Prayers Please

Hi, y'all. Just popping for a quick post to ask for prayers for my kiddo. He has pneumonia and has been really sick all weekend. Thankfully he hasn't had to be hospitalized, but he is still really miserable with a high fever and coughing. He hasn't left my arms except to potty and isn't even interested in playing. Needless to say, it has been a really rough weekend. (Photos are actually from halloween week)

Hope you all had great weekends. God bless.

Hearts and Boots and Swaps, OH MY!

It's the weekend, y'all! I realize that this comes as a complete surprise to most of you and so I thought I'd let you know. ;)  I am actually pretty pleased with this outfit. With one teeny tiny exception. The boots. I love the color and the style and the price. I thrifted them for $15 back in the summer and realized upon wearing them that I was so excited to find them that I didn't pay attention to the fit. Y'all these things are about two sizes too big. I felt like I had on clown shoes all day. Crazy. Anywho. Once the ban is over, I will be on the lookout for a better fitting pair of tan/cognac boots. (I will also have birthday money to spend on them which means I can get a decent pair.)

Now then, on to other things. I mentioned in an earlier post the possibility of organizing an online clothing swap as part of my shopping ban. So here's the thing. There will definitely be some organization to go in to it. If you are interested in participating, I will need you to let me know in the comments so that I have some idea of how many people are interested. Next week I will have you begin emailing me with your information (sizes and amount of clothing and accessories you will be adding to the swap).  I am still working on the logistics so if you have any ideas or have done this before, please feel free to help me out! ;)

Hope y'all have an amazing weekend!

Linking up with All Things Chic, Blonde Episodes, Casual Friday and Favorite Frock Friday.

Outfit Details:
cardi: walmart (2009)
blouse: charlotte russe (2009)
khakis: walmart (2010)
boots: thrifted (2012)

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday, lovely ladies! I hope you are all having a lovely week. Here is a super simple, comfy outfit from last week. I pulled out my bootcut jeans, that I haven't worn since last winter and paired them with some blue basics. I have to admit, I am not loving the way the scarf looks. What do you think?

I am thankful I live in a country where I get to exercise my right to vote. And while I am not happy with the way the election turned out, I am grateful that I worship a God who will be there for me regardless of the leadership of my country.

I am immensely grateful for a little thing called an updraft or nebulizer machine. Both my husband and my son suffer from asthma and that little machine has saved us a number of trips to the ER. 

I am obviously crazy grateful for my beloved hubby. My best friend and favorite grown up person in the entire world. After almost 14 years of marriage, he is still the person I want to spend time with and I love him far more today than I did then.

And of course, I am just super grateful for the most amazing kid in the entire world. (Obviously if you have a small person or two you are super attached to, you won't agree, but that's ok.) It is such a blessing to be mama to this little guy. He is funny and obedient and loving and so precious. And I totally adore him. And he is growing up so fast. ;)

I am grateful to part of a church family that loves and supports us. The last couple have been extremely difficult, so it is such a blessing to be ministered to while we are ministering ourselves.

I am grateful for my bloggy friends. You guys totally make my day with your comments. Every one makes me smile.

I am also grateful for a closet full of clothes I love and enjoy wearing. ;)

What are you grateful for today?

A Basic Black Maxi Skirt

Oddly enough for such a basic piece, this maxi skirt is a bit of a closet orphan. I haven't worn it in ages. I love it and it makes me happy every time I put it on because it belonged to my beloved Grammy. Which totally cracks me up, because my Grammy was two inches shorter than I am. She had to wear it up around her ribs in order for it to not drag on the floor. ;) It is a little on the tight side around the hips, so I prefer to wear it with a longer top. And stand sideways for photos. ;) That helps. 

So, now for the challenge. Do you have any closet orphans that really qualify as basics?  Why don't you wear them?  Can you build at least 3 (although my personal number is 5) outfits with that piece?  If you are interested, whether you are doing the shopping ban or not, I would love to have you link up your closet orphan with me next Thursday. I will be building 5 outfits with this skirt.

See you next Thursday!

Linking up with Rolled Up Pretty, The Pleated Poppy and Rae Gun Wear.

eShakti Dress Review

dress: c/o eShakti

I am sure that most of you out there have heard of eShakti. If you have been around the blogging world for a while their name comes up pretty frequently. I'll admit that I was intrigued, but I almost never order clothing online for the simple reason that I can't try it on. But the idea of being able to customize a dress to your measurements really sounded great. So, when the lovely people at eShakti contacted me about reviewing their product I was ecstatic. The process was easy, the only hard part was choosing the dress I wanted. I think I had about four picked out that I loved, but finally narrowed it down to this one. The Drape Neck Knit Dress in Deep Red mainly because I don't already own a dress this color and I loved the lines. I acutally ended up ordering a regular size but I did customize the length and they have a spot for you to enter your height ensuring that the dress actually hits you where it says it will. I selected knee length and hoped for the best. As you can see the length is perfect. I love this dress. It is finished beautifully and the fit is pretty much perfect. The knit fabric is heavy enough to not need a slip underneath and so soft and comfortable. I wore it dressed up for church, but am also looking forward to styling it more casually with flat boots and cozy sweaters. All in all I was thrilled with both the service of the company and the quality of the dress I received. Although their prices are a little more than I would usually pay, their overstock and clearance items are very reasonable. And honestly the option of customizing your clothing makes it well worth the price. This is a very classic dress in a beautiful color that will definitely stand the test of time and be in my wardrobe for years to come. I would highly recommend eShakti to anyone looking for great clothes, especially if you have fit issues or are petite or even tall. ;)

Do you have any clothing from eShakti? What is your opinion on the company and their product? Please leave me a comment and let me know!

Linking up with Monday Mingle, YOLO and Visible Monday!

Shopping Ban Thoughts

Not much to say about this outfit. I've worn it about four times now. It is super comfy while still feeling chic enough for anything. The red jeans will be on heavy rotation I'm sure as will this top which will be perfect for layering as the weather continues to cool.

So, y'all I have had something on my mind lately. It started with Peggy's post on consumerism. Then the following day I heard a message on the radio about teaching our kids to be givers rather than takers. In the same way all of the lessons in the Bible on giving are not because God wants or needs our money but because He wants us to learn to be givers rather than takers. Of course, I was nodding my head thinking about how I want my kiddo to find more joy in giving gifts and time and love than in receiving. Then I had one of those moments when I was like, 'am I leading by example?' And it totally hit me that I'm not. While it is never in large amounts because we just don't have much, I spend way too much money on myself. I have also been spending a lot of time on Go Chic or Go Home lately putting together outfits for fall and winter. And y'all, I have 407 ensembles. And I'm not even done with my inspiration photos. Clearly I have enough.

So, if one of my goals as a parent is to teach my kiddo an attitude of gratitude so to speak, then shouldn't I be living it? If I am continually buying new things, I am not modeling contentment and gratitude for what I have. And ouch, sometimes being a parent hurts. If what I teach my son isn't modeled by my life it will have little impact on him.

In light of the above and because finances are really tight right now, I am going on a shopping ban until my birthday. (December 13) My goal is learn to be content with what I have. And to spend the time I would normally spend shopping doing other more important things. Obviously replacing holey tights would be an exception, but other than that I will not be shopping (or even looking at) any clothing, shoes or accessories until mid December.

If anyone would like to join me, let me know in the comments. Maybe we can do a linky party from time to time.

Linking up with Blonde Episodes, All Things Chic and Casual Friday.

Stripes & Dots

Happy Thursday, pretty ladies. Here is a neutral, comfy outfit from last week. It isn't anything special except for the minor print mixing going on. I should probably admit that I will be pairing my awesome polka dot shoes with anything and everything striped in my closet as frequently as possible for the foreseeable future. You have been warned.

That's all for today, folks.