She don't know she's beautiful

 (Photo credit: TipsTimesAdmin)

Have you ever had someone say something to you that made you question their motivation? I'm not talking so called friends who make a snide remark, I'm talking family or loved ones who you know genuinely care who say things that make you wonder if the words sound as harsh to them as they do to you.

For instance, my late grandparents loved me, of this there is no doubt. They were wonderful, amazing people. My grandfather told me from a fairly young age how beautiful I would be if I would just lose a little weight. My grandmother would let it slip now and then that I would be able to buy much cuter clothes if I were only slimmer. These were comments I remember starting in elementary school. Though I don't recall how I handled them as a younger child, I know by high school I pretended none of it bothered me while silently struggling with an eating disorder. No, I'm not blaming my beloved grandparents for my messed up thoughts on food and weight. I think their words were meant to help and there was absolutely no intention of hurt behind them. But, you take being told you need to lose weight from around eight years old, throw in society's definition of beauty, mix in what media tells us, and it's a recipe for disaster. I am not the only person who has dealt with negative self image, body image issues, and all the other inner turmoil the aforementioned recipe can bring on. As a result, to this day I think I have one set of grandparents who never thought I was beautiful and the other set never made me feel anything other than that. I'm sitting here all teary over that fact because I loved my late grandparents so much and because I am so incredibly thankful that Nanny and Pop never made me feel like my weight was an issue to them. 

Okay, I swear I have a point here. Little Miss is going to be a freshman in high school this year. She is already nervous and dealing with body image issues as a result of her birth defect. Enter one person's offhand remark about her gaining weight over the summer and we spent the evening discussing diet and exercise.  High school is hard enough without well meaning adults adding fuel to the fire. She's 14, I don't want her on a diet. I tried every fad diet I could find in my jr. high and high school years. We discussed making smart choices, limiting sugar, cutting out sodas, and upping physical activity, all I feel are smart for anyone when it comes to food. It's something I feel we will be discussing a lot in the near future. Sure, I want her healthy, but we are not discussing an obese child here. I also want her comfortable in her own skin and to know that she is beautiful, because she truly is. Her heart, mind, soul, everything that she is makes up one stunning young woman.

I look back on high school and think I'd give anything to be that size again. No, I wasn't stick thin, but I was the same size as Marilyn Monroe and at 35 that sounds pretty darn good! Now my thoughts are just all over. My initial feeling when I started typing was to remind us all just how powerful words are and how they stick with us. I was also all fired up about self esteem and body image, which I still am. I guess I just have questions to. How do I encourage these things while helping her meet whatever goals she has for her weight? Losing a few pounds is her idea and it's nothing I will ever push, but at the same time I don't want her to end up like me, wishing I had gotten in shape 20 years ago. Also, when these little remarks are made, do we let them go or speak up? This is something I'm not sure of. 

Teenage girls... I wish I had instructions. OR maybe I need them for life in general. All I know is it comes down to this for me; my daughter is beautiful. And something I've learned is you can be overweight, grey haired, and nearly toothless and still be beautiful. The wrappings concern me little no matter who we are discuss, let me see what's inside. That's what makes you beautiful. 

Holiday Gift Guide: Tortuga Rum Cakes

Tortuga Rum Cakes are a great idea for the holiday season. I was sent two of their wonderful cakes to review, a key lime cake and the golden original. Upon opening the box the wonderful aroma of rum greets you. Now, I am a rum fan, so to me a rum cake is a little piece of heaven. The key lime cake was a lovely balance of crisp, tart lime and sweet rum. It made me think of a tropical escape. The original is a delicious rum flavored, sweet, rich treat. Both were fantastic!


The thing ingredient that sets these rum cakes apart from all others is the generous dose of Tortuga Gold Rum in each cake. This rum is five years old and oak barrel aged. Every cake Tortuga produces is hand glazed with this tasty rum before being packaged. The unopened cakes have a shelf life of about 6 months and will keep in the fridge or freezer for quite awhile longer. That way, you can enjoy them whenever you feel like it.

Tortuga Rum Cakes would make a great gift this holiday season. The small ones would be excellent stocking stuffers.


Tortuga also offers, candies, gift baskets, coffees, and even sauces as well. All would delight the foodie in your life. I was very impressed with the product and highly recommend this wonderful company.


Ramblings of a Texas Housewife Product Review and/or Giveaway Disclosure- I have received no compensation other than the offer of free product to review and/or giveaway. Any opinions expressed on Ramblings of a Texas Housewife are my own. My reviews are never reviewed or edited in any way by sponsors.

Holiday Gift Guide: It's Cookie Time!

I love baking holiday cookies. I enjoy baking, creating treats for my loved ones, and spending time in the kitchen. I think it appeals to the nurturing side of me. Plus, baking cookies can be a family affair, as my little ones love to help me bake up their favorite treats. Both of my children absolutely adore any cookie recipe that requires the use of cookie cutters. So, the weeks leading up to the holidays are4 spent with us cutting out everything from snowflakes to reindeer, preparing for our holiday cookie trays.


If you have a baker in the family or kids who enjoy to cook, then you will love Ann Clark Ltd. They offer some of the finest cookie cutters I've ever used. You can find pretty much any shape you can imagine on their website. From high heels to frogs, they've got you covered! I was sent The Horse, The Horse Head, Texas, and The Snowflake to review. They are all very well made, have good sized handles which is a feature I really like, and are make nice big cookies. These are not your wimpy plastic cookie cutters folks! They are quality cutters that produce fantastic cookies.


These cookie cutters would make excellent gifts this holiday season. They also look amazing as accents to packages, tied on with ribbon to give your gifts an extra special touch. I know I would be thrilled to receive these as a gift. As a special treat for my readers, Ann Clark Ltd. is offering y'all a 10% discount until the end of the year! Simply use code BLGA5. Plus, all orders of four items or more always ship free! This is so cool, as I know shipping costs can really add up. So, what are you waiting for? Go take advantage of this great offer. The product is excellent, the people are great to work with, and I just could not be more impressed with this company. I give them two thumbs up!

Would you like some of these awesome cookie cutters for yourself? Ann Clark Ltd. is giving one of my lucky readers a Five-Piece Gift Set!


Mandatory Entry:
Click on over to Ann Clark Ltd. and look around, then come back here and tell me what your favorite cutter is or which set you'd choose if you win. You must do this for any bonus entries to count!
Bonus Entries:

• Sign up for their eNewsletter. The form is on the left sidebar of their site.
  
• Subscribe to my blog.
• Follow my blog on Google Friend Connect.
  
• Follow me on Twitter & tweet this giveaway.
• Blog about this giveaway. It doesn't have to be a whole post, you can just mention it when you are posting about other giveaways if you wish. Just be sure to include a link back to here.
• Add my holiday gift guide button to your blog. This is worth three bonus entries, so leave 3 comments.
  
• Stumble this post.

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do. Also be sure to leave your email address.

Deadline to enter is Tuesday 11/10/09 at 11:59pm CST. Winner must reply to my email within 48 hours, or an alternate will be selected. Be sure to check your spam folders, as this has been a problem before.

Ramblings of a Texas Housewife Product Review and/or Giveaway Disclosure- I have received no compensation from Ann Clark Ltd. other than the offer of free product to review and/or giveaway. Any opinions expressed on Ramblings of a Texas Housewife are my own. My reviews are never reviewed or edited in any way by sponsors.

Brookshires Deals 10/21 to 10/27

Image by asrai via Flickr

Brookshire's is having a buy one get one for a penny sale. Sometimes these types of sales can be a great opportunity to stock up on some good deals. Check out the full circular to see all the deals available this week.

Some potentially good buys:

Bar-S Bacon, Corn Dogs Or Deli Shaved Lunch meat
Bacon: Original , Thick Sliced Or Lower Sodium - 12 oz Pkg, Corn Dogs: Classic, Beef Or Cheese - 1.5 Lb Box Or Lunch meat: Ham, Honey Ham Or Turkey Breast - 9oz Pkg

Use the $1 off two Bar_S products coupon found here.

Hormel Entrees: Fully Cooked Selected Varieties - 17 oz Pkg

Use the $2.00 off one coupon found here. You may print this twice.

Curly’s Pulled Beef: With Barbecue Sauce Or Pulled Pork Regular Or Bold & Spicy With Barbecue Sauce 18 oz Tub

Use the $1.00 off any Curly's Barbecue item coupon found here.

Split Chicken Breasts Or Halves: Pilgrim’s Pride - Bone-In - USDA Grade A Or Skinless Split Chicken Breasts Bone-In - USDA

Use the .55 off coupon found here. You may print this twice.

Gorton’s Crunchy Breaded Fish: Selected Varieties Of Fish Sticks Or Fillets - 18.2 oz To 24.5 oz Box

Use the save $1 on 3 Gorton's products coupon found here.

Other items listed in this sale are:

Totino’s Pizza Rolls
Sunbeam Bread
Trappey’s Beans Or Peas
Kraft American Cheese Singles
Blue Bell Ice Cream Cups
José Olé Chimichangas
PictSweet Corn On the Cob
Sara Lee Oven Fresh Pies
Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage
Lance Crackers
Doritos Tortilla Chips
Large Hass Avocados
Fresh Express Iceberg Garden Salad
Hefty OneZip Bags
Oscar Mayer Lunchmeats
Johnsonville Brats
Mission Flour Tortillas
Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage
Jell-O Gelatin Or Pudding Snacks

Check your local circular for more!