30 Days of Thanksgiving: The Church

The local church is one of the greatest blessings to the world today. The love and giving that God has called us to is a precious gift and great responsibility. We have been given the gift of grace and the responsibility to be His hands and feet in the earth. Every Sunday, and throughout the week, I look forward to gathering together with my brothers and sisters in praise & worship to God. I pray that one day I can join together with churches around the world in this way. Today, I'm thankful for my pastors & leaders that selflessly shepherd the congregations of the world and teach us God's word, and the gift of the family of God.

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 12, 27 NKJV)

So, what are you thankful for today? Did you join in worship with your family today? Leave a comment below and join me in thanking God for His goodness today!

Emonne Markland Leave Your Beauty Mark

The Pink Lid Miami Highlights!

Hello beauties! I first would like to say thank you for your prayers regarding The Pink Lid girls conference and the entire Miami trip. I had no idea what a blessing it would be to my family and me. God did exceedingly, abundantly, above ALL that I could ask or even think! Not only did we have a fabulous time of ministry with the girls in Miami, Florida, but we had a great time of relaxation at the beach and on a day date. Below are some highlights from the trip!

Friday Night at The Pink Lid:

The Pink Lid: Saturday

For more amazing pictures from The Pink Lid, click here. For information on getting the Pink Lid to come to your church, visit The Pink Lid website.

After the conference, we spent some time with our close friends Matt & Alyssa Shull and Valeriana Chikoti-Bandua. On Tuesday, the last day of our trip, Stephan and I spent the day in Hollywood Beach at the boardwalk and had a whole day of fun and relaxation to ourselves!

[slideshow]

One of my favorite moments of relaxation during the trip was riding bikes with Stephan along the Hollywood Beach boardwalk. I will never forget how fun that was.

I also recorded a video while on the boardwalk that I included in a previous post. If you haven't seen it already, click here.

This past week was one of the best weeks of my life. I haven't had this much fun in a loooooong time. It was our first family vacation and largest Pink Lid conference to date! Thank you for taking the time to share in my joy and take a glimpse into this special moment in time with me. I know that even better days are ahead. And I can only imagine what God has in store!

Emonne Markland

Leave Your Beauty Markland

Fashion's Night Out: Dallas Style

Fashion's Night Out 2011 here in the DFW area was a great success. From Northpark Center to Galleria Dallas, fashion enthusiasts across the city united for a fun night of shopping and entertainment. Here's a recap of how I spent my night! What I wore:

Honestly, I had the hardest time deciding what to wear for the night. Fun tee and feather skirt? All black? Color blocks? Dress? Pants? Skinny jeans? I looked at pictures of what people wore last year and even checked out a few blog posts on what to wear. Finally, with the help of my husband and mom, I decided on this simple, classy outfit. Stylish and modest are always my style goals.

The venue:

I did some research on each venue and chose to attend the FNO festivities at the Southlake Town Square, an outdoor shopping center in Southlake, TX. The location was close to home and my mom and I wanted to enjoy the beautiful weather, so we knew it would be a great place to spend our night. Upon our arrival, I must admit that I was slightly surprised by the small crowd and lack of "hype". As we drove farther into the center, we saw that a crowd had gathered to see a fashion show that was going on. We parked and watched the show and then I took a picture on the FNO red carpet. Loved that.

What we did:

We started at Sephora where they were doing some makeup tutorials and offered refreshments from a local restaurant. We spent some time talking to the makeup artists and I was able to snag a pic with the lovely Stila cosmetics ladies. (Hello, Dani, if you're reading this!) I love Stila's Brown Sugar Lip Glaze, by the way. It's a little pricey for my taste but it's the perfect nude color for my skin tone. I usually request a new tube on my Christmas list each year.

After Sephora, we walked to Lemongrass Salon & Spa. On the way there, since they laid out the red carpet all throughout the shopping center, I snagged a fun photo of mom!

Now, I must say, my experience at Lemongrass Salon & Spa was the best part of our night. We both received a complimentary neck & back massage and were treated like queens. The staff was incredibly friendly and Nikki (our massage therapist) did a fabulous job. I had no idea how bad I needed that! They also had great refreshments including chocolate-covered strawberries, grapes, cheese and crackers and water with fruit floating in the jar. It was delicious. They also had hair care demonstrations and gave a goody bag of makeup and beauty product samples to each shopper. Well done, Lemongrass.

Our final stop for the evening was at Vera Bradley, and man is that place decorated to a T! I could live in there! Anyways, we saw some shoppers throughout the event carrying Very Bradley eco-friendly shopping bags and they told us that they were giving them away for free at the Vera Bradley store after you complete a handbag design sheet. So, like any free-stuff-loving shopper, we headed over fast. We sat down at the style workshop center in the store and spent at least 30 minutes working on our handbag designs using the colored pencils and rulers that they provided. After our designs were complete, we admired each other's creativity and went to the register to hand in our designs and get our free bags. Sadly, the associate notified us that they had just ran out and gave us some compact mirrors instead. We were disappointed to say the least, but the compacts were cute and featured patterns from this season's new designs. Here's a look at the handbags we designed.

My final verdict on FNO:

All in all, we had a great time together and were able to mingle with other ladies throughout the night. This was the first time that we had a mother/daughter night out as just the two of us since the baby was born! We got massages, free goodies, ideas on what to wear this fall from the fashion show and walked the red carpet. I would definitely suggest marking your calendar for next year and planning to go out with the special ladies in your life for FNO. It's a great opportunity to get dressed up and have some fun! Although there are some exclusive offers in the stores, you don't have to spend money. You can just browse around, get ideas for your fall wardrobe and make it a fun girl's night out with your Bible study group! My mother and I look forward to making this an annual mother and daughter tradition, and one day take Grace along with us!

Ideas/ Suggestions for next year:

Here are 7 tips that I formulated based on my experience at FNO and what I plan to incorporate into and consider for next year's plans:

1. Go out to eat before or after the event

Make a night of it! This year, I cooked and ate at home. Eating out would cost money, but if planned ahead of time it would really make the night fun. It would also keep you from devouring the refreshment platters!

2. Plan your outfit ahead of time

Try on various outfits and consider the following:

a. It's an evening event so incorporate colors/fabrics/patterns that are appropriate for night

b. What will the weather be like?

c. What styles are in for fall?

d. What do I feel most stylish & comfortable in?

3. Wear comfy shoes (I suggest wedge heels) or pack a pair of flats in your purse.

Keep in mind that no matter where you're spending your night, you are guaranteed to be doing a lot of walking.

4. Review the event calendar of the venue that you will be going to.

Select the top stores/ events that you want to attend and find out where they are located. This will save you a lot of time during the evening and ensure that you do the things that you really want to do.

5. Carpool!

Depending on where you're going, there may be a lot of traffic and difficulty parking, not to mention the possible parking fees! You're not always guaranteed parking spots near each other so this will make things so much easier, plus it's good for the environment! Turn up your favorite car tunes, sing and dance, and make the car ride one of the funnest parts of your night!

6. Arrive at your venue early.

Consider the fact that you may need to park far away and walk to the events. Give yourself time to attend the events at ease without rushing.

7. Have fun!

Take pictures! Get your makeup done! Buy a cute top if you see one! Just have fun.

So, how did you participate in FNO in your area? Do you have any suggestions for next year's Fashion's Night Out? I'd love to know! Share your thoughts below!

Emonne Markland: Leave YOUR Beauty Mark

1 Peter 3:3-4

My First Vlog!

Hey ladies! I have had so many post ideas in my mind over the past week or so that I decided to do a vlog for now and give you a chance to see me in person! I always love when other bloggers do that so I figured I'd give it a try too :). (By the way, do you have any topics or post ideas that you would like me to address? Let me know if you do!)

In this video, I share the purpose of this blog, as well as my testimony...and introduce you to my baby girl! Hopefully you will find my story encouraging and see the heart behind my passion for women's ministry and re-defining beauty according to God's Word. Thank you for stopping by and I look forward to sharing with you again soon!

Emonne Markland: Leave YOUR Beauty Mark!