I had a weird dream on Saturday night.  And I woke up in the middle of the night thinking for some reason that I needed to remember it.  So I sat up, went back over the dream in my head and then went back to sleep.

This was the dream:

I was sitting in a group of people in someone’s living room.  A community group of sorts.  And it seemed that the topics at hand were about moving into a new place and finding community and about grieving.  I guess those were the things on the minds of some people in the group.  And there was a really young girl in the group, naive, but full of good intentions, who was all too eager to give advice to these people walking through these hard times.  So she started off with “You know what I think.  I think that when you move to a new place, you should put a sign in your yard that says ‘I’m your new neighbor, please come by and let’s be friends,’ and then people will know that you’re nice and you’ll find it really easy to connect and find community.”

A long bewildered pause from the rest of the group…

So she starts up again, “And you know what I heard…I heard that if you spray grape must in your house, it somehow chemically affects your brain to where you no longer feel the effects of grief. (random aside here…no idea where this grape must thing came from…it was a dream you know)  I think if you all try those things, you’ll really find that it’ll be easier to walk through these things you’re dealing with.”

And in the dream, I was myself, and in true-to-myself form I said, “I don’t mean to be rude because I understand that you have good intentions here, but have you ever moved and tried to find community, or walked through grief so deep you feel like you’re swimming in it?  Because if you have, then I think you’ll understand that these suggestions are not altogether realistic.  That walking through these things most certainly gives you insight to walk through them hopefully differently and better the next time, but it doesn’t alleviate the fact that there will be struggle.”

Then a woman with more years and widsom on the couch next to me said, “I agree with what Logan said.  There is just something about experiencing hard things that once we walk through them, we are equipped to walk through them again with more wisdom and authority.  And because of that wisdom and authority, we prayerfully learn how to walk through the hard places better.”

And then I went back to sleep.

When I woke up again at about 5am with severe cramping and bleeding, I realized just why the Lord gave me that dream.

It’s early ya’ll.  Really early into a pregnancy.  So early that I’d just told my husband I was pretty certain that I was pregnant and would take a test in the morning to confirm.  The signs were all there.  I’ve been pregnant 4 times now, so I know the feeling…the “symptoms.”  And when I realized that I wouldn’t need to take that test afterall…because this kind of physical pain and bleeding has happened before, I found myself right back in that place of standing at a crossroads and wondering which road to walk down with a fresh wave of potentially paralyzing grief staring at me…begging to overtake me.

And I heard the Lord say to me… “Not this time Logan…not this time.  I am good.  You can trust me.  You can walk this path differently this time.  You are wiser, and you have authority to walk this well.”

Something in me rose up yesterday…and I’m gonna call it the spirit of the Living God within me.  And I found myself yesterday morning in Psalm 103 that begins with “Bless the Lord oh my soul, and ALL THAT IS WITHIN ME bless his holy name.”  I found myself blessing the Lord yesterday…rising up into a place of an almost surreal faith and assurance that this will turn out well.  That all things work together for the good of those who love Him. (Rom 8:28)

I know that we have an enemy in this world…an enemy that desires nothing more than to turn our focus from the One who loves perfectly.  And lately I’ve found myself in a place where the Lord’s favor on me in several areas of my life is so evident that I have felt almost dumfounded by it.  I described it to some friends the other day that I feel like I’m a pancake and the Lord is literally dousing me with this inexplicable syrup of favor…just because he loves me…just to knock my socks off and show me.  And somehow insanely, a friend told me yesterday that she thinks it’s contagious…that favor syrup.  That since I’ve been sharing some of the amazing things that the Lord has been doing with me, they have begun to see drops of this syrup of goodness dripping off too….flinging off and landing onto others.  Faith rising up more faith….and spreading.

So yesterday when I found myself in the midst of another miscarriage, I felt the Lord saying to me….”Do not be distracted  from the good things I have in store for you.  Do not be distracted from the oil of joy (Ps 45:7) that I have poured out on you.”  Somehow I know that this “distraction” is a tactic that has been effectively used in my life twice before.  And it worked.  Boy did it work.  I walked around in a fog of grief spanning almost 2 years…joy fleeting…favor syrup rolling right off of this porous pancake because my eyes weren’t open to even seeing it.  And here’s what I have to say to that right now.

Not this time.

And I’m reminded of some interesting truths that I discovered last week…which I’ll share more in depth with you all later.  I was doing a study of the words “self-discipline” and “joy.”  I spent a few days looking into the meanings of these words and loads of verses about them and what I found was completely new to me.  That self-discipline actually yields joy.

So often in life I think we find ourselves in a search for joy.  That we’re looking for this emotion, some inexplicable pleasure or satisfaction…and we have no idea how to get it.  And last week I came across a verse in Hebrews (12:11) that said that “discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

Discipline is not always about receiving a consequence…and learning to discipline ourselves (self-discipline) is more about training ourselves in certain thoughts or behaviors anyways.  (I’m talking about self-discipline here…please don’t think I’m saying that miscarriage is some punishment from God…I do NOT believe that is consistent with the character of a loving God.)  When I read this verse, I remembered way back to grade school when I learned the whole If A=B, and B=C, then A=C concept.  So, if discipline seems not to be joyful, but being trained by it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness, then discipline actually does yield joy AND the peaceful fruit of righteousness.  Ya following me?

So here’s where I am today.  I will continue to walk in self-discipline…spending time with my God who is good.  “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”  And I will discipline myself to the renewing of my mind…to the remembering of His goodness and promises to me.  And I will not let my thoughts go down a rabbit trail that only leads to darkness.  I will grab hold of the wisdom and authority over this miscarriage that I have been given…and I will walk forward…focusing on the sweet face of a sweet Savior who’s blood covers a multitude of sorrows.

image from Dayspring

I keep thinking about a quote that Ann Voskamp shared at Relevant  a couple of weekends ago where she said “God points to people who disappoint, to point to the God who doesn’t disappoint.”  And so that’s where I am.  Knowing my humanity, walking in it fully, experiencing the bleeding out right now of life in a fallen world….and pointing ya’ll….pointing myself…and hopefully as you read, pointing towards the ONE who doesn’t disappoint.

“I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. ” – Phi; 3:12-14 (The Message)

I want to cuss right now.  I just wrote this entire post to share the reveal of the surprise nursery with you and somehow deleted it…in perfect time for auto-save to save my deleted mess.  I’m not computer savvy enough to know how to fix that.  Drat!

I’ve been busting my tail to get a million things done today and just flat have not had a chance to get this posted.  I led Bible study this morning, have been tidying up my house, spent some time connecting with friends, cooking dinner, and my in-laws arrived this evening from Texas to visit for a few days.  It has been a full day.  And the first draft of this post was far more eloquent…but now it’s getting late and I’m really tired and so eloquent you’ll have to live without I suppose.

In the end though, my friend’s baby BOY was born perfectly healthy yesterday around lunchtime, and she came home today.  Just as well for all of you because it did hit me this morning that I couldn’t share her nursery with the free world before she’d even seen it herself!  But she has seen it now…and she loves it.  She told me it’s more beautiful than she had even dared to imagine.  What a compliment?!?!  Wow!

Just to let you know what I did in the room…I painted and refinished both the dresser and the bed.  The mirror was found as it was, so I matched the dresser to the paint on the mirror (per the client’s request.)  I designed and sewed the window treatment and all of the throw pillows as well.  The only things she had before were the little bluish nightstand (which is not entirely matching, but fine for now) and the crib.  Everything else, I bought for the project.  And we ran out of budget for a few more things that will go in the room coming up shortly…a rug, new light fixture, a bit more wall art.  But you get the idea.  Once we add those other things later, I’ll have to share it with you again.  For now though, this is what my friend and her sweet little buddy came home to today.

You’ll have to forgive that these pictures are horrendous too.  I had to take them at night, some with a flash, and with my awesome camera still broken…so please forgive.

SO whatcha think?

Today is the day ya’ll!  Or rather, tonight is the night I guess.  The night where I go to my sweet friend’s house and install a nursery for a baby she’s having whose gender has remained unknown…to everyone except myself and the ultrasound tech.  Seriously…what a privilege is that?!

I’ve decorated lots of nurseries before.  Remember where I showed you a few HERE?  And I have to say, this has been the most fun for me.  The element of complete surprise for a friend who’s waited so long to meet these tiny fingers and toes that are on their way as I speak.  And the level of trust that she placed on me to pick out EVERYTHING has been humbling, honoring, and an absolute blast.  I feel like I’m on While You Were Out or something.

She picked out these 2 beddings in advance and that’s it.  Showed me some pictures in catalogues of things she was drawn to and I got to take it from there.

photo credit Serena and Lily

photo credit Serena and Lily

And boy has it been fun!  I’m a serious fabric lover, so I think that I found probably 7 more fabrics to put in the room.  Great patterns, textures, interest.  I can’t wait until my friend comes home from the hospital with that sweet baby that all of this time and money and effort has been for and has a soft place to land.

I even broke my own rule on this one and sewed all of the throw pillows and window treatment.  I love to sew, but if I did it for every client, I probably wouldn’t love it anymore.  So I don’t do it…as a rule.

This one has been a true labor of love and connection for me in a lot of ways though.  This friend has miscarried some babies (get that…some…multiples) and I get that pain all to well.  That longing and loss…the waiting while everyone else around you is birthing life.  Man is it a hard road.  And I’ve walked it…twice.  And I know the joy of that baby finally coming too.  The first time you hear that cry when you’ve felt like you’ve been pregnant for years….because you have.  You’ve been pregnant, and lost babies, and pregnant again, and lost, and waiting, and trying, and hoping, and praying.  And then the first cries.  Probably the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.  And all the losing, and waiting, and trying, and hoping, and praying comes flooding out of your own heart…and you weep.  Weep for the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness to bring about life.  And that is a good moment.  A great moment.

So I know this place where my friend is today…on that hospital bed still waiting because that sweet life is curled warmly in her belly…waiting.  And I can’t wait to bring together beauty in a room to celebrate that life with her.  And it is my privilege, and a joy.

I’ll share it with you tomorrow.

**And in the meantime…I’m curious if there’s anything you’ve been able to do for someone else that felt like a priviledge to you?  Let’s get this conversation started!

WOW am I tired.

Seriously, like the kind of tired where I almost wore my sunglasses INSIDE of Wal-mart today.  And… I think wearing sunglasses inside is almost like wearing sunglasses at night.  Maybe even worse!

See, I spent from Thursday through yesterday evening surrounded by a group of some of the most amazing women I’d ever met at The Relevant Conference in Harrisburg, PA.  Turned out that I got to spend even more time there too… when the sky opened up and dropped inches and inches of snow on us causing loads of canceled and severely delayed flights. I have a million thoughts from this conference swirling around in my head, and honestly it’s going to take me awhile to sort through it all…but I thought I’d share a few things I came away with…

* Friends…I came away with lots and lots of new friends.  Heart friends too.  The kinds where there is an instant connection, you get one another on so many levels, you laugh, you cry, you pray, you worship…and in this case for the most part, you all blog too!  It was amazing.  I’m a people lover anyways,  and I don’t know how many times I found myself with a sort of social ADD because of the sheer quantity of amazing women around me.  I truly cherished every minute with each person I met… even if I hardly took any pictures with them since my camera was being a temperamental cry baby.

My amazing roomies Erin, Kristen, and then a pre make-up me

A little chocolate break with Sarah Mae

*Wise words….with speakers like Ann Voskamp, Joy Forney, Sally Clarkson, and Courtney Joseph to name just a few, my heart came away full of truths to chew on and digest. And these words were just from the speakers…don’t even get me started on just the wise words from conference attendees too!  A few nuggets of wisdom that I actually even wrote down….

• The only platform Jesus came and stood on was the cross he came to die on – Ann Voskamp
• Hardship can make us bitter…or it can make us better – Shelley Noonan
• God’s will is not something hidden that needs to be found, it’s something revealed that waits to be done. – Sally Clarkson
• When I am in my “element” (where skills and passion meet)  I find God’s pleasure on me. – Tsh Oxenrider
• Who we are at home is who we really are. – Courtney Joseph
• Right is always right, even if noone is doing it.  Wrong is always wrong, even if everyone is doing it. – Sally Clarkson
• God appoints people who do disappoint, to point to the God who doesn’t disappoint.” – Ann Voskamp’s husband

*Some awesome books and music!  There were several really gifted authors and musicians at the conference too!  And I can’t wait to chow into Emily P Freeman’s “Grace for the Good Girl”, Angie Smith’s “What Women Fear”, and Grace Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel.  I snatched up a few CD’s from some of the talented musicians we were privileged to hear…Shaun Groves, Christa Wells, Aaron Shust,   Nicole Witt, and David Nevue.

*I came away with Perspective…on blogging, and balance…on faith and on family.  Words of speakers and other amazing women were balm to the soul of this regular mom who just wants to make a difference in the lives of my family and of others.

*Information and opportunities to affiliate with some incredible companies who already are making a difference in the world.  Companies like OneVerse and The Seed Company, who are enabling Bible translation in places where no Bible has ever been recorded in the language.  Compassion International, a consistently excellent organizations with amazing opportunities to partner and sponsor needy children all over the world.  Mercy House Kenya, providing a safe place, work opportunities, and an alternative to abortion for pregnant women in Kenya.  There were more than that…but those were a few that really stood out to me.

*Great tips for the business and social media side of things.  And for a girl who still doesn’t entirely understand what a plug-in is or does, it was nice to at least learn a few extra things to keep me from being totally ignorant!

My "Man" Journal

* The “Man” Journal.  There was a prayer room at the conference set up for women to find a quiet place to read, journal, and pray. One of the sponsor companies provided journals for each conference attendee.  They were so pretty…aqua padded journals with a silvery graphic on the front.  One for each woman… that had been prayed over and written in.  Our names were on cards in each book and we had the opportunity throughout the entire conference to write words of encouragement, prayers, notes, whatever in the journals of the other women at the conference.  At the end we each went by to pick up our journal to bring home.  I kept looking for mine and then suddenly said out loud … “Um, anyone know why Shaun Groves and I have the same journal?”  Someone next to me started laughing and said she bet that since Logan has become such a popular boy name, the company assumed that I was a man.  Hilarious.  Seriously.  I laughed so hard and honestly I think I might love my man journal even more now.  I do love a good laugh, a good story…and apparently also a manly looking journal.

* A Subway Breakfast Sandwich coupon… On the last evening at dinner, the company Blessings Unlimited ,which sells really beautiful inspirational home decor, provided the loveliest table decorations.  They wanted to bless some attendees, so they told us to all look under our chairs and 3 people from each table of 10 would find a coupon stuck there to indicate each recipient had won the different parts of the table decor.  Imagine my delight to reach under my chair and pull off a taped card!  I had WON!  YAY….HOORAY….What the heck?!  This is what I found.

Obviously this whole “under the chair prize plan” had been done at another conference before.  Oh well…even if I didn’t win the hurricane glasses, or the letter blocks, I could at least walk off with a breakfast sandwich from Johnny Professional’s Lame Corporate America Work Conference.  Oh wait….never mind.  Apparently said work conference happened awhile back, because this subway sandwich expired in JUNE!  Bummer.  Seriously…bummer.  Hilariously….bummer.  And I introduce you to…the story of my life.  This is the kind of hilarity that happens to me…often!

I’m home safe and sound now though from it all.  Refreshed. Renewed. Tired as all get out though! Oh…and my sinus infection from a couple of weeks ago, apparently it was a beast that 10 days of Augmentin couldn’t even fend off, so it’s back!  Went to the doc today and will start some new meds.  And yes I did make breakfast for dinner tonight…love me some quick cooking eggs! I’m off to bed.  Will resume my more regular blogging schedule hopefully this week!

And super fun news is that this week I’m installing the secret nursery I told ya’ll about HERE, so I’ll get to share about that later on!  I did another surprise room makeover this weekend as well…in about 90 minutes (shopping trip to installation) that I’ll reveal more about later too!

Nighty night all!

Oh friends, do I have a treat for you today!  This girl…seriously, YOU WILL LOVE!  I’m a natural networker, so when I realized my old boarding school (yes…I went to boarding school) buddy, Darden, was married to a for real professional make-up artist who once upon a million years ago I actually met…I totally set out to meet her again.  First I looked up her shop, Luxe Beauty Boutique, in Raleigh, and then facebook friended her to see if she might be willing to guest post on Life for Dessert.  And when she said she would, and then Darden told me she’s also an artist/chef/multitasking DIY’er like myself…well, don’t you know I just had to call her?!

Fiquet and I were friends I think in about the first 5 seconds on the phone…which is good, because for that first convo we talked for an hour and a half.  I called her this week to ask a “quick” question…and bam…another hour.  She’s awesome.  I just love awesome people!  And she has some seriously amazing tips for how to look your best in the make-up department.  She’s real and so is her advice about make-up.  I’m so excited to try out these tricks and products.  And because Fiquet (how cool is her name?!  pronounced Fee-kay,) owns this fab-o shop Luxe, and has access to amazing products, she’s going to offer Life for Dessert readers 15% off of THE ENTIRE SITE through November 15th with the checkout code DESSERT. Hang in to the very end of this post too…she’s got a super awesome giveaway for you!  Crud…now I’m giving away too much already…without further ado…I introduce you to my friend, Fiquet:

“I am a professional Makeup Artist & Beauty Boutique owner… but like you, life sometimes stands in my way. Sure we would all love “a team” of experts getting us ready each morning just like all of the celebrities that we read about in magazines but really, come on! Most of us are lucky to find five minutes to slap on a little makeup & run a brush through our hair on our way out of the door.

Over the past nine years, I have built a cosmetic business that is centered around the reality of women’s lives. When working with clients, I keep things simple. No five step eye shadow here!

Sure, there are times when an hour long makeup application and professional blow out are totally appropriate (i.e. anniversary dinner, high school reunion)but truth be told you can up your game on a daily basis with just a few simple items:

Tinted Moisturizer. Its a girls best friend. Look for formulas that offer some sun protection…talk about multi-tasking! Makeup, sunscreen and moisturizer in one!  I particularly love Dennis Gross Skincare’s All in One Tinted Moisturizer. It dries to a matte finish and doesn’t need to be set with powder.

available at Luxe Beauty Boutique

Waterproof Eyeliner: I have a thing for eyeliner. It was the first piece of makeup that  I started experimenting with as a teenager & I just can’t shake it. When I am in a super hurry, I just line the upper rim of my lashes with a really pigmented, waterproof liner. This gives definition without looking too “done”. Its great for those days when you just want to look like you happen to be stunning but are way to cool to care. The trick is to apply it along the inside of the upper eyelid but not too close to the pink. “wet line” of the eye. Basically, you are pushing it into your lash line to fill the gaps between your lashes. It is the quickest way to fake really full lashes and who doesn’t want that?

available at Target

available at Luxe Beauty Boutique

Lip & Cheek Stain: Several brands make these stains but I am totally in love with BECCA cosmetics’ Beach Tint. Its a long wearing lip & cheek stain that you can apply with your fingers. Just shake it up (it has some silicone in it so it can separate a bit) and apply the tiniest amount on to cheeks & lips. Its quick and really natural looking.

available at Luxe Beauty Boutique  And last, as cliche as it may sound… Great Skin.  This my friends, is the ultimate secret weapon. Makeup only looks as good as the skin it is on. If you don’t spend money on anything else, invest in the best skincare you can afford.If you are on a budget (who isn’t these days?) save on cleanser- there  are plenty of decent ones at drugstores but invest in treatment items  like creams & serums.  I have problem skin. Seriously , my skin is from hell. Its super sensitive, dry and prone to breakouts all at the same time. Oh! And I’m in my mid thirties so there’s that whole fine lines and wrinkles business. Lucky me, huh? I am neurotic about my skin. I mean, over the top, crazy town, neurotic. I have tried everything under the sun and have stumbled upon the Holy Grail of skincare. Nia 24 Rapid Exfoliating Serum & Skin Strengthening Complex have saved my skin. My previously blotchy, bumpy skin is smooth & even these days. Hallelujah! “

Fiquet Bailey Swain
liveloveluxe.com

Yay Fiquet!  I thought I wasn’t a total doof in the make-up department, but I have to be honest and say…the only one of those tips I knew was the one about where to put the eyeliner.  I’m totally going to have to get some of this stuff and get to work on my face!

And some more awesomeness, Fiquet is giving away that Holy Grail of skincare that she mentioned…the Nia24 Rapid Exfoliating Complex and Skin Strengthening Complex (a $160 value.)  There are several ways to enter to win.  You’ll receive one entry for each action you take (and like always…leave a separate comment detailing each thing you do.)  The contest will end at midnight on Tuesday November 1st.  I’ll announce the winner on Wednesday the 3rd to give you a couple of days to tell your friends and to make sure you all have a chance to enter!

Mandatory Entry: Like Luxe Beauty Boutique on Facebook

Additional Entries:

• Follow the Luxe Beauty Boutique blog
• Like Life for Dessert on Facebook
• Subscribe to receive the Life for Dessert Feed
• Follow Life for Dessert via Google Friend Connect

If you loved Fiquet as much from your first meeting now as I did…check her out also on her blog Farmhouse to Home… where she chronicles her adventures into updating and making an amazing old Farmhouse that she and Darden bought into their home!  She’s a sucker for a great renovation and DIY project like myself….I’m sure you’ll enjoy her adventures there too!

I LOVE the movie “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days.”  Love it!  And sometimes when I’m accessorizing, I think that perhaps I’m “frosting myself.”  You know…adding the icing on the cake.  Because honestly…what is cake without icing?!  Personally, I could eat a vat of just the icing most of the time with a tiny bit of cake.  In fact, my friend KB’s hubs does eat his cake that way.  He puts the piece of cake on a plate and then a HUMONGOUS glob of icing on the side to go with the cake.  Straight out of the bowl…loads of icing.  It’s the best way to eat cake.  But I digress…and you get the point.  Cake is nothing without icing.  And clothes can be dull without accessories.

Becca is back with us today. Remember I told you yesterday that she’s the Queen of the Layer?!  Well, I think part of that job description must require a serious understanding of how to accessorize.  I’m a fan of the concept “if you want to know about something, ask the person who you know does it best”…and so that’s what I’m doing.  I’ve asked the person that I know absolutely dominates the accessories scene.  And with awesomeness.  So here she is…Accessories Tip Maven…my friend Becca:

I personally love Fall – Not only is it my favorite season of the year
but it is the most fun for putting together fabulous outfits
with all those yummy layers.
I love giving my clients ideas on how to put their looks together!

A Few “Must Have Accessories for Fall”

Belts
Scarves
Hats
Crochet or Lace pieces for layering
Some great Jewels
(feather earrings, leather cuffs, something with a little sparkle )

This crochet skirt is a…a pretty layer for over
your dresses, denim or leggings

Scarves – A must have for fall
Personally I have a bucket full of cute scarves
that can be worn all year long.

(Enter to win this awesome scarf above too!  Comes in mustard, pine green, and a bluish charcoal color… Your pick!)

Belts and Leather Cuffs, and more Scarves –
all are fun ways to add texture to an outfit

Lace layering pieces for under or over an outfit
(this is cute over your favorite t shirt)

and add a cute Knit Hat

All of the pieces you see above are available
at

Style by Becca
1279 Pendleton Street
Greenville, SC 29611
864.421.5180

Thanks Becca!  And I just have to say…I totally have that cute lace top, and every time I wear it…yep…compliments!

I personally have an obsession with earrings.  Remember this cool thing I found to store them?!  Probably I love earrings so much because I make them…and more than that because they can add an instant punch to the top half of your outfit too.  SO Becca and I are teaming up to host a fun accessories giveaway today!  She’s going to be giving away the super awesome scarf pictured above (and below with me modeling it)in pine green, mustard, or charcoal, and I’ll be throwing in these cool earrings that I made! (The penny is in there to give you an idea of the size.) And if you don’t win these…make sure to check out my local fav, Lily Pottery, for some more rad jewelry….and come to the show I’m hosting for Lily on Nov 29th from 6-9pm!

scarf also available in pine green and charcoal

handmade earrings by yours truly!

So here’s how to enter (this giveaway is open to US residents only. I’m sorry to my far away peeps…I do love you though):

Mandatory Entry: “Like” Style by Becca  on Facebook.

• For extra entries leave separate comments detailing each action:  You can earn 1 extra entry for each action taken, for a total of FIVE extra entries…1) Follow Style By Becca on Google Friend Connect, 2) Like Life for Dessert on Facebook, 3)Subscribe to receive the Life For Dessert feed (it’s in the sidebar on the top right), 4) Share this link on your own Facebook wall, 5) Follow Life for Dessert on Twitter and Tweet this link to all of your followers. 6) Follow Life for Dessert on Google Friend Connect

This giveaway will be open until Sunday night October 30th at midnight.  I’ll announce the winners Monday!  SO pass it on and make sure to enter…accessory fabulosity awaits you!

I must interrupt this regularly scheduled Fashion Week to tell you all that on Thursday…yes, 2 days from now…I leave for a long weekend away with a ton of girlfriends I’ve never met in real life before.

I’m heading to the Relevant ’11 Blogging Conference and I am so incredibly excited!  My sister told me it’s weird…she thinks blogging is weird though.  I guess I did too before I did it.  I guess to that I just have to say…don’t knock it til you try it.  As for me, I can’t wait to meet this huge bunch of incredibly talented, funny, and genuine women…some of whom I’m already acquainted with from online.  For me it feels kinda like meeting a whole bunch of pen-pals all at once.  I can’t wait.

A couple of online pals, Brooke and Erin, are hosting a link-up to share “10 Things That My Relevant Roomie Should Know About Me,” and I’ve enjoyed reading other women’s’ lists so much, I figured I’d create my own too and join in the party.  I’m assuming you already know I love Jesus like crazy and like to blog about loads of stuff…so I’ll share the stuff you wouldn’t already know.

SO to my real life friend Erin, and my new friend and roomie Kristin….here goes ladies!

10.  I fully expect to completely exhaust myself staying up and visiting with lots of new-found friends WAYYYY late into the night!  You might want to give me an extra key to the room….or a curfew.

9.  I am MUCH nicer after I’ve had a cup of coffee in the morning when I’m tired.  MUCH…MUCH…nicer.

8.  I most prefer to take a shower at night…I wear Christmas jammies year round, and my new-found favorite thing is dry shampoo.

7.  I’m bringing too many shoes.  Most importantly though, I’m bringing THE boots.

6.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE meeting new people.  In fact, I am absolutely, positively, completely energized by it.  I love it so much that well….see #10 for what will likely happen to me.

5.  I talk in my sleep.   Seriously.   And sometimes I dream that spiders are falling on me and I hit at the air even.  Once I bit my Hubs on the shoulder in the middle of the night.  If I take a Tylenol pm though, usually these issues can be avoided…but then I’m super tired in the morning.  I am bringing Tylenol PM with me though…just to be nice! 🙂

4.  I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so excited about going somewhere as I am about this weekend.  As stated above…my sister thinks this is weird.

3.  I have a MAJOR propensity for verbal diarrhea.  The good thing though is that I love to enjoy a huge laugh at my own expense when I find myself too far gone in a sentence to turn back.  You know those moments….I have them a lot.

2.  I am bringing my own pillow.  I’ll sleep better with it.  But don’t worry…even though I still have my blanket from when I was a baby…I’ll leave it at home.  You know…so the Hubs will have something to remember me by.

1.  I was having a little bit of regret about leaving my family for 4 days…but not anymore since my Hubs was in South Dakota hunting for 5 and I was home sick…with sick kids.  Now, not so much.  Now… I just want to roll down the windows of the proverbial convertible, crank the music and sing Free Fallin’!  Weekend away with loads of new friends…HERE I COME!

So there you have it!  Bring on the weekend!