FF Day 8 - Because It's Fun

I know the Feelin' Feminine Challenge ended yesterday but Miss Bea and I were all dressed up for church so we decided to take a few photos just for fun. (This will be the last, I promise! It's high time to get back to regular posting!)



Miss Bea's Blouse: Pink blouse with dark brown tee underneath. Pink blouse was a birthday gift she got to choose at Kohl's.
Miss Bea's Skirt: Simple jean skirt, probably bought at Sears.

My Blouse: Purple tee (same as Day 5) under black 3/4 length sleeve sweater.
My Skirt: Black floral skirt, bought on sale at K-mart last spring.




My Hair: Curls! I curled the bottom with my hot rollers and then put a simple barrette in to keep one side out of my face.




It was cold and windy outside, but we were still having fun! :)




Since we were having a photo shoot out cat Gertrude didn't want to miss out. She's such a sweetheart.

Hope you're having a wonderful Lord's day!

God Bless,
Miss Laurie :)

FF Challenge - Day 7

Hello! Today is Day 7 of the April Feelin' Feminine Challenge! I can't believe it's actually the last day! This challenge has been so much fun! It's been wonderful to have so many other ladies taking the challenge at the same time and to be able to encourage one another during the week.

I want to thank everyone out there who commented and encouraged me during this past week. You are all such a blessing and I praise the Lord for you!

My Saturday outfit is very simple and comfortable. It's been a fairly quiet day and I'll probably just go out and do some shopping with my family later. It was windy and chilly so photos were taken in my room using the self timer on my camera. Sorry they aren't that lovely but I chose the best from the bunch.




Skirt: Just a jean skirt bought at a thrift store, I have two of the exact same skirt.
Blouse: A magenta/redish cotton shirt I also bought at a thrift store. I thought the sleeves were cute.
Shoes: Black slip on sandals, bought on sale at Kohl's last summer.




Hair: Washed, blow dried and a silver headband thrown in it. I couldn't think of anything special today so I just made it easy. I like this headband because it is nice and wide on top and doesn't hurt my ears. It also ties underneath my hair so it kind of looks like I'm wearing a scarf.

I pray you have a blessed weekend!

In Christ,

Miss Laurie :)

FF Challenge - Day 6

It's Day 6 of the April Feelin' Feminine Challenge!
It's been kind of a crazy day here. I've been at home all day and have been cleaning the house from top to bottom and fixing dinner in preparation for having guests over.
It was rather short notice but I'm so excited that my aunt, uncle and baby cousin are coming for dinner and bringing my other uncle who we haven't seen in 2 years (he's in the air force).

So here quickly is my outfit for today:



Skirt: Jean skirt bought on sale at Fashion Bug
Blouse: White floral 3/4 sleeve blouse over top of pink tee and bright pink tank top. Not sure where I got either of these, maybe thrift store?
Shoes: Pink flip-flops, will probably put on warmer shoes later but these were great for cleaning.




Hair: Two French braids tucked under. Not very exciting and it sort of looks like yesterday's hairstyle but I really wanted to French braid because my hair was damp and felt like it needed to be braided. Yes, some days my hair tells me what it wants to do! :)



Me in my newly cleaned room!

Well, I've really got to go finish up some cleaning and dinner preparations. I'm hoping that later I might be able to post a couple pics of my baby cousin. He's just a couple of weeks old and is wicked cute! (in Maine "wicked" means good)

Thank you all for all your encouragement this week! I'm sad to see this Feelin' Feminine Challenge come to an end so soon!

God Bless,
Miss Laurie :)


P.S. As promised, baby picture!

Miss Bea is holding our little cousin CJ who was born on March 23rd. He's the first cousin born on my dad's side of the family and he is such a handsome little man! :)

FF Challenge - Day 5

I can't believe it's Day 5 of the April Feelin' Feminine Challenge already! Just two more days to go!
Today was a quiet day spent at home. It was fairly grey outside today but our forsythia bush is now in bloom!



My Skirt: Flowered cotton skirt, bought on sale at Walmart a few years ago. I love the comfort and beautiful colors.
My Blouse: Lavender with floral embroidered short sleeves. I bought this new and on sale at Big Lot's last weekend. I wore the green one I bought on Day 1.
My Shoes: Brown slip on sandals bought at a thrift store a few years back. They are old but comfy and they add about an inch to my height which is another reason I love them! :)




My Hair: Tried my hand at the partial crown braid which Miss Courtney posted a video tutorial of on her blog. I found her video very helpful because her hair is a similar length to mine. I'm afraid my first try at this hairstyle looks more like two French braids put into a bun, and because my hair was very dry (braids usually work best on my hair when damp) it was all falling out by the time my photos were taken. Oh well!




My second attempt at braiding turned out a bit better. I was also able to tuck the ends under instead of forming them into a bun as I did the first time. I rather like this style and look forward to trying it again sometime.

My nice full skirt is perfect for twirling or practicing my curtsy.

Hope you're having a lovely day!

God Bless,

Miss Laurie :)

FF Challenge - Day 4

Day 4 of the April Feelin' Feminine Challenge. Today was a beautiful warm sunny day! So my family and I took a drive (I got to practice quite a bit of driving, that much closer to getting my driver's license).

Here's a clue as to where we went:

Can you guess where?

There were loons there in the water....

If you guessed the beach you were close! Down at the very end of Bailey's Island, Maine is a place known as Land's End. Looking out to sea it seems as if the land ends and there is nothing but ocean everywhere.

It was the perfect day for a walk near the water and a picnic lunch. We sat on those rocks and enjoyed fellowship and yummy food.

Mr. Seagull wanted to share our lunch too. He's a bit on the stout side because he is constantly fed by tourists or eating their leftover scraps.

Short sleeves were perfect on this warm day!

My Blouse: Orange floral tee with white tank underneath for modesty. Bought at Goodwill two weeks ago and was brand new, this is the first time I've worn it.

My Skirt: Just a comfy jean skirt, perfect for walking and climbing on the rocks. Same skirt as Day 2.

My Jewelry: Blue beaded wrap bracelet and a silver fashion ring just for fun.




Hair: Just put up in a clip so it was out of my face. Makes my longer hair look like it's in a short pony tail.




My dear friend Karis enjoyed our time by the water as well. It was so much fun having her along and showing her Land's End for the first time. The Christian fellowship was delightful!




One last view of the sea, stretching on and on forever. It simply was a lovely day!

I pray you have a nice day as well.

God Bless,
Miss Laurie :)

FF Challenge - Day 3

Day 3 of the April Feelin' Feminine Challenge! It's a dreary and drizzly afternoon here so I took some "self-portraits" inside. My outfit wan't much today, it was my hair that took quite a bit of work.



Blouse: Short sleeve blouse with long sleeve tee underneath for modesty and warmth, both from Walmart.
Skirt: Jean skirt found at a Goodwill store a few year ago.
Shawl: Thin cotton shawl/scarf bought on sale at Walmart.




Shoes: No shoes today, just a pair of comfy house slippers, bought at K-mart. Keeps my feet warm and sort of matches my outfit.




Jewelry: Turquoise beaded dangle earrings.
Hair: My attempt at a Regency up-do! My "ribbon" is actually a headband. It's a bit more messy than I'd like but this is my first official time trying this 'do. There's so much hairspray and so many curls and so many bobby pins! The back ended up lower on my neck that I wanted it, but I'm fairly pleased with the results. It would have been so much easier to do this if I had eyes in the back of my head! :)

Below are a few more pics of my Regency up-do and two quotes from the Elisabeth Elliot book I'm reading.

'What sort of world might it have been if Eve had refused the Serpent's offer and had said to him instead, "Let me not be like God. Let me be what I was made to be - let me be a woman"?' - Let Me Be A Woman, Elisabeth Elliot

"The special gift and ability of each creature defines its special limitations. And as the bird easily comes to terms with the necessity of bearing wings when it finds that it is, in fact, the wings that bear the bird - up, away from the world, into the sky, into freedom - so the woman who accepts the limitations of womanhood finds in those very limitations her gift, her special calling - wings, in fact, which bear her up into perfect freedom, into the will of God." - Let Me Be A Woman, Elisabeth Elliot

I pray that my ladies out there are encouraged to day to be the feminine woman that God has created you to be. God has created you a lady with a distinct purpose in mind. One of the best ways you can honor your God is to be the feminine woman He has made you to be!

Praying you have a blessed day.

In Christ,

Miss Laurie :)

FF Challenge - Day 2

Hello everyone! It's Day 2 of the April Feelin' Feminine Challenge. It was a true Monday, not really frustrating just sort of a blah day. After taking a walk this morning with a friend and my mom and sister I was quite worn out. I wore pants on the walk (I know, I know...) and it took me a couple hours of lounging and doing some Bible courses before I got motivated. Oh well, I told you this was going to be a more relaxed effort on my part. My outfit is pretty simple today.

Skirt: My favorite comfy jean skirt I bought at Sears a coupe years back
Shirt: I bought this cute cotton blouse at Goodwill just last week. This it the second time I've worn it and it's already a new favorite! Because it's a bit low I wear a white tank top underneath.
Shoes: Mary Jane slip-ons from Walmart, cute and comfortable can't be beat! :)

Jewelry: I bought these new at Goodwill for 98 cents! They sort of feel like they're made of porcelain and have such a pretty flower design.

Hair: Simple today. Just braided, thrown up with a few bobby pins and covered with my old leather "cover thing". I wish I knew what the technical term for these are! My hair is so thick that it doesn't hold all of my hair so I just use mine to decorate.

Now I need to get some dishes washed and help start dinner. My parents are headed off to a conference tonight so we have to eat early and then I'll have some time to spend with my siblings. Hopefully we'll be able to play some board games and maybe watch a movie.

Hope you're having a good Monday!

God Bless,

Miss Laurie :)

P.S. There is something different about me today, care to take a guess?

FF Challenge - Day 1

It's Day 1 of the April Feelin' Feminine Challenge and what a beautiful Easter Day it is in my little corner of the world! It's just about 70 degrees outside, the sun is shinning brightly and a few daffodils are popping their golden heads up.
It's also a great day to wear beautiful feminine clothing!

Here's what I wore today.
Sweater: Almost a Colbalt blue color and 3/4 length sleeves in light weight cotton. I recently bought it at Goodwill for less than $5, a steal since it was in great condition and the tag has a more expensive brand name on it.
Blouse: You can't see it but this green beauty has floral embroidered short sleeves. I was very surprised to find this last night. The original sale tag still on it read was $28, but I bought it brand new at Big Lots for $7!
Skirt: Just a khaki LL Bean skirt, I wanted something prettier but couldn't find anything.
Scarf: This light floral gem I bought at Walmart last year and have rarely worn it. I just loved how it tied all the colors together so wonderfully!
Jewelry: Green bead wrap bracelet, cross earrings.
My Hair: Wild. I had wanted to curl it for church but after fixing a big breakfast I had little time to get ready. So it's just thrown back in a pretty side barrette.

Miss Bea might join me for some the challenge days this week. She always enjoys wearing a skirt but we'll see how it goes.
Today, Miss Bea wore her new white sweater over a green tank top that matches her floral print skirt. She had some pretty sandals from Khol's but according to her it's definitely barefoot weather!

Hope your day is as sunny and bright as our had been. Now I'm off to enjoy some jelly beans before going back to church. :)

Blessings,

Miss Laurie

Taking On The Challenge...Again

I know I just finished a challenge but I think I am going to try the Feelin' Feminine Challenge for the month of April (4th-10th). Miss Jenna at Feminine Farmgirl is hosting this month's challenge.

Why do take the challenge again?
Firstly, because it's Spring and I can start wearing shorter sleeves and brighter colors.
Secondly, because last time I did the challenge I was trying too hard. This time I want to do it mostly for myself. I probably will take photos but we'll see how many actually get posted (I think last time getting photos up was my main focus).

So, here we go. Anyone want to join me?

Feelin' Feminine - Day 8

It is Day 8 and our last day of the Feelin' Feminine Challenge! We did 8 days altogether because we started on a Sunday and wanted to end on a Sunday too. Today we just wanted to post one picture of our outfits and then get to answering some questions about the challenge.

It was really rainy outside today so we took some photos inside. We wore green today because St. Patrick's Day is coming up!



Miss Bea's Skirt: Homemade jean skirt, this was another Home-School project she did last Fall
Miss Bea's Shirt: White short sleeve with embroidered roses
Miss Bea's Sweater: Green cotton sweater a hand-me-down from our friend Sarah
Miss Bea's Shoes: Black Mary-Janes from Kohl's

My Skirt: Gray polyester, bought on sale at Fashion Bug
My Blouse: Striped 3/4 length sleeve button down from Target, green tank underneath
My Shoes: Brown/Green flats with pointed toe, K-Mart

I want to thank my sweet sister for taking on this challenge with me. It was a lot of fun and we certainly learned quite a bit. I love you Bea! :)

Now just a short quiz, our answers to the questions on the Feelin' Feminine website.

• How was the experience for you? A bit awkward at first but we both really enjoyed our time in skirts!
• Any particular stories? The second day of the Challenge we went for a country walk and it was certainly different "hiking" in a skirt.
• Did wearing skirts rather than pants affect the way you felt? Yes, wearing skirts made us feel dressed up and feminine.
• The way you felt about yourself? We felt prettier and more ladylike.
• The way you acted? Not too much, we were around the house most of the week so we really just acted normally.
• The way you carried yourself? Wearing skirts kind of made us stand straighter and walk a bit more nobly.
• Were you able to go about your everyday activities as freely as in pants? Most of them, we hiked and went shopping in our skirts, I drove the van and did errands just the same. Miss Bea says that riding a bike in a skirt was rather tricky but she did it for a while. :)
• How did people respond? Some people were a bit surprised that we wanted to take on this challenge but most were very encouraging and said they admired our determination, especially with these cooler temperatures.
• Were you more respected? By some people, but in general people's attitudes toward us were the same as always.
• Did you feel more like a lady? Yes! Miss Bea says she felt more like a Princess and felt we were more dressed up than usual. It was fun trying hairstyles and putting a bit more thought into what we wore each day.
• After the challenge do you desire to keep wearing skirts more regularly, or were you desperate to wear pants again? We kind of want to wear pants but just because it's turned really cold these past few days and our ankles are freezing. But we really enjoy wearing skirts and wouldn't mind wearing more skirts as the weather turns warmer.

So the verdict is, it wasn't much of a challenge wearing skirts for a week because we really enjoyed it! :)

Thanks to all of you who commented and encouraged us throughout the week! We had a lot of fun taking photos for ya'll.

Hope you have a lovely day!

God Bless,
Miss Laurie

Feelin' Feminine - Day 7

I can't believe it's Day 7 already! Because it was Saturday Miss Bea and I really didn't try to dress up very much. Miss Bea and I donned skirts and sneakers for some errands and a romp in the pasture to take photos.

My big adventures for today were mailing a birthday package to my friend, an hour of driving practice, lunch with my mom and brother, and a visit from our dear friend Sarah.

It was very cold when we finally took pictures today and we were in a very silly mood. So our photos today are funny ones to match our weekend fun. :)


Miss Bea was very chilly so she tucked her hands up in her sleeves.

Miss Bea's Skirt: Homemade navy blue skirt, this was a home-school sewing project from last year.
Miss Bea's Shirt: Flip-flop tee with long sleeve red tee underneath for warmth, both from Walmart

When I went to touch the metal gate the bar was so cold - just at that moment Miss Bea caught my reaction.

My Skirt: Jean skirt found at Goodwill, same as Day 2
My Shirt: Brown crisscross shirt, Walmart
My Hair: Ponytail with headband, just thrown up for an on-the-go day

Miss Bea's Hair: Combed straight with a barrette on the side (nothing special I just liked the photo)

So today was the last official day of our Feelin' Feminine Challenge but we hope to post pictures of our church outfits tomorrow and answers to the questions found at the Feelin' Feminine website.

Hope ya'll are having a great weekend!

God Bless,
Miss Laurie :)

Feelin' Feminine - Day 6

Today we ladies were quite late in getting our photos taken and had some camera troubles so didn't end up getting them posted before we had to do the evening grocery shopping. So here's Day 6, a little later than I wanted. We had lots of fun today!

Today was a pink day!



Miss Bea's Skirt: Jean skirt from Sears, same as Day 2
Miss Bea's Blouse: Pink cotton shirt over top of a pink floral long-sleeve tee. I love the colors together.



Miss Bea's Hair: Half up in a barrette, we call this hairstyle a "Pollyanna" and it's one of my favorites.




My Skirt: Jean skirt on sale at Fashion Bug, same as Day 3
My Blouse: Pink stripe Goodwill find, I love the cut!



My Jewelry: Pink dangle earrings and heart charm bracelet, Birthday gifts from a special friend and former co-worker



My Hair: Top part clipped back and to the side with a silver barrette. I love this hairstyle, so simple but usually turns out nice.


So Miss Bea and I had fun out shopping in our skirts. It did get a tad chilly around our ankles later in the evening but wasn't too bad. Our find of the night was at the bookstore we found a set of all 7 Narnia books dramatized by Focus On The Family Radio Theatre. I love this series and the set of 19 CDs was only $12! I was so excited and look forward to listening to the series again!

Feelin' Feminine - Day 5

I can't believe it's already day 5! Only two more days to go!
Though we wore our skirts most of the day it took us a while to take pictures so with the sun going down it was very cold outside and tricky to take photos with out shivering! :)




Miss Bea's Skirt: Jean skirt with embroidered flower applique, thrift store find
Miss Bea's Shirt: Lime green short sleeve tee, found on sale at L.L. Bean
Miss Bea's Cape: Mauve fleece cape, gift from an elderly friend
Miss Bea's Shoes: Lime green clogs




Miss Bea's Hair: French braided pig tails





My Skirt: Ankle length jean skirt, from Sear's (this is one of my favorites, comfy and versatile)
My Blouse: Floral corduroy with pink long sleeve tee underneath, both K-Mart finds
My Shoes: Brown clogs with tassels, Walmart (these shoes are a bit old but I still love them because they are comfy, add a little height to my 5 ft 2inches, and the tassels jangle when I walk :) )



My Hair: Simple bun (I had wanted to do french braids but...it just wasn't working today! Miss Bea calls this a "Little Dorrit" style bun)


So it's off to help make dinner, and we'll see you all tomorrow.
Hoping you've had a fabulous day!

God bless,
Miss Laurie :)