Joyfully Weary

Only one outfit this week - I was in Iowa visiting my little sister and her new baby, and didn't get a chance to take anymore pictures. Thankfully, this is an outfit I really enjoyed! My sister-in-law gave me this vintage slip a couple weeks back and I've had tons fun thinking of the outfits I can pair with it.  I decided to try it with this tunic first since it's a pretty a thick material and is something that usually gets packed away with my fall/winter things.  tunic: thrift, slip: hand-me-down, shoes:   dsw  ( similar $80 ), necklace: target ( similar $19 , s imilar $50 , similar $19 ) Want more? Check out these link parties to see lots of other ladies having fun with their clothes:  Watch What I'm Wearing ,   Monday Mingle ,  Totally Posted ,  Style Sessions,    What I Wore Wednesday ,  and  Favorite Fashion Friday .     

A weekly reflection inspired in part by Bob Bennett's song "Small Graces". These are the small graces, little moments when the miracles come... Small graces leading me to the larger one... We've had a busy last couple of weeks. Lots of playdates, a visit from some family, and a trip to a Bull's game, a  Saint Patrick's Day Celebration , etc. Busy, but lots of fun!  Jeremy's youngest sister, Emily, and her husband Dan just moved to Colorado. A couple weeks before they left, they came for a quick visit. It was great to see them before they moved another 11 hours away. Our kids were particular excited to see them, especially Little Lady, she's convinced that once she's big enough she's going to marry Aunt Emily :)  Jeremy's Aunt treated us and his Dad to a Bulls game. It was the boys' first official sports game and they both had a blast. Before the game, we stopped a Chick-fil- a for dinner were I noticed M...

Mini Man and Little Lady are constantly asking me what two colors blended together will make, so right before Saint Patrick's Day we decided to make some blended rainbows.  Our Supplies : coffee filters, glue, scissors, cotton balls, q-tips, and red, yellow, & blue liquid water colors. You can make your own liquid watercolors out of some old markers  or food coloring, water, and a tiny bit of vinegar works too.

A few  worthwhile things I've stumbled upon while wandering the internet.... so excited for warmer weather, i'm even looking forward to cleaning the mud off this kid. Hilarious photos of young and old relatives swapping clothes. Fashion hacks every woman should know; I especially liked their tips for cleaning suede and making a new t-shirt soft.  You've probably already heard about this app ,  that lets you read novels in 90 minutes - I can't wait for it to actually be released! I get so much joy out of styling Little Lady's hair and I can't wait to try out some of these  creative hairstyles for little girls - some I might even try on my own hair. :)  Interesting stories behind fifty well-known books.  I love this post by a nonjudgemental mom . Thankfully, all my mommy friends are full of understanding and don't make a habit of jumping to conclusions; however, I have been on the receiving end of a few dirty looks from strangers. Wh...

sweater: hand-me-down, shirt: gift, pants: gift ( similar $21 ) shark shoes: gift ( similar $29) Lately, Big Buddy lips have been really chapped so I was teasing him a bit; telling him he needed to put on some of his Chapstick and then all girls would want to kiss him. He made a gagging noise but Mini Man, however, perked up and said "then I want all the Chapstick!" I seriously worry about what this kid is going to be like as a teenager. We went on a custard date this weekend and all on his own he got up and pushed his chair closer to me: "I just want to be by you." Hoping he learns to use his charm in a positive way. 

 I felt very feminine in the outfit. I love the a-line of the skirt and the fun mix of prints.  shirt: gap ( similar $23 , or similar $70 ), skirt: thrifted ( similar $83 ), belt: thrift ( similar $10 ), coat: thrift, necklace: target ( similar $36  or  similar $14 ), booties: target ( similar $67 ) This is my first time experimenting with two open layers. I enjoyed the extra warmth that is provided and well as the extra texture/depth is added to the outfit.  sweater: victoria's secret, pants: gap , chambray shirt: old navy ( same) , shirt: j-crew shoes: gift ( same ) Have you had a chance to check out threadUP  yet? I found out about it from a friend on Facebook and so far have been very impressed. It's an online second hand-shop. They have tons of great items in-stock at very reasonable prices. I was able to find a couple skirts (including this one) for under $10 a piece. If you sign-up under this link you...

The last month or so has been quite hectic for our finances and as a result for our stress in general. In the last four weeks we have had to replace our furnace, replace our car's fuel pump, and replace our computer's hard drive. We are essential a one income family, with three kids - we don't have a lot of extra cash. Figuring out how to pay for all these things has not been easy, however, in the midst of it all I've been reminded of how blessed I am. That I have Jeremy and that I don't have to face any of life's unexpected turns alone. That we have good friends; one who just happens to own an HVAC company, and who worked hard to keep our spending at a minimum. Moreover, that even the people we aren't personal friends with have treated us fairly. We are blessed to be surrounded by good people. As we were debating about what do with our computer, I was also reminded of how spoiled I am - that not having a computer (while owning an i-pad and an i-phone) ...

Even though there is still snow on ground I can tell spring and summer is just around the corner  because  I’ve already started to hear/read Christian people talking about female modesty. My heart aches every time this subject comes up. I start by questioning my own motivates. If you know me even a little bit you’ll know that I like fashion . But more than that I like creativity. I take joy in expressing myself in the way I dress but also in how I decorate my house , plan a party , or even the crafts I enjoy doing with my kids. The world God created is beautiful, colorful, and expressive and I can’t imagine enjoying those things is necessarily a sin. While getting dressed, I do think about the clothes I’ve put on and have sometimes changed because I’m afraid that certain movements would expose more than I wish. I have tried on dresses that were on trend and looked good on me but I didn’t buy them because I knew they more than accentuated my form. I don’t think a call to mo...

We are finally past Ancient Egypt in our history book ( Story of the World ), but before we move on we decided to make some Egyptian Collars. The Ancient Egyptian's cloths were pretty simple, linen skirts or dresses, but they did have a flair for accessories and jewelry. The children had commented  on the collars in some of the books we read and I thought it be a fun way to end our unit.  Supplies: felt, chalk, scissors, tacky glue, paint brush, acrylic gemstones , and if desired large & small circles for tracing.  Step 1 : use chalk to trace a large circle on to the felt about the size of the child's shoulders. Also use chalk to trace a small circle for the child's neck with an opening in the back. Step 2 : cut out circles. Since cutting felt can be a little tricky I did this part. Step 3 : spread tacky glue on the back of jewels and then lay them on felt to create your own design. Since tacky glue can be a little tricky to get out of the bot...

sweater: crazy 8 ( similar $10 ), shirt: hand-me-down ( similar $12 ), pants: gap ( same ), shoes: thrift ( similar $35 ) We recently got Mini Man some tap shoes and he loves to watch old movies and try to dance a long with them. He can play shy sometimes but this kid loves to put on a show.  pin: hand-me-down, sweater: thrift, shirt: hand-me-down ( similar $37 ), pants: gap, ( similar $26 ), shoes: gap ( similar $13 )

A few  worthwhile things I've stumbled upon while wandering the internet.... What  your handwriting says about you? How Chicago neighborhoods got their names.  Have you started your spring cleaning yet? Here are 50+ ways to help you organize your home.  I'm sure you've all heard about the lady who spilt coffee on herself and then sued McDonald's for millions.  Here's a different take on the story we've heard/read about several times - there really are two (or more) sides to every story. Adult friendly book suggestions based on your favorite childhood reads .  If you enjoy romantic comedies here are 58 of the best of all time - many I had never heard of before.  I've written a little bit before about my struggles with PMDD . The fact that for awhile, I believed the lie that Christian's shouldn't need to take medication for mental illness made the struggle all that more complicated. It was when I finally decided to seek m...

This outfit was a fun one to wear; I felt stylish and playful at the same time.  shirt: anthropologie, shirt: old navy (old), pants: gap ( similar $70 ), boots:  dsw  ( similar $80 ), pin: old navy I've never really considered myself much of a jeans girl but over the last couple weeks I've found myself reaching for jeans and sweaters - I think the cold has finally gotten to me.  sweater: thrift ( similar $28 ), earrings:  beatniks  ( similar $38 ) , shoes: gift ( same ),  necklace: diy, jeans: hand-me-downs ( similar $22 ) Mixing mint and mustard was a bit of a stretch color-wise for me but I had seen it in a magazine and decided to give it a try. I don't dislike it but I'm not the hugest fan either; not an outfit I'd probably wear again.  cardigan: target ( same ), t-shirt: old navy ( same $8 ), skirt: gap/old, necklace/earrings: target  boots:  piperlime  ( similar $160 )  Want mor...

In Big Buddy's history book, The Story of the World , we've spent a lot of time studying Ancient Egypt. One of the coloring pages from last week was of some Hyksos jewelry and the kids thought it be fun to make some of their own. Hyksos, are known for their work with bronze, but we made ours gold because those were the materials I had on hand.  Our Supplies: paper roll tube, scissors, acrylic paint, brush,  Sculpey clay , nail, and a hot glue gun.  Step 1: have each child press their clay (i gave each child 1/4 of the Sculpey cube) in to an oval shape. Then have child use a nail to decorate their clay with hieroglyphics . I had each child try to make their initial in hieroglyph, the rest is just their own design.  Step 2: bake clay pendants at 225° for 20 minutes or until clay is hard.  Step 3: while clay is baking, cut vertically down the paper roll tube and then cut horizontally to make bracelets - we were able to make 4 br...