The April Challenge: Day 6

One day left of The Challenge! Today was Co-op, the homeschool group where my brother and I take a couple of classes and the place that's putting on my graduation. Guess what- I'm not going to Co-op on our last day! Our last day is May 21st, but graduation is on May 15th. So I talked to my teachers and asked if we were doing anything important that day, because I really wasn't going to come to class AFTER graduation. Thankfully, the only class we'd actually have an exam in said she'd put it online for me, because she totally understood my growing case of senioritis.
Only one more month until my birthday and graduation! Praise the Lord!
Here's today's Challenge outfit:

Shirt- says "The best is yet to come". Got it at YFN a few years ago for about $10ish.
Skirt-$3 at Helping Hands

Behind me is my prom dress for this year! I borrowed it from my assistant youth pastor's wife. :D I have to fix it up some by sewing most of the slit in the back closed andd figuring out how to cover up skin exposed in the back, but I love it!

Hair- I tried a rope braid in the back. It was all frizzy when I got home, so I tried redoing it and it doesn't look as good as it did at first. :( But I'll figure it out eventually. The flower clip in the back of my hair is from Mexico, my friend bought it for me.

After this picture was taken, I pulled it into a french braid, though, so that's why my hair is braided in the mirror. :P

Have a blessed day!

The April Challenge: Day 5

Today is pretty hectic again. Not because I'm going anywhere- anymore, that is, since I just got back from spending an hour at Mrs. Jenna's house and picking up Chiloso on my way back. Now I just have to get a ton of schoolwork done before Co-op tomorrow. I'm an expert at procrastination... too bad that never actually comes in handy!
So let's hurry to today's outfit:

Shirt- Walmart $7
Skirt- Stein Mart. Either $11 or $14 (Clearance). It's the same skirt from Day 3, I know, but I waited to do my laundry until today and it was the only clean one that I liked. It's also one of my favorite skirts! (Honestly, I think that all my long skirts are my favorites. :)
Tank top- Another from Costco. Best price guess is around $5.
Anyone else notice that my face is a whole different color than my arms. I'm really hoping that's the effect from brightening the picture on Edit so y'all could see the color of my clothes...

Hair- I tried the Jane Eyre hairstyle from this month's issue of Challenging Femininity. I thought it would be fun since I'm currently reading Jane Eyre anyway.

It didn't quite turn out as well as I had hoped, but I still really like it. Practice makes perfect, right? Mrs. Rene says there's some type of hair pin that's way better than bobby pins I should try. I'll have to ask her about them tomorrow. I'm thinking it would be really fun to wear this for Sunday as well- so we'll see how that goes...

That's all for today!  :)

((Notice the edge of the Superman poster-y thing. I love superheroes... well, DC Comics heroes...))

Have a blessed day!

The April.Challenge: Day 4

Today's pretty busy, as Mitchell had to take some test to see if he qualifies to CLEP out of a history college course. Of course, I'm the one who took him, plus Mom's sick from a super high fever + cold. Because of that, I went grocery shopping for some necessities that we desperately needed (ie. milk, bread, cat food, & toilet paper). Apparently, you have to be 18 to buy Nyquil (I figured as much), so she gets none of that- even if I'm less than a month away from being said age. This means I have to stop at CVS after church to grab something else that will calm her attacking sinus.
Well, I'd better hurry because it's time to leave for Paradigm! Agh!

 
Shirt- Mardel for probably around $10; It has a picture of a lion on it and says part of Revelation 5:5 on it (Though you can barely see it, which is really annoying to me. If it's gonna have a verse it should be prominent in my opinion, not hidden.)
Tank top- From Costco. I'm guessing around $5.
Skirt- The Sailor skirt from Christa-Taylor (you can visit her site through the icon on my sidebar). It was about $55, but it's totally worth it. Definitely one of my favorite skirts!

Hair- I pretty much just straightened it and left it down. It looks a little curly on the right side, but that's just my growing-out-bangs. They're continually being tucked and untucked behind my ear and thus look curly sometimes. :P

Have a blessed day!

The April Challenge: Day 3

So I lied yesterday about not going anywhere. Mom and I ended up going to the mall that evening for a few hours to look for prom dresses. That was pretty much a fail, but we've still got some different stores to hit up and Mrs. Jenna (the assistant youth pastor's wife and my Prototype leader) has two dresses she wants me to check out.
Afterward, we stopped at Barnes&Noble, though, so I got Mansfield Park by Jane Austen and Thunder of Heaven by Ted Dekker! Yay! I almost went for a C.S. Lewis book, most likely The Problem of Pain or A Grief Observed, but decided I could get those alot cheaper at Half Price Books. *sigh* I love to read!
Today there isn't much going on. I woke up late...again! I tried to set my alarm for 8am, but I have no self-discipline when I'm only half-awake and slept until lunchtime again. :( I'll get my hours back on track eventually. Today the blame goes on my cat, who decided she wanted to play fetch at 1am and meowed until I had lost any semblance of sleep I might have formerly attained. Grr. (And yes, I'm serious- my cat plays fetch.... but only when she wants to.)

Here's a rundown of today's outfit.
Shirt: From Target, I think? No idea how much it cost.
Skirt: Stein Mart, either $11 or $14

Necklace: Gift from my aunt for my fifteenth birthday (which means I've had it for about 3 years)

Glasses: The glasses store?

Hair: I just did loose, braided pigtails on each side and secured them with hair ties.

Done & Done. :)

Have a blessed day!

The Challenge: Days 1 & 2

Jenna at Feminine Farmgirl is hosting The Challenge this month and, once again, I'm super excited about it. It started yesterday (a fantastic idea- I loved seeing everyone's Resurrection Sunday dresses!), but due to having my family over most of the day, I waited until today to post the pics.
Well, let's get on with it!:
Day 1:

Dress: From H&M in France. Not sure how much it cost. It's a little uncomfortable because it's kinda small on me, but I love it still. :P Maybe it'll inspire me to lose some weight. (You'll notice it's also the same dress I wore to the Daddy-Daughter Dance a few weeks ago! :)
Necklace: Mom's pearls. I LOVE pearls!
Hair: I scrunched it and left it down for most of the day. It wasn't until afternooon that Lyla and I decided we needed 'tails' as she calls them. :)

Shoes: Heels from Kohl's I've had for probably two years now. Aren't they cute?

Day 2:

Skirt: I really have no idea where I got it. :P

Shirt: From Belk. I wanna say around $8, but I really don't remember. I've had it for a few years now too.

Glasses: Pink and Black. :) I didn't want to put in my contacts since I'm not going anywhere today.

My contacts were bugging me all day yesterday.

Hair: I just braided from the upper right to bottom left and tied it off at the nape of my neck, letting the rest lay on my shoulder. I'll admit I didn't work too hard on it, thus the messiness of it. But like I said, I'm not going anywhere today. :P

Well, that's all for today!

Have a blessed day!

A Young Maiden's Daybook Entry #24/ The Challenge: Day 7

Today… March 8, 2010

Outside my window… It's rainy and gray. I actually like it... I didn't need sunglasses for driving today either!

I am thinking… that Alice and Wonderland was pretty good, especially in Imax 3D. Did you know that it's actually called Underland??
 

I am thankful for… A fantastic family that loves me. :)

I am wearing… A long brown skirt and red polo shirt. See picture below.

I am reading… About to start both Lincoln Unmasked and Captivating.

I am creating… Cross-stitching project I've been working on.

One of my favorite things… Singing. :D

For education this week… Not as much homework as usual. Though I do have a math test. I'm really not that great at Algebra 2, either...

A keeper at home skill I am using/learning… Time management and cleaning, of course.

A spiritual lesson I’m learning… Trusting God, even when the future seems pretty scary.

A godly character trait I plan to work on… Holding my tongue.

Scripture I am memorizing… Still just reading Proverbs 31 each day.

I am praying for… God to direct my family's path and change us into who He has called us to be.

For the rest of the week… Bunches of random stuff.

A picture I’d like to share… Today is the last day of The Challenge. So I just meshed AYMD and it together. So here's my outfit and hair:

•  Shirt- Red polo from Old Navy.
• Tank top- Pink and from Old Navy, with a few paint splatters I got on it when I painted at the church.
• Skirt- the other one I bought at Stein Mart on the sale rack. Either $11 or $14.

I am not cross-eyed in this picture. I was trying to look at the camera. Since it's below me, it makes my eyes look crossed. :P

For my hair, I straightened most of it and made two braids just above each ear. I then bobby-pinned them behind each opposite ear to create a headband.

Incidentally, the one on the right was smaller than the left, so I made sure to put that one in the front.

I rather liked the effect. I thought of braiding the rest of my hair in a french braid, similar to Eve's hair in BBC's Robin Hood (I loved her hair!), but that would've taken too much time and it was easier to keep it down.

Well, The Challenge was super fun and I really enjoyed it. Now it's back to real posts about real stuff. :P I'll still wear skirts as usual though, and hopefully still come up with neat ideas for my hair. Hope y'all enjoyed getting a peek into my wardrobe, though! :)

Have a blessed day!

The Challenge: Day 6

Today has been relatively eventful, if a little tiring.
It was Missions Sunday at my church and super cool. A great sermon was taught on following Christ and many missionaries came to present their ministries.
After church, I spent the day at the Ayres' house, pretty much my adoptive sister, brother-in-law, and two beautiful nieces! We had alot of fun and even watched The Count of Monte Cristo. I really enjoy spending time with them. I love my big brother and sister and my wonderful little nieces!

• Shirt- Same as the blue and white ones I've already worn, just in a different color. Though now that I think about it, I actually think they're from Target.
• Tank top- You can't see it in this pic, but it's pink and from Old Navy.
• Skirt- I bought this just a few weeks ago on sale at Old Navy. I think it was either $11 or $14.

My hair was really just blow dried and scrunched with my fingers. I didn't really have the energy or time to do much else this morning. After church, I ended up putting it in a ponytail, though. Or as Lyla calls it, "A tail!"

And last, but not least, I wanted to show this picture of the girls sitting with "Pa", aka. My daddy.

It was really cute, but the pic came out blurry. You get the idea though.

The little beauty on the left is Lyla, and the pink bundle in his arms is a sleeping Leah.

Have a blessed day!

The Challenge: Day 5

Two more days left of the challenge.
Today was a long day. We helped our assistant youth pastor and his wife move into their new home for most of it. Kerri and I helped Jenna wash and put away the dishes- I'd say they're well on their way to having themselves all settled in their new home. Lots of people are willing to help them out as much as possible, and they're going to need it. Especially with Jenna six months pregnant!
It just reminds me that this is what the body of Christ should look like- people helping one another and being the hands and feet of Jesus. Christian hospitality. :) It brings a smile to my face each time I see it!
Well, it's late, so I'll hurry up and post today's pictures and hit the hay. I'm tired and we've got plenty going on at church tomorrow!

• Shirt- From Kohls, the guys section actually. I think it was around $5. It's red with The Flash insignia in the middle. I am a huge fan of the Justice League and love this shirt!
• Tank top- Old Navy. It's black and you can't really see it here. No idea how much it cost.
• Skirt- You can't really tell from this pic, but it's actually denim and not black, it's blue. I bought it online from Christa-Taylor (a link to her store is in the sidebar). It was $55, but totally worth the money spent. I really love this skirt and honestly try to wear it as much as possible! Totally worth the the pretty penny spent! :P

I pretty much pulled the hair back above my ears and braided that, leaving the bottom half hanging. Of course, I straightened the lower section (my hair is naturally wavy/curly). I managed to leave my bangs down.

It's not as 'neat' as it was this morning due to all the packing, washing, rocking, carrying, and generally moving about I did all day.

Speaking of which, I'm exhausted... so I'm going to bed now.

Have a blessed day!

The Challenge: Day 4

I've learned a couple of things today that are completely unrelated to the challenge. The first is that if you don't put enough flour in the cookie dough, it tends to look like boiling cookie paste after ten minutes in the oven. My brother says it still tasted good, but it looked like squashed grapes.
The second is that, in my Co-op, the general consensus on Shaun White is that he looks like a hobo. A friend of mine had a magazine with him on the cover. The boy needs to cut his hair and put a shirt on. I have nothing against him, but I think I'd like him better that way.
The third thing isn't someting I've learned, just an announcement that probably doesn't mean much to any of y'all who don't know me. My daddy's home! Dad goes on lots of business trips with his work that take him away for a few days at a time. I'd like to mention here that I hold the record for being the fastest to get to his car during these moments... and for being the loudest. :)
Now, on to the challenge:

Ignore the smudge on my left hip. The smudge is not on my shirt, it's on the mirror.

• Shirt- I think this is from Old Navy. It's the same shirt as the one I wore on Wednesday, only this one's blue.
• Tank top- From Costco. Again, the same type of tank top I wore on Wednesday, only in blue.
• Skirt- bought this at Helping Hands for $3. I really like it.

My hair's up in a simple ponytail. I'm starting to run out of ideas. :P I just blow-dried my hair and threw it up so I wouldn't be late for Co-op this morning.

On the right side, you can even see where I clipped up my bangs to keep them out of my face.

Well, there's today's clothes and hair. Now I've gotta go finish making cookies! My assistant youth pastor and his wife stayed at our house while we were in France and have had their stuff in our unfinished media room as storage. Well, they finally closed on the house they've been trying to buy and a bunch of people from church are coming over to help them move.

Gotta feed the masses!

Have a blessed day!

The Challenge: Day 3

As much as I love that skirt that Lillian bought me (the one I wore yesterday), there's the sad realization that it probably won't last as long as my other skirts. It's just too delicate with it's satin-y-ness and using a safety pin near the knee may have put a few small but ugly holes in it. I'll make it last as long as I can, though, because I dearly love it! Some friends and I even had a conversation on how it made me look like a Spanish dancer. Though one friend said it looked Indian to her. :P

Here's day 3's outfit:

• Shirt- Dark green with light birds and meant-to-be-there paint splatters across the front. In cursive on the top it says "Uncommon". This was the name of one of the Youth For the Nations bands about two years ago. It seems I get most of my shirts from the YFN merch shop.... :)
• Skirt- Again, I'm really not sure where I got this one. I'm thinking Old Navy, though. It's dark brown and ends a few inches below my knees.

For those of you wondering why it's so hard to see the bottom halves of my skirts in these pics, my bed is blocking the sunlight that comes in through the window. I keep trying to brighten the pictures, but that's not really working so well. Guess y'all will just have to use your imaginations then!

For my hair, I just pulled it back into a simple French braid and used bobby pins to pin my bangs to the side of my head. Yes, I did it myself. :P Aren't you proud? It took me forever to learn how to French braid my own hair, but I love doing it now. Have I mentioned that braids are my favorite thing to do with my hair? I just love the way they look!

Go check out Simply Sarah-Anne to find links to the other girls participating in The Feelin' Feminine Challenge! Some of these girls have some very creative genes in them. :)

Have a blessed day!

The Challenge: Day 2

I got to look at the posts of a few other girls who are participating in this challenge and they are all really cute. I love seeing the variety that this challenge brings out. It's so much fun!
Well, here's Day #2:

I think I made this one a little too small today. I'll make sure to move closer to the mirror tomorrow! :P
Here's the layout of my outfit:

• Shirt- I think it's from Target, but I'm really not sure. It's a plain white short-sleeved shirt.
• Tank top- from Costco. Mom likes to buy the little tank top sets there. No idea how much it costs either.
• Skirt- Lillian bought this for me when she went to Cancun for Christmas and I love it! It's a wrap skirt, so I have to use a safety pin on the side for just-in-case, but it's adorable and is super comfortable.
• Shoes- Again, I'm not wearing any, but I'll probably wear my brown ones when I go to church tonight. If I remember, I'll take a pic of them tomorrow just for y'all!

For my hair, I used a Conair hair thing that I've had for years. I got two different sections from just above my ears and twisted them back before tying them and clipping them together.

My bangs are finally long enough that most of them are held back by this style, so they stay out of my face! :)

It's still not too late to join the FF challenge. Quite a few girls are starting today just because they didn't know about it before now.

Sarah-Anne at Simply Sarah Anne is hosting The Challenge this month, so go check out her blog and the links to other girls who are participating in the event!

Have a blessed day!

The Challenge: Day 1

Over at Feelin' Feminine, they have started a fantastic challenge! Now, I've already participated in this before since they've been doing this for a while, but haven't gotten to do it since. It seems that the challenge days always fell on those where I wouldn't have time to participate in it.
Well not this month! I am super excited to be a part of it. Now, for those of you who have no idea what The Challenge is, it's a week-long effort where the girls who participate wear skirts every day and do their hair or makeup different each day as well. The point: reminding girls that it's fun and enjoyable to be feminine and that it's not so uncomfortable as we tend to think.
For those of us with blogs, we are encouraged to post pictures of each day and feel free to share about how the challenge is affecting you, or even where you got your clothes! :) It's just a fun event that you should consider doing yourself!
Even if you're already a full-time skirt wearer like myself, it's super fun, so don't shy away! :P

Since my camera croaked while we were in France, I had to use my cell phone for the pics. Apparently, Mom's video camera doesn't like me very much and would rather not participate in The Challenge. Spoil sport!
So here's today's outfit and hair:

Ignore the camera phone and my awkward holding of it, guys.

• Shirt- bought at Youth For the Nations a few years ago. It says, "The Best is Yet to Come". Don't remember how much it costs, but I'm gonna go with somewhere around $8.
• Pink tank top underneath. I always wear a tank top under my shirts. I got this one from Buckle. I think it was somewhere between $10-$15.
• I found the jean skirt at the local Helping Hands for a whopping $3. It made me happy.
• No shoes. You will most often find me barefoot. Even at church, I find somewhere to stash my shoes and run around without them.

Haha, my smile looks really fake in this one. Probably due to the fact that I was still frustrated with Mom's camera not working.

My hair's pretty simple today. I like wearing my hair down. I had it in a French braid all night last night, so I just took out the braid and brushed through my hair before using a headband to pull back my bangs.

Done & done.

If you'd like to participate in The Challenge, it is being hosted at Simply Sarah-Anne this month. Even if you can't post pictures, it's an enjoyable week to participate in. And maybe you have a friend with a blog? Ask if they'll do it with you and you can take pics together. :)

Have fun, y'all!

Have a blessed day!

Feelin' Feminine Challenge Day 3

See Day 2: here

Haha! I think I'm going to have a different name for the challenge thing each day. It's fun that way!

Here's today's ensemble:

Outfit- Knee-length Denim dress (from Target), black leggings, a white tank top for underneath, my pink and black glasses, and my choker that says 'Kirsten' on it. I was excited when I found that necklace because they NEVER have my name on anything! [Thanks again to Mitchell for snapping this pic!]

Makeup- Powder, light cream colored eyeshadow, and mascara.

Hair- I did it in a side ponytail with a butterfly clip to hide the ponytail holder. I left my bangs loose. You can tell they're getting pretty long, can't you? Good thing I'm getting a haircut soon so those'll get trimmed a bit.

I've really been enjoying this challenge, making sure you look a bit nicer rather than just throwing your hair up and walking out the door as is just makes my day a little brighter. And the lovely comments on here are much appreciated. I also love seeing all the other girls' cute outfits and different ways of styling her hair. And Joy from SAHMissionary definitely gets major props for the awesome ways she's been doing her daughter's hair for it! You should check those out.

Anyway, this challenge has rocked and it's not too late to join in the fun! Check it out!

Have a blessed day!

Feminine Attire Day 2

See Day 1: here

Here's today's outfit and hairstyle! :D

Outfit: I'm wearing a white shirt that Bridgette made for our Small Group. We're the Mafia, so she put an 'M' and two guns on the side. It's simple, but rockin'. I used a high necked purple tank top from Dots to wear under it. The skirt is brown (it looks weird in the picture) and I love it because it has pockets! I'm also once again wearing my pink and black glasses.

[Thanks for taking my picture, Mitchie!]

Hair: I scrunched it with two curl booster things, blow-dried it with a diffuser, and used a hair spray that is made to help keep your curls from falling.

I love it when my hair is curly. Straight hair is just kinda boring most of the time... :P

Makeup: Nada.

Have a blessed day!

The Favorite Things Event & Straight Pride

It appears that this will be a very picture-y post. Kristin (props to you for having a similar name to me!) over at The Faithful Fashionista is hosting a week of feminine dress. It started yesterday, but you're free to join any time of the week- so I'm fine.
The challenge is to wear skirts every day (that's right, pants are off-limits. Skirts only.) and do your hair differently each day as well. The challenge that originated at the Feelin' Feminine site and is intended to inspire women to dress femininely and beautifully.
Though I already wear skirts 'full-time', I'm still taking the challenge. I often just throw my hair up and put on some powder on my face and walk out the door as is. I'm going to do my hair differently each day and do the same with my makeup.
And if you don't have many skirts? You don't need a ton, just a few that you can mix up. You could also get them super cheap at Goodwill or Helping Hands or borrow a few from a friend.
Each day, post pictures of yourself in your feminine attire on your blog, or email them to Kristin (she gives contact info on her blog) if you don't have a blog of your own. Feel free to add commentary. You can post your picture and tell about the outfit- whatever you want to do.
The point is to enjoy it.

[Click the icon above to see Kristin's instructions on this week's Challenge. To see the details from the original Challenge on the Feelin' Feminine website, click here.

So here are my pics for day 1:

My outfit- Long jean skirt, blue polo, tank top with stars and stripes, and pink/light pink/black glasses. Yes, I know my face looks rather odd in this one...


Hair- French Braid with four twist-in rhinestones on left side.

Makeup- I added this pic because it shows my eyeliner, which is blue!



Also, I thought I'd take this opportunity to share with you the shirt I made last night and this morning. It's my "Straight Pride" T-shirt (as opposed to Gay Pride). I saw a 'bumper sticker' on myspace that had the Straight Pride idea, so I used the idea in making this shirt.


Let me know what you think!




* Important to Note: My shirt is not 'gay bashing' as some would likely say. It is simply defending the sanctity of marriage and showing that marriage should be between a man and a woman.
I do not hate homosexuals, I just believe that they're in the wrong and I don't condone it.

Have a blessed day!