This week I had some fun joining the Uniquely You Campaign with ModCloth.
Totally & Honestly, ModCloth is one of my favorite websites to drool over, so this was easy
and super fun to create an ensemble that is 'Uniquely Me' from all the retro and chic items
available on Modcloth. I decided to go for sort of a wintery retro dinner party look and these
are some of the classic beauties I came up with...
If you like these, go check out more of the site. Love love love!
As always, my sister Joanna stopped by yesterday in her sweats and decided on a whim that she wanted to do a photoshoot of my girls. I just happened to be babysitting a friends girls too, so it turned into a super cute BFF photoshoot. We are completely in love with the way these turned out. Of course, there are zillions more...but I think you get the idea. I had to share them with you all though.
Leila was done long before it was over. This is what she looked like at the end as I kept promising
her ice cream and money to do "one more picture." Haha.
I can hardly believe I am doing a post on accessories. I'm not the expert on fashion
or accessories by any means. But of course, I'm a girl. I love fashion.
What I can tell you is that I own probably close to 15 scarves, but none of them, but one, have
sentimental value to me.
Scarves are in right now, right? But there is something special about this one.
It was made by a very special woman in Ethiopia. A woman who needed a better life.
But had no way to find it. Until people like you came along. People like me.
This is a woman who was grew up in a country where 1 out of 10 women involve themselves
in prostitution not necessarily as a choice, but as a necessity. To care for their children, to provide
basic necessities for themselves. That breaks my heart.
My scarf was named after a beautiful woman named Saba. She grew up working in a bar,
and she didn't think she could escape or change her life. Saba was using drugs and admits
to hurting herself with the way she was living...Until one day, she was given a new opportunity.
An opportunity that would change her life...her destiny...
You see, this scarf is not just a scarf to me. This scarf holds a special place in my heart.
But more importantly it holds a special place in the heart of an Ethiopian woman whose life has been changed by Mocha Club. One woman that needed a new opportunity in life.
It's just a part of what the Mocha Club does to help restore women stuck in the sex trade industry.
Mocha Club teaches them a trade in which they can earn money and feel pride in their work
and take care of their families, without putting themselvesin any danger, hurting themselves
and leaving their children alone.
This scarf that I wear (and I wear it a lot), I purchased from fashionABLE.
Making fashionABLE scarves is just one of the trades taught to these women. When you connect
the dots between Ethiopia and the West where they are sold, you continue creating new
opportunities for them.
I'm just as girly as any other girl. I love my shopping (in the rare occasion that I have a few
extra dollars, thank you income tax returns). I love my nail polish. My jewelry. My occasional chick flick. Obviously, none of us thrive on girly things. But sometimes we feel like it's a necessity.
But some things mean more to me. Some accessories mean more to me. Now that I said
that, I realize how weird that sounds, but it's true. This scarf means more to me than
anything I own. Because it means the life of another girly girl. Another girl who wants
to feel pretty and be happy and take care of herself without feeling scared or sad or alone.
Saba means more. All those women mean more.
This is definitely my favorite accessory. My super awesome, rockin eggplant scarf.
And because of the woman of made it and women like her, I have been working hard during the month of February to not only purchase this scarf (which I did last October at Influence Conference)
but working hard trying to raise money to help get two women just like her out of the life of prostitution...give
her a new opportunity to learn a new trade she can be proud of, give
her childcare for her children if she needs it so she can work, send her
through an addiction recovery program,
give her counseling, Bible study, and health care & treatment.
Saba...making scarves...
It takes $400 to help one woman go through this program. My goal was to help TWO women.
So I needed $800 to do this. I said NEEDED!
So far, with all your generosity and sharing my project to your
friends...I am only $97 away from my goal (with another $50 promised this week). And I am thrilled beyond
words!!! SO that means I am $47 away from my goal!
I am not there yet, and I only have until the end of February. But if I make it over $800 before then,
I won't quit early. No, we are going to go as far as we can...maybe even help three women.
I would be so stoked.
I already promised that if I reach my goal, I would face my fear and join an organization in my city that works with girls and women stuck in the sex trade industry in my city. But I have decided to add another bonus on...
(and my husband doesn't know about this yet). Have you seen the crazy Harlem Shake videos on
youtube that have gone viral? If not, you need to go on youtube and look!
Yeah... me and my family will make one. For our celebration dance!
This should be interesting...
Just click the donate button below to help me reach my goal and help more women
Hand over the same set of questions to your spouse and see if they can answer the questions about you.
Write your post and compare both of your answers
Link up here on February 14th
HA, I am so excited to read all the fun answers, should be interesting to say the least.
Here are the questions: Feel free to add or take away any questions you want.
How long have you been married?
Where was your first date?
Where was your first kiss?
Who first said, "I love you"?
What were your wedding colors?
What is her most commonly used phrase?
Who is her celebrity crush?
If she was ordering drinks for both of you what would you each get?
What is the best meal she has ever cooked you?
What is the worst meal she has ever cooked you?
What is the most-played song on her iPod?
What would she say is your most annoying habit?
What is the last thing she does before she goes to bed?
If you could throw out one item of her clothing what would it be?
What would you say is your favorite thing about her?
What's her go-to drink at Starbucks?
What's her blog's name?!
So, something I have been wanting to try for awhile is the whole shorts with tights underneath during the winter time. The only hang up I have about this, is that I don't even really like shorts in the summer. I hate my thighs. Is this news? I am a woman. So I generally wear skirts or dresses in the summer if I go places. But, dang....It looks so adorable on everyone else, I'm pretty sure I will succumb to the internal pressure soon and take the plunge. Especially since in my inbox, I got next weeks challenge for COPYCAT CLOSET, which by the way I have never done, but love the idea and adore looking at the pics! Of course, the challenge is "Shorts In The Winter." If I were to wear shorts in the Winter, it would probably look something like this. So, you may or may not see a fashion post come out of this girl this week. Ya, the girl who was whining that no one likes to read anymore. I'm basically selling out this week...maybe? And by the by...those floral Steve Madden combat boots you see above. You will definitely see me wearing those is some sort of future post. My birthday is in 2 weeks. I was dead set on a new pair of Cowboy boots until I saw those online today.
Those NEED to be part of my wardrobe. Just sayin...
I am usually not a "I just went to a wedding so I will post all my pictures on my blog"
kind of girl. However, this venue of this wedding was beyond cool for a wedding...
and the bride is one of my oldest friends and favorite people ever.
Plus, look...does she totally rock or what?
Ok, I'm setting aside the fact that there was some gospel R&B all up in the ceremony,
it can still rock, right?
Aren't her shoes Sa-WEEEET? Doesn't get much more Kat Von D-ish than that? Wink.
totally dug the pinwheel theme too.
love my tattoo loving friend xoxo
Trin and I have been friends since she was in 3rd grade, I was in 5th grade.
Thanks to her, I always "went out" with boys 2 years younger than I.
Some how we always managed to share boyfriends and music, even though we
were so much different. And we still laughed at all the same dumb stuff.
We weren't exactly ALWAYS close, with life driving a wedge in between us. Haha, I'm kidding.
We never really fought, ok, except that one time...She knows the time.
Anyhow, life, marriage, college, blah blah blah...all that shot by us, touching base now and then...
and little would you know years later we would end up bawling our eyes our to each other.
Not because we missed each other, just because we thought we had lame lives.
Or something like that.
I'm sorry, but I'm coming back to this hotel. Maybe for a vow renewal or something. I'm creeping on 20 years already.
Basically the only person I really knew was my sister. Thanks Jen, for making it look like I had a friend.
Right after high school, we spent morning, noon and night together for like an entire summer...
Ok, that sounds strange. But we really did. It was so pathetically sad.
The constant joke was that we had no friends. Once we told her mom about it.
Her mom goes "You have friends."Trin's reply "Who? Jesus?"
Ok, maybe it was funnier at the time. Probably.
We had a posse at one time. A posse of alternative loving, hardcore rocking,
skateboard riding, grungy wearing cool hipsters with baggy pants.
The only problem was Trin had a secret.
In her words "You guys were decked out in flannels listening to Nirvana, while I was secretly listening to Tupac and doing drive-bys." THIS is why I love Trin. That's like my favorite quote of all time. She told me to write a quote book, because I'm always jotting down random conversations
and quotes. Her quote will be in "said" book.
This is what I do at weddings. At least weddings with cool mirrors like this one.
Anyways, I love you Trin. I am so happy for you that you found someone that totally
gets who you are, and is seriously so much like you. I really love it. I'm serious.
I wish you & Eric blessed lives & I know you you'll prove Love
where love 'seems' defenseless.
So thankful God is so merciful and can bring restoration & happiness to us all.
Oh, and thanks for choosing a super sick venue where I can take sweet pics of myself
in the mirror in my down time...
Ok, that totally wasn't me to say sick. I know. Yeah, I did that for you.
Oh, and p.s.s....I'm thinking up a new logo for the super shades stationary club,
so when you get some free time, I wanna throw some ideas at ya.
Ooops, almost forgot about this one. Can't forget my Smyth photo. wink wink.