Start your own trend

Sometimes fashion means starting your own trend. This trend took off about ten years ago at the summer camp where I live. Our counselors are required to wear a staff shirt every Sunday when campers are arriving. One of our girl staff, (the great Miss Katie Lepine) decided to wear skirts on Sundays and now ten years later, the girls are still wearing them. So there you go, be unique. Start your own trend.

Me trying to look like a camp counselor. 

While we're talking about skirts. How about this nifty tiered skirt hanger? Just got one when I cleaned out my closet and now I can actually see the skirts I own! 

The skirt in the front is actually supposed to be a tube top, but I wear it as a skirt! 

Rags to Riches

Today I am afraid. I have this fear that you will believe you are good enough. What's the problem with that you say!? Please keep reading. For some reason, we humans, especially women, love to compare ourselves. We're looking at each other's clothes, hair, hobbies, and accomplishments and sizing ourselves up. How do we compare? Usually my guess is we get down on ourselves. But the opposite happens when it comes to internal goodness, we compare ourselves to those we consider worse than us and decide we are "good enough." Surely God accepts me because I am a good person and I pray and I help people. The problem with this is that the Bible says "all of our righteous acts are like filthy rags." Compared to the holiness of God, even on our best day, it is as if we were wearing filthy rags. For all of our goodness, we still aren't good enough. We try so hard to be good enough. But the good news is we don't have to be. Instead, we need a clothing (heart) exchange. The Bible speaks of clothing ourselves with Christ. Because of His great love for us, Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice and gave his life for our sins on the cross so that instead of us trying to be good enough, He could wash away those filthy rags and clothe us with himself. This great exchange can take place when we put our faith and trust in Jesus. His love for us is perfect. Then our confidence, our hope, and our joy can come from Him!

Here's a link to an article that I think articulates this concept really well.It's called Heroin addicts, Homeschool kids, and the Gospel of Grace.  http://thecripplegate.com/heroine-addicts-home-school-kids-and-the-gospel-of-god%E2%80%99s-grace/

The super casual little black dress

I love this dress.

Though it is black, because it is just cotton, it is super causal and light. And I just adore the one inch straps. Very versatile. Nice enough for a graduation party, casual enough to wear to my son's baseball game. You can even wear it to water the garden. Haha.

What exercise has to do with fashion

Does exercise really have anything to do with fashion? I'm going to say that it does. And here's why. For people who really believe in fashion (this may or may not include me, I'm still figuring that out), having fashion means exuding confidence. Confidence in who you are, confidence in your choices, confidence to take risks and stand out. It can be a state of mind. Here's where exercise comes in for me personally. Sometimes I have crappy days. Days where I want to stay in bed and do nothing because I am completely overwhelmed with life and the tasks I have before me. Energy levels are low, and confidence in myself is low. One of the biggest factors in getting me out of that slump and on with real living is going for a run. I force myself out of the house when I am feeling like an Eeyore, but by the time I return I am more like superwoman. Now superwoman is in sort of a fashion rut herself with all the red white and blue, but she has the confidence part down. So in summary, what I'm sort of saying is that exercise gives you a confidence lift and confidence helps with fashion. What do you think?

Do you see how I tried matching my running shirt to my shorts this time?
Maybe it looks good, but running in a black shirt in the summer is the worst! I won't do that again!

The very best pajamas

Per my husband's request, I am posting a pic of myself in my pajamas. I'm pretty sure every marriage book I've seen talks about wives not getting in the sweats and t-shirt rut for pajamas. But these thin sweats and any old t-shirt are my very favorite for sleeping. On a low energy day like today, I might wear them all day! This is one fashion rut I'm gonna keep! Can I get an "amen" ladies?

And while we're on the subject of coffee (sort of, see the mug in my hand?) I needed something to put my sugar in next to my coffee maker. While I've been eyeing a sweet glass jar I'd seen for about $15, instead I headed to the local Salvation Army store and bought this cute one for $1. 

And while we are on the subject of saving money and buying used, I also found these at the Salvation Army for my son Ezra for $5. He'd been wearing his sister's purple ones when she would allow it. They're a little scratched up, but glide perfectly! 

How to be a writer

About 18 years ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to take a visiting well-known author and speaker to the airport for his flight home. Just before he left, I finally got the courage to ask him, "How do I become a writer?" His answer was so simplistic I couldn't believe it. He simply said, "then write." This up-until-then very animated verbose human being stopped right there. And then he left! I was so mad! He was supposed to give me some fabulous insight on how to publish a book, or at least an article, and then get on the speaking circuit for all of my accomplished writing. At least he could have told me what to write about! Yes, I was so young then I really didn't even know that. So here I am almost 40, and I finally see the wisdom in his advice. To be a writer, you have to write. Every day. Simple as that. Eventually as your heart comes through in your writing, maybe someone will listen. Hence, this blog. A simple little practice in writing every day that I put out there for the world to see.

hmmmm...what should I write about?

Can God use a fashion blog?

I've asked myself a lot this week what am I doing with a fashion blog? Those who know me well, know me enough to know fashion is not something I care tremendously about. And yet, for some reason I got this wild idea to go for it. I've had a lot of insecurities with it. Will my friends think I am completely shallow? Is it just an excuse to try and post what I think are cute photos of myself on the internet? Maybe :)  But honestly as I see my pageview numbers go up each day, the nagging question on my mind is "God, how are you going to use this?" Because right now I don't really know. I do know my heart and at this time in my life I honestly feel like I am more in love with Jesus than I have ever been. His grace, His love, His sacrifice for me moves me daily. And though I've been a Christian for a long time, I used to be in a rut. Not a fashion rut, but a life rut. But God's grace has been setting me free and I want that to shine through. So maybe this little fashion blog might become a bridge for someone else in a life rut or a fashion rut who needs to a glimpse of hope, love, and life in Jesus.

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,
which is here today and tomorrow is thrown in the fire,
will he not much more clothe you?
Matthew 6:30 NIV

What NOT to love about white jeans

White jeans are all the rage right?

I should love them. Since I love my regular jeans and wore them almost every day this past winter, these should be a great alternative! Comfy, yes. But one huge drawback: I have to wash them after every wear! Unlike my regular jeans I re-wear so much they are practically a part of me! (ew) But if I want my white jeans to stay really really white and cute, in the wash they must go! Also, I have to avoid all chocolate while wearing them, and what girl wants to do that?

White jeans I bought BEFORE Old Navy had them everywhere, and a LOFT shirt bought at a consignment shop!

Why Fashion Matters

It doesn't...

....at least not in the grand scope of things. However, I recently discovered something about fashion that does matter: Much of our clothing is still made by factory workers in sweatshops with awful, inhuman working conditions. Unfair wages, unreasonable hours, child labor, and abuse abound. All these factories mistreating their workers in order to satisfy the American hunger for MORE. I've done enough reading on it today to be convinced it is not something I can ignore. Take a few minutes and Google the subject. I really don't know what I can personally do to change the situation, other than spread the word and try to purchase sweatshop free, if at all. Because I don't feel I can trust any of the major clothing suppliers right now, that means buying resale. At least I won't be supporting a sweatshop in Bangladesh or child labor in China.

FashionRut Must Have #1

On the one hundred things a girl must have is....Aviator Sunglasses! And I actually own some! I love these! Since I have been known to break or lose my sunglasses at least every six months, I buy cheap. These came from American Eagle for about 12 bucks. Put it with my ALL time favorite T. I think it's over 30 years old! Traded my jeans for a jean skirt from LOFT that I bought at a consignment store for $3.

Aviators: not just for men!

 Tucking in shirts with skirts seems to be the new thing maybe? Just thought I'd try it! 
This is the movie star pose brought on by the coolness one feels when wearing aviator sunglasses!

The Skirt

Since I had to actually google "what to wear with black shorts" the other day, I think that is a pretty sure sign that I know nothing about fashion. After clicking images from my google search, I discovered that black goes really well with white. Incredible. I wonder if the same thing applies to grey? I have felt for a while that skirts are really fun to wear in the summer as a great alternative to shorts. And I still prefer t's. So here's the grey and white combo I put together today. As part of my rebellion against fashion, I put back on my Toms, I neglected to iron the shirt, which needed it, and refused to wear earrings since I already had on a necklace. No need to go overboard! 

Still comfy but cute?

Looking at the hair. I grew my hair out long because I liked seeing others cute braids and styles with their long hair. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at any of those things, and basically go with either up in a pony tail or straight down. This is my attempt to try a side pony tail. I think maybe I am too old for it. HA!

Ode to a Fashion Rut

I'm not sure this whole fashion rut blog thing is going to work. Yesterday I started this fashion blog and today all I want to do is stay in the rut! There's a reason I got in a fashion rut in the first place. These are comfortable clothes I love! I hate dressing up and drawing attention to myself (unless for a fancy event where there's a purpose for it, then I love it!) So today, just posting an ode to my fashion rut-jeans and T. And guess what? I discovered if you roll the jeans up you can wear them even in the summer! Yay! 

The jeans I LOVE!

Yippee!

Aren't they GREAT!

AND THE MAIN REASON I LOVE MY FASHION RUT IS THAT IT ALLOWS ME TO MORE EASILY DO THIS:

Thanks to Micah for the excellent photography!

What to wear with black shorts?

So, I bought these black shorts just before summer, thinking "what could be more versatile than black shorts?" Then proceeded to never wear them because I could never figure out what to wear them with. So yesterday, determined to make them work, I put on the black shorts, a t-shirt, and my beloved Toms.  Really what is cuter than a pair of Toms? It looked like this:

Before

Okay, so not so bad right? Casual, mom-like. Okay, I know shorter shorts are in, but let's face it, I've had five kids and short shorts just aren't as appealing. Plus I find sitting in a bit longer shorts more comfortable. But the outfit was just bland to me. BUT I STILL DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO WEAR WITH BLACK SHORTS! So, you know what I did? I googled it. Then I clicked on images. Right there, you can see lots of images of black shorts mixed and paired with different tops and styles! Most of the images I liked had black shorts paired with a white shirt. So...I dug this out of my closet, added a necklace and some dressy sandals, that I had forgotten I had, but found when I cleaned out my closet! And the result was this:

I think it is a bit more fashionable. But it was less comfortable. Let's face it nothing beats a t-shirt for comfort. In the future, I would try a different white shirt that wasn't as snug but still unique in some way. But I did learn a valuable trick with googling images. I will use that again the next time I can't figure out what to pair with a certain clothing item! 

Fashion Rut Recovery Step 1

It might sound simple, but the first step to getting out of the fashion rut might be cleaning out your closet. So, if I had a before picture, I would post it. But thankfully I don't! You rarely could see the floor in our closet with all of our stuff in there.  Also, all my clothes were on the far end of the closet, and my husband's were right by the door. The problem with this is my husband rarely used the clothes in his closet. While I was constantly stepping on and over clothes and junk to try and see what I even had in there. So....I cleaned out that closet and as a result I could finally see all the cute stuff I never wore! I separated the sweaters from the cute summer dresses and skirts. The end result looked like this. And I started to think, "maybe I should do something to get out of my fashion rut!" Step 1: know what you have and decide to use the good stuff!