think of a girlfriend that you have that you can't live without.

what is it about her that makes her fun, strong, and beautiful?

"be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart
and try to love the questions themselves.
do not now seek the answers, which cannot be
given you because you would not be able
to live the and the point is to live everything.
live the questions now. perhaps you will then
gradually, without noticing it , living along some
distant day into the answers. "

-rainer maria rilke, letter to a young poet

i rant , therefore i respect.

I don't believe that throwing around the word "bitch" when speaking of any female is appropriate.

It's NOT funny, it's NOT clever, it's NOT uplifting, and no matter what you tell me, it should NOT be considered an affectionate term shared between people who claim to be friends.
When I even think about calling my best friend that, I feel absolutely sick.

"Bitch" is not a word that makes anyone feel beautiful.

I know that in our culture, that word is heard often and in many contexts, and means a lot of different things. You might be thinking that I'm a prude and that I "don't get it," but unfortunately, I kind of have to. It's the world we live in.

That doesn't make it right.

You may still think I'm ridiculous. That's okay, I just sincerely want you all to be respected, and lifted up, and there are enough words in the English vocabulary that actually do those things in a FULLY loving and respectful way. If you need some suggestions, feel free to ask me. The use of that horrible term when explaining a living, breathing, human shows at a base level a complete lack of creativity and class.

Refuse to be anything but respected.
And refuse to be someone who doesn't respect other people,
especially the girls you joined this group to support.

I can't apologize for a rant like this. I write this post because I care enough about you and the future of women at large to NOT stay silent about it. (Silence itself being a way of supporting.)

[[You're No Plain-Faced Girl, so don't stand for a word that declares you one]]

"This year, or this month, or, more likely, this very day, we have failed to practice ourselves the kind of behavior we expect from other people."

--C.S Lewis

(think: what do you fail to do that you expect others to do? if you think it to be an important behavior, how can you cultivate it in yourself? maybe a change needs to be made in yourself first, before you ask it of others.

What makes you feel beautiful?

I'll start.

a hug from my dad, giving smiles to children and getting them back, God's words, laughter, light blue dresses, reading a book in the sun, writing poetry, having my windows down and singing out, watching someone I love be themselves, wearing pj's around the house.

Now it's your turn, beautiful girl. Even if you don't want to leave your name, leave a comment. Let me know when you feel most beautiful.

<3 [[You're No Plain-Faced Girl!]

The song "Here Comes The Sun" gave me goosebumps yesterday.

What songs give you goosebumps?
Or make you laugh?
Or cry?
Or forget to drive the speed limit or make you drive over the speed limit?
What song has you singing at the top of your lungs?

Post a comment and let me know :)

nothing is hopeless.

we must hope for everything.

-Euripides

why all the embarrassment?

First, thank you so much to those of you who left comments on the first post! I encourage everyone who stops by to leave a comment on this post, either in connection to what's been said, or just a musing of your own.

Alright. It's true confession time, ladies. I assume this blog will be quite a bit of that, as I've already informed you I hope that all of the words I put here will be good and true.

For the past two and a half days, I have stared at red stop lights, rolled underneath green ones, and slowly (or quickly!) come to a stop (or raced through! : / ) yellow lights, asking, "What to say to these fantastic women? What do I want to share with them that really means something?"

I know this sounds ridiculous. Even I find myself saying, Claire, seriously? Just write something! Anything! You're being silly about this. It's JUST A BLOG.

I know that's true. But you also must understand that for me, women knowing that they are beautiful, and loved, and valued, and encouraging women to look inside themselves and see what beauty that can find there, or make there, is something that is such a passion of mine, I am incapable of just pushing it to the side. I know it will be a large, large part of my life for the rest of my life. That's big deal stuff. That's change your life for, raise your voice for, dance and sing for sort of stuff. So I will. Please join me in it.

It may not always seem "super deep," and that's not the point. It will sometimes be so simple you may wonder why I posted anything at all. Maybe you won't be able to see the connection to you as a woman, or a No Plain-Faced Girl right away, but that's part of it. Dig, probe, explore, talk it out. I see all of this as part of the beauty of what this is- sharing ourselves with each other, bouncing ideas off of what you've seen here, raising a voice out there in the big world, where we fight the battle every day to know and feel and believe that we are beautiful.

Consider that the introduction to the first musing. :)

I carried around a small, light brown moleskine for about three months earlier this year, which I kept in my pocket at all times. It was at hand at all times to write down anything I heard, read, or came across that struck me in a new way.

Now the book is past full, and past dogeared, the ink on the front smudged and some water stains on the front pages, but I love it even more for all of those imperfections. In silver paint pen and smudged black marker, the cover reads, "The Aim of Life is to Live," in my sloppy cursive-meets-print style.

I was looking through it just today, hoping that within it's pages I might find something to share with you lovely ladies. The second I came across this poem I had written down, I knew it was the one.

"Why"- Wendell Berry

Why all the embarrassment
about being happy?
Sometimes I'm as happy
as a sleeping dog,
and for the same reasons,
and for others.

Read it a few times. Say it out loud. Picture it.
I'm not going to say anything, just run with it, beautiful girl.
And for the love of all that is potentially good and beautiful, leave a comment--it can be a word, a thought, another poem, an answer to a question, anything.

change your life , raise your voice, dance and sing.

And remember, [[You're No Plain-Faced Girl..."]]




p.s. please facebook friend me if you'd like!!!

you are ever so WELCOME.....

Hello Lovely Ladies!

I'm so glad to see that you've found your way here. Let's call this blog a companion of sorts to "I'm No Plain-Faced Girl!"--the ever so incredible group you joined on Facebook, an affirmation of all things beautiful in you and in every girl you know. I am so glad that I created this group, and not just because it matters so much to me that we all know how valuable and gorgeous we are as women, but because of your responses to the message of "I'm No Plain-Faced Girl." You've invited friends, you've spread the message, and most of all I hope that this group has helped remind you of your beauty-inside and out.

I'll be blogging here frequently...and it's hard to say at this point with exactly what, because every post will be different! Knowing myself, there will probably be a fair amount of quotes, movie and book suggestions, fun stories, a beautiful picture to brighten your day, or just some of my musings. I can assure you I will only post things that I believe are beautiful, good, and true. The only thing I can assure you is that this blog should add some sunshine to your day whensoever you choose to stop by and take a peek. A little ray of sunshine to your summer days, if you will. So bookmark this baby and keep your eyes peeled! The focus is you, beautiful girl--and whatever will bring a smile to that beautiful face, or keep those thoughts turning, or look a little bit deeper inside yourself--probe around, see what you find. It's always a good idea.

Lastly, the great thing about blogger is that you can post a comment without even having an account! So please, engage in the conversation--just click on the comments button to reply to what I've said, say what you feel, mean what you say, and share. A community of women is one with a voice, and all of your voices are welcomed and encouraged here, as long as we're keeping truth and positivity at the forefront. Make sure you put your name with the comment, so everyone can know who those fantastic insights are coming from!

So this is Creator Claire, signing off for now. How 'bout you leave a little comment to let me know what you think about this whole shindig, or even suggestions about things you'd like to hear! Let me know you'll be here to talk. It means so much to me.

And always remember, [[You're No Plain-Faced Girl]].