Genuine Beauty

a whimsical walk

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:12:00 +0000

It was such a beautiful day out that I decided to go for a walk;

my shadow came with me.

I managed to get lost in an enchanted forest.

I tossed a pebble in the clear water just to watch the ripples.

Then I caught a leaf as it twirled around my head in a little gust of wind,

and I smiled because i felt like it.

Found a cozy little spot to sit and think,

and think some more

and I watched the clouds get tangled in the trees, while I continued to think...

Until I fell asleep.

.blogspot

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 04:00:00 +0000

It's that time of the year again (domain renewal) and I'm once again not sure if my site name, genuinebeau.com, automatically renewed or not. If for any reason you cannot get to my site by the usual address, please save this one to your favorites:

www.genuinebeau.blogspot.com

navy blue (a guest post at Bramblewood)

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:45:00 +0000

Click HERE for my outfit post at Bramblewood Fashions!

a rainy sunday morning

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:47:00 +0000

shoes- Ross, jeans- AE, bag- Ross, trenchcoat- Old Navy

"Love has a way of turning even a rainy day into a day filled with sunshine and rainbows."
(unkn)

ready for the weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:37:00 +0000

carmel apple spice. soooo good.

office-wear

traditional V-Day breakfast with special notes

not my story

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Some of you know me and/or have been following my blog for quite some time now, but for those of you who don't, my name is Beth, I am 22 and the eldest of 9 siblings. My family and I recently moved from a little historic town along the Ohio River to South Carolina last November.
I was raised in a Christian home so thinking about Heaven, Hell, God etc. was not an unusual thing for me.
One night (I was about 7 years old) I was lying awake on my top bunk, it was dark, and all I could think about was death. Where was I going after I died? I started thinking about being put into a coffin and buried into the ground...I was pretty scared. I remember running into my parents room and telling them all about it -Dad must have said a few encouraging things to me because I went right back to my room after talking with them and fell asleep.

The next day my Dad came to me with a little white and blue tract in his hand: He shared the Gospel message with me that day. Dad showed me how I could never get to God by my own works or deeds but that God bridged that gap between man and Himself with the cross: with His own life.
That day I prayed with my Dad and told the Lord I knew I was a sinner and that I wanted Him to come into my life, and He did.

During my preteen and early teen years I felt this fire burning in me for the Lord; I read tons of missionary biographies, the Jesus Freak books, I was subscribed to Christian magazine etc.
I wanted to GO!
I was ready to reach the furthest village in deep, dark Africa, or smuggle Bibles into the heart of China.

But God didn't have the same plans.

I started to feel discontented with everything and I lost some of that zeal.

While reading an old book by Isabel Alden one day (the book was "Ester Reid" I believe) I came across a line that said, "content to fill a little space if Thou be glorified". That line stuck with me and I eventually put it on a plaque and hung it up in my room.

I began praying for contentment; to have a spirit that was happy with the simplest task and the smallest opportunities and to be able to utilize the moment with the tools God had given me.

I knew that I'd been wanting the "greener grass" but I wasn't kidding myself about how things would be once I got it...I'd want the next greener pasture, and the next...

God has been teaching me (and I've been slowly learning), that every moment He gives to us is precious, and to not wish our lives away or sit around waiting for that next best thing.

Then in November of 2011 our family made the decision to move from where we had lived for 14 years to a place where the only people we knew where the people in my Dad's business.

I won't say it was easy because leaving everything and everyone you've grown up with never is.
But I've discovered that being content goes hand-in-hand with trusting the Lord; and it took a lot of trust to make such a big move.

I can't end without saying that God has blessed me, abundantly. A lot of the opportunities and things I had prayed for as a teen, he has given me in a very short time.

The Bible says in Luke 16:19a "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones."

Just know, that if God is glorified in yet the smallest thing you do, then it will be worth it. And contentment, true contentment that can only come from God, will follow.

pure and noble

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:10:00 +0000

via Pinterest

“Womanhood is a wonderful thing. In womankind we find the mothers of the race.There is no man so great, nor none sunk so low, but once he lay a helpless, innocent babe in a woman's arms and was dependent on her love and care for his existence. It is woman who rocks the cradle of the world and holds the first affections of mankind. She possesses a power beyond that of a king on his throne.
...Womanhood stands for all that is pure and clean and noble. She who does not make the world better for having lived in it has failed to be all that a woman should be.”

― Mabel Hale, Beautiful Girlhood: A Timeless Guide for Christian Adolescense

place your hand over your heart

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:37:00 +0000

via Pinterest

I friend posted this on Facebook this morning:

"Having a rough morning? Place your hand over your heart: that's called purpose. You're alive for a reason. Don't give up."

Isaiah 40:28-31

"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (KJV)

be my strawberry valentine? {fudge recipe}

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:37:00 +0000

my strawberry fudge :)

Does anyone else feel really good about themselves when they actually make or do one of the things they've put on their Pinterest boards? I thought so.

Well I decided to give the "2 Ingredient Fudge" recipe a try...
It's as simple to make as it sounds and tastes delicious! Not to mention it looks pretty cute too. This would be a sweet little something to make on Valentine's Day...you'd never have thought of that if I hadn't mentioned it, huh? Mhm.

The recipe: Cookies and Cups.com

don't live a static life of waiting

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:34:00 +0000

via pinterest

I thought I'd share few quotes from one of my favorite books:

"A girl who lives a static life of waiting to be married is not attractive. Think what it conveys: “I’ll just sit here idly while waiting for someone to come and give me a purpose, and a house and money and food and make me happy and love me.” It’s very needy. A man wants a companion, not a sympathy case."

(Pearl, Debi; Michael Pear; Clint Cearley (2010-08-27). Preparing To Be A Help Meet: A Good Marriage Starts Long Before the Wedding (Kindle Locations 764-766). No Greater Joy Ministries, Inc.. Kindle Edition.)

"Walk in truth and joy, become a servant, study and learn all manner of different skills, practice honoring those in authority over you, and pray for every man you know who seeks the Lord; pray that these men have the heart to labor for the harvest. In all this you will become the kind of woman a man wants and needs. You will become a Miss Right. When you are that kind of woman…God will make sure Mr. Right finds you."

(Pearl, Debi; Michael Pear; Clint Cearley (2010-08-27). Preparing To Be A Help Meet: A Good Marriage Starts Long
Before the Wedding (Kindle Locations 4234-4249). No Greater Joy Ministries, Inc.. Kindle Edition.)

"Remember, you will never regret any time you spent on your relationship with the Lord and ministry for the Lord. You are building faith and character to take into your marriage to bless your husband and future children. And your husband will be thankful if you don’t bring debt into your marriage, so work as unto the Lord!"

(Pearl, Debi; Michael Pear; Clint Cearley (2010-08-27). Preparing To Be A Help Meet: A Good Marriage Starts Long Before the Wedding (Kindle Locations 2794-2797). No Greater Joy Ministries, Inc.. Kindle Edition.)

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6)

miss you

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:35:00 +0000

Emily and I at Red Robin

Katelyn and I drove to Myrtle beach Monday night to take our sister Emily to the airport early the next morning. She is flying to Costa Rica today and will be gone three months for a Christian Spanish immersion program. I'm very excited for her but I will miss her a lot.

sweet potato fries and a burger with teriyaki sauce and pineapple

Monday night we just hung out at the hotel doing silly sister things, like jumping in the elevator(...ahem), making a late night run for doughnuts and laughing at each other's goofy jokes.

Love you sis, can't wait until you're back!

<3

not our circumstances

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:40:00 +0000

edited photo i took last friday at the park.

Mrs. Washington really knew what she was talking about when she made the above statement. Everytime I read it I'm convicted by it, challenged and inspired.

shoes- shoe sensation, tights- walmart, dress- f21, sweater- sears, purse- ross

a day at the park

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:29:00 +0000

Friday...

Somehow I snapped a picture of the sunroof. Look at all that blue!

Sunburst.

Liquid gold.

So I was riding with a friend when I suddenly noticed the sunset to the left of me; I had to stop and take a picture! I had never seen the color blue in a sunset before...just look at those hues! Beautiful.

Exploring our park trails.

four-thousand words

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:28:00 +0000

waiting.

layers.

Palm-tree.

More than one.

peanut butter summer

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:47:00 +0000

When it feels like summer outside....I dress for summer! My shadow approves.

You can do this the night before and when you take it out the next day you will have beachy-looking waves.

Probably the best snack/breakfast you could ask for: Peanut Butter on warm toast, chocolate chips that melt into the PB and a generous amount of coconut to top it off. Delish.

much to-do about plenty

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:22:00 +0000

I have been overwhelmed lately with busy days that end as quickly as they start and I end up feeling as if nothing was actually accomplished that really needed to be. *Enter checklist*

How revolutionary. ;)

Before I go to bed, I write down several things I know I need to do the next day on a post-it note, and I stick it on my calender. I like to write down at least one thing that I have to do everyday because I know it will be checked off, and we all love that feeling of accomplishment, do we not? ;)

The first thing on my list below has to do with my job, and none of the to-do items are listed in any particular order.

I'm also managing my time a little better -getting up earlier and going to bed earlier (thats a big deal when you are a night-owl like me), but it's working! I made it through a Monday and did everything I needed to get done for the day! It felt sooo good. ;)

The craft (something fun and relaxing) ended up being an "inspiration wall". My walls still felt a little bare to me so I decided to jazz it up with some photos of places I've been or want to go, letter's from friends, quotes etc. Thanks for the idea Rebecca. ;)

Before

After

My favorite.

a busy week!

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:37:00 +0000

I am so excited. :) I finally got an "official" invite to the Wednesday youth meeting from the youth pastor, Tim! I've already signed the papers for them to do a background check on me to see if I'm a criminal or not, ha; hopefully they won't find out about that one particular incident though... Just kidding. ;)
I got to talk to him over the phone on Thursday for at least half an hour about the upcoming leadership program this weekend -he wants me to help! He calls it "Summit" (not to be confused with the Summit Ministries program I went to last May). I guess the most exciting part is having no clue what all I'll be doing to help (ha-ha it's an adventure, right?) but also the fact that the Lord is giving me this opportunity to be involved. So excited. :)

A few other things that my week comprised of:

Voting for the first time in South Carolina.
Bowling with the family.
Watching Beauty and the Beast in 3D!
Mexican *and* Chinese food -although not both on the same day. ahem.
Visiting a new Sunday-school class this morning.
Helping with the AWANA program at church. I love the Cubbies! ;)
Celebrating my brother's 18th birthday.
Watching my co-worker's son's Boy Scouts flag burning ceremony. It was really neat.
And learning that God ALWAYS has a plan, I just have to be patient.

sometimes you take your outfit pictures where ever there is a mirror ;)
shoes-Journeys, legwarmers- Shoe Sensation, jeans -JCP, blue shirt- JCP, sweater- AE, earrings- F21?

And now for another new week!
Who knows what adventures are awaiting us... ;)

so many fabulous far away places

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:06:00 +0000

Hawaii via pinterest
Who's up for some surfing? :)

Swallows Nest Sea Castle, Crimea via pinterest
This makes me want to sing that song, "somewhere beyond the sea".

Prague via pinterest
I think of Tangled and the Festival of Lights when I see this picture.

Rothenfluh near Schwyz in Switzerland via pinterest
No wonder Heidi never wanted to leave...

Germany via pinterest
A winter-wonderland! I'd be fine with spending winter here -and Christmas too for that matter.

This has always been one of my favorite songs (can't remember if I've posted it before but I guess it won't hurt to post again! ;) It's from the original Doctor Doolittle movie but it's sung by Sammy Davis Jr.

questions from a fellow blogger

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:19:00 +0000

I was visiting with Marie from Marie Loves today :) Follow the link to see what we were up to!

all in the shoes

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:32:00 +0000

Uggs -target

Yesterday I went shopping with my sister for a few more things that she needed for her
upcoming trip; she's going to Costa Rica for a Christian Spanish immersion program -3 months.

I wore these comfy boots during the day yesterday with leg warmers but they aren't really showing up in the pictures.

purple cami -JCP, white shirt -AE, coat -Sears (junior section for $17!), jeans -JCP, leg warmers (they are purple but you can barely see them) -Shoe Sensation, flats -Old Navy

That same evening my sister's and I had a dinner date with a friend so I just swapped out the shoes for a more formal look (more formal than casual but not formal..you get the idea ;). I would have swapped out the bag as well if I wanted to go all out. But I didn't. Plus, we all know how much of a pain it is to switch out purses...and you always end up forgetting something in the purse you left behind. ha-ha

For laughs.

(how a "real man" eats an oreo)

the opposite of inconspicuous

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:25:00 +0000

via weheartit.com

My family decided to visit another church this morning and as usual, everyone was runnin' around getting ready; the instant I pulled out a breakfast cookie from the freezer to heat up, Dad said we had to leave...no breakfast for me. Sniff.

This church's service started earlier than the other one we had been attending so we ended up running a little late (I still I had an extra 15 minutes! wrong..) As usual, I tend to stress over Sunday mornings by trying to round up everyone and get out the door on time so we don't have to awkwardly walk in late. It's not really the best way to start off your Sunday morning: stressed.

I kind of held my breath while waiting in the car for the last person to come out the door so we could hit the road. It was only a four minute drive to the church but once we got there, and finally found a parking space, we had to walk a good distance (in the bitter cold wind) to get to the main entrance. Once we got inside and were right outside the sanctuary, an usher went to find seating for us and then had us follow him.

Do you want to know what the opposite of inconspicuous is? It would probably be a family of twelve walking in a long trailing line down...and around...and through the aisles, while the rest of the congregration was still seated. Yep, that would have to be it.

I couldn't help but smile to myself the whole time (it was a long walk to our seats) and think, "Okay God, I get your point. Next time I'll spend less time worrying over being on time and what people might think, and more on You".

We need to slow down, take deep breaths and know that things are never half as bad as we make them out to be.

Sometimes the Lord shows a little humor when he corrects us, does He not? ;)

twenty-five ways to wear a scarf

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:47:00 +0000

This video was too cute not to post! Who knew there where so many ways to tie a scarf?? ;)

crunchy french fries

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:41:00 +0000

shoes -journeys, jeans -jcp, vest -consignment, shirt -maurices

Can be found at many Kroger or Food Lion stores.

I found out that the local Food Lion stores have health food sections! They are a lot like our Krogers back at home. Just take a gander at what I found in ours. ;) I tried these from my Grandparent's Kroger in Kentucky and thought they were pretty good; they're made with rice flour and do not contain gluten, or dairy.
These cinnamon-sugar "Donuts" come frozen so I just put them on a paper towel and warm them in the microwave for less than thirty-seconds.

As far as my breakfasts go though... I've been sticking with the breakfast cookies. ;)

Yesterday was a pretty busy day. Right after work I went with Mom and a couple of my siblings to help them pick out shoes for soccer, went to BedBath&Beyond for a few things (and to take advantage of the sale. I also saw an awesome "road and mountain" canvas there thats pictured above :). Right after we got home I rushed out with the three oldest boys to take them to the soccer field; I had a coupon for Ruby Tuesday's so we ate out afterwards.

For some reason the fries were really crunchy (I don't really like them super crunchy) so I asked to get a new batch (hey, the waitresses are always asking if the food and everything is okay so when it's not, ya gotta say something. lol In a very kind way of course. ;) My brothers ended up eating half of them though, thanks guys. ;)

healthy breakfast cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 03:55:00 +0000

I decided to give these yummies a try today! I found the recipe for these "Breakfast cookies" on Blueberry Girl's website through Pinterest (gotta love that place).

I'm always on the look out for anything that can be made quickly for breakfast since I'm usually in a hurry in the mornings. Make-ahead breakfast cookies? Bingo.

The recipe called for dried fruit but I used semi-sweet chocolate chips (they are dairy-free) and raisins -plus I didn't have any dried fruit on hand anyway. ;P

They really tasted quite good (chocolate makes anything work ladies, we all know it. ha-ha) and all I have to do is wrap each one and freeze it, then the night before I can take it out of the freezer (still wrapped) and let it sit out over-night so that it's ready for breakfast the next morning!

Let me know if you give them a try. :)

Enjoy!

Note: The only ingredient you may not have on hand is the Almond Flour. I used the Bob's Red Mill brand which you can typically find at Kroger or Food Lion.

Also, you may want to pop them in the microwave for a few seconds -I prefer mine warm; it tastes better in my opinion.

the market common

noreply@blogger.com (Beth Ann) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 01:48:00 +0000

jeans- JCP, shoes- Journeys, sailboat shirt Old Navy, forgot where I got the ring..

Yesterday, a friend of ours took my Mom, my sisters and I to The Market Common -an open shopping area in Myrtle.
The weather was so beautiful (70 degrees!); I saw a rocking chair outside of a surf shop and just sat there for a little while soaking up the sunshine. Deliciousness.

I found a cute shop called Francesca's Collectibles, where I picked up a few gifts for friends, and a place called Random that had a table full of Pam Am bags! I wish they hadn't been so expensive...I wanted one so bad. Sigh.

We went to a place called California Pizza for lunch -I restrained myself from getting pizza (gluten *and* dairy? ..not the best combo for me) and I got a Teriyaki Chicken salad instead...verrry tasty. My stomach thanked me. ;)