MONDAY MAKEOVER: Mother/Daughter!!!!!

Oh my goodness! You'll won't BELIEVE today's Makeover Models!

I am soooooo excited that today I get to feature TWO models...a Mother and a Daughter! It turns out that Stephanie is a reader of my blog, had gotten my book and got excited about it and in turn gave it to her mom, Linda. The 2 of them folowed the instructions in the book and chapter by chapter they were transformed.

I'm so thrilled that they took the time to report their progress to me so let's jump right in!

Just a quick note that if you're new to this blog, each Monday a reader is featured who read my book

Good Girls Don't Have to Dress Bad

and reports the results she's had from giving herself a head to toe makeover.

Now let's get started! 

Here are pictures of Stephanie (daughter) and Linda (mom) BEFORE and AFTER their makeovers:

Stephanie (daughter): BEFORE

Stephanie: AFTER

Linda (mom): BEFORE

Linda: AFTER

 Wow!!!!! Don't they look fabuloso?????? (Is that a word?)

Here's what they had to say:

STEPHANIE'S STORY FIRST: 

Stephanie, inquiring minds want to know all about you! Give details!

I grew up a preacher's kid in rural Arkansas. After high school I decided to attend a Southern Baptist university three hours away from home. There I met Joel and we married one week after graduation. After months of searching for a job, my husband accepted a computer programming position for a major bank in Rhode Island. Thirteen years later we're still in Rhode Island. Now we own a house, drive a minivan and home school our four children (Will - 7, Ben - almost 6, Ellie - 4, and Sam - 2). As a 16 year old girl I never dreamed I would one day live an hour from Boston - life seldom turns out the way you expect.

Another unexpected event happened ten years ago when I was diagnosed with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. It's not your Grandma's arthritis! Almost immediately I began taking an amazing medication that controls my disease. I also joined a patient advocacy organization sponsored by the makers of the medication. Just this last October they flew me to Dallas, TX to share my story with their drug reps. I hope to one day share with audiences the God part of my story. You can read an account of my RA story on my blog.

I am an Arkansas girl who has lost a lot of her drawl after 13 years of living among Yankees in Rhode Island (although it should be noted we are Red Sox fans!). When not cooking, cleaning, or wiping noses, I'm home schooling my four children. In my spare time (is there such a thing?), I blog my S@HM adventures at Stephanie's Mommy Brain and contribute my thoughts on hospitality at Offering Hospitality.

What was your favorite chapter and why?

The body types and colors chapters are my favorites because they are the foundation for everything else. Bad hair, make-up and accessories can be overlooked. But a blouse in a color that washes out my complexion and accentuates the results of birthing 4 babies in 5.5 years can't be overlooked. It just screams frumpy, middle-aged housewife. And who wants their clothes to say that?!

 What practical steps did you take to give yourself this makeover?

I read Shari's book after a summer focused on getting healthy. I walked a 5k at the beginning of the summer, exercised regularly, changed my eating habits and participated in a focus group for

Lysa TerKeurst's new book Made to Crave.

By the end of the summer I had lost 15 pounds, went from a size 12/14 to a size 8 and felt great. (Let me say there is nothing wrong with being a size 12!! But a size 12 on a 5 foot tall body looks and feels VERY different than on a 5'8" body!) Another side effect of losing weight was that I didn't fit into my clothes anymore.

So I read through Shari's book, picked out my body type (O with a bit of b), my colors (warm), and my style (Classic Modern - Pure Natural hybrid). Then I made a date to meet a close friend at an outlet mall! I have always admired my friend's style, our coloring is similar, and our height is close so I knew she would help me make good choices. Talk about fun!!

The other major thing I did was to contact one of my college roommates who is now a Mary Kay consultant. My 2 year old got into my makeup and ruined everything (eyeshadow brushes were skewered on my mascara!) so my husband understood that I needed to buy all new of everything. My friend hooked me up and I love the results!

 What was the biggest challenge for you during this process?

My biggest challenge is to not fall back into the old mindset that my appearance at home and running to the grocery store doesn't matter.

It does matter.

My appearance is a reflection of how I feel about myself and how I'm taking care of the body God has given me.

What was the most memorable or transforming part of all of this?

The thing that has stuck with me the most is Shari saying if you haven't had a compliment in a couple of months then you need to change something (my paraphrase). I've never had strangers compliment my appearance; partly because there wasn't much to compliment and partly because I live in New England where people don't really do that. But I have received compliments from people I know. And it felt great! So I've made a point of complimenting people (friend or stranger) when I see something I like. It's funny, doing this has made me feel as good as if the compliments were directed toward me!

 Why do you recommend this book to others and what benefit does it have for someone who reads it?

First, I recommended the book to my mom. She came to visit in November and read the first couple of chapters. We went shopping for my birthday and ended up buying her a great suit in a color she never would have bought before reading "The Book." Then I gave it to my sister-in-law and a friend for Christmas and can't wait to hear their responses. I also recommended it to my cousin-in-law who immediately bought it for her Nook.

Whether you need a complete makeover or just need to tweak your accessories, "The Book" (as my mom and I call it) has practical and easy to apply tips. I think everyone should own it!

Stephanie AND Linda!

LINDA'S TURN! (mom)

Linda, tell us about you!

Climbing the 50 year old hill has been rough and exhausting. Just accepting all those physical changes(which were visible), much less feeling them, did a number on this ol' gal. I settled into my wardrobe of "cover-ups." You know the ones-bulges, sags, wrinkles, and grays. They all needed covering up and disguised. My extra 30 pounds showed up as a spare tire, you know where, my tummy. My top needed support. My bottom kept getting bigger as it lagged behind. And those crows feet were accompanied by lines, here, there, and everywhere. Not to mention the double chin syndrome. Are you with me? If you haven't experienced these, hang on girl, because they are lurking just around the corner. That's what I saw in the mirror before reading Shari's book.

 I've been married 38 years to a pastor of 30 years. We live on the same farm on which I grew up in Arkansas. I'm a mother of 2 and a grandmother of 5. I taught elementary school for 15 years. Now I'm staying at home 3 days a week babysitting my 2 year old granddaughter, and loving it. The other 2 days, I go to our tire shop, a family business, to catch up on the bookkeeping and janitorial chores. I have 2 pet cats and a herd of cows to water everyday. In my spare time, I write a Bible study, going through the New Testament on the internet. (Been a Christian for 40 years.)I like to read, sew, and garden. So you can see my hats change daily and so do my clothes. I consider myself conservative in my beliefs and clothing and was hesitant to read Shari's book. Boy, am I ever glad I read it!

 I appreciate the way Shari brought the Scriptures into her book. As a representative of Jesus, my inside beauty is displayed on the outside. I strive to honor God with my body as I serve Him.

What was your favorite chapter and why?

My favorite chapter was "Meet Your True Colors." Mainly this is because of the results I've achieved by following the instructions.

 My makeover included an evaluation of my wardrobe, buying a few extras, and getting my hair cut.

What was the greatest challenge for you during this process?

 The biggest challenge for me was hemming up my ankle length dresses. A close second was throwing out what my hubby called the "kitchen sink" purse. (It wasn't as big as a beach bag but it was close.)

Tell us about your clothing personality style?

My clothing style is "pure natural." I wore blue jeans and a polo shirt to work with a little makeup. Casual and comfort was my theme, since the "battle of the bulge" was continuous. To church I wore long skirts and layered with sweaters to cover up everything. I can still dress conservatively and yet enhance my colorful body.

What was the most memorable part of your makeover?

The most memorable part of all this was the day I wore the "new me" outfit to church. It was a brighter colored top, which my daughter insisted I buy, and my long gray skirt. A young lady told me that I looked "beautiful" and "gorgeous" that day. I almost looked around to see if she was speaking to someone else. Need I say, it had been YEARS since I had such a compliment. Did I beam all day? You better believe it!

Who do you see in the mirror now?

 I see a vibrant, energized, radiant gal who came out of her cocoon.

I changed from a self-conscience to a self-confident gal!

Any words for anyone reading this?

"Try it, you'll like it," is all I have to say.

Why do you recommend this book to others and what benefit does it have for someone who reads it?

If you're tired of the ho-hum look, you've got to read this book.

It will change your life.

Just look at me.

THANK YOU LINDA AND STEPHANIE!

If you'd like to visit Linda at her blog, go to this link. She'd love to have you visit and said that you will talk together as you walk this country road called life by faith in Jesus! And remember to check out Stephanie's blogs which I've linked to above.

Sooo, a couple final things: first, the winner of last week's book is:

AMELIE! She is a new reader of my blog so welcome, Amelie! Please email me directly at Shari-P31@earthlink.net and give me your mailing address! Congrats and it'll be fun to get to know you.

And for those of you who want to crave God instead of craving food, hop on over to Lysa's site so you can join her on a live video webinar this evening that will run for 6 weeks on her book Made to Crave. You can lose weight like Stephanie did! It should be awesome!

Love you girls! What do you think of Stephanie and Linda's makeovers?

 

P.S. Send a prayer my way as I've got 3 women who have flown in for Beauty Bootcamp and we're SNOWED IN AT THE HOTEL!!!!!!  How fun is this????

I hope we can find some restaurants that are open when it's lunch time!!!!! Don't you wish you were here with us????

Hugs!

Shari