A Little Bit Ivy League

I love a good collegiate style.
A little bit Ivy League with the (fake)Ostrich purse, the stripes, plaid, and pearls.
This time of year makes me really miss school. I just adore the architecture, the libraries, the tradition and the  activity on a crisp fall day on campus.
It’s filled with a feeling of beginning again and excitement mixed with purpose. 
Wow. 
That sounds like exactly what I’m going for in life right now.
What’s better for Back to School than Pumpkin Spice Lattes? In the spirit of saving money, I made this do-it-at-home version and it is yummy, cheap, and easy. If you love Pumpkin Spice Lattes, I recommend you try this (and please, for my sake, try the whipped cream, since I didn’t have any handy).
 And it matches my ’70s Norwegian mug. So it’s win-win. 

PS. Shorts under skirt + fingertip rule, promise 🙂

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Rainy Day Outfits

Hey guys!
It’s been raining.

I’ve had a cold.
I packed a few boxes, watched a few seasons of The Office, took some Nyquil. I like to think of this week as, “Getting my money’s worth out of Netflix”-week.
Things have been reaaaaaaaaaalllllllyyyyy exciting over here.
So I’m just sharing some old news—a few outfits I haven’t gotten around to sharing lately.
Oh wait! I do have new news to share!
The always-lovely Patti K. won the Dayspring cards in the random drawing!
YAY!
I know Patti will put these to good use encouraging 🙂
Have a great rest of the week everyone!

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Friday Goodies {Giveaway!}

Oh I love a good late-summer, early-Autumn weekend.
The weather! The clothes! The golden sunlight!
I have discovered my new favorite Indian summer drink, friends. 
 MAPLE ITALIAN CREAM SODA
 Amazingly delicious. Just use a shot glass full of maple syrup (~1 1/2 oz.) and half a shot glass of half-and-half (~3/4 oz.), lots of ice, and fill with sparkling water. Stir really well, and enjoy! 
{add whipped cream if you’re feeling indulgent}

I found it amusing to see this “Tousled Topknot” in Seventeen’s September issue.
And since it’s the weekend, it’s totally time for a pretty treat…
Flowers + GF treat + Gorgeous Gifted Cakestand. Feelin’ so loved! <3
I GET TO GIVE A PACK TO ONE OF YOU! 
I’m so excited, because I know you will be excited to win these cards.
Just leave me a comment and I will enter you into the random drawing!
{U.S. only, sorry. entry closes Monday at midnight. If you comment using a Mobile device, it won’t show up here but I’ll still see it! Technical difficulties…}
Thanks, Dayspring!
Have a great weekend, friends! 

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Encourage & Redeem

Today is National Day of Encouragement. I’m a bit late, and it’s more like Night of Encouragement over here, but hey, if you had a rough day, I want you to know that the day hasn’t run out of encouragement for you 😉 
I’ve been meaning to start a new series for a LONG time: Mail Call. It’s like at summer camp, you know? And it’s an embarrassing ritual to get your name called at lunch time if you have a letter, because someone back home loves you? It’s like that, only less embarrassing.
When inCourage by Dayspring offered a package of their encouraging, uplifting greeting cards, it seemed like the perfect time to share Mail Call. Mail Call is the giving and receiving of happy little notes…sentiments exchanged through the mail, sent with love from a friend or family member, prayed over, written in someone’s own handwriting, with a stamp they chose and maybe some fun extras. I absolutely adore writing notes. In college, I was known for sticking random encouraging notes in everyone’s mailboxes. I have a collection of stationary, but, to be honest, I live in a small town with no access to a local Christian store. I’m always having to write in my own inspirational messages in blank cards, so receiving these cards was such a spot of sunshine. These cards just exude joy and encouragement.
Redeemed All Occasions - 10 Premium Card Assortment
{click image to see the collection}

I cannot tell you how BEAUTIFUL and LUXURIOUS Dayspring’s Redeemed All Occasions – 10 Premium Card Assortment  line of cards is; they mean it when they say PREMIUM cards, ladies. They are thick, stunning, with embellishments (embroidery, tiny pins, tags, etc.) galore, and so uplifting. And guess what? They arrived on a day when *I* needed encouragement myself. Reading through them in awe of their beauty was food for my own soul. These are cards that will stay on the bulletin board or refrigerator for a looooooooooong time. In fact, I’m tempted to keep them up on MY refrigerator, and get another pack to share! Nah, I cannot wait to write them out with love and send them to new homes.

 Thank you, Dayspring, for making beautiful, Scripture-affirming cards, and for letting me share them. 

*Disclosure: These are my true and honest opinions and my own words, but Dayspring provided the product for review. All Dayspring links are affiliate links, but only because I love them so much 🙂

In Other “Mail Call” news…
There was a notebook, wrapped in vintage wrapping paper (on left), and then again in Kraft paper, and sent to mom.

Not just any notebook, though….a leopard print (wonderfully indulgent) Kate Spade notebook found on uber-clearance…
and embellished with love & washi tape 🙂 
There was also a late wedding present sent, and a birthday card for a dear friend, all wrapped up with hot pink tissue paper and (more) washi tape.
That’s all for the Mail Call today! I can’t wait to show you more ideas for notes, projects, and happy things to send in the mail! Bringing a stack of pretty mail to the post office (or finding one in your own post box!) is definitely one of life’s little pleasures, don’t you think?

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Mistakes

Let’s talk about some mistakes I’ve made lately. 
Namely, wearing white after Labor Day. 
But it was the fair! I just had to wear a white polka-dot dress to the FAIR! 

Secondly, wearing white on a rainy day.

{see I had to switch into rain boots}
Thirdly, wearing white while drinking coffee. 

When I stopped into the gas station for a coffee, the guy who always works there said, “Um, I don’t know how to say this, but…you’re wearing a really nice dress. With rain boots.” 
Hehe. Yes, yes I am. 
“But you look nice!” he quickly corrected himself, in case his ambiguous comment was taken poorly. 
It made me giggle.
So those are the ‘mistakes’ I’m willing to admit on my blog, because they are the ‘funny’ sanitized little mistakes, but I can’t say the weekend was without other foibles. I am imperfect. Oh, oh, I am the first to admit: I am imperfect. Sometimes I get to feeling a little too self-assured and end up stumbling a bit to keep me humble. Humility is good for the soul, however embarrassing. Sometimes, it’s mighty embarrassing!
🙂

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Check, Please!

This was such a happy day. 

One of the summer days where you can say with relish, “Check, please!” at the diner of life, having enjoyed the day fully, every moment of it, soaked up deeply for safekeeping. You stretch backwards a bit, full of happiness, and say, “That was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time,” as if Sunday afternoon adventuring were the blue plate special.
Can you believe this dress is vintage? Looks like it’s brand-spankin’-new. So many people commented on this dress! I think it’s just fun, fun, fun. I adore it’s yellow bows and kick pleats.
Perfect for late-summer adventuring.
You can tell this is the dress I was wearing in my photobooth pictures (that I used in my new blog design! What do you think?). 
yellow daisy earrings and yellow fingernail polish
 {and pure sugar lemonade from Wendy’s, which I actually totally love}
I’m feeling quiet of spirit tonight–feeling a little bit ill, exhausted, and drained. Not the best way to start the week. But my best friend’s little boy told her out of the blue, “I want to take Natalie to Seattle!” (they were visiting there a week ago). She asked him, “Why?” and he said, “I want to show her around!” 
Well, I tell you, who needs a boyfriend when you can be Auntie to such a sweetie-pie?!?!
Melted my heart. 
Have a great week! 

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Happy Repeats

There has been wonderful light in my eyes lately.
{have you noticed?}

But it makes me feel bittersweet, too. 
My heart leaped inside me, saying, Oh, I see what was missing. 
And the realization that I was missing something, something that came and went and will remain gone…
it’s utterly bittersweet. 

Now you have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m sure. But no matter. I’m hoping you can relate somehow, in a poetic way. I’m hoping you might say, “Yes, Natalie, I have been there. I have had light in my eyes that shone with bittersweet tears, too.”

And maybe you have a royal blue skirt that makes you happy. So happy that you have worn it three days in a row the first week you got it. It may not be a royal blue skirt…but I bet you know what I mean. 
Sometimes a happy repeat outfit that we know makes us feel good is just what we need to sift out the bittersweet and keep only the beautiful light. 
And when that fails, drive North in the rain to get a hot chocolate. 
‘Cause, speaking from experience, that works, too. 
🙂 

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Happy Blues

Hello.
🙂
These are happy blues. 
No sad blues.

Just blue-sky blues. 
Honest-blue blues. 
Saltwater vacation blues. 
All the good kinds of blues.

A feeling of contentment is starting to reside deep down in my heart. If feels more whole and capable of holding on to good things and letting go of bad; of beating through difficult situations. My emotional-heart-muscles feel stronger. I think that’s a good thing, so long as it isn’t scar tissue.

The skirt was getting to be a bit long for the office, so I tied it up in a knot. No biggie 🙂
And now, the sky is pink.
There are always little blessings, my friends. Always. 
Find some, and take in the full measure of their blessing to your heart. 
xo!

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Country Girl Natalie

It’s so funny. Today my friend sent over this picture, and said, “If you go fishing, this is how I envision you’ll look.” I just had to laugh and say, “I was playing country girl yesterday and I wore a very similar outfit.” See:

We were experiencing the remnants of Hurricane Isaac, so it was rain & fog on and off all day. This outfit took me from the office to the farm perfectly well! 

I’m telling you: A farm bathed in fog, wrapped in love, warmed with the happiness of old friends…it was wonderful. It was just what I needed: a tour of the lush vegetable garden, a good romp with the new little baby cow, and collecting eggs in a red pail. We enjoyed a dinner composed of everything fresh from the farm, served in cast iron, with linen napkins and monogrammed silver. In the quiet after dinner, we started to catch up on life. Old friends need to do that, you know? To sit, and stare at the last of the beeswax candles burning down into the silver candlesticks, and to say to each other, “So, how are you?” in a voice that begs the real answer.
The night ended with a round of hugs from some of the best hug-givers I know, and the most precious gift of a beautiful, beautiful cake plate. I will cherish it. 

See how the dress has little gold polka-dots? So cute.
Just because I happen to like fashion doesn’t mean I don’t LOVE a good “country girl” day. Oh yes, I love a good Country Girl Day. And I absolutely adore this certain family who occasionally takes me in as one of their own, lets me play country girl, feeds me, encourages me, and sends me on my way, bearing the most beautiful gifts and a heart full of inspiration and happiness.
Thank you.