Celebrating

Theme colors.



I already missed my first Thursday I was scheduled to post for Thrifty Thursdays. Sorry I was so sick and not up to posting. You are welcome to explore the budget wedding collection I have assembled this past couple of weeks, all for well under $200, total (for full vow renewal, including cake and wedding party atire)! Hopefully I'll get back on track and into a posting rhythm soon.





I need boots for the support, in order to walk better, but they had to be cute!
My big splurge at $20 on eBay, with free shipping.



Some of the language choices here hurt my heart because I know they dishonor God, but the overall letter, from an adult daughter, to her own mother, also referencing the author's 3-year-old and grandmother, is so eye-opening! I'm planning to share a portion of this with my 11-year-old this afternoon, to give her insight into how the truth we know about beauty in childhood can be so shaped and manipulated by life!

Edible butterfly cake decorations.

---- Update : Had that special time with my daughter before I ever got to post this. I will update by saying THIS is another reason infertility hurt so bad, one of those "Mommy moments" I so yearned for and truly enjoyed! If you are facing infertility or pregnancy loss, please know you are in my prayers today! ----

For all moms of pre-teen or early teen daughters (around 10-14 years), I must highly recommend Queen Esther's Secrets of Womanhood by my friend Ginger Garrett. My daughter and I started her Esther Year this month and I am SO excited!!!

For lack of a better descriptive on my part, I guess it is sort of a devotional leader's guide for you and your daughter. It take's the story of Esther and unfolds 12 monthly "dates" for a mother and daughter, fun little beauty splurges (yesterday's was just a basic skin care lesson, but since we had already done that and both needed hair cuts, we got our hair cut together, then sat and talked at Starbucks) that are really just spring boards to talk about deeper heart issues and what God has to say on the topic of beauty. It is a few years old, so if your local Christian bookstore can't order it try Amazon, half.com or even eBay. So glad to have this book I've hung on to since my "baby" was little!

For lack of a better descriptive on my part, I guess it is sort of a devotional leader's guide for you and your daughter. It take's the story of Esther and unfolds 12 monthly "dates" for a mother and daughter, fun little beauty splurges our first was intended to be just a basic skin care lesson, but since we had already done that and both needed hair cuts, we got our hair cut together, then sat and talked at Starbucks) that are really just spring boards to talk about deeper heart issues and what God has to say on the topic of beauty. It is a few years old, so if your local Christian bookstore can't order it try Amazon, half.com or even eBay. So glad to have this book I've hung on to since my "baby" was little!

Don't Forget to Check!

I know it seems I have totally abandoned this blog. I haven't forgotten, just been busy keeping Stroke Of Grace (my current stroke recovery story) up to date, working on my fishing my latest book project, Harvesting Hope from Heartache (a devotional that primarily focuses on the fruit of the Spirit), and adding a lot of ideas to my InnerBeautyGirlz page and many other boards at Pintrest, what I really came here to be sure you knew about!

From Quotes & Thoughts

I'm really excited about this new, ever-growing, visual resource, especially the recent recipes where I learned about how to make your own mineral makeup or how to really whiten your teeth! :) Please let me know if you try these (or any others) and what you thought!

Craving Jesus (+ Mineral Makeup Coupon Code and Gifts)

One of my most widely read articles in the history of this blog was when I got real about Weight Gain and Contentment last summer. It was a hard piece to write, and a harder piece to live out.

But God is so gracious. He created us and calls us beautiful. I believe it is His desire that we not only honor Him with our bodies, but that we trust what He says about us to be true. This is still a learning process for me. I thought you might like to follow me over to Tipping the Scales to see what else God's been doing in my heart (and my body) since last year's post.

I've recently been enjoying the book Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food and the reminders that God wants my hunger to drive me to Him.

I physically seem to be at a standstill again, not able to get the scales to move in a downward direction past the initial 15-18 pounds that I have lost. But emotionally and spiritually my gains are far outweighing even these physical losses. I'm eating much more healthfully (off refined sugars for nearly a month now - a huge deal for this carb addict!) and I'm getting into clothing that hasn't fit in a long time. Ultimately it's still about doing what I can, to the glory of God, and leaving the rest to Him.

Won't you join me on this journey? Please share how you are learning to see yourself through God's eyes and what steps you are taking to honor Him with the body He has created for you.

----- Affordable Mineral Makeup™ Discount Offer ----------

My heart is in sharing beauty with women, first heart beauty, but also affordable, healthy ways to care for our physical bodies that God calls the "temple" of His Holy Spirit when we allow Him to live within us through grace. To this end I am happy to represent Affordable Mineral Makeup™ as a beauty adviser and to offer this high quality line of pure mineral products to my readers.

For a limited time [if this offer has expired by the time you read this post, please visit "discount codes" to look for current promotions], take 20% off every Affordable Mineral Makeup™ purchase of $19.95 or greater, placed from www.InnerBeautyGirls.com when you use check out using coupon code:
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With this code, qualified orders (over $19.95 and properly following instruction for submitting freebie requests) will also receive two free gifts with your purchase! Your gifts are one 10-gram sifter jars with your choice of product (up to a $19.79 value) AND one 5-gram sifter jar with your choice of product (up to $7.79 value). FIRST 50 ORDERS: Your Free Gifts Will Automatically Be DOUBLED - 2 5g jars AND 2 10g jars, so HURRY!

To redeem the free gift offer, please list your requested free product selections in your order comments (not added to your cart!) when you place your order. Promotion items cannot be shipped separately. If you could also leave my name, Jenni Saake, in the comments section, this will help identify me as your consultant when your order is fulfilled.

Please visit http://www.InnerBeautyGirls.com and click on the "shop" link to get started by viewing our catalog. (I greatly appreciate when my return customers remember to always come back and start at my consultant link rather than on the main company page so that the computer knows to credit me for your purchases.) Thank you for your business and support!

Weight Gain & Contentment

I've gained weight the past year and a half. A lot of weight. I was asked three times last week if I was pregnant because I'm carrying most of that weight right out front in my belly. I've dealt with many medical issues and there's no doubt that my hormones are way out of balance. I weight more than 50 pounds more today than I did when I was pregnant with our daughter eight years ago. About 40 of those pounds have been packed on the past 20 months.


I am frustrated. I don't like my body. I don't like getting dressed. I don't like getting undressed even more. I have stacks of clothes I can't get into, some now 3 or 4 sizes too small, that I've been stashing away for when I can get the pound off.


Today I'm choosing a new attitude. Yes, I would still like to shed some weight, for health, for self-esteem, for so many reasons. But the fact is, this is my body right now. The same Holy Spirit lives inside this broken temple who lived here when I was at my healthiest, most fit, most attractive days. I can make choices that will keep this body as well-conditioned as I am able, but honestly some of this is simply beyond my control.


So today I went through all my clothes, those horded away for someday and those still hanging in my closet, many ill-fitting even though I try to still squeeze into them. To my delight I found a few things I honestly didn't think would fit that still work nicely. :) I kept about 5 things that are very near to fitting, just a tiny snug right now, because if I can loose a few pounds and under-grow what I have, I still have a tiny cushion of options before I hit yard sales and consignment stores for smaller sizes.


I sorted and organized all the rest and can walk into my closet and know that absolutely anything I pull off the hanger will fit on this body and I won't have to fight through five or six outfit changes (and accompanying tears and words of self-loathing) just to get dressed in the morning. And as a bonus, I now get to bless some friends with an abundance of clothing that can be enjoyed again, no longer a source of frustration to their owner.


But godliness with contentment is great gain.

- 1 Timothy 6:6



Father, please grant me contentment in my "great gain" that I can have a heart to fully embrace the body you have given me and glorify you with it, just as I am.

What to Wear

I'm posting this verse by my mirror as a reminder that my attitudes are more important to the people in my life than the way I look...

“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
Colossians 3:12 (NIV)

My New Natural Beauty Column

I was recently asked to join the team of columnists at the Dr. Mommy website as their "Natural Beauty Expert." I plan to post about two articles a month. Feel free to check out my tips at http://drmommysays.com/category/natural-beauty-tips/.

Where True Beauty Starts...

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her." ♥ Max Lucado

Beauty Secrets of the Bible

I have mentioned this book many times before, and the link to the author's website is in my sidebar, but given that this Virtual Spa Weekend idea was born out of the desire to provide a fun weekend for women who could not attend the Hannah's Prayer Ministries retreat in Ohio this weekend, I think Ginger Garrett and her book Beauty Secrets of the Bible deserve another spotlight today! Ginger is the keynote speaker at the Hannah's Prayer retreat and I am so sad that I am not meeting her in person right now! But I know she will be a blessing to all the ladies at the retreat and if you take the time to explore her website, her resources will be a delight to you as well. :)

Virtual Spa Weekend!

The first weekend in May, Hannah's Prayer Ministires (Christian infertility and pregnancy loss support ministry I helped launch nearly 15 years ago) will be holding a retreat in OH. There will be about 40 ladies gathered to encourage and support one another. The theme of the weekend will be "Beautiful In His Sight" and the guest speaker is Ginger Garrett, author of Beauty Secrets of the Bible (as well as a devotional book on infertility and several award-winning Christian fiction titles). I know it will be a wonderful, blessed weekend for all who attend!

Unfortunately, there are hundreds of women who are regular participants on the Hannah's Prayer Community Forums who are unable to attend for a variety of reasons (mostly, the prohibitive cost of travel) but would really love to be there. As the excitement builds on our Forums for the ladies who will be attending, the disappointment for those who cannot is growing as well. And so I'm going to be hosting a Virtual Spa Weekend here on my InnerBeautyGirlz blog from May 1-3.

This event will be open to everyone, but especially geared toward the ladies of Hannah's Prayer. I am looking for home-spa ideas, beauty treats and suggestions, guest blogger articles on beauty (with fun tips for our bodies, but also a focus on inner beauty), and product donations for drawings and give-aways throughout the weekend. Since my target readers that weekend will all be dealing with infertility or the death of a baby, I need to specifically avoid child-related posts and products (like using examples from motherhood in your stories).

Please share your suggestions for this event! Have a beauty topic you would like to write a guest blog about? Have a product you would like to donate as a give-away (and get your business featured in the process)? Have any creative ideas and suggestions for creating an at-home-spa experience? I would love to hear from you!

For instructions about how to participate in Virtual Spa Weekend and earn contest entries, check out the Early Bird entries post. :)

Essentail Oils and Infertility Support

I just signed up as an affiliate with Mountain Rose Herbs. I actually haven't even tried their products yet, but I'm drawn to the site for several reasons including that I look out my window at "Mt. Rose" everyday (OK, probably not the one the company was named for, but a mountain that I think is very beautiful). "My" Mt. Rose plays an important part in one of the fiction books I hope to some day write. So even just at the name, this company already had my attention!

They have come highly recommended to me by Leon of the Glowing Diva message boards, a woman I trust for helpful, natural beauty advice. She loves the products, so I'm giving them a try. If anyone else wants to make a purchase, I earn a small commission on any orders placed by entering their website through my referral link at http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/cgi-bin/Main.pl?AID=101123&BID=30 or any of the button/banner links to the site found along my sidebar or in my posts on this blog.

I think my first order will be Lemon Flavoring Extract ($2.97 for 2 ounces) from April's Specials along with both some Tea Tree Essential Oil and some Peppermint Oil to mix in shampoo. I'm so excited to try these!

While we are on the topic of beautiful scents, don't forget to register for the Hannah's Prayer Ministries infertility and miscarriage retreat, Beautiful In His Sight, to be held May 1-3, 2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The guest speaker will be Ginger Garrett, author of several books including Beauty Secrets of the Bible and Moments for Couples Who Long for Children. Along with many wonderful beauty secrets, Ginger is an expert on essential oils and fragrances that can enrich your beauty regimen, so her book is a great resource if you are interested in essential oils but wondering how to use them! The retreat registration deadline has been extended to this Wednesday, April 15, so if you or someone you love could use some support and encouragement in the areas of infertility or pregnancy loss, please visit http://www.Hannah.org for details right away!

Beautiful In His Sight Retreat

Event: Hannah's Prayer Retreat
Date: Fri, May 01, 2009 - Sun, May 03, 2009
Place: Cincinnati, OH
Details: This retreat is for married women who have experienced infertility, pregnancy loss, or infant death. Join other sisters in Christ who know the pain these experiences bring, and be encouraged together to look to Christ for hope and healing.

Location: Sheraton Cincinnati Airport Hotel, 2826 Terminal Drive, Hebron, KY 41048

Cost: $200 per person for event, hotel, and all meals. $65 per person local option for event and Friday dinner only.

Speaker: Ginger Garrett, author of several books, including Moments for Couples Who Long for Children and Beauty Secrets of the Bible (a book that has often been spotlighted on this blog).

The theme is "Beautiful in His Sight." Through worship, prayer, encouraging messages, various workshops, and fun & fellowship, we hope to strengthen our relationship with Christ and one another and be reminded that even though our bodies don't work the way they're "supposed to" and our lives are not turning out as we'd planned, we are precious and beautiful and loved by the Lord, and He has a great plan for our lives, whether He sends us children or not.

God brings beauty from the ashes in our journey!

For more information or to register, please visit Hannah's Prayer Ministries at http://www.Hannah.org

Winner of Beauty Secrets of the Bible is...

Yvonne P. of Alberta, Canada!
I will be emailing you this week to confirm your mailing address and get your copy of Beauty Secrets of the Bible in the mail to you.

Thank you to everyone who entered February's contest. Be looking for our new March give-away to be announced later this week! :)

Is Your Makeup Safe? Learn about the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.

I've been reading several books about safe and natural cosmetics recently. Over and over one website has been noted, SafeCosmetics.org. This amazing resource offers helpful information about beauty products that may be doing many ugly things to our bodies, as well as explaining healthier alternatives. They offer an extensive list of "safer companies" who have each signed a "Compact for Safe Cosmetics" pledging "to not use chemicals that are known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutation or birth defects in their products and to implement substitution plans that replace hazardous materials with safer alternatives in every market they serve."

According to the Safe Cosmetics website, "Several major cosmetics companies, including OPI, Avon, Estee Lauder, L'Oreal, Revlon, Proctor & Gamble and Unilever have thus far refused to sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics." But I am proud to say that Affordable Mineral Makeup has been a member of this compact for nearly a year already. Please check out our cruelty-free products at InnerBeautyGirls.com and do something good for your checkbook and great for your skin today!

One of the books I've been reading is our featured give-away this month, Beauty Secrets of the Bible by award-winning author, Ginger Garrett. If you would love to win an autographed copy of this amazing resource, be sure to sign up for my email newsletter here at www.InnerBeautyGirlz.blogspot.com by Feb. 29 to be entered into a drawing for this great tool!

Do you ShoutLife?

Not quite a year ago I was invited to visit a freind's website at ShoutLife. Having never heard of the site before, I had no idea what a treat I was in for! ShoutLife is a social networking community (think "myspace") from a decidedly Christian viewpoint. They offer personal pages for each registered user (yes, registration is free), and also special spotlights for Christian commedians, musicians, authors and organizations. You are also free to sign up for fellowship groups within the site on a range of topics or start new groups if you don't find what you are looking for. I have made so many wonderful friends there and find continual encourgament from this site.

If you haven't had a chance to visit, you are welcome to start at my page at www.Shoutlife.com/InfertilityMom. If you register for or already have a SL page, please shoot me a friends request there. I love making friends and keeping up on the happenings of your life! And yes, leave me a note here at InnerBeautyGirlz.blogspot.com with your SL link and you will earn yet another entry into this month's give away - Beauty Secrets of the Bible (follow the link for more chances to enter) by award-winning author, Ginger Garrett. :)

Another Way to Earn Entries for Beauty Secrets of the Bible drawing!

I told you I would be posting more ways for you to win additional entries into the Beauty Secrets of the Bible book give-away all month long. So here's your next chance already. In addition to those mentioned in the previous blog entry, visit me now and InnerBeautyGirls.com and place an order for Affordable Mineral Makeup.

For every $10 you spend in the month of February, I will give you 5 more entries into this drawing. And if you place your order before midnight EST this Friday, Feb. 8, I will double that offer, giving you one entry for every single dollar you spend! Don't forget to take advantage of the 5 grams of free makeup offer while you are shopping!

Be sure to email me at innerbeauty AT affordablemineralmakeup DOT com (remove spaces, change AT to @ and DOT to .) or to leave a post here letting me know that you ordered, your order total, and your email address so that I can properly credit your points total. :)

Join My Newsletter and You Could Win Beauty Secrets of the Bible

I am giving away one copy of Ginger Garrett's book Beauty Secrets of the Bible this month! Ginger has also written the amazing novel, Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther and many other titles such as Dark Hour, Loose it For Life (for Teens), and the beautiful infertility devotional, Moments for Couples Who Long for Children.

Additional information on how to enter this drawing for Beauty Secrets of the Bible will be posted here later in the week. But to get a jump-start on your chance to win, simply fill your email address in the subscription box over to the right sidebar and you will automatically receive my update posts as email newsletters! :D Joining the Inner Beauty mailing list earns you FIVE entries into this drawing that will be held on Feb. 29.

Once you have subscribed to this newsletter feed, earn ONE more entry simply by leaving me a comment here on this blog entry as well. For additional chances to win, be watching this blog all month (not a problem if you are signed up for the updates) for more information to come. :D

Plain Jane, Somber Sally and Superficial Sue

Have you ever attended a funeral for a "Plain Jane" whose features or body shape did nothing to capture the imagination, and yet everyone remembers her as beautiful anyway? It's that perpetual smile that does it. No, not the straight lines of pearly white teeth nor the lush, full, wine colored lips. But the infectious joy that continually starts from deep in her heart, shines through her eyes, and touches you to the core.

For all my efforts to "be beautiful" outwardly, in the end it's what is inside that really does matter. Some of the most beautiful people are ones I would least seek out as friends, for their beauty goes as deep as the skin and no farther. They will forever struggle to hold onto the quickly fading exterior, while character and depth of heart are overlooked. At their funerals, sure their outer glory may be mentioned, but it isn't going to be what endears them to the memories of their mourners. I would much rather be a "Joyful Jane" than a "Superficial Sue"!

So how does Jane stand out as beautiful? I think she knows the secrets of Proverbs 31, that Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God. - (vs 30, The Message). Not "fear" as in "run and hide" but as in reverent honor, in knowing He has the ability to snuff out my life in a single breath, yet trusting Him to sustain and guide me as a loving Father, step by step. If I'm living in this kind of relationship with Him, I will be making each choice with a heart for what would bring Him glory rather than how to gain notice for myself.

Does this mean I need to be neglectful in how I present myself to the world? To scorn makeup, tie my hair in a knot and dress in rags like "Somber Sally"? Absolutely not! In fact the same passage that describes a woman of beauty states, She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. - (vs 25, NIV). My character can shine through the way I dress, the outward can be a reflection of the strength He provides in my heart. Unlike Sally, I can delight in the fun of shopping for those perfect pair of shoes (as long as I'm not going into debt to do it) because God is the creator of beauty and He delights when I take joy in the body He has given me.

Somber Sally works so hard at following the "rules" that she has forgotten that her strength and joy come only from the Lord (Nehemiah 8:10). And Superficial Sue, though the eye's delight, is probably even less happy than Sally. While I my only be a Jane, I pray that what is remembered of me is my shining smile, ready laughter, and beauty much more than skin deep.

Beauty Secrets of the Bible

Welcome to the Inner Beauty Blog! I can think of no better way to launch this site than to intoduce you to one of my favorite beauty resources, Ginger Garrett's book, Beauty Secrets of the Bible. In this book, you will discover beauty secrets the cosmetic industry doesn't want you to know, including:

· All-natural cosmetic alternatives that you can create at home

· A twenty-eight day cleansing regimen for your body, mind, and spirit

· Treatments and cures for common skin ailments ranging from acne to wrinkles

· Secrets for glowing skin and shiny hair

· Essential oils and fragrances that can enrich your beauty regimen

· Biblical foods that promote a healthy weight

These timeless products and treatments are soothing, natural, effective, and affordable. In fact, you can save over $1,500 a year by making these simple, healthy choices! Join Ginger in exploring the unique relationship between worshiping our Creator and caring for ourselves. Beauty Secrets of the Bible is not only about rediscovering ancient beauty secrets-it's about rediscovering your own beauty.