3.

I have three different outfits for you guys today they are all very different except for the shoes which are "combat boots" from Nordstrom Rack.

This first outfit is perfect for doing something more active like walking though the metro parks or what you please.

The skirt is a good sturdy material and has pockets (yay!!) I got it from Eddie Bauer on clearance. The shirt is from H&M; since the neckline comes up high enough I don't have to layer a shirt underneath which is always a plus in the hot weather.

My second outfit is very...bright! I was surprised this skirt&shirt went together so well.

The shirt is a recent purchase from H&M and the skirt is from Nordstrom Rack (also seen here!) I had to buy this skirt 2 sizes bigger that normal because it was too tight other wise.

I really do love this next one. It's much more autumnal...

...and I can climb in it :D

Skirt - Forever 21

Shirt - H&M

Sweater - TJ Maxx

This skirt is so flowy - I love it!

Have a wonderful day!

Photo Cube 2

Hey guys! So as I mentioned in this post, I was going to be making a second photo cube with quotes. Well, I finally made it and wanted to share :)

"You're still the love of my life despite the fear in your eyes... it will always be you." 

I love this song so very much! You can listen to it here.

"Struggle cannot be separated from love." -Pope John Paul II

"Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:7

"So, where's your landslide? Where's your victory? Tell me now where's your sting?"

Once again a song. I just love it and already shared with you all.

And there are both cubes together. If you're interested in trying it out yourself, check out Michael's. I got these cubes there for 4 bucks each.

Have a wonderful day!

Bells

"The bells say: we have spoken for centuries from the towers of great Churches. We have spoken to the saints your fathers, in their land. We called them, as we called you, to sanctity. What is the word with which we called them?

We did not merely say, 'Be good, come to Church. We did not merely say, 'Keep the commandments' but above all, 'Christ is risen, Christ is risen!' And we said: 'Come with us, God is good, salvation is not hard, His love has made it easy!' And this, our message, has always been for everyone, for those who came and for those who did not come, for our song is perfect as the Father in heaven is perfect and we pour our charity out upon all." -Thomas Merton

Just for Fun

This post is just for fun: because Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers are so lovely to watch.

The middle one is definitely my favorite. Enjoy!
Helen

Imitation

Mary, you still loved those who beat, mocked and killed your Son. I think, then, I can at least be nice to those who are rude to me or hurt me. It is nothing in comparison to what you endured but it is my own poor way of imitating you, my beautiful Mother.

Nutballs/Butter Balls

Ingredients:
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
Directions:
1. First, chop or crush your walnuts. You could use a blender or a chopper but I did something else. I put the walnuts in plastic bags and then crushed them with a heavy,marble rolling pin.

2. Preheat the oven to 300 F. Line 2 two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, mix the butter,sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy (about 2 mins)

4. Add the flour and continue to mix (about 1 min)

5. Add walnuts. Mix with mixer.

6. Measure out generous/overflowing teaspoons of dough and roll them into balls with your hands. Put them on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

7. Bake for about 30 mins. To test them, take one out, cut it in half and see if its doughy in center. The cookies should be beginning to turn golden when you take them out.

8. Roll the cookies in confectioner's sugar while still hot. Place on a cooling rack and let 'em chill :P

Enjoy! nom nom nom...

Here is a wonderful post about modesty that I think you'd all enjoy.
A New Standard of Beauty
God bless!

O, Happy Day!

Let me start off by showing you guys my new piercing!

Earrings - graduation present from the Maiers'

It really didn't hurt at all and I love it :)

Now, let me show ya'll my outfit.

Shirt - H&M
I love the this vest! I think the color and the pattern are so pretty.

Vest - Marshall's

 This is actually pretty out of my comfort zone because I felt kinda over dressed (which I hate) but I think it turned out okay. ..plus Matthew liked it :)

Skirt - Nordstrom Rack

I wore this to the art museum and then dinner in Little Italy. This skirt is flowy and is a gorgeous color.

 

O, and that is my wonderful guy (Matthew) who took my photos :)

We got gelato :)

O, and also...tomorrow will mark 4 years of being together.

whhoooooo!!!

:P

Have a great day & God bless

Temptation ≠ Sin

I was reading a chapter of a book by St.Frances de Sales which was focused on temptation vs actually sinning. He said that even if a soul was tempted with a certain sin his whole life, he would be doing no wrong in the sight of God, as long as he took no pleasure in the temptations or consented. St.Frances gives examples of saints who were so aggressively tempted in their lives but remained holy because they kept resisting. The easy thing would have been to give in, but they kept fighting.

In the next chapter, St.Frances illustrates this principle with the example of St. Catherine of Siena: 

"The devil was permitted by God vehemently to assault her purity so long as he touch her not, filled her heart with all manner of unholy suggestions, and, together with his associates, exposed her to all manner of assaults, which, although they were external, so penetrated her heart that, according to her own confession, all save her most refined and pure superior will was agitated by the storm. This lasted some time, until at last, beholding her Savior, she exclaimed, "O my Savior! Where wert Thou when my heart was so filled with darkness and base thoughts?" To which He replied "My daughter, I was within thy heart." "How couldst Thou be there," she asked, "when is was so foully tenanted? Dost Thou come into that which is impure?" But He inquired, "Tell me, did these unholy thoughts fill thy heart with pleasure or sadness, with delight or with bitterness?" "With exceeding sadness and bitterness." she made answer. The He replied, "Who filled thy heart with such sadness except Myself, who was hidden within thy soul? Believe Me, my daughter, had I not been there, these thoughts which assailed thy will, but could not master it, would have conquered and effected their entrance; thou wouldst freely have received them, and thus thy soul had perished; but inasmuch as I was within, I filled thy heart with displeasure and resistance, so that it resisted the temptation to the utmost of it's power. Therefore thy sufferings were worthy, and have greatly added to thy virtue and to thy strength!"

I know I have often struggled with thoughts popping into my head and then I get angry with myself for sinning. For example, if I'm trying not to be jealous or think bad things about another but sometimes the thoughts almost automatically pop up and sometimes lead to a stream of thoughts that I would never think; if I beat myself up over it, I'll get no where. But if I keep bringing all my worries and struggles to the Light they will then not be able to grow, develop, and wound me. I find this passage comforting because it say that if Jesus was not with me, I would delight in these bad thoughts. I, however, hate them and feel as if they are forced on me so there must be some goodness opposing them. 

Obsessions.

My two latest obsessions : 

 La Croix sparkling water and...
                                       .
 ... Matthew Mayfield's newest album "A Banquet for Ghosts."

You guys should check it out. My favorites are "Heart in Wire","Beautiful" and "Always be You" but honestly, I love every song on this album.

FAIRIES!

So lately, I've had a little bit of a fairy obsession... and it's honestly a little bit weird. But I do really like a lot of things about fairies. First, they dress super prettily. They get to wear all these pretty, dainty, flowy dresses in pretty pastel colors. Also, they can fly, and, I mean, who doesn't want to fly? Plus, they have awesome personalities. They can be nice and ladylike sometimes, and super feisty at other times, both of which  I think are good attributes to have. AND THEY GLITTER! I don't even think i need to explain that one.


Earlier this week, I was talking to my friend about my fairy obsession while we were having a photo shoot. So basically, we used the photo shoot to try and capture the "essence of fairy." Ecce- our results.


(n.b. I know this is really weird, but Liz told me to make a blog post. So, obedient slave that I am, I did.)

This is called the "I'm a fairy!" face

We found a mini meadow :) very fairy-like

Running through the mini meadow... which I guess isn't very fairy-like, because fairies don't run. They fly.

Although the spot was very fairy-esque,  we soon realized that being a fairy just doesn't quite work if you're wearing shorts. So we went back to my house and I changed....

into this! I actually really do like this skirt, because there are a lot of fun things  that I can do with it. E.g. , there's some pink in the skirt, so if I wanted to be really bright, I could actually wear a pink shirt. Or if I wanted to be artsy, I have a blue shirt that doesn't look bad. Or I could wear a heather colored shirt for a more rustic look. In this picture, I just wore  a pink flower headband and a white shirt. Also, you can dress it up by adding a cute blazer (if I owned one) and wear it in the winter with tights. Which is why skirts are just clearly amazing. 

Work Wear

Hey guys :) so the past few days of work I've been wearing bum/work out shorts to work because it.is.so.dang.freaking.hot.bah.humbug. So today I decided to dress it up:

Using the self-timer again... and I just now realized how disproportional this makes me look...

spin,spin,spin

This skirt was also shown here and I just love it. I got quite a few compliments on it by co-workers :]

I was really happy with all of the photos I got of my shoes sooo I thought I'd include all of them.

My friend, Graham, said I looked like a hippie girl (which apparently is a compliment). I left the shoes loosely laced because I liked the look better for summer.

 As for my hair, I just chucked it up into a big fat bun.

Bye-Bye!

*sigh* =)
Sooo I have this amazing guy...he is so very talented. He kept ahold of these lyrics I sent him probably a few years ago and he made them into a song. It's just so amazing when these things come together for God's glory. Listen to it here!

Running

"Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing.No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified."

RUN to Him.