2019 Book Reading Challenge

I’ve recently started working part-time at the library (alongside some freelancing editing jobs) so, needless to say, I’ve been pretty busy. I’ve stopped making cookies for a while, but I’ve truly enjoyed taking up sewing and I’ve made four skirts (working on numbers five and six now) and some cute hair scarves.

Anyhoo, this is about my book challenge! I’ll have to do another post about sewing later!

Since working at the library, I’ve realized that I tend to stick to the same genre--YA. This isn’t surprising as I used to run a YA book blog with my besties. Recently I’ve been getting into middle grade too, which has been so fun.

But today when a patron asked me about book recommendations, I had nothing! I realized that it would do me some good to branch out into other genres and read some new things. So, of course, I googled reading challenges, but instead of using any of them, I’m making my own!

This challenge is a part of my goal to read 50 books this year. I've currently read 21, so I'm three books behind schedule. However, I'm in the middle of a few books (Girl, Wash Your Face, Because of Winn-Dixie, and The Iron Queen), so hopefully I'll catch up soon.

Here it is: Read one book each month that is out of my comfort zone.

I know that seems so simple, but I only read about three books a month, so making one of them something new seems doable. I’m a big believer in setting attainable goals, and I can definitely do this one!

I’ll be picking those six books out of these categories:

A graphic novel
A book club book (from work)
Biography
A book on the 2019 NYT Bestsellers list
Nominated for (but didn’t win) the Goodreads 2018 choice awards
A classic
A book that is also a movie
Harry Potter
Audiobook

These are all things I never read (yes, I work at a library and had a YA blog and somehow never read Harry Potter), so I’m excited to give them a try! I’m currently listening to an audiobook (Girl, Wash Your Face) while I sew, so I guess that’s a bonus one since this challenge starts in July. If I remember (and have time) I’ll share updates here!

Until next time!

Making Macarons

My sweet friend Kaleigh came over the other day and we made macarons! Since I've been wanting to do more photography with my DSLR, I pulled it out and took a few shots while we worked. The macarons didn't come out perfectly, but they were tasty and the most important part was that we had such fun making them! It's been so amazing to have a baking buddy in Hammond! Who knows what we'll bake next!

Meet our new kitten!

Meet our new kitten--Tigger! Aptly named for his color and stripes and tendency to bounce everywhere he goes. 

Casey found him at a job and the man there was on the phone with the pound trying to get them to come pick up the cat. He was meowing like crazy (it was seriously annoying) but he was just so cute. So Casey told the man he'd take him and find him a home. 

Several weeks later... and he's still here. In his home. We couldn't bear to send him elsewhere.

Tigger is currently staring at me and I can't get over how adorable he is. Except he's a little less adorable when he wakes me up around 4:00 every morning. 

Everyone always asks how Oxford feels about the situation and he pretty much hates it. By pretty much I mean completely. Oxford is not playful at all and he doesn't understand that the cat is playing and not being mean by attacking him. Because of that, he's completely wary of the cat. Sometimes Tigger will try to cuddle up next to Oxford and he only puts up with it for about 30 seconds before moving away.

Tigger's new favorite thing is outside time. Unfortunately, he loves to get under the house. We had dinner with Casey's parents this week and had to bribe the cat out from under the house before we could go eat. He's getting super sneaky about sneaking past us when we open the door, so we're having to be extra careful when we get home and let Oxford in and out.

Seeing that I've never had a kitten, it's definitely been an interesting experience, but we are loving (most of) it. He's an adorable little furball!

And here's the best part... PHOTOS!

Happy Pi Day!

I may not be a math person, but I am definitely a nerd at heart and can get behind celebrating days that combine nerdiness and sweets!

Today I was driving downtown to Courtyard Cafe to get some work done when I saw a sign that said PIE! Immediately my attention was drawn because... pie. There were tables out with fresh homemade pies, people holding signs about pie, and the kicker—they had shut down the street. Literally. They shut down the street so people could sell pies. And in that moment, I received confirmation that I live in the right town. Small towns are the best.

I didn't actually make a pie today (nor did I make one yesterday that could be consumed today), which means I'm totally slacking this year. I did, however, make a chocolate coconut cream pie last week at Casey's request, so I guess we just celebrated early. My fave pie is apple though, and, man, I'm craving an apple pie. Maybe I'll make one next week, so we'll have celebrated pi day early AND late!

Hope you're having a happy pi day!

A Day in NOLA

A few weeks ago, my bestie Julianne called and asked if I wanted to go to New Orleans with her to deliver some vintage clothes to a few of the vintage shops. Of course I said yes!

Which is how we found ourselves in Century Girl for several hours. Obviously, this is my kind of shop, since the outside is my favorite color--PINK! It's just too cute. It was so fun to sit in on the buying appointment as Julianne pulled out an entire trunk worth full of vintage clothes for the shop owner to look through. Thankfully I'd already pulled out a hot pink loungewear set to keep for myself!

After the appointment, we walked down the block to Grandmother's Button, where I bought a pair of pink sunglasses. "I would have tried to talk her out of them but they were perfect for her," Julianne later told Casey. (Not really sure why we needed to defend my purchase--I only buy cheap sunglasses!) I definitely didn't need them... but I have an affinity to acquire cheap sunglasses and probably have like 12 pairs in my car. You'd think I keep so many because they break or I lose them. Nope! I can keep a pair of sunglasses from Target's dollar bin alive for years. But I really enjoy choosing different colors based on my mood that day.

Then we had some time to waste so we popped into Deville Coffee House and Creperie. I got a hot chocolate (I try to avoid caffeine in the afternoon) and a caramel apple crepe. Oh, the crepe was divine! Now I want to convince Courtyard Cafe to add it to the menu!

After snacks/coffee, Julianne went to another buying appointment and Casey met up with me! He found a New Orleans tour app and led me on a tour of the Garden District. We popped into Garden District Books because I can't resist a book store. It was so cute!

I enjoyed taking photos of the houses along our self-guided walking tour. We both love old houses. (Which is why we love the house we're in now!)

I'm truly blessed to be married to a guy who finds the absolute best restaurants in the entire world. He found this little hole in the wall place that had PIZZA MAC AND CHEESE. Yes, the caps were necessary. It was truly one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten in my entire life. Man, I want some right now.

After the PIZZA MAC AND CHEESE, we went to Angelo Brocato for dessert, and I got my fave⸺the cream horn. I also sampled the almond pistachio gelato and that's what I'll be getting next time!

We finished off the evening with a game of putt putt in New Orleans City Park. And... I won! (This is the second time I've beaten Casey. Yes, I'm keeping a record.)

I MADE A SKIRT!

I had no idea when I wrote out my goals for this year that I would teach myself how to sew. It all started with these reusable produce bags. And it escalated quickly... I made this skirt!

I found this video tutorial and it is AMAZING. It's over two hours long and I watched the entire thing and decided I could probably do it. It's the perfect project for a sewing beginner. She teaches how to make a pattern and it's totally customizable--I made it to my measurements and the exact length I wanted it to be, which is great, because I sometimes find it hard to find skirts the length I like! I learned some new techniques, like gathering, how to hem, how to do a waistband, how to seam rip (I got lots of practice), etc.

Definitely don't look too close, because it's not perfect. BUT I'm still proud of it and I've already worn it a ton in the week and a half since I made it.

I'm now working on my second skirt. I decided to make some modifications to the original pattern. I'm moving the zipper to the back, adding two pockets, and shortening the hem half an inch. I thrifted some olive colored curtains for $6 that I'm making it with. I wanted to use cheap fabric since I'm messing with the pattern, just in case it doesn't work. Skirt number two has proved to be a major pain. I accidentally sewed the wrong sides together and had to seam rip a tonnnnn. But... it should be alright in the end! (Hopefully.)

Jumping into this sewing journey is opening up a world of possibilities! After I finish skirt number two and make sure it turns out alright with my modifications, I plan on using this fabric next. Isn't it cute?

I love fun clothes, so I'm excited to be able to make my own! I've been majorly inspired by this super fun art teacher's clothes, and hope to try out some of her ideas!

And for funzies, here's the original of that first pic. The brown wall just didn't work for me, so I turned it pink. I love photoshop!

How I Figured Out My Style

Recently I decided I wanted to really nail down my style and figure out the things I love to wear and hate to wear. That way I can rid my closet of things I don't love and add to it things I feel great in! 

When it comes to clothes, I've always had a creative style. I wore some crazy things in high school and college, and now that I'm older I sometimes call my style "boring" even though it's definitely not! It's just not as crazy as it used to be, so I guess I feel like it got "boring" sometimes. 

I love to dress cute though! I know some people prefer to just wear comfy clothes out and about (I totally feel you) but I truly enjoy putting together an outfit before I leave the house. Even if it's something I've worn a thousand times but love, it just makes me feel better and gives me confidence to start my day! And now that I've figured out what I love to wear, I truly enjoy getting dressed every day.

One of the tools that helped me figure out my style was Jayde's free wardrobe workbook and e-course. (If you don't follow @jayde_archives on Instagram, you really must. Her feed is PINK!) She curates a capsule wardrobe each season and shares it on her blog. It's so inspiring! Since she does a capsule wardrobe, she makes sure to have a color palate so all her clothes can mix and match. She has a lot of pink in her wardrobe, so I love it!

Here are some things I learned about my style thanks to the exercises in the workbook!

Things I Love to Wear

• Comfy A-line dresses that require no layering
• High waisted A-line skirts (with a top tucked in)
• Boots 
• Hats (usually a beret) and hair feathers
• Small vintage cross-body purses

Things I Don't Like to Wear

• Pencil Skirts
• Tunics (I love them, but I prefer the look of them with pencil skirts... which I don't like)
• Blazers

Colors/Patterns

My Favorite Neutrals:

• white/cream
• cognac
• denim
• black
• (not a big fan of brown, gray, or navy)

My Favorite Colors:

• blush
• burgundy
• emerald
• yellow and mustard yellow
• olive

My Favorite Patterns:

• stripes
• plaid
• floral

My Modesty Standards

I love to dress modest as a way to worship God. I also believe it is a way to honor both my husband and myself! So here are my personal standards:

• skirts and dresses that come to the knee
• nothing super tight (I love the quote: "Your clothing should be tight enough to show you're a woman and loose enough to show you're a lady.")
• I like sleeves to be several inches long (I have a scar on my arm--if it's covered, my sleeves are the right length)
• higher neckline (no further than maybe an inch and a half below my collarbone. I just know when the neckline is good for me.)
• nothing see-through
• cover neck to knee (i.e. no cut-outs)
• no jewelry except rings or watches

My Look Book

I used Jayde's suggestion to make a Pinterest Look Book. These are outfits that I would completely, totally wear that fit my style. (It is also separate from my "Style" board, which is more like inspiration rather than specific outfits I would wear. However, many of the pins on this board are similar to outfits I would wear.)

How Has This Changed My Wardrobe?

Once I realized these things, I went into my closet and took out all the things I didn't really like. Blazers are so cute... on other people. Bye bye blazers! Bye bye tunics! (Okay I kept a few lol.) I even said goodbye to a few pairs of shoes. (None of my boots, of course.)

I have since been on the hunt for more high-waisted a-line skirts. I've decided to try to thrift them, and found three new (to me) skirts in the last two weeks (one maroon, one yellow, one multicolored patterned)! I also got a cute maroon dress. It's so much easier to shop knowing what colors and styles I like wearing! I've already worn all my new things--some a few times! (Except the yellow skirt, as it is more fitting for warm weather.)

Having a closet with items I love makes it easy to create outfits since most of the colors work well together. It also convinced me to go ahead and buy some pink boots! I wear them all the time!

I was also able to create a list of items that I'm searching for to add to my closet.

To Add to my Closet:

• Perfect denim skirt (I had one, but it got stolen when I stayed in a public dorm. I'm still bitter about it!)
• New black and white t-shirts
• Tops that are comfy but look nice that I can tuck into my skirts
• A cute LSU game day outfit
• long sleeved cream colored top
• skirts in my "colors" (I scored a maroon one at Goodwill!)

Conclusion

I feel like I'm writing a paper, ending it with a conclusion. haha. Anyhoo, ultimately it's been a fun adventure working on my closet. It's so nice to have a closet with pieces I really love that make me feel amazing. And I've been having so much fun putting together outfits! 

I think it's also been nice because I recently moved and I don't feel pressured to dress like the people around me. I used to often be around people who were very stylish, but I felt like the weirdo amongst them, so it was sometimes difficult to dress the way I wanted to with confidence. Being in a new town where people don't know me... I don't even mind sticking out! In fact it's kind of fun and I often get compliments on the way I'm dressed. 

At this point I just feel like I'm rambling, so I'll quit. But I definitely recommend using Jayde's workbook and checking out her blog if you'd like inspiration to figure out your style!