To Live Beautiful

Traveling Mercies

2009-07-20T13:25:00.002-05:00

I learned this expression several years ago when I read Anne Lamott’s, Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith. My family just returned from a long car trip, I’m talking loooooooong car trip and while I stared out the window daydreaming, my mind kept drifting to the phrase traveling mercies. I decided it is a very kind and thoughtful thing to say.

You’ve certainly heard people say, “Drive carefully” or “Be safe” before they say good-bye to someone venturing out on the open roads (well, hopefully open…in our case we kept finding pockets of traffic). People mean well when they say that, but they are funny expressions and by funny I mean somewhat silly and almost trite.

It might sound strange to hear someone say, “Traveling Mercies” today but I think it’s time for a comeback. By sending someone off with this saying we are reminded who is and forever will be in the driver seat of life. It is a wonderfully simple, yet powerful way of saying, “God be with you specifically on the road as you travel” (or in the air if you’re flying, or by boat, or by train, or by blimp or…I have been in that car toooooo loooooong).

I’m going to keep it short and sweet today because I officially have road brain, you know where if I close my eyes for longer than a minute I see the white lines and guardrails. And if I really concentrate and breathe in I can still smell the brown bags of fast food and doggy breath that punctuated the odor of the inside of the car, forever ridding it of that precious new car smell.

So, to you and yours this summer as you travel, “Traveling Mercies!”

Give Beautiful

2009-07-19T22:32:00.002-05:00

For many of us, giving away our hard earned money does not sound appealing. It takes discipline, and let's be honest, I'd rather spend the money on a sweet vacation or a new technical toy. However, I know that I am only a steward of the money God has given me. When I look at it that way, it gives me GREAT pleasure to budget some money that goes toward building something that will last longer than the days I have left on earth.

If you've been looking for ways to support other ministries, but just don't know how or which ones, I would encourage you to check out these ones listed below! I have personal connections with them and highly recommend supporting them. E-mail them, get to know them; these are the people who have figured out what "living beautiful" really means.

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Watermelon Ministries

"Equipping Thousands to Reach Millions"

:: About ::

Watermelon Ministries Equips Ministries and Individuals

For Ministries

1. We tell your story. – With photography, video production, website and print design.
2. We help you become more fruitful. – Through communications strategy and ministry consulting.
3. We connect you with others. – Through this website and networking.

For Individuals

1. We tell our story. – Through speaking engagements, one on one meetings, and this website.
2. We connect you with meaningful service opportunities. – Through this website and networking.

Founder Josh MacLeod shares his story:

In Sep of 2004, I sat at the kitchen table of my father-in-law, (who was also the president of the company I worked for) and informed him that I was going to leave my job and start a non-profit organization named after a fruit. A Watermelon to be specific.
Before this radical move, I was the national manager of a successful courtroom presentation company and had recently published the lead article in the Nashville Bar Journal. “considering courtroom technology”. I was bringing down a pretty nice salary complete with company car, cell phone, insurance and matching 401k. We had been so successful in the previous 5 years that we had just opened an office in Atlanta. The future was so bright…I had to wear shades...
Earlier in the year, I had worked on a huge case in Houston TX. By huge, I mean 500 million dollars huge and I was flown out to help with a major hearing. At the end of the day, the attorney I was helping (who incidentally owned 100 of his own personal cars) came over and with a congratulatory handshake told me, “Josh, you’re the best we’ve ever worked with.”
So, what led me to leave this successful career and start a non-profit?

Read Josh's Full Story

Learn More about Watermelon Ministries

Watermelon Ministries is making a HUGE difference in the lives of widows in nursing homes with Scripture Prints.

Here is a little bit about Picture of Heaven: Joshua has taken thousands of photographs during his trips to all corners of the world. He has then returned and used a handful of the photographs to illustrate passages in scripture. These Picture’s of Heaven fuse photography with scripture passages to remind viewers of the importance of the Word of God. Watermelon Ministries freely distributes the prints to widows in nursing homes.

Learn how YOU can get involved.

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Bart & Emily Allen:

Missionaries en route to Papa New Guinea

:: About ::

Our desire as a family is to have a small part in taking God's Word to those who have never heard it. We have finished our training and are now in the process of raising support to head to the country of Papua New Guinea.

Bart grew up as a missionary kid in Bangladesh. Emily grew up as a farm girl in Pennsylvania. Luke was born in Ohio and Titus in Michigan. Together as a family we are looking forward to serving the Lord in Papua New Guinea!

We both graduated from Cedarville University in Ohio. After getting married in 1999, Bart served as a youth pastor for several years. We knew we wanted to be involved in missions but didn't know what steps to take.

The Lord led us to New Tribes Bible Institute in August of 2003. We just wanted to get some good Bible training, but the Lord had some additional plans! While at Bible school, we were made aware of the huge need for tribal missions. About 2,500 language groups around the world have no Scriptures in their language! Not even one verse! They have no way of hearing the Truth of God's Word unless someone goes and tells them. Throughout our two years of in-depth Bible study, we became more and more convinced that the Lord could use us to reach some of these people.

We have been blessed with two special boys. Luke is 6 1/2 and Titus is 4. They love to play outside, sing songs, read books and build Lego creations. When we go on a trip, one of them will often ask - "Are we leaving for PNG now?" It is so neat for us to watch them learn and grow. Please pray that they will clearly see Christ as we follow Him.

Read More News and Updates from Bart and Emily Allen

You can donate a one time gift or monthly support on their website

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2009-07-19T20:17:00.003-05:00

Today I had an wonderful day with my family and for my debut on To Live Beautiful, I felt this day would be a great way to introduce myself. My name is Marianne and I am the mother of two daughters, a wife, and am a small business owner who lives in Vermont. When I am able to keep my life in balance, I am able to appreciate all of these aspects of my life. Today was one of those rare days when it all fell into place.

We were able to spend the day as a family enjoying the most magnificent views while trying to enjoy a beach day. I say trying, because here in VT today, it was low 70's and quite windy on the lake. As my husband and I sat and watched our daughters try to stay in the water despite shivering, we looked at the mountains in front of us and truly sat and appreciated just how blessed our life is.

What could have been a disaster (cold, windy, friends not playing with our children, etc...) became a moment to live in the present and share in gratitude. Yes, we were wrapped up in towels shivering together with our children, but we stayed, played, and felt that even though the day was definitely not at all as we had planned, it did turn out to be a gift. Our children were happy, the day was beautiful (despite the weather), our life felt stress-free (at the time), and we were able to just be. Do you know what I mean? Just be? Be together...be happy...be grateful...be a family...be.

I do believe life truly is what you make it. Today was one of those days that could have been a huge disappointment. Instead, I decided to be grateful, and mindful of all the beauty around me...and that flowed to my family. (Because don't you think many parents set the tone for the day with their attitude?)

And overall, I'd say it was in balance for today. Let's hope tomorrow will as well.

Pure Joy

2009-07-17T22:43:00.003-05:00

Lately, I've been doing a lot of reflecting on my life. I've been looking at where I believe God wants me to go and whether or not I'm really following His guiding. Over and over again, I've come to realize that who I am in the moment is so much more important than where I think I'm supposed to be heading. I've started to ask myself questions like "Is this really important in the long run?" and "Do I actually enjoy what I'm doing at the moment?"

With these questions, I am not attempting to be hedonistic so much as realistic. There are countless times in the New Testament where Paul tells us to "count it all joy" whatever our circumstances. Ive been trying to be more mindful of my state of mind and enjoyment.

Tonight, I decided to take some time for myself and work on some scrapbooking that I'm way behind on. I've been categorizing pictures, labeling them, naming them, and even more than that, reliving the memories of the moments that we caught on film. One of the pictures of my son really grabbed my attention. This is what I would call the ultimate example of pure joy...

What have you done lately to experience even a touch of this kind of joy in your life?

A Beautiful Diet

2009-07-14T05:39:00.001-05:00

When you try to lose weight, do you say you’re “going on a diet?” I’ve been indoctrinated with Weight Watchers speak for so long that I was surprised to hear a woman talking about her “diet” this past weekend.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’ve just had it drilled into me that diets don’t work; only lifestyle changes work.

But you know what? It doesn’t matter what you call it. Fact is, some of us are healthy and some of us aren’t. Whether you are super healthy (woohoo!) or, like me, aren’t as healthy as you’d like or need to be, let’s talk about food choices. Or, if you will, The Diet.

When you are making a conscious effort to eat healthy – whether to lose weight, gain weight, maintain cholesterol levels or just be a good steward of the body God gave you – what do you eat?

Before I get started, I’ll put your mind at ease: I’m not a paid – or unpaid, actually – reviewer. Nobody asked me to push certain products on you. I’m just telling you about what works for me! (And linking because I like to link.)

Now. For me, healthy choices include instant oatmeal, Kashi waffles and light syrup, or a high fiber bagel and light cream cheese for breakfast.

Lunch is difficult right now, but when I’ve done a good job of losing weight, I’ve eaten frozen meals for lunch most days. Smart Ones seem to be easiest on my budget, but my grocery store has tons of other brands, too. I’ve read several times about Amy’s frozen foods – being healthy and tasty.

But I’ll be honest – I haven’t bought any frozen meals since getting pregnant, because my mom kept lecturing me about the sodium. For the record, Mom, cutting out frozen meals did not actually keep my blood pressure from skyrocketing.

Anyway.

I try to eat fruit or veggies for snacks – my favorites are apples, bananas, strawberries and carrots (with a little ranch dip!) – because I don’t eat enough of either. But I also eat a Fiber One granola bar almost every day. You can’t beat having a yummy snack that, ahem, promotes regularity and only counts for two (Weight Watchers) points!

Dinner is where I really struggle. I enjoy grilled chicken, and we are blessed to have lots of lean beef from my father-in-law’s cattle farm, but I get bored with the same meals over and over. And, oh yeah, I find it hard to eat a meal without a potato or bread. I do love me some carbs.

What do you eat when you’re eating healthy?

Photo by FLOODkOFF.

Tree outside my Window

2009-07-13T14:27:00.002-05:00

I have a tree that waves at me outside the window near where I write. I look up and the breeze pushes it to the left and to the right in a rhythmic swaying motion. It’s hypnotic and when I’m not in the mood to write I’m quite content staring up into the movement of that tree.

I’ve heard people say, “Where is God when this happens?” or “God doesn’t speak to me like he spoke to those in the Old Testament.” When I hear this it conjures up a new thought for me. What if God is speaking but we aren’t listening? What if God is using that tree outside my window to calm me and help me to remember Him and His beautiful creation as I write? What if that tree is yet another way for Him to lovingly remind me who made this entire earth and who reigns?

At any given moment throughout the day we are provided with opportunities to receive or reject what God is trying to communicate. Water flowing over our hands as we wash up for dinner—He made that. Smile we receive from our toddler as she leaps on our bellies—He made that. Bread passed around the table spread lavishly with butter—“I AM that,” He says.

What if God is constantly whispering to us through the wind, the loving encouragement of a friend, His word and in the quiet moments when we slow down enough to reflect on His creation? What if that tree really is waving to me? What if God is whispering as he shifts the tree with wind, “You are mine,” speaking both to the tree and to me?

What if?

His Glory Revealed

2009-07-09T05:00:00.005-05:00

I was delighted when a message came through my email inbox with information for the new Glory Revealed CD. When the first one was released, I went and made my purchase with great anticipation. I had heard the buzz about the artists involved in collaborating and producing the collection and was looking forward to having some new music to delight my ears. It did not fail to deliver sweet sounds of goodness.

The compilation of Glory Revealed is music set to scripture. Music is an ideal way to establish and solidify hiding God’s word in my heart. I’ve always loved music and am not fabulous at memorizing scripture, so this concept seemed to fit me perfectly. I’ve listened to the CD in the car, in our home and also at work. I’ve even caught my children singing along while we’re in route to our destination and also singing it in the shower to an audience of One. That is music to my soul.

One of my favorite songs on the CD is entitled He Will Rejoice (Zephaniah 3:17). Here is a sampling of the lyrics:

"The Lord your God is with you
He is mighty to save
He will take great delight in you
He will quiet you with His love.

He will rejoice over you with singing.
He will rejoice over you with His song."

How encouraging and uplifting are those words? That He takes great delight in me, even when I'm not too thrilled about my actions or attitudes. The lyrics remind me to reflect on His greatness and love. They take the focus off of me and place my focus on God, the One who is mighty to save. They remind me of His divine intervention in my life where I have misinterpreted His direction.

I hope that you will listen to a sample from the upcoming album, Glory Revealed II and enjoy the melodies that come from the overflow of hearts committed to spreading the Word of God.

Are you an expert in memorization or do you require repetition and a little musical help to encourage the words to abide?

Change This Mess Into Something Beautiful.

2009-07-08T14:24:00.000-05:00

Today's guest blogger is a friend of mine - Cherylyn. I love seeing artwork freely flowing out of her. Her passions include photography and writing; below is a poem she wrote and submitted for Live Beautiful months ago! I can only apologize to her for not posting it sooner! I hope you enjoy a little inspiration from a true beauty.

I just wanted to write to say hello & thank you for being so super inspiring and REALLY brightening up my life. I'm not sure if you realize how many people you are impacting through Live Beautiful... and I'm so happy that you took your dream of encouraging people and made it into something real & amazing!!! :] I'm constantly smiling at your blogs and photos and putting all your helpful tips into action...

LOVE!
Cherylyn.

"Change This Mess Into Something Beautiful."

I've had this unbearable pressure inside of me... wanting to burst out from within.
Outside is gray skies.
Stormy & windy.
There's a storm going on inside my heart too.
Chaos.
I want to lose religion.
& just have more of my Jesus.
I want him to infiltrate my heart
& permeate my blood with his goodness & light.

My heart is filled to the brink, yet empty at the same time.
There is so much to say! so much to do!
Once again... my colors and my motivation & strength are
locked in a box.

Negligent.
That is what i am.
I am such a dreamer.
& my dreams are vivid & brilliant.
I used to go after my dreams, go for the gold, & run like the wind.
but now i am standing still with possibilities, opportunities, and goals swirling violently about me.
Where do i go? what do i do?
I am stuck.
Stuck in the middle of the mud with no plan of escape.

The twinkle in my eye is dwindling.

i dream to accomplish things of significance.
but i lack the spirit i need. I do not lack in desire; only the ability to do what i was born to do.
I have come to the conclusion that even though i have no idea what the future has in store, i want nothing less than to be where God wants me to be, to follow his footsteps, and to live only in the glory of his will for me. If i keep floundering around in my own plans, with my own strength, what is my life even worth? I want to be used for something spectacular.

I am going through a season of immense change. The changes may seem small or insignificant to others, but they are the biggest changes i've had to face in years... and i feel like my world is being rocked tumultuously. CHANGE is one of the biggest things i struggle with. But without transformation... the metamorphosis from tragic mess into something beautiful would be impossible.

Somehow, my story is part of YOUR plan.

I've been making up my own world.
I've been painting it with gold.
I pretend to be someone else.
A fictional character...
anyone but myself.
Adding sparkle to the real story.
Illuminating illusions... exaggerating escapades.

This is my dreamworld.

Dreams are destroyed.
Build them into something beautiful.
Shatter me into shards and glue my heart back together.
with your special superglue.
shiny & new.
Better than before.

The grains of sand,
slipping slowly through my hands.
time is running out...
feeling frantic, yet hiding in the deep cave of my creation.
Why am I hiding in the dark?!

Light will overtake the darkness in battle.
The dawn always prevails over the night.

There is hope for the hopeless.
YOU are my solace amidst this madness.
I am TIRED of myself.
I am sick of serenading myself.
This time i'll let YOU wear the crown.

You're the happy ending to everytragic story.
You will satisfy my soul.

FREE COFFEE Giveaway from Ordinary Inspirations !! ENDS TONIGHT

2009-07-07T14:09:00.000-05:00

Do you like coffee???

I do. Starbucks, Tim Hortons... but not Foldgers or Maxwell House. I'd rather drink Yerbe Matte.

The BEST coffee I've ever had?? Well, thanks for asking. I believe it would be while visiting the Jamaican Blue Mountains -- and drinking FRESH Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. Holy Crap. No other words can truly explain.

I'm not supposed to be drinking coffee while pregnant, but, uh... I've learned how to make a MAD MOCHA on ice. Yum.

ANYWAY -- BACK TO THE FREE GIVEAWAY!!! -- Visit Traci at Ordinary Inspirations to enter! The giveaway ends tonight. Just leave her a comment & let her know you stopped by !

Here's the LINK and CONTEST RULES.

HAVE FUN! I hope you win!

It's Cali's naptime at the Lewis household.

What's on your must-have list?

2009-07-07T05:01:00.002-05:00

Several months ago, my cousin Sarah invited me to a scrapbooking retreat in her town. It's coming up this weekend.

And I am so excited!

I'm also a little stressed, considering I have not printed a single photo since October - that's 9 months ago! I've been trying to sort and organize my thousands of digital pictures, but it's a chore. Apparently, I think my daughter is cute - and photograph-able - every single day. Several times a day.

Aside from organizing and printing my pictures, I also have to stock up on supplies and make sure I have all my tools together.

I'm a fairly simple scrapper. I don't have a die cut system, and I don't use brads or eyelets. No, I mainly use paper and adhesive.

I loooove scrapbooking paper. I have so much, and it's near impossible to keep organized. But I can guarantee that I'll buy more before this weekend. I'll buy a few extra boxes of adhesive tabs, too - it's a real bummer to run out of tape in the middle of a crop!

What are your go-to tools for crafting? Do you like a certain glue? Or yarn? Or thread, or material? I'd love to hear about your must-have lists for the crafts and hobbies in your life.

Loveable Idiosyncrasies

2009-07-06T08:51:00.002-05:00

I’m utterly convinced that it’s the odd quirky things we most remember about our loved ones. Not only do we remember the strange little mannerisms; we are drawn to people because of them.

There’s a telling and rather hysterical scene in Good Will Hunting where Robin Williams is telling Matt Damon (Will) about his late wife. Does he go on and on about her flowing hair, about the way she tended to the garden with such loving care or how she whispered sweet nothings into his ear every morning? If you’ve seen the movie, you know the answer is an emphatic NO.
Instead, he mentions missing a very specific bodily “quirk” his wife engaged in.

Why do I mention this? Because right now in my family I’m noticing some obvious idiosyncrasies. We have one child who can’t stand to have her hands sticky and who also insists upon wearing pants because she doesn’t want any bugs to attack her legs. Another child darts away from us every chance she gets and walks around the house humming the word cabuz (that’s because in toddler speak). Finally, our third child cries at the first sound of thunder and leaves love notes all around the house. I won’t even get into all the peculiar things my husband does. If I did, then I’d have to mention a few of mine and if I did that you may just stop reading. :D

The point is that we all are a bit strange. The title of one of John Ortberg’s books says it all—Everybody’s Normal Till You Get To Know Them. And what of this? Take a little time today to be grateful for all the things that make us uniquely us. Be thankful that your loved ones own those foibles. Endear yourself to them. Enjoy the loveable idiosyncrasies.

Authentic Beauty

2009-07-05T16:48:00.000-05:00

I just ran across THIS blog - and what a great post. If you really want to discover the essense of "Living Beautiful" then you need to check this one out.

Read, "Authentic Beauty."

Abigail, the blog's author currently lives in Guam, where she teaches "learning to read" at a small Christian school there. I love her idea for this blog and wish her the best!

There's Always Room for Dessert

2009-07-05T16:08:00.000-05:00

I was catching up on all of my reading on Google Reader. I didn't get far, but did read a great post by Seth Godin, "There's Always Room for Jello."

I just changed my title -- NOT to steal his content idea, but to make it more appealing to me. I mean- I LIKE jello- but i LOVE dessert.

Click on over to his site and read the short article. I could re-cap the post, give it my translation, relate it to Live Beautiful -- but it's not necessary. Just read it. You'll see why.

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By the way - if you use Google Reader -- You need to check out Feedly - it lays out your RSS subscriptions in a magazine-like fashion. It's a new, more visual way to catch up on all those articles you subscribe to!

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Freedom

2009-07-03T15:50:00.006-05:00

As I begin this post, I feel like I need to break out into song. Perhaps, America the Beautiful; maybe Happy Birthday. But the song that comes strongest to my mind at the moment is Freedom. Tomorrow will celebrate our country's 233rd birthday. During these years, many things have changed, and many things have been forgotten

This morning, I was listening to the radio as I ran errands in preparation for the holiday weekend. When I turned on the radio, James Dobson with Focus On the Family was interviewing Dave Stotts about his Drive Thru History DVD series. As I listened to them talk about the great men and women who were responsible for giving us the freedom that we celebrate tomorrow, I began to think about what a wonderful privilege we have to live in this country; as well as the great responsibility that we have been given to leave this same freedom intact for our grandchildren.

Our founding fathers gave everything that they had for the betterment of our country and their families, knowing that it would mean leaving everything that they knew and loved along with the oppression that they were escaping from.

I cannot help but wonder what they thought as they began their journey to a place that they had never seen knowing that they would probably never be able to go back to their families again. Did they have any idea of the sacrifices that they were about to make? If they didn't, do you think that they would have made the choices that they did?

Freedom is all about making choices, taking chances, and living with the consequences. Today, I'm grateful that we have this freedom. Our family plans to celebrate by having friends over tonight to have a cookout, walking in the neighborhood parade tomorrow, watching fireworks tomorrow night, then topping off the weekend with baptisms at the lake on Sunday morning.

How will you be celebrating your freedom this weekend?

Be Green Beautiful!

2009-07-02T12:14:00.001-05:00

When I offered to write for Live Beautiful, I suggested that I tackle some ways to be Beautifully Green, so while I may write about other things, the time has come to address my primary interest, which is living more ecologically friendly.

A little bit about me first: I grew up on seventy acres of green pastures dotted with cows. The area where I grew up, and where I now live, has rapidly succumbed to developments and is now much less rural and pastoral, much more houses made of ticky-tacky. Many of the developments even bear the names of the farmlands they replaced. Recently, a large swath of open grassy space near my house has been under consideration for a medical research park & I am so dismayed to learn that one of the few remaining all pasture-land major intersections will just become another in a long stretch of parking lots and bland office buildings.

My family has always recycled, my mother has always had a compost pile. I won't say that we were amazingly sensitive to the planet and being green, but certain things were just inherent in our lives. I went away to college in California, to a small liberal town where leaving a small footprint was a way of life. It was intrinsic to being there and no one made a big deal about it, we just did it. The campus recycling bins were everywhere and were collected by people on bikes. The cafeteria had a compost spot for dumping trash. The city processed wastewater through marshes. Local restaurants encouraged you to bring your own container for takeaway, penalizing you for not doing so. We were all completely unconsciously living more carefully.

In the last several years, an explosion has taken place across the nation. None of us could have missed it, could we? If you didn't see the buzzwords in every third article in nearly any magazine, then you must have caught NBC's Green Week once on television. If you haven't encountered a stainless steel water bottle, then you know someone who has. Being Green has gripped a large segment of the population and the nation is self-consciously striding towards a more sustainable future.

Selfishly, I have a hard time sometimes watching things that are a habit for me become the new top trend. I think largely because I go from being unconsciously doing to being self-aware again, facing the very conscious and conspicuous changes that are afoot. How foolish of me, though, to want things back the way they were. Whether people are being driven by an outward desire for approval and participation or they are driven by an innate sense of responsibility, at least they are making a change, right? And who am I to judge anyone who is taking steps to do things that will impact our entire planet?

So, with my confessions laid bare before you, let's carry on, shall we? I want to bring to Live Beautiful readers many ways that you can change your life for the better, hopefully incorporating changes so easily and seamlessly that you become unconscious about creating a better earth for all of us.

I know that many people offer us ways to Live Green through consumerism and I'm not going to avoid that, entirely, but hopefully we can also build together ways to be more green without spending lots of money.

Today, let's start with three easy things you can do today to make your house a greener place to live:
1. Recycle! Anything that your community will accept should be recycled. You reduce overall waste and help turn resources into new things. If you aren't sure where to go to recycle, check Earth911.com.

If you live in a place that offers no recycling, think more carefully about the items you buy and their packaging.

2. Eat local foods! I love bananas & avocados, neither of which come from Tennessee, so I will still eat them, but I try to be mindful of the rest of the food we eat and buy from local farmers as often as I can, choosing seasonally appropriate foods. I love our family farmers, I know their faces and their land, and I love knowing where my food is grown. Find a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) option near you with Local Harvest's CSA Finder.

If your community doesn't have local farmers, consider planting a garden of your own. We'll talk more about home-grown food in later posts.

3. Take your own bags! Reduce your consumption of plastic and paper bags by carrying tote bags on all of your shopping. A Live Beautiful bag would be a nice choice, but you can also find reusable bags on etsy, which connects buyers with crafters who make great handmade stuff. You can also, if you have a creative bent, make your own! To reduce consumption further, use old material from outgrown clothes, patchwork rags, or retired sheets/towels.

Those are my top three picks for today: choose one, choose all three! Make small changes in your life to make big changes elsewhere.

Enjoying Something Beautiful . . .

2009-06-30T05:00:00.000-05:00

I’m on vacation today. In Florida. Probably on the beach. Wearing a swimsuit.

[Insert deep sigh, brief hyperventilation and a few tears here.]

See, I’ve never been quite this out of shape. And really, “out of shape” doesn’t really cover it. More importantly than even my weight and health, though, is my self-image. I’ve never felt quite this ugly.

I know! I know that’s terrible! Don’t lecture me!

My husband and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in May, and this trip is partly to celebrate that. Our daughter is with my parents, and for the first time since our honeymoon, we are vacationing all by ourselves.

We’ve been looking forward to it for a long time.

But a few weeks ago, my husband said, so sweetly, “Vacation is almost here. Are you getting excited?”

And I realized that no, I wasn’t. I was so focused on the fact that I had yet again missed a “diet deadline” that I had lost sight of the fact that I was going on a great trip with my great husband.

I decided right then and there to stop thinking so negatively. I can’t change the fact that instead of losing many pounds, I’ve actually gained some. I can’t change the fact that I have to shop for a swimsuit in the Plus section of Target. And, in the short term (although, I promise I am prayerfully working on this for the long-term) I can’t change the fact that I do not like myself because of those things.

I can, however, change my attitude. I can, as we say here at Live Beautiful, enjoy the beautiful things in life.

Like my marriage. Like my husband. Like the fact that my parents purchased our plane tickets so we could take a trip further away than our old car would take us.

That day when my husband asked me about being excited? My first reaction was a pitiful whimper of a no. But what I said to him out loud is what I’ve been saying to myself ever since: “Absolutely! I can’t wait! We’re going to have so much fun!”

Ever since, I’ve been looking forward to this trip. And . . . let’s be honest . . . using self-tanner like it’s going out of business. After all, just because you can’t lose several dozen pounds in three weeks doesn’t mean you can’t get a tan!

Beautiful Pets

2009-06-29T09:40:00.004-05:00

On the heels of my parents’ dog recently dying; I’m going to write a post about how much I love pets. My husband and I were newly married when I remember crying in bed, begging my husband and telling him it was “time” to buy a dog. I searched the newspapers in Seattle, where we were living at the time. Finally, after days of hard core searching I found Samoyed puppies an hour away. I’d already researched dogs and we’d settled on Samoyeds as a potential breed. And BINGO, a new litter was only an hour away and there was just ONE female left. We both decided we wanted a female dog, not wanting to deal with aggression issues or other typical male dog issues. :D

My husband remained uncommitted during our drive to see the dogs. However, the ONE Samoyed puppy had him at first bark. My husband had no defense against that kind of cuteness. We bought her and made a home for her. That was ten years ago.

~~We like to joke that our yippy little pup has turned into a grumpy old lady. She’s grown more particular and certainly less tolerable of the kids yanking her tail. She hates to be brushed, barks to be let inside and has a newfound incontinent problem that’s doing wonders for the odor of our home.

But I love her and I’ll always swear by the enormous benefits that pets provide people. Studies have proven that pets can help lower blood pressure, lessen anxiety and even boost immunity.
~~Our dog, Korah has seen us through some rough times. She’s been there to sniff the baby blankets of all three of our girls. Korah has been sprayed by skunks, stung by a bee, has been on road trips across country, and has eaten more than her weight worth of baby wipes and peanut butter and jelly sandwich crusts. She’s nosed her way in and has officially been declared a member of our family.

There really is something to owning a pet. I’m not a cat girl, but man, oh man, I am a dog girl. I insist to my husband that I never want to be without a dog, I always want to be a dog owner. He knows me well, so he just laughs at this. But I know it and if you have a well loved pet, you know it; there is something beautiful that a pet does to your life. They provide an unparalleled unconditional love, jumping up to see you no matter whether you are at your best or your worst.

Take time today to love on the pets in your life. They offer so much and expect so little.

Singing a Housewife's Praises

2009-06-28T14:19:00.000-05:00

I'm a stay at home mom. I have a two year old, Cali Isabella and a baby boy due July 22nd.

I do a lot of cleaning. Some people wonder what the heck stay-at-home moms do all day. Well, other than preparing tasty meals, getting them down 2-year- old throats, cleaning up the mess they leave behind, doing the dishes, making grocery lists, changing diapers, scraping poop out of the training potty, changing peed-on bed sheets, doing a few loads of laundry, paying bills, managing the budget, keeping the kids happy, keeping the husband happy (need I mention more here?).... we don't do much.

Oh- and if we're lucky, we get in the shower. And if we are even MORE lucky, we can apply some makeup and fix our hair.

After a long day, I would love Dave to come home and say, "WOW, babe! This place looks amazing. This is the BEST meal I've ever had. WAY TO GO! You deserve a night out. Here's $100 to go out to eat with a friend and go buy a new outfit - shoes, accessories and everything."

Not sure if $100 would cover it... but you get the point.

And then I read Luke 17:7-10.

⁷"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? ⁸Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? ⁹Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? ¹⁰So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' "

It reminded me that I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do.

I do enjoy an evening out or some quality "me time." But my motivation should not be "because I deserve it."

I'll sing a housewife's praises; not because she deserves it, but because she does it knowing she is serving the One who created her to do it. And it couldn't make her happier...

2009-06-26T00:30:00.000-05:00

Living Beautiful is like turning an overgrown, neglected back yard into an enjoyable, colorful space.

From the middle of May to mid-June, I was able to visit my parents in PA. I was gone just over a month, and of course, when I returned, my back yard (if you can call it that) looked like this:

Every morning when I opened the blinds to let in the sunshine, I tried to look past the overgrown grass that just begged to be cut and piled high pots that deserved beautiful flowers growing in them.

Beautifying the back yard had to take second place to cleaning out the closets and getting ready for baby #2. I would get to it. Eventually.

Then my parents decided to come down and visit and they offered to help around the house. I asked if they were sure - and before they said "yes," I immediately started rattling off things that needed to be done! We cleaned out and organized closets, stabilized shelving in the closets (which I had tried to do before with no luck), updated a glider/rocking chair, moved furniture, moved it again, tackled the back yard and added plants to the front porch. Oh yeah, and they kept Cali entertained for the week.

Have you ever read or heard of the 5 Love Languages? I'm definitely not a "gift giving or receiving" type of person. However, Acts of Service is really up my ally. So for my parents to help me out with my never-ending list of things to do before baby gets here was like finding a pot of GOLD. I cannot thank them enough for their simple yet MUCH appreciated help around the house.

Here are some "after" pictures of my teeny tiny back yard and front porch. By no means did we have hundreds of dollars to spend and make it look HGTV amazing. (I would welcome them to re-do anything in my house.) But what we DID do was a huge improvement. It was simple, inexpensive, and I quite enjoy what we've created.

The grassy area looks pretty pathetic; it's going to need lots of water to bring it back to life! I'd like to put bricks or some other kind of pavers there instead. Cutting grass with scissors (yes, that's what we do) is boarder line insane. No wait. It is insane. And it never looked the way I wanted it to in my head. (it usually never does.)

SIDE NOTE: My dear husband is in New Mexico this week with the band and was caught in a severe thunder/hail storm this afternoon during his hike up a mountain. His recent tweet says it all:

Did U ever get stuck on a mt. during a severe t-storm with hail and when you get up to leave, a bear is right in front of you? I just did!

For the Love of Money or Scrapbooking?

2009-06-23T05:00:00.000-05:00

A few years ago, I thought I wanted to start a business. I’d made a habit of creating pre-made scrapbooks for friends and family, and everyone seemed to think I should sell my work.

“Hey, you should sell these!”
“Wow! This is great – I bet someone would pay good money for it!”
“Have you ever thought about doing this as a business?”

Those are pretty heady words. Especially for someone like me, who doesn’t necessarily think of herself as particularly creative, hearing that my scrapbooks were beautiful or fun or helpful was music to my ears.

Pretty soon, I started thinking they were right. I should make some money off this hobby. After all, I like doing it – why not get rich from it?

Ahem. Please, stifle your laughter. Or at least wait until I’ve walked away to roll your eyes at my naiveté. Or foolishness. We can call a spade a spade, I suppose.

What I eventually learned is that first of all, I am not an entrepreneur. While I certainly can figure out the basics of running a business, I don’t really want to. Getting a business license and opening a separate account and figuring out what LLC means and finding money to start a website (this was a few years ago, remember, before we all knew about the beauty of Blogger, and I’d never even heard of Etsy) – all those tasks were doable, but not enjoyable in the least.

Second of all, I was reminded that I don’t enjoy sales. I knew this from my days as a fundraiser, and it hasn’t changed. Even though I did hours and hours of research to determine fair market prices for my albums, I could hardly tell anyone those prices without cringing.

Third, I finally realized that while I really love making albums for other people, when it comes to do it out of obligation, it is not fun at all.

My poor friend Kim – she offered to let me do her wedding album for practice before I started this little business venture. A year and a half later, I finally returned her laundry basket full of mementos to her, with a less-than-stellar scrapbook. I was so embarrassed and disappointed in myself, but thankfully she didn’t care. She was thrilled to have her photos in an album!

And that’s when I remembered – scrapbooking is about preserving our memories. Period. It’s not about making the fanciest art project. It’s not about keeping up with the latest trends. And it’s not – for me – about making money.

These days, between Blogger and Etsy, I could probably make some decent money on this hobby of mine. But I still remember the stress I felt back then. And I haven’t forgotten the math I did when figuring out just how little I’d make after paying for supplies. So, for me, scrapbooking is just a hobby. And I’m free to love it and use it however I want – after all, it’s not like anyone’s paying me to do it!

What about you? Have you ever turned a hobby into a business? I’d love to hear how you kept your love of the hobby while also managing the day-to-day details of a business.

Framed Wildflowers

2009-06-22T09:38:00.002-05:00

I’ve never been a super crafty kind of mom, who could easily substitute as a kindergarten teacher. I love doing projects with my children, it’s just that I struggle to come up with ones that won’t leave their arms green from the tip of their fingers to their shoulders or projects that won’t leave me so exhausted by the end that I tell myself, “Never again.”

Today I want to share with you a small-scale project that my five-year-old and I took on several weeks ago. It was simple and sweet. I love this project and will probably keep it for a long time. We picked dozens of blue wildflowers from our backyard. Then we pressed the flowers and two blades of grass in a throw-together pattern, between two pieces of glass. Finally, I framed our “work”.

I’m so pleased with the result. It was a craft project. It wasn’t complicated. No one ended up with green paint or marker all up and down their arms and we made a memory. What more can you ask for from a craft project?

There is beauty in the simple crafty things we do with our children, a rich beauty that has the potential to translate into meaningful connection and memories.

Little Things

2009-06-19T10:44:00.010-05:00

This week we had the blessing of having several of my family members come to visit. This was a big deal for me since we have always lived in different states; and for most of my adult life, across the country from each other. Since we've moved back to the East Coast, we're closer than we've ever been physically, but still do not get to see each other often. In the past, I've always been the one who has traveled to visit since I was the one who moved away. This time, three of my brothers, my dad, step mom, sister-in-law and nephew all came to visit for about four days.

Now, I have to admit right here that my brothers have been blessed with a gift that my husband and I have not: they are very handy around the house, and incredible computer geniuses. Yes, I'm bragging on them a little, but they are amazing. These are guys who have studied aeronautical engineering, computer science, etc., oh, and did I mention that they are State Troopers who work as security guards at a maximum security prison? Big, tough, and smart.

Why do I mention all that now? Well, while they were here, they offered to help me get some things done around my house, and I learned some valuable lessons from them that I would like to share with you.

One of the first projects that we worked on this weekend was setting up our sound system. We've been in this house for over a year now, but I haven't wanted to take the time to figure out how all these wire and cables go together. I'm sure I could probably do it, but with three little boys helping, it just seemed easier to use the existing basic sound than to get that much help. My brother James took on the sound system, moved some equipment, adjusted some wires, and voila! suddenly we have this amazing surround sound system that vibrates the room and controls all of the equipment at the same time. Lesson learned: take the time to get an expert in areas that you cannot or do not need to tackle yourself.

The next big project that we took on was setting up our wireless network. This one should come as a no-brainer for me since I spent several years in my career doing exactly this activity. But again, let's face it, it's been a few years since I've had any career other than being mommy and my brain has become a little addled in this area. While James was setting up the surround sound, Andy sat down on the sofa and started working on the laptop and networking. Even though he is ten years younger than me, or more likely because he is, he's always been my go-to guy for computers. He can take one apart, rebuild it twice as well, and not even break a sweat. But even he could not figure out why my network was not cooperating. It made me feel a little better until I sat down at my computer this morning to find a message waiting from him.

While I had completely forgotten about the problem and written it off as a quirk several days ago, he had continued to contemplate it and try to figure out what was going on. This morning, his note was telling me how to solve the problem. It involved opening one page on my router setup, changing one number, and problem solved. Lesson learned: don't give up when you can't come up with an answer immediately. Keep looking at even the smallest detail, and you may find your answer.

Our final project was setting up a music studio for my husband. This one came on very innocently and out of the blue. Greg has been wanting somewhere to setup his keyboards ever since we moved into the house, but we have not been able to find the right place. It seems like we either find a place that has too much echo or else not enough privacy, so we (more accurately I) have let the idea slide. That morning, I was showing my dad and stepmother some stretches that I had learned to help alleviate some pain in my lower back and legs since they had been having similar problems. While we were lying on the floor stretching, my dad looked around and commented that this would be the perfect place for a music studio.

My initial reaction was to balk at it because I didn't want to give up my private retreat for a lot of music. Then God touched my heart. I realized that my husband also needed a private retreat, and the odds of us both needing that retreat at the same time were very slim. With a little rearranging, we could easily accommodate both of our retreats into the same space. Lesson learned: Think of others needs above your own.... hmmm.... haven't I heard that somewhere before?

As we were in the process of moving all of the workout equipment around (yes, my retreat space was my gym, isn't that a little frightening in itself?), we got my treadmill setup and James asked if he could try it out. No problem, right? Get the key.....um, where's the key? It's usually sitting right here in this pocket so we don't lose it. Nope, not there. No problem, it's behind the microwave where Greg always hides it. Not there? Um, I think we have a big problem. And this is where I learned my biggest lesson. It only takes one little thing to completely debilitate something large and powerful.

No matter how much power the treadmill has, and how much strength or desire the user has to make it work, it absolutely will not function like it is supposed to without the operating key. Yes, we could get on there and run as hard as we want to, and we could still get a good workout; but it will not be the workout that it was intended to be, because we do not have the power to make it work properly.

This is how it is in our own lives as well. We can have all the desire in the world to do what is right, we can put all of our efforts into something, and have some nice results; but if we do not do it in God's power, then we are not living to our full potential.

How about you? Are you living to your full potential? Have you let little things creep in that don't seem like a big deal? How are they affecting you? What little things are you seeing in your life? Post a note in the comments telling me about a little thing that has affected you in a big way.

Living Beautifully – from the inside out.

2009-06-16T05:00:00.000-05:00

I have to tell you all: I’m not sure why I volunteered to write about diet and exercise. If you could imagine the healthiest, most disciplined woman you know – the one who eats a half salad when you go out for lunch, the one who runs 5Ks for fun, the one who can walk by a mirror or go shopping without breaking down into tears – well, that would most certainly NOT be me.

Weight – and therefore, healthy eating and exercise – is something I have struggled with my whole life. I don’t ever remember not feeling fat.

But while I still feel fat on a verrry regular basis, my focus these days is truly about my health. Almost two years ago, I had a serious health scare. Just into my third trimester with my first child, I developed severe high blood pressure. Because the doctors were highly concerned about my health and safety, I delivered my daughter at 33 weeks – that’s seven weeks early for those of you keeping track! I then spent more than a week in the hospital getting myself – and my health – back under control.

You’d think that would be enough, right? Surely a scare like that would be enough to force me into better, healthier habits!

Unfortunately, no. I quickly returned to stress eating, emotional eating, this tastes good eating (surely you get the picture!). And exercise? Ha! You mean getting up earlier than I have to? No, thank you!

But I refuse to be beaten this time. It is completely possible to attain – and maintain – a healthy weight. And I know it can be done with healthy eating (not starving – I am SO not into that) and consistent exercise.

And so, in my effort to live beautifully – from the inside out – I’m going to take you along with me on this journey. Please read along as I share with you my healthy living ups and downs. I hope you’ll tell me some of your best tips and tricks for living a beautiful, healthy life. I know I can do this – but I bet it will be a little bit easier if we all do it together.

Today, will you tell me something about your health habits? Do you have a good habit that actually comes naturally for you? (For me, it's drinking water.) Is there something you wish you could add or remove from your life, in order to be more healthy?

We Need To Stop Trying So Hard

2009-06-15T08:45:00.002-05:00

I hope after you watch this video you'll remember that we need not try so hard. God loves us and finds us beautiful without all the trimmings. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and our beholder, the One who sees us in ways we could never imagine, has much keener vision and is merciful beyond understanding. Our beholder looks at us and sings along with the lyrics of this song, "There could never be a more beautiful you."

Live Beautiful Facebook Fan Page Hits 200 Fans :: TOTE GIVEAWAY!

2009-06-13T23:36:00.002-05:00

It's been under two weeks since the Facebook Fan Page began - and as of right now, there are 270 fans! WELCOME! We are so glad you are a part of the Live Beautiful movement.

As promised, I have a Live Beautiful Aqua & Leaves tote to give away!

So here are some simple ways to enter:

(1) Leave a Comment :: Share your favorite summer vacation spot (or where you'd LOVE to go someday)

(2) Enter again by blogging about the Live Beautiful Facebook Fan page and inviting people to join (to enter, please include the link to your post in the comment section! It doesn't have to be a long post - just short and simple is fine!)

(3) Enter AGAIN by downloading a Live Beautiful button and posting it on your blog/website. Please include the link to your site in the comment section.

CLICK HERE to go to the button page.

*** NOTE!! *** Please be sure to leave a comment each time you do one of the above. Each comment is a separate entry.

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So you have THREE chances to enter. I will be selecting a number at random - and choosing the winner from the comment section of THIS post.

This Tote Giveaway ends at midnight on Sunday June 21st, 2009. All new Live Beautiful Facebook Fans are welcome to comment !

We'll do another giveaway when we hit 900 fans. So keep checking back!

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Keep updated: Follow Us on Twitter and/or sign up for our Free monthly non-spammy newsletter. We'd love to have you join the Live Beautiful community. DISCOVER, CREATE or ENJOY something beautiful today!