Fall layers

So, I've been on a blogging break for a few weeks. Busyness, sickness, family and mothering, have needed more of my time and attention as of late. 

But, I am back! Ready to share, teach, and explore, with all of you. Thanks for continuing to follow along on this journey that I am on! It's an honor!!

Faux fur vest: Gap

Plaid shirt: Gap

Lace top: Clothed in Grace

Black leggings: Joes 

Boots: Nordstrom 

Blessings,

Sarah

What to do with all the pictures on your phone!

I don't know about you, but I must take at least 100 pictures a month on my phone. I want to capture every mile stone of my son and that means taking almost daily pictures of him. I have every intention of making several scrap books with all the moments I have captured. But it can be overwhelming seeing hundreds of photos and wondering, "ok, what do I do with all these?" I also worry about the day my son accidentally drops my phone smack down on the pavement or in the toilet, then its bye bye phone and bye bye photos! These moments of my son's first year are irreplaceable!

So, what's my solution for all these photos? A friend of mine told me about an App called Groove Book. Its a free itunes app that you can download up to 100 photos every month, and they ship you a cute little booklet with all your photos. The photos can be torn out of the booklet to frame or scrapbook with! All for just $2.99 per month!! Plus you can order additional booklets to send to family members, like Grandma and Grandpa! They send you a reminder email each month to download your photos, so you wont forget. I thought this app was perfect for me and all my photos. It saves me money on printing photos, I definitely spend more than $2.99 per month if I am printing out photos at Walgreens, and the booklet is delivered to my house! Which saves me a trip to store.

I am not being paid by this company to sing their praises, I just wanted to tell all my friends about a cool thing I discovered that has saved me time and money!

Happy Monday!!

Blessings,
Sarah

My month of fashion fasting

Well the month of September is coming to an end. For the past month I have been on a fashion fast. Only wearing seven outfits for the 30 days in order to gain some perspective and to appreciate all the wonderful clothes that I have in my closet. 

I must say this challange has taught me that and more! It was really refreshing for me to NOT be standing in front of the

mirror day after day, trying on endless outfits, not feeling content with the clothing in my closet! Only having seven outfits to style and choose from simplified my life emencly! I definitely enjoyed that part of the fashion fast. 

I now have a greater appreciation for everything that I have been given and don't take those things for granted. I am lucky enough to have much more than seven outfits I can wear, more like 700!! I am excited to create lots of fun outfits for the fall using the other things in my closet. Everything seems new again because I haven't seen those clothes for a month.

I did spend a few days going through my closets, (yes closests is plural, I have 3) and getting rid of stuff I have not worn in 6 months! Most of it went to my clothing swap party, but I also donated a ton as well. It felt good to simplify and declutter my wardrobe. I am ready to start October with fresh start and refreshed closet!

 I know that having a closet full of new, expensive, amazing, clothes ultimately wont make me happy or fulfilled. I can spend hours trying to come up with the perfect new outfit to wear but, my relationship with the Lord is the ONLY thing that will truly fulfill me! 

I definitely encourage you all to read "Seven" by Jen Hatmaker. It was her book that inspired me to do the fashion fast for a month. Check it out. I am sure you will be as convicted as I was after reading her honest and funny thoughts. 

Blessings,

Sarah

Clothing Swap

Have you ever wanted to go shopping and not pay a dime? How is this possible you ask?! Well, this past weekend I hosted a clothing swap. I cleaned out my closet and picked out gently used fall and winter items. I invited my girlfriends to come and do the same. The result, my own boutique, filled with great fall and winter clothes ready to be shopped! We had over 200 artcles of clothing, and accessories for everyone to choose from! 

Each person received one ticket for every item brought and that was how many items they could swap. We shopped in rounds, making it fair for everyone. Each round you are allowed to pick 4 items at a time. At the end, all remaining items are donated to a local shelter. 

Having a clothing swap is a great way to update your wardrobe, and have a fun girls night. This will definitely be an annual event for me to host. All the ladies had a great time and everyone left happy with "new" cute clothes! 

Fashion Fast: Week 3

Well it's been 3 weeks since I have started my "fashion fast"....

Here are a few of my outfits from this past week. Only having seven complete outfits to wear for the month, surely has saved me a lot of time each day! My morning routine to get ready has been cut in half!! I love it!!

However, I feel like I am wearing the same outfit a lot. But, on the bright side I am getting a lot good use out of each outfit! 

I have to admit that there are many articles of clothing hanging in my closet that I bought and only wore once! Those clothes now seem wasteful to me, and I plan on cleaning out my closet at the end of the month and getting rid of items I have not worn in 6 months! 

Shopping for new clothes has a new meaning to me now. I want to buy wisely! Picking versatile items that I can wear over and over for the season, is my goal. I want to buy pieces I really love, not just settling for something thats ok because it on sale. That is how I end up with a closet full of clothes and I feel like I have nothing to wear! But that stops now!!  I probably wear the same 30% of my wardrobe about 95% of the time! So how am I going to accomplish my closet makeover, you ask?!

 Simplicity is key! Buy clothes for your lifestyle. I am a stay-at-home mom. I don't need a lot dressy clothes to go to "work" in. I pretty much wear jeans, tunics, and casual tops almost everyday. So these items are the closet staples I should focus on when shopping. Buying quality pieces, that flatter my figure, and are classics vs. really trendy styles. That way I can wear them for many seasons to come. By adding trendy accessories, jackets and shoes I can dress up my wardrobe staples, without spedning a fortune. I will have lots of outfits for my lifestyle as a mom, and for any occasion: date nights, coffee with friends, Church, errands, or playing on the floor with my son! My new shopping motto: quality or quantity.

Time to start purging my closet!! Pictures and my progress to come....

Blessings,

Sarah

Cooking with pumpkin: Pancakes

My favorite time of year is here! I love the fall. The cooler weather, decorating my home with leaves, burlap, gords, and doing a lot of baking with my favorite ingredient: pumpkin! 

I decided to put a little spin on my pancake recipe this week. Adding pumpkin made the pancakes moist and super yummy! I highly recommend trying them. My husband and son couldn't get enough. It made our Saturday morning brunch a real fun treat. We topped our flapjacks with warm, real maple syrup, a dash of cinnamon, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar! I think these will be a breakfast favorite for a while :)

- 2 cups flour

- 2 teaspoons baking powder

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon salt

- 2 tablespoons sugar

- 2 eggs

- 1 cup pumpkin

- 3 cups butter milk

- 1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

Mix together dry ingredients, add eggs (whisk them separately, then add to dry ingredients) add butter milk. Mix until smooth. 

Makes 12 pancakes. Enjoy! 

Blessings,

Sarah

How to fight the flu this season!

I'll be fighting this flu season with a new approach: with essential oils! They are certified pure and organic, derived from plants. Which means they are safe to injest, and safe to use on infants!! I have already seen powerful results using a few different essential oils for ailments such as: acne, diaper rash, signs of a virus, restlessness, teething, upset stomach, bee sting, skin rash! I also use lemon oil as an all purpose, safe cleaner around my house, and add it to our water for flavor and to detoxify! 

I started using oils from a great company called DoTerra about 2 months ago. I am super excited about their products and have seen results first hand! I would rather invest in essential oils to prevent and treat sickness, then to fill our medicine cabinate with over-the-counter and perscription drugs and paying co-pays to see the Dr. 

Visit my DoTerra Website: www.mydoterra.com/sarahekelly/ to get more information about the benefits of using essential oils. You can order products right from my website! Or just click on the DoTerra picture (in my side bar to the right), and it will take you directly to me website. 

You can make your own flu imminuty blend using these DoTerra oils: Lemon, Melaleuca, On Guard, and Oregano! 

I'll be using this blend often for myself and my family this season! 

Blessings,

Sarah