Facebook Crazy!

I've been avoiding Facebook for a long time now. Basically because I didn't think I could figure it out but since my techy steppie was home this weekend (that's our endearing term for step daughter and step mom!) she showed me how to do it. And boy is it ever making me silly!

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Consider this your invitation to "be my friend" on Facebook!

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How cool is it that we can post pics, comment on what you're doing at the moment, and then again in the next moment if you want to, and say hello to long lost friends?

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The best part was getting my photos off my camera and on some kind of album...I've created about 5 different albums tonight...okay, I'm a little crazy with it, I know.

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Thanksgiving was wonderful!

My dad and stepmom, and a couple they know, visited from Lynchburg, VA and we also had our regular family of 6 plus Kimmy's new husband his three daughters...we had a housefull!

My husband cooked up a storm and I watched...well, I set the table and then watched him cook, but not before I watched the Macy's Day parade! I love to do that!

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And then for dessert we went to MaryBeth Whalen's house. My son, Luke is dating her daughter Ashleigh. I think you call it that, at 14 years old, is it dating? They don't go anywhere without us being in the same room, but maybe it's dating. Well, we do let them go into other rooms but when we're at their house her other 5 children follow them and when they're at my house we just interupt them alot, like every 3 minutes!

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But are they ever precious together! Oh my goodness! Luke is 6'4" and dark complected and Ashleigh is 5'3" and blonde with fair skin! If you can, go look at my Facebook page and see the photos I posted. I'd post them here but I don't know how. (Alyce, help?)

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Saturday, Luke, Dave and I went to Raleigh for the Miami/NC State game...we lost (Miami, that is.) Sad, but fun!

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Hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving Day and are preparing for the best holiday of the year! Jesus' birthday!

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I'll be in Salsbury this weekend presenting "What Not to Wear: Teen Edition" to Northills Christian School. If you think of it, will you ask God's blessing on the event? I appreciate all the prayers you pray for me!

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Fashion Tip of the Week:

To keep your lipstick on longer, apply lip liner over your entire lips, then fill in with your favorite lip color. Take a single ply tissue and hold over your lips, dust loose powder on top of the tissue and this will matte your lipstick. Take tissue off, then apply another coat of lipstick, then gloss...and voila! Lipstick all day!

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Beautiful Blessings,

Shari

Snoon!

Iowa!

What a weekend, what a blessing, what an amazing group of women and girls!

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Bev had been receiving amazing attack leading up to our event but again, God won. It was so beautiful! And lo and behold, I woke up Saturday morning to SNOW! I was so excited because we don't get much of that here in the Carolina's. Bev lives on a cattle farm/ranch (not sure what they call it) and she has 4000 cattle in her backyard! Oh my word! Yes, I said 4000! We passed a farm on our way to the airport and she told me that farm had 60,000 cattle...can you believe it? I have never, I mean never, seen so many farms (or cows!) in my life!

It was awesome!

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I just want to thank all of you in Iowa for making me feel so, well, Dutch! hehe! That means you treated me like one of you, like family!

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My favorite part was staying at Bev and Wayne's home and sharing meals and stories with them. I believe God led our conversation and I can't wait to see how our friendship grows. One of the most amazing things, is that somehow, God weaved Wayne and my husband, Dave together for a friendship and my husband wasn't even with me.

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It just turns out that part of the reason I was there was for our husbands, mine and Bev's...it's just a really cool thing...in fact, Wayne even called my hubby today...God is good.

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So you're wondering why I titled this "Snoon"? Well, I'm sorry, but I said "what?" and "excuse me?" more often than ever before! Did I mention it was a Dutch community??

I couldn't understand them!

So Bev said that someone had eaten at the "snoon". WHAT? At the snoon, she said.

I'm sorry, but did you say at the snoon? What?

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Here's how it goes: they eat at "this noon" but they run it together to say "the snoon". I'm not kidding! It is the cutest thing you've ever heard! I even dreamed about their words last night. And then they talked about how the "crap hadn't cleared"....what? Yes, the crap hasn't cleared yet. What? Only to find out that they really meant the CROP!

Oh my goodness!

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I'm sure they had some trouble understanding my kind of southern accent! I'm really not southern but you can't help picking up a little of it, ya know y'all? Yep!

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Ah!

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Fashion Tip of the Week:

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Buy skinny jeans to tuck in your knee high boots! Don't try to do this with any other kind of jean, it won't work!

Wear these with a long sleeve turtle neck and then put a pretty sweater on top of that, one that has short sleeves and is bulky. It will look so pretty!

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Now, for those of you who live in warmer weather and want to dress for winter when it's 80 degrees outside:

1. Wear darker colors, leave your whites and pastels for summer and spring months.

2. Wear boots paired with jeans the way I said above, but add a blouse and belt instead.

3. Wear wool gabardine since it is a year round fabric.

4. Change out your accessories to bolder, deeper pieces.

5. Wear pencil skirts with a cotton short sleeved sweater in a dark color, pair with boots or flats.

6. Wear walk shorts with a cotton sweater and add a long scarf with it like the kind I described in last week's post.

7. Change out your purse to a winter bag, put your lighter and brighter colored bags away. This is one way to look like winter without sweating!

8. Put away open toed sandals until spring. Wear closed toed flats and heels or boots instead.

9. Vests are a fun way to add a winter flair in warm winters.

10. Finally, think snow...and maybe it will! LOL!

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Hope this helps my warm weather friends!

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Beautiful Blessings and Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!

Shari

www.FashionMeetsFaith.com

Prayer is a Beautiful Thing!

I have the most beautiful prayer partners a girl could ever ask for.

Their names are Lucy, Maria, Heather and Patti. These are the women who I go to and lay my burdens. They pray for me when I don't even ask them to and they pray harder when I do. Last week I asked them for prayer for my event coming up this week in Iowa, specifically prayer for the event coordinator, Bev.

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Lucy and Maria both wrote out long prayers that we passed around to each other and today I want to share one of them with you. This prayer was written by Maria (who, by the way, I've never met in person, lives in Hawaii and we have become amazing sisters in Christ.)

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As I read this prayer, God spoke to my heart and told me that there may be many of you who need to hear this, so today, this is for you, my friends, from Maria.

I have changed the names below to reflect "her" and that would mean "you" my friends, as you read this.

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Maria's Prayer

Aloha ,First of all,Let's Praise God!

For we know that all things work out for the good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes! I am learning and have been learning that God has always had a plan, and His plan is always the best plan, so for us, ... it is to take to the floor on our knees and praise Him for His plan, to volunteer to do our part... and then to wait for His instructions according to His plan of action, not mine/ours.We have been studying even in home school this very concept. The first lesson was on Joseph... who I was reminded... was thrown first into a hole, then into slavery, and then into jail...But!!!It was all part of God's plan!

Even Joseph said, "What you meant for evil, God meant for good."God had the provision preplanned!As He did with the flood, there was the Ark.As He did with starvation, there was manna.As He did with Isaac, there was a lamb.As He has done for every human who wants to live with Him in peace,Jesus was and is our provision, our salvation, God's plan! Amen!

There is nothing that is going to happen to anyone of us that God has not either planned out Himself, or that He has not allowed in order for His glory to be revealed!

So, all that being said, know that there is never a good time to pannic!(Please remind me of this when you know I am pannicing!)All to Jesus, just surrender, ...never to Satan ... All to Jesus, do not give Satan more credit than he deserves!

We believe and serve an all knowing God!!!Let's just go and listen to what He has to say about all of this.... shall we?

Our Dear Heavenly Father,Father of all that is good and Creator of hell.You and You alone have all of the answers! You and You alone are worthy of our praise.You and You alone deserve our time, our efforts, our distresses, for after all it is You Who allow us to enter into each and every situation that we experience.I know that many are feeling the pressure of the world right now.Allow it as suits YOUR WILL for her life.I pray for her unabashed strength in YOU! That she approach every situation armed and guarded by YOUR Holy Spirit!Now Lord, enter that place of her soul that leads her to total surrender to YOUR WILL!Speak in words that she understands clearly. Direct her down YOUR path!Lead her on in victory over all that would come in between her and her message of salvation to a world of Eves'.We need to hear You, and our worth to You, we need words of encouragement and Truth of what You are expecting of us as Your daughters!Lord, we need Truth! Amen! Your Truth!Your Will be done in this and each situation that tries to divide her time, her God Given Talent, and Her greatest Treasures.... keep her focused Lord, I pray. I pray Your strength be revealed to her and those watching her as she goes through this time of her life.Lord, remind her of Your peace that passes understanding... "If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity,..." And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure..."Yes LORD, say to her..." My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."remind her of these words..."Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, that the POWER OF CHRIST MAY REST UPON ME."Lord, let Your power rest upon her and all of the stresses she is feeling.Send to her a good and valid friend to share her burdens with and may they together search for Your answerers to the problems before her.Remind her of YOUR PLANS... and let her entrust her plans, no surrender her plans unto YOU, The Great Maker of ALL PLANS.We Love You Lord, We Praise You,We Surrender to You,Amen

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Ohhhh, how sweet that is!

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YOUR FASHION TIP OF THE DAY:

Scarves are BIG! Wear a long scarf in wool, crepe, or any medium weight fabric around your neck and drape it down the center of your body to create a long line, and it will make you appear slimmer and fashionable all at the same time!

A Shoe Can Change Your Life...or is it a Purse?

"A Shoe Can Change Your Life": Cinderella said that!

But I'm thinking that in my life it seems to be all about a Purse changing mine.

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This weekend I spoke in Roanoke, Virginia.

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I really should warn event coordinators that satan comes full force at them prior to planning this event and for the life of me, I hate that. I really should have told April that, but honestly, I keep thinking that maybe he'll just leave them alone after figuring out that we're not gonna stop providing this event for women, but he just keeps on.

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She really went through wayyyyy more than any event coordinator ever should have to. Besides having most of her committee quit on her, advertising being forgotten, volunteers not showing up for tickets sales, and not one store being willing to lend clothes for the fashion show (until a dear friend from Charlotte found one to do so a few days before the event), she was also told 2 days before the event that there was no money to pay for the lunch for the women attending. She was in tears and I don't blame her.

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We knew God must be up to something big, but we didn't know what it was. But He was behind the scenes working it out. But not before He asked for some acts of obedience on our part. Sometimes it's about that, you know.

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On Monday, April felt the Lord asking her to get up early, very early, to pray and be with him.

You might think that's not so hard, but when you have 2 little ones who get up early anyway, not only do you have to sacrifice your time, but you must be obedient to the alarm clock and move your bottom from the bed.

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So she did. And pray she did.

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Another woman was ill. Very ill. In the hospital kind of ill. When she heard there was no food for the lunch, she told April she would get out of the bed, (straight from the hospital) and make the food. And purchase the ingredients. Which she did...late until Friday night.

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And it was delicious.

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My husband was taking me to get some new shoes on Thursday to an outlet an hour from here. I always, always, drive long distances with a diet coke in hand...a fountain drink, with little ice, diet coke, please.

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I decided to sacrifice diet coke that day to fast for the event. You might not think that's any big thing, but you don't know me and diet coke. Especially on long rides. So I did.

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While in the outlet store, I couldn't find my size for what I wanted. But oh my goodness I found the most amazing purse EVER. I loved this thing. Every other purse there was on sale for OVER $100...seriously...some outlet, huh?

But this purse? $32. Yes indeed, it was only $32!

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I walked around with this purse so excitedly! I showed my husband who just shrugged his shoulders and smiled. As he invited me to take a look at a pair of shoes for him, I tell you it's as if Jesus walked into that store, stood over me, and whispered in my ear.

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I promise you, He spoke. And this is what He said:

"Put the purse back."

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Excuse Me? Hello? This purse is only $32!

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"Put the purse back. I'm asking you to be obedient and sacrifice that purse for the event on Saturday. Like, I appreciate the diet coke sacrifice, but I want that purse back on the rack."

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I walked away from my husband, hung the purse back up and started crying.

Okay, I know you are wondering why I was crying...it was only a purse.

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But by golly, if the God of the Universe spoke to you that clearly, you'd be crying too!

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Because, readers, whoever you are today, I try to listen to God's voice. And I think I hear pretty well. But the one thing I learned that day is that He speaks to each of us in our very own language. And mine just happens to be called "Purse". Maybe yours is English, but mine definetly is not.

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So off we drove home. Purse-less and Shoe-less.

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And then on the way to the event on Friday, during the 3 hour drive there, we were about an hour from our destination when I got a call from my husband. He said:

"Did you mean to leave your clothes on the bed?"

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Oh yes indeed! I now was Clothes-less.

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Patti and I could hardly stop laughing as we drove into town and had to find a store to get me some clothes to wear on Saturday...unbelievable!

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Saturday was wonderful, lots of stories to tell, lives touched, a beautiful fashion show, an amazing Host Home (thank you, Sara!) amazing food (thank you again, Sara!) an amazing event coordinator (April, you REALLY rock!) and prayerfully, blessed women and girls.

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We may never know why God asks us to do what He does, but sometimes, obedience is more important than sacrifice...cause He just wants to see if we mean what we say. And He wants to see if we'll do what He says.

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Off to Chapel Hill Bible Church this coming weekend for a teen event on Friday night and a women's event on Saturday. Would covet your prayers.

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Fashion Tip of the Week:

When buying a new handbag, if buying a neutral color, it should be as close to your hair color as possible!

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Beautiful Blessings,

Shari

Raleigh and Roanoke

This weekend Patti and I traveled to Raleigh to speak at Hope Community Church to a group of 250 women.

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What a treat!

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This was such an amazingly organized event and one of the things I loved about what they did is, instead of vendors, they invited several manicurists, hairstylists, and a massage therapist to provide their services free of charge to the attendees! The hairstylists provided free consultations based on a woman's face shape, the manicurists actually gave manicures and the massage therapist did what she does best! All for free! Clinique was also there giving out free gifts and signing women up for free makeovers. Of course, Patti and I gave color analysis and body shaping advice to all the women, too!

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I love it when God shows up in powerful ways, and as always, He did, again.

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One thing we've seen regarding this "What Not To Wear" event is that it allows Christian women to bring their non-christian friends. And about half of the audience was not from the church. How good is God?!

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In one row alone, there was a Jewish woman, an atheist, and an un-churched neighbor.

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We may never know who was in each seat and what they walked away with,

but God does.

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On the way home, the road seemed really bumpy. Really bumpy. So I changed lanes.

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Bumpy still.

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So on I-85 South, we pulled over to find a very flat tire. Oh yes indeed!

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Still an hour or more away from home, we realized we were near Exit 96, only 15 minutes from Patti's dad and sister. So she called them and her brother-in-law and his neighbor jumped in their truck and came to save us!

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Patti told me we needed to sit high on the embankment so no-one would see us so we took the covering from the trunk and placed it high on the hill and sat among the trees! And giggled ourselves silly. Soon after, we were rescued and sent on our way!

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Perhaps God was saving us from an accident up ahead.

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Just love Him!

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As you think of it, please pray for this coming weekend as we'll be traveling to Roanoke, VA to share our love for God and Fashion...the event coordinator there is being hit hard by ugly ole satan. I say God's got something big planned....ooooh, I can hardly wait to see what it is! I heard a group of girls from a shelter were invited! What do you think?!

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Now for something new: Fashion Tip of the Week!

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V-Necks will make you look slimmer! And remember to push up your sleeves to

3/4 length to appear 10 lbs lighter. Really!

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Be beautifully blessed this week,

Shari