Ate the Whole Thing

The fun things about this outfit:

Dress - Target (uber sale), Necklace - Free Bin, Blue Shirt & Earrings - Thrifted

The Northwest likes to rain just when all us natives get our hopes up that 
summer had started, I take every ray of sun with every ounce of seriousness... 
aka... Soak. It. Up. 

With the sunshine comes to light a certain little love of mine 
known as FRUIT! I didn't even think to snag a photo of what I really 

looked like prior to these photos but I did snap one of the proof.

I ate an entire cantaloupe.

Yep.
 Is that considered a confession when you eat something in its entirety?

Well, I confess then! 
Because that cantaloupe and I became real friendly, real quick!

I snuck it onto instagram in between bites as I sat on the 
porch loving the warmth that can never outstay it's welcome!

I believe the word I'm looking for is "basking."
Yes, I was basking in the sun, cantaloupe in hand, 
not a care in the world moment.

Thank you Lord for the Sun!
Thank you Lord for Cantaloupe!

Quick side note before I share some scripture that I was loving today:
I have now typed cantaloupe incorrectly in so many different ways that
I think my computer just rolled it's eyes at me 
while it put that dang dotted red line underneath.

Romans 12:17-19

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the 
sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, 
for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 

Thankful Thursday: Gifts

The fun things about this outfit:

Sweater - Free, Jeans - Buckle, Shoes - Target, Bracelet - Thrfited, Necklace - HomeMade

This necklace started from an old chain found in my mom's garage and a short skirt 

that makes a tall girl like me look like I'm showing a little too much badonkadonk.

Here's how I created it:

1. Pick some materials.

2. Cut strips of fabric. (try to choose something that doesn't fray) 

3. Get your piles of fabrics set out and ready to go.

4. Tie lots of knots!

5. Wear that thing like a boss!

All this brings me to what I'm thankful for...

I'll be joining my sister Rachel for her monthly theme of Thankful Thursdays. 

So appropriately kicking off today on Thanksgiving!

I'm so incredibly thankful for having the ability to cut strips of fabric. And that I'm able to tie a knot. 

I love that I have a mind that can be creative when I see an old skirt and a bulky chain. 

I'm just so incredibly grateful that God has given me the gift of craftiness... I know it's not on

the list of spiritual gifts, but I'm claiming it as God given anyways! 

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the

Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Story Time: Basketball & A Broken Necklace

The fun things about this outfit: 

Pants - Thrifted & Skinnied, Shoes - Target sale, Shirt - HandMeDown, Necklace - Made by Me

So when I was in high school I used to wear my moms old jewelry. I thought it was the coolest thing when I wore something "SO OLD" and I always was drawn to this large beaded necklace with short 4-5 strands. It was beautiful. But I could never get the courage to wear something so attention grabbing. I was a total sports girl, and never really dressed up unless my team decided it would be a fun idea...which hardly appealed to me.

One day I finally mustered up the gusto to just do it. I clasped that necklace on my neck like I had just put on the crown jewels. I walked into school with my head high and feeling proud. Well, it didn't take long after the final bell that let the prisoners free from 7th period, for me to find my way to the gym. I had a practice in an hour that day and not a ton of homework, so to pass the time... why not shoot some hoops right?

Wrong.

With my first jump to steal the ball from the enemy (aka the friend I was playing with), the crown jewels burst from my neck and scattered across the gym floor. To make matters worse, I was right next to the bleachers and as you probably can assume, beads rolled their little selves right under that never ending black cave. I rushed to find a paper cup and started to fill it with any beads I could find. All I could hear was the echo of my mom's voice as if it was coming from the sky itself, "Do. Not. Break. This."

Well...It took me a few weeks before the courage was gained to tell my mom about the explosion of her necklace. The amount of courage needed was far surpassing the amount needed to wear the thing in the first place. Thank goodness my mom loved me more than that lovely necklace. 

And so my creativity started in the world of jewelry. 

I did what I could to create something new from the beads I had crawled 

on all fours to collect. And, yes, it's the one I'm wearing in this outfit. 

Funny how inspiration starts.

Ephesians 4:20-24

But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt throughdeceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Couldn't Resist

The fun things about this outfit:

Shirt - Thrifted, Shoes & Skirt - Target, Necklace - HandMeDown

I know that I just yesterday said how excited I was about fall being here, 
sleeves being back and rain starting to fall... But, I couldn't resister showing 
you this great skirt I found on the uber sale rack at target. 
I wore this outfit a couple weeks ago while the sun was still shining.

I'm sure I'm not the only girl who thinks Target sucks you in.

It's almost like a casino. You loose track of time and money. My Target doesn't 

have cell reception, so the outside world can't reach in and snap you back to reality.

So, all this to say, I tend to try not to venture there toooo often. 

But I will go at the end of a season. All the previous season stuff is on sale and 

brand new things are at thrift store prices. And you all know I love thrift store prices!

Hebrews 10:11-14

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, 

which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single 

sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time 

until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering 

he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

The Word

The fun things about this outfit:

Shirt - Kohls, Dress - Maidenform, Necklace - HomeMade, Earrings - Old Navy ($2), Shoes - Old Navy

Ya know, there's those things that you can always turn to 

when you don't know what to wear...

Knotting a t-shirt is mine. I think you all know that by now! 

You know... Sometimes in life we need those things that we can turn to.

When life gets crazy or busy... or crazy busy,  I just to be able to have things that I

know for certain. In my closet maybe it's knotting a t-shirt. But let's get real.

Life isn't all about the clothes on our backs. 

It's not all about the quick fix or daily comforts.

When the ocean of life {yep, word picture time} gives me waves that I think will sink me,

I know for certain where I can turn. The Word of God is alive and gives life!

It restores and refreshes my soul. It really is a life preserver thrown out to grab onto,

when you think you're about to have no strength left. Talk about a source of amazingness.

It's a source of hope, of life, of peace, of truth, of strength. 

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is alive and active. 

Sharper than any double-edged sword,it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, 

joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Pink Pants & A Quick Talk about Fear

The fun things about this outfit:

Pants - B-Day Gift, Shirt - Hand Me Down, Bracelet - $1 Target, 

Earrings - Old Navy ($2 sale), Shoes - Who Knows?

Just real quick I want to shout out to my lovely mom!

Yay for birthday gifts...aka: these pants!!!

Secondly... This is a long one... So sit back and relax.

------------------

Now down the the "deep" thoughts of my afternoon as I sat in a coffee shop with way to many books and notebooks open in front of me. {Sometimes I can't stick to just one... ya know?}

In general I do not consider myself very easily frightened. Startled...YES. But frightened? Nope.

Did I jump when I saw the thumb sized spider while I showered in a 2ftx2ft box that my basement apartment has? YES. But did I quickly gain my composure and smash that lil sucker with my bare hands?... Also, YES.

See the difference? Being Startled vs. Being Afraid?

People have phobias, right? I suppose I do, too. I mean I'm not super fond of heights, deep murky open water, or fire being right up in my personal bubble. But if I absolutely had to deal with those things, I could. Cross that bridge when we come to it sort of attitude I guess. 

I've been realizing in the past year or so that the intangibles are more where my real fears are held. Things like the what the future holds, or having stability, or if the solid true friendships now will actually last. I suppose though that I've been realizing those fears because I've been learning about the solution to them. You see I used to think I could use sheer will power to think fear away. Or maybe if I plan everything super well, then everything will work out how I hoped that it would. But... That's just not how it works.

You know what is amazing?

To NOT be afraid!

If you've ever read my rambling before, you know that I follow Jesus. And guess what! Because of Jesus, I've found something out. I don't have to be afraid. There are some things that we DO have though. You know... Instead of fear.

{2 Timothy 1:7 says, "for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and sound mind."}

That's right! when I place my life in the holey {and holy} hands of Jesus He takes away any ounce of fear I had. And in place of it, He empowers me, enables me to love, and develops in me clarity and discernment. Fair trade? Heck no. But I'll take it!

What this means though is that when I am afraid, I can be confident it is not from my Savior. And in that I am also confident that I can run to Him for help, reassurance, and peace. I can rest and know that He is trustworthy and I can without hesitation, let Him do His thing. 

Now some fears are still going to arise, however irrational they may be.

You know... like the time I mistakenly agreed to go to the haunted corn maze and the masked man, revving a chain saw chased me screaming into the arms of some guy...some poor girls boyfriend no doubt...cause she sure gave me the stink eye as I came to my senses. Yep! Sometimes I forget to run into the arms of Christ. 

I suppose it's a long road and not a cul-de-sac. There will be potholes and speed bumps in the form of chain saws or unknown choices, but I know the road keeps going after and there is power, love, and sound mind ready to be taken advantage of!

Here are a few things I was reading today.

Psalm 56: 3-4

When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.

In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?

Isaiah 11:2

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Romans 8:15

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, 

but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

2 Corinthians 2:12

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, 

that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

Rambling, It's What I Do

The fun things about this outfit:

Skirt - Thrifted & Refashioned {here}, Tank - Thrifted, Belt - Thrifted($0.50), 
Necklace - HomeMade {by a friend}, Shoes - Target

I've had a realization.

I have an Outfit of the Day blog. This is a little funny to me sometimes. I follow a few other blogs... clearly... don't we all? And you lovely ladies out there always seem (to me) to be up on the trends and in the newest trinkets. Once in a while I think to myself, "I don't really have the closet to always be wearing something new... or the budget, for that matter."

That's when my realization came about.

My blog isn't really an up on the trend type of blog.

It's a thrift-like-a-mad-woman type of blog.

It's a make-it-work type of blog.

It's a work-with-whatcha-got type of blog.

And mostly it's a be-confident-in-yourself-thrifted-or-not type of blog.

Honestly, people. I've come to see that putting together an outfit gives me confidence leaving the house. And I'm not saying I need to be in a dress and heels every day. I sport a v-neck and jeans at least weekly. What I'm saying is that the message I send the world, whether they read it or not, is that I don't NOT care about how I'm presented. (yes, double negative....just deal) Not to the point of being vain by any means, but to the point of saying, "I'm not a slob." (Slob is super easy to accomplish in the rainy northwest. Or as I like to call it: Land of the Sweat Pant & Hoody 24-7)

Thrift stores are amazing. I don't really hide it that I buy things at thrift stores. I straight up own it. Ask any lady who has ever complimented me on something I'm wearing. Most likely, I told them it was thrifted or handed down. Maybe some people take pride in the fact they spent a pretty penny on a new item for their wardrobe. I'm more excited to share an incredible find for $2.

Maybe this was rambling. Maybe it was some outward processing as I think through what my blog is even doing. Maybe there's a point in there somewhere. But either way, I'm a rambling verbal processor, so take it or leave it my friends!

And now that you've all been in my head for that processing, 

I'll take it to bigger and better things with this great verse!

Ephesians 2:13

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off 

have been brought near by the blood of Christ.