• Email
  • Instagram
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Faith
  • Wellness
  • Holiday

Anna Mae Groves

A vessel sharing positivity through beauty, wellness, and personal style.

  • About
  • Contact
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Faith
  • Wellness
  • Holiday
    • Email
    • Instagram

Everybody and Their Mother Monday: People I am Proud of!

July 6, 2020 By Anna Groves 6 Comments

It’s “Everybody and their Mother Monday!”

Today I am starting a new Instagram and blog series called “Everybody and their Mother Monday!”

This series will be all about things or places or people that I think are absolutely fantastic and have been a blessing or greatly beneficial to my life.  In it, I will be sharing who and what I think “Everybody and their Mother” should know, too! 

Today, for my first post, I wanted to share some of my favorite people who are doing really cool things. These are women who may or may not consider themselves “influencers” but that have absolutely influenced MY life in a positive way, just by being who they are, and through me watching their journey in action. 

I am simply PROUD of each of them, and now I want to share them with you!  I know every single one of these women personally and I’ve seen them persevere through hardship that would crush most. Watching what they are doing reminds me of how much God enjoys giving beauty for ashes. 

I am linking their work here on the blog today, and I hope you’ll check them all out! 

Ginger Curtis from Urbanology Designs

The first is Ginger from Urbanology Designs. Guys, this woman is someone whose life sort of reminds me of Job’s. Her life has contained so much tragedy and suffering–from an abusive childhood, to an abusive ex-husband, to losing two of her siblings, to watching her child fight cancer, to surviving an aggressive form of cancer herself– Ginger has had her share of heartache and more. But there’s a happy ending, much like the story of Job that many of us have read about.

 It seems I have seen God bless Ginger one hundred fold, in every area of her life. In the last few years, she has founded a wildly successful interior design firm in Texas (Urbanology Designs), is writing a book, has won multiple prestigious design awards, and has been featured in countless publications and books.   

One of Ginger’s many interior design projects
The Urban Firehouse

Ginger recently restored an old fire house (Urban Firehouse) which she converted into her design studio, an event space, and gorgeous co-working spaces.  Follow her instagram for lots of beautiful home inspiration, to see how she cherishes her sweet family, and to hear some of her story. Check out her work on Urbanologydesigns.com

Next up is my friend Laneshia Fentress.  Laneshia is a successful educator in the field of diversity and inclusion education at American Airlines.  She loves to inspire people with her uplifting stories, and she sprinkles positivity and love everywhere she goes. This woman is one who regularly gets stopped in the grocery store by random strangers who pour out their life story, or by people who stop to simply encourage her! 

Laneshia Fentress

Throughout her life, Laneshia has chosen to push others into the spotlight and stay “behind the scenes”.  She always aims to make sure that, in her presence, no one ever feels less than, or left behind.  Laneshia always makes people feel special and loved, and being around her causes you to see yourself as God sees you. 

Laneshia’s passion is cooking and baking, and she loves showering her friends with comfort food and making them happy and full (I love -hate her for that!) 

On top of that, Laneshia is an author and a singer, and she grew up in the music industry. I’m so excited and proud that she just released her first single called Long Road Home a couple of days ago.  Go check it out on all music platforms and show my friend that it’s ok if we put HER in the spotlight! 

Laneshia’s First Single, Long Road Home

This next woman is the LITERAL Brow Queen, and founder of The Brow Project. I met Nicole when we were both working in the Cosmetics industry years ago.  Nicole is an incredibly talented makeup artist, but decided to pursue her dream of starting her own business.  

Nicole Blankenship ,of The Brow Project

Nicole has been through many challenges in her life, and she suffered from severe anxiety because of it. But she pressed through and stepped outside of her comfort zone.  She learned how to Microblade several years ago, and she now has a successful permanent makeup artistry business that not only provides people with the most beautiful brows ever, but she has her own gorgeous, free standing studio where people from all over the globe visit to enhance their brows, eyes, and lips- making life a little easier.   

Nicole’s pride and joy, The Brow Project Studio in Dallas, TX

She now has a team by her side and she is one of the most sought after permanent makeup educators in the world. If you need your brows done, don’t hesitate to get on Nicole’s waiting list and visit her and her team in Dallas.  She is worth the wait, and worth every penny. 

And now I get to tell you all about Bree Clark from @theimanproject. Bree grew up in a household that often hosted parties but that wasn’t always emotionally healthy, and at one point, she found herself in a world of trouble.  This certainly was not what she envisioned for her future, and she decided to change the trajectory of her life, with very little resources at hand.

Bree Clark, in her Little House on Routh Lifestyle Studio

Bree and her husband Carlos began their business by building affordable tables for families. Little did she know that it would lead to building figurative tables for all people of all backgrounds and ethnicities to come and sit with one another, through her beautiful lifestyle spaces and “On the Table” Workshops in Dallas. 

Bree, Carlos and their two sons, Kai and Kael

While raising two beautiful boys, Bree and Carlos run two lifestyle studios: Little House on Routh, in the Uptown area of Dallas, and Little House of Bishop Arts, located in the Bishop Arts District. It is in these spaces that she invites people to host their own events, baby showers, intimate weddings and such, but she also hosts her own fun pop up shops and workshops here as well.

One of my favorite things to watch Bree do, is host her Floral Wine and Design Workshops, where people who don’t look like one another come to get to know new people, drink a little wine, and learn how to put together gorgeous floral arrangements. 

When Covid hit, it didn’t stop Bree. She simply converted the workshops into virtual events, where local Dallasites could come and pick up their wine and floral supplies, and then join Bree and guest florists for a fun time of connection and creativity, all online.  

Bree at her Wine and Design Floral Workshop

The great news is that Bree just launched this nationally, so we ALL can join!  AND she launched a brand new podcast, Piece of Cake Podcast, which everyone needs to check out! 

Tash of Ike and Tash, and creator of Wisdom and Courage

Finally, I want to share my friend Tash Haynes. Tash grew up just outside of Seattle in the city of Tacoma, where she was born to a mother who is developmentally delayed and has a cognitive disability . As a result, Tash was placed in the foster care system, where she was never adopted into a permanent family, but instead aged out of the system. 

Tash is one of the biggest inspirations to me, because not only did she NOT become a tragic statistic of poverty and homelessness (which sadly ravages countless children who are aging out of the system) but she holds multiple degrees including a Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on English, Business and Communications, and a Masters of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Public Action.  

Those degrees are fitting, because It doesn’t stop there. Tash began her career giving back to her community working for a not for profit organization which served underprivileged youth. But as her love for her community grew, she felt the itch to start something of her very own. I watched Tash walk away from a successful career in this non profit organization to pursue her passion for photography. It was near and dear to her heart, as she had so few photographs to document her own young life. She wanted to give the gift that she never had, to others. 

Tash and her husband Ike are parents of two beautiful daughters, Wisdom and Courage. They have one of the most successful senior and family photography businesses in the industry, and they are consistently invited to speak on high-level photography platforms, educating other photographers in running a successful business and other elements of photography. They have also created  their own successful photography conferences that are attended by people of all backgrounds and ethnicities, and are truly diverse and inclusive, something that has largely been missing from their industry. 

Tash, Wisdom and Courage

True to who she is, Tash expanded her love for community by creating a high school senior program and non profit organization where she and Ike not only photographed seniors, but that also allowed these teens to serve their own cities through community service and giving back to those around them.  

Follow Tash at Ikeandtash.com and on her personal platform, wisdomandcourage.com where she talks all about motherhood, travel, lifestyle and business best practices! 

Woo! That’s all for this edition of “Everybody and their Mother Monday.”  I hope you fall in love with and follow all of these beauties on instagram, and please be sure subscribe to annamaegroves.com so you never miss a post! 


Filed Under: Faith, Lifestyle, Uncategorized

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nancy A says

    July 6, 2020 at 9:03 pm

    Oh Anna, I loVe this! Nothing better than women supporting women. I’ve already fallen for bree and snagged a ticket to her virtual workshop…woot woot! Can’t wait to check these outher beauties out. Thank tou for lifting them up. Xoxo nancy

    Reply
    • Anna Groves says

      July 6, 2020 at 10:21 pm

      Hi Nancy!! Thank you for checking them out!! I’m so excited for you to attend Bree’s virtual workshop!! Yes!!

      Reply
  2. Tara says

    July 7, 2020 at 8:38 am

    I love everything about this!

    Reply
    • Anna Groves says

      July 23, 2020 at 5:13 pm

      Thank you!! Me too!

      Reply
  3. Tash says

    July 13, 2020 at 10:17 pm

    i am so crazy honored to be in the number and I love you so much!

    Reply
    • Anna Groves says

      July 23, 2020 at 5:15 pm

      You deserve to be honored!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Latest Posts

New Nordstrom Beauty Faves

Manuka Honey Chai Smoothie

LAST MINUTE GIFTS

How to Make Foundation Look Like Skin

Archives

Categories

Footer Widget Header

SUBSCRIBE

Join Anna's List!

Footer

  • Email
  • Instagram

The Links

  • About
  • Home
  • Contact

Categories

  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Faith
  • Wellness
A vessel sharing positivity through beauty, wellness, and personal style.
In August, a magazine reached out wanting to featu In August, a magazine reached out wanting to feature my DIY’s.  From that moment until just a couple of days ago, I have not stopped thinking, “But...why me?” And, “So-and-so deserves this so much more than I do.”  
 
But you know what? I’m not gonna let ME steal my joy over this anymore. 
 
What I know for sure is this: Today there are 7 whole pages in GOOD HOUSEKEEPING MAGAZINE filled with the DIY’s in my home. 😭  
 
Thank you to the Senior Home Editor of @goodhousekeeping, @moniquevaleris who thought the story of our home was worth telling- she did such a beautiful job telling it.  
 
I hope it will help you see the potential of DIY in YOUR homes, friends. 
 
And the next time you get a blessing for what seems (to you) like no good reason at all, and you start to find yourself questioning why, STOP.  It doesn’t matter why. You got a blessing.  Just go on and enjoy it! God is enjoying it, too.  
 
#wontHEdoit🙌🏾 #Grateful  
 
Oh, and if you get an issue, tag me! That would be so much fun to see you with yours! 😭
And here’s the finished look!     I hope you And here’s the finished look!  
 
I hope you had a chance to follow along in my stories- last night I went and grabbed a few new beauty favorites from #Nordstrom- my happy place, whether I’m dropping in real quick to pick up something in store, or online.  NARS is a favorite brand of mine and I have been using their powder, eyeshadow base and concealer for FOREVER. Wanted to try their new @narsissist Claudette limited edition eyeshadow palette plus the new blush duo and lip colors in MATHILDE too! Let me know if you decide to recreate the look! 
 
Head to annamaegroves.com and my stories for all the info including these and other Nordstrom favorites I used today.  
 
#sponsored by @nordstrom  
 
 http://liketk.it/361oV #liketkit @liketoknow.it #LTKbeauty
HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY TO MY 3rd man-child, Jaren!! A HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY TO MY 3rd man-child, Jaren!! Always jumping in to help and never complaining- one of the most thoughtful people you’ll ever meet. AND the pics you see on here? He’s usually the one behind the camera.  So so proud of my son. 🖤
SAVE this post: I started eating paleo over 5 year SAVE this post: I started eating paleo over 5 years ago because I lost both my mom and aunt to cancer-  a disease that thrives in inflammation. Paleo eating is all about feeding our bodies healthy, anti-inflammatory foods. #sponsored 
 
With all the stress we’ve been through, 2021 is the time for treating our bodies well! You can easily sub better-for-you ingredients, and it doesn’t need to be expensive. @aldiusa has high-quality, affordable paleo choices, and they make it fast and easy.  
  
SWIPE for a screenshotable list of paleo subs you can make right now to FEEL and look your best! Things like: 
 
❌ Refined granulated sugar  
✅ Specially Selected 100% Pure Maple Syrup, coconut sugar or raw honey 
 
❌ Processed, gluten-filled sweets, like cookies or doughnuts 
✅ Delicious paleo Simply Nature Coconut Cashew Crisps 
 
❌ Vegetable, soybean, corn, safflower, or canola cooking oils (full of inflammatory trans fats, omega 6’s, cancel out omega 3’s, oxidize when heated) 
✅ Avocado oil, Coconut oil, Extra virgin olive oil, or Ghee 
 
Center eating around whole, real foods: vegetables, fruits, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds and organic meats. Have you tried eating a paleo diet? It changed my life!  
 
Head up to my stories to see a few of my @aldiusa favorites - super affordable, high-quality paleo ingredients! #ALDILove
Please understand.         Me on my kn Please understand.    
   
Me on my knees relying on Jesus- the author and finisher of my faith... 
   
Me calling upon the Alpha and Omega....    
   
Me doing what Jesus said to do and casting my cares upon Him...    
   
Me searching scripture for peace and encouragement and landing on the words of Jesus: “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart- I have overcome the world”...   
   
Me doing the hard thing- stopping the spiral and keeping my heart turned to the One who sees the beginning from the end....   
   
Does not equal me turning a blind eye...   
   
Does not mean that I didn’t cry bitterly...    
   
Does not mean that watching people being kindly escorted down the stairs didn’t make me feel jealous...   
   
or witnessing people gently having their eyes flushed with bottles of water didn’t make me draw comparisons....   
   
or seeing protestors being greeted with smiles and selfies didn’t cause the question, “Why do they hate us so much?” to spill from my lips.    
   
It simply means that when things go badly- despite my tears, anger, jealousy and feelings of hopelessness...    
   
that I die to myself and seek the only One who has the final word.  I let Him bandage my wounds -so I can go and help bandage someone else’s.    
   
Lord, let the bandaging take place.   
John 14:27
Well, at least we clean up good. 😂 Swipe for th Well, at least we clean up good. 😂 Swipe for the before (of me 😳and the plant 🌱) and the horrifying discovery I made - SCALES on my umbrella plant (thankful it was only one plant!). After googling, I found out they weren’t dirt, but actual CREATURES 😭😩. Alas, it looks like we are good. And best believe- I did it all so save this and follow these steps if you ever get them:  
 
Take plant to the shower (or outside if it’s not freezing outside).  
1. Alcohol -wipe down every single leaf and stem with a saturated cotton pad to dissolve and remove- and don’t forget the undersides of the leaves!  
2. Repeat until you think you got em all. (I used a new pad for each branch) 
3. Mix 1 teaspoon of neem oil, 1 teaspoon of Dawn and 16 oz of filtered or distilled water in a spray bottle  
4. Spray down plant with neem oil soap mixture - saturate it! Wipe down every part with a paper towel. Rinse and repeat.  
 
Oh- and I know I could have just thrown it out.  But I’m a plant PARENT and plant parenting isn’t always easy and glamorous! PLUS my epic plant mom mama, Glenda Kay would be watching from Heaven with the biggest side eye of all time if I didn’t try to save this plant. 😂 Some of her plants are older than me and outlived her, so when in doubt, I do as my mama did! 🌱 🪴  
 
Saving my stories to plant highlight!
New Year, New Nails 💅🏽 Decided to try a litt New Year, New Nails 💅🏽 Decided to try a little art with my @oliveandjune Obsessed and HZ and it took me wayyy too long 😂. Sooooo did you guys take down the tree yet? Are you a Jan 1, week 1, or is your tree gonna stay up til 2022?  I didn’t want to throw away those dehydrated oranges. You should not keep them more than a year (think sugar, pests, disintegration, moisture, and all the things that could go wrong 😬) and no one is gonna want to eat those dusty things, so I’m sharing what I’m doing with them in stories. See you there!
2020 has been something, hasn’t it? I was talkin 2020 has been something, hasn’t it? I was talking to Rob and I loved what he said: that no matter what, he wouldn’t trade it for anything. Because along with the intense pain it caused so many of us, 2020 exposed things in us that we never would have seen.  Things that NEEDED to be seen.  In addition to the obvious, things like hidden fears, idols, unmet expectations, darkness and depression, reliance on the temporal, unresolved hurt, insecurities, lack of trust in God and others, and more.  
 
And it exposed the good- strong relationships, the fruit of spiritual growth and maturity, resilience, strength, unbreakable bonds, proximity to the Holy Spirit, redemption, what is significant, and the immeasurable goodness of God.  
 
So you know what? Tonight I’m thanking God for 2020 and what it exposed in me.  
 
Because exposed things can, if bad, be uprooted and thrown out. And if good, unearthed and polished like a treasure. 
 
Good night, 2020.  And cheers to you, my friends.  Here’s to the close of a decade.  May 2021 bring us more exposure. 🖤
THANK YOU so much for your prayers. If I hadn’t THANK YOU so much for your prayers. If I hadn’t called my dad, Drew, when I did on Christmas Eve, he wouldn’t be alive. He’s lived alone since my mom passed and when he answered the phone I panicked. His speech was extremely slurred and he’s not a drinker.  He’d fallen ill 6 days earlier with a “stomach ache” as he called it but didn’t tell anyone because he didn’t want to be a bother and thought it would pass (he only likes helping others and never wants to be helped!) I kept trying to convince him that slurred speech and dark urine is a big deal but he kept blowing me off, saying he was drinking pedialyte.  I called my sisters and my youngest took him to the hospital.  
  
Guys, that stomach ache was a kidney stone that got infected and my dad had severe sepsis. Fluid was in his lungs,   
his body was beginning to shut down and his white blood cell count was 55,000.  He was taken to Intensive care, placed in a medically induced coma and put on a ventilator. He was given dialysis-both kidneys were non functioning and his heart was at a 35 EF.  
  
Your prayers are being answered. His heart EF is still at 35% but his white blood cell count keeps going down- he’s not just alive- he’s improving!  Since starting dialysis his lungs have less fluid and he was taken out of the coma and is responding to commands- he recognized my sister’s voice on a zoom call.  
  
I THANK God for prompting me to call him when I did. I THANK GOD for my friends and family and THIS COMMUNITY who prayed for my dad. I love you. God knows I just couldn’t lose both my dads in one year, both at Christmas time. The devil is a liar and God is good. ♥️
If you are the praying kind, please pray for my Da If you are the praying kind, please pray for my Dad, Drew.  He is in the hospital fighting to live right now.  He raised me as his very own and he literally saved my life. Now I’m praying for God to save his. If you’ll say a prayer for him right now, it would mean the world to me and my sisters. Thank you. 🖤
Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2021 · Anna Mae Groves · Blog Design by Little Blue Deer
Privacy Policy