Summer Outfit Ideas

Summer is HERE! Though the break from school is awesome, the heat is horrible. Here in Florida it’s been feeling like 100 degrees since March. AGG!!

Today I decided to share some outfit ideas that are great for the summer but are still modest!

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I’m not really a dress person unless it’s church or something like that, but this dress makes me want to be! It would be perfect for vacation because it’s super simple but would go with everything. I love the fact that it looks really lightweight and comfy too!

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It might just be me, but I’ve been seeing shirts like this one everywhere lately and I love it! I would probably add a tank top because the neckline is a little low for me, but it would be perfect with white jeans/shorts.

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While these aren’t only for summer, I wanted to share a staple in my closet: bermuda shorts! I like this style of shorts because of their length: it’s SO hard to find shorts that are long enough.

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I know I just told you guys that I’m not really a huge dress person, but I think I *might* be changing? I found so many dresses that I would actually love to wear! This one is cute or summer/fall and I love the length – I HATE those dresses that come down to the middle of your lower leg (whatever that means)! Give me a dress that comes to my knee or my feet, but not between! (sorry for the rant there)

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Eep I actually really love this dress 😍  I love the white background/pattern and the ruffle, but I wish it was sleeveless.

I love the shirt 🙂  This outfit is so easy but it looks great. Again, the shirt is super versatile (can you sense the trend?)!

Let’s face it, this is what I end up wearing every day. But this girl manages to actually look good in it… HOW?! It must be the Starbucks. *nods*

This outfit is so simple but it’s adorable! Personally, I think I would wear a shirt without the “ripped” neckline just because it’s not really my style (even though it’s not super low). Same goes for the ripped jeans, but I actually like that pair!

 

It was harder to find things than I thought! One thing that was hard was staying off Etsy! I’m actually going to be sharing my favorite things on Etsy soon, so look out for that! 💕

 

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r a i n b o w s

Rainbows. A picture of God’s promises to us. But most recently, a picture of how much we’ve strayed from God’s plan for us.

Genesis 9:13

I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

Rainbows bring me so much joy. Every time I see them, I’m reminded of God’s love for me and the priceless gift that he’s given me (Jesus).

But recently, I can’t draw or admire a rainbow without seeming like I’m supporting a cause that I don’t. I can’t wear a rainbow t-shirt or rainbow converse without being stopped and admired for supporting something I don’t support.

What we’ve done with rainbows is almost laughing at God.

We take God’s precious promise to us and put it on flags, signs, shirts, and everything we can imagine. But not as a reminder of his love- oh, no! As a reminder of our rebellion toward him. We say “Oh, that priceless gift you’ve given us? Yeah, I love it! I use it to proclaim something that you hate.”

But you know something? In a way, what we’ve done with rainbows can almost be good. Every time we use a rainbow to support something bad, we’re also reminded of God’s promises.

He will never leave or us or forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. (John 14:6)

The Lord will fight for you. (Exodus 14:14)

If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36)

The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)

God works all things for good for those who love him. (Romans 8:28)

And most importantly-

God so loved the world that he gave his only son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

So next time you see a rainbow or even a rainbow flag, remember God’s promises.

Sorry for the short post, but this was on my heart ❤

 

 

 

BOOK REVIEW: Andora’s Folly by Abigayle Claire

NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Stellae Books in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

I have really high hopes for this book… guys the author wrote Martin Hospitality (aka probably my favorite book in the universe!!) Josiah is the cutest and Gemma 😍 Plus FARRIS. Please. Before this turns into me fangirling over Martin Hospitality (wait it already has), let’s get started with the review.

A n d o r a ‘ s   F o l l y

by Abigayle Claire

The synopsis of the book is from Goodreads.

A Pandora’s Box retelling

Andora is a beautiful young woman with insatiable curiosity. Raised in splendor, she is spoiled by her privileged life. When a love letter is slid under her door, her life takes a drastically unromantic turn. Nothing makes sense—her arranged marriage, the gifts her parents bestow on her wedding day, or her new husband’s temperament.

As Andora begins to unravel the mysteries around her, she ignites a chain of events that have the power to sabotage her entire village forever. Only her new-found wisdom as a desperate peasant’s wife can save her from her folly.

I’ve really never read/heard a lot about Pandora’s Box (only a tiny bit) but I was still really excited to read the book! Plus the author had set my hopes very high 😂 (I love Martin Hospitality okay?)

As I read the book, I began to enjoy it more and more. Andora annoyed me so much at the beginning, but when she got married, I actually began to like her 🙂 By the time the novella was over, I was SO sad. I mean please can we have a sequel? SO GOOD.

C O N T E N T

Knowing Abigayle Claire, I excepted little to no content issues, and I was right. SPOILER At the end, there are a couple kisses between Theus and Andora (who are married), but they’re not detailed. SPOILER Quite honestly, I can’t think of anything questionable in this book aside from a few very non-detailed kisses. There was violence SPOILER And in the end, death SPOILER, but it was not detailed in a gory way.

R E C O M M E N D A T I O N

I would recommend this book to girls and guys over age 11. While I think the story would appeal more to girls, I can see guys enjoying it as well. It took me 30-45 minutes to read the whole novella (while taking some notes for the review), but I do read pretty fast so this may take around 1 hour. Still, it’s definitely worth it! I don’t think anyone 10 or under would enjoy the story very much, but some kids might!

F I N A L   T H O U G H T S

I loved this book. ❤

I already knew that Abigayle Claire was a great author from reading Martin Hospitality (!!!!), but Andora’s Folly confirmed that! I can’t wait for Abigayle’s next book, and like I said I’m hoping for a sequel to Andora’s Folly! It will probably never happen but a girl can wish right??

Anyway. Go buy this book! (you will not be unhappy with it!) Let me know what you think 🙂 It ends really quickly but you will enjoy it!

just how much work is blogging (really)?

I thought this post would be fun for other bloggers as well as those of you who don’t have your own blog! Making it was actually really fun for me as well- except the math. 😁

g r a p h i c s

On average, it takes me about 5 minutes to create a graphic- not a lot, right? But since I blog twice a week, that’s 10 minutes a week and 40 minutes a month! And 480 minutes a year! And that’s just post graphics. That doesn’t even include redesigning, or my “well, hello” graphic, or anything else! 😲

Weekly- 10 minutes

Monthly- 40 minutes

Yearly- 480 minutes (or 8 hours!)

p h o t o s

On average, a photoshoot takes me about 30 minutes. Basically I carry my camera around and take random pictures. I don’t do this as often as I’d like (only about once a week 😞) but it still adds up!

Weekly- 30 minutes

Monthly- 120 minutes (or 2 hours!)

Yearly- 1440 minutes (or 24 hours- or ONE DAY!)

p o s t s

For me, writing a post takes me about an hour! But since that includes making a post graphic, research, and photos, I’m going to take it down to about 45 minutes. Still, that’s a lot of time! 😱

Weekly- 90 minutes (or 1.5 hours!)

Monthly- 360 minutes (or 6 hours)

Yearly- 4320 minutes (or 72 hours- or THREE DAYS!)

r e a d i n g // i n t e r a c t i n g

While this isn’t necessary, I do comment/interact with other bloggers. However, I’d do that anyway so I’m going to take that time off. For each post, replying to all of your sweet comments takes about 15 minutes- spread out over time, however.

Weekly- 15 minutes

Monthly- 60 minutes (or 1 hour)

Yearly- 720 minutes (or 12 hours 😂)

o t h e r

I have a podcast and email list, which I count as part of blogging. The email list takes about 15 minutes to make weekly, and I also send out a reminder for the podcast weekly that takes 5 minutes (copy and paste 😜) Making each episode of the podcast, however, takes about 60 minutes. Making the show notes takes around 30 minutes and actually recording takes 20, but I do a couple takes and also edit it! So on a good day, it takes an hour.

Weekly- 80 minutes (or 1 hour and 20 minutes)

Monthly- 320 minutes (or 5 hours and 20 minutes)

Yearly- 3840 minutes (or 64 HOURS 😱)

a d d i n g    i t    u p

YOU GUYS. When I started this post I was expecting a LOT less time. This really scares me… I know why bloggers take breaks now.

every year, I blog for approximately….

10860 minutes

-OR-

181 hours

-OR-

7 days and 13 hours

You guys i’m dying right now. All the math. Plus how much time I spend blogging. wow. I didn’t know I liked you guys so much 😂😂 

Did you enjoy this post? It was really fun to make… and very scary as well. I don’t think I can do math for another week- too bad I have to. 😂

I love you guys (I mean obviously… just kidding but still), see you on monday! ❤

 

 

Recently: Books, Podcasts, Blogs, and Music

Today I decided to do a compilation post about what I’m reading and listening to! I don’t know why but I really like this type of post so I wanted to do it today. On Monday, I’m going to post my reactions to your assumptions about me (you guys… they were the BEST) and that’s going to be really fun so definitely stay tuned. Anyway, enough with the intro… let’s get started!

B O O K S

*Soo little disclaimer here… I read a ton more books but I wanted to pick two favorites. And these won!*

The War I Finally Won// Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

I read the previous book in this series to my siblings and honestly I really just wanted to know what happened to Ada… also now I want another book in the series. TBH I got so annoyed at Ada halfway through but now… i’m so sorry Ada! The ending 😰

 

Anne of Green Gables (the whole series)//L. M. Montgomery

I don’t have this cover… BUT HOW PRETTY! OFC I’ve already read this series but I just had to read it again. My favorite book in the series is Rilla (the last one) just because. Even though it’s SO sad. 

P O D C A S T S

Ariana’s Flying Life//Ari’s podcast is the best just like her blog! It’s been so fun to listen to her talk about diverse topics… guys I have a feeling that she’s AMAZING at debating. 😉

Blogging 101//If anyone should make this podcast, it’s Hannah. Because she’s a (very) successful blogger and entrepreneur, I’ve been hanging on to every single word of her podcast 😂 It’s amazing and you should definitely check it out!

Do you guys have a favorite podcast? If so, let me know- I’d love to check it out!

B L O G S

Soo I limited myself to five blogs… WHAT. Bad idea. 😲 There are so many blogs I wanted to include but didn’t because I wanted to do the first five that came to mind… no hard feelings if I didn’t include you! 😁

Ari//Ariana’s Flying Life//I know Ari’s blog is pretty much nominated in all my tags and I talk about her all the time but her blog is amazing! She’s a really sweet girl and her posts are always really uplifting and encouraging. She posts often so definitely go over and follow her! 

Maggie//Dreaming of Guatemala//Recently, Maggie’s blog has been one of my favorites. Her posts are very uplifting and are great reminders about God’s love for us. She also has been doing weekly challenges and positive change a lot recently, which is one of my favorite topics and a great reminder for me! Maggie’s blog is wonderful and you will not be disappointed if you go over and follow her.

Audrey Kate//The Junebug Blog//Audrey is so creative and her posts are so fun! I always love seeing a new one in my reader 😊 I found her blog pretty recently, and I’ve really been enjoying it. If you like creative posts, then check her blog out!

Covah//Dancing in the rain//I love Covah’s blog title and her design has me like… 😍 I really like her style of posts and they are always really fun. I would recommend her blog for sure!

Allison//A Farm Girls’ Life//Allison’s photography is really good, and I’m always really inspired after reading her posts. I don’t really know what to say about her site, but it’s really great and her photography is impressive. 😂

 

M U S I C

Soo I pretty much make a new playlist on Spotify every. single. day. But these are the songs that I include pretty much every time! Most (actually all) of them are worship songs…. 😂😂

• in christ alone//the solid rock
• washed away//nothing but the blood
• oceans (where feet may fall)
• our god
• this is amazing grace
• how great is our god
• you say
• blessed be the name of the lord

What did I tell you? 😂

This post was so fun! I hope you all enjoyed as well. Let me know your favorite podcast!

What are your assumptions about me?

I had planned to do “A day in the life of Emily” today, but I decided that there was a little too many pictures of Emily on here, haha. I have seen so many youtubers do this, and Maggie did it recently, which inspired me to do this also! So here’s how this will work:

• You put your assumptions about me in the contact form below (I removed the need for an account so I won’t see who you are- that will make it easier for y’all to be honest!)

Comment(required)

Submit

Δ

 

 

Example Assumptions:

•  

  You’re tall

• You like dogs

• You love the color green 

When I get enough responses, then I’ll post my reactions 🙂

Peach and Poppy Snail Mail Kit Review

How are y’all? I’m actually going to be announcing something super fun next Friday so that will be exciting! (If you are subscribed to my email list you know what it is… HINT HINT). Anyway, I recently won a giveaway that Megan hosted for a Snail Mail Kit from her shop, Peach and Poppy!

p e a c h   a n d   p o p p y   l i n k

I also filmed a short (actually not so short, around 14 minutes haha) video about my favorite things from the Snail Mail Kit. Check that out if you are interested, and if you can’t watch YouTube no worries! However if you can and like the video, I would be thrilled if you subscribed! I’m working on growing my channel and I would be super happy 🙂 No pressure though!

 

The packaging… guys it was SO pretty! I didn’t want to tear it open but I’m so happy I did heehee.

I don’t really know why I took this picture but I was determined to take pictures of EVERYTHING for this post!

Guys. The colors. I actually saved all the packaging (i know!) because it was SO pretty.

This is what the package looked like before I opened it up. I love the label on the front and it really makes Peach and Poppy that much more professional.

Washi tape! Also I totally used these in my planner haha.

Glitter (!!) I was so excited to find this! It’s so bright and the color is so pretty 🙂

The lighting on this picture is the actual worst but look how cute these binder clips and paper clips are! They’re rose gold and way prettier in real life.

This string is such a fun pattern! I love the colors and I can’t wait to use it.

I’ve never tried out ATCs before, but I can’t wait! I love the fact that they are cut out already 🙂

Guys. Why was getting a picture of the three envelope/cards SO HARD. smh. The colors are bright and pretty, and I think that they are perfect for spring!

There was even an exciting bonus coloring page included! I was so excited 🙂

These postcards are so pretty! I love the contrast of the colors and the pictures in general haha.

Can I just say how cute it is that Megan drew/wrote on the package!!! Her flowers are so happy 🙂

O.o I love this scrapbook paper! The colors, the patterns, oh my word I’m never going to use it haha. I’ll just save it for the perfect use and lose it. Heehee.

These little cutouts are so cute! I love the watercolor style.

Getting a picture of this big notebook was actually quite hard! The notebook is great quality though 🙂

These are actually bookmarks, and I can’t wait to share them with friends 🙂

There were also a few cards about what was included, what to do with it, and just some really fun ideas!

e v e r y t h i n g

I LOVE IT! Seriously guys go buy this kit, it’s great 🙂

I hope y’all enjoyed! Check out Peach and Poppy 🙂

My Dream House Tour

 

 

So. I’ve been blogging twice a week for like a week now and I. Love. It. It’s so fun! I hope you guys like it too (because I’m totally not going back).  Hannah just posted her dream house tour, and I loved it so much that I decided to make mine too! I’d say that my style is pretty classic, but minimalist, and farmhouse//country//boho too. Pretty much a little bit of everything, actually!

Exterior

I love it! It’s so natural and clean and pretty 🙂

I love this so much! All the windows xD. And those doors are just so pretty! This is like the entrance to the yard, I guess?

Need I say more?

Entry

I really like this entry for a small space because there’s seating, storage for shoes, bags, and jackets, and decorations. Entryways are really important because they are the first thing people see of your house!

Living Room

So. Pretty. I love this one! Just imagine another white couch to the right of where the picture ends.

Kitchen

In love! The green/blush accents are so pretty. And the island is so functional! The open shelving (but not too much!) and subway tile are gorgeous.

Dining Room

This is so pretty! I love all the different tones of wood.

Playroom//Family Room

This is so cute! I love how it’s kid, family, and guest friendly 🙂

Office

I would probably hog this (sorry kids) but i totally have a reason! It’s so fun and bright and girly, while still minimalistic and neat.

Bedrooms

AGG is it wrong to want this bedroom? Also pretty sure that no baby is sleeping in that crib (I hope) because those big pillows are definitely safety hazards.

This room is so fun, girly, young, and classy at the same time. I love the lights and the lamp!

I love how this boy’s bedroom is unique but not super cluttered.

I love this bedroom! So relaxed 🙂

Bathrooms

This one is so pretty! I love the shower curtain.

I love this! It’s so luxurious and relaxing.

Another bathroom like the first one- I love that style!

This is perfect for kids 🙂 I love it.

I hope you guys enjoyed this! I sure did 🙂

Recent Reads

Wow! It’s a lot of work to blog twice a week, but so far (lol this is like the first week of doing this) I love it! Today’s post is basically going to be reviews of my favorite books that I’ve read recently. This is one of the categories of posts (book reviews) that you all really wanted to see when I asked– feel free to still comment on that post or comment what you’d like to see next on this post. Anyway, let’s get started with the post!

 

This book. It’s certainly not fiction but I think everyone should read it. It’s the story of Kent and Amber Brantly, who were medical missionaries when an Ebola outbreak started. (Ebola is a super dangerous sickness that can be transferred through pretty much anything and almost always results in death). Spoiler alert: (don’t worry only the white text is a spoiler. Select it and then you can see.) None of the main characters die. This book is great (but it made me cry so much guys. like I NEVER cry when I read…) and I really recommend it. It’s very medically detailed (but pretty easy to understand, and not super gross-you-out, if you know what I mean).

The book cover for this is a little creepy (hello fish staring right at me) but the rest is ADORABLE. I love the colored letters (and I *think* they’re really significant in the book too).  The name is based on the quote by Albert Einstein: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Agg this book is so cute. It’s geared for a younger (maybe upper elementary?) reader, but the story is so deep and sweet that it really doesn’t matter. Ally goes through such a transformation in this book and learns to live without a label. Guys just read this book okay? Seriously, you won’t regret reading it.

 

This book is great! It’s probably intended for like sixth grade (maybe? I guess?) but it’s another one of those books that is great for every age (at least 10, though). I wish a couple scenes were taken out (the bread//rolls scene, maybe all that extra stuff with Toni, and some of the scenes with Mrs. Murphy.) Other then that, this book was great- I would recommend it.

 

I recently discovered a video for this book that’s super cute. It’s a group of 8th graders acting out the book, and it’s certainly not professional by any means, but it’s *pretty* true to the story and doesn’t take out that much. Anyway, if you want to watch it, check it out on this link: YOUTUBE LINK.

This book. You’ve probably read it before (I have!) but it’s just so good.  While it’s intended for middle and upper grade readers, anyone 10+ can read it. It’s very clean, but I don’t think that anyone under 10 would appreciate or understand the story. The story is just the sweetest… I’m off to read the rest of the books in the series (again) now. But really, just read

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sooo… did you enjoy this post! I enjoyed writing (and reading) this.

 

 

Nanea!

Nanea is here!!!!

 

This is not a thoughts on the new release post that is super fancy because I learned that when I post takes 5 hours its 2 fancy. 

Basically just everything that released and my thoughts.

 

SUPER CUTE! I would buy this and use it as modern pajamas.

This is really neat! It looks like such great quality, but I don’t celebrate Halloween and I don’t have any use for a hula costume.

This is adorable! I think purple is Nanea’s color, but it looks a bit grown up on her.

Cute! What’s the big brown thing? To me this makes Nanea look like a kindergartner, though.

YESS! What a cute modest swimsuit. This is on my wishlist for sure.

Nice! I don’t think I would buy this though.

AWW, mele is so cute!

Super acurate, but I’m not going to get it.

I’m sure this is acurate, but I don’t really like it. That pineapple though…

COOL! I can imagine setting up the baby pool as a lake.

So sweet! I don’t think I’ll get it.

SWEET! But, my girls are modern, so no 😦 😦

YAY! THis is on my wishlist for sure.

Nanea is very pretty! I’m sure her outfit is acurate, but I don’t like it together. I really like Nanea though!

This is really cute! But why reindeer ears?

To me this is not fancy? Very cute.

NUTCRACKER!!!

That looks so cute! I think I may get that one…

Is that for wellies? Cute1

NO!!!

Cool, but we don’t have any snowboarders.

Kina cute. I don’t think so though.

THE CHICKEN COOP!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂 🙂

Oh that is perfect!!!

Sweet travel outfit. I don’t like the cape.

Not modest, but cute.

Nice! Hannah would love this.

Super cute!!

I think this is too expensive, but I think the idea is cute.

SUPER! I love this. Perfect.

Cute! I like this set.

NICE! But satin (it looks like satin)seems a little extravagant for Rebecca.

Cute! I think it’s a little expensive but I would buy it and convert it into part of kitchen. Very cute.

How does the welliewisher fit in that thing? I don’t know what it is and I’m not an expert so I may be wrong.

Cute! I love this outfit. Lane is begging me for it already.

Nice! This is a big part of Maryellen’s story so I really like them.

This is such a cute outfit! Very pretty.

ADORABLE!! I don’t think I would get it because it wouldn’t look nice on Ava’s skin tone and hair color, but it is pretty cute.

Hope you enjoyed!

Bye!