You know how they say your nose never stops growing?

I'm pretty sure the same is true for my forehead. Over the last couple years, I've been increasingly
conscious about the size of my noggin and I've been thinking about hairstyles that will flatter my big-head a little more. So, recently, I started pinning things like "bangs" "long hair bangs" "2013 bangs" "trendy bangs" and "cute bangs" on my hair and make-up board on Pinterest.

And I kept pinning. 

And pinning some more. 

Do you see the size of my ginormous forehead? Am I the only one who sees this?

When I got a hair cut the other day, I ALMOST asked Candy, my Hair Artist, to cut bangs for me. Alas, we were in a hurry and I took it as a sign to stay in the world of no-bangs. I was still thinking about it. though; the pins were taunting me. So, I asked around for insight. When I mentioned taking the bang plunge, one friend said she was "scared for me."  My sister-in-law gave me the, "oh...oh....I just don't know..." So, I considered their words of caution, then I immediately texted Candy. We're so doing this. "How soon can you cut them?"

Hey, I'm 10 kinds of dramatic when it comes to hair cutting and styling and coloring. Remember when I cut my own while I was pregnant?

How about my blonde hair? Anywho. I ain't scared of no hair transformation.

SO, the first time we could meet for the bang-ectomy was yesterday. She basically cut the coat of a small dog of my head and it was done. Finished. 10lbs of my hair scattered across the floor. AND, I am the proud wearer of some rockin' bangs that reduce the appearance of my giant head and, keep me a little warmer, in fact.

I rather like them, what do you think?

In case you care, I used the Conair Infiniti YOU CURL Curling Wand, Thermal Styling Spray by Kenra, and about 12 gallons of hair spray as well as  to curl my hair as shown in the photo above.

Now, back to Pinterest so I can Pin more "chalk paint" ideas for our bathroom cabinets. If it works out (or, you know, if it doesn't) a blog post is sure to follow. 

Thrift store shopping - It ain't just dead folks' clothes.

Thrift store shirt and thrift store jeans. Holla!

I may have blogged on this topic before, but I'm not sure. You're going to have to bare with me; we're working on week four of illness in this house!

I don't know about you guys, but I'm pretty appalled at the price of clothing. I don't pay full-price, but even at that, the sale prices aren't much better! I try to buy off-season, from garage sales, on clearance, or...MY FAVORITE...shop the thrift stores!

Thrifting isn't just for Halloween costumes, you guys. Every time I go, I walk away with name-brand (and often high-end) merchandise for a fraction of the cost (I could totally write commercials, no?). Anywho. Our little girls and I went on a thrifting excursion. We spent about an hour at the local Goodwill and came out with a few great items!

My oldest girl got a Gap dress and a classic Ralph Lauren dress and some like new Keen sandals ($50 new). I walked away with Old Navy jeans ($35 new), a Lands End Canvas dress ($60-80 new), and two more summer dresses. My middle girly got a sweet Disney brand princess shirt. We also picked up some other random stuff ~ thermal coffee mugs (you know those are probably marked up about 900% in the stores); a gum-ball machine; a nice metal basket; and a random piece of Pfaltzgraff that the two-year-old picked out. :) All of that - $46 and change (plus priceless memories made hunting for treasures with my girls). It's really important to me to teach them that God wants us to be thrifty with the monetary blessings he's given us. Showing all of our children that shopping at thrift stores isn't just something that needy people do, it's something that frugal people do and it helps us use more of our money to spend, save, and give elsewhere to the glory of God!

We don't have to get back-handed by retail price tags. Here are some helpful tips that I like to keep in mind while perusing the racks at thrift stores (because some stuff there is past it's prime):

1. Label Shop - Items with designer/higher-end labels are generally well taken care of.
2. Know when the sale days are - some stores have them and some don't. If you can find 50%/75% off days, you can score AMAZING deals!
3. Look for thrift store coupons in your local sales flyers - some of the independent shops do this.
4. Check all items for stains, holes, pilling, missing buttons, etc. 
5. Don't buy just to buy. Make sure everything you buy is something you'd really use. If it looks like something you would have donated yourself, leave it on the rack. There are plenty of items that look more worn, but there are many awesome like-new items as well. Sometimes you'll luck out and find items with tags still attached! Sometimes 
6. If you find a lot of pants in the brand/size you're looking for - venture to the other aisles. Chances are someone with your taste (who's your size) dropped off the motherlode and now it's your lucky day! Check it out!
7. Don't write off used housewares! Lots of good things in that department (barely used pots and pans, pretty dishes, mugs, specialty pans, crockpots and more). 
8. Be sure to check the book section! Lots of great books (including kids books) for under $1 usually.

Happy thrifting!

Where do you get your beauty tips?

I was digging through my makeup bag the other day for some gold eye shadow. I thought to myself, I should make a VLog on makeup application! I hear so many adult women claiming that they don't know what to do with this or that beauty product and that's something I know quite a bit about. Maybe a VLog demo would be helpful? And, upon further consideration, maybe not.
The Lord convicted my vain notions and has been putting my nose in scripture that illustrates real beauty ever since. He's been working up this post in my heart and, I could probably write a book on all I've learned. Maybe I will sometime, but for the sake of today's post, I want to share a little of what I've learned as I've been taking beauty tips from the Bible.

As a woman, I know the depths to which we travel to for the sake of beauty. To be completely honest, I have changed my entire appearance a multitude of times just for the sake of vanity. It's a rare day that I'm happy with my appearance through and through. I just realized, after fussing over many boxes of hair dye in the wrong shade, make-up that didn't blend correctly, fake nails that snapped off, designer jeans, purses, dresses, and shoes that I had to have, workout programs that I gave up on and miracle diets blown, true beauty doesn't come from any of those places! Now, before anyone gets bent out of shape over this, I want to tell you that I don't see that any of these things done in balance are wrong; when primping our outer image to perfection takes away from the time we spend adorning our heart with the love of Christ, though, it's an issue. It's a big issue. Very clearly stated, the Bible says: "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Now, I'm almost certain that I don't stand alone when it comes to having gone to great lengths for the sake of outward appearance. I don't know about you, but until now, none of the quests for beauty I've been on have had a darn thing to do with fearing the Lord. Fearing gray hairs, yes; Fearing judgement, a larger dress size, blotchy skin, droopy eyelids, and brittle nails. Yes, all of the above and more.

I don't know why the Lord chose now to bring this to my heart; Maybe I've been spending too much time in front of the mirror and too little time in my Bible. Maybe it's because I will soon have three daughters in the house and this is a truth that they desperately need to realize early and often and I need to be ready to give it to them. Maybe it's because one of you readers needs to hear this just as much as I do. 

I love the message given in I Peter 3:3-5:

³  Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— ⁴ but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. ⁵ For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands,


What an awesome message to share with our friends and daughters! How on earth can we project beauty on the outside if our hearts are not adorned first? Why start our day digging through a cosmetics case instead of praising the Lord for all that's good? Many of the most beautiful women I know don't go to great extents with their daily beauty routines, but their Christlikeness makes them beautiful indeed! 

Of course, there's a little something to be said about outer beauty, too. As Nancy Leigh DeMoss says in her book, Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets them Free, "We as Christian women should seek to reflect the beauty, order, excellence and grace of God through our outward and inner person." She goes on to note that there is room for a balance between inner and outer beauty. This is evident in I Timothy 2:9-10.⁹ likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, ¹⁰ but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.

I think these are the messages that we need to be giving to our daughters, sisters, friends, and mothers. We need to heed Biblical direction and teach that insides adorned with a heart for Christ will ultimately lead to outer beauty as well.

So, my beautiful readers, I don't mean for you to run off and cancel all of your salon appointments, ditch your workouts and throw your cosmetic cases in the trash; the summary of this post is just this...before becoming overwhelmed with the world's definition of what's gorgeous, fill your heart with the true beauty of Christ and let that guide everything you do - including your morning makeup routine. 

TILT: Dr. Scholl's - Jamie / Where practicality meets pretty!

I'm super excited to link up with Things I Love Thursday today so I have an excuse to tell you about my new favorite shoes. When my one of my good friends and fellow blogger came back from Blissdom we got together for dinner soon after. The first thing she says to me, "here...you have to try on these shoes." She procedes to flip off her shoes and push them toward me. Now...I would have expected, "check out these cute shoes I got at Blissdom" or "hey, these new shoes are soooooo comfy." But, no. She basically went all Cinderella on me and said, "put this shoe on!" Two seconds after having them on I knew I was getting a pair, too. After a couple weeks of looking around for the right deal, I managed to get $15 in DSW coupons plus a code for free shipping and ordered my pair of Jamies, which arrived just in time for me to test them out on a trek around Disney World.

Now, I suppose you want to know why they're so awesome, right? Right. First of all, they have an great massaging gel insert that loves on your feet while you walk (this is the best part). Second, they come in a ton of awesome color combos so you can look super cool while being comfortable. Third, with the neoprene stretch collar you can easily get them on without tying/untying (when you're pregnant that's really important!) Fourth, they have awesome traction and a lining that - according to their site - wicks away moisture. I haven't tested out that feature yet. Finally, they are just cute!! I love my Jamies and I'd recommend them to anybody. They fit my friend's little skinny foot and my foot that looks like it belongs to Fiona from Shrek. I think means they're universally awesome!


Now that I've given you a bajillion reasons to love these shoes, go getcha' a pair! Just Google "Dr. Scholl's Jamie" for lots of shopping options. 

Did I mention this post is linked up to Things I love Thursday (TILT) at Maria Dismondy's Blog - Be the Difference? Go check it out and see what everyone else is loving this week!