THE BEAUTIFUL YOU: HANDS 'N FEET

Hello, Mini-women! I'm ba-a-a-ack~! I MISSED you! The conference was SO busy, and picking up all the pieces of my life when I got back was even busier. I haven't even had a chance to read all the comments you posted while I was in a non-blogging state. I will, though -- and that should be a total blast for me. There's almost nothing I'd rather do than read what you have to say.

In the meantime, let's finish up our series on The Beautiful You by talking about a part of yourself you used to be totally in love with and probably never even think about any more. That, of course, would be you hands and feet. Chances are you were just like my great-nephew Landen when you first discovered that those things you'd been kicking since before you were even born actually belonged to you, and that grabbing them with your hands was the best thing ever. Wouldn't it be nice if that were all it took now to make you grin like that?  Actually, paying attention to your fingers 'n' toes can bring a smile to your face, or at least make you feel kind of put together and polished. Trust me, on a day when you've had a fight with your mom on the way to school and then you bomb the vocabulary test and then your BFF acts funky at the lunch table -- it's nice to be able to look down and say, "Well, at least my nails look good!"

Let's start by taking a look at your fingernails right now. They may be anywhere between shell-pink little ovals to ragged looking things you chewed off during the year's last math test. Whatever they look like, of COURSE they have nothing to do with how smart you are and what kind of friend you are,  but your hands ARE part of the body God gave you to take care of -- and for a lot of good reasons. You use them to appeal to God for help (like raising them up and saying, "PLEASE don't let my little brother be like this forever") To heal (Jesus healed people's bodies by laying hands on them; you can heal a friend's spirit with a hug). To clap (haven't you imagined a whole audience applauding you -- or at least your BFF clapping when you tell her your latest exciting news?) To create (notes to your friends, a sandwich for your mom when she's too tired to fix herself lunch, that picture frame you painted for your dad for Father's Day). Working (you know THAT thing!). Helping. Praying (ever noticed how much easier it is to focus on your prayers when your hands are folded?) If you stopped doing all of that because your hands didn't look like a nail-polish commercial, you'd be letting God and yourself down. But since there are about a bajillion things you use your hands for, why not keep them looking at least clean and neat (if not downright fabulous?)

So that's where we're going to go tomorrow. Between now and then, do two things. One, create a new section in your Beauty Book called HANDS AND FEET. Decorate it however you want. You might even take some "before" pictures of both (or outline your hands and feet on paper and draw in the details) so you can compare after you give them a make-over this week. Next choose the description below that best completes this sentence for you:

            I WANT MY FINGERNAILS AND TOENAILS TO BE:

            (A)  CLEANER THAN MY LITTLE BROTHER'S 

            (B)  BASICALLY CLEAN AND NEAT SO I'M NOT EMBARRASSED TO RAISE MY HAND IN CLASS

            (C)  A LITTLE POLISHED AS WELL AS CLEAN AND NEAT

            (D) A FUNKY EXPRESSION OF MY WILD SELF (AND ALSO CLEAN AND NEAT)

Remember, there's no right or wrong answer. If you can't see yourself spending your birthday money on a bottle of Sparkling Scarlet, basically keeping your hands/feet and nails clean is find, even for the rest of your life. If you get really jazzed about drop-dead gorgeous nails, that's okay, too. Copy the sentence with your answer in the new section of your Beauty Book. You'll already be off to a good start.

Want to post today? Tell us about your nails. Do you have a wacky design on your bigt toe? Can't kick the nail-biting habit?  Have each fingernail painted a different color? Already into a weekly manicure? Haven't thought about your nails in forever? We wanna know! Manwhile, keep those hands and feet busy being your beautiful self, inside and out.

Blessings,

Nancy Rue
 

Comments

[alisha]

first comment! wow
ok wacky not really i don't really paint my fingernails i do paint my toe nails though but its mostly normal pinks,reds...
so nothing really special about my nails just thought i'd get the first comment

[Caitlin]

Sometimes I do bite my nails. There's nothing to say about them.

[Isabelle]

OK... well... I have a picking my nails habbit for sure(they r quite short). I seriously want them long but I just pick them I don't know how to stop... They look good for about a month ( nice & long)... and then I blow it and pick them...

[Allison]

My hands are fine I keep them clean, not polished though. But my toes I do a lot! Right now their hot pink. =D
~Ally

[Isabelle]

I LOVE getting my nails painted CUTE FUN colors! For instance,I love pink,purple,blue,green etc! Here is a great tip! As young girls we can't always afford ( at least I can't) a manicure all the time.... but if you go to your local nail place say you just want your nails painted it will cost between $5-10. It cost five for me, they still file them and everything they do almost everything exceot for only a few things! If you want your nails done but don't have $50 at hand there you go (it is almost the same)!

[Veronica]

My fingernails are totally nail polish resistant, and my toenails are too, but they are not as much. Whenever I put on even a really thick coat, it starts to chip and peel within the next hour. Also, i can't wear that many funky polishes because I have to keep my hands clean for ballet. I think I am learning to steer clear of the polishes now and just have nice-looking nails without the glitz.

[Rachel]

I like to paint different colors on my fingernails and toenails for a reason: Because then, you don't have to decide between two of your favorite colors. My main colors are hot pink and purple. :)

[Katie]

My mom doesn't appreciate this fact, but I don't pay much attention to my nails (usually that involves letting dirt and other stuff gather for about a month and then finally clipping them off when I remember). I SOMETIMES let my mom do my nails (when I tried to do them myself I smeared it all over my hands and on the rug, too!) but she says I squirm too much. I'm not a super fashion/beauty conscientious girl, but I do enjoy having my nails painted once in a while. The long and the short of it is- I sometimes like having nice nails, but usually I just don't care. As long as I'm not totally grossing people out, I do the bare minimum. My mom can testify :D

[Kortnie]

I don't really like to paint my fingernail (because of ballet) but sometimes I do a "homemade" French manicure with my mom. My toenails on the other hand (or foot!) I absolutley LOVE to paint them by myself or with my mom or with all of my friends!! My toes just look funny to me if they aren't painted. But I don't really like funky and wacky colors. Right now they are light blue with light pink little hearts! = )