Brown patterned peasant top, brown skirt, brown pumps

I really wanted to wear my new top I bought at Goodwill on Friday. So this is the outfit I chose. When I had to go with my husband to the store I paired it with my jean skirt and brown sandals. The temperature had dropped pretty dramatically so I also added a white cardigan. I don't have a picture of that however. I loved the shirt because it can be casual or dressed up for work. I'm going to try it out with a colored skirt next. When I do I'll post it here.

Brown patterned top - Goodwill
Brown skirt - it's pretty old and I don't remember where I got it
Brown pumps - cant remember where I got them

Yellow skirt, white button down shirt, black blazer

Another Pinterest outfit inspiration.

Black blazer - Goodwill
White button down shirt - Old Navy
Yellow skirt - JC Penney
Shoes - Payless

White shirt, navy skirt, brown accents

This is an outfit I found on Pinterest. I wore it one day last week. There will probably be more posts today since I actually have time to sit and blog.

Shirt - Kohls
Skirt - TJ Maxx
Belt - came with a skirt I purchased many moons ago
Shoes - Payless

From "Pieces" to "Party"

My husband is celebrating his 31st birthday today. He wanted a big party for his 30th but because we were in the Bahamas, we didn't have one. Just dinner, cake and a ginormous Bahamian guy singing Happy Birthday so loud the entire restaurant noticed. So he's smoking ribs and grilling pork chops and chicken. He's a fabulous cook so the food will be terrific. But I needed an outfit that would be stylish yet comfortable and casual enough for a BBQ. So today my post is how to take an outfit from casual, basic pieces to a put together "outfit".

I started with a purple long-sleeve shirt and my favorite jean skirt. Pretty blah, right? So I tucked in the shirt and added my super cute black bow belt. Then I added a scarf I tied to make a vest. Basically adding a colorful accessory and pieces with structure or texture to basic pieces create a more pulled together look. If I were headed out to dinner or something less casual I would have changed my shoes to my black wedge sandals. In this case my scarf/vest was my colorful accent and the belt gave structure.

Shirt - Old Navy
Skirt - Kohls
Scarf - TJ Maxx (How to turn it into a vest here - http://realitychicblog.com/2012/10/how-to-turn-your-scarf-into-a-vest-in-5-very-easy-brainless-steps/ )
Sandals - Walmart

(Excuse the photo quality. One of these days I will actually find a better place to take pictures. For now it's terrible lighting and my iPhone.)

Back to the Blogstone

I've been absent for, well, almost 4 years. Time to get it going again. This blog will be a little different. I've been doing a lot of "research" lately (mostly Pinterest searching and fashion blog reading) and discovered that I can recreate the beautiful outfits I find very cheaply - and if not already, make them more modest and appealing not only for the workplace but for church. So I'm going to start posting my bargains (mostly from Goodwill) and outfit recreations. The start of these posts will not be as good quality pictures as I plan to have later. Most of the pictures I have taken have been in our bedroom where the lighting is horrible but the original purpose of the photos were to show my husband what I'm doing with all the clothes I bring home from my trips to Goodwill. So I hope to move my full length mirror to an area with better lighting. But for now, I hope you'll get the gist of what I'm trying to accomplish.

This first outfit inspiration I found on Pinterest. Right off the bat I loved it. There were two immediate problems with the outfit, however. 1) Shorts - immodest and inappropriate for work 2) I didn't have a black jacket anymore. I pinned it anyhow for future reference.

Last month, I made my way to Goodwill on the first Saturday of the month. (If you've never been, I'm warning you, it's utter chaos! But totally worth it.) I got a ton of great deals including 3 brand new shirts (tags still on) from Target. But the best deal of the day was, you guessed it, a black jacket. Jones Wear, tags on. Original Price $86 marked down to $41. I paid $3. Whoop! Now I had a black jacket! Time to try out that inspiration outfit!

Black blazer - Goodwill
White shirt - Old Navy
Khaki Skirt - JC Penney
Leopard print scarf - Walmart

He knows my name

"I have a Maker

He formed my heart

Before even time began

My life was in his hands

I have a Father

He calls me His own

He'll never leave me

No matter where I go

He knows my name

He knows my every thought

He sees each tear that falls

And He hears me when I call"

This song speaks to me every time I hear it. And I only seem to hear it when I need to hear it. When my heart is crying out to God, I am gently reminded that He hears me when I call. I may not get an immediate answer, but He is always there and He always hears me.

Spiritual Correction

I've been struggling spiritually lately. I've battled depression, unforgiveness, bitterness...

One night, my wonderful husband had had enough. He sat me down in front of him in the living room and said, "we're going to talk." I knew he was serious. There would be no acceptance of excuses like "I'm ok - I'm just tired" or "I'm just emotional right now". This would be a heart-to-heart down to the nitty gritty kind of talk. And I was right.

So, being the spiritual leader that he is, my husband told me that something needed to change. "What do you listen to on your way to work in the mornings? Do you still listen to those preaching podcasts I put on your iPod? How often do you pray?"

So, I told him. I listen to the Indy Oldies station in the mornings on my way to work. I don't listen to my preaching podcasts anymore. And I only pray for food and at church.

We had a long talk, I prayed the next morning and evening at church and I started reading my daily devotional for women.

And almost on cue, the Lord sent me a test on Monday. I was on the receiving end of a very nasty conversation. I was angry and hurt. And I kept telling other people about it, asking what I should do about the situation.

Today, after asking him again what I should do about that lady, my husband once again gently corrected me. "Heidi, you need to learn to let stuff go. You hold onto things too long. You need to pray and ask God to help you forgive so you don't get bitter."

I thought I had forgiven the people he brought to my attention. But it seems I bring them up frequently and when I am reminded about the situation(s), apparently I get animated and as my husband says, my "blood pressure hits the roof." So I have to ask myself: have I truly forgiven them?

I just read in my daily devotional about Sarah, Abraham's wife. There are questions the book asks you to consider about yourself as you reflect on the life and character of the woman being studied. As I read the questions, I took a startling look at my own character. I found quite a few flaws similar to Sarah.

While I was quick to label Sarah as selfish, harsh, childish, impatient, I began to see myself in her. Is that how I act when I don't get my way, when someone does something against me or a loved one?

My new prayer is that my heart can be pliable enough that when my husband or someone else in authority corrects me, I can be repentant and change my ways. I want to be a woman my husband is not proud of, per se, but can introduce me to friends and other ministers as his wife and not be ashamed. Lord, let me be a true woman of faith who reflects You and Your love in every aspect of my life.

*I hope for anyone reading this that it will help you in your spiritual walk with God. This is only a journey, with the final destination, Heaven. I am not perfect, but neither were any of the men or women God chose to use to fulfill His will. But His grace and mercy are there for us, if we only seek Him.