Live Beautiful Sponsors World Vision Child

I am excited that Live Beautiful is doing well that we are able to sponsor a Wold Vision Hope Child for $35 a month.

 

 

Let me introduce you to the cutest little boy in Lesotho, Africa (a country inside South Africa). His name is Thabang and he is 5 years old. Thabang is considered a Hope child in that he and his family live in a community severely affected by the HIV/AIDS crisis. By our sponsorship, Thabang and his community will receive the necessary assistance to save a generation from this crisis. World Vision will help take care of his basic needs as well as teach him about God's unconditional love.

The band Dave and I work for encourage concert-goers to sponsor a World Vision child - and we have been personally sponsoring a little girl from South Africa for about 5 years now. I began sponsoring a child from Children International when I started my first job at WCTL in 2001.

My friends Taya and Jason Gray, who are also on our record label, are very passionate about World Vision. They have been a big influence on my new-found passion for child sponsorship.  They have actually been to Africa to see how World Vision has improved many communities and cannot say enough about the organization.

If child sponsorship is something that you would like to do, I would encourage you to visit World Vision's website to read more about it. I promise you won't regret it!  

There's just something about having an influence on 

someone across the globe...

Bethlehem Skyline Tour :: Watch it Live Tonight !

Tonight at 7:00 PM CST

Live from Mankato, Minnesota

Downhere, Jason Gray, Daniel Kirkley, 

Lanae Hale, and Jaime Jamgochian

http://www.mogulus.com/downhere

A Creative Way to Support Wycliffe Bible Translators :: Threads Of Hope

My friend Charity, who lived with Dave & I for two years, learned how to knit when she was here. She and I made countless "toques" or beanies for the downhere merch table.  (they call it a toque in Canada). They are very time consuming :: it took at least 3 hours to knit one hat. Ok, I personally think that's time consuming, especially when making a bunch them for the merch table !  Charity later moved out - as she had bought her own home.

Her new roommate Allison has recently fell in love with quilting and is currently setting up her own Etsy shop. She also has a heart for reaching the 2,000+ language groups who don't have the Bible translated in their language. This developed into "Threads of Hope" -- an organization that supports Wycliffe Bible Translators by selling handmade quilts, blankets and other goods such as Charity's toques, which are currently available for purchase.

Just wanted to pass along another great resource -- and showcase another live beautiful endorsed blog !

Want a Tighter Tummy? Get Ready to Fight the Holiday Flab!

The weather suddenly became cooler and I am finding myself indoors much more than than I want! I used to strap Cali in her stoller and we'd go for a three mile walk most every day. I'm sad to say that it's been over a month (at least?) since we've gone for a stroll. My (pretty lame) excuses have kept me indoors and inactive!

My tummy is starting to get even more flabby... Yes, I've noticed!  So that's why I am starting the:

Fight Holiday Flab Challenge.

I am challenging myself to do:

**  100 Sit-Ups/Crunches A Day for 30 days


Want to Join Me? Leave a comment below and let me know that you are fighting the flab too!

I'll give personal updates and tips as we go along together. I'm looking forward to feeling much better about myself; I hope you are too!

Beautiful Eyes and Ears

Today's guest blogger is Sarah from VA. She encourages us to really think about what we see and hear. Everyone has different opinions on how far is too far when it comes to media exposure. What do YOU think?  Here's Sarah's story:

A few years ago, God really touched my life and showed me how to live with beautiful eyes. I read a devotional one night about being careful what you watch; what you let your eyes see. God convicted my heart and ever since that reading, I am more aware of what I gaze upon. Thankfully this has stuck with me over the years and it's a concept that I think about daily. I had several movies at home in my collection that I knew I need to get rid of, mainly ones that were rated R and PG-13. Ones with violence, killing, nudity, and lust. I felt guilty for allowing myself to own and watch movies with that sort of content. I got rid of about 50% of my movie collection just a few days after that reading. It felt so good to rid my life of those inappropriate movies.

It was also a few years ago that I threw away a lot of my music albums. Yes, threw them away.
My music collection at the time consisted of lots of music with cursing and drug related content and WOW cd's.
Yes, talk about from one end of the spectrum to the other. Here I was a Christian listening to music like this. It sickens my stomach to reflect back on that time in my life but I praise God who changed my heart and allowed me to see that I was sinning against him.  Just like with my eyes, I am now aware of the kinds of sounds my ears should be hearing. Music, television, language.... everything. I want my ears to hear encouraging words and inspiring lyrics.

This is how I live beautifully: with my eyes and ears.

Reduce, Reuse Recycle

Those three words have been running through my head all day today.  Reduce, Reuse Recycle.  I met with a lady today who wants to offer my hand made products at The Loft - upstairs of the Henpeck Market in Franklin, TN. She suggested I try making my journals more eco-friendly, since that's what people are looking for these days.  I've spent all day figuring out how I could make them more "green."  I've got a prototype that I'm very pleased with.  I need to make a few more tomorrow - and then I'll reveal my new "Eco-Friendly Journal" by live beautiful. I'm sure you are on the edge of your seats. Let's just say it involves a vintage cookbook... and an old Atlas!?! - Not to mention I grabbed an old silk skirt that I don't wear anymore to make the ribbon...

 

Henpeck Market - on Lewisburg Pike in Franklin, TN

I should have the heat relaxers and journals there by early next week!

Time to head for bed.  Creative Jessica must stop and Sleeping Jessica must take over.

To Shower or Not to Shower :: The Pros and Cons... (Yes, There ARE Pros...)

Certainly every busy woman can relate to asking herself, "Do I have enough time for a quick shower?"

SOME of you have perfect air-dry type hair. Myself, and most of the rest of us do not and we hate you for it.   :)  It takes a LOT of time and energy to look like a million bucks walking out the front door!

If we DO have time, - it feels amazing to get a HOT shower and have enough time to dry and style our hair.  It's fabulous when we can put on our make up (even have time for eyeliner) and curl our lashes without being rushed!

So here's my frequent dilemma when I DON'T have enough time:


Get a Shower - But Don't Wash My Hair:
Pros - I can hop in, do the body wash thing - and still have time to shave.  My hair will hopefully look cute in a ponytail... and I have a few extra minutes to apply some makeup.

Cons - I don't get to wash my hair and feel grungy

Result - I lack in self-confidence (a bit) because I don't feel 100% refreshed


Get a Shower - Wash My Hair - But Don't Have Time to Dry
Pros - I can hop in, do the body wash thing, shave, wash my hair - and feel totally clean.

Cons - I've only got 15 min to be out the door, but it takes 15 min alone to dry my hair - plus another 15 min to straighten it. That's not leaving ANY time for make up.

Result -  I have to skip the hair dry/style and just pull my hair back, hoping it won't be too frizzy. I may have a few moments to apply concealer and some mascara.

Don't Get a Shower
Pro - I can just throw something extra cute on - to balance out the fact that I didn't get a shower - curl those eye lashes so people notice my eyes and not my hair...

Con - I look and feel a bit grungy... hopefully people don't notice...

Result - I can run out and do errands, go for a walk, and not worry about sweating - because, heck, i didn't take a shower!  (but that means I REALLY need to get a shower tomorrow...)

The Moral of The Story Is:

I need to free up more time to take a nice HOT shower and give myself enough time to dry/style my hair and get some makeup on.  Doing that does not make me a better person, nor do I absolutely need to look good all the time. But I sure do love it and it makes me feel more alive and ready to enjoy the day. I mean - if I enjoy it, why don't I take the time more often !??

Beauty Tip :: How to Brighten Your Eyes and Look More Awake in the Morning!

I used to be a Mary Kay consultant. I tried it twice and it just wasn't the right fit for me. I CAN still recommend some of my favorite products!

I use the Indulge Soothing Eye Gel almost every morning. It definitely brightens up my eyes and I wouldn't leave home without it. It's a little pick-me-up that's well worth the money. It comes in a small container, but you only need the tinest little bit, making it last much longer than you'd think.

Since I am not a MK Consultant - I cannot sell it to you, however, if YOU are a consultant, please feel free to leave your info/website link for others to check out and proceed to a purchase.

I also use the Mary Kay consealer - another great product for covering up my dark circles!

5 Tips to Making a Successful Craigslist Sale

I have heard that people like you and me most likely have between $2,000 - 3,000 worth of extra STUFF around the house. Extra meaning - we don't use it, or we are meaning to use it but haven't yet, or it was a wedding gift, or it just needs batteries, or it's kind of broken...

I would label myself a frugal person; I make the most of everything we own! (mostly because we have to!) I have scoured my house many times, collecting things for e-bay, garage sales and craigslist. I'm a HUGE yard sale fan - and since craigslist came out, I have sold well over a few thousand dollars.

One of my FAVORITE craigslist stories is when we bought a couch and love seat for our living room to make it more "cozy." They turned out to be WAY too big for our tiny space. I was secretly hoping they would fit instead of facing the reality that they wouldn't. We bought the gently used comfy couches for $200. Yes, BOTH for $200. And they didn't fit. So what did I do? You betcha - they went right back on craigslist the next day for a price tag of $325. And ya know what? I got an offer for $300 and took it. Dave said it was the easiest $100 he's ever made. Well - it wasn't that easy, since we had to haul the first couch and love seat home...

So instead of THOSE couches, we found another one on craigslist that fits our space and style perfectly. (It still had tags on it; the guy said it "just didn't fit our decor.")  

NICE. Welcome to OUR home.  (we paid $200 for this awesomely sweet couch.)

I also just posted about my craigslist success yesterday: read more about how I got $1,000 within 24 hours.

Ok - so you're thinking, "Yeah, but you had a freaking VAN to sell.  We NEED our van."  Ok - so that was ONE example of what we sold and yes, it was a higher priced item.  But you can look around your house and things will start adding up.  Trust Me.

So when you DO have that huge pile in your living room of things ready to post on craigslist, and are not sure what to do next....

*******************************
Here are my Top 5 Tips to Making a Successful Craigslist Sale !
*******************************

1) Be Completely Honest in your listing ::  If there's a scratch, take a picture of it. If it's not working quite right, tell your potential buyers. If it's the greatest thing you've ever owned, but don't need it anymore, mention that.  Buyers need to trust you and there's no better way to gain trust than to make sure your listing is full of honesty and disclosure about the item.

2) Set the Right Price :: It's important to do a little research before you list your item, if you want the best price out of it. However, if you don't care - then pricing an item is usually pretty easy.  Someone will most likely buy a used bike (in decent condition) for $15.  Heck, even $30.  Though I avoid over-pricing, I do suggest that you set your price a little higher than what you think it will sell for -- so they can "barter" you down and you both feel like you got a great deal.  If you want $200 for your gently used Panasonic video camera and not $190, then just say, "Price Firm." You'll avoid those pesky e-mails that say, "would you  take $125 for it?"

3) Give Good Customer Service :: Try to answer e-mails promply and take calls. You don't want to loose a potential buyer! Let the customer/buyer know what to expect; tell them if you aren't available until after 5.  If you don't want to be flooded with calls, then just leave your e-mail address letting them know you will check it often (or after 7pm, etc.)

4) Don't Hold Items :: I have told so many people that I would hold something for them, and then I never hear back....  in the mean time, five other people call or e-mail and I tell them it's already gone.... but it's NOT !!  I'm the one who is still stuck with my item - and now I have to re-list it because it gets buried in all the other listings!  You'll save yourself a lot of frustration by saying something like, "item goes to first buyer with cash"  or  "i cannot hold this item."

5) Ask for CASH ONLY.  I don't even THINK about taking a personal check or money order. I wouldn't know what a fraud would look like and trust me, there are so many people out there who are  trying to get your money.  Be sure to add "cash only, please" to all of your listings.

Hope this helps - now go dig deep into your closet and start making some money!

If you have any questions regarding buying or selling on craigstlist, comment below or e-mail me and I can answer in a new post.

The Power of Craigslist

I just sold my van on craigslist today. Dave & I bought a "new" van just over a week ago ('00 Mazda MPV) off of craigslist and were wondering what to do with our '00 Toyota Sienna that had 284,000 miles on it and didn't pass Tennessee emissions testing (and has a driver's side window malfuncion, and leaked oil and the light on the odometer doesn't work and ...  you get the picture.) 

We were going to give it to the church - and use it as a tax write off. And then Dave's computer bit the dust.  Or so we thought. We later found out it probably just needs the batteries replaced.  But before we realized it was only a battery issue, I was consumed (maybe obsessed?) yesterday with the idea of having to get a new computer (we are Apple people and buying a new computer is a bit more expensive yet worth EVERY penny).  I was wondering where the money was going to come from.

I took a nap while my daughter took hers (normally don't do that.. i like to stay busy) - and had a dream. It dawned on me that we had a van that we could sell and could use the money to buy a new computer.  So I had a little conversation with God and it went something like this,

"But I was going to give the van to the church...  someone might need it!?  I mean, I don't want to back out on what we planned on doing.  I still love you and trust you...  "

I totally got a peace about selling the van on craigslist. God doesn't want to take things away from us; He has all the resources in the universe to hand out. God just wants us to be good stewards of what He has given us. 

So once I came to that conclusion, I headed straight to craigslist.com to place my free ad.  Within 20 min I had a guy already interested and within the hour, I had another lady interested.  Over the next few hours I had more than 7 people ask about the van. I told them straight up what was wrong with it. I met with a couple this morning, they test drove it, looked everything over and gave me $100 less than the asking price (which I agreed to, of course!).  I sold it for $1000 and they understood that it might possibly need $2000 worth of work done in the near future (and it had high milage... )

The coolest part though, is that he was probably going to give it to his daughter, who has three kids and a small car that had lots of problems. So I got $1000 for a new computer (we'll sell dave's old one on craigslist), the buyer got a great deal on a used van, and his daughter gets a much needed Toyota van for Christmas.  The new owner said, "The van's already green, we just need to put a big red bow on it!"

THAT's the power of craigslist and being a good steward of God's resources.

Goodbye Sienna... Be good to that mom and her three kids!

Coming soon ::   5 Tips to Making a Successful Craigslist Sale

Winner Announced for the Tote + Journal Giveaway

Congratulations frequ3ntliblond3 for being our Tote + Journal WINNER!  Kaitlyn was actually the first to comment - and somehow ended up winning!  Like I said in the giveaway post - I collect all of your comments via e-mail... mix them all up... and dave picked the number "54." So I counted down to 54 - and Kaitlyn won.  Kaitlyn -- just e-mail me your mailing address and which tote and journal you'd like and they are YOURS!!  Thanks, Beautiful!

There were 86 comments (a lot of comments thanks to Bloggy Giveaways) - but only ONE winner!  Thank you for all the nice comments about the journal - and even more thanks for voting! I can't tell you how much I appreciate your votes - some of you went all out and voted every day!  THAT's the kind of teamwork I like to see!

We ended up with 464 votes. Though we never hit the "hot" category, all is not lost.  There IS a winner for the top vote getter, however, there are judges that take a look at each of the contestants and find winners in other categories.  This is our first year to enter the contest - and I think we did pretty darn great!

Oh yeah - and I just added a few more totes to the Live Beautiful store.  I just LOVE the new fabrics!  You can visit my shop to view more pics and see the description.

Live Beautiful Tote :: Cosmo Girl

 

Live Beautiful Tote :: Oriental Garden Bliss

NaBloPoMo - Count Me In!

?  Did you know that this month is NaBloPoMo?  "National Blog Posting Month"  yeah- I didn't either.  It's participants commit themselves to write a blog post each day of November. I didn't post yesterday because I didn't KNOW about it yesterday.

I've got lots of ideas written in my journal; now is the time to get them all out in the open. It's time to bear all and let you know how I really feel. Are you ready for this? I've had lots of thoughts and conversations with myself over the past few months. I've been trying to figure out who God really is while discovering how massively disorganized I am, how selfish I am, how OBSESSED I can be, and how much I love my husband and daughter. There's about ten different blog post topics just in that last sentence.

Saved by the phone - Dave's calling.  Keep checking back! I'll try to post every day... at least a LOT more often this month, anyway!