July 2010 - Just Some Beautiful

letting go of this

You need this.

Buy this.

If you have this product your life will be a breeze.

This curriculum will make your kids smart.

This van will make driving easy.

This is how your kids need to behave.

This is how you need to look.

This is the church you need to go to.

If you would follow this simple program you can be happy.

This is how your lawn should look.

You let your kids watch this on television?

This day is only successful if you get all this done.

Lost your temper? This day is not worth redeeming.

This is your response? You don't have patience.

This is success.

_________________________________

What is this? My inbox, my mail, and my mind are cluttered with these notions of things that I don't have and things that I seem to need. I read the catalogs of homeschool rescources and gradually begin to think that what I have is not enough. That I'm missing out. That my kids are missing out. I look at the food in the organic section, read articles on gmos, and get stressed over the food. I walk through the fitness aisle at Target and feel guilt when I see the numerous dvds on working out.

I start to feel as if I fail.

No longer am I content. Instead my mind races from this to this to this -- spinning itself into a flurry of anxiety. I want the cycle to stop. Yet, the world and all it's labels wants to scream fail deep into my spirit.

How to let it go? How to say NO when it's all around.

It's not of me. Well, it is -- in the choice to seek my identity first in Christ. But, honestly blogging, it's so hard. It's difficul to be content when I focus on what I don't have. My mind seems to be looking for all the this things that I don't have. And gradually, I've been finding myself filled with anxiety.

Yesterday, as I was driving to the homeschool store I realized (again) how I was living by emotion -- driven by all the jargon of the world. My hands were gripping the wheel, and I missed out on the beautiful country side. My heart raced, as my thoughts scrambled.

I wasn't living in peace. I was living in the world. Jesus said,

Peace I give to you.

He gives it. A gift. I was ignoring His peace and living on the world's peace. And, friends, there is no peace if the world is your platform. I know. So I write about it. Again. Because, truly, living by the Spirit isn't a one time decision. It's daily. Hourly.

Right now? I'm struggling. But, I'm trying. And part of trying, for me, is writing about it. And being real that I struggle with this.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

(John 14:27)

Miss Grand Slam Asia Award Ceremony

Huong Giang, Miss Vietnam World 2009, receives her crown and certification of "Miss Grand Slam Asia" after being elected by a panel of judges at the Global Beauties' Miss Grand Slam 2009 held earlier this year. Full report coming soon. Congratulations!

In the evening of 30 July, at the Park Hyatt hotel Ho Chi Minh City, the beautiful Huong Giang is the official representative of the organization Global Beauties crowned Miss Asia 2009 most beautiful. Pleased to share with her many colleagues as supermodel Binh Minh, Ha Anh, Hoang Diep ...

Huong Giang is being crowned by Mr. Edwin Dominguez, Director of Global Beauties crown and certification Most Beautiful Miss Asia 2009

Supermodel Binh Minh celebrates to Huong Giang

Chi Bao couple

Two beautiful sisters Ha Anh.

Beauty Queen Vu Hoang Diep

Ha My make-uper (left) and Grandmaster Dancesport Thi Khanh

Asia's most beautiful Miss Huong Giang fun photographic memories with colleagues

References:
http://globalbeauties.com/
http://ngoisao.net/News/Hau-truong/2010/07/3B9D0A24/

Huong Giang was awarded by Globalbeauties in Vietnam

Global Beauties Organization will make a solemn ceremony at the Park Hyatt Hotel, in Ho Chi Minh City, to present the most beautiful Miss Asia for Huong Giang, at 18h on 30 July.

Before presentation, a press conference was also held to announce the event. Huong Giang shares, this is a great pleasure and encouragement in her work as well as her life.

Huong Giang beauty blossomed at age 20

During the Miss World took place in 2009, Huong Giang to the impressive depth in our international friends characterized by Asian beauty. Although only the top 16 final, but she always has the poll name in the beauty of the readers of Global Beauties page. Earlier this year, Huong Giang was voted America's top 3 most contemporary and sexy top 10 Face of the year pretty well on this site. And then outstanding beauty Philppines overcome to win the title Miss Asia's most beautiful.

In the beauty contest world, Huong Giang (last in, right) expressed confidence in Vietnam as beauty on par with the friends.

With these achievements, Huong Giang is a nice promotion helps Vietnam in the world beauty map.

Credit: http://ngoisao.net/News/Hau-truong/2010/07/3B9D0880/

Singer Duy Uyen semi-nude photos

Check out the semi-nude photos of Vietnamese Singer Duy Uyen. Duy Uyen is the former member of Mat Ngoc girlband. It has been said that Duy Uyen is coming back as a solo singer and this series of photos are just her PR campaign.

Singer Duy Uyen semi-nude photo

Source: http://worldshowbiz.info/photos/singer-duy-uyen-semi-nude-photos/

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 29/7

Miss Vietnam Global to own $50,000 crown

The beauty queen of Miss Vietnam Global 2010 pageant for Vietnamese girls around the world will forever own their crown inlaid with gemstones worth 1 billion dong (over $52,000).

Based on the artistic theme of the pageant “sea beauty, lotus fragrance, Vietnamese soul,” craftsmen made the crown in 1000 hours. The crown looks like a blossom lotus. Each petal is in the shape of wave. The crown is inlaid with 606 diamonds and Amethyst of 2-12 carats. A 8x12 carat Amethyst is the crown highlight.

Apart from the valuable crown, the winner will receive 500 million dong of cash ($26,000) and many valuable gifts.

The finale will take place at Vinpearland, Nha Trang City on August 21.

Youthful book nominated for ASEAN Literature Award

The Vietnamese Writers’ Association has nominated Nguyen Nhat Anh’s Cho Toi Mot Ve Di Tuoi Tho (Give Me a Ticket Back to Childhood) to compete for the ASEAN Literature Award 2010.

This book won the association’s award in 2009 and was among the best-sellers at the HCM City Book Festival 2008.

Nguyen Nhat Anh is a very popular writer for children in Vietnam. He has written nearly 100 books for kids.

Ancient Cham tower discovered in Binh Thuan

The Museum of Binh Thuan province on July 25 discovered an ancient Cham tower in Binh Tan commune.

Director Nguyen Xuan Ly commented that this tower is very special and different from others in Binh Thuan. This one looks like the Cham towers in My Son and is not on the list of towers discovered by the French in central Vietnam.

Excavators discovered the major tower, which had collapsed on its square foundation, which is 3m wide. The tower is 7.05m high, with a wall foundation of 3m.

Son Hung

Hanoi to build flower-tree welcome gates

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung has agreed with Hanoi’s proposal to build welcome gates with flowers and trees to celebrate the city’s 1000^th anniversary.

Hanoi recently asked the government to cancel the five welcome gates worth 50 billion dong, using the capital from businesses to build temporary gates instead. The gates made of flowers and trees cost little to construct.

The city’s idea to build five welcome gates of 50 billion dong was protested by both experts and the public, who said that the city should build simple and cheap gates. Architects also didn’t agree with the city’s gate designs.

Vung Tau World Food Festival seeks Guinness Record

The organizing board of the World Food Festival 2010, which took place in Vung Tau city on July 21-25, hopes that the event will be recognized by the Guinness Book as the food festival organized in the longest space.

The festival stretched over 3 kilometers along the coast of Vung Tau, introducing cuisines of Vietnam and other countries, plus many cultural and art shows and also famous speakers.

The event attracted 62 international and domestic delegations and it is recognized by the Vietnam Record Book to have the highest number of delegations.

More than 400,000 people joined the event, consuming around 100 tons of food of all kinds. The organizing board collected 8 billion dong from selling food tickets.

Some pictures shot at the festival:

Hanoi through old maps exhibition

Celebrating Hanoi’s 1000^th anniversary, the National Archive Centre will organize an exhibition of old documents about Hanoi entitled “Hanoi’s Urban Planning and Administrative Border in 1873-1954”.

The exhibit will introduce 68 old maps of Hanoi and some valuable documents to help visitors learn about Hanoi in the past. The most special exhibits are original maps on cloth.

The documents and maps are divided into four parts, equivalent to Hanoi’s expansion in different periods.

The first part includes maps from 1873 to 1895, during the French period when France fixed the city’s border and made plans to expand Hanoi and turn it into an European-style city.

The second part comprises documents from 1895 to 1927 when many French-styled works were built in Hanoi. The two other parts are from 1928-1945 and 1945-1954.

The exhibition will open on August 12 and close on December 31 at 18 Trung Yen 1, Cau Giay District, Hanoi.

PV

Source: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/Entertainment/201007/ARTS--ENTERTAINMENT-IN-BRIEF-29/7-925402/

shadow stories

There's an hour in the day that I could live without.

It's that time -- between 5 and 6 pm -- when the kids are starved (that's what they tell me), when dinner is still in it's baby stage (love the days when I use the crockpot), when the starved kids waiting for dinner that is still being chopped are full of energy, and when those sweet, starved kids' energy, while looking at what I'm making for dinner, is less then ideal. You know the moods. A bit crabby, perhaps looking to irritate a sibling, type moods. And, yes, my kids have those moods. Most often between five and six.

Yesterday was no exception. Elijah, Caleb and Brennan were fighting, Samuel was crying, and there were only ideas for dinner. Nothing made. And it was five pm. (Just in case you were wondering -- Hannah, Chloe and Grace were having a girls day with my sister.)

So I stopped.

I walked away. I gathered the boys and we all sat on the floor in the living room and I grabbed whatever book was available. The book? About shadows. Not what I was expecting, but I went with it. By the time we were done, they were a tad calmer. More focused.

Brennan went to play. Leaving me with the wild two. And I looked over in my kitchen and saw shadows.

So this is what we did.

And dinner was made.

And the random number generator says?

That lucky commenter

#41

is the winner of

The Teething Bling!

Want to know who?

Why that would be the very lovely, Gwen, from the blog

Tolivers to Texas.

Her fabulous comment?

My sweet baby Kate would love this (and so would her mother because then the earrings wouldn't be so tempting....)

This has been so fun for me. I was super blessed by Smart Mom Jewelry. I'm grateful for my Teething Bling and am even more blessed to be able to give this one to Gwen. Chewing on Earrings? Not good. Chewing on a Moonstone Teething Bling? Great. Make that Awesome.

Please wish Gwen a hearty congrats -- and check out her blog as well. It's encouraging and uplifting to read about her family as they live out in faith.

__________________________

Have a fabulous Thursday night. And, Gwen, look for an email from me!

________________________

just had to put a picture of my Samuel. Couldn't help it. :)

rose

UK Ambassador invites Miss Vietnam to write blog

Miss Vietnam 2004 Nguyen Thi Huyen has been invited to write about her time in the UK on the Vietnamese blog of UK Ambassador in Vietnam, Mark Kent.

Miss Vietnam 2004 Nguyen Thi Huyen.

Huyen studied at Essex University in the UK several years ago. “The UK has contributed to my happiness today,” Huyen remarked.

“The Essex University in Colchester is very beautiful and it is equipped very well. Lecturers are wonderful because they are very enthusiastic and close to students,” she wrote on the blog.

Graduating from Essex, Huyen studied television media in Middlesex. She was “impressed by lecturers at Middlesex” and the warm sentiment of lecturers contributed to her close attachment to the UK.

According to Ambassador Mark Kent, Miss Vietnam Nguyen Thi Huyen, supermodel Nguyen Vu Ha Anh, writer-composer Tran Le Quynh and Chairman of the Vietnamese Students’ Association in the UK Nguyen Minh Triet are enthusiastic, eager for learning and have broad visions.

These are guests on the Vietnamese blog of Ambassador Mark Kent at blogs.fco.gov.uk/roller/kent.

source: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/Entertainment/201007/UK-Ambassador-invites-Miss-Vietnam-to-write-blog-925321/

Global Beauties to present Miss Grand Slam Asia to Huong Giang

Representatives of Global Beauties, a famous website on world beauty pageants, will go to HCM City to present the Miss Grand Slam 2009 title to Vietnamese model Huong Giang on July 30.

Huong Giang was also voted as one of the three “Sexiest Woman Alive” and entered the top ten for “Face of the Year” on Global Beauties.

At the Miss World pageant in November 2009, she ranked 16th. Huong Giang also won first runner-up in the Top Model competition and entered the top 12 of the Beach Beauty competition at Miss World 2009.

Though the Vietnamese representative didn’t enter the top five of the Miss Grand Slam poll on Global Beauties last year, she won this year as Miss Grand Slam Asia.

Huong Giang and her friends:

Source: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/weather/201007/Global-Beauties-to-present-Miss-Grand-Slam-Asia-to-Huong-Giang-924813/

22 northern girls enter Miss Vietnam 2010

The Miss Vietnam 2010 pageant jury on July 24 chose 22 northern girls for the finale. These contestants will be in Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province in August to participate in the finale with 15 southern girls.

Beauties in night gowns: