I am enough.

A blogger I follow recently posted a link to the I Am Enough project as a way of reminding her readers that even when you think "you're the only one feeling this way," you are not alone.

Sometimes I feel like it shouldn't be so damned hard to be happy. Other times, I'm just happy. The ups and downs and ebbs and flows come and go as the months roll by. Frustrating? Yes. But thinking about "I Am Enough" has helped put it in perspective for me on this summer Thursday.

I am grateful for where I've been, what I've learned, how I've grown, what I do and who I have in my life. But I am frequently guilty of questioning whether "all that" is truly enough. Could I do more, give more, live more, love better, work harder, ask for less?

Yes, on all accounts. But then what? Keep doing even more, giving ever more, living more, loving better, working harder and asking for even less?

What I have is enough. Where I am is where I'm supposed to be right now.

I am creating my own story, not letting others create it for me.

That is enough.

They're ugly and they don't work.

I hate those Shape Ups shoes. I especially hate the ones that Joe Namath pitches on lame television commercials.

And now comes this shocking news: Not only are they UGLY, but also they DON'T WORK!

Maybe that will finally stop people from making the mistake of buying (and wearing) these things.

If you bite it, write it (a weight loss tool I cannot ignore any longer!)

On Dec. 2, 2009, I joined Weight Watchers for the third time in my life.

The first time was in 2000 after I had Zoe and was not successful at shedding all that baby weight. I lost 40 pounds and kept it off for about four years. Then I gained it all back, plus some.

The second time was in 2006 when, after stepping on the scales and realizing I'd topped my nine-months-pregnant-with-Zoe weight, I knew I had to do something drastic. I lost about 20 pounds, then gave up.

Third time is the charm, right? And so far it has been. Except this summer, I've hit a plateau after dropping a total of 35 pounds. The reasons are all too familiar.

Excuse #1: It's too hot / I don't have time to exercise.
Excuse #2: I don't have time to shop / cook / eat healthy.
Excuse #3: I don't really need to go to EVERY single weekly Weight Watchers meeting.
Excuse #4: Going a few points over my daily / weekly allotment is not going to hurt that much.
Excuse #5: It's such a pain in the butt to keep track of everything you eat, every day.

For me, it comes down to accountability. I have to exercise. I have to eat right every day. I have to go to meetings to weigh in on a public scale where the number is recorded in a little book. I have to keep track of what I eat to the nth degree. And I have to stick with this -- for me!

Today, I recommitted to the WW principles that helped me be successful so far. Every single bite of food that's gone in my mouth has been recorded so I can tally points and hold myself accountable at the end of the day. A friend nudged me to sign up for a Pilates class that we'll attend together. I'm going back to the public weigh ins at my at-work WW meeting tomorrow. And I plan to walk on the treadmill (inside where it's air conditioned to a cool 69 degrees!) as soon as I get home from work.

My goal is to drop another 9 pounds by my 44th birthday -- reaching a symbolic 44 pounds lost by my 44th -- giving me a little over two months to push through this plauteau. Wish me luck on this next phase of the journey! Every little bit of encouragement most certainly helps!

Two words: Major yum!

I made this blackberry cheesecake over the weekend, using a recipe I saw on The Pioneer Woman Web site. (Ree Drummond is my hero.)

Words cannot describe how good this cheesecake batter tasted RAW. I'm not even kidding. And when it was cooking for an hour in the oven? A little piece of me died and went to heaven.

I even modified the recipie slightly with low-fat sour cream and not-real butter ... and it's STILL good. I bet you could do fat-free cream cheese for a lower-cal version, but really, what's the point of that?

I have 15 more scrumptious pieces of this sitting at home in my refrigerator. That should cover breakfast, lunch AND dinner for the next week.

If you're a cheesecake fan, you absolutely must try this recipe. Put any berries you want on top. The "cake" itself is scrumptious.

Reason to smile

Flowers always make me smile. These, especially.

The lilies smell divine. The roses are a fabulous shade of deep, hot pink.

Now as long as my brown thumb doesn't do anything dumb, maybe I can enjoy them for a few days longer!

Prepping for the season

Cheer camp ended just before Z left for California for a month.

After three straight 7-hour days of practices that left her sore, tired and unbelievably excited about the upcoming season, she and the LMS 6th grade squad posed for a group photo.

Then they swam. Ate a lot. Goofed around as a group. And went to their respective homes and collapsed.

Football starts August 18. Go Tigers!