Off to Church

Who: M
When: 12/3/11
Where: Church
What: *Plaid skirt-borrowed *Black blouse-thrifted *Red lacy undershirt-gift *Nine west shoes-thrifted *Jewelry-gift *Headband-gift

Oh how I love Sundays!! Always a busy and fruitful day!! This particular Sunday proved to be quite the day! It was the second week of the big winter push we have down here in Mexic. Since the girls from my house had brought about 140 people to church the previous week on ONE bus (and yes the bus was only a 70 passenger bus...), the pastor rented an extra bus for us to fill up :) Knowing that I would probably be doing a great deal of standing and walking, I opted for my more practical and comfortable shoes. Turned out that was a VERY good choice, since I did not sit at all on the bus!

On a side note, I like how this outfit looked, but hated how it wore (can I say that...lol) At any rate, the undershirt was too big and uncomfortable, so I decided to give it away...always purging my closet to make way for the new and improved. The next time I wear (borrow) this skirt I think I will match it up with bright pink.

Summer dress in the winter (Holiday Hair Challenge #5)

Who: J

When: 12/28/11

Where: Playing piano for church (yikes!)

What: *Denim jacket- Ross *Purple dress- on sale at Target for $14 *White shirt under dress- Walmart, $5 *Black boots- Sears

I know this outfit is a little plain-ish, but I was super nervous that night! I usually play the strings on the keyboard at church, but that night I was scheduled to play the main piano... yikes! Like I said, I was super nervous, and just wanted to keep everything simple. This dress was initially bought as a summer dress, but I love the color and fabric, so I wanted to be able to wear it throughout the year. I think the denim jacket brings it into winter more, and  I like how the denim adds a little "country" to the dress.

I'm counting this outfit as part of my Holiday Hair Challenge because I really like how the waves came out. I'm telling myself it looks like Jennifer Aniston in this picture:

photo credit

That's what I'm telling myself anyway.... Only two more hairstyles left to go!!! 

Announcement!!!

We are SO happy to announce that we have joined the affiliate program with Shabby Apple! What this basically means is that we'll be displaying ads and links to their site, and in turn will receive a commission on orders that are placed by our readers. But all of that stuff aside, we are loving what we see on the Shabby Apple site! Yes, we do have an interest in promoting their business now, but we still have our own opinions on things! And we LOVE LOVE LOVE the dresses, accessories, skirts, blouses, and everything else we've found. Their vintage vibe paired with beautiful colors is right up our alley!


Something else that we're excited about is Shabby Apple's about us statement. We like that they're promoting modesty AND providing beautiful clothing.


We've picked out just a few of our favorites from the Shabby Apple website:

J's favorites:

Beautiful tulle skirt- like a dress-up tutu for grownups!

I love the buttons and wide belt on this dress.

This dress comes in several colors and looks like the perfect summery dress.

The vintage touches on this headband are beautiful!

How adorable is this little girl's dress?

This cameo necklace reminds me of my mom's love of cameos.

These cats just make me laugh.

M's Picks:

Tres Jolie

This is one of the most flattering style of dresses! With the fitted bodice and A-line skirt, it is a flattering style for almost any body shape. The white belt beautifully accents the waistline & the flair of the skirt and unique collar give this dress a fun flirty style.

L'Artiste

This dress immediately caught my eye! It is a fun preppy dress. With its stripes and cute A-line skirt, it is perfect to wear for heading out shopping, to the park, or with the right accesories to church! Very versatile and classy.

Ming

Instant winner because of the beautiful flower on the bodice! Super cute and classy! Could be dressed up, or for something more casual with the right shoes and jewelry! Also love that it is simple to care for.

Tea and Cakes

Love the color of these shoes for starters!!! Since I walk a lot, a super high heel is very impractical for me, but these have the perfect height. Also, I basically love anything with a cute bow or flower on it, so that was the clincher with these super cute shoes!!

We both had a hard time picking just a few favorites- there a ton of beautiful clothes! Head on over and check out Shabby Apple!

Practice Makes Perfect

Who: M
When: 11/29/11
Where: School, practicing for the Christmas program, shopping
What: *Flower headband-Charming Charlies’$1 *Black skirt-Target, $20 (one of the few things that I purchased full price ever!) *Tights-can’t remember *Hot pink shoes-$5, Mexican street market *Green sweater vest-gift *Necklace and earrings-thrifted *White shirt-Kohl’s, $5 *Black sweater-thrifted $5 (one of my all-time favorite thrift store finds!)

This Monday was one of the few “cold” days here in Guadalajara…and by cold I mean that the high was in the 60’s…lol. The morning however was rather chilly, like in the high 40’s. SO I decided to break out a pair of my tights, had to search through all my drawers to find them!

I am not sure I will ever wear this outfit exactly like this again…I just really wanted to wear the green and pink together…I need some light pink shoes I think…then again, not with the black tights…at any rate, the outfit served its purpose to keep me warm!

Christmas Earrings (Holiday Hair Challenge #4)

Who: J

When: 12/27/11

Where: Commissary, Barber Shop, Starbucks with N

What: *Sunglasses- Beall's Outlet in Willcox, AZ, $3 *Green long sleeved tee- Walmart *Turquoise tank- Target *Turquoise and white scarf- Walmart *Dark wash denim skirt- Jessica London *Striped socks- Target *Boots- Sears *Green dangly earrings- 1928, gift from N for Christmas *Green post earrings- gift from N from Afghanistan

While we were on our Christmas trip, I made sure to visit Beall's Outlet in Willcox, AZ. I have found some of the best stuff there! This time the only things I bought for myself were these sunglasses, and a bottle of knock-off perfume. They have great prices on some pretty good name brands- you just have to be willing to dig through some other less desirable pieces.

I'm running out of time on my Holiday Hair Challenge! This braid was fairly easy to do, and I like how it turned out. If I do my hair this way again, I think I'm going to make the top/ back a little "poofier" just to add some height. I could probably also figure out some way to make the ponytail into a bun or a twist or something if I wanted to make my hair a little more formal.

One last note: M and I are having a brainstorming session this morning (via chat) about some ideas we have for the blog for 2012. I'm excited about the things we have planned and we hope you guys will stick around for the ride!

P.S. Here's the inspiration for my hairstyle:                               

photo credit

How do you think my version compares?

On a Mission

Who: M
When: 12/3/11
Where: Missions Conference Day 3 (the only night I was not singing in any of the specials so that I did not have to wear black and white!)
What: *Pink skirt-Liz Claibourne, thrifted *Blue sweater-American Eagle, thrifted *Gray undershirt-Walmart *Tights-Walmart *Headband- Target *Necklaces-gifts *Shoes-borrowed

After a long, fruitful day on the children's bus route, we had the opportunity to attend the evening service for the Missions Conference\. Thankfully, we also had the opportunity to go home and change quickly first!! I chose an outfit that was a bit warmer than I usually wear because at night the temperature cools off significantly. So, I decided to go with a sweater and tights... as it turned out, the sweater and tights were much needed as the temperature dropped with the sun!

Gold Standard

Who: J
When: 12/21/11
Where: Singing in the Ladies' Ensemble at church
What: *Gold headband- Jewelry Box, $1 *Gold sweater- Thrifted, $4.75 *Black shirt- Old Navy, approx $10 *Black skirt- Old Navy, shortened by me *Belt- Walmart, approx. $8 *Bow ring- Jewelry Box, $1

The Ladies' Ensemble I sing with sang at our church's candlelight service this past Wednesday night, and we were asked to wear gold and black. I don't know why, but I just don't have a lot of gold in my wardrobe. I found this sweater at Goodwill a while back, and though it wasn't much to look at on its own, I think once I added all the accessories, it turned out pretty nicely. Do you want to know a secret? I didn't have a plain long sleeved black shirt, so this one says "Old Navy" and has snowflakes on it... but I just added the black scarf over the top and no one knew! I know I look silly in the first two pictures because I have my hand on my head in both of them, but I was trying to show off my headband and ring- two more great finds from the $1 jewelry store! 

Joy to the World

Writing these kind of things always stumps me... I don't want to sound too flippant, but I also don't want to weigh just a simple "Merry Christmas" down with tons of seriousness. So, I'll just try to share a little of my heart with you as I consider the things that bring me joy this Christmas:

- The greatest gift ever given to mankind- Jesus Christ. I love that the Bible tells us that Jesus is called "Immanuel" (Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 7:14), which means "God with us." Every year as we celebrate Christ's birth, let us remember that the coming of Jesus means that the God of the universe came to be with us in the form of a baby.

- My true love and best friend- N. God has truly blessed me! I'm so thankful that not only do I have an incredible husband, but we get to be together this year for Christmas! Last year was a pretty dismal holiday for me as N was in Afghanistan, and I'm excited about being together this year.

- Family and friends. It's nice to know that when you need something, you have people you can call on who will be there for you!

- My friend and blog co-host, M. She truly is one in a million! In life, you have friends come and go, but it's really a blessing to have a friend who sticks with you (and your craziness) for 23 years!

This Christmas, I hope you enjoy all the joys of the season- faith, love, family, friends, warmth, hope... Make lots of memories and make your Christmas joyous!

                          -J

P.S. And as a Christmas gift to you, here are a few pictures from our goofy Christmas "photo shoot" at our Christmas camp.

Roasting marshmallows on our fake fire... that our dog is laying on top of.

Herself the Elf

Who: M

When: 12/16/11

Where: School Christmas party

What: *Corduroy skirt- thrifted, $2 *Ralph Lauren shirt-thrifted, $2 *Shoes- $20 *Santa hat-gift *Necklace-gift from J

I LOVE to dress in themes! I was so excited about the school Christmas party because I wanted to wear my Santa (elf) hat! I was slghtly surprised at the response I got to my outfit...I guess in Mexico it is slightly strange to dress up for Christmas...lol. I must say though, since my main means of transportation in Mexico is walking, I did feel slightly conspicuous as I walked to and from work that day....The kids of my kindergarten class LOVED my outfit :) Almost all of the teenagers asked if I could give Santa a message for them; I told them I was pretty sure they were on the naughty list...but my favorite response to my outfit was a carful of teenage guys who burst out singing "Navidad, Navidad" (the Spanish version of "Jingle Bells") as they drove by in their car! I would say that my outfit was a success! I am already plotting what to wear for Valentines Day (I am pretty sure that I cannot dress up like Cupid :)!!



It's Christmas Time in the City

Who: J

When: 12/20/11

Where: Christmas lights downtown with N

What: *Plaid fedora- Target, on sale for $7 *White scarf- Rue 21, $9 *Red tank- Target *Green sweater- Walmart, flag and star patches added by me *Dark wash denim skirt- Jessica London *Tights- Walmart *Brown leather boots- Chadwicks, maybe $60 (?) *Black wool coat- J C Penney's (2003), approx. $100

N and I decided to check out an El Paso tradition and head downtown to San Jacinto Plaza to see the Christmas lights displays. I'm so glad we did! It was so pretty! It's amazing how pretty lights can transform an area from drab and dingy to a fairyland.

I wanted to wear the traditional red and green tonight. I kind of wish I hadn't added the patches to this sweater so I could have just had a plain green sweater, but there was a hole in one of the sleeves and this is what I came up with. Also, I'm not completely sold on the fedora (on me, that is... it's a perfectly lovely fedora on its own, I'm just trying to decided if I like it on me). I spent the whole night only seeing out of one eye because I thought I needed to have it perched on my head over one eye, only to readjust it when I got home so I could see and realize that it looked fine like that, too. Ah well, a lesson in fedora wearing learned.

When I was dressing for this date, I wanted to put as much care and thought into it as if it were our first date and I was trying to impress N. So I went back and forth on the hat... would I really have the moxie to wear this on a first date? Would I really have been that willing to reveal my slightly kooky self that early? And then I realized... yes, I would have! From the very beginning of even our friendship, N has always made me feel like I was a cool person who was worthy of attention. He has always made me feel that who I was as a person was pretty awesome (love that guy!). So yes, I do think I could have worn this hat on our first date... had it not been in the middle of a warm Arizona April.

Going Wild in San Antonio

Who: J
When: 12/7/11
Where: San Antonio Zoo
What: *Purple and black scarf- Miley Cyrus, gift from in-laws *Grey sweater- Mossimo, thrifted, $4.75 *Off-white hoodie (under sweater)- Steve & Barry, thrifted, $4.75 *Denim skirt- thrifted and shortened, $5 *Tights- Walmart *Sweater boots- Walmart in Merrillville, IN *Purple ring- Beall's Outlet in Willcox, AZ, approx $3 *Cross-body bag- Beall's Outlet, Willcox, AZ

For some reason, it's kind of become our "thing" to go to zoos and aquariums when we go on vacation. The San Antonio Zoo was awesome! Their enclosures were built to let people see the animals really close up and really get to see the animals behaving naturally. When we visited, a lot of the animals were kept inside because of the cold, and most of the other ones were sleeping, but it was still a really fun visit! Also, we stopped at one of their cafes and bought some cappuccino that was some of the best I've ever had- no kidding! It was amazing!
I didn't take a coat with me on this trip (silly me!) so I had to dress in layers that would keep me warm... that's why I'm wearing a hoodie AND a sweater. It was still pretty comfortable to walk around in, though, and I'm glad I included the scarf- it gives the outfit a little dose of "me"!