Oversized Sweaters and Crisp Fall Evenings

The Fashion Train is Heading Yor Way

It was FREEZING cold this morning. Oh my goodness. My teeth would not stop chattering while I was taking photos. Every few minutes I would take a break and stand in the sun to try and thaw out. I'm sure I've mentioned it before but I am seriously dreading winter. 

Wanna know something exciting? You can buy all of this! Usually I have to find similar items, but today it is all available. You can even get 21% off the dress using the code FRIENDS21. 

I took my car to get inspected today. I think I found a really great shop. The owner (I'm assuming) was really nice and he didn't try to take advantage of the fact that I'm a girl. That's what I call a winner. I mentioned that my oil was leaking and they switched out plugs, which was the cheapest and easiest solution, to see if that will stop the leak. Fingers crossed it does... We cannot afford any expensive part replacements right now. 

dress here - shirt here - Keds here

After work, and car shop adventures I had an essential oils class. I got to co-teach with one of my friends. It was amazing how much I learned from everyone there! I realized that I use my oils for almost entirely physical problems. I'm allergic to basically every thing so I use oils to treat illnesses and to take care of my skin, hair and body. As I was sitting in class I realized that a lot of people rely on oils for emotional healing. Obviously I already knew that, but I was really struck with how amazing these oils are, and how much they can do. Yes, they can take care of my acne problems, or help my sore throat heal quickly. But they can also help with feelings of depression, anxiety and even self confidence. How great is that?! 

October Book Review

My husband got this book for me for my birthday. He gets props because I only mentioned it to him once or twice, months before. I was pretty excited when I opened it up, despite it coming a little banged up. It is a really cute book! It is very readable--with larger fonts, big pictures and adorable graphics. You can buy it here. 

I thought this book was going to be all about modesty. But it's not! It's a how-to-navigate-life guide with a twist. The authors, Jessica Rey and Leah Darrow, talk about important things like confidence, and how our sense of beauty and self worth is being destroyed through media and products and companies, how to navigate the dating world correctly, how we should treat others, and not only how to dress a little more modestly, but also why we should dress more modestly. They call it like it is, but do a really good job avoiding being offensive. 

As I was reading, there were so many times I wanted to shout out, "YES!" and "I agree!!" My husband probably heard most of the book, as I read the parts I liked (and there were a lot of those) out loud to him. I can't decide what I want to share with you, there is just so much goodness in this, not so little, book. Hmm... 

Ok, favorite tidbit #1: Perfection and beauty are not the same. And perfection, is impossible to obtain. If we are comparing ourselves to models, ads and commercials we will always lose. We don't have a real life photo shop option in our makeup bag! They talk about this video in there book. Take a look.

Favorite tidbit #2: Girls and boys are different. But, we are valued as people, equally. I am a strong believer that girls and women don't need to be identical or be treated identically or do the exact same things as men and boys. Yes, treat us equally. But do not take away my right to be a woman, or to be feminine. Do not consider me small minded because I enjoy being a woman in the name of equality. We were created beautifully and with purpose- two things the world likes us to forget but things this book reminds us of. 

Favorite tidbit #3: "sexy = objects = things"

This was a lesson I learned the hard way. When I was younger I wanted to be like the girls I saw on TV. They had lots of friends, everything always went their way and they weren't just pretty, they were sexy. Sadly, I had to learn the hard way that sexy is not always a good thing. I realized, as I dressed in a way that I thought was sexy, I not only felt uncomfortable in what I was wearing or in the way I was behaving, but I also was very uncomfortable with the attention I was receiving. At first, getting attention was great. Finally, people and especially guys were noticing me. Then, I realized they weren't noticing me, they were noticing my barely covered butt or boobs. Great. I had literally become an object of attention.

So, needless to say I'm a fan. It's a feel good kind of book. And, it is actually on sale right now! But, if you don't want the book, and still want a few feel good feelings, here are a few quotes you can download for free, print out, and hang up on your wall to remind you how wonderful you really are. 

    

When you click the image you want to download, it will bring you to a Google Drive page where you can download the image. It's completely safe, allows for the best quality download, and you don't need to have a Google account to access it.  I figured this was better than the good ol' right-click-save option.

I would suggest printing them through Shutterfly. They have a 4x4 print option, which is what these are graphics were designed for.  Then, go to Michael and get yourself some baker's twine and cute mini clothes pins and you've got yourself a new, and fairly inexpensive, decoration for your room. Enjoy!

I Don't Wear Ripped Jeans, But When I do...

One day, while I was driving, I found this really cool looking abandoned (pizza?) place. The brick walls are covered it chalk graffiti. I guess that's how they do it here in Utah. You wouldn't want anything too permanent... Anyway, I really wanted to come back. And so I did.

shirt here - similar jeans here - Keds here

Today I am totally and completely repping Old Navy. I think they are a hidden gem for modest clothing. They often have skirts and dresses that are long enough and most of their shirts are pretty modestly cut, and only some are sheer. Also, if you know how to shop the store right, you can get some pretty good deals too!

This shirt is a little sheer. But, I popped a nude tank top on underneath and you can barely tell. It's really comfy and I love the length. It's actually pretty long. Long enough to wear over leggings, but still short enough that it doesn't have awkward bunching when you tuck it in. My only complaint; it wrinkles pretty easily. 

Ok, time for the jeans. I've never been the biggest fan of ripped jeans. There, I said it. I just don't find gaping holes in my clothing appealing. But that is just my style.

 Sadly, Old Navy no longer carries these jeans. I'm super bummed! Behind each hole and rip there are floral or patterned jean patches. It's such a feminine detail. I love it! And, even though there are rips in my jeans, my pasty white skin isn't exposed. They're pretty great. 

I linked a similar pair from old navy that, if you were willing to be crafty, could totally be turned into this pair. Joan Fabrics has a pretty large selection of patterned jean fabric. You would only need a few inched of each pattern and you could sew the pieces behind each hole. I've seen it done with floral cotton fabric too. It was super cute. You know what else would be cute? Seqiun patches. 

Buffalo Gal

Go do yourself a favor and buy this dress. I eyed this dress for MONTHS. I didn't want to spend so much money on a single dress. Finally, a sale happened and I snatched it up. I'm really glad I did. Here is why:

It is perfectly modest.

The dress is a compliment magnet.

It can pass as a spring, summer, or fall dress.

It is the prettiest blue AND it's buffalo plaid.

And, it has pockets!

Wasn't General Conference Great?!

I absolutely LOVED Sister Oscarson's talk she gave in this past General Women's Conference (2016). All of the talks were really good. And there were so many wonderful points made. But, two of my most favorite comments were from Sister Oscarson and, through her, Sheri Dew. I was so excited when I heard Sheri Dew's quote. I need to read her book so I know what exactly she was talking about, but, this has been something that has been gnawing away in the back of my head. As women, I think we are living under our potential. I think there is more we can do and we just don't know what that is yet. But, that being said, I don't think anyone is going to come out and tell us. We will, however, be given the tools we need to find out.

 Look at how hard Satan works to tear us apart as individuals and as women of a whole. We are trained from a young age through social media, television, billboards and magazines that we aren't pretty enough, skinny enough, talented enough or good enough. BAM! Your self confidnce just got shot dead.  When we see someone who we perceive as possibly being a little more happy or a little more something than us, our first instinct is not to celebrate with them but to be jealous OR further criticize ourselves. There is something we are suppose to do, and Satan and the world are doing a very good job keeping us from it. 

We haven't yet realized our full potential. I don't think we truly understand how powerful each of us are. And, together, with God we would, could, and should be unstoppable. Each of us has an important role to play. It isn't somebody else's job to tell us what that is. It is our job to ask, and to find out. 

The Perfect Lazy Day Dress

dress here - similar vest here - keds here - necklace here

I ordered this dress a few months ago off of Jane.com. I don't remember why, but I was a little apprehensive in ordering it. But, after a week or so it was delivered, and as I slipped this darling dress on, all my fears vanished, and were replaced with plans to order more of these dresses (something I still haven't gotten around too yet). This dress is one of those closet-go-to's. It is thick enough that you don't have to worry about what your'e wearing underneath, and just loose enough that it is super comfy. It's basically the dress version of sweatpants.

You can wear it anywhere! And, that is just what I did.