Goodbye, Beautiful Summer

Well, today is October 1.  As much as I've wanted to hang on to summer, it's gone.  I am not a fan of fall, but I don't really give it a fair shake.  See, really the only reason I don't like fall is because it's just the beginning of my real enemy, winter.  I hate winter.  I hate cold, snow, thick socks, heat pump heat, ice on the windshield (and the locks and the road), bare trees, frozen pipes, and snowmen.  Winter makes me angry, and I'm getting mad just thinking about it.  The only good things about winter are cute boots, Christmas, and not having to shave my legs as much.

  I've already decided that I hate this upcoming winter just as much as I've hated every other winter in my life. But I'm going to try to give this fall a chance.  I'm trying to focus on the good things in fall.  I'm going to try to take the girls to the Peaks of Otter for the 'peak of foliage' and hopefully line up some photo shoots for them there.  I'm going to enjoy a bonfire or two, have some pumpkin spice creamer in my coffee, go to the corn maze, maybe cook up an acorn squash.  I'll try to enjoy it.

Before I do that, though, I wanted to leave you and myself with some images of one of the most fun things we did this summer....the Just the Girls: Real Beauty Tea Party.  A friend let us borrow her backyard and our littlest girlfriends had a blast dressing up, drinking tea, and rocking the runway.  We didn't worry about school or cold or appointments or responsibilities...the only thing we worried about was who was going to get to wear the long, white gloves next!

  Be good to us, Beautiful Autumn.  And goodbye, Beautiful Summer!!

Beautiful...Brain Bleed?

We've had a traumatic week at the Real Beauty 'Headquarters'!  One of our very own Beautiful Photographers, Faith, fell off a ripstick (skateboard) over the weekend and injured her beautiful brain.  I won't bore you with all the big medical words, mostly because I don't remember them, I'll just say that some of the Beautiful Girls spent the entire night and part of the next day in the ER and then the neuro ICU because Faith's beautiful brain was bleeding.  Don't worry, she's ok...but pray because even though she is not in the hospital anymore she still has to be very careful and still, and not get bumped around.  She'll have another scan on Tuesday to make sure nothing has changed.  It's all her mother can do not to wrap the kid in bubble wrap for the next few weeks.

  There was and is an outpouring of love and prayer for Faith from friends.  Advice, meals, and offers to help the family came immediately after the accident.  We even had an offer to bring games to the hospital in the middle of the night while we were waiting, waiting, waiting at the hospital.  That's some love there.  But the sweetest story I heard  is about Faith's own little brother, AJ.  Here is his picture, and below you can see his sweet story, from Cindi:

Nobody expects to be sitting in the neurological intensive care unit with one of their children. This past weekend was certainly one of the most stressful I’ve had! I have to say, though, that I can so clearly see God’s hand of protection. Also, I can see how many amazing, incredible, helpful, prayerful friends we have.

All of the kids were in the hospital room when the neurosurgeon came in to talk to us about Faith. A.J. was listening to how serious the situation was and was very upset. He was crying and telling Steve that he wished it would have happened to him – he wanted to take Faith’s place. Then, last night, he put a little note on Faith’s pillow. It told her that he hoped she felt better soon and to look under the piece of paper. He had put his wallet with all of his money….everything he has…..there to give her. If you knew the story behind his wallet, you would know how much he loves that thing. So to give the wallet with the money is even more precious. To see one of your children be willing to give up his own life and possessions for another is……….wow……I don’t even know how to describe it. I can see him being a great missionary someday!

It got me thinking about Jesus’s death on the cross. The knowledge of Jesus dying on the cross for me is always here in my head. But I don’t often think about what it took for him…..his willingness to take MY place and give up His own life for me. A.J. loves Faith. She’s his sister; he lives with her and wants to protect her and have her be OK….so it’s easy to understand, to comprehend. But WHAT AMAZING LOVE it is for Jesus to willingly lay down his life for us!! I keep thinking about it – I’m so undeserving of His love and sacrifice…..and so tremendously thankful.

Beauty in Motherhood....Always

We had so much fun on the photo shoot with the beautiful Robin and her four children.  Yes, that's Robin...the slim, young woman in the middle there and yes, all four of those cuties gathered close are her own three sons and one daughter.  Don't they look perfect?  Doesn't Robin look like a peaceful, beautiful girl whose four children listen to her every minute and obey her every word?  Look at those smiles!  That's a happy family.

Uh-oh.  Ok, we staged this a little.  Just a little, there was no actual fighting going on, but there was a fit on the ground and some screaming.  During our walk with Robin, everything was not rosy and perfect the whole way.  Her daughter got hot and wanted to be carried.  The middle son kept running ahead, the older one just wanted to stop and draw, the young one's shoes were a little too big and he kept falling down.  And none of the boys were all that excited about letting Aubrianah take their pictures.  But look at Robin.  She's still beautiful.

  That's the way it is with motherhood.  When my son was little, his fits were legendary.  He was strong-willed and self-motivated.  But he was also hysterically funny and super-smart (he still is, and he's also now compassionate and helpful.)  I remember feeling like the most incredible mother in the world when I taught him to read, and the worst mother in the world when I spanked him for hitting me in the head with a toy truck.
  I didn't feel so beautiful when I found out my daughter's ankle had been sprained for months and I didn't even know it, or when I kept my infant son out in the sun too long and his face blistered, or when I yelled at my daughter just yesterday, or when I have to take out the trash again because my now adult son apparently has not been taught responsibility well enough by...yep...his mother.

  Those kids have power over our beauty, don't they!?  Mine do.  They disobey or do something embarrassing, I'm an ugly mother.  They do something amazing or have a perfect day?  I'm beautiful again!  What's wrong with that thinking?

  I don't know if thinking about this is hard for you, it is hard for me.  I've spent over eighteen years being all about these two kids.  They are my job, they are who I am.  But I'm about to get fired....or, at least, I've been downsized.

  As I look back at the last eighteen years, though, and think about all the things I didn't do a good enough job on, or the times I lost my temper, the times they disobeyed me or screamed or hit or sassed me, the things I could have taught them and didn't....I realize that those times that I didn't (and don't) feel beautiful, were actually making me MORE beautiful.  And they are making my children more beautiful, too.  The experiences and trials and hard times are what strengthens us, and strength is beauty.  The dumb things we've done and the ability to look back on our mistakes give us knowledge, and knowledge is beauty.

  Let's get back to Robin.  She's in the midst of it, four very young and sometimes disobedient children, a husband, a job.  Robin is a great mix of patience, kindness, and discipline with her children.  She's such a beautiful mom already!  When she gets finished raising these four, she's going to be STUNNING!

Beauty: A Husband's View

Today's post is special because it is the first post on Just the Girls: Real Beauty that has been written by a man.  Terry is a law student who is madly in love with his beautiful wife, Danielle.  Here he is, telling you what makes her beautiful!  (By the way, I think she's beautiful, too!  She's a great new friend, she's helpful, crafty, and an awesome dessert maker!)

This is my wife, Danielle.  It’s not easy to be Danielle, but she makes it look that way.  I’m a full time law student.  If you know any law students, then you know that I’ve been essentially absent these last couple of years, but Danielle has been and continues to be incredibly supportive of me while also ensuring that our children are cared for, safe, well-fed, appropriately dressed and happy – and that all those things happen in a house that is clean, safe, decorated and attractive.  (Incidentally, I was initially wary of talking about law school in this post, but so much of our lives revolve around it and the way she deals with all its consequences is a large part of Danielle’s beauty that I had to talk about it.)  In all her “free time,” Danielle manages to run an internet business, take on-line classes for a second bachelor’s degree, deal with our two pesky dogs and run our kids’ taxi service.  It makes me tired to think about, but this is her life, one that she chose and she wouldn’t have it any other way (except for maybe a maid).

Danielle tells me all the time that she doesn’t feel as though she lives up to the “Proverbs 31 Woman” standards.  She is far too harsh on herself.
   She is an excellent wife and is far more precious to me than any jewels.  I trust her implicitly with our children, our finances, her decisions and our safety.  I have success only because of her.  Every day (even when she feels sick), she is good to our children and me by working with willing hands from before sunrise (when Jackson wakes) until far after sunset (when Danielle finishes her homework).  Without any complaints, she has dinner ready every night when I arrive home.  She dresses herself and our children appropriately and modestly even when that isn’t the norm or in style any more.  She produces good and valuable crafts for sale and runs her business efficiently.  She is charitable to those in need with her time and skill.  She is strong when it is needed and laughs freely, even in times of stress.  She is never idle and looks after our house with the organizational skill of a CEO and the patience of a stone.  Our children love Danielle dearly and tell her so.  Her works will praise her in the gates.  She fears and loves our Lord without reservation.  Someday, I will “give you the fruit of your hands” and that fruit will be another red Jeep Wrangler.

To Danielle:  Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.   You are my wife, and you are a Proverbs 31 wife, whether you set out to be one or not.

And (on top of everything else) you’re beautiful.

This Beauty is off the Market!

  I could go on and on and on...and on about this beautiful girl.  But I'm not going to, because if there are any guys reading this you are about to get very jealous.  Sarah is smart, funny, compassionate, loving, joyful, and...TAKEN!  Sarah just got engaged!  Congratulations, Sarah!  We love you and wish you and the lucky guy who won your heart, Steve, a beautiful life together!

Not Just a Beautiful Voice

Does this beautiful face look familiar?  If not, I'm betting her voice would be familiar to you.  Colleen is one of the voices you hear on Spirit FM almost every day!  Colleen spends her workday helping the rest of us get through ours by playing our favorite music, giving us bits of information, and uplifting and encouraging us through the radio waves.

Colleen is not just an uplifting, encouraging, beautiful voice on the radio.  In fact, the aspect of Colleen's life that makes her feel most beautiful is her role as wife and mother.  Being with her husband and son makes her feel needed, loved, and happy.

Thanks, Colleen, for being a part of the Real Beauty project!

Is Your Sunday School Teacher Beautiful? Mine is!

This beauty, Dorothy, is the second-best Bible teacher I know.  She won't mind the runner-up status, because she happens to be married to the front runner!  She and her fabulous husband have taught me most of what I know about the Bible, and they've done something even better....they've instilled in me a desire to learn more on my own.

Dorothy, or Mrs. F. as all the children call her, is a faithful Sunday School teacher.  When my children were little, they learned Old Testament stories in Mrs. F's class, even dressing up and acting out the stories for the rest of the church.  I love to see the children in her class now wearing the same costumes my kids wore when they were in her class.  She also teaches a lot about missions, something my kids and I never really had much interest in until we heard it from her.

Dorothy's not only a beautiful teacher, though, she's also a hiker, a grandmother, and an angel collector.  She is an encouragement to the women around her.  The lesson she's tried to teach me in particular is to think before speaking, and  I hope she'll get to see me finally learn that one!

Thanks, Mrs. F, for all you've taught us.  You are beautiful!