I am not one of those people who believes in putting up Christmas decorations on, or heaven forbid, before, Thanksgiving. I was in denial up until this week to tell you the truth. Because my denying the fact that it is already December will really make a difference in how time functions.

The change occurred when I realized that with Christmas, comes Christmas break. No school!! Plans for various movie marathons, Christmas parties and sleep-overs are already in the works, some of which, no doubt, will occur on a weekday- *Gasp*.

I think that yesterday helped a ton to get me into the Christmas spirit too. My mom and I went with a group of friends, and volunteered at the Operation Christmas Child Processing Warehouse. I think that this is the third year that we have done it, and every time it’s amazing. Isn’t it incredible how blessing someone else actually blesses you? The boxes that we were processing were being prepared to ship to Indonesia, and it was so cool to think that those boxes, full of seemingly trivial toys, could radically change a child’s life. It also makes me think about the blessings we enjoy every day and don’t even realize. All in all, volunteering there was the perfect way to refocus on what’s important about Christmas. I know it sounds cliche, but it’s not all about the material possessions or the time off of school, or the Christmas tree. It’s about being reminded of Jesus’ sacrifice when he came into this world, about God’s grace, his unending faithfulness, and a sort of love that we can’t even begin to comprehend.

If you aren’t familiar with Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, I would highly recommend taking a look at their website (click on the under-lined link in pink)- the impact they make on children around the world is unbelievable.

And now, here are my Fashion Friday picks for this week. I hope that you all have a great weekend and get a chance to slow down and enjoy the process of getting ready for Christmas.

Baking with Berries Cardigan

Isn’t this gorgeous? I love how it looks like it’s been felted.

Sweet Side Bow Cuff

So girly and unusual.

Lace Detail Top

Pointed Damask Flats

Cute!

Quinn V-Neck Sweater

All I’ve been wanting to wear lately is comfy sweaters- this seems like a good one.

Just a Crush Tulle Slipdress

I don’t know how this would look as a dress on it’s own, but I loved the skirt, so I put it on here anyway.

Searching for Sea Glass Bag

This doesn’t look like the style of purse I’d normally like, but there’s something about the sea blue with the gold that I love.

Sebastian Button-down Shirt

I really like this in the pale pink too.

Marled Metallic Infinity Scarf

I don’t wear a whole lot of scarves, but when I see them on other people I love them. For some reason I just don’t think about putting one on. I’ve seen a couple adorable ways to tie a scarf recently though, so maybe one of my scarves will be making an appearance soon. Or I could just wear my cowl scarf, a.k.a. “the scarf for dummies”, and that would fix all of my scarf-tying issues. Yes, that is a real quote. That was my older brother, Alex’s reaction to cowl scarves- ha!

Retro Dots Skater Dress

This is $8. And I love it. What more can one want? It does look a bit short though, so I’m not sure how I’d like it on me.

Jordan

I hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving- we did! Watch for upcoming posts documenting what we ate yesterday 🙂

Let’s Fall In Love Skirt

I thought that this was super pretty- of course I love the color.

Ponte Knit Blazer

I would’ve used the picture of this blazer in purple, but I felt like I already had enough things in that color scheme. This blazer comes in a ton of cute colors and seems like a good classic.

Art Deco Beaded Top

So sparkly and cool.

Swept Away Dress

Sun and Moon Watch

I’ve been really loving the large-face, old-fashioned looking watches, and this seems like a good one.

The Street Rules Mini

Love this.

Mellaship Bracelet

Sweet Side Pleated Dress

I found this dress last night, and this morning when we went out for a bit of Black Friday shopping, I bought this dress…

Belted Pintuck Dress

The similarities are astounding hahaha.

BDG Acid-Wash Cords

For some reason I am really attracted to skinny cords, but I am yet to own any. I love the colors of these, and they look so comfy.

Jordan

I recognize that the alliteration in that title is a little over-the-top, but it’s accurate. The things I picked for this week’s post range from sorta fancy to very fancy- perfect if you’re wanting to look especially festive.

Brocade Top

Staring at Stars Dress

Wow. So gorgeous.

Becca Half Slip

I really love how this slip looks- so pretty and delicate.

Along the Trellis Lace Dress

Love this color.

Printed Chiffon Dress

This seems more summer-y to me, but I still really like it.

Backstory Tee

Fun and unique.

Cause for Cheer Embellished Dress

Another gorgeous Christmas dress.

Jackson Meadow Ring

Floral Lace Print Leggings

These seem like the cuter alternative to wearing pajama pants out in public.

Jordan

We didn’t have internet at our house from Monday, 11/4, until last night at 8 p.m.

I know! Is a cold sweat breaking out on your forehead at the very thought?? We made do with coffee shop internet and some very kind neighbors allowing us to hack into their internet. Barely!

Throughout the week, I was flashing back to the “Dark Ages”, as we’re so fond of calling them- the good ol’ dial-up days! Remember? When your computer would make sounds as it connected to the internet? Listen and have a flash-back moment with me….

We’d bring a book to the computer with us so that we’d have something productive to do while waiting for each and every webpage to load. In my mom’s case, she’d knit in front of the computer. The unfortunate fact about that situation was that she actually got a lot of knitting done whenever she went online. One friend taught herself sign-language while waiting for her dial-up. It would take us at least half an hour to load a two-minute YouTube video. By the time your email loaded you felt like throwing your computer out the window. It was worse then waiting in line at the Post Office. If you think I’m exaggerating at all, think again. I’m very sorry to say that it really was that bad. Do you feel my pain yet?

I feel like now’s a good time to remind you that we live in the middle of no where. It takes 15 minutes to get “into town” to check the mail and go to the library and 30 minutes to go anywhere else. Going “into town” is an event that consists of very little excitement, since our little town just doesn’t have very much going on. I know that there’s probably some people out there reading this saying ‘that’s nothing- I live blank minutes from anywhere’. I have the utmost respect for you. Anyway, our internet options are pretty scarce out here in the sticks, and high-speed internet was just not an option until very recently. And even now, “high-speed” is a vast over-exaggeration. Anything beats dial-up though.

At least back then though, we did have some form of internet- this past week and a half we’ve had nothing. Nada. The AT&T guy came by our house on Day 5 of our departure into the dark ages, and informed us that our modem was broken and that he didn’t have a replacement modem in his service truck, so we’d have to wait for another person to come out and fix it for us. My question for Adam (the AT&T guy) was what self-respecting internet repair man doesn’t carry around a spare modem or two? Because you know, just in case someone has a problem with their internet and actually wants it fixed?!? I promise, I didn’t actually say this to him. I just thought it in my head. Loudly. If you can scream something in your head, I did.

Despite everything I just said in that rant, we’ve actually been seeing the perks in not having internet. We’ve realized that we do fill our time with some meaningless time online, and not being able to connect instantly has made us think about how we spend our free time. And having to get a Shivered Mint Cookie Frappuccino in order to use the local coffee shop’s internet has obvious benefits. Please don’t think that this means that you should call Adam for us and tell him that we really don’t want to keep our newly-restored internet, because we do. Oh we do.

In order to brighten my darkened existence, I found some adorable dark colored clothing to share with you all. I have to be completely honest (in case you were afraid that I wasn’t telling you how I really felt in the monologue above)- the real reason I’m doing this Fashion Friday post is because it gave me an excuse to hang out at the coffee shop and drink the afore-mentioned Shivered Mint Cookie Frappuccino. Life is good.

Favorite Heathered Sweater

Love the color.

Splendid Spectacles Necklace

Isn’t this cute and funky?

BDG Frankie Flannel

A friend and I just had a conversation about flannels, so when I saw this one I knew I had to post it. We agreed that the best place to buy flannels is in the men’s section of thrift stores. The perfect mix of oversized comfort and cute cozy flannel. Oh and adorable cheap thrift store wear.

Dartmouth Marled Bomber Jacket

I have a jacket that’s a similar cut to this but a different fabric. It’s a Free People denim jacket that I bought at a resale store for $25. I honestly think that it’s one of the best purchases I’ve ever made- it looks brand new, is the perfect size, and is obviously excellent quality. It looks like denim but is actually cotton so it’s super comfortable. I wear it a ton with dresses, and it also looks cute with black jeans.

Sparkle & Fade Skater Dress

I tried this on at Urban Outfitters and loved it- it was super flattering and adorable on.

Heart It Opaque Tights

I bought these, and love them. They are really fun and perfect for layering as it gets cooler.

Jordan

When it comes to Fashion Friday, I normally start the post without a specific theme in mind and see what pieces I find to feature. This week’s post is a good example of that- I started to pick out pieces from my favorite clothing websites, and then I realized that they were all light-colored. Because of that, the entire post features only pale colored clothing 🙂

I wear a ton of different colors, but I love white clothes. Even though the pieces below aren’t all white, I still love them all.

Another explanation for the title could be that when I started this post I was feeling a little under-the-weather and my mother so kindly pointed out that I wasn’t looking so great. Thanks mom.

Floral Embroidered Dress

This is absolutely gorgeous. I’m a sucker for a white lace dress.

Authentic Light Legging

These are really cute.

Give It Your Best Snapshot Tee

I thought this was fitting considering how much time I take pictures for the blog.

Weekend Brunch Shirtdress

This color is so pretty and unusual, and the dress itself is adorable.

Embroidered Floral Women’s Classics

They’re Toms! Of course I love them!

Hattie Sweatshirt

Really unique.

Edgy Earcuff Set

I recently got a second ear piercing, so I’m not totally sure how an earcuff would look with that, but this one is really cool- I like that it’s fun, but not over the top.

Romantic Crochet Top

I saw a friend wearing this the other day and absolutely loved it- it looked so much cuter on her than in this picture.

North Plains Open Knit Sweater

Cute and comfy- what more can one want?

Jordan