Mint Galore

I had such a great week! So, of course that called for a shopping trip to celebrate! I FINALLY found a new navy skirt! My whole wardrobe literally revolved around my navy skirt, and it doesn't fit yet, so I felt so limited in what I could wear..but now that I have a navy skirt again, look out for some new combos! :) I will be doing a post later this week on all my new creations with my navy skirt, so stay tuned! Anyways, I wanted to share an e-mail I got last night thanking me for my blog. I was so touched and wanted to share with you why I love blogging!
Dear Lauren,
First off I want to thank you personally for your blog. You truly are an inspiration. I too am a Pastor's wife and I am still in my twenties with a one year old boy. This summer while taking our youth group to camp in Georgia, one of the Pastor's wives did a devotional on dress. I have always wore skirts to church and occasional to work. I am a first grade teacher in a public school system, so skirts are not something you see everyday. However while at camp God started to convict my heart about being an example for him. I work with a girl who doesn't believe in God. You cannot to talk to her about it because she gets very defensive. He spoke to me about being a witness to her through my dress and being different from the world. Not only to be an example to her but also to my youth girls. Which when my husband took the youth pastors position at our new church in December the girls were not wearing skirts to youth but now just by being that example they are. To make a long story short, when I got home from camp I stated searching on Pinterest modern modest clothing. I got really upset when finding clothes for camp, that I had to buy them at a store that my grandmother shopped at. I thought to myself I can look pretty and still be modest. By searching I came across your blog. You have inspired me to dress more modern but still modest. You have given me ideas that I can use in my own wardrobe. I don't consider myself to be a style guru but at the same time I don't won't to dress like my grand mother. I like to dress up and feel pretty. Thank you for listening to God and doing your blog. This truly is your mission field, and I appreciate you. Thank you for inspiring me to dress more modest and to be an example. That truly is my desire, to be a witness and example to others. My life verse is "And of some have compassion, making a difference:" ‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭22‬ KJV) that is my desire to live my life for The Lord and make a difference.

God bless,
Christie

Wasn't that an awesome testimony and super encouraging!?! Love it!
Now onto my outfits...I found this adorable Chevron dress, that is the perfect length at Ross yesterday for only $14.99! I was super excited! :) Here is how I styled it:


Dress: Ross
Necklace: Forever 21
Heels: Marshalls

I have never put purple & mint together, but on Saturday when I was getting ready, this outfit kind of just happened, and I loved it! :) My darling child broke this necklace I was wearing...I never even got to wear it out of my house. Guess that's what happens when you buy Wal-Mart statement necklaces! ;) I'm going to try to hot glue it back on though!

Top: TJMaxx
Cami: Forever 21
Skirt: Thrifted
Flats: Ann Taylor
Necklace: Wal-Mart

Annnnnnd last but not least, my little ham :) Have a great week!

Stripes & The Lily Stitch Review

Anyone that knows me, knows I love stripes! It's my favorite pattern of all time. Polka dots are up there for a close second. I just think stripes are so classy. I hate spending money on clothes that are trendy and will be out of style within a few months. But, stripes never go out of style. Thank God, because I think half of my wardrobe is striped! :)
This is my all-time favorite dress I bought from the Ann Taylor outlet a few years back. It is so versatile and I can mix and match a million different colors with it! Today, I was feeling bright and sunny, so I paired it with yellow. :)

Dress: Ann Taylor Outlet
Heels: Marshalls
Cardigan: Nordstrom Rack
Necklace: Rue 21
I had to get one with my little man since he matched me!

God blessed me with two handsome boys!

I also wore stripes this past week to school. I told you I have lots of striped items! :)

Maxi: JCPenney
Shirt: TJMaxx
Cardigan: Nordstrom Rack
Shoes: Bealls
Necklace: Fred Meyer

I was asked to review some baby items by a sweet lady named Gail, who is opening up a new Etsy shop The Lily Stitch that sells custom burp cloths, bibs, and blankets. She made my little guy a cute and very soft matching bib and burp cloth set! I loved the material and how big they were. Luke can be quite the spitter-upper so burp cloths are a MUST! I definitely recommend her products! :)

And one more Lukeygram to say good bye and thank you for reading! :) Can you believe how big this munchkin is getting!?? 10 weeks already!!! (And yes, I'm brainwashing my child to know that I'm the best! ;)

The Modern Man

If you've been following my blog for a while now, you would know my purpose is to help ladies not get stuck in the jean skirt, t-shirt, pony-tail, & tennis shoes rut...Well, I also hope by helping ladies become more modern, that their husbands feel the need to "modernize" their wardrobe as well.
I am blessed with a husband who doesn't need me to help him get dressed, actually he usually helps me get dressed! My husband was a missionary's kid to Mexico his whole life, so he didn't have nice fashionable clothes growing up. He had second-hand, Wal-Mart clothes that people gave them. When my husband moved to America to go to college, he started buying his own clothes. He starting studying GQ and advertisements to see what was in style for men. When we were in college, guys would always tell me I was dating the best-dressed man in college. I agree. He is seriously the best dressed man I have ever seen. :)
So many pastors, missionaries, and laymen are still wearing their shirts and ties from the 90s! It's not only feminine to dress nice. Men need to know how to wear a suit and pair ties with shirts. So, since I have my very own GQ model living with me, I asked him to give men some pointers on how to be modern and look sharp.
Suits

First, make sure your suit is the right size. Any major department store can measure you and fit you for the correct size suit. Your suit shouldn't overlap in the front, but it should be able to be buttoned comfortably. Your jacket should not be pulling in the back or across the front. Your pants should not be bunched up at the end, but should rest comfortably at the top of your shoe and fall to the bottom of your heel. Every man that wears suits regularly should have a gray, navy, and tan suit. Keep it simple and classic with suits!



Dress Shirts

Stay away from bright solid-colored shirts. (Especially ones with matching ties in boxes, actually stay away from ALL boxed shirts/ties!) You should have shirts that match all your suits and that are remixable with many different ties. Try to keep it to classic colors, white, blue, and light colored patterned shirts. Never dry your dress shirts. That makes the collars deformed and the color fade. Hang up and iron your shirts. Nothing worse than seeing a man in a wrinkled dress shirt.


Ties

Graphics, words, cartoons, etc... are a NO-NO! Keep it classic, with stripes, polka dots, or solids.





Dress Shoes

Square toed dress shoes are not "in" right now. Instead, look for round toed brown dress shoes. Cole Haan are the most comfortable and nicest leather. Here's an example of nice dress shoes.


Jeans/Casual Wear

Look for darker wash jeans. Make sure your jeans fit correctly. Not super relaxed, but not skinny jeans either. Find the perfect happy-medium. Currently, my favorite jeans are Buffalo Jeans. Don't forget you can always ask your wife for her opinion.



Causal Shoes

No tennis shoes with jeans! There is a difference between casual wear and active wear. Tennis shoes are meant for sports/working out. Find some nice casual brown shoes. Sperry's or Toms are a great casual shoe.