Thursday, December 27, 2012

Christmas Joy

Just some photos to share from my Christmas! Love my family!











































Sunday, December 23, 2012

Christmas Is Here.

Christmas time is here;
All who gather near,
To celebrate the birth,
Of Christ on this small earth.

We decorate the trees,
And place the gifts beneath,
With friends and family around,
We drink and dine and wine;

With toasts of good cheer,
Starting letters with dear,
We hug a little tighter,
And speak a little lighter.

When the clouds open up,
We watch the snow fall,
The world turns pure white,
And our hearts are full and bright;

So greetings we exchange,
To neighbors and to strangers;
We cook a lot of food,
And bake some cookies too.

But always on Christmas morning,
Before the ribbons fly,
We stop and sit in quite,
And listen to those fine lines;

On this day so long ago,
A baby boy was born;
Called a king born from a stable,
He came to be our Savior.

Never forget the true meaning of Christmas,
For He was too great for sinners,
But He loved us still,
And came until,
His life was taken thirty years later.
But because He came and relived again,
We have been given life through Him.

So thank the Lord for safety in this World,
And share with others the Gospel.
Then say a little prayer,
For all who draw near,
That Christmas time is (always) here.





Tuesday, December 18, 2012

31 Days | Dec. 9th-15th

"Glamour is a shooting star, it catches your eye, but fades away, beauty is the sun always brilliant day after day." ~Mike Dolan

Ok, so maybe I lost a little inspiration last week.. And it's taken me a little longer to put together "this week's" (last week's) post. Wait, am I not supposed to tell you that? Uh well.. just being honest ;)

Sunday: That Little Black Dress.

One of my favorite dresses I own. It's simple, all lace, with exposed zipper on the back.But when the air is on the lower side, I tend to layer up. So I wore black tights, and a black long sleeve top underneath the dress.

My necklace is silver and light blue, and quite spunky. Eye shadow shades of purple. Grey boots to the finish.




Monday, oh Monday.
Mixed up colors with green long sleeve and an almost plum thick sweater, and brown corduroy pants. A bronze charm necklace to add the sparkle.




Tuesday. Oh wait, I forgot. :P

Tuesday was a Christmas shopping day with my sister and mom. (Photo below.) So, I wore something easy and somewhat more comfortable to wear for the day going in and out of stores. But I didn't get a picture of what I wore. So instead, here's what I decided to do with my nails, and for a girl who really hates painting her nails (due to the stubborn work and pain in the butt it is,) it was somewhat impressive.. lol




Wednesday: Just a good ol outfit.

A couple of layered sweaters, jeans, and riding boots. Need I say more?




Thursday: Euro Style..?

Not sure what to call this piece, but I found it in an adorable little boutique on a side street in Barcelona Spain. (From a overseas trip I took a couple months ago.) It's kind of a mix of a pullover, jacket, sweatshirt... thingy.. Anyway, it's a thin layer of cotton, so not too hot or heavy, and is two toned with a forest green and lime green. Something different to add to my closet!




Friday:

I didn't catch a photo for this outfit. So I'll share something else, new, that I have. I found this cutie at the Loft, for just $29.99! I actually haven't worn it yet, but I have many ideas, just not the right day yet! I'll let ya know when I finally do ;)



Saturday: Snow!!

Yes, it was snowing, hence the crazy photo op. But I spent the day in my pinkish/corolish pants, stone boots, a leopard print top, a jean button up shirt, and a hand-put-together-by-me necklace with 4 vintage keys dangling.




Here's one last picture of the new nail color my friend and I found/bought last week. :)



Well, that's it for week 2!

Promise to do better this week! I just needed some inspiration ;)

Christmas is SO close! YAY!!

t.
"But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

Friday, December 14, 2012

This is SO much more than just a disastrous assult...This goes deep down to the root.

Tragedy.

This morning marks the day in so many lives that will live in their hearts, tragically, forever.

Today was the day that a man decided to take the lives of an entire kindergarten class, plus others, in a small town in Connecticut, in what has become the second worst school shooting in history for the U.S.

So of course, people immediately start blaming, what? The gun(s). Yes, of course, the gun itself made the decision to make it's owner walk into a school and take out so many innocent lives.

Bull. (excuse my french thought)

No, this is NOT a gun control issue. This is a HEART issue. What have we done in the past couple of decades? We have totally taken God and truth (which are one in the same) out of our schools. (And many other places obviously.) But we are telling our children that they were just an accident. They have no purpose in life. No reason. No truth. Nop hope. What seems right or wrong to them, is just their truth. And we can all have our own truths to live by. HOW IS THAT SUPPOSED TO WORK?!?!?

I can barely write these words without getting so furious I want to throw my computer across the room.

And you think gun control will solve our problem? Let's see, drugs are illegal. Well, we still have tons of druggies.. People STILL find a way to get their drugs, or sell. Alcoholic drinking underage is illegal. Kids STILL find a way to drink before the proper age. Guns, if we were to make a gun control law, well guess what? People would STILL find a way to have guns, and they would STILL use them tragically! The only thing the law would do would be taking them away from law abiding citizens who actually use them for safety!

It's about the people who are using them for wrong. It's their hearts that are torn inside, and did not have a hope. Whether they are angry, depressed, or just mentally ill, they are still the ones that made the decision to do what they did. And sin has consequences.

Think about the lives that could be saved in the schools, movie theaters, malls, ect. if we were just able to defend ourselves..

Ok, I need to calm down. What's done is done. All we can do right now is PRAY for the families and loved ones affected by this absolute devastation. And PRAY for this nation!! Pray that this country would turn back to God, and realize HE is what we need!

To turn our faces away from Him is the true tragedy of this world.

t.

"God be gracious to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us- Salah. That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations." Psalms 67:1-2

Sunday, December 9, 2012

31 Days.. | December 1-8

"I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;" Psalms 139:14




Day 1:
So December first was the day to start the advent countdown, as well as a big game in the SEC football division. University of Alabama played the Georgia Bulldogs, and it was an intense game, because the winner would get to continue to the National Championship game in Jan. Well, highly disliking Alabama, I had no choice but to pull for the "Dawgs" to pull it out, so Bama wouldn't be headed to yet, ANOTHER championship game. Sounds silly, I know. But like I've said before, it's in my blood.

Back to fashion- An bright apple red button down shirt (Target), with black skinnies (Macy's), and black booties fit well for the day. I used a small amount of black and grey eye shadow and minimal jewelry.

A simple snake skin printed purse added some texture, but still kept the "easy look" I was going for.




Day 2: Church clothes.
I found a real wool coat that was given to us years ago from some dear friends from England. It's a box shape, and color wise, a bit difficult to coordinate with. The colors in it are a mix of light grey, dark gray and brown. But it's very good looking, so I was determined to put together something to wear with it! And something that would help my figure while I'm wearing a "square cut."

I came to a decision pairing it with a short navy skirt (H&M), and a cream lace top, and navy pumps (Target).




Day 3: Monday blues..or greens..
After an intense morning at a work out class, (after having not worked out in months,) I was leaning towards the more comfy clothing when I got home to change. ;)

Jeans (Nordstrom), with a long grey sleeve shirt (Hollister), a "Train" tank top over-laying, and an army green short sleeve sweater to keep me warm (Ross).

As my hair was not so pretty, I stuck it up in a side bun with a little braid on top, to add a little flare. (Haha) Also, simple black jewelry to accent the black text on the tank top.




Day 4: So I have this sweater dress...
It's one of those things you buy, because at the time, they are everywhere and girls are really making them look cute, so you buy it, and then you just never wear it.. and you wonder if it was a waste of money..? Yeah, that. So this sweater dress of mine, well, it's just one more thing in my closet I was determined to actually wear one of these days. However I didn't love the lines on me, so I had to work with it a bit.

A rich red dress (Ross), paired with grey leggings (Aeropostale), and to top it off, literally, I wore a black.... well, actually, I have no idea what it's called. Anyway, it's a little dress thingy. I only wore big pearl (fake ;) earrings. Keepin' it simple.




Day 5: Game time!
Well this time, it's basketball! We headed to Pullman, WA to watch Gonzaga play WSU in basketball, and the game was crazy!With a hour & half drive there and back, and the temperature dropping tremendously outside, I wanted to be somewhat comfortable but still in a cute look for the game. Once again, I was wearing red, for the Zags. (What's weird is I hardly ever wear red, and this is the what, 3rd time this week?!? lol)

Jeans (Miss Me-Belk), Red long sleeve, button up white shirt over (Aero), grey and white scarf, black leather jacket (Turkey), and silver converse tennies (Foot Locker).

And btw, they won! :)



Day 6: Rumor had it...
..it was supposed to snow today.. And actually, it did. It just didn't stick. -_-

However, that is where my outfit for this cold wet Thursday came from... snowflakes! Grey and white polka-dotted skinnies (Target), white long sleeve, turquoise cardigan (Nordstrom), a black "cape" like coat ($5-Macy's), a long chrome, dark blue and light blue beaded necklace, snowflake earrings (T.J.Maxx), and a new royal blue Steve Madden purse ($10-T.J.Maxx)! Oh, and also some blue shades of eye shadow to really make it all pop! ;)





Day 7: Friday in a skirt.
With the cold weather continuing, I layer up! Keeping a short black "flowy" skirt simple enough for my non eventful Friday, I kept it classic in black with a long sleeve shirt, and added my pop of color with a bright green cardi. Grey tights kept my legs warm, along with stone grey boots (Candies-Kohls), and some black leg warmers underneath. (Which btw, are legit leg warmers I used for ballet back in the day when I still danced ;) Also, a silver long chain necklace with a light blue feather pendent to add some more color without getting to carried away.




Day 8: Festive Saturday.
Green pants paired with a new pretty black and cream sweater ($29.-Target) was an idea since the moment I bought the sweater on Black Friday a couple of weeks ago. It's my going-Christmas-style-without-using-the-color-red outfit for 2012. I love the design of the sequins! I put light eye shadow on my lids, with black shadow in the corners/crease. I loved how it turned out, but phone cameras just don't capture eye shadow to give it justice. ()

I'm trying to remind myself to wear more colors *together* and also with every outfit, figure out what the main pop of color is, what the main pop of print/design is, and to have just enough of each to wear together. Don't keep everything so "matchy matchy."

For a day of Christmas shopping in Spokane, I added a black cardi, skinny royal blue belt (Target), my houndstooth coat (Macy's), my new blue purse, and my stone grey boots.




Well, look at that! I am through my first week! It's a lot more work than I thought it might be. It'd seem easy to just document each day of outfits, but when you're blogging about it, somehow it makes it more work to make sure I'm putting things together that are new or shy ideas for me. :) I like what I wore this week, but I think I need to step it up a notch...

Until next Sat...
t.
"Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick." ~Gwyneth Paltrow

(Photo below is the eye shadow I just couldn't get a good photo of today, so I gave up. lol




Saturday, December 1, 2012

31 Days of Fashion

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30

It's officially December ("officially' because I've felt like it's been December for 2 weeks already, haha) and although I'm always in a "fashion mood," I've recently bought some fun items, and found a few items I am trying to pair up with what I already have.

I like to challenge myself. Trying to wear more stuff that I like, but don't always have the confidence to try them out in public. Since it is festive season, I thought it might be an appropriate month to share my adventure with it. :)

I'm going to put together an outfit each day, mostly pieces I NEVER wear, some new clothing, things I found in the basement, (literally) and whatever else I find. Like maybe from my friend, Micah's, closet. ;) (jk!) We'll see what I come up with!

I'll make sure to get photos of each, and then write a post for each week.

So here it goes!

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

I'm So Blessed To Have Lived Here.

Everyone is always asking each other, "City or Country?"

Ok, sure, most people either live in a city, or out in the country. But we all know that there are plenty of towns that are neither. And not every city is New York City. But not every town is a one stop light so-small-you-know-everyone kind of town. There is an in between, or even a few. My town, is one of those in between ones. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Most people not from here can't even pronounce the name correctly. (It's French, btw, for Heart of an Awl.) Anyway, I happen to think it's one of the best places on Earth! Really, the whole Northwest is quite a beauty. But let me give you a look at just my hometown.

I love to visit big cities, take in the mass amount of people, advertisements, sky scrapers, and taxi drivers. However, the traffic gets old, the people get annoying, and there's just so much, too much, everywhere you go.

Out in the middle of no where, I find myself loving the peaceful, quite, and serene life, surrounded by the mountains, trees, and the wild life. However, it has it's downsides, like the amount of time driving, the thought of no one near in case of emergency, and the grocery store is just a bit too far away for my taste.. for a quick fix of chocolate.

But here at home, I'm perfectly happy. Cd'A is not huge, we don't have sky scrapers, or even many 4 story buildings at that, we don't have every fancy restaurant chain, or a big shopping mall, and we certainly don't have bad traffic. (That's my favorite part.)

The Panhandle of Idaho:
We are content with what we do have. Because what we do have is beautiful! We have many natural big lakes, mountains, and ski mountains, and we have four seasons. Sure, not every year we get four perfect equal seasons.. some years we don't get very much snow, and some years, our spring gets ignored, and a long winter jumps to summer. But for the most part, we pretty much have it all. And there's just something so nice about having each season. There's more to enjoy. :)

Downtown Cd'A:
Our downtown is not where our big businesses are arranged, but where our tourists (and yes, we get lots of tourists,) gather most. We have a tall hotel, The Coeur d'Alene Resort, that over looks Lake Coeur d'Alene, the marina just below, the public beach and a few parks, and then a main street, called Sherman Ave., that is the place to be. Local shops with clothing, home decor, or touristy things line Sherman Ave. alongside cafes, bars, coffee shops, and a moose or two.

Summer Days:
In the summer time, downtown is full of people, young and old, tourist and local. Tubb's Hill is next to downtown and it's covered in hiking trails and large rocks to jump off of into the lake. The main park is covered with kids, birthday parties, concerts, and picnics. There are boats all over the lake, and even a floating plane.

Special Events:
Every summer, we have what we call "Art on the Green." It's an open to public festival for artists to showcase their work. But because it's such a big deal, and everyone gathers downtown for it, Cd'A has a large amount of vendors who set up all the way from Sherman Ave. (which is closed off during the weekend) down to and through the park, and across to North Idaho College's campus (which is where the real art is located.) People come down, walk through the tent set ups, and shop a bit, grab food or a refreshment drink, and just hang out. It's very fun, and there are always lots of people, free concerts, and fun activities.

Random fact:
I like to tell people about our city's fascination with floating objects... ;) We have three main floaters: The longest floating boardwalk in the country, a floating restaurant (that has the best ever lobster bisque,) and the famous Floating Green! An actual (playing) part of the Cd'A Resort Golf Course.

Winter Season:
In the winter time, it's a whole new feel. People tend to migrate in the cozy coffee shops when the weather starts to cool. But the best night of all, (I think it's my most favorite night downtown,) the city, and some friends from near by, all gather downtown. It always happens the day after Thanksgiving. A Christmas parade marches it's way down Sherman. Everyone is there bundled up in warm coats, hats and gloves, while the kiddos watch for the parade partakers (normally local businesses, churches, and City of Cd'A officials) as they sing, dance, march or just wave. After that, everyone walks just past the street, and gathers in front of the Resort, with hot chocolate in one hand, and a ready-to-be-lit-candle in the other, we sing along with carolers (on mics) and sing Christmas songs. Finally, as the last song is about to begin, everyone lights their candle, and we all sing Silent Night together. It's pretty amazing. Once the song has ended, we count down from ten, and a huge firework production, out over the lake, begins. They play Mannheim Steamroller Christmas music, and we all "ooo" and "ahhhh" together. As soon as the fireworks have blasted their last, over 1.5 million lights appear down the whole boardwalk, and the trees along the main streets, and a big tree on top of a main building comes to life. It is the largest on-the-water resort holiday light show in the country. And it's a special treat to see! The Christmas lights and decor are up for the whole season to enjoy.

We also get to enjoy what Spokane Washington, just a good 40mins away, has to offer. It's a bigger city, with better shopping and a beautiful fun view of the Spokane river (which flows out and from Lake Cd'A). They hold fun events, including the largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the nation, called HoopFest. But you can just Google Spokane if you must.

I'd rather spend my time writing about my favorite hometown, and why I love it here so dearly. There is so much to enjoy here, (Oh! Did I mention we have NO poisonous snakes?!? It's PERFECT here.) and if you are from here, then you know exactly what I'm talking about! ;) I love to travel, and I do often. I love seeing other cities, and enjoying what they have to offer that we don't, but no matter what, at the end of the day, I'm always happy to come home. :)


t.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Christmas Greetings

So the other day we pulled out our Christmas decorations, and also bought and decorated a tree! This really is the most wonderful time of the year.

I thought I'd share a few ideas I had on quick and easy decorating (for Christmas). As much as I love helping my mom transform the rest of the house into a holiday spirited welcoming, I love to change up my room to let it have the same feel. I don't have a ton to work with, mainly because I haven't gone out and spent tons on Christmas decor for my room, as I am waiting until I have my own house to do that ;). But here's what I did.

(1*) My mom had sent me a small fake tree and little ornaments when I was in school a few years ago. So I began with setting that up on a little table.

(2*) I have an old window seated on a wall shelf, where I have previously hung/bunched bistro lights, and accented it with books, and some nick nacks that all have some meaning to me. So I added a few Christmas ornaments to source up the space with holiday cheer.

(3*) With a bit of tulle, a group of silver belles and ornaments, I put them all to use by helping these festive green pine cones and silver branches stand tall and pretty above my desk, in a clear vase. Accented by a nutcracker and a couple candles.

(4*) It's easy to add some Christmas thought to pieces that already stand in your room (or house). I had bought the "antlers" to wear during a Christmas light show. So with a fur scarf, and a small stocking (I probably received a gift in last year,) I propped them onto my dress stand and WA-LA! :P

(5*) Found and bought this cute sign earlier this year, and just had to have it! I had bought the sparkly silver ball ornaments for a party a couple years ago, but wasn't sure what to do with them now. I have had a blank cork board sitting around, so I played with it till I liked what I found I could do. It's a random look, sure, but why not?

(6*) I have a chalk board, that I use for notes, hanging in my wall. So I wiped away the "lists" I was done with anyway, and reminded myself of the joy of this season.
Filling up extra space with whatever I had to use :) (below)

Monday, November 12, 2012

I'd just like to say...

In this fast paced, quick and confusing, loud and weird world, where everything is always changing, I can always rely on the one thing, one person, who is always consistent; Jesus.

I can't imagine living life without knowing Him. How do people do it?!? Seems so helpless and depressing!

Anyway, that wad just my moment of reality and wonder, while I finish up my world travels, finally! Only a flight and half to go on my last trip for 2012. :P

War Eagle, anyway.

Ok, I know I've mentioned this before, but, I love Auburn, Alabama. I love the school, and I love the football fans.

But here's why.

I have grown up as an Auburn fan, and because it's my family's school, I've never questioned it. But I had the amazing opportunity this past weekend to really see and understand why this school is so truly great. We were playing a home game against our oldest rival, (but not our least favorite,) the Georgia Bulldogs, and we were losing. Just like every other game this season, we (we as in our boys) were unable to pull through what we needed to be a good team in the college football league, much less the SEC.

Only two years after winning the National Championship game, we are now the worst team. Our good players have graduated or gone pro, leaving us with a large and inexperienced group of freshman and sophomores to throw out onto the field.

We didn't even score against the Dawgs..

But as my friends and I got into the stadium, two hours early in order to get good student section seats, I was amazed at how everyone there, fully knowing we'd lose, was still excited for game day. Still looking good in Orange and navy, shaking the shakers, singing the fight song, dancing, cheering, everything we'd do at a game we might do well at! It didn't matter that we are the worst team. Yes, we are sad, and disappointed, but at the end of the day, Auburn is family. And we're all in.

And you are probably finding it odd that I say this when in fact I am not even a student at Auburn, nor have I ever been. I wish I was. I love that place. But it's because my family is. My parents and grandparents met there, and I have cheered for Auburn football every fall Saturday since I was born, because, well, it's just a part of me. Always has been. And just because I didn't go to school there doesn't mean I can't love it just as much.

It truly is an amazing place to be.

War Eagle.