This (belated) Tuesday: Outfit 3

Yesterday was a mix of crazy and sad. My momma, sister and I had a lunch date at Cracker Barrel. The food ended up being terrible and we were soon grumpy from the long wait and lukewarm food we were served. This doesn't sound like a promising start to a blog post, but I'll go on. Not long after into the meal, I got a text telling me that a good friend of mine's mother passed away. Needless to say, the rest of the day was pretty much a sad blur. I'm not trying to share my sadness with the rest of you, but I needed to explain my lack of Outfit Tuesday. After a little sleep and time to myself, here's a post of today's outfit to make up for yesterday. I hope everyone is having a happy Wednesday! Remember how blessed we are to have our family here and with us and don't forget to tell them you love them every now and  then. 

Now, on to my outfit..

Print Dress - Kohls

Eyelet Lace Cami - Charlotte Russe (hand-me-down)

Bangle - Crafted (wooden bangle wrapped in lace and a bow)

Satin Headband - Charlotte Russe

Wedges - Crocs- these are my secret guilty pleasure, they are so comfy!



This Tuesday: Outfit 2!

So this Tuesday ended up being a slightly stressful one due to lost keys and the bathroom shower breaking. Kitchen sink hair washes and running around for keys doesn't turn me into the most charming of girls. The day ended on a great note with friends and family and I'm reminded that God blesses me with more than stressful moments.

I definitely need to find some new spots to shoot, I'm totally guilty of going to the backyard and catching the neighbors storage unit in my shots. Tsk Tsk.

What do you think of my halfsies manicure? It was super easy and I loved the new look.

Sailor Striped Bow Dress - TJ Maxx

Gray Cardigan - J. Crew

Black Leggings - The Loft

Cream Flats - J. Crew

Bracelet - Bought from an organization on an Apache reservation that supports women in need. I'll find links/info if requested.

Bow Headband - My shop a.k.a. BowChicque

I hope everyone had a blessed Tuesday!

Outfit Tuesdays: Number 2!

Last month my sister and I visited good ol' New York to get a little sampling of NYC at Christmas time. We saw China Town and Little Italy, Brooklyn and Manhattan, and lots of crazy New York City drivers. Maybe it's because I'm a small town girl, but New York, I think it's unanimous that you're home to some pretty crazy drivers, along with to die for food and shopping. But yeah, back on topic..

This Tuesday: Outfit Uno

Pardon the poor lighting, it was a yucky day.

Winter Tuesdays are blah enough, so I've decided that each Tuesday I'll feature the outfit that I'm wearing for the day! This first one is definitely a little last minute, but I loved my outfit today and I'm excited to share it!

Here's where I found it all:

Blouse - Thrifted - holy cow, it was $1! (J. Crew)

Cardigan - Old Navy

Jeans - Walmart

Ballet Flats - Target

Silk scarf - Thrifted

Belt - J. Crew

Flower - Charlotte Russe

*For the belt, I tucked in a little hair flower pin for extra cutesies. I tied my scarf with the help of this nifty Keiko Lynn tutorial!

I can't wait to share all of my Tuesday outfits with y'all! Lets see if I can do this for the whole year!

Being Blessed Through Singleness

I just saw a video on Facebook of a friend's new boyfriend singing an absolutely precious song he wrote just for their 1 month anniversary. They're already so in love. Without helping it, I immediately fell into a well of wanting what I don't have.

 A sweet boy. Someone by my side. Cute pictures. Snuggling. Someone that fits my puzzle piece. My longings don't stem from avoiding being alone. A girl with 19 single years under her belt isn't exactly concerned with being alone; I'm already watching many of my friends fall in love, get engaged, and plan their weddings. I'm not infected with the wedding bug, and I'm not obsessed with being with somebody, anybody. I'd probably be out chasing boys right now instead of writing a post about being blessed in singlehood if I were walking that path.

I know with sincerity that wanting to find the one for me isn't wrong. God knows the desires of my heart and He hears them. But I do know that losing sight of God's precious plan for my future days is far worse than being single a million and one days. So, I will wait with an open, patient heart for the "right one". But I won't just sit and wait away my days. I will embrace my indepenence in going alone friends wedding. I'll dance anyway. I will travel, bake, read, photograph, write, and explore the beautiful life I've been given with God. Sometimes I'll still long and hope for a special boy, I'll still watch Say Yes To the Dress like it's my job, and  I'll sigh over my friends' beautiful happiness. That's okay. I'm happy too.

January lately

This week has been a flurry of getting Valentines headbands ready for my etsy shop- BowChicque, helping my mom get the house clean for the new year (we're the oddballs that like a clean house at the beginning of the year vs. waiting till spring), along with a few other things.

I got back last night from watching two lovely little girls of family friends (they're "too old" to be babysat...), and we had a fabulous time watching old timey movies on the couch with pizza. These girls my cup of tea, they love black and white movies and tea parties. I may need to take one home with me the next time I babys-watch them. Because they live out in the country, the drive poses a yippee skippee opportunity to grab some Starbucks and blast some Civil Wars while I get my think time on in the car. Call me crazy, but some of my best ideas and inspirations come to me while I'm driving in the car. Maybe it's because I'm forced to put down my phone and lappy and just open up my mind. Plus, there's nobody to talk to. This girl will talk when she can.

Ps. thought I'd share this- cute little slug buddy was relaxing by the door when I got home last night. Call me a nut, but I sure do think slugs are adorable!

Better late then never? I know Christmas ssems like ages ago, I decided to enjoy my holiday season and let everything else slide. Here are a few snatches of our family holiday season.

This is J.P., my Saturday morning alarm clock for babysitting and the suprise! addition to our family. His little hands find their way into..everything. Thank goodness these were the family cookies, we don't mind our baked goods with a little toddler love.

We whipped up a little flour and water to mix up and play in, and J.P. found eating it to be a fabulous idea. We all gave it a little taste, turns out plain old flour alone tastes terrible.

Here is our tree partially filled. More and more presents made their debut under the tree as Christmas day progressed. Please tell me we aren't the only family full of last minute wrappers! It's almost a tradition by now.

My beautiful sister and I.

This is just one of many photos of the New York trip I took last month, in Saratoga Springs. The downtown is beautiful and filled with dozens of little vintage shops. If we weren't on a schedule, I would have easily spent all day in all of them.