Natalie - Natalie Wise Blog

Summer

70s pink sunglasses.

Summer summer summer.

And now I’m going to resume blasting me some Taylor Swift while I figure out what to wear tomorrow.

And I’m going to paint my nails.

Blue? Yellow?

Because I may not be 14 anymore, but it’s still summertime.

xo,

Cherry Earrings

This is actually an action shot…see the flower in my hand in motion? But I liked it for some reason.

Color & pattern.

How cute are these?

Also, my grandma and I are sharing these earrings.

Because she has a cherry-themed outfit and needs to borrow these.

Legit.

And I think it’s totally awesome.

{waves to grandma!}

xo!

Happiness

Gosh vacation makes me feel so happy.

Mint green makes me feel so happy.

Family makes me feel so happy & loved.

Coffee definitely makes me feel happy.

Doesn’t it feel good to be happy?

To feel loved, happy, and free inside your heart?

You know what I mean?

For such a long time, I didn’t know what that freedom inside my heart felt like, even though I still thought I was “happy”.

But freedom? It feels different from happy. It is this amazing mix of calmness from such a deep well, and this utter freedom to explore and dream and do and love…to shine for Christ…nothing holding you back inside your heart.

It’s utterly stunning to experience.

And it’s only from Christ that I can ever say I feel freedom in my heart.

Only, ever, always Jesus.

Words for my heart:

Words for your heart:

“Let your love, God, shape my life

with salvation, exactly as you promised;

Then I’ll be able to stand up to mockery

because I trusted your Word.

Don’t ever deprive me of truth, not ever-

your commandments are what I depend on.

Oh, I’ll guard with my life what you’ve revealed to me,

guard it now, guard it ever;

and I’ll stride freely through wide open spaces

as I look for your truth and wisdom;

Then I’ll tell the world what I find,

speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.

I cherish your commandments-oh, how I love them!–

relishing every fragment of your counsel.“

Psalm 119:41-48

{the message}

These words, my dear ones.

Let these words soak your spirit in healing and encouragement.

There’s not much more I can say, because those words feel so weighty and yet so weightless to my heart tonight.

Attitude

Howdy, ya’ll!

I just felt like saying ‘Howdy’ for some reason.

How much fun attitude does this outfit have? It feels sort of Sandy-in-Grease-has-her-moment, ya’know?

Only without leather.

Anyway.

These light pink pearls were a gift from my parents after my first ballet company performance, waaaay back.

The over-shirt is my mom’s. So are the shoes. And the shirt.

But the attitude? That’s mine. Yeah, that’s allllllllllllll mine.

Actually I don’t have any attitude.

In fact, I’m smiling in the pictures.

But the outfit has attitude.

Don’t you think?

xo!

Avocado Chicken Salad

This is a super, super easy, and super delicious summer lunch, inspired by one of my favorite restaurant salads.

Simplicity:

1.) Pile beautiful fresh greens on a plate.

2.) Halve an avocado, and put one half on the plate.

3.) Whip up some chicken salad with whatever you have on hand, and scoop it into the avocado half.

4.) Grab some veggies if you have some (carrots, cherry toms, and cucumbers are perfect here), and throw those on (obviously I was low on veggies this time around, oops).

5.) Make or buy a delicious champagne vinaigrette, and serve alongside.

6.) Eat all together–a bit of salad, a bit of chicken salad, and a bit of avocado, all dipped in dressing. Mmmmmmm!!!!

I should have made this again tonight. Instead, I decided in my brilliance to turn on the oven and bake a pizza. And then I burnt my $6 gluten-free pizza to a crisp, all while turning my house into more of a sauna than it is already. So take my advice: on a hot summer evening: make this chicken salad! It’s perfect!

xo!

Happy & Skippy

{yet again, these shorts WERE ironed at the beginning of the day, fyi}

Screen-star style! Give me a touring car and let’s hit the roads of Monaco!

Since I’m fresh off my “It’s raining” kick, I won’t go on a new, “It’s hot” kick. But, just for the record: it’s really, really hot outside.

Aaaaaaand moving on.

This outfit makes me happy and skippy. As in, wanting to skip instead of walk.

I love this outfit because it’s simple but punchy, and modern but retro. All of the pieces are new (ie. not vintage), and the colors are modern, but the whole look has a definite retro vibe.

Almost the weekend!

xo!

Weeknight Project: Chevron Weekly Planner

I love that Weeknight Projects are usually super cheap or free. This one? $1 or free if you happen to have a cork board laying around. I grabbed mine at the dollar store.

Use masking tape to tape off some lines for your border. I made my border 1″ all around.

Then, I freehanded my chevrons with a simple white paint pen. It’s a good idea to let this dry outside, as those paint pens aren’t necessarily good for the brain cell count…y’know?

When it’s dry, you can use it to pin up pictures, inspirations, or a calendar page. I love, love, love this perpetual calendar that was gifted to me, and thought it would be a perfect way to organize my week at a glance.

“do something creative every day” ~ Great motto!

Cute flower thumb-tacks, with twine attached to my pink pen so I can keep track of all of my upcoming events!

And “all of my upcoming events” are a LOT, so it’s a good thing I’ll be organized!

Whatever happened to that whole “lazy summer” idea?!

xo!

Little Heart

I felt like blogging a little something extra tonight, my dears. Some might call that procrastination; I prefer to think of it as generosity. #tomatotomahto

I had an empty, sad little spot under my calendar wall that needed a bit of cheer. This cherry-red enamel

heart catch-all for 25 cents at a tag sale is just so spot-on, I couldn’t have found anything better if I had an unlimited budget. It is so Swedish to me, which absolutely warms my little Swedish-heritage heart. Teeny tiny clothespins also warm my heart. I mean, hello? So cute, right?

This song has been in my head!

Alright, alright, back to work now!

This & These & That

This is my super-tired face. And sadly, this was the best of the batch of photos. Yowza.

We’re back to gray skies, too. I need some chai STAT.

But I think the rest of the week is supposed to skyrocket into the high-80s. Ew.

These are my stripes rolled up over the spring green.

These are my lavender fingernails.

These are my chevron socks in my cheetah flats.

And that is my casual Monday outfit.

xo!

Weekday to Workout

Laaaaaa-Teeeeeee-Daaaaaaa

More bows. I’m on such a bow kick. Bows in my hair, bows on my shirt, bows on my shoes…

Never enough bows! These newly thrifted Jeffrey Campbell shoes are my favorites as of late.

Bows on my toes 😉

And after the day, it’s time for a workout. Keepin’ that self healthy is so important! This same skirt is so cute for a modest workout bottom…it looks adorable and is feminine, athletic, and washable. A hard combination to find in a workout outfit! I kept the bow in my hair, too, just used it to sweep my bangs off my face. Bangs + workout can be a sweaty, breakout-causing combination, so keep them off your face with a clip or headband.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Get out there and work it out!