Yippeeeee!!!

If you were in the general vicinity of Mid-Michigan yesterday, you just might have heard me scream as I stood at my mailbox.

My fellow Proverbs 31 speaker and fun fashionista of a friend, Shari Braendel’s first book arrived in the mail. It is called Good Girls Don’t Have to Dress Bad: A Style Guide for Every Woman. Since I endorsed it, I got an advanced copy.

Thus the scream in my driveway. (Sorry neighbors)

Girlfriends….YOU ARE GONNA LOVE THIS BOOK!!! Here is what I had to say about it on the back cover:

“Ever wished for a fashion fairy godmother who would not only grant you a magical makeover but actually equip you to make your own fashion choices that fit, flatter and make you feel fabulous?  With a wink of her keen eye and wave of her coordinating wand, image expert Shari Braendel has crafted the perfect ‘good girl’ go-to manual.”

Shari can help women, no matter their shape, size or age, to discover what colors, styles and accessories will make them look their best. Her book walks you through all of this and there are tools on her site too to help you find your fashion footing.

Below is an interview with Shari and a FANTABULOUS giveaway too.

Okay, here is the dealio.

Since I am swamped with getting ready for our annual She Speaks conference and since I TRULY believe this book is a must-have for every woman, I am leaving this post up until I return from the conference Monday, August 2.

You may leave a comment until midnight PST Sunday, August 1st to be entered in the random drawing. Winner announce Monday, August 2.

NOTE: I will still be micro-blogging by updating my Facebook  and Twitter statuses which both show up in my sidebar here.

AND WEIGHT LOSS WEDNESDAY GALS: This book is a great tool to help you in your journey down the scale. Please read the interview, leave a comment and let us know how your week went! I have not forgotten you, I just cannot post this week as usual.

Now for the interview. Please read to the end where you will discover one of the biggest give-aways I’ve ever featured here. Oh, I am soooo excited, I could just scream again!

Shari, how long was the book in the works?

It’s been in my head for a long time but when I began speaking at Christian womens conferences nationwide the need for a resource became necessary.

Why don’t we start with your philosophy on “appreciation of the body God gave you.” Tell us how you view your mission:

I believe its my calling to get women of faith everywhere to understand that God didn’t make a mistake with their bodies, that he gave them exactly the one he wanted them to have…and no matter if it is a size 0, 6, 16 or 26, it is good!

Tell us your own personal journey of faith:

I grew up in church having “religion” so I thought I was a Christian but it wasn’t until I was in my late 20’s. Then someone in Coral Gables, Florida bugged me for 3 months to go to a Bible study. I went and I was hooked. That’s where I learned that knowing Jesus is about being in relationship with Him.

You have a message of fashion but it really comes from having your self worth solid in the way God sees you. Would you elaborate on that idea?

Women look in the mirror every single day and come up short regarding the way they see themselves. We’re always comparing ourselves to the super models we see on TV and in magazines and most of us don’t look like they do. Since society tells us what is beautiful, we decide they must be right and since we don’t look like that, then we must not be good enough or pretty enough. Therefore it is critical that women understand that that they are okay, just as they are, and to understand that each of us is“fearfully and wonderfully made”. (Psalm 139:14)

The chapters in your book are so helpful, Why don’t you talk to us about body types:

There are 4 specific body types that I talk about in the book. Depending upon where you gain your weight will determine which type you are. I call them the Bod-x system.

You are a b body shape if you gain most of your weight in your belly. An o body is the overly endowed woman, and mostly gains in her upper midriff and bust area. The d body gains in her derriere and hips, and typically has a pretty small waist, and the x body type has a balanced body.

The goal is to look like an X even if you’re not. For example, If you gain in your tummy, then don’t tuck your shirts in and don’t wear belts. An O looks best when they layer pieces, making sure they also wear the correct bra. Prints are great for them as well. A d body type does great wearing belts, but may need a small shoulder pad to balance her hips and an X can get away with most styles, as long as she doesn’t wear things that are too tight or too sloppy looking.

Skin isn’t in? What’s the balance there for women and young girls?

Women and girls need to understand that modesty doesn’t mean old fashioned or fuddy-duddy. Modesty is a state of mind and young girls and women need to understand that how she dresses tells the world what she thinks about herself. Just because society tries to convince us that showing all we’ve got is in style, we don’t need to buy into that.

As Christian women, we can still be fashionable, stylish, yet modest women and girls. The chapter you’re referencing actually gives a guide to women on how to shop with their daughters to help them own the idea of modesty. Because honestly, until each of us owns the idea for ourselves, it will never take root, and that’s the premise of this chapter.

You have a free color analysis on your website? Tell us about that.

I’d love to!  If you’ve never had a color analysis you can get a FREE one on my site…just go to FashionmeetsFaith.com. You can also see video clips of interviews with boys and what they think about the way girls dress. You can also watch video clips of  a womens What to Wear Christian Event and a Modest is Hottest Fashion Show. I also write a blog every week called What to Wear Wednesday. But for sure go get a Color Analysis!

What is your desire for women in regards to this book?

My greatest prayer through the writing of this book and also at every conference I speak at, is that women will finally make peace with their bodies, their hair, their skin, or whatever it is for them that trips them up every time they look in the mirror.

For so long, Christian women have had this sense that it’s not okay to think about their outside beauty. It IS okay to do that, as long as they realize that what’s going on on the inside of you is the most important because 3 gold bracelets aren’t gonna make that all better!

Many women were never taught HOW to dress correctly so they’ve just given up. My goal for this book was to help women have an actual do-it-yourself guide to discovering how to dress for their particular body type and coloring, how and where to buy the jeans and bathing suit that is best for them, where to shop based on their budget and even what hairstyle, makeup and glasses shape is best for them.

Thanks Shari! Now for the giveaway!

One gal who leaves a comment on this post will receive the following:

• A signed copy of Shari’s book (a $14.99 value)
  
• A free set of color swatches (A $19.95 value. You’ll have to take the color analysis on her blog to discover what you are)
• And a $10 Target gift card to purchase some make-up, jewelry or a new article of clothing in your pallet of colors

So, hop over to Shari’s site to take the color analysis and then pop back here to tell us what you are. Or, if time is tight, simply comment here and say “I’m in”. If you are chosen as the winner, then you’ll have to take the analysis to find out what your color pallet is so Shari can send you your swatches.

Fashionista Blessings,

I do not have a green thumb. Whatever color is directly opposite of green on the color wheel is the hue of thumb I possess. I can murder a house plant faster than you can say “terra cotta pot.”

My mother-in-love is famous for her ability to grow the most beautiful things— tender and fragrant herbs that flavor her roasted potatoes or her lavender shortbread cookies; bright blooming annuals that display their splendor from May to September; flowering perennials that return year after year poking their heads through the blackened earth revealing vibrant blossoms. She even staggers her plantings according to when they bloom in our Michigan climate to ensure that there will always be an array of color from the first hint of spring until fall.

I, too, although admittedly not possessing her knack for nature, like to grow flowers and have tried my hand at an outdoor herb garden. However, it doesn’t come natural to me. I’ve had to read and study.

And I have to schedule the required steps in my life just like an appointment: “Water herbs and flowers Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Feed plants with Miracle Grow on the first and fifteenth.”

But the most important task of growing these plants was the first lesson she taught me.

It’s called dead-heading.

Here is how it is done: As soon as any of those beautiful blooms begin to wither, fade, and turn brown, they need to be ruthlessly removed.

I search out every one and carefully pluck it off of its stem. It is a tedious, never-ending task. Just when I think I have removed every dried up blossom, the next day a dozen more appear.

It is important, however, to keep consistent.

When dead blooms are left clinging to the flowering plants, they sap the nutrition and strength from the core of the plant. They literally rob the flower of the energy they could be using to grow new and colorful blooms.

The faded petals are, in a sense, dead weight that keeps the plant from being its best. If properly plucked, however, the plant will bloom forth gorgeous petals throughout the entire life of the plant.

While plucking dead flower heads this morning on my own patio, I couldn’t help but relate this chore to my life with God.

I know full well that there are places of my heart, thoughts of my mind, and actions of my will that are nothing but dead weight to my spiritual life. In the Bible, James 1:21 beckons us to this:

“So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.”

What does this mean?

Root out the ugly that threatens to choke and drain and instead, plant God’s word deep in our hearts.

It can save us from wrong choices, unhealthy relationships and self-inflicted heartbreak.

How about you? Could your heart use a good dead-heading session?

Are there faded blooms you have been carrying around that are sapping your spiritual energy and strength, causing heartache and tears?

Get rid of the bad.

Plant God’s good Word in that spot instead.

Then stand back – patiently now – and watch beautiful blooms begin to appear.

Dead-heading Blessings,

Today is kind of a big day for me.

Oh, you wouldn’t really know it by looking at how I’m dressed; periwinkle St. Simon’s Island t-shirt and grey workout pants.

Nor would you know it from looking at my calendar. Nothing is listed on today’s white square.

However, many miles away today, a committee of professional people, dressed not in sweats, will peruse the pages of a book project proposal and decide its fate.

This morning, my heart wanders and wonders. Will they like it? Will they think it is clever and needed? Will they be willing to take a chance on it determining that it is something that will sell? That will help women?

A thumbs up will mean months of work will be rewarded with a yes.

It will also mean discipline and focused time. It will have to come from Somewhere. Hmmmm….where to carve and scrape? And it will mean asking your opinion as I test-drive some of the material here on my blog.

It will also, I know from experience, mean highs and heartaches; brain dumping one day and thumping my fingers on the desk another day with absolutely nothing to say.

But I will not lie to you. I so hope it is a yes.

However, I too know from experience, that is could be a thumbs down. That will mean painful feelings from my past and negative-self talk will once again threaten to beat me up with their ugly banter and rhetoric: “failure”, “reject”, “not good enough” or more frequently “not as good as her”

However, despite the outcome (which I will not know for weeks) I will choose to block out the screams of condemnation and strain instead to hear the still small voice of God and repeat His timeless truths out loud, letting them penetrate my soul.

“The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:  ”I have loved you with an everlasting love;  I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3

Yes, my past has seen much pain and rejection; dashed hopes and dreams; folly and failure. But I will not let it define me. For the God holds the ultimate trump card of my life. He always has.

He loves me with an everlasting love. No mention there of fleeting, performance-based, conditional approval.

Maybe you, like me, need to take that one to the bank today sweet sister.

So instead of pondering big things today, I will simply do what a dear mentor of mine taught me to do many years ago.

Pray.

Let it go.

Then… do the next thing.

For me, that means hitting the treadmill and then grabbing a cup of coffee before kicking off my ordinary day full of laundry and dusting; feeding my family and answering emails.

How about you? Anyone else need to stop wandering and wondering and just do the next thing?

Whatever-happens Blessings,

My heart is smiling today.  For a couple reasons.

First, dear friends of ours welcomed their 6th child late last night. They are a military family whom Kenz helped with babysitting, errand-running and home-schooling for her last few years of high school. And we think so much of them, they are the ones who would raise our kids should Todd and I both pass away (at which point they’d have NINE kids! Yikes!)

Secondly, today in rural Michigan, a wedding will take place. And a dear, loved and life-long covenant friend will rejoice in the God who grants second chances.

Without going into detail, nor debating the whole remarriage hot-button issue many Christians love to banter about, let me just say that we in our family witnessed first hand over the last year-and-a-half the God who rescues, redeems and renews.

Just fours years ago we saw our friend’s world come crashing down.

Betrayal, bewilderment and abandon reared their ugly heads.

Circumstances swirled and whirled about to the point that darkness and depression set in.

Our friend suddenly sat smack-dab in a placed never dreamed of: in the midst of an unwanted and ugly divorce.

There were days we wondered if we’d wake up and discover the awful headline of suicide. That sweet children would left without their parent because life had dealt such a horrific blow that recovery was utterly impossible.

But God…..

Those two little words have popped up all over the place lately in books and articles and blogs. However, they were first penned many years ago in the pages of the Bible.  Whenever things were looking bad and it appeared that Satan was winning, those two words popped up on the pages “But God…”

And the story turned out just the opposite of what seemed to be happening.

Today, a dear friend will be given a second chance to live out a strong commitment to biblical marriage, just as they always intended to decades ago.  It seemed all hope was lost of being one half of a til-death-do-us-part marriage that would last a lifetime.

But God……

When things look bleak and you today and you are just sure the ending is going to be bad; very, very bad, remember those two words…

“But God….”

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done” Genesis 50: 20

I’m off to find me some tin cans. There is a certain car I gotta go help decorate…..

I’m shipping the boys and their dad off for a few day trips this weekend so I can work on the computer A-L-O-N-E and in peace! So I must take a break today from blogging to tweak my talks for the upcoming Proverbs 31  She Speaks conference. I’ll be back Monday.

In the mean time, here are some pics of life around our house this summer:

:

I hope you enjoyed your weekend!

Mine consisted of heading to my mother-in-laws with my hubby and kids for a day of yard work and a quick trip to the beach to dip our toes in Lake Michigan. We also had Todd’s sister (a.k.a. the “Fun Aunt”) over to take in a Lansing Lugnuts minor league baseball game complete with fireworks. Add an afternoon swimming at a friend’s (while my husband cleaned all the carpets at home. Seriously. He insisted!), some big-time grilling and a trip to ER (for the fun aunt, not one of the boys this time) and there you have it!

Whew…. now back to reality.

Thanks to ALL of you who commented on my post about LeAnn Rice’s new blog She Cooks! The winner of the giveaway for that post is Joyce Alexander; timestamp: July 1; 2:20 pm. Please send your home address to me at karen@proverbs31.org so I can ship your gift out.

Now…..for a recipe from me. Well, actually, it is from my sister-in-law Erin who for many years owned The Mango Inn Bed & Breakfast in Lake Worth, Florida. This yummy muffin recipe of hers was featured in Southern Living magazine. Delicious and perfect for company!

Enjoy! I’ll be back tomorrow for Weight Loss Wednesday when we’ll discuss decadent recipes such as this and what part, if any, they should play in our eating plan. See you then!

Mango-Macadamia Muffins

1 large egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1 1/2 cups diced ripe mango

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:

1/3 cup chopped unsalted macadamia nuts

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons softened butter

For topping, combine all topping ingredients in a small bowl. Mash until combined. Chill until needed.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl whisk together egg, sour cream, milk, vanilla, and melted butter. Fold in mango. In another bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Fold together just to moisten. Batter will be lumpy. Quickly fill greased muffin tins with batter to the tops. Crumble topping over the tops. Bake 25–30 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Cool 5–10 minutes. Remove carefully from pans. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 muffins.

Hi friends! Boy have I got a treat for you.

Today you’ll meet one of my “favoritist” people (as one of my boys used to say) in the world, LeAnn Rice, who has launched a new website you are gonna LOVE! And yes, there is a giveaway involved

But first, a fun little announcement you may be interested in.

Beginning this Saturday, I will be a guest on all four weekends in July on Focus on the Family Weekend.They are spots I recorded last August when I flew to Colorado Springs to the headquarters of Focus and most are practical tips from my book The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized. Mark your calendar and join us! If you don’t know when the show airs in your neck of the woods, you can find it online and listen by clicking here.

And FYI….I will be missing-in-action from all things cyber–including blog, Facebook, & Twitter— until Tuesday morning July 6th in order to hang with my family. See you then!

Okay…now for our guest.

LeAnn Rice is an amazing woman. A single mom who became a widow over a decade ago, she is an inspiration to many and an example of how God can use us despite our sorrows and the blows life tries to throw at us. She is the Executive Director of Proverbs 31 Ministries, where  she says “I get to spend my days surrounded by the most Godly women I have ever known. Truly… I am blessed to have each and every one of them in my life.” And we say back…”We call her Queen”. Not just because she is our director, but she is royally wonderful and gracious. She resides near Charlotte, NC with her son Nick, age 16.

LeAnn has just launched a fun and helpful site for women called She Cooks. I’ve asked her to share a bit about it and then…..the giveaway!

Leann, as a busy single mom and mother of a teen-aged boy, what is life like at your house this summer? Well… it’s messy. And I mean that literally! Nick is 16 years old so basically he just eats and smells. With the launching of She Cooks, and our annual She Speaks conference around the corner, I am working crazy hours. Nick spends the days playing Xbox (while eating, of course). I make him breakfast before I leave for the office and I bring dinner home around 8:00 or 9:00pm. It’s a crazy schedule. But we try to take time after church on Sundays to see a movie and grab a bite to eat. Notice that there is no mention of doing dishes or dusting. Hence “messy.”

Tell us a bit about how God prompted you to begin She Cooks. I work with the most amazing group of women (like YOU for instance) who share the Gospel of Jesus at speaking events. Time and time again I hear one of you say that people came to Jesus at one of your events. I never get to experience that. I don’t have the gift of speaking or writing and it kind of bothered me that I wasn’t sharing the Gospel in such a life-changing way. As I was feeling sorry for myself and struggling with feelings of envy, God woke me up at 3:00 in the morning a few months ago with the idea for She Cooks. I very clearly heard Him say that, while He had not given me the gift of speaking or writing, He had given me the gift of hospitality and that I could most definitely use it to extend His love and His grace with others. I drove to work the next morning and immediately checked to see if the domain “She Cooks” was available. It was. And that was it.

What is the greatest challenge when it comes to hospitality and how can women overcome it? I think overcoming our tendency to compare ourselves to others is the greatest challenge. Girl… you know that most of us will walk into someone else’s home and survey the area! “Look at Sally’s new furniture.” “I could never set a table as gorgeous as Aunt Mary.” You know… I do it all the time. The thing is, all of us do things differently. It’s not so much the result of your attempts to set a fancy table as it is about the love you put into it. It costs absolutely nothing to make a person feel welcome and cared for.

What do you hope your readers experience as they follow along with your blog? I hope they will feel welcome at my table. I hope they will be inspired to invite others to sit around their table to share good food and laughter. I hope they will discover recipes that will become new family favorites, and ideas that will make their next meal an event. I hope they will be encouraged, despite my blunders and imperfections, to attempt the extraordinary to make someone else feel special. Most of all, I hope and pray that those who come simply for recipes and menu ideas, will find the hope of Jesus Christ through the stories I share of life around my kitchen table.

Now for the giveaway. I’d planned on giving you some summer recipes today, but when you hop over to She Cooks, you’ll see LeAnn has already done this. So instead, I am giving away the following:

*A copy of the “Cook Out” summer issue of the Food Network Magazine

*A packet of Raspberry Zinger herb tea. Great iced!

*Some patriotic Sour Stars to give to the kids or grand-kids, if you have them, to keep them out of the kitchen! Otherwise, give them to a neighborhood child

*A $5.00 Walmart card, to buy yourself some new measuring cups or other kitchen gadget for cooking. (Not pictured. I still have to buy it!)

*Watermelon not included. Kinda hard to mail!

Okay…hop on and leave a comment telling us what you love about cooking. Or what you hate about cooking. Or what you plan to do over the Fourth of July holiday. Or, if none of the above applies to you, simply say “I’m in!” Winner will be announced Tuesday morning when I return.

Happy 4th! (to those of you from the U.S) Happy summer to the rest!