30/30: One down...

One crazy blogging challenge down, one to go! I'm glad that I did NaBloPoMo again this year...I feel like my blog has been a little bit neglected, and it really spurred me to do the 30 for 30 because I knew it would help me have something to post about.  After today I still have 8 more outfits to complete, so no worries I will be back. 

Speaking of outfits...here's today's.  And I have now officially worn every piece of clothing I put in the challenge at least once.  This skirt has been a challenge, since for some reason I didn't try it on beforehand, and it was bigger than the last time I wore it, and it being grey, like pretty much everything else I picked out for the challenge, it was hard to mix with things...I think the colored tights help.

And also, I finished Hunger Games last night...it was as good as I expected.  And I downloaded Catching Fire - the second book.  You will probably find me curled up on my couch with my Kindle tonight.  I'm an addict.

29/30: I love books!

I love to read.  I'm not highly discriminatory in my book choices either.  I just love transporting myself to another world and getting lost in a good book.  When I would come home on Christmas break during college I would read constantly...maybe even 10 books.  I've been thinking lately that I need to read more and watch TV less.  I mean, I'm not cutting out any of my favorite shows, but maybe some of the ones that have gotten really bad lately (can anyone say, THE OFFICE?!?) and not watching TV just to have noise. 

Over Thanksgiving I read two and a half books.  And it was wonderful.  I finished up my book club book from last month, the one for this month, and I'm about 90% through Hunger Games.  And oh my gosh - if you haven't picked that last one up, you should.  I've had it on my Kindle for a few months now, and I just haven't been doing much reading.  It's the first in a trilogy. I started it last night, and read it on the plane this morning, and on my lunch break.  I will most definitely finish it tonight. 

And today's outfit.  Yes, the red sweater was worn Saturday.  With totally different people.  And as I was trying to get my suitcase zipped at 4:45 this morning, it was imperative that I wear the things that would take up the most room...aka the sweater and the boots.  The the aforementioned hour at which I woke up to catch a flight this morning can explain my overall appearance this evening.

28/30: I Love my Family

 

 

 I'm sure you know this...but my family is great.  I have loved spending the last several days just pretty much hanging out with them.  An article in the Amarillo magazine came out about my dad and the organization he does all of his work overseas through today. I loved sitting and reading it.  I didn't need another reminder of why I am so thankful for my parents and the way they raised me, but if I did, this would have been a great one! I wish you could all see the full article in the magazine, with all the pictures and everything.  They do at least have the article online...you can find it here.

And no outfit picture today.  I stayed in my running clothes until about 4:00, when I showered and put on lounge around the house clothes.  I'll resume the craziness tomorrow!

27/30: Today

Another great day at home.  We...

...bottled and brewed some beer.

....decorated some birthday cake.

...grilled on and enjoyed the fire pit.

And now we're headed to church and then to celebrate Tina's birthday.  Wearing this:

26/30: In a Tweet

I saw this on a blog I read and couldn't help but copy it.  Describe yourself. In 140 characters or less (the length of a tweet).  Here's mine:

Single girl. Loves God. Strives to know His will and who He made me to be. Compassionate, loving, growing, serving, ever-changing, His.

What's yours?



And today's outfit:

25/30: Thankful Thursday

Thanksgiving Edition. In pictures.  I'm thankful for this whole day and all I'm so privileged to be a part of!

 Dad & Eddy celebrating Tina's 50th at the Turkey Trot.  It was 20 degrees.  And yes, dad's hat says "Tina is Old".  He opted for that over a t-shirt.

 Birthday girl and her oldest!

 Mom and her homedog, Angela

 Sauer and Welch girls! (Michelle, Angela, Deborah, Donelle, Rebekah, me, & Valerie)

 Dressing - my favorite!

 Deb - making delicious sweet potatoes.

 Dessert

 Sisters

Pretty.

And the outfit.  The boots were only on for pictures, but you know.  :)

24/30: Amarillo by Morning.

Or really, Amarillo by evening.  But I'll take what I can get.  After work today, I will be hopping on a plane and headed to Amarillo to spend the rest of the week and weekend with my family.  And I am SO, beyond ready. Ready to eat, and rest, and just hang out with the fam!

For my traveling outfit, we have this.  Trying to not have to pack the boots in the suitcase and deal with the fact that it is almost 80 degrees in Dallas, but will quickly be approaching the 30's when I get to Amarillo tonight.  Yikes!

23/30: Harry Potter Excitement

Tonight is the night - I get to see Harry Potter.  And I am so, so, very excited about it!  In case you're wondering, I LOVE the whole Harry Potter series.  I've read the books (multiple times), and when the last movie came out, I went to the midnight showing opening day.  I waited a few days for the dust to settle this time, but I am SO ready to see it.  I've heard it's great!

Here is today's outfit.  I've never worn it with jeans before, which makes me excited - I love wearing things I wouldn't have necessarily put together before this challenge!

22/30: Where would I be?

Yesterday was such a full day - both literally and figuratively.  I was at church most of the day for different things and when I wasn't, I was with my roommate and/or friends.  It was pretty much busy non-stop, but I was continually reminded of God's work in my life and how everything I've done, everywhere I've been, every step I've taken has been because He working in my life.  I really couldn't have asked for a better day.  And to top it off, Mike (our senior high director) presented the gospel at Shoreline last night.  And I got to pray with a girl who is pretty new to our church to accept Christ.  Talk about a cool ending to a great day! Looking back on the day - the chorus of a song we sang yesterday morning couldn't be more fitting!

Where would I be without my Savior

Where would I be without His unending mercy.

I have life because His life was laid down.

I won't look back now.

And today I am officially halfway through the 30 for 30 craziness!  I was pretty wiped out from my non-stop weekend, so I went with an easy, go-to kind of outfit.  And, there's no way I could have put on a sweater, since the high here today is about 80 degrees.  Ewww.  That's all I have to say about that.

21/30: O Christmas Tree

Last night a couple of friends came over and helped Jen and I decorate the Christmas tree.  It was a fun night. We watched Aggie and a little Baylor Bear football and just enjoyed each others company.  Thanks Alex & Shawn for your help!!!!

 Cheesy tree-trimming pictures!

 

 I was having some star issues.

Alex is a goof ball!!

And I took advantage of the tree for the outfit picture today.

20/30: Showering Nat

This has been a great weekend so far, and it's only Saturday afternoon.  The relief I was looking for has definitely happened.  This morning Sarah, Michelle & I carpooled over to a shower for Natalie.  It was really fun celebrating Natalie, meeting people from other parts of her life, and just spending time with friends.  Here's some pictures from the day.

 Nat & Sarah hanging with Mr. Brody.

 Nat's high school friends and her aunt.

 This little boy is a snuggle bug!

College roomies!!!

I've been waiting to wear this great dress, but it's too short for work.  Today seemed like the perfect opportunity.  I love it, but I didn't realize quite how short it was until I saw it in pictures!

19/30: Sweet Relief

Relief is coming for so many things.  Relief from the sinus infection - thank you drugs.  Relief from the busy week - thank you Friday.  And relief from the go, go, go of like - thank you Thanksgiving break. 

I am absolutely ecstatic that it is Friday.  I haven't felt the need for a Friday so bad in a while.  I'm sure being sick hasn't helped that in the least.  But here we are.  We made it.  And I can't wait to crash out with sweet little Harper tonight while her mommy and daddy go out to dinner.  And celebrate Natalie's wedding at a shower for her tomorrow.  And even put up my Christmas tree! (I know this is controversial. And I still love Thanksgiving and am not skipping it.  I just don't really have any time to do it after I get back from Thanksgiving). And spend some time with good friends!  So relief, the weekend, I am so glad you're here!

Today, I wanted nothing more than to put on a Chili's t-shirt (since that's acceptable work attire) and call it a day.  But I stuck with the rules, and put on my comfy J. Crew tunic.  I mean, it's probably even more comfy than a t-shirt.  So here you are, my very little thought or effort outfit.

18/30: Thankful Thursdays

Tonight, I'm thankful for:

• God's provision in my life.  I have a house.  I have food to eat at every meal.  I have a job.  I really do have everything I could ever need.
• The sinus infection finally starting to go away thanks to some lovely antibiotics.  
• And most of all, that this time next week I will be at home with all of my family.  Can. Not. Wait.

And today's outfit.  Another day with tax lawyers and accountants, another day figuring out how to dress semi- business like when my wardrobe is pretty much devoid of business casual anymore.  Today I actually wore things from my 30 for 30. Yay!  I love this dress.  Deborah gave it to me for Christmas last year and I've already gotten a ton of wear out of it! Today was really cold this morning, so I added the scarf and the cardigan.  And really, it was so cold inside our meeting that it didn't come off until this afternoon when I got in my car.

17/30: Daily Stops

There are some blogs that I visit daily. Okay, maybe more than some.  I can't help it.  I'm addicted.  And, of course, they come from a wide range of interests.  Food blogs, healthy living blogs, style blogs, sewing blogs, house and decorating blogs, and many more.  And this is in addition to reading all my friends who have blogs (see sidebar). So, I thought I'd introduce you to some of my favorites, in case you've never seen them.

• The Pioneer Woman, of course.  I mean, if you haven't heard of her, go.  Now.
• Eat, Live, Run.  Food blog/healthy living.  Jenna is one of my favorite stops.  Probably because in addition to healthy food, she has plenty of dessert recipes to balance it out.
• Young House Love. Obviously, home & decorating.  I like it because they live in an old, ranch style home like me.  And they have great taste and decorate with things that I would really buy.  It's fun!
• Under the Sycamore. Her name is Ashley.  She has a lot of mom/kid stuff, but she also has a ton of cute crafty, DIY, and photography things.
• Annie Blogs.  She's a writer.  Lives in Nashville.  About my age. Single.  Crazy, awesome heart for the Lord.  She has a book coming out.  And I just like her writing.
• MADE.  Pretty much my favorite sewing blog.  Even though a lot of her stuff is for her kids.  Always so, so cute!
• Kendi Everyday.  Obviously you've heard about this one from me, but it definitely has caused me to recently add style blogs to the list of the kinds I read.
• (never home) maker.  Another healthy living.  Great recipes, and a lot of stuff about running, which I enjoy.

Okay, I could keep going, but I'll stop.  And move on to today's outfit.  Really wanted to wear the pink H&M sweater.  Also really wanted to wear my black pant/tights, but once I got it on, I felt like in order to wear it to work I needed to have on something over the sweater.  Never, ever would have mixed these two, but I kind of like it.  And I kind of don't.  I can't really decide.  But it's what I'm wearing, regardless.

16/30: Mama's Cornbread Dressing

Last night I made dressing for a Thanksgiving potluck at work. I don't think I'll ever be able to make dressing without thinking about Mama.  I know most everyone has a dressing recipe, but in case you don't, here's a look at making my Mama's recipe:

What you need:

2 packages of cornbread mix, prepared
1/2 package white bread (dried, or toasted if you're last minute like me)
8 eggs
2 boxes chicken stock (approximately)
2 onions, chopped
celery, chopped
poultry seasoning (about 2 tablespoons)
sage (about 1 tablespoon)
salt and pepper to taste

First, you chop up the onions and celery and saute them in a little butter.  Ignore the fact that there's no celery in my picture...I kind of forgot it.

Next, tear the bread and crumble the cornbread into a very large bowl.

Then add the onions, eggs, and chicken stock until it's a bit soupy.  Then season to taste.

Then stick it in the oven at 350 for a long while - 45 minutes or an hour.

Then bake until it's cooked up and brown on top.

Today's outfit. It's a bit monochromatic, but I ended up liking it.  I do wish I could have found a colored cardigan before this 30 days of no shopping began.  I went in Target yesterday to pick up a few things and had to avoid the clothing section like the plague for fear that I would walk out with something I shouldn't!

15/30: Hanging in...

So, I'm still feeling the sinus infection.  Yuck.  I finally called the doctor this morning and got an appointment for tomorrow morning.  Yay!

Random what-I'm-learning-right-now moment: God never leaves or changes.  I know, pretty basic stuff.  But it keeps hitting me.  We've been talking about it a little at community group.  I've been reading Hosea - talk about a reminder that the Lord is ALWAYS there.  And there are some harsh words used in there about how He feels when we choose to walk through life apart from Him.  All that to say, I've been encouraged and reminded and thankful that our God is always the same, He never lets go of us, and He never stops welcoming us back whenever we come to our senses after walking away.  Thank goodness!

And today's outfit.  This is one of my favorite sweaters.  I pretty much always feel cute when I wear it.  And I needed the extra help today - you know, with it being Monday and feeling blah.

14/30: Sad, sad game

So, while the game didn't quite turn out the way I would have liked for it to I had a blast hanging out with my friends and getting to do a few of my Waco favorite things!  We stopped in West for kolaches, got Common Grounds, saw the bears, browsed the book store for t-shirts, and then headed to the game.  We stopped by my aunt and uncle's tailgate and then went and enjoyed the first half and suffered through the second half of the game.  (I did anyway, I think Jen's scenario might have been reversed). 

Katie, Michelle & me

Jen, Steph, Katie

Roommates!

And today's outfit.  I got home from Waco really late and got up for church and just threw on some clothes.  I haven't been feeling the best today...I think it's a sinus infection. So, isn't the most exciting outfit, but it will totally do.  

13/30: Sic 'em scarf

My dear friend Sarah knows that I love crafty projects, so she sent me this tutorial a couple of weeks ago.  I am heading to the Baylor v. A&M game this afternoon, so I decided this week would be the perfect time to make a Baylor scarf.  I will most definitely be wearing it to the game this evening.  Oh, and it is really easy to make if you like it!

And here's what I've been wearing today to run errands, I figured I should tone down the Baylor spirit while I ran in the mall and Joann's.  Don't worry, the mall was to return things, not to do any shopping.