In Which I Am A Wedding Hair-Stylist

One of the fun things about being known as a girl who loves fashion/style/beauty is that my help is sometimes enlisted for formal events! Back in November, I got to do my sister-in-law's bridal hairstyle as well as work on some of the bridesmaids. Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending another friend's wedding and playing hairstylist again for six of the nine girls in the wedding party. The legendary Jill was there. We have a term called Jill-Hair. Basically, it means Pinterest-Perfect Hair. It is a joy to work with.

I got a flat on the way to the hotel and had to wait in a farmer's field to be rescued by Dad. Gorgeous day for it, though! Weddings, while a lot of work, are such fun. I never tire of getting to be around the bride's best friends, sisters, or soon to be sisters-in-law who make up her bridal party. I love the camaraderie, the laughter, the mess leftover from the bachelorette parties the night before. I love making the bridesmaids feel beautiful, creating styles that fit their faces and personalities, and trying new techniques to get the girls picture-perfect. Unfortunately, I was so busy doing hair that I forgot to take pictures of the styles as I finished them. I will say, though, that every bridesmaid was delighted with her style and thought hers the prettiest. The bride had requested that everyone wear updo's, which was a challenge in itself! I didn't want to repeat a style. Some girls had an idea of what they wanted, some had no clue. I worked with different lengths and textures of hair and had a blast. In fact, the day was going so well that I got all six girls done in 2 1/2 hours! I think Pandora's wonderful "Wedding" playlist had something to do with it. ;)

//photo creds: Jake Gunther//

I believe everyone is gifted in some way and weddings around here are where this principle becomes plain as the nose on your face. I helped via hairstyling, the bride's coworker commanded makeup, a good friend took the bride in hand and did her day-of style, a SWARM of friends worked catering, design, and decor...it was beautiful.

We got to dance at this wedding, and the one fellow I know who knows how to swing dance happened to be in attendance and I happened to be wearing a dress perfect for swing-dancing in, and it happened to work out that they played "Be My Forever" (one of my favorite songs), and he happened to be in a mood conducive to asking someone to dance and I happened to get to dance with the one person who knows how to swing besides my cousin, the photographer. We also did the Cupid-Shuffle and the bride made everyone cry by dancing with each of her brothers and then this crazy-skilled Asian fellow broke down into electric/robot dancing and absolutely killed it. So I ended the night quite happy, though jealous of my friend Linda's amazing freestyle-dance abilities.

As for the hair, I wish now that I'd gotten photos of individual styles as I went, but maybe they will start coming out of Facebook over the next few days. For now, who would be interested in a run-down of the Vital Pieces of a Wedding Day Hairstyling Kit? If there's interest, I'd be glad to put together a post and perhaps a tutorial or two. If you're good at hairstyling, I would definitely keep practicing, learning, and sharing your talent.You never know when you'll have the opportunity to save someone a ton of money/time/stress by lending your skills. Plus, who doesn't love to be up close and personal with the wedding party? It's kind of like a mini VIP meet-and-greet. ;)

Travel Fashion: My Minimalist Wardrobe

Hi. Yes, that's my "I leave the country in ten days!!!!" face. It's part trepidation and part a hunky load of excitement. I am sorry I haven't been blogging recently! My new job as Mary Poppins has been going wonderfully well, but I'm learning that all those people who complained that work left little time in which to blog were 100% correct. My days off are filled with the pressing business attending my days on and I'm still learning how to juggle it all. It's fun though. The girls and I get along so well, and their parents are fabulosity itself. But I decided to drop the news that I'm leaving the country again for a 17-day missions trip to Romania with a huge fat post full of the topic about which I've been dropping broad hints. This topic? 

A "minimalist" travel wardrobe

 In Romania last year, I packed far too many clothes. I was still under the 50 lb. limit for the checked bag, but along with that bag, I was toting my huge Baccini and Thomas (Barrow), my utterly confused carry-on suitcase. Somehow I made my way through two weeks of lugging around far too much luggage. This year when I knew I would be going back, I wanted to take far less. It's going to be summer so I wouldn't need gobs of clothing. We will be traveling in the mountains, but the most I will need in Romania in May would be a light jacket and jeans. With this in mind, I started thinking about packing. Pinterest can be a huge time-waster, I know. But far oftener than not, I find it a beautiful cause of inspiration. Sometime in the fall, I came across the idea of minimalist packing and I was hooked. This pin is the inspiration for my insanity:

8 items of clothing to make 22 outfits? Seriously? Could that even work? The closer I scrutinized the system, the more I thought it looked like something I wanted to do. When I heard that we will be traveling within the country with limited luggage space, I was decided. I looked at some of the items and colors I already had in my closet and settled on a palette of coral, cream, navy and sage:

Because I felt crafty that night, I made a cute little thingamajig to help me shop. It was more fun than it was useful, but it made the whole thing feel legitimate, which was lovely. Haha. I am a sucker for lists, doodles, and artistic bents on tasks. By God's provision through my job, I was actually able to shop for quite a few things; Shrinkage has been going well which means that I have lost weight and instead of being an 18, I'm a pretty solid 14 (and I got one skirt and some shorts that were 12s!). Most of my summer clothes from last year are way too big, so I needed new stuff. I shopped sales and thrift-stores, bought a couple of full-price (but still reasonable) things, and put together my wardrobe for Romania.

My minimalist travel wardrobe consists of:

• 2 maxi skirts
• 1 pair of cargo capris
• 1 pair of  dark-wash jeans
• 4 blouses
• 2 pull-over/shrug things
• 1 scarf
• 1 belt
• 2 camis
• 1 pair of sandals
• 1 pair each flip-flops and walking shoes (not pictured)

Plus, your average set of pajamas, underclothes, and a light-weight jacket. As a list, it looks like a lot, but in practice, as you shall see, it's fabulously tiny. Could I really make that many outfits out of these items? Yes, I can. I had assumed I'd be able to make enough to carry me through the seventeen-day trip with only a couple repeats, but I hadn't tried making outfits till today. Apparently this whole "Choose colors that coordinate infinitely" thing works pretty darn well. Observe:

My four tops and four bottoms

My "accessories": navy shrug, cream-lace shrug, belt, scarf

All of it (sans camis and shoes) laid out on the floor

 This? Really? All of this could carry me through the entire trip? I was loving the size of this pile--so dinky!--but would it really serve me for both church outfits and casual travel/hanging-out clothes? I started working outfits. Wouldn't they at least start looking identical? I can't even wear jewelry while in the Romanian churches, so how would I shake up the looks? See for yourself: (and while you're at it, pardon the sometimes-foggy mirror-selfies. It's harder than it looks. XD)

No. 1

I started casual, with my jeans.

No. 2

These are the most comfortable sandals! Got them from Payless and though I paid $24, they are worth it.

 No. 3

 No. 4

Switched to sage cargo-capris after 3 options ...

 No. 5

We get tired of making the same faces, preciousss

 No. 6

Switched to my striped navy maxi skirt ... 

No. 7

Love this sage Henley I found at the Salvation Army for $1.50!

 No. 8

 No. 9

This anchor-top is my favorite ever! Bought it on clearance at Belk for $10 (had been $37)

 No. 10

Switched to my blush maxi skirt.

 No. 11

Funny face and hair-shot. I don't think I've showed my new glasses or haircut here, so voila! I love both. ^.^

 No. 12

A dozen outfits, and I am nowhere near to having made all the combinations I could think of! (I just got tired of posing and taking clothes on and off! ;) Packing a minimal amount of clothing (eight main items, four accessories) takes a load off your mind when preparing for a trip.

This stack? Yeah, it includes pajamas (sweatpants and two t-shirts), the camis, and a slip. The only thing missing is my jacket and undergarments. And you do realize I will be wearing some of this to the airport? So the packed stack will be even shorter.

I am in love with packing this way, though I know that I had a little leeway because I was able to purchase some items I needed to pull it off this well. I know that whatever I bring will match with whatever else I bring so I could quite literally pull any top and any bottom out of my bag and wear it with pride. I am so glad I ran across this tactic on Pinterest, and that my friend, Jill, had led me toward something like this too. Not only will I have enough variety for my trip, but I'll also have a couple dozen styles to mix and match all summer long. Thanks to travel bloggers everywhere who gave me inspiration to try mini-luggage, I shan't have any trouble fitting my bags on a plane, a car, or a train at any point in the journey. <3

You can now gawk and goggle at its pretty face! {Fly Away Home}

Hay-low Lovelies! This is the 15th of January and that means this is the day you officially get to see the cover of the book that I am independently publishing! The novel is not available for purchase just yet (gotta  wait till Valentine's Day for that!) but it will be in under a month and I will be certain to let you know when you may purchase a copy! This movement is quite premeditated (the whole publishing thing) and for the story of that, I shall refer you to my writing blog: the inkpen authoress. For now, business!

Fly Away Home, 1952 New York City:

Callie Harper is a woman set to make it big in the world of journalism. Liberated from all but her buried and troubled past, Callie craves glamour and the satisfaction she knows it will bring. When one of America's most celebrated journalists, Wade Barnett, calls on Callie to help him with a revolutionary project, Callie finds herself co-pilot to a Christian man whose life and ideas of true greatness run noisily counter to hers on every point. But when the secrets of Callie's past are hung over her head as a threat, there is space for only one love, one answer: betray Wade Barnett to save her reputation, or sacrifice everything for the sake of the man she loved and the God she fled. The consequences of either decision will define the rest of her life. 

Self-preservation has never looked more tempting.

Think you'd like to read it? Fly Away Home will be available in e-book and print formats on Amazon.com (or you may order print copies directly from me) in a little under a month. This book debuts February 14, 2014. I can't wait! As trite as it sounds, this really is a dream come true. :) If you would like to join the blog party, go on over tothe inkpen authoress and enter for a chance to win this "Coziness Package" which includes a really lovely little character-themed mug I did by hand.

Toodles! Hope you're having a bang fine day!

Indian-Summer Kiss

"There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood;

Touch of manner, hint of mood,

And my heart is like a rhyme

With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time."

-Bliss Carman

There are so many beautiful things to love right now.

There are maples with veins so red you hold your breath, knowing that soon the red in the veins will spread to the body of the leaves and turn the treetops scarlet as Rahab's thread.

There is a bit of a moon hanging low and copper over the field across the way in the pre-dawn hours, when you stay up too late and ought to be in bed but step out on the porch instead just to look at the majesty for a moment.

There are nights and nights of open-window weather which is enough to set the soul right again. Very little can be all that bad when a dark and beautiful chill is seeping through the screens.

There is the smell of mown grass baking hay-sweet in the riot of hazy sunlight, the aroma rising up to fill your nose when you make the trek, barefoot, to the mailbox.

There are cookies--smacking and powerful and punching with the amount of fresh ginger baked into them--cooling on a rack in sugar-sparkling rows.

There are books on the most fascinating aspects of history sitting on the shelf waiting for the moment in the day when I lay aside everything else and take one with me to the porch.

There are lazy evenings at the county fair in the company of friends, everyone pretending, for this moment, that nothing has changed; that no one has moved on; that we are all children again with nothing to do but squash together on the bleachers and watch bull-riding in almost horrified fascination.

There are free photo-prints arranged in a happy cloud on the wall, summoning un-looked-for memories from the recesses of your brain.

There are dewdrops silvering the roses and kittens squirming wiggly-warm next to their mothers, and late-night Sherlock marathons in the itty-bitty house across the land.

There are cotton-candy-eating sessions and then high-from-cotton-candy sessions afterward where we are much less brilliant conversationalists than we like to think, and we collapse against the counter waiting for the chicken-wings to get out of the oven and then, having seen them safely through the inferno, go straight to bed without eating any.

There are phone-calls after phone-calls, setting the pace for the business as a merciful storm--so much abundance of provision in that respect that Saturdays are work-days.

There are hugs to be given, and back-rubs to receive and dusty country roads to drive with the windows down and the music up.

There is feed to buy, and goats to chase off the berry-bushes, and scuppernongs to pick and suck and eat with the sour-zing running up and down your jaw like a trapped tickle.

It's Indian Summer, y'all, and God is just so amazingly good to me.

There's none of it at all!

"The funniest thing about it is the way it likes to grow:

Not at all like proper children which is always very slow.

For it sometimes shoots up straighter like an India-rubber ball

And it sometimes gets so little that there's none of it at all."

-Robert Louis Stevenson

Though Robert Louis Stevenson was, of course, referencing his shadow, I think this quatrain fits well with the current state of my life. (and probably the lives of many of you gals who are graduated.) It seems like we're either sitting with so much free-time we're about crazy, or the schedule merits none at all. I'm about to enter a none-at-all stage, and I'm looking forward to it.

Since we're a "political family" (i.e. don't sit around with our heads in the sand), autumn is not so much pumpkin-spice lattes as it is campaigning. And in Virginia this year we have a really vital race. The spot for governor is up for grabs and the nation's (collective) eye is on the race; whoever becomes governor will swing Virginia one way or the other which will effect national elections in the next few years. You'll likely remember me speaking of the SAT's last year (student action teams) with Generation Joshua; they have called for two early SAT's in addition to the normal ones over election-week, and are trying to gather 200 students for each round! I have volunteered as a leader for those two (as well as the normal one). That means that from the 19-24 I will be in Northern VA, and from October 3-8 I will be in Southern VA. In addition to this, we have our beloved County Fair this weekend, a family camping trip planned for the week after the second early SAT in October, and the girls go to camp mid-October. (I am not taking that full week out of my time for obvious reasons. :D) Of course after October comes election-week with the normal SAT. I'm really hoping and praying that we can get Ken Cuccinelli elected as our next governor; he's a Catholic, homeschooling father with excellent values who stands for everything I am concerned about as a young, intelligent, and voting single woman. Please be praying with me that the fondly-termed "Operation Shock & Awe" will change the course of Virginia history--most candidates whose races our SAT's helped push through election day credit GenJ kids with tipping the final scale. I know it has worked before and I pray these kids' efforts will help push Ken Cuccinelli through. I am SO excited! If you've never done something like this you can't understand the energy and thrill of working so closely with the stuff that changes American history. Seriously now. Get involved with politics; if the country has lame leaders, it's really our fault.

Off the political topic, I am also teaching English Literature to Leah and creative-writing lessons to Leah, Anna, and our cousin Emily. (This will have to be slipped here and there through cracks.)

Also in the background is my online shop, The Warren, which hasn't exactly taken off with a bang because of the fact that I've had no  time to publicize it. So if any of you felt like helping me out with that...(blog buttons, mentioning on your blog, following The Warren on Facebook... :) The business is finally beginning to boom (after three years of nil), praise GOD, and we are having to work Saturdays to keep up. I am still doing billing and occasional office-related things in addition to going out on the work-crew now and then. (the other girls and Benj still carry the brunt of that.) This month I got to do it all at Starbucks. (hence the picture above. Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate is divine.) Oh yes. And I'm writing a Cinderella-novella (25,000 words) which I have to finish, get critiqued, edit, and send into author Anne Elisabeth Stengl's contest by December. The reason I'm pushing to do this is that the best five stories will be published by Rooglewood Press in an anthology dubbed: Five Glass Slippers. Of course A.E. Stengl will get all the money from it, but the winners have have glory, honor, and free publicity in connection with a very successful author in the Christian-fiction circles. So I'm writing my best and shoving it in the ring and we'll see what outcome the Lord has for all that! It would be a lovely break into the realm of publicity for my writing which is currently-unpublished-but-seeking-to-remedy-that.

So yes. I'm bonkers. This fall is bonkers. And I'm loving every minute of it. ^.^

I HAVE A SWEETHEART!!!!

{Actually, a whole box of them.}

Welllllll look! Two posts in one day. I wanted to do the first one since it was serious, and then I wanted to do a light-hearted one and since they didn't seem like they belonged in the same post, I thought I'd better do one this morning and one this evening. :D All right. Excuses, excuses. Maybe it's just because some rather interesting things happened after I got up from the couch and set the computer aside. :D

First off, Mama and I opted to do a Shrinkage-friendly breakfast rather than cinnamon rolls or something else, so we made Cherry-Triple-Berry-Banana-Oatmeal Sundaes which have the combined appeal of being raw as well as healthy. :) I loved them, so I hope they'll stay in our recipe box!

I was given chocolate, but most of it was *dark*chocolate and was followed up by my customary 3-ish mile walk so I didn't feel too bad. After breakfast, Abigail went out to check on the goats and came hurtling back in yelling that Emma was having her kid. (I forgot to mention it, but two days ago Nessa had twin boys....Benedict and Martin...both as stinkin' adorable as the actors. AHEM.)

I took the opportunity to take some pictures of Gracie, who was being her typical awesome little self in a black tutu, rubber boots, and pearls among the goat muck and mire. 

Benedict is the one with the coat, and his collar flipped up which--considering he is Sherlock--is very fitting.

Here he is: Benedict.

Benedict giving Abby some love.... :)

The new baby that was born was a little girl, and Anna named her "Juliet". :) She was still wet and hadn't even tried to stand up when we found her.

And then the most exciting part of my day happened. Actually, it happened last night late. I got this text from a really cute, really handsome, really great guy I have loved for a long time. His name is Matthew, and he sent me this message:

"Will you be my Valentine?"

In'n't he cute? ;)

Needless to say, I was ecstatic.

Then I heard that he'd also asked my younger sister, Sarah, to be his valentine. Talk about double-dipping. ;) So we decided to make it a triple date, and Matthew would divide himself between Sarah and I. We headed out to a Mexican restaurant to get the lunch special. Sarah and I couldn't decide who got to sit next to him, so we just both sat across from him.

Okay. Sorry to scare y'all. 

Matthew is our beloved cousin who lives across the field, and he took Sarah and I out to lunch since we're all single and didn't have other plans. :D 

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all! <3

Operation Graduates Part Two!

Sarah and I had a coffee/lunch date with Casey in Smithfield today. It was so much fun to walk around the town in this glorious (though strange) 70+ degree weather! We wandered all over and I enjoyed it, though my feet didn't. See, I made the mistake of wearing my vintage heels and forgetting an extra pair of shoes.

Ahem ahem ahem.

Though I guess it was horribly improper, I took off my shoes and finished my walk and shop-wandering in bare feet and hose. I mean, honestly--what was I to do? I didn't care what people thought, and Casey and Sarah didn't care, so what was wrong? Nothing. I guess my characters are rubbing off on me...that sounded terribly like something Calida Harper would do. XD

We didn't do a lot of cooking today, but we did look through a TON of old family pictures. That is always a load and a half of fun. I have changed so much. I used to be so cute. ;) Anyway, in the spirit of reviewing childhood before graduating, and because Kendal wanted to see pictures of me as a kiddo, I have brought you a few. Enjoy! :D

Me, Sarah, and Daniel. I love this. Our personalities are so evident already. Daniel, slightly mischievous, Sarah being goofy and me....?

Yep. Ever a book-lover. :)

Little Ballerinas.

Awwww! Sarah was so cute as an Indian chief!

Me, Leah, and Sarah all dressed up for church. :) Isn't her hair so blond?

Ha ha. This picture makes me laugh for some reason. XD

Aaaand the little fire-fighters. I look out of humor...wonder what was wrong?

Awwww. I love looking through old photos, don't you? A graduation is totally the time and place for it! :D Gotta love re-living the old years! I know there'll be lots of preparations for the graduation tomorrow, so stay tuned for further episodes in Operation Graduates! :D

Masquerade...with pictures! So you'll love it.

It happened. It was wonderful. What, you ask? The amazing Masquerade Ball I fretted over for so long. I ended up painting my mask and forgot to get a picture. *Le Sigh* Oh well. Not that you were overly curious anyway. Since my dress was coppery-gold, I painted half my mask copper and the other half gold, bordered the eyes and edges with silver, and accented by gluing black sequins and red gems along the top. Wow. I really wish I did get a picture. Oh well. I wasn't in the car with the iPhone and that's that. Sarah had the iPhone this time and managed to get a couple pictures of her get-up. I painted "Fanny Dorrit" lips on her (a.k.a. "The Red Queen" lips) and when combined with her black dress and a little top-hat-head-band gave her a singular look. Very playing-card-ish. I liked it. :)

She made her mask out of fabric, then stiffened it and added lace and accents with fabric paint.

Daniel and Abigail went as "Zorro" and his Senorita.

You may ignore the fact that his mask was far too tight for his head. 

 I think she looked like a Spanish rose. :) 

Casey and I were consulting as to how much she looked like a mysterious, alluring, runaway bride when she was dancing The Triumph. (I'll elaborate on that favorite dance later.) Hee-hee, Abigail. Bet you didn't see that one coming, did you? Which, by the way, I was so glad to see you, Casey! :) For the rest of you who wouldn't know, I emailed Casey very late in the game...like two days before the dance...and she ended up being able to get things together and come! And a lovely thing she was too!

Oh dear. I really do wish I'd got a picture of myself. 

But it probably wouldn't have turned out anyhow. 

Pictures of me seldom do. I'm just that way.

******

UPDATE

******

A dear person I know heard that I hadn't got any pictures and sent me pictures her mum had taken as I danced with her brother. Now you can see my mask. :)

Dancing with Wyatt Fairlead...

However, a friend of mine did get some pictures. (don't you love Facebook? It's like digital highway robbery.) Thanks, Stacey! I'll use some of those photos to fill you in... We got there late--an hour late--but the dancing hadn't begun. Hallelujah! Immediately upon our entry though, they did begin....and didn't end till nearly 11 p.m. YEAH! So. Much. Fun. More than I anticipated! Oh. And for the record, I love dancing indoors in November versus outdoors in July. It's just better for a harem of reasons.

Our callers were a brother-sister team: Stacey and Daniel Bradshaw.

Two of the hostess' gorgeous sisters and their dashing brother...

Michelle...

The gorgeous hostess, Miss Joanna T.

Pretty much the highlight of the evening was getting to meet my best friend's new fella: David. I came home from my SAT to find that she'd done gone and got a guy since I'd last seen her. 

Furthermore, a guy I'd hardly heard of, let alone met!

 I had to inspect him, of course. And he passed muster with flying colors. It helped that he was one of the best dancers there...

Maryanna and her darlin' at the front of the line as we begin the Grand March

The Virginia Reel. I love how color-coordinated this photo is. Purple was definitely "in". That's Anna right there on the left in her beautiful gown. She had her 13th b-day party Saturday as well! Oh yeah. And check out the mask--I painted that on her and you can hardly see she has glasses. I loved how it came out.

The Triumph. Such a hilarious dance. The girl ignores her partner and goes to the next fellow down and sashays with him, and her partner has to chase after her....

..

...and she dances saucily back up the line with the both of them before reeling down with her proper partner. This may very well be my favorite of the reels we dance. :)

Our own dear Tim was rather startling as The Phantom...

Another reel...

As if her first ball with her chap wasn't enough, Maryanna's evening was made by winning the "best female costume award" alongside this inventive fellow we fondly termed "two-face." :) Isn't she gorgeous? And isn't he hilarious?

Further questioned about his outfit, he admitted to having gone to several thrift-stores to find enough black and white pieces, and sewing them together himself. Two-piece shirt, tie, jacket, pants, and shoes. I'm glad he won. Such tenacity in a guy in the category of tailoring deserves an award. I know one lady took a lot of video of the dances, so if she ends up sending it to me, would you like me to post it? :) I was so pleased that the Bradshaw's freshened our classic dance-set with some new dances like "The Postie's Jig" (I know it now, Julia!!) "Oh Johnny, Oh" and "The Ship's Cook." I got to help teach the latter, and it actually worked out really well! I would recommend next time, however, not calling it. It's one of those dances that you just need to learn and then dance silently. :)

Like I said, we didn't finish with the last dance--the exhausting, wonderful, giddy "Snowball" reel--till close to 11. Then we stood about and talked for an hour at least before wandering home with Abigail, the Alexander boys, and ourselves. I wrenched my ankle in the last dance but wouldn't stop to molly-coddle it because I wanted to finish the last dance. It was a little sore upon coming home, but nothing too terrible. I iced it and all's well now. :) ....I was sore the next morning though, and my arms haven't recovered! :D Ahhhh me....I was so ready to dance! I hadn't had a good dose since early February! WAY too long, I say. It will go down as being one of the best dances I've been to. There was almost an even split of guys to girls. I got asked to dance every swingin' dance. With a guy. Which is a new record. So all in all I'd say it was a glorious time. Nothing like some good fun with amazing people!