Hi there, ya'll! =)


How have you all been spending your week? Now that the rain has been slowing down, and we have more sunny days than stormy, we've finally been back to working on making our yard look beautiful.  My dad and brother finally hung my window boxes up for me, and I'm planning to plant some petunias (try saying that five times really fast ;P) in them this weekend, as well as various other flowers and vines.  And, of course, I have more rose bushes to plant around the house, because, in my opinion, one can never have too many roses.

Hi there, ya'll! =)

This week I decided to work on a plan to combat boredom.  Since I live at home and work for the family business, I often have to actively work to find productive things to do to fill the hours.  Housework, cooking, and teaching my brother only take up a portion of my day, so if I don't find other things to occupy myself with, I tend to become bored and just waste the precious hours away.  So, I decided this week I would work on a list of things I can do to be more productive and make my life more enjoyable...

Hi there, ya'll! =)

Apparently the weather didn't get the memo about it being Spring now -_- ...On the bright side, I get to wear scarves and wool hats a little longer before it gets too hot!

Every year at Springtime, I like to do some things to change up my life.  Not a big change, just little ways to switch things up and feel refreshed...mainly in my personal appearance, but also in other aspects of my life.  For example, last year, I changed up my everyday makeup a bit by switching from brown eyeliner to liquid black, and, even though I doubt anyone but my mom noticed, it made me feel like I had a makeover!  I also started wearing lipstick (which was a HUGE change for me because before I never wore anything on my lips besides tinted lip balm) and I still am not sure how I lived so many years without realizing how important lipstick should be to every woman XD.  Besides changes appearance wise, I also made an effort to start reading more than I had before, specifically informational books, and to write more letters.  I guess you could say my New Year's Resolutions are made in March instead of January ;P...This year, I've decided to try my hand at growing flowers and herbs in pots to decorate our porch and kitchen, and to learn about interior design so I can redecorate our home as best (and inexpensively) as I can.  As far as appearance goes, I'm thinking I might experiment a bit with different eye shadow looks, and I also want to start incorporating more blazers and dresses into my wardrobe.  As Christians (and as a Catholic, personally) we are supposed to be always growing and moving forward, never stopping or becoming stagnant in any area of our lives, and this is the best way I have found of keeping myself in a perpetual state of improving. =)   

• introducing friends to Sheil Silverstein's poetry, and trying to see who could read the furthest without collapsing into fits of laughter
• taking nearly a month to finish a one hour and forty-five minute long movie my friend let me borrow 
• my little brother's comment on reading spoilers for "Downton Abbey": "If you're just going to kill all my favorite characters, why even make the show in the first place?!" XD
• searching for a pair of brown shoes to wear this summer for nearly three months, and finally having to admit to myself that I may be a very picky person
• being unable to focus on doing anything because my brother is watching "Lobster Bisque" in the same room
• cracking my phone screen
• my favorite sandals giving my feet blisters

• finding a whole new collection of delicious looking recipes on Pinterest to try
• researching budget-friendly ways to re-decorate our home
• our new Nutri-Bullet...it makes my coffee SO FROTHY
• a thrift store I was shopping at closed an hour earlier than I thought it would, and I didn't have time to try on the clothes I'd picked out, so I just said a prayer they'd fit and bought them anyway....When I got home and tried them on THEY ALL FIT PERFECTLY =D
• this article...there are a few things I disagreed with (some Protestant errors) but overall it was a very well written article about lies of feminism
• wildflowers and dogwood trees blooming everywhere
• my rose bushes surviving the winter(!)
• early morning Mass with my brother 
• my favorite coffee shop hiring a new barista, who happens to make THE BEST caramel frappe-chinos I have ever tasted

//Outfit Details//

Cardigan: Thrift Store/Old Navy Brand

Camisole: Forever 21/$1.00

Maxi Skirt: Thrift Store

Sandals: J.Cole's Shoes/Old

Earrings: Amazon/Old

Diamond Necklace: Gift

Hat: Amazon/$15.99

I hope you are having a wonderful week! =)

• ordering two hats because I convinced myself I would only keep the one I liked best and return the other one.  Unfortunately, I now cannot decide which I like best and want to keep both -_-
• having zero appetite for weeks, then becoming suddenly hungry everyday as soon Lent starts
• group chats.  No more need be said...XD
• YouTube videos that make me laugh so hard I can't breathe
• sewing problems
• trying to finish the whole first season of Once Upon A Time before midnight on Fat Tuesday
• being compared to a duck (that was definitely a first for me XD)
• not realizing how wrinkled my skirt was until I uploaded these pictures =/

• the new Ed Sheeran album
• finally getting myself a beauty blender to try, and OH MY WORD...=D
• my hair finally being long enough to braid without it looking strange
• poetry ;) 
• spicy fried chicken 
• planning out a flower garden
• re-reading "At The Foot Of The Cross" by Father Faber (PHENOMENAL book!)
• cleaning out my "hope chest" and finding all sorts of things I've saved since I was little =)

I never used to wear hats before, but now I find myself trying to find ways to wear one of my hats every time I leave the house XD.  Maybe it's because they're so convenient and save me the time I'd normally spend fixing my hair, or maybe it's because they just look classy...I don't know which, but I do know I will be adding to my collection as soon as possible ;P.  Next on my wish list is a dark cranberry colored fedora :).

//Outfit Details//

Shirt: Old Navy/Old

Skirt: Thrift Store/Land's End Brand

Scarf: Gift

Hat: Amazon/$15.99

Shoes: Sperry's (Amazon)

I hope you're all having a blessed Lent!
Let me know what was awesome or awkward for you this week in the comments! =)

Hi there, ya'll! =)

It's so beautiful outside and it feels like Spring already! I've spent most of the day outside or in front of an open window ;).  At the moment I'm about to head back outdoors to finish fixing up my "new" antique mirror, but first I thought I'd update you all on what's been awkward or awesome this week for me.  Yesterday some friends met us at a lazer tag arena for a sort of going away party for my brother who is moving to a different city next week, and I made the mistake of wearing a grey sweater...the black-lights made it glow and to say I was an easy target would be putting it mildly -_-.  Next time, I think I'll just wear all black to be safe...

〜

This is one of my emergency outfits; when I can't find anything else to wear, I throw on an outfit like this that I know I like and will be comfortable.  Simple, but still decent looking, and can be dressed up or down pretty much by just wearing different shoes.  When I wear a more casual outfit like this one, I always add some fancy looking earrings to make it look more feminine...actually, I just love earrings, so I wear them anyway ;P.

• several people in our dance class (including Yours Truly) showing up in turquoise shirts on the same day
• my dog trying to lick off all the paint I had just painted on a new mirror
• a terrible stomach flu going all over the state and now circling ominously throughout our community 
• getting thirteenth place in lazer tag (I was ambushed -_-)
• very deep discussions with a friend about whether Batman is better than Deathstroke XD
• singing in the car by myself while I wait for my brother
• checking out a book from the library and then completely forgetting about it for a week
• realizing I may have a serious addiction to pictures of kitchens on Pinterest

• sewing projects that turn out wonderfully
• amazing deals on new decor for my room
• a painting of the Eiffel tower that a friend brought me from Paris
• long walks with friends
• new pens to practice hand lettering with
• completing my new blog header 
• visiting my favorite antique store for the first time in months
• getting ready for a trip back to Texas *internal scream of excitement*
• Hawaiian Pizza with bacon on top...so yummy

//Outfit Details//

Cardigan: Goodwill

Camisole: ThredUp/$2.50 (Clink here for ten dollars off your purchase!)

Skirt: Thrift Store/Land's End brand

Shoes: Sperry's

I hope you're all doing well and enjoying your week! =)

• seventy degree weather in January 
• sloooooow internet 
• my Bulletproof Coffee getting cold...and the coconut oil hardening up on the top...yuck
• playing the piano and realizing just how badly I need practice
• long days grocery shopping in Tulsa
• waking up one morning and wanting almost nothing more than to go swimming...and realizing that it's going to be several months before I actually can -_-
• birthday gift shopping for a friend, and ending up with three things for myself instead
• taking down all our Christmas decorations *cries*
• being asked out to dinner by a complete stranger 
• typing this whole post only to have it delete itself as soon as I looked away
• wrecking my parents' car
• standing next to a stool at a juice bar with my little brother..."That stool is almost as tall as you!" 

• the latest "Beauty and the Beast"trailer 
• staying up past midnight with friends 
• empty journals just begging to be filled with words
• discussions with friends about which Rom-Com character we each most resemble, in personality at least (mine was Sophie from "Letters To Juliet")
• homemade fried chicken
• good hair days
• clear, starry nights
• free goodies from L'Occitane XD
• flower hair pins
• learning hand-lettering

//Outfit Details//

Sweater: Salvation Army

Camisole: Forever 21/Old

Maxi Skirt: Thrift Store/Old

Flower Hair Pin: Charming Charlie (out of stock, similar here)

Leather Boots: JustFab

Hi there, ya'll!=)

It is a bee-yu-ti-ful day today! The sun is shining, a strong wind is blowing, and it's just cold enough for a coat, but not so cold that you're shivering.  For this outfit, I layered a chunky sweater over my favorite black dress and added the scarf to give it more flattering look.  This dress is perfect for gusty days because the skirt is hardly flared at all and doesn't blow much in the wind, which is always a bonus in my book.  I *love* really flared and full skirts and dresses, but they tend to fly up at the slightest breeze, so I generally stick with straighter silhouettes. 

//Outfit Details//

Sweater: ThredUp/ $5.00

Dress: Consignment Store/$1.50

Leggings: Kohls/Old

Boots: Amazon/Old

Scarf: Gift

Earrings: Consignment Store