Giveaway at Kristina J!!!!

Kristian J. is giving away a dress from Shabby Apple! Go check it out! :-)

Purity Takes Precedence: Modesty Fashion Show, PTP 2011

                               (Photo Credit: JBenavides)
I'm about 3 weeks late posting this, but I got home from Polishing the Pulpit and life happened! Anyway... This year I was so blessed with to opportunity of helping organize and model in the Modesty Fashion Show at PTP! Before talking about the actual event, I'd like to rewind a few weeks and reminisce on how this opportunity even came my way.

About 3 or 4 weeks before the event, we received our PTP booklet in the mail. I was flipping through and noticed that Cindy Colley was doing a Modesty Fashion Show!
   "Why don't you send Mrs. Cindy a message and let her know you'll help out?" Moma suggested.

So that's what I did.

The basic gist of the message was, "Hey, I'd like to help out any way I can. Here's my number. Let me know what I can do." Well, Cindy and I set up a time to talk on the phone, and lo and behold, she was willing to basically hand the project over to me! For those of you who aren't familiar with the Colley family, Hannah (Glenn and Cindy's daughter) was married this summer. So of course, the Colley family had a BUSY summer! Cindy also had 16 sessions at PTP! Yes, one week, 16 sessions. Needless to say, she was one busy lady!

Back to the phone conversation... Cindy would be the final say in anything that went for the MFS, but I was the administrative assistant. Well, when she handed this honor to me, she asked, "Do you think you can handle this? Is it too much?" Well, of course when given the opportunity to help out with a fashion show, I am NOT going to say no! My answer was, "Yes, I can do this!" while the little voice inside my head was saying, "Lori Lynn, are you downright crazy? You know NOTHING about organizing a Modesty Fashion Show! And this is PTP. There are going to be a LOT of ladies there. If you mess up, you're going to make Cindy Colley look bad. You are crazy!"

Well, I told that little voice to be quite.

God uses many different opportunities to grow us. Sometimes they're thrust upon us and we have no choice but to endure, others are thrust upon us, but we have the choice to say yes or no. I am so thankful that I said yes!

The next few weeks were crazy busy! Working, babysitting on my days off, getting Rodge ready to leave for school, teaching a Wednesday night Bible class, getting ready for PTP on top of getting everything together for the MFS was very ...  interesting :-) Let's just say that those were the busiest weeks of my life! Mrs. Cindy was so great about answering my questions! I REALLY wanted to represent her well, but I didn't feel that I could do that without calling her every 5 minutes :-)

Finally, the week before PTP had arrived and it was time to put together a slide show, and I came down with a really bad I-don't-feel-like-moving sinus infection. JenBen came to my rescue! I sent Mrs. Cindy my bare bones slide show and JenBen really made it look beautiful!

Thankfully, I was well before it came time to leave for PTP. Friday night I got to meet many of the models for the first time!

                               (Photo Credit: Kara M.)

I had been keeping up with all the models on Facebook, but most of them I had never met in person. Honestly, that was probably the scariest part for me, planning something like this with people I've never met! Everyone was great! They did so much better than I could've asked!

Saturday finally came, and time was ever nearing for the MFS. We gathered in our changing station, ear to the door waiting for the runway music to begin. It was thrilling! And also a little strange. The point of the MFS was to show a "before" aka, immodest and then an "after" aka, modest. Well, my before was a too short, strapless dress. I'm not going to lie, it was very strange going up on stage in front of 300 women wearing something that covered about as much as being wrapped up in a beach towel. (**Note** There were ONLY ladies in the room while the MFS was going on). The "after" though, was much more comfortable :-)

There was so much positive response from the MFS! Here are some comments shared with me on Facebook:

Meagan (one of the models): "I really enjoy doing things that may be out of my comfort zone and that was definitely one of those things. haha. But I actually learned so much doing it.

You would think that as a model, I would always know how to dress and cover up, but the truth is that us girls are probably the worst at judging that. It really made me see that we can't always trust our judgement and sometimes the best thing to do is to ask a brother or father. The whole reason we dress modestly is to help our brothers not to stumble, so it should be THEIR opinion that matters, not ours. Girls and guys think very differently, so it makes sense that sometimes what we may think is modest may cause them to sin. That's why we have to be SO careful!"

Sharla: "I LOVED the fashion show! I learned so much! I usually cry when shopping for clothes, but not anymore! ... I now look at shopping for clothes as a fun challenge instead of punishment :) ... I was really excited about all the different things that we could make modest."

Cindy F: "I appreciate the fact that the one-piece bathing suit was shown as immodest. You wouldn't believe the number of Christian women I know who think it's modest. Anyway, loved the whole show!"

Diane: "I LOVED everything about it! And especially the finale with the wedding dress; as this is becoming an ongoing look on Facebook and an "ignorant" ?? view of thinking this is modest and appropriate for one day... I think not."

I have truly been blessed by this experience! God has helped me grow so much through this! And now, if anyone wants to put on a MFS and need help, email me, I'll gladly help you out!

After Polishing the Pulpit, I was reading in the September 2011 issue of THINK, there was a quote that really reminded me of my experience with the MFS, "General Schwarzkopf, the commander of Operation Desert Storm, was once quoted saying, 'When placed in command ... take charge!'"

When God places you in command of a situation...take charge of it!

I'd like to personally thank all the models in the MFS...

Marrisa T.

Meagan T.

Melissa C.

Marli R.

Memory R.

Mattianne S.

Miriam S.

Alyssa C.

Natalie H.

Emily A.

Holly S.

Rosa W.

Kara M.

Jessica B.

Song N.

Ya'll did a wonderful job! Thank ya'll so much for agreeing to be in the Modesty Fashion Show!

Thank you Jennifer B. for the lovely slide show! You literally rescued me!

Thank you Mattianne, Melissa, Kara, and Cindy for helping me figure out who to ask to be in the MFS.

Thank you Gratt T. for putting together the music for the MFS! It really kicked the level of greatness up a notch!

Thank you Mrs. Cindy, for overseeing and presenting the MFS! You are such a great inspiration and teacher! Thank you so much for allowing me to help out with this!

And most of all, thank you Father, for allowing us to be used by You to spread the message of the importance of modesty to any of the ladies that were able to attend the MFS.

Music Monday: "Sunglasses at Night" by Corey Hart

I don't know why....

...but this outfit reminds me of the song "Sunglasses at Night"! I guess because Moma tells me that the style of vest I'm wearing was popular in the 80's. That's the only logical explanation I have!

We had a let's-not-plan-anything-and-relax kind of Labor day, which was great! So this is LurlynnCrochet all natural, no make and unwashed hair!

This uber comfy outfit is perfect for a rainy Labor Day! We watched movies and just enjoyed each other's company! It was great and so relaxing!

Lazy Day Hair

When you're hair looks like this...

Do this...

 I was off yesterday and didn't want to was my hair or do my make up (my hair was clean, just messy :-) So whenever I've got messy hair my want to look somewhat decent, a French braid is the answer! I like to do mine to the side of my head, rather than straight down the middle. A quick and easy fix!

I Heart Coral Tulle

It's been a while since I've done an outfit post!

This outfit is a new favorite of mine!

I love how slimming the jacket is when zipped.

Here are some just for fun Picnik.com edits :-)



Coral Tulle Skirt...DowneastBasics.com

Navy Shirt...VanHeusen outlet (on clearance for $7 :-)

Jacket... I've had it since I was 16. Don't remember the name of the store, just remember it was less than $15

Silver Ballet Flats... Sam and Libby (yard sale for $1!)

Just Something Simple

Isn't it funny how differently things look when you see them from a different perspective? I was sitting in the parking lot waiting for the driving instructor to finish everyone else's road test. I was looking out the window and saw the amazing color of this blue/green wall! I've lived in this little town five years and never noticed this wall. There's no telling how many times we've driven past it!

This outfit isn't anything fancy, just something simple, but I love it! And I've had the shirt forever!

Shirt: Gift (American Eagle)

Jeans: Belk clearance rack

Shoes: Yard Sale (Cato)

Necklace: Borrowed From Moma :-) (Yard Sale)

I couldn't resist editing this photo :-)



Unconventional: Classy At a Baseball Game

The other night we were at a Biscuits baseball game and I saw this lady waiting in line for food. I couldn't get over how classy and modest she looked in the sea of Daisy Dukes! I was like, "Moma, look at her! I need to get her on my blog!" So... yeah, I walked up to a complete stranger and asked to take her picture! Am I crazy or what? She saw my mom and said, "You can take my picture with her!"

You can be classy and comfortable at a baseball game :-) Don't be afraid to wear something a bit dressier (and a lot more modest!) than those denim shorts!

When do you wear something a bit nicer than expected?

Unconventional: Black Bold Bouquet Dress

It's about time for another Unconventional post! Just as an FYI, I try to use my Unconventional posts to encourage girls to go against the grain and try something different in living a godly lifestyle, mostly (but not only) pertaining to modest fashion choices.

This is what I wore to work today :-)

I was almost afraid that the patterned tennis shoes and hounds-tooth hat would be too much pattern, but I really like the way the outfit looks together.

I got this dress a few weekends ago at TJMaxx. I saw it and knew I had to try it on (the fact it was under 20 dollars helped things along too :-). I tried it on and it was a bit too short and a bit too sleeveless, but I thought about buying some fabric in a cooridinating color or pattern and making some adjustments. Well, today, I REALLY wanted to wear this! So I got my dark "dressy" denim pencil skirt and a tshirt, and this is what I got! My boss said that she loved how I layer things. I love the fact that I can work, bend, jump, etc. and remain covered!

See what I mean? :-)

This is my favorite out of all of them with my puppy, Gilbert Blythe. Can't believe he's already 13 weeks old!

Dress: TJMaxx

Skirt: Target

Shoes: Keds

Hat: Cracker Barrel

Don't be afraid to try something different. Wear that dress that's too short with a skirt underneath! Mix those patterns and you just might be pleased with the results! As always, if you don't like how it looks, then you don't have to wear it again :-)

*Loving* Floral Fedora

I saw this floral fedora in the most recent issue of All*You magazine. Would you believe that is came from Kmart??!! And it's only $6.99!!! I think I'll be getting this soon. Would ya'll wear this? What kind of hats are ya'll wearing this summer?

It's a Good Thing...

(Photo Credit)

What comes to your mind when you hear the line "Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes" from the song, "My Favorite Things"? One that comes to my mind is that of an image of purity. A bunch of sweet little girls wearing white dresses with blue sashes; little girls that aren't "worldly wise"; little girls that don't know much about evil but know a lot about good. What's so bad about being this pure at the age of 18, 19 or 20? Obviously, there are some things that older girls will need to know that little girls don't, but here's some food for thought:

It's a good thing when a young woman hasn't had the typical "sex education" that most have because she knows that sex is saved for the marriage bed and anything outside of that is sin.

It's a good thing when a young woman doesn't go see every blockbuster film that comes to theaters because there is content that is not pleasing to God.

It's a good thing when a young woman is willing to be unconventional in her fashion choices because modesty is more important to her than fashion.

It's a good thing when a young woman doesn't read the book that EVERYBODY is reading because she knows that there are elements of that book that aren't pleasing to God and knows that she could easily get sucked in to it's addictive pull.

It's a good thing when a young woman sacrifices her love for theater/art/music/etc. because there is no Godly outlet near her.

It's a good thing when a young woman trusts the advice of her parents and trusted adults more than the advice of her peers.

It's a good thing when a young woman doesn't know every blasphemous word out there because she hasn't exposed herself to such things.

It's a good thing when a young woman is confident enough in her God given role womanhood to be able to willingly submit to her father and in the future her husband.

It's a good thing when a young woman is friendly with the young men around her but isn't flirtatious and doesn't throw herself at them.

It's a good thing when a young woman has never kissed a man because she wants to save that special first kiss for the man she will marry.

It's a good thing when a young woman doesn't find her fulfillment in the mirror, or in a relationship, or in a job, but she finds her ultimate fulfillment in the Lord.

Sometimes it's a good thing to go against the grain.

                                                                  

Matching is an Option (Sometimes)

Matching is an Option (Sometimes) by Lori Lynn Rives featuring a turquoise handbag

You don't always have to match perfectly. Play around with colors and see how they work together :-)