Closet Remix 9.29.19

One of my very favorite fashion and lifestyle bloggers to follow is Merrick from Merrick's Art. She is one of my style icons so this week I thought it would be fun to recreate one of her outfits using items from my own closet. Y'all voted for the following outfit on my IG stories this week and Merrick was also kind enough to share my story with her followers so there were a lot of votes from her fans which was fun!

Also, can you believe that she made this skirt?! It's so cute and you can view her sewing tutorial for it here. When I get my sewing machine out of storage in Ohio, I have plans to make a skirt like this using her tutorial.

Easy Meal Round-Up For the First Week of Fall

Yesterday was the first official day of fall according to the calendar but the temperature around here has increased and the humidity is back so it feels like summer again and I'm not mad about it. We did have a few fall-ish days last week which made me want to cook cozy meals so I figured I'd share another easy meal round-up featuring those fall-appropriate dinners!

Easy Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

This recipe is from Yummy Healthy Easy and it's a favorite of ours. We don't eat it as just a bowl of chili, though. For some reason, I've always served this over rice which seems super random but my mom served it that way so that's what I've always done. We are having this meal this week and I'm really excited about it! So easy and delicious! Parker approved (and requested) as well!

Closet Remix 9.21.19

You know those days where you look at your full closet and think to yourself, "I have nothing to wear"? I have been feeling this way for the last couple of weeks and I think I figured out why. I tend to wear the same outfits over and over again rather than using the individual articles of clothing in my closet in different ways. And as a result, I get tired of my wardrobe really quickly. But since Parker and I are on a budget and I can't spend $100 a month on new clothes, I created a little challenge of stretching my closet this last week to try to push my creativity and help me not get so tired of my clothes so fast.

I shared two photos on my Instagram stories of cute fall transition outfits as inspiration and had my IG friends vote on which one I should try to recreate using items already in my closet. This was the inspo photo for this week. 

Photo from Lilly Style blog

Fall TV Shows I Can't Wait To Watch

Y'all know I love TV. I already know I watch an unhealthy amount but I don't really care. Although, I'm sad that my beloved summer shows (Big Brother, SYTYCD, and Bachelor in Paradise (jk paradise has been a snooze this year)) are ending I'm really excited about a few shows that are coming back.

Image from Pinterest

A Million Little Things - you may remember that I included this show as one of the things I love during the 14 Days of Love this year. If you haven't watched this show, it's not too late to get started! Season two starts up on September 26th. I'm SO EXCITED! You've got plenty of time to binge the first season and be ready to watch the second season when it airs.

My Recent Faith Journey

I shared this post a week ago on Instagram but I wanted to give it a spot on my blog, too, because it's an important post for me. And from the comments and messages I received on IG in response to sharing this piece of my heart, it sounds like I'm not the only one who has felt this way. We are all doing the best we can and we can all try a little harder to do a little better <3.

A couple of weeks ago I listened to an episode of the podcast called Cultivate A Good Life by Becky Higgins and Becky Proudfit about their faith journeys. They shared an analogy that has really impacted my life and I wanted to share!

Currently Reading: An Unwelcome Suitor by Ashtyn Newbold

I've been really good at sharing books on Instagram lately but I also want to get back into sharing them regularly on my blog, too! Last week I got the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Ashtyn Newbold's latest book called An Unwelcome Suitor. It's book #4 in a multi-author series called Entangled Inheritance, a set of stand-alone regency era romance novels. Totally up my alley!

*I received this book free from the author and this did not affect my opinion in any way.*

Also, I know this girl on the cover in real life so that's cool! haha

3 Reasons Why Memory Keeping Matters

"It does not matter how or where you share your story. What matters is that you document it." - Mandy @ Turquoise Avenue

Tired of me talking about memory keeping yet? I don't care. Because I truly think memory keeping is so important! So today I'm sharing 3 reasons WHY I think documenting life matters!

1. Memory Keeping Fosters Gratitude. 

How many times have you been told throughout your life that if you're having a hard day you should make a list of all the things you have to be thankful for? I know I've been directed to do that many times at church, school, on social media, etc. because it refocuses your mind to what's important. Gratitude journals are HUGE right now and it makes sense. We go through a lot of crap in this life and it can be really, really discouraging. One of the best things we can do in those tough times is thinking about our blessings. Memory keeping allows us to see those blessings through photos and our own written words and that helps us feel gratitude for our lives. It also offers encouragement to know that we can get through hard things because we've done it in the past and we can do it again.

Oh so grateful!

Girls Weekend in Charleston, South Carolina

South Carolina was my favorite rotation that Parker did! We FINALLY had space to ourselves and it was the cutest condo! The views were incredible. We didn't have to eat fast food for every meal. Charleston is the most darling city! We were a 10-minute walk from the beach. The weather was beautiful. We loved the ward we went to that month. And we had SO MANY FUN VISITORS! I've realized that I feel very, very loved when people make an effort to come to spend time with Parker and me.

The video to accompany this post was one of the videos that I was most excited to make because it's all about my girls weekend with my best friends. I shared a little bit about how we reconnected along with some photos from that trip here but I'm pumped to finally have the video done so I can do a recap post of our time together in Charleston!