here are women:

It's a rainy day here in Kentucky. Maybe time for some light reading? Check out these stunning women and the stories they have to tell:

Naomi, Husband, Baby Eleanor, and Kingsley make one awesome family. I think this just about sums it up: "she has lots of freckles. he wears lots of bow ties." So good! Check them out here!

NieNie's blog is simply inspiring. In 2008, she and her husband were in a terrible small airplane crash. She has since resumed blogging. Whether pre-or-post-crash, the entries share her joy of motherhood, and that joy is contagious!

I just love Angela. I love how design plays such a huge role in her life. I love how she and her husband are carving out a life for themselves. Her blog offers a little glimpse into her sweet life. I also love this guest post she did on Cardigan Empire.

Speaking of Cardigan Empire-- Reachel of Cardigan Empire was one of the writers featured in the We Are Women book. She is such a strong woman, which is very much displayed in her positive-body-image fashion blog, and through her battle with infertility. There are many aspects that I admire about Reachel, but there are two!

Another adoptive mother is Kami of the blog NoBiggie. After struggling through years of infertility, she is now the mother of two beautiful children, one of whom is adopted. She is all about the family. I love it! Check out her story here.

Who are some of your favorite bloggers?

Counting my blessings...

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

-Isaiah 55:12

I Should Know Better By Now

I have a beautiful baby girl.

I have a creative, inspiring, tender husband.

I live in a colorful, happy home.

I have talents that I am discovering and developing.

I have organized friends into a book club so we can read and talk, two things I love dearly.

I live near friends and family who shower me with love and support.

I believe in a Father in Heaven who knows me personally and loves me.

And yet I still spend too much time feeling ashamed of how I look.

And worrying about what others think about me and how I look.

I should know better by now but apparently I don't.

I read this post today.

It's a part of a series.

"Real beauty is the confidence that comes with knowing that you are the only you, embracing that unique you, andsharing you with the world.

A few months ago I decided to stop comparing myself to what I was "supposed" to be, and just decided to be me, and I found my real beauty." (Nina from MammaGoRound)

I felt that I could find my beauty.

The beauty that is seen and the beauty that is unseen.

It's there.

It always has been.

I just need to find it and nourish it until I feel it in every part of who I am.

Becoming

"Who do you want to become over the next 1.5 years?" was essentially the most terrifying question I could be asked. Amidst inner turmoil-- longing to have just a moment alone and feeling anxious from the strict schedule and high standards expected of me-- I could not think even a minute ahead, let alone 1.5 years. I ignored the question and busied myself with anything else I could find.

Four months later, the same question was posed. I started fidgeting, averting my gaze, staring into my lap, then began to consider how uncomfortable this question really was. Not very. A lot had happened in the last four months, and I was still going.

I had been able to handle tornado warnings, sand bagging flood-threatened homes, walking in snow, walking in heat, gaining a greater understanding of the pain of adultery, alcoholism, drug use, and dishonesty. I have seen families flourish, and I have seen families fall apart. Tears of broken women have stained my shoulders. Fear for others has gripped at my heart.

And yet, I'm still here. I'm still going. I never could have imagined all that I have faced in these last few months. There is no textbook that says "Here's what to expect when you go out to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others," and anything that came close scared me out of my whits. But I can do more than I thought I could, and there is no better feeling.

We are women of infinite strength.

Who are you becoming?

P.S. Any thoughts on how to overcome exhaustion?