Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Fall Fashion Favorites

The first day of Fall has come and gone. Yesterday our weather finally got the memo that it is September and a new season and it should behave accordingly. "Death to humidity!" has been my battle cry for the past quarter. For those of you that are blessed and don't understand, all I'll say is picture cocker spaniel hair days and feeling like the wicked witch melting (remember it happens not from heat, but water). I am thrilled to change my cry to, "Brava, Autumn!"

At the risk of sounding cliche, the final quarter of the year is my favorite. Fall weather is a huge contributor to that. Fall fashion is another top favorite as well. Now that the weather has cooperated, I'll be rotating my wardrobe and pulling out the delicious Fall layers. 
Here's what I'm most excited about adding back into my wardrobe:




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Boots & Booties


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My favorite pair of all time are a pair of ankle boots that my dad bought me almost a decade ago. My mom had been eyeing them and they were on sale when he went to purchase them for her. It was such a good deal that he came home with two pairs and declaring, "Now I know why women get so excited about shoe sales!" Yes, he is the cutest dad!

 I have several pairs of taller boots and hope to add a pair of booties to my collection. I loved the look on other women last season, but was a little afraid they would look too choppy on shorter legs. Now I'm inclined to think they might actually be more of a "lengthener". We'll see!

Leggings



If we have boots, we must have leggings! Okay, we can still have leggings without boots, but the beauty of the combination is hard to deny, especially when paired with our next item.


Long Blouse/Tunic



Tunics are one item from the 90s that I was glad to have come back. One of my all time favorite outfits of my childhood was a pair of pink leggings and floral tunic dress. I wore those pieces for as long as I could...all the way until they were capris and a swing top (and completely out of style).

Sweater Dress

I have two in my wardrobe that I just adore. They both have short to three quarter sleeves so they are perfect for wearing on their own or layering. If you've never tried a sweater dress, please do! They are so comfy! It's the jersey knit of the colder months!

Tights


Some women shun hosiery, but I'm a ballerina at heart and nothing feels like a second skin to me like a pair of tights.

Cardigans




 Be they cable or knit, neutral or bright, bulky or thin, buttoned or fly away,  bejeweled, patterned or plain; bring me all the cardigans! This is one item in my closet that I know I have more than necessary, but will probably find room for one more. I refuse to disclose how many black cardigans I own.

Blazers

Another glorious layer that I do wear year round, but gets extra love in the cooler months. Now is the time the blazer gets to shine outside of a business setting.

Berry Lips

I love plums and berry lip colors. I find them to be universally flattering. The richness and depths of the color is so warm and welcoming. The shade highlights the lips without distracting from the rest of the face or what the wearer is saying.
What are your Fall Fashion Favorites?
Waltzing In Beauty

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Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Catching Dreams



This weekend I attended Arbonne's Impact Training Tour. I hadn't given the title much of a thought, but whoa, there was an impact. There was ton of practical information, but in the end the thing that struck me the most was something my "feet on the ground" self wasn't expecting. I was in tears listening to a woman that at first glance came off as nothing special, but her words spoke volumes of her humble strength. She shared that she needed her business for her to be able to first dream for herself and then her family and then for others. This hit me hard and I was not exactly sure why at first.

 The rest of the weekend presented opportunities in which I realized that I had been so blessed to have accomplished most of my dreams: going to my first choice college, working in my dream field, getting a MA, helping someone in their walk to faith, marrying the man of my dreams, and having a beautiful baby. I have done all those things. Sure they didn't happen the way I expected, but they happened and I learned a ton along the way.

 My second realization was that somewhere through all those blessings, I had forgotten to continue dreaming. Yes, I had dreams. But I had drowned them in practicality and perfectionism. In some ways I had become complacent with life. I wanted dreams, but I still hung on to doubt and remaining in a safe zone and not sharing my dreams with anyone or believing they could be real. That needed to change.

 The past few days I have allowed myself to dream and dream big. Here's the beginning...


We would love to have a big family. We will have to see what God has in store for us in this area. Prayerfully our little boy will have some siblings to play with some day.


I love having a little extra land for some breathing room between neighbors. We also would love more space for a larger garden, patio, chickens, and maybe a dog.


I already have a floor plan in mind. I'd love to be able to build our dream home on our country plot.


Visiting all 50 States and an European Tour are on the top of our travel list.


To be able to give abundantly without worry would be so uplifting.


Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be able to imitate the authors of the books I was reading. Now that I'm older I think if I ever wrote a  book it would be more reflective than narrative.

 What are your dreams?
Waltzing In Beauty

  Please remember your lovely posts will be shared on our thirteen blogs and we would love it if you would return the favor and link back to us (you can grab the button above).  By linking back you'll have the opportunity to be featured in our feature posts and Pinterest board here! 














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Tuesday, September 13, 2016

30 Days of Healthy Living

Tired.
Hungry.
Overwhelmed.

It's the motherhood trifecta that ends in the call (or nowadays text) to the hubby to pick something up, pop in a frozen pizza, or make the trip down Fast Food Lane ourselves. It's quick, easy and you don't even have to get fully clothed (unless you're like me and have day mares of ending up in the ER with holes in your unmentionables). And then we have the nerve to wonder why that last bit of baby weight won't budge, call ourselves names, drown our woes in comfort food, and in the end we are still: tired, hungry, and overwhelmed.

Does this sound familiar, sister?
It's my story.

Food is my love language. Inherently there isn't anything wrong with that.
A bad day calls for comfort food.
A good day calls for celebration food. 
It is a simple equation. The problem is with the types of food. And that is what I am pledging to focus on the next thirty days.

 Yes, it would be nice to shed some of the extra weight I gained in pregnancy. But more important to me, is to focus on fueling our lives with healthy food that satisfies and energizes us. I know in the end choosing a healthier lifestyle will lead to some weight loss, but more importantly guilt loss.

 For the next thirty days I will be following Arbonne's 30 Days of Healthy Living Program. Replacing one meal a day with a protein shake, clean eating focused on lean meats and veggies, and daily activity. The basics right?



 I tend to get overwhelmed when I see a long list of "No's" for a diet. Then I started reading more and realized this was not about a strict diet, but a lifestyle shift. The first phase of the shift was to rid the body of addictive, allergenic, and acidic foods so that you can cleanse the body and start anew and adding those foods back in as desired in small amounts and watching to see if they were hindering your health in any way. 
That's when I realized my outlook needed a little bit of shifting too.
I was focused on what I was leaving out and not what I was putting in.

I am saying, "Yes!" to a healthy life style for me and my family.
I am saying, "Yes!" to fueling my body with it's basic needs: protein, veggies, and a little fruit and healthy fats.
I am saying, "Yes!" to loving the gift of my body and health.

 And because of my, "Yes!" there may be a few things to which I will have to say, "No!"
But I'm going to focus on the, "Yes!"

 Join me on my journey?








Link up time!




Waltzing In Beauty

  Please remember your lovely posts will be shared on our thirteen blogs and we would love it if you would return the favor and link back to us (you can grab the button above).  By linking back you'll have the opportunity to be featured in our feature posts and Pinterest board here! 
















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