of scars spanning from the top of my left foot from a run-in with a 2'x4'
to the chickpox scar next to my left eyebrow.

- I wear my glasses pretty often. They're about an inch and a half tall.
That should be all I have to say.

- Calluses and permanently bent fingers that make my little hands look sometimes like a little boy's. But those calluses took a month and a half of climbing to make so I'm pretty darn proud.

- That weird, unfortunate, impossible-to-get-rid-of, under the belly button fat that doesn't go away no matter how many lower ab-workouts I do. Which, consequently, isn't that many. 

- An almost-permanent farmer's tan. I'm not even a redneck....

Be happy with yourselves today, friends! Even though it's hard to do sometimes. You are beautiful! 

A Guide To Country Music

Do you ever go through "phases"? I think I do with almost everything. Movies (horror, comedy, thriller, action...), music (instrumental, folk, jazz, classic rock...), clothes (button downs, rolled-up jeans, glasses, layering...), books (inspirational, chick lit, non-fiction, biography...) ... basically everything in my life comes and goes. Right now I'm in a documentary phase, a layering phase, an inspirational phase, and, believe it or not...a country music phase.

Weird, huh? I haven't listened to country since I figured out that I could control what music I listened to (about 5th grade). But I feel like there's so much good country music out right now! Here are a couple of my favorites that you'll probably hear on the radio, just in case you're interested in doing the boots-wearin', whiskey-drinkin', field-plowin', southern twang thang.

Even If It Breaks Your Heart - Eli Young Band

Home - Dierks Bentley

All Your Life - The Band Perry

Ours - Taylor Swift 

When I'm Not Looking - Blake Shelton 

(PS - LOVE him on The Voice...he's so presh) 

(I can't believe I just admitted I watch The Voice......)

A Woman Like You - Lee Brice

Chicken Fried - Zac Brown Band

Good Night For Dancing - Josh Abbott Band

Somethin' 'Bout A Truck - Kip Moore

So You Don't Have To Love Me - Alan Jackson

Waitin' On A Woman - Brad Paisley

I still think old school country is where it's at...you just can't beat Merle and Willie and Hank, especially not with much that's played on the radio now. But there's still some good listening out there! So good luck venturing into the country world, if you think you're up to it. You'll have to deal with (expletive deleted) like Toby Keith's "Red Solo Cup", but usually it's worth it.

Go See It!

Because it's a really, really, REALLY good movie, y'all.

But don't go see it if you have a fear of wolves. Or the wilderness. Or blood. Or dying in plane crash.

Have A Happy Weekend!

See you on Monday! Be happy!

Happy Weekend

Gorgeous.

Read it. Commit it to memory. Live it.

Today...

...be joyful!

Courage.

"Courage does not always roar,

Sometimes courage is the quiet voice

at the end of the day, saying,

'I will try again tomorrow'."

- Mary Anne Radmacher

Juicing Up!

Y'all. Have you ever done a juice cleanse? (Also known as a juice fast, juice diet, etc.) Rex and I are in the process right now. Or, he's in the process, I'm kinda tagging along for the ride. I've replaced one meal a day with juice (because I really only eat two meals a day anyway), and he kinda changes it up day to day, sometimes all three meals a day, sometimes just two.

But guys, I love it. Experimenting with different combos of veggies & fruits is really fun, and you can fit SO much into one 8 oz glass. My favorite so far is two apples, eight strawberries, two stalks of celery, two carrots, and a handful of spinach. The spinach makes it DARK green and it does NOT look appealing...but it tastes great!! The juice is usually a little pulpy, but once you get over that, it's pretty good!

You get a ton of energy from it too. Really. I've been working out more lately (because I got laaazy over the last 8 months...judge me later), and when I drink juice and then go for a run, it feels great! I would highly recommend giving it a shot! If you're looking for a way to be healthier or lose weight or just get more veggies & fruits in your diet, this is a great way to do it.

Oh, and the pounds are just falling off Rex. Really, he's already noticeably thinner. Guys and their metabolism...psh. He has been running almost 5 miles a day for the last week though...guess that probably has something to do with it too.

"For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.'" - John Greenleaf Whittier

How To Be Smarter: If you want to learn how to cook, you start small. Green beans, macaroni, baked potatoes ... simple things. If you want to learn how to be a better student, you start small. To-Do lists, 15 minutes of extra studying, highlighting as you read. If you want to learn how to be a better friend/significant other, you start small. A "Good morning!" text, an unexpected compliment, an offer to help. Then work your way up.

How To Be Prettier: On wearing white after Labor Day. My favorite line? "It's not what you wear, it's how you wear it."

How To Be (Less) Awkward: A good way to mediate arguments without an actual mediator is to record them. Then, later, listen to it again. Everything is easier to discuss after you've both had a chance to settle down and get over hurt feelings.

"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do." -Bob Dylan

How To Be Smarter: Don't make any big decisions that are based solely in emotion. Period. It's important to take your feelings into account, but reason has its place too. Balance is key.

How To Be Prettier: If you're looking for a new fall beauty product, my new favorite is Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Blush in Cloud Wine. The darker shade looks good on (paler) winter skin!

How To Be (Less) Awkward: When giving a presentation or speech, or just talking to a group of people, if you find yourself getting jumbled or confused, take a second to take a breath. It may seem awkward to pause and chill out, but it's less awkward than messing up your words for three more sentences.

"Patience and time do more than strength and passion." -Jean de la Fontaine

How To Be Smarter: I think the one of the smartest things you can do is figure out your learning style. It may seem simple, but lots of people don't know exactly how they learn! It can help significantly in a profession, school, and even in everyday relationships!

How To Be Prettier: If you're looking for a quick self-esteem boost, wear something that you KNOW you look good in. If you like the skirt/dress/shirt/shoes you're wearing, you're that much more likely to radiate that confidence, making everything you're wearing look that much better!

How To Be (Less) Awkward: Being able to get along with a less-than-favorable acquaintance or ex-friend or ex-boyfriend is not two-faced. Rather, being civil with someone who you are not particularly fond of is a helpful skill to have, seeing as you're more than likely going to have to work for or alongside of someone who you don't see eye to eye with at some point in your career.

Smart, Pretty, Awkward

In honor of one of my long-time favorite blogs, I'm going to do a series of How To Be Smarter, Prettier, And Less Awkward Posts! A couple will be some of my faves from the actual SPA website, and a few will be some tips of my own. Let me know if y'all have any tips or ideas! For today, I just have the link to the actual site so y'all can experience some of Molly's awesome tips.

Happy Thursday, y'all!

A Little Bit of Advice for Your Saturday

Hope you're all having a good weekend thus far! Here in Lubbock it is rainy and overcast and cool, bordering on chilly when the sun goes down; AKA perfect weather for staying inside, watching lots of TV (Rex just got cable, it's the first time either of us have had it in over two years!), doing some homework, crafting, and being l a z y y y y. 

Also, just in case you're curious, I'm working on my first piece of art that I think could fall into the category of "graphic design"... I'll let y'all know how it goes, because I know you're just on the edge of your seats!! 

Brand New Day

Recently, it's sort of dawned on me that I complain too much. Don't we all, though? It's too hot/cold/windy, I'm tired, my knees/head/feet/hands hurt, I have too much homework, I work too much/not enough, I don't have enough money, so-and-so is getting on my nerves, blah blah blah...

How silly is that? "I have too much homework," - really? I should be saying, "I'm lucky enough to be able to afford to better myself through higher education, making it that much more likely that I'll be able to get a good job one day." Or, "Despite my few health problems, I am generally healthy and blessed with a body that functions as it should (most of the time)." 

Starting right now, 12:27:33 on the seventh day of September in the two thousand and eleventh year of our Lord Jesus Christ (is that right?) I, Claire Raeann Winchester, am going to go an entire 24 hours without uttering a single complaint. Hopefully more than 24 hours. But that's a good start. I hope you'll do the same. Because even positive people complain sometimes.

Think happy, be happy. 

That's all for me today!

Have A Beautiful Weekend!

Everyone, have a happy, healthy, wonderful weekend! Relax and enjoy the day!

A Much-More-Important Epiphany

This is my new favorite (and sometimes most difficult) thing, the background on my computer, and soon-to-be a framed print for my living room wall. 


I am officially in a stage of my life that I have dubbed "In Recovery". Much less dramatic than it sounds, trust me. However, I'll explain a little bit of what this means to me.


Supposedly, about 60% of your personal happiness is genetic. The other 40% is within your control, based on attitude, general outlook, decisions, etc. My mother and two of her sisters struggle with depression, so I got the proverbial short end of the genetic stick. But that's no excuse for being a downer (and lately, let's be real, I have been). Yes, chronic depression and anxiety are chemical and/or mental problems within the brain, therefore much more difficult to control, but there is always some effort, no matter how small, you can make to improve your situation. Soaking in the totally devastating, wholly overwhelming, completely consuming powers of a depressive episode is healthy for no one.


All this to say, it's time to pull the curtains and blinds to let the light in.

A Few Truths

I just want to make a quick note of a few things I have learned to be certain in the past week. 


1. Dogs like to be outside. That being said, it's okay to stick them in the back yard with some chew toys while you clean the house/do dishes/do other things crucial to your mental health. Don't feel bad because you're not playing with them 24/7. They can handle it.


2. When planning an elaborate gift with many parts dependent on other people, plan VERY MUCH ahead of time. Even if the rest of the team contributing to the present has the best of intentions, everyone has their own lives and own stuff to handle. So to be safe, give a couple weeks advance notice. 


3. No-Chew spray is a gift from God.


4. Medicine can be your friend. I hate taking medicine and I hate going to the doctor. But I'm on day 1 of antibiotics and I'm already starting to feel better. Sometimes, your body just needs it. 


5. Most things that I people stress over are not worth it. Trust me on this one. Generally, unless someone's physical (or mental) health is at stake, you can afford to take a breath and chill out. Some stress can be good. Pulling your hair out is never good. 




Happy Wednesday!