Archives for October 2013

MOB Dress Shopping Idea: An In-the-Meantime Dress

October 7, 2013 by 2 Comments

4500863458_fd8c9b5835_zMother of the Bride, have you started shopping for your dress yet? I know finding your own dress is probably way down on your list of priorities, but it must be done.

Don’t feel free to do it yet? I understand. After you’ve gotten all the vendors secured, helped find the bride’s and bridesmaids’ attire, helped with all the choices and orders for flowers, cakes, and food, made sure the invitations are ordered, and have taken care of a host of other time-sensitive tasks, you’ll finally feel free to hit the stores and find the dress that will make you shine on your daughter’s big day.

I wish I could tell you’ll find the perfect dress in the first place you shop, but truth is, some of you may have some difficulty. I faced challenges in finding my dresses for both of my girls’ weddings.

When you begin your dress quest, you may find that the colors available this season may not flatter you or coordinate with the bride’s color choices. You may not like the styles that have swept this particular season. Or you may just have bad luck finding your size in the dress you love.

Here’s a solution to help take some of the pressure off: Buy an in-the-meantime dress. Since you do indeed have to have a dress and if time is getting short, why not go ahead and purchase something that will work while you keep looking for the dress you’ll love? I did this on my first time around the MOB block.

If you buy an in-the-meantime dress, be sure to check the return policy. You don’t want to end up with the expense of two dresses when the overall cost of the wedding keeps climbing as it is. If the dress was on clearance, you might not be able to return it. But for most dresses, you may have anywhere from a month to ninety days to return the dress as long as you have the receipt and the tags are still in place.

Buying an in-the-meantime dress will give you the window of opportunity you need to find something you like better while setting your mind at ease. You’ll know you’ve got a back-up tucked up your MOB sleeve. Happy shopping, Mother of the Bride—and good luck!

*What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in finding your dress for the wedding?

*Flickr photo by imcountingufoz, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: advice, appearance, challenge, Mother of the Bride, preparation Tagged With: , , ,

A Bold Approach

October 7, 2013 by 5 Comments

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“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

I wonder how many of us truly approach God with the boldness and confidence that this verse in Hebrews exhorts us to do. Do we come to God freely with our concerns the way dearly loved children would run to their parents?

This summer God blessed me in my own backyard with a vivid picture of a bold approach. Since I’ve made an effort to make my backyard bird-friendly the past couple of years, it’s not unusual now for me to witness sights from nature that hold lessons for life in general.

I’d decided to spoil my little feathered friends with a few special treats when they visited the yard in the early evenings. I stood near the feeder and tossed out pieces of fruit I didn’t want—over-ripe strawberries, grapes that had started to shrivel, and blueberries that had gotten too mushy. I actually started to look for any imperfection in my fruit so that I might give it to the birds :)

It didn’t take long for my daily visitors to discover my new habit. A couple of robins and northern mockingbirds took special interest. The robins even got a little territorial about the whole thing.

Before long these regular visitors started coming near me. They got bold in their approach. Even though I was much bigger than them—a giant in comparison—they still approached. Their desire for sweet nourishment overshadowed their fear of me. Or perhaps they began to trust me after seeing that I was there only to feed them.

In my little interactions with these neighborhood birds, I saw how we should feel free to approach God. Even though he is huge and is the God of the very universe, we can draw close without fear. He longs to bless us.

Have we reached a point where our desire to fellowship with God and draw nourishment and strength from him is greater than any fear or hesitancy in approaching him? If not, let’s remember the birds—and the verse above from Hebrews—and approach our heavenly Father with confidence. I bet he’s just looking for reasons to bless us.

 “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” James 4:8a

*What do you need to approach the Father about today?

*My photo

Filed Under: bravery, fellowship, giving, nature, provision

Bridal Shower Idea: A Cooking Class!

October 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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Mother of the Bride, how about hostessing a bridal shower where everyone can learn a little something to add to their repertoire in the kitchen? I saw this idea on Pinterest with a pin by Loverly and immediately repinned it to my Weddings – This and That board .

If your daughter likes to cook or wants to further develop her skills in the kitchen, a cooking class bridal shower could be so much fun. Just think of the possibilities. You could ask everyone to bring their favorite recipes to share with the bride. You might suggest that everyone bring cooking or kitchen or food-related gifts. You could even make yummy treats together and then enjoy eating them after the bride opens the gifts.

These ideas just scratch the surface so let your imagination and creativity run wild. Brainstorm with those who will be hostessing the shower with you, and you will end up planning a shower your sweet daughter will always remember.

So pull out your apron, MOB, and put on your chef’s thinking-hat and get those ideas cooking!

*How about a little brainstorming now? What other ideas come to mind for a cooking class bridal shower?

*Flickr photo by rennes.i, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: Above and Beyond, adventure, bride, fun, giving, learn, Mother of the Bride, shower Tagged With: , , , ,

Midweek Morsel: God Sings Because of Us!

October 3, 2013 by 6 Comments

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Did you know that God sings? This past January, one of the devotions in Journey, Lifeway’s daily devotional magazine for women, reminded me of this wonderful truth. It wasn’t first-time news to me, but like with so many other truths, it had slipped from my conscious thoughts.

An image of God singing may not fit the mental picture you have of him, but think of it this way: As we worship God, most of us are inspired to sing. Because we love him, we want to express it and many times spontaneously burst into song. Or sometimes some of the songs we know perfectly express the things we want to say to him and so we sing them. Other times, God makes us so joyful with the blessings he showers upon us, we can’t help but sing to him and because of him.

Likewise, we—as God’s precious and chosen children—bring him so much joy, he, too, bursts into song. Sometimes a song may express his heart for us in the perfect way. Or sometimes we bless him with things we say or do. Sometimes he probably can’t help but sing. And all because of us. Amazing, huh?

“He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17b

*Go ahead and take a guess—when do you think God might have most recently sung because of you?

*Flickr photo by ShotHotspot

Filed Under: celebrate, joy, love, music, passion, pride
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