Author: Natalie

Sequins & Cords

I’m just not sure. Not sure at all.
Well, I mean, I’m sure I love sequins, corduroys, and ruffled wool cardigans.

I’m also entirely sure that I love the color combination of mint and cantaloupe/peach.  
Totally a winner.

But here’s what I’m not sure of: 
“BE STILL before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”  
Psalm 37:7a

To be still. To be patient. These are virtues that are utterly difficult for this stubborn, hurting heart of mine. 
But these are virtues He is calling me to. 
He is inviting me into His presence as I wait. 
He invites His darlings to come, and wait, and watch.
To hope.
To expect miracles. 
To adore Him in silence. 
To pour out the oil of our inner hearts by worshipping Him in presence and patience.
Not to be doormats. Not to be unable to make decisions. Not to be silenced. 
But to be laying down control, so we may pick up contentment.
I want now. But You want WHOLE for me. I want here. But You want BEST for me. I want more. But You want ALL for me.
My stubborn, selfish heart wants now, here, and more.
Father, You have whole, best, and all for me. 
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven.” 
Ecclesiastes 3:1

May I wait with purpose, patiently, in your presence, pouring out my spirit so that I may be filled with Yours.

Sister Sunday: Girl Versus Dough

I really love this idea that Kristin at Lily&Light (she’s on my sidebar this month, YAY!) came up with, as a way to celebrate, collaborate, and create community: Sister Sunday. It’s a special post dedicated to another blogger that you admire and want to share. So who better to share than my actual Sister (ok, in-law, if we wanna get technical), who also happens to be my Minnetonka Thunderbird Mocassins twin? Love it. 

Girl Versus Dough & Good Girl Style aka Stephanie & Natalie
Stephanie is a foodie blogger and a great photographer, and I happen to have it on good authority that she’s also pretty great as a teammate for Trivial Pursuit, she makes a delicious cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, and not only do we have matching mocs, we have matching coats. Oops. Slash awesome. 
Oh, and did I mention when I ask her to jump and reach for the giant Medieval-y chandelier so I can take a picture, she does it?
Yeah, awesome. 
Pop on over and say hello to my sister-in-law Stephanie! 
Happy Sunday!
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Valentine’s Day Dress

What would a Valentine’s Day be without a pretty red or pink dress? I’m all about dressing like the particular holiday, ha. I think it’s my Minnesota heritage, where all of the ladies wear seasonal sweaters and sweatshirts year-round. I just choose vintage-y dresses and fake-fur jackets in seasonal colors instead.

I tried this rose-gold makeup (love it!). Light, sparkly, pretty.
Seriously, over the past few weeks I have gone to Starbucks THREE times asking for Valentine’s cups. They don’t have any this year 🙁 Bummer. But at least from 2-5pm their Vanilla Latte and Mocha are Buy One Get One Free. And all Caribou Coffee drinks are if you print their online coupon. So that’s a bit of a caffeine consolation.
Some of my previous Valentines links…

And a reminder…
“Set your heart on things above…” 
Col. 3:1
Have a beautiful day and evening, friends!
Let your heart be light <3

Triple Hot Chocolate

I might have gone a little bit too far. Three chocolates in one cup of cocoa?
Yeah, no, that’s not too far, what was I thinking?

Besides it’s Valentine’s Day.
The day that begs you to eat fancy chocolates and drink fancy hot chocolate and get dressed up fancy and celebrate love. I don’t want to hear from the haters because I think that sounds AWESOME and I’m totally all about it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not about the tacky Mylar balloons and guys buying gas-station roses & candy-bars last minute. I’m not about a “perfect boyfriend who has to show me he loves me.”
Nope. In fact, totally single.

But a day to celebrate love? It’s like they asked me what sort of holiday I’d like to create, and I said: one that revolves around getting dressed up (or staying home in pajamas), going out for a nice dinner (or eating takeout on the couch with a sappy romantic movie, or grabbing some pink champagne with some of my girls), a good snuggle (be it with hubby, boyfriend, dog, cat, or stuffie), chocolate, roses, and perhaps a little something sparkly-blingy (or totally practical–my grandma gave me a six-pack of socks this year. legit.). Can you think of anything to add to my perfect day(s)? Me neither.

And don’t forget to spread the love–friends, moms, grandmas, co-workers, the kiddos–they all deserve some Valentine’s day treats. And they totally deserve some of this hot chocolate.

Triple Chocolate Hot Cocoa
{by Good Girl Style}
Makes 1 large mug

1 1/2 cups chocolate milk
2 heaping TBSPs. cocoa powder
Dash salt
Splash of vanilla 
1-2 tsps. powdered sugar (or to taste)
Chocolate Whipped Cream (from a can OR here OR make regular whipped cream and add sifted cocoa powder and powdered sugar to taste)–yes there is chocolate whipped cream on mine, it just melted in perfectly 🙂

Heat on the stove, whisking constantly, until thoroughly mixed and hot. Pour into mugs and top with the whipped cream.

Peach and Fair Isle

A pretty peach dress and a big old fair isle sweater. Perfect for a cold, sunny day. 
These are merino wool tights and they keep me nice and toasty! Love them so  much! 
And such a pretty bubble necklace. 
Halfway through the week, my friends 🙂
Almost Valentine’s Day!
It stays light until almost 6 o’clock!
Happy things 🙂

inCourage Session 2

I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that it is Mid-February. But that’s OK, I’m surely not complaining! And I’m very excited to announce it is time for Session 2 of inCourage communities to launch! You can read more about Session 1 here. 
Julie and I are co-leading a group on Christian Singleness for women.
What exactly are (in)Courage Community sessions? (in)Courage is one of the ministries of DaySpring, and they rock! They help us hostess a series of 40 community group sessions on different ‘seasons’ of life, different journeys and places along the Christian road, and asking leaders to encourage others along the way. They paired me up with Julie. Julie and I…well, we’re single girls, and we have been for awhile. We’re different ages and stages in our own lives, and we live on opposite sides of the country. But we’re excited to be building a community of like-minded women who want to approach Christian single-ness, not on tiptoes around stigma, but by embracing it with a heart of compassion and purpose.

The second session runs February 12-April 28th and doesn’t require any commitment from you. That just means that Julie and I will be actively participating in our group, offering encouragement in our unique ways, and seeking to connect with you. This is all so exciting!

(Friend us and we’ll approve you right away!)
We can’t wait to get to know you. 

Psst….If our group/season of life isn’t the one for you, find the rest of them here!


What to Wear: Snowshoeing

It’s winter, which means we have two options: 1.) Stay indoors as much as possible huddled under a mountain of blankets, constantly clutching at a mug of hot chocolate, or 2.) Go outside, have some adventure, and then come home and huddle under a blanket with hot chocolate.

Snow shoeing is great fun, great exercise, and a great adventure. But are you wondering what to wear snowshoeing? Or is it snowshoing? That just looks super weird, so I’m making an executive decision to stick with the e. Let me break it down for you:

What to Wear Snowshoeing


Boots & Snowshoes: These are your most important items! Make sure you wear STURDY, actual winter boots. Fashion boots won’t work here…this is an actual sport activity, and the snowshoes need a solid foundation to attach to, so wear a thick-soled heavy-duty snowboot. It’s a great idea to have your snowshoes fitted professionally at the sporting goods store, because they vary by length and weight, so you’ll want to be sure to get a pair that works for your weight and size. If you’re renting snowshoes, they will help you with this when you get there.

Socks: You want wool. I can’t stress this enough. When it comes to snowshoe gear, socks are important since your feet will be doing a lot of the work and, therefore, you’ll be sweating. So wool is key because it wicks moisture and naturally regulates body temperature. Try to avoid cotton which will only trap sweat, cool, and make your feet cold. My favorite socks are DarnTough, but any merino wool sock will work.
Base Layers/Long Underwear: I know its not cool to talk about “long underwear” so we’ll call it “base layers” and be hip, yeah? Even though it’s still totally long underwear. Wool or silk are the best here, as again, they naturally regulate body temperature and wick away sweat, while still allowing your skin to breathe. Trust me, I’ve tried synthetic base layers. Stick with natural fibers, such as SmartWool or WinterSilks. You’ll most likely want a top and bottom.
Pants: Ski pants are your best bet. Snowshoeing is hard work, and you might fall in the wet snow. Do not try to snowshoe in jeans; they will get cold, wet, and stiff very fast. Stick with something waterproof and athletic. 

Fleece Jacket: I love a good, classic Northface fleece jacket. If it is a warm day, this might be all you need, since you’re bound to work up a sweat while snowshoeing. But better to have a coat or shell, too. 
Coat or Shell: If you have a fleece jacket, you may only need a water & windproof shell. Or you may decide to forgo the fleece jacket and wear a coat instead. Whichever combination you choose, remember to keep your temperature regulated, and, if necessary, remove layers or vent layers. 
Hat or Balaclava: Depending on the day, a hat may do you just fine. Or you may need to add a balaclava (a hood that covers part of your face, too) if it is particularly cold or windy. 
Scarf: A scarf is a great addition to your outfit, not only for color, but also to pull up over your face and nose if the wind starts to blow or you go through a colder, shaded area.

Gloves/Mittens: You may be using poles when snowshoeing if your path is uphill or strenuous, so gloves or mittens with a grippy palm are useful. Otherwise, I personally prefer mittens. My hands are especially sensitive to the cold, and after testing dozens of gloves and mittens, I find my hands are almost always warmer in mittens. A few handwarmer packets might be helpful, too.
Sunglasses/Sunscreen: Snow is white. The sun reflects off white things. Directly into your eyes and on your face. Remember to wear sunscreen and bring sunglasses.

To help you, I’ve pulled together an Amazon store of some great winter layering pieces for snowshoeing*. They’re also great for skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, sledding, or any other winter sport activity. 

Get out there, go adventuring, and have fun!
*(Good Girl Style is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com)

Coffee Date Vlog 4

Happy Friday!
And now the random things!
1.) Seriously, if you haven’t tried the snacks from yesterday’s post, I highly recommend them all! I love being a small blogger because it means I can write about whatever I want…including SNACKS!

2.) I saw Lee Strobel speak this week. Y’know,
The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus (and Case for a Creator, Case for Easter, etc.) author? So that was kinda cool. Until he walked by me and sis-in-law taking photos in the hallway with my remote and the camera stacked on a bunch of random stuff as we dissolved into giggles over trying to get a picture (of us, not him). So that was kinda awkward.
3.) Some people are getting Emerald Green and Kelly Green confused, even major fashion bloggers. Emerald Green is the 2013 Color of the Year and it is a jewel-tone, meaning it is dark, saturated, and rich-looking with a blue undertone. Kelly Green on the other hand is much brighter and yellower.

I love them both, but I just had to get that off my chest. Stepping off soapbox now.
4.) I sure hope no one ever looks at my Google Search History. Because I seriously just Google-d “How to Sell Your Life Story for a Movie.” Yep. 
5.) You guys, “We Bought a Zoo” is no longer available at my RedBox. How do they expect me to watch it, HUH? I would like to know!!!!!!!!!! #caffeinecrazy
Over and out, my friends! Have a great day!
(Linking up with Rags to Stitches!) 
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