Why I stopped blogging...for now

Several people have asked why I stopped posting, so I thought I'd give my answer, even though it's been several months! But prepare yourself...this is a super long post:

In June, Ethan and I went on vacation with some friends. While packing, my thought was, "My outfits have to be super cute because I'll need outfit photos for the blog." What? This was vacation! Why was I working? So, I decided not to worry about it too much and just be myself and be comfortable. And I very much enjoyed the break from thinking about the blog.

When we got home, I just took a little break from blogging regularly. I posted some, just not as much as normal. However, I felt this pressure on me to always look a certain way. I felt like if I just wanted to wear jeans and a plain t-shirt, it wasn't good enough. People were literally coming by my office asking to see what I was wearing and I just felt so much pressure to always look perfect. That is not a way to live!

So, I just stopped. It bothered me because I have never really cared much what people thought about my clothes. I just wore what I liked and what I thought looked interesting and I was always happy with that. So when I started caring about the opinion of others and started dressing to satisfy the blogosphere,  I decided that enough was enough.

You know what? I really liked not blogging every day.

Then I started feeling really run down. Like, exhausted all the time, from the time I woke up to the time I went to sleep. Just utterly exhausted. I thought I was just stressed (July was shaping up to be pretty crazy). But it wasn't getting better, and after several weeks of feeling this way, I went to the doctor who tested my iron and as it turned out, I was iron deficient. Simple answer! YAY! I began taking vitamins as suggested by my doctor, but then started feeling even worse.

I was throwing up, had a terrible headache, bad stomach pain, and the exhaustion was worse. I couldn't sleep well (only about 3-4 hours per night) even though I was horribly tired. I could barely walk around. All I could do was lay on the couch. I went back to the doctor, but all my blood work was normal. The only explanation I could think of was that I was pregnant, which would have been a surprise. Pregnancy tests came back negative. I finally made my yearly appointment with my OB/GYN and he confirmed that I was not pregnant, however, this weird rash that had appeared the day before looked suspiciously like shingles. What?

I went back to my general practice doctor and he confirmed the shingles diagnosis, which explained all the stomach pain and upset, headache, and severe exhaustion. But seriously, who gets shingles?! Apparently, stress can be a cause of shingles in people my age. So I took seriously the suggestion to whittle down my calendar to the essentials only, which was very difficult for me, and to rest a lot. I learned a lot during that time of being sick with the shingles (about 6 weeks total); to rely on people, take time for myself, spend a lot of time with the Lord, and keep my priorities in line.

Right before I went to the OB/GYN, I found a small lump in my breast. Kind of felt like a tiny marble. I have been in the practice of self exams ever since my mom found out she had breast cancer 6 1/2 years ago. You are never to early to start! I asked my doctor about it and he wasn't worried at all, but he did order a mammogram for when I was healthy again from the shingles.

I made my appointment at the Breast Center to have a mammogram and sonogram (exciting, right?) and  was so nervous, I could hardly stand it. What if they didn't like the look of it? What if it was cancer? What is something is wrong with me?! Ethan took me to my appointment and I had the best doctor! She took one look at the "mass" and said it looked totally normal, but since I have a history of breast cancer in my family, she wanted to do a biopsy of it.

I had the biopsy procedure this past Thursday, which involved making a tiny little incision and taking 3 core samples of the mass. I'll spare you the details, but it was a quick and easy procedure and if you EVER need a breast center, I will highly recommend Dr. Talwar to you. She and her team were unbelievable. I cannot praise them enough!

I received the results this morning and everything's fine!!! The samples came back as benign and the doctor is not at all concerned (she never really was, actually). I have a follow up appointment in April just to make sure everything still looks good, but again, they are not worried about it. I'm so thankful to be done with the waiting and praising God for good results!

All that to say, taking a break from the blog has been a good thing for me. I might pick up posting again, but it will be as I want it and when I have time. So, thanks for reading. Thanks for caring. And if you made it this far in the post, you are a trooper! I'll post another time about all the things I learned during the past few months. It would be crazy not to share it all. God has been so good to Ethan and me.

Have a great day, friends.

What a joy!

My sister, Molly, and I combined efforts over the last few weeks to make some journals to sell for our friends, Matt and Elissa Roberts, to help raise money for their adoption from Ethiopia.

Last week we were able to put a check in the mail for $700 to Matt and Elissa. That is unbelievable to me!! My goal was to make $300, but I would have been happy with $150, honestly. I just wasn't sure if people would want a journal. Molly had a much more confident goal set for us of $500, but I just couldn't see how that would be possible. But as it turns out, journal or not, people love to help other people raise money for adoptions. I was blown away at the amount of requests for journals that came in so quickly! We made lots of trips to Hobby Lobby and Wal-Mart. Molly and I were fast and furiously making journals, sometimes until the late hours of the night, and praying over each one. I carried armfulls of packages to the post office, just overwhelmed with how many people were wanting to help our sweet, sweet friends.

Let me just share something that was really incredible to me. Only 31% of the precious people who bought a journal actually know or have met Matt or Elissa. That means 69% of the purchases were from people who don't know Matt and Elissa and most like never will know them! That is unbelievable to me! I am so thankful that the Body of Christ stepped up to serve my friends by doing something as simple as buying a journal. Honestly, I could not be more grateful. Molly and I could have made as many journals as we wanted, but without people to support the effort and give to Matt and Elissa, it would have been for nothing.

So, thank you for buying journals. Thank you for praying for Baby Roberts. Thank you for showing the love of Christ to those around you and blessing us and the Roberts family.

Matt and Liss, I love you guys more than I can say. I am so happy that you have obeyed God to bring a sweet orphan into your home. I know EEOO will forever be changed and will know the love God has for him or her. Lydia and Charlotte will be the BEST big sisters!!

Journals to Bring Home Baby Roberts

****UPDATE!! We have put a hold on the journals for now. We were overwhelmed with orders!****

Some of my very best and dearest friends are in the process of adopting a precious baby from Ethiopia. I've known Matt and Elissa since childhood and Elissa is one of my sweet BFFs. I could not be more excited for them, their daughter Lydia, and soon-to-be-born baby Pumpkin to be able to bring home a beautiful baby boy or girl from Ethiopia! They have about 18-24 months to go and a lot more money to raise. God has been so faithful to their family, providing them exactly what they need. You can read about their journey here. 

My sister, Molly, and I want to help them raise some money! We made these adorable journals to sell and 100% of the profit goes straight to Bringing Home Baby Roberts. They are $12 if you live in Fort Worth and we can hand deliver them. They are $15 if you live out of town (extra cost is for shipping). Our goal is to sell as many of these as possible during the month of September, which is perfect because that's Molly and Elissa's birthday month and the start of college football (Matt and Liss's favorite time!). 

To place an order, please contact Molly or myself directly or email sixfiftyblog@gmail.com. Let us know how many of each you'd like. You can send us a check, cash, or I can send you an invoice through PayPal. 

Please help us raise money to help bring home Baby Roberts from Ethiopia!

**All journals have lined paper and are 9 3/4 in x 7 1/2 in

Mustache w/ teal ric rac

Mustache w/ teal ric rac

Pretty Paisley w/ light blue ric rac

Pretty Paisley w/ light blue ric rac

Scripture w/ black ribbon bookmark

Scripture w/ black ribbon bookmark

Peace & Love w/ pink ric rac

Peace & Love w/ pink ric rac

Funky Floral w/ pink ric rac 

Funky Floral w/ pink ric rac

Red Damask w/ white ric rac

Red Damask w/ white ric rac

Moroccan Tile w/ yellow ric rac

Moroccan Tile w/ yellow ric rac

Zebra w/ pink ric rac

Zebra w/ pink ric rac

Houndstooth w/ red ribbon 

Houndstooth w/ red ribbon

Pretty Floral w/ turquoise ribbon

Pretty Floral w/ turquoise ribbon

Polished: Braids...again

Happy 4th of July!!! I hope you are having fun with friends and family today...or just relaxing at home! Do what you love!

Are you sick of seeing braids everywhere? No? Good, me either. They are just so easy and cute!

I wanted to braid my bangs back, but I wanted to try braiding it forward instead of back, if that makes any sense. So I started a french braid at my part and grabbed pieces from the back only to pull into the braid. Usually I pull from the front, so it puts the braid further back on my head. I braided all my bangs in, braided back some more, pinned them in and was good to go!

Just a simple change, but I really liked the look a lot better. Try it!

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Outfit: Peplum

Are you tired of hearing about Wish? Good. Because I'm not done showing you what I bought while I was there. 

Well, I bought this peplum top there. And it's my new fav. Love the color. Love the cut. Love that it makes me look like I have something resembling a waste. Love everything about it.

I hope you have a very happy Tuesday!!

Breakdown: top, Wish; skirt, Target; shoes, Shoe Gypsy (2011); bracelet, Bauble Bar; watch, Target; headband, Kimmie; necklace, Wish.

Polished: Birchbox Review

Happy 4th of July! Hope you are having a great day!

Sorry I was lame and did not do a May Birchbox Review. Here's May and June...

Interested in Birchbox? See info here.

To shop the Birchbox shop, click here.

Happy Wednesday!!!

Outfit: Fluorescent

Happy Tuesday! I hope you all had a great Monday!

It is no surprise that I really like bright colors. When I saw this skirt, I knew that I had to buy it! It's from Target and this style skirt is my new favorite. It's fitted without being too tight. It's a great weight fabric. It has pockets. It is the right length for work. Yep, perfect skirt.

Ethan! Stop being ridiculous and take my picture! SHEESH!

Breakdown: shirt, Old Navy (2009); skirt, Target; shoes, Shoe Gypsy (2011); necklaces, Bauble Bar and Wish.

Thankful Fridays

Happy Friday, friends!

Bauble Bar

To see other weekly thankful posts from other bloggers...here.

Recipe: A New Orleans Food Review

New Orleans is one of my favorite places to eat. Cajun food is one of my favorites. We cook it at home, but nothing quite compares to being in the Big Easy and eating all that yummy, authentic cajun food. Here's a look at what we ate:



Thin fried catfish at Middendorfs




Crawfish Cakes at Chartres House Cafe




Beignets and Cafe Au Laits at Cafe Du Monde



Fried Shrimp and Hushpuppies at Acme Oyster House

Shrimp and Grits at Grand Isle

Shrimp Poboy at Grand Isle

Pasta Jamabalaya at Crescent City



Stuffed Shrimp at Crescent City

Oh, man...looking at all these photos has made me hungry again. I might have to whip out my favorite jambalaya recipe and give it a whirl. I'll share that one soon.

Happy Thursday, friends!


Polished: LUSH

Happy Wednesday, friends!

LUSH (USA website)

Big

Rub Rub Rub

Coco Lotion

Outfit: WISH

Well, I'm back! Back from vacation, back to my routine, and back to blogging. I know you're overflowing with happiness.

As you may remember, New Orleans is home to my favorite clothing store in all the world: WISH. When we go to New Orleans, I save up for months to be able to shop to my little heart's desire. You will probably notice a lot of new WISH pieces in my outfit posts coming up. I got some really great pieces! 

Here's one of them now...the perfect maxi dress. This one is perfect for several reasons:

1. A maxi dress is the most comfortable thing you can wear to work. Remember, it's like wearing pajamas at your desk. This one is no exception...so soft!

2. This dress is easy to style.  A belt. A scarf. A cardigan. Different shoes. Dress it up, dress it down. Whatever you wish!

3. Color blocking.

4. Modest.

5. From WISH.

Also, I have been trying to air dry my hair more and use less heat styling on it this summer. Still getting used to it, but my hair is very soft styled like that.

I hope you all have a very happy Tuesday. Thanks for reading!

So much food...

Basically a New Orleans vacation consists of eating and shopping. We ate some amazing meals and I am planning on sharing them soon! Thanks for hanging tight while we get back into the swing of things!

We're home!

We are home from vacation!

It was a wonderful time. I can't wait to share with you what we ate, bought, and wore!

Have a happy Wednesday!

Thankful: Vacation!

Have you picked up on the fact that we are going on vacation?

Ethan and I have not been on a proper vacation in years. We are very excited to get away! We are going with another couple and we are very much looking forward to some good food, lots of laughter, sitting by the pool, and enjoying the city of New Orleans...

I'll be back on the blog next week updating about our trip, so see you then!

Have a happy weekend!

Polished: Vacation Ready Part 2

When traveling, you want to look and feel your best. Here are some beauty items that will help you in that process! All are courtesy of Birchbox.

For a bright skin

For a natural looking glow before you hit the road

1 item for both cheeks and lips...can't beat that!

A great natural sunscreen

Tinted moisturizer with SPF 20

I hope you have a very happy Wednesday!

Outfit: Vacation Ready

We are going on vacation!! We haven't been on a true, restful vacation in a few years, so we are really looking forward to it! I hope to take some outfit photos while we are there, but I wanted to show you some items that are vacation ready and super adorable. All of them are from Target, so they are affordable and easy to get your hands on!

A great floppy hat for the beach or the pool

Small cross body bag for all the walking around while shopping

Sandals with a pop of color

Versatile chambray tunic to wear with shorts, skirts or dresses

Bright colored shorts, love this lime green!

Botanical print top that is breezy and cool in the heat

Fab, flowy maxi dress

Modest swim suit bottoms

Coordinating swim suit top

I hope that you find some time to get away this summer, even if it's just for a night nearby to rest and rejuvenate. I can't wait to not have a schedule, shop til I drop, sit by the pool, and eat lots of yummy food that I don't have to cook!

Have a happy Tuesday, friends!