Faith on Fridays #10 - Back-to-School Time

August 29, 2014

It’s that time of year again when lots of children and others are heading back into the classroom. Lots of children all across the country gathered school supplies and probably new shoes (oh my, how feet grow during the summer) and stepped foot into a the room of a new teacher. Some of those little students entered with complete confidence of making new friends and commanding the attention of everyone. Others may have stood by shyly, ever so apprehensive of what was in store that first day and the ones immediately following during the week. But all were there for a purpose, which was and is to learn and be educated in the hopes of a future graduation.

Children in other countries attend school as well. Many in third world countries face great obstacles in order to receive an education that we (in the US) take for granted. Take a look at these facts:

Worldwide, nearly 80 percent of primary-school-age children attend school. In least developed countries, this figure is around 66 percent.
The largest out-of-school population is in sub-Saharan Africa, where around 45.5 million children of primary school age are out of school.
Of the 67 million primary-school-age children who do not attend school, 53 percent are girls.
Worldwide, only 49 percent of children of secondary school age actually attend secondary school.
Of the 49 percent of secondary age students who do not attend school, 52 percent are girls.
The world’s functional illiterates include more than 130 million children who do not attend school, 73 million of them girls.

These statistics are staggering and thought-provoking. As someone who loves school and loves to learn, I realize I am blessed by the opportunities I have been given simply to learn. As a former teacher, I am an advocate for the classroom and for teaching people to read. So many children do not have this opportunity but those of us who are blessed can help those who are much less fortunate. If you are interested in knowing more about helping children in dire circumstances, click here for information from Compassion International.

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What about you? Do you have any favorite childhood school memories? What do you think about the statistics mentioned above? Love to hear your thoughts, friend!

Work Your Work Wear Challenge - Week #1

August 27, 2014

The Work Your Work Wear Challenge has begun! Alison at Get Your Pretty On, has already put together some gorgeous outfits and this is especially nice for those who are headed back into the classroom. As a former teacher, I can only imagine how wonderful it must be to know exactly what you’re going to wear the next day without having to come up with it yourself. I am enjoying this as well because with the new job I am able to wear a variety of outfits without jeans everyday. Now, with Alison’s assistance I have even more ideas. Here’s my take on the challenge outfits. Check out my outfits and some of my fellow bloggers below.

Day 1 - Black Pants w/Bright Top & Leopard Flats

Day 2 - Black Sheath w/White Blouse & Bright Flats

Two options for Day 3…are you sometimes undecided as well? That’s just we ladies roll sometimes, isn’t it?

Day 3 - Khaki or Grey Pants, Floral Top w/Bright Cardigan & Colored Flats

Big shout out and thanks to Deena at Shoes to Shiraz for the graphic. Hope you stop by some of the blogs below and see the gorgeous outfits these lovely ladies put together!

Shoes to Shiraz |A Lovely Little Wardrobe | R Squared | Confessions of a Frumpy Mommy |

I like Design Stuff | Positively Learning | Quilty Joy Joy | Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After | Looks Like Lauren

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Linking up: The Pleated Poppy. Get Your Pretty On. Tucker Up. Because Shanna Said So. God Life Happy Wife. Mix and Match Fashion. I’m Perfectly Human. Simple Sequins. Musings of a Housewife. Style Elixir. DC in Style. Living in Style. That’s So Crystal. Shopping My Closet. The Mummy Chronicles.

Monday’s Mix - Casual & Work in Grey

August 25, 2014

Good Monday morning, lovelies! Hope you enjoyed the weekend. We had a few friends over and grilled out on Saturday evening. So relaxing and such a blast to talk and laugh with friends. Hope your weekend was filled with something similar!

I love weekends! For my husband and I they are laid back and easy-going. We basically live in gym shorts and tanks during the day when we are running errands and hanging out around the house. But when we go out, it’s typically a casual thing as well. Because much of my life is casual most of my clothes reflect that element. Therefore what I really want to create are outfits that are casual one day and can be changed ever so slightly in order to be appropriate for my office environment.

This is what I came up with this week. Styling grey (or rather aluminum if you following Pantone colors - just a little sneak peek for tomorrow’s post). I chose a pair of grey (or rather aluminum) skinny jeans and paired it with a light breezy top and flats.

If I were going to wear this to work, I would change out the grey skinny jeans for grey dress pants. I would wear either skinny dress pants or trousers. For this outfit I stayed with the skinny pants theme and added a sweater because the blouse is quite sheer for the office. I also chose heels to dress the outfit up a bit.

What about you? Do you try to remix for work and casual? Do you have a favorite outfit to remix or favorite pieces?

Linking up: More Pieces of Me. On the Daily Express. Still Being Molly. DC in Style. Fizz and Frosting. Basic Training Corporate Style. Rhea et Cetera. Not Dead Yet Style.

Faith on Friday #9 - Hope

August 22, 2014

Earlier this week a package arrived in the mail. It was from my mom. She had sent two t-shirts, one for my hubby and one for me. The t-shirts were sold in order to raise awareness and money for a little boy named Liam. Back in April, when he was just a newborn I posted this to my Facebook wall:

When I was growing up in that small town in Iowa, I had a couple of great friends. Although I rarely have the opportunity to see them now, they are still near and dear to my heart. Jody, Kathy “Kat” and I have had some great times! When we were all grown up and married, we each had a baby about the same time. I had a girl {Lindsay}, Kat had a girl {Katy} and Jody had a boy {Mitch}. I moved off to Texas but Jody and Kat and their families stayed in that sweet little town.

Well, Mitch and Katy fell in love and got married. And you know what happens next, right? The baby carriage. It did happen in 2014. A few short weeks ago actually. But life hit hard. Little baby Liam has yet to take one breath outside of his hospital bed. Monday he endured no less than 13 seizures.

I’m writing this post in the hopes that if you should read it, you would pray. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted. He hears the prayers of his saints. Liam, Katy, Mitch and the extended family need your prayers, please. Thank you!

I'm writing this post in the hopes that if you should read it, you would pray. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted. He hears the prayers of his saints. Liam, Katy, Mitch and the extended family need your prayers, please. Thank you!" width="504" height="378"/>

The photo above was taken when he was just a newborn. Although it’s several months later, little Liam is struggling with a severe illness. As you can imagine the toll on the family and the medical costs are an incredible burden. Therefore the family has organized Hope for Liam, which you can read about here. I hope you will “LIKE” their page and follow their journey.

Liam and his family have been forced to cling to hope. Actually, though their struggle is intense and beyond my comprehension, yet I know each of us will face trials and tribulations in this world. I am certain of it and it is obvious when we look around our neighborhood, city, country and the world. People are hurting. Life is hard and it can stretch us beyond what we thought we could endure. I cannot imagine the struggle for Mitch and Katy and their families. Honestly, I had a healthy baby whose only problem was that her mom didn’t know when NOT to feed her so her tummy was upset because I fed her TOO much. So you see, I cannot say I understand their pain. I have not walked in their shoes but that does not prevent me hurting for them.

One thing I do know is that in life we need hope. Without hope people can lose heart and become discouraged. When we carry heavy burdens our hearts long for a community that infuses love, support and hope. I’m thankful that Mitch and Katy have been blessed with that kind of loving and caring community. Hope is what keeps people going forward when life is ever so hard. Hope that tomorrow might be better. Hope that change will arise with the sun. Hope! We all need hope. There is Hope for Liam.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick,but a sudden good break can turn life around. Proverbs 13:12

Shorts & Tees

August 20, 2014

This is my last Wednesday’s Wardrobe with summer shorts. For the next few weeks the posts will feature styles from the Work Your Work Wear Challenge with Get Your Pretty On. But today I thought I would style shorts one more time and with graphic tees. They are another item that has tons of versatility. They can be worn by themselves or with a cardigan when the weather cools off. Pieces like these are excellent items to have for casual remixing.

I’m styling the white denim and blue denim shorts again this week and I added a pair of khaki shorts as well. The BIG news is that we made an investment purchase. Drum roll…it was a camera. Hubby has been you tubing tutorials {yes, it’s that kind of camera} and took some practice shots. Which means today’s photos are the first of {hopefully} many more to come of much better photos. There is still a learning a curve involved but very excited to see how we progress with this new little investment and hobby.

Sole Hope is an organization that helps children in Africa obtain shoes. Do you have old jeans? Did you know you can host a party and cut them up to make into shoes for African children? Check it out here.

Hope for Liam was organized for the grandson of two of my best friends from high school. Actually, one of my friends had a daughter and another had a son and those two got married. You know what’s next, right? A baby! Their little boy has been very ill with a rare illness which causes him to have ongoing seizures. Hope for Liam was set in motion because the astronomical medical bills which ensue with any major illness. You can read about it here on their Facebook page.