Girl's Dressing Modest for Dressember

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you are aware I am a member of the Mormon Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I was raised by Mormon parents who joined the church in their early twenties, actually before either one of them met.  My parents both lived wonderful lives pre-Mormon with great families and opportunities, but felt the teachings of the Mormon Church brought more fulfillment and happiness into their lives. 

One of the elements of the Mormon Church my Mom really honed in on was modesty. Her mother had set this example and taught her the principle of modest dress. 

Beautiful and modest dress really defined my grandmother's era.

My mom with her mother and sister on Easter Sunday.  

My mom's engagement photo.

In return, my mom taught me and my four sisters the value of our feminine spirits.  She said “One way to keep your body and spirit nurtured is to dress in a way that honor’s God.”

Like many believers of Christ, Mormon’s feel we draw close to God through actions of love, moral goodness and keeping our bodies clean from addiction.  By living such a way, I believe we are given wonderful gift.  It’s the gift of the Holy Ghost.  We can actually have a companion sent to us from our Heavenly Father that guides us throughout our life, keeping us safe, directing us towards our life’s purpose and providing comfort in an uncertain world. 

What is modesty?  It’s more than just knee-length skirts and one-piece swimsuits.  I believe modesty is part of obeying the law of chastity because how we dress reveals our standards.  

I love how author Carly Walker describes us Mormons and our obsession with modesty.  On the website Normons, she shares her desire to stay true to her values in a fashion-obsessed world (and it’s a really funny article).  She says “When me and other Mormon girls my age grew up, we slowly learned the reasons why we dress the way we do. We stopped caring about looking like everybody else. We realized we were too different. Instead of trying to be something we obviously weren’t, we started to dress the way we wanted to, coined the term “modest is hottest,” and then rocked it like a boss.”  

image found here

Also, there’s a great Mormon fashion designer by the name of Athelia Woolley.  She is the co-founder of Shabby Apple, a beautiful dress and clothing company.  On the Shabby Apple website, it says “Newer styles seem to be using less and less materials, but our retro fashion from the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s have a high level of modesty that still complements the feminine shape.”

Here’s a bit more about how Athelia started the Shabby Apple Co.

I had to laugh about Athelia's dilemma with sleeveless dresses.  You’ll notice many of the dresses I wore for Dressember had a t-shirt underneath.  Thus, the life of a modest girl.  I found this Shabby Apple dress at Salvation Army for $4.00 and featured it last year for Dressember.  

Here are the last days of Dressember.  

December 30

Kelly's daughter Emily left on a mission for Chile.  Monday night, they had a going away party.

I wore a Tryst skirt, made by Billabong.  My shirt from Express and Gap cardigan were all from Goodwill's $1.00 day.  

 Doesn't Kelly look gorgeous.  I know a lot of you miss her posts.  She may still blog from time to time, but her life has gone from busy to busier.  Not only does she still do estate sales and trunk shows, but she is also the new Primary president in her ward. She volunteers countless hours for the children ages 18 months to 12 years-old in her church.  

As a missionary, Kelly's daughter Emily honor's the modesty code too.  You can read about the church's guidelines of dress for missionaries here.  

She will volunteer the next 18 months of her life as a full-time servant for our Heavenly Father. 

December 31

Eden is posing on an end table I refinished in her $1.00 Old Navy dress from Goodwill.

On a side note, I was thrilled when Eden was highlighted on Dressember’s Instagram.

I know dressing modest may not be trendy.  It even appear's old fashion, but I am grateful to have this standard in my life.  Dressing this way is a conscious choice I make every time I go out shopping.   There are certain stores I cannot shop in because I will never find a thing I can wear.  Many times it's frustrating, but that's just how it is.  Thrift stores have such a huge selection of woman's clothing, many vintage, so most of my clothing purchases come from there.  When I was younger, I wanted to dress like everyone else.  As a teenager, one of the only fight's I every had with my mom was when I wanted to wear a mini-skirt.  And I did wear it!  Many times!  My mom let me make my own choices with fashion.  She never forced anything on me, but in the end, I came back to what I had been taught.  It's what makes me feel most comfortable.  I wish more designers would accommodate and I think in time, many will realize it's a profitable business.

Benefits of dressing modest:

1.  It allows me to be more creative with fashion. I experiment with layering and leggings.

2.  I get to cover up more of my flaws.

3.  I can still dress trendy, but I don't have to look like a teenager.

4.  I stay warm in the winter

5.  I set an example for my little daughter.

Linking up to:

Meeting one of my hero’s; song writer and musician Kenneth Cope

The pre-teen years weren’t easy for me (we’re they easy for anybody?).  My family moved from Utah to Virginia and Jr. High was a challenge.  I grew like a weed and was awkward in my new body.   I came from a large family of nine children and was teased at school for being Mormon.  Some days I just wanted to stay home with my little brothers and sisters and play dress-up. 

When I was 14, my family moved from Virginia to Mesa, Arizona.  I didn’t know anyone and sometimes felt alone.  I started playing tennis and ran around the track every day.  I met a few friends and started feeling like I could fit in. 

I meet a friend named Daryl Smith, read more about Daryl here (Daryl is the editor of Seeing the Everyday) who introduced me to the music of Kenneth Cope.  Kenneth is a member of the Mormon Church and writes songs about Jesus.  I played his tapes around the house and was amazed at the message of his songs.  Finding Christ, reaching out to others, being kind and seeing heaven all around us were so inspiring.  I felt my testimony for the Savior grow.

Kenneth’s music played a significant role in how I felt about myself and where I was going with my life.  It was easier to keep difficult days in perspective and I would sing along while cleaning my room or doing homework.  Soon, my brother’s and sister’s were requesting I play his music whenever I was home.

I also played the piano and spent hours each day learning Kenneth’s songs.  I saved up babysitting money and purchased the print music to His Hands and Never a Better Hero and others.  My mom would stand by my side, encouraging me and singing along.  This is how I spent a lot of my time in the evening.

I eventually started writing my own piano music.  A neighbor of mine named Crystal wrote poetry.  We started collaborating and wrote beautiful compositions together.  When I was 16, I auditioned to be the pianist for a musical group called Sound Celebration.  The group performed not just in Mesa, but around the country.  Kenneth Cope’s music was used in most of our performances, as our goal was to draw people closer to Jesus.

When I was 23, I turned in my mission papers and was called to serve in the Temple Square Mission.  I played a lot of Kenneth Cope’s music as I prepared to serve the Lord.  His music kept me focused and the spirit stayed close to my heart. 

So . . . you can imagine my joy and utter happiness when almost a year into my mission, Kenneth Cope came to speak to the over 200 sister missionaries on Temple Square.  

He spoke for about an hour on how he developed his testimony and what he has learned about Christ from reading the scriptures.  He than asked if we would like to hear him sing a few songs.  I was the mission pianist, so my mission president asked if I would accompany Kenneth while he sang.  Of course I had been playing Kenneth’s music for years, but never did I think I would be playing while he sang.  I was nervous, but more excited.  Kenneth was kind and humble and I learned so much about Christ because of his visit to my mission.

Several years after I married the counselor, we decided to go to Utah and visit Temple Square.  At the time we had three little boys and stayed in Park City.  The day we decided to visit Temple Square, we drove through the canyons down the mountain to Salt Lake City.  My heart was full of joy, ready to share my mission for the first time with my husband and small children.  We drove past This is the Place, a landmark honoring where the first pioneers arrived with Brigham Young.  The story is when they arrived in the Utah Valley, Brigham Young said “This is the place.”  I’d always wanted to see the monument, so we took a slight detour and toured the grounds.  While walking, I heard Kenneth Cope singing.  At first I thought I was dreaming, and then maybe it was his CD being played over the loud speaker, but after a few minutes I realized it was live.  He was really him singing.  I told the counselor I had to find him.  I was like a bloodhound, walking from one end of the grounds to the next and finally found Kenneth, along with his band, rehearsing in a large barn.  I stood in the doorway and listened as he finished a song.  My eyes were full of tears and I explained to my son Chandler why I was crying. 

“That man up there taught me about Jesus,” I said.  I cautionsly approached Kenneth (I didn’t want to interrupt, but I had to!) and a bit emotional, I re-introduced myself to him.  He was so gracious and after visiting a few minutes, he invited me to stay and listen while he and his band finished rehearsing.  It was the highlight of my trip back to my mission.

You can see how this man and his gift for writing music affected me.  I can’t think of any other musician who has ever meant more.  Kenneth Cope is one of my hero’s.

Fast forward to this summer, where I have spent over four months helping my mom, author Sarah Hinze write her biography in a book we’ve titled The Memory Catcher.  More on this to come!  Her publisher Spring Creek Book Company will be publishing The Memory Catcher in October 2012. 

Throughout her life, my mom desired to know God and what He wanted her to do with her life when after a miscarriage, she had a “pre-birth experience” (PBE). The child she lost came to her as an angel, reassuring everything would be alright.  After the encounter, my mom wondered if other mothers had seen their unborn children in dreams or visions before their children were born.  She distributed flyers throughout her town and within a few days, a woman who had seen her own unborn child shared her story with my mom. 

Since then my mom has interviewed individuals from around the world and chronicled many of these types of communication from children before they are born.

Years later, she had published several books.  Her work has provided significant evidence that unborn children can warn, protect and enlighten us from the spirit realm. Most often these children appear to announce it is their time to be born. This communication can occur between the child and a parent, sibling, aunt, uncle, or grandparent, etc., as they come to warn, protect and enlighten.

Her first book Coming from the Light was published nearly 20 years ago.  Later, she published Life before Life (Pocket Books) with Simon & Schuster. 

My mom's latest book, We lived in Heaven, was given to Kenneth Cope by a mutual friend.  Well, Kenneth read the book and contacted my mom, hoping some day they could meet.  Since my mom and I were already collaborating on her biography and had planned a trip up to Utah, we meet Kenneth Cope together.  Here we our with his sweet family.

It was a dream come true. I finally had time to tell Kenneth what his music meant to me.  Kenneth is one of my hero’s and I am now sharing his music with my children.  While we were together, he played a few songs on his guitar, one of them being Broken.  

I hope you will take the time to listen to a few of his songs I have linked up.

Thank you, Kenneth for sharing your talent with the world.  It has made all the difference in mine.

Loving Rachel

I have the most beautiful sister named Rachel.

Her she is with my beautiful brother, Tadd.

She lives in Utah, but is spending Christmas vacation here in Mesa.

You may remember Rachel from a blog post I wrote last year about the ugly jeans.  

I found the ugliest pair of 1980’s high-waist, pleated, tapered-leg Guess jeans at the thrift store for $1.00.  I purchased them as joke to see if they would sell on eBay for $9.99.

Much against her will, I convinced Rachel to be my super model.  Even on her hot bod, they still looked like the ugliest pair of jeans ever.

But, they did sell on eBay for $9.99 to some lucky girl and I thought that was pretty hilarious.

Anyway, it was so wonderful to have Rachel over Christmas morning.

She spent her time with my kids, playing and having fun.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-DaySaints, Rachel has decided to serve a mission.  She is called to the Argentina, Nuequen mission.

This Christmas has been very special, spending time with her knowing February 1, 2012, she’ll be gone for 18 months.  Many times through out her visit, I’ve had to hold back the tears, especially when I saw her so lovingly playing with Eden and Reef.

Yesterday, we went hiking in the Phoenix Mountains.  Leave it to Aunt Rachel, to be the first one up the the mountain with 8 nieces and nephews following her.  

What an adventure they had.

I don't think any of us will forget this day with Rachel.

I hope my kids continue to follow in Rachel's footsteps.  I am so proud of her.

One of our family traditions is for birthdays or special occasions, we have that person sit in a chair and we all go around, sharing favorite stories and/or advice for that beloved family member.

Later that night, after dinner, Rachel was honored to sit in the chair (purchased for $4.99 at my favorite thrift store) while each one of us expressed our love to her.

(Notice how Eden put her little chair right by Rachel.)

We all miss her already and she's still here.  How is that possible?

I'm so grateful for her commitment to Jesus Christ and her desire to love and serve the people of Argentina.