Author: Natalie

Resist It

Lately there’s a song that’s just been playing over and over in my head. Jason Reeve’s “Old-Fashioned Letters” (it’s sad so don’t say I didn’t warn you!) and there is one line…
“I want to run, but I resist it.”

Ugh, goodness gracious this line. I want to run, but I resist it. You know it takes a lot of effort to run, but it seems to take MORE effort to stay. 
Staying is hard. 
Waiting is hard. 
Being in a difficult transition, with no direction, and a whole lot of anxiety–yeah, staying there is hard.

When the big things are out of whack, I need to learn to be better at leaning into them. Leaning into HIM, leaning into the Word, and leaning into the waiting. 
Because waiting?

It’s actually refinement.

And I always wanted to a refined lady, polished and graceful in the waiting.

😉

xo
Natalie

Grace

{new dress that was on crazy-clearance at TJ Maxx. It was a size medium so I sewed it up to a small 🙂 The lace on the top has gold threads through it!)
I’ve been thinking about grace lately. 
I’ve been having some hard thoughts about grace lately. 
We talk a lot about seeking grace (an unmerited pardoning of our transgression or shortcoming).
But we seem to think that grace just IS and it’s always there and it’s free and we can take as much as we need for every little thing. 
{Who needs a wind machine when you’ve got the real thing?!}
Which is mostly true. Grace is free and available to us. But I don’t want us to forget that it was not free for God. God? Yeah, He PAID that price. He sent His only son to DIE on the cross for us. 
And to rise again. 
That is the reason we have grace. 
Grace is powerful. 
Grace should be transformative in our lives. 
So here’s what I propose: instead of shouting “grace” over ourselves, let’s not claim grace without going to the GIVER of GRACE and being on our knees before Him for a moment. 
Isn’t that the point of grace?

To point us back to God?

To be grace-filled by the giver of all good things, so that we, too, may go out into the world and give grace to others. 
{now I’ve got the doxology in my head. anyone else? #praiseGodfromwhomallblessingsflow}
Your thoughts on grace?
xo
Natalie

Blue Suede Boots, Baby!

Heeeeeeeeey guys! 🙂
Oh heeeeeeeeey blue suede boots, baby!

Oh heeeeeeeeeeeey giant new awesome sunglasses!

Oh heeeeeeeeeey blue makeup and waves in my hair!

I think I like all of these things quite a lot. 

Don’t you agree?

The perfect mix of summer and impending autumn. 
(you’ll be seeing a lot of these boots, I imagine. in. love. with. them.)
Happy Wednesday, friends!
Natalie

Monday Dress & Vlog

Loved this outfit! Perfect for church and Sunday errands. So cozy, comfy and cute. Latte-colored dress & shoes that look like pointe shoes! 

{walkin’ on a log cause it’s a fall thing to do}
{shoes + pointe shoes}
Vlog for a Monday like a BOSS: 
Don’t mind me…just being silly. 
Have a great week! 
xo
Natalie

The Learning Curve

It’s Back to School time!

So here I am wearing a “teacher outfit” and my herringbone blazer, always the first thing I pull out when Fall comes around. 
Fall always brings its own learning curve, I find, whether or not you’re going back to school. We’ve all got to buckle down a bit, find a new routine, work on those New Year’s Resolutions that went by the wayside and somehow find their way into our guilty conscious again come September…
So many people in my life are starting new jobs, new degree programs, and new adventures. I have my own set of mountains to climb this fall.
But all good things. We must always be learning in order to keep growing and moving. Once we stop learning, we’re in trouble for sure! And I don’t know about you, but I always try to avoid detention 🙂 
xo
Natalie
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Categorized as outfits

Monday Vlog and #SavetheDriveIn

Vintage 1950s romper over jeans.
Perfect Drive-in movie outfit.
Let’s talk about something I’m passionate about for a sec: 
I LOVE drive-in movie theaters.

I am such a sucker for nostalgia, romance, and the 1950s-60s. Only trouble is, the big movie houses have decided to stop issuing first-run movies on 35mm film, which means nearly every single one of the 360-ish drive-ins left will have to either close forever or upgrade to a digital projector. The big problem with that scenario? Digital projectors cost around $80,000 each. 
Honda created the #SavetheDriveIn campaign to raise awareness of the issue, raise funds for drive-ins, and to give away FIVE projectors free to the drive-ins with the most votes. You can raise funds, raise awareness, and VOTE for your LOCAL or favorite drive-in HERE. You can vote two ways (text and online) DAILY.
I went to my local drive-in this weekend. Support yours. And by the way, don’t try to sneak in your own snacks…drive-ins pay a premium to show the films and often make hardly anything (if anything) on ticket sales. They make their operating costs from the snack stand. So those $2.50 Snow Caps I bought? Just keepin’ my local drive-in afloat for the next generation. I also let them keep the change on my ticket price towards the new projector. Drive-Ins are part of Americana I feel strongly we should try to save. I don’t know about you, but I want to be able to bring my family to a drive-in. 
Everyone, Labor Day weekend may be the last weekend of your local drive-in. Ever. Go show them your support and maybe even let them keep the change from your ticket price towards the cost of a new projector. 
Blogger friends, please let your readers know about this! Together let’s #SavetheDriveIn
(PS This is totally just something I’m passionate about and this post is in no way sponsored or anything like that)

xo
Natalie
Published
Categorized as outfits, vlog

Revitalize Part 5

This week I have been sharing a few of the specific things that have helped me get out of a slump!

Today?

Friday:

SLAY YOUR DRAGONS FIRST THING


photo from entrepreneur

When you’re in a slump, even the smallest tasks can feel like the landscape in the Dr. Seuss illustration above…heading nowhere, a difficult slog over mountains and valleys…tough. That’s why making a conscious effort to “slay your dragons first thing” is so important. When you accomplish one monster task first thing in the morning, you set yourself up for success. You give yourself a little confidence boost. And since it’s first thing in the morning, there’s not time for worry or anxiety to build and paralyze. Yesterday I had to get my car inspected and I was dreading it. So I went first thing in the morning, and you know what? I had a great time, laughed with the mechanic, and felt empowered for the rest of the day, rather than brooding over an item on my to-do list. It’s like a productivity domino effect 🙂 I love this image above…I think from here on out I’m going to call it a “Ta-Da!” list 🙂
You can do it, friends!
xo
Natalie

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Categorized as musings