hello PLU’s

murphy and i (and his law) are hanging out still waiting for a change of pace…so needless to say i have had tons of time to reflect on the past few days and how neat it has been to watch the be{tween} project unfold.

from the weather to everyone’s schedule matching up for the photo shoot…..it was orchestrated not by me and my intent.  I assure you it is much much bigger than that…

*5 models, 5 moms, 1 hair person, 1 makeup artist, 2 employees/friends making it happen, my 2 incredibly patient children, 1 photographer, 1 babysitter, one CBS news guys & a bunch of subway sandwiches later we had a successful day- everyone’s schedules matched up perfectly, and oh the weather…the gorgeous weather……..what a blessing.  if only the donkey had not been what it is…ha

I was having some much needing alone time with the Lord and he gave me a passage….

1 Peter 3: 3-9

³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. ⁴ Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. ⁵ For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, ⁶ like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

⁷ Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

⁸ Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. ⁹ Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

i have no doubt due to the peace that i have that it is heavily related to between.  It is a hard balance on how much I can relate these clothes to what my convictions are because there are so many opinions involved….

nope…not direct enough

try again….

our girls have a big job to do when they get older…..love their husbands, be compassionate, exude humility, be a blessings and give them out….

i don’t want to step on anyone’s toe’s when it comes to what children wear….there ARE options out there at several stores for children wearing sizes 7-14….lots as a matter of fact and most are completely adequate- in the scheme of things – we are blessed to be where we can afford clothing at all. seriously.

my convictions still stand….we need to teach our girls to be mild yet strong….loving and kind, to respect the Lord and His word.

i truly believe that the years before our children leave our houses for their own paths are crucial….i believe that it is our job to be intentional about teaching them what God would have them to do in every single area of their lives – at least indirectly if not addressing every situation.

clothing can fall into that category….like it or not – what we wear says so much about us.  good, bad or ugly we are judged and labeled.

the goal of between can be to provide another option.

simple as that.

i hope that you will find that between will always be conservative and classic but not prudish.  i don’t want to raise a pilgrim…i want mia to fit in well with her peers but i also want her to demonstrate in every area of her life WHO she belongs to.

at my house we will be about being intentional in our decisions of what we wear….progressive, stylish, yet completely appropriate and beautiful.

i hope you know my heart in this post….i hope you understand that i am not being judgmental.

i do think there is a need and as much as it is God’s will we intend to fill it ………………..

with the most wonderful manufacturing team, a strong support system at home, and a fabulous group of girls that could not be more crucial to every detail of this company’s success…we all have parts of it that are our ever-loving guts strewn out into a bunch of clothes…

goodnite from murphy and i….

all of my love to my people…..

whew…..that is putting it out there….praying you receive these words as i mean them….

hello PLU’s…..{people like us if you are new}

i haven’t done a very good job keeping “on the day” but at least you are getting more posts than usual…..alot more….

it may be that….

i am not cooking- we are eating like children (my kids are confused….)

dishes….optional

laundry…optional until today *mandatory monster tackling mission

we went in our pajamas after a day of 101 fever (for mia) to zaxby’s for a milkshake….we were feeling sorry for ourselves

my van is still packed from the photoshoot, well….gymnastics, school, and everything else this week…

my house is clean-ish but i am on vacation from my duties…my regular ones….

i will tell you that i have intentionally made this time about being together… not that we aren’t usually it’s just that i have been intentional about trading my chores for vacation in favor of intentional time with my kids…

so much has happened…..this might have been the busiest weekend though that i have had ever….seriously – my DH and I have been laughing about the fact that it WOULD happen when he is gone…..right…always….you can expect that because Murphy and his stupid law follow me around….

however, God provided an extra dose of grace and mercy on our household….my fav sitter spent her whole whole whole day with my kids, and her parents and her boyfriend- while i went to school of sorts for almost 11 hours….

I was incredibly blessed to learn from some of the very best in the industry …..Ashley Warren & Grethal Van Epps teamed up to teach advanced users how to shoot for hire basically.  everything from business advice, mistakes they have made, vendors they use….even prices.  We were blessed to be taught by both of them.  Even better is that they were total opposites on style and personalities but both extremely strong in the non-negotiables of  what makes a great photograph.    They are offering a Birmingham beginners course that is currently filling up…..i would jump on it if you want to learn….incredible!!

www.grethelvanepps.com

www.ashleywarrenstudios.com

I even got to go with my friend Jill {jill aldridge photography}……cutest ever blond to my left…..we are incredibly blessed to get to worship together on sundays, we both love photography, she is an incredibly talented editor who is solely responsible for zero inconsistencies in the spring BBTN catalog, and we are neighbors who just happen to love photography……she is deep folks, she is an incredibly kind mom who loves the Lord….

this was saturday….

of course it falls the day before the between photoshoot…..

i sure wish murphy would quit following me around…..

all of my love ….from me and murphy….my newest sidekick…..

we got a bunch of laundry done today though…..

but it’s his fault there is so much even though my husband is out of town…

geez

hello PLU’s

as expected the week gets long on a wednesday…but i am encouraged

as my children and i joined hands and prayed together tonight the world got really really small and focused- what you pray over your children really is what matters…..

and it isn’t gymnastics and swim team….it sure isn’t basketball – although i am the first to talk about those things alot!!

we prayed fervently tonight for my husband in a hotel across the world – tossing and turning because of time zone & total exhaustion from a big job to do….we prayed his burden would be light and his laughs would be many.  we prayed that he would be prepared for his business meetings and rest in between.  we prayed for physical safety and for fun.  we prayed he would feel how much he is loved…and turns out he does.

a great deal of clarity comes on those moments where you have to fill both parental roles….you are what they see of Jesus every day-

i pray that they will see the patience that God offers us…unconditional love, perfect kindness, unending mercy, and a great deal of grace.  I want to be just and right in my decisions yet ask for forgiveness with a whole bunch of humility when i am wrong.  i love how God made my children’s hearts- they are eager to serve him…eager to love and i pray that i gingerly take  care of their spirits.

when we pray i remind them after amen that God hears every single prayer & that he listens intently to not only their words but their hearts….he knows them because he made them.

oh wow – what a full day – full in a good way- emotionally – oh how we are blessed to have the freedom to worship!!

speaking of blessings – we are shipping LIKE CRAZY!!!

you are hopefully going to see some seersucker around town in totally inappropriate times- way early because that is how it is going around our workroom…..i am hoping every Easter egg hunt will be totally saturated in your BBTN creations….how fun!!

i  & our most fabulous team are so incredibly excited about how manufacturing is going and i look forward to each of you receiving your clothes!!