With the Coming of Fall....

... I get very excited about a whole bunch of things... Here's a list of a few of my favorite things to do/about the season of Fall!!!

1. Taking Walks and enjoying the beautiful weather

2. Making the house smell wonderful by putting stews and soups in the crockpot (LOVE crockpots!!)

3. Sitting by a warm fire with a good book and a cup of tea

4. Wearing lovely Fall clothes and coming up with modest and feminine outfits

(I think these would look SO classy with a dark color denim skirt...)

5. Whipping up some yummy 'Fall' recipes like this delicious Pumpkin Cake Roll

6. Shopping at Summer Clearances

7. Getting some beautiful pictures of the season

(Not my photo)

8. Crocheting or Knitting up fun things like wrist and leg warmers, or fun hats

9. Decorating with 'Fallish' Things

10. Singing Christmas songs at the top of my lungs with my sister (yes, believe it or not, we've already started doing that... Seriously, though, the meaning of Christmas should be remembered every day of the year...)

What are some of your favorite things about Fall?

I'm dreaming/wishing I had one of these to sit on....

And What Have I Been Up To?

Howdy!  I hope that y'all, or some of you, missed my regular posts while the fashion show was going on. I've missed it a bit myself! So, I figured I'd pop over here and see what y'all were up to and say a bit about what I've been doing. :-)

First and foremost, I've been busily getting my children's books ready for publication. They're still in the editing process, but at least it's moving along somewhat. I currently have 4 written with a 5th one in the making. It's extremely exciting and frightening at the same time! I will be sharing a table with a good friend of mine at our Homeschool Convention this next year. She informed me a couple of days ago that the Board had approved us as vendors and that we were now officially getting a table. That was rather stunning news, but only from the side that reality hit me like a demolition ball. "Wow, Sarah, this is for real. You'd better kick it in high gear and get this done!". So, a little scary from that point. I guess that I've dreamed and prayed about this so long that it feel weird when it is actually happening.  Oh, you should definitely go and check out Alicia's book on her website. It's really good and I definitely recommend it (if I haven't already!). She's currently writing up a second one, and will also have a 3rd book in the series. I'm looking forward to reading both of them! She is also selling on Amazon. She's got lots of neat things on her site, so definitely check that out!!!

Second, I've been preparing for my commencement (graduation) party. This has been SO difficult to prepare for... the biggest reason being that I couldn't invite every person I wanted to. My parents made me limit it to friends that I've either known for a very long time, or ones that have really been involved in my home school life. This was very difficult for me! I have lots and lots of friends that I would have liked to have invited. *Sigh*. In any case, it will still be nice with family and close friends. It's a rather big thing, for me, because I feel so unprepared for this next phase of life. I'm normally a very 'bubbly', happy-go-lucky person, but for some reason turning 19 and adding graduation on top of that has made me look at life rather seriously. I'm sure that's a good thing, though... ;-) Voting is a scary issue, too.... =P  (oh, if you want to see a sneak peak of graduation photos, you can go to Rebecca's site HERE)

Third, I've been sewing and making costumes for two things. One is for drama... the second is... well, that's a secret for now. You won't get to hear about that until later on, but I'll let you take a few guesses if you want. :-)
   Our drama performances are coming up here in November. for anyone interested, you can check out our new site HERE.  We're having a fundraiser this year, so if you'd like to support us, please visit the site and click on the 'support us' link. Our first fundraising day is this Saturday, so I'll be sure to get pictures and post them on the site.

We've also been excitedly looking forward to the community chorus doing their Handel's Messiah again this year! This will be our 4th year to sing, and I'm really looking forward to it! I might even try out for a solo... but I'm still contemplating that. :-) So far it is just Becca, Josh, and myself who will be singing.. but I'm hoping we can get Dad and Mom to do it with us as well. Caleb isn't old enough yet, but maybe next year. 

Other than that, we've pretty much been busy with just the normal things in life. Today we have been processing a BUNCH of apples. Some friends from church have a wonderful orchard, so we have bags and bags of apples to go through. They are really, good, though! We plan on making applesauce (we like the chunky kind!), and then freezing some for recipes. I'm not sure if we'll get around to making jelly (we're not too fond of apple jelly) or cider. I guess we'll see how far we get. ;-) Speaking of which, I'd better get back and start working again! ;-)

Oh, I'm hoping to get some hair tutorial videos up sometime soon.... If you have any requests, please drop me a line in the comment box, or in my contact page. :-) I'd love to be able to put up videos that I know you want to see! 

What has ya'll's week been filled with?

Let the Winners Be Announced!

Hello everyone! Just stopping in to say that Samantha has posted the first winner today! We decided to post one winner each day, that way we weren't doing a HUGE post. So, go and check out the winner for the Stripes 'n Dots Theme!

Samantha will continue announcing winners for the other themes the rest of this week, so be sure to check her blog daily. :-)

Also, I've been trying to work on some video hair tutorials and will be trying to get them on here sometime soon. So, stay tuned for that! :-)

Fashion Show Officially Closed

Hello ladies!  Just dropping in to let everyone know that the fashion show is officially closed. Samantha and I are judging outfits and comparing scores. The stage is getting set to announce the winners!!!!!

We would like to thank each and every one of you who participated (whether you just read the posts, or if you actually entered some outfits). This was so much fun to do, and we're thinking we just might need to do another one sometime in the future. :-) Y'all have made it very difficult for us to pick the winners. Everyone did an amazing job on their outfits.

All winners will be posted over at Samantha's Blog. When she has posted, I'll post a quick update over here to let y'all know. However, I do encourage you to go and follow her blog, as I'm sure you'll enjoy any future posts that she puts up. :-)

As a closing note, I thought that I would share what the dictionary has to say about Modesty. :-)

Modesty: ...regard for decency of behavior, speech, dress, etc. 

I think y'all did a great job of showing that during the show. :-)
So, thank you again and we hope to see you all around in the blog-sphere again soon! :-)

In Him,
Sarah and Samantha

Mix 'n Match

Hello Ladies!! I'm very excited to see everyone's outfits for today! It was fun, and difficult, to get an item from different themes to put into one outfit! :-) It's rather sad, though, that today is the last day. It has been so much fun, though!! I hope that everyone had a good time while participating or viewing. :-)

Samantha's Specs:
Shirt - Kohls
Jeans - Bergners
Scarf - Cato
Shoes - Kohls
Hair Accessory - Etsy
Hair - Dutch Braid updo ( one of my new favorite updos - really easy and keeps my hair out of the
way)

 

(Sorry that my eyes look funny... I don't know why they did that..)

My Specs:
Orange Tank top- from the Flower's theme
Denim skirt- From the Stripes 'n Dots theme
Over shirt- from the Vintage theme
Jewelry- I wore the earrings in the Vintage theme, both are gifts from siblings
Shoes- Brand new! My order, that I placed about a month ago, finally came in!
Cat- I think we got him from somewhere around here... ;-) hehe!
Hair- Just a French Braid. French braids have become a favorite of mine recently. Great way to keep your hair out of your face, but it isn't sitting on top of your head in a bun (my hair is thick and heavy enough that I get headaches if I wear buns for too long.)

Alright, time to link up. This is the very last day of the Modest Fashion Show. Samantha and I want to thank all of you for participating! It was a lot of fun. We're thinking we just might do another one sometime in the future. What do you think?

Last Hair Tutorial for the Fashion Show!

I can't believe that tomorrow is the last day of the Modest Fashion Show! It's gone by so quickly.

Alright, so here is my very last hair tutorial for the show. I might end up doing more, if everyone thinks I should. I've had fun putting them together... and perhaps when the new video camera arrives, I can make some personal tutorials as well. Would anyone like to see those?

 Link for Tutorials

 This last one I was very glad I found. I don't know about anyone else, but I've always had trouble with getting my sock bun to work! Now I know how to do it!! Yay!! :-)

Do come and participate in the very last day of the show tomorrow! It's the Mix 'n Match theme (which means you grab items from the previous themes to turn it into a whole new outfit!). Winners for each theme will be posted over at Samantha's blog, as well as what prizes they won... so, I'll let everyone know when that happens. Hopefully we'll get the judging done by next week. :-)

Also, if you don't mind commenting and letting me know your answer/thoughts on doing more hair tutorials (my question at the top). Thanks!

Vintage

Hello!!! I don't know about any of you, but I am SO excited that we finally get to do this theme! (yes, I know the delay is originally my fault, but I'm excited all the same!). I think I've had my outfit picked out since day 1. ;-) My sister took my picture for me. She did an amazing job, even with the issues we were having (windy day, bright sunlight, cats and dogs begging to climb all over me...)

Oh, and just a quick note to say THANK YOU  to all of my followers! I can't believe that I've reached 100. Never ever thought that I'd do that. So, thank you so very much for following my blog! :-)

Samantha's Specs:
Vintage-Inspired
Top - Kohls (Apt. 9)
Skirt - Junee
Scarf - Gift
Shoes - Kohls
Hat - Thrifted (only $1 and brand new!)

My Specs:
Hat- Antique shop (I was originally going to go with a red cloche, one that matched Samantha's-and no, we didn't plan it- but when my mom saw this other hat, she said it looked better with the outfit. :-)
Cardigan/sweater/thingy- Thrift store
Tank- Walmart
Cami- Kohls
Skirt- Thrift Store
Shoes- Walmart
Scarf- gift from a dear friend
Brooch- gift from my grandmother
Earrings- gift from siblings
Gloves- Antique shop, gift from a friend
Pearl rope (around my hair)- inherited from great-grandmother.

For anyone who might be wondering, I got the typewriter from my grandpa (as you can see, it still works. In fact, I've written letters to people using it). I got the suitcase from an Antique shop (same one as the hat).

Yesterday was rather fun! My sister and I got up early and got ready to do a photo shoot. It was pretty difficult to get some good pictures, only because of the weather (which I mentioned before). However, being such a good photographer, she was able to get some nice shots of me, regardless of the elements! ;-)  We came back from doing that, looked at all the pictures, did some editing, then had a few things to do around the house. By the time we were done, we needed to head out to go visit some friends. The parents went on a double date and we kids got together to enjoy some time together as well. :-) We had a blast... even made a spontaneous, total ad-lib movie. Well, part of a movie. We set it during the 1860s. They had some Civil War dresses, so it worked out perfectly. They just let me borrow a 'dress up' dress. It was loads of fun to do! :-) So, needless to say, I'm extremely sorry that I didn't get a hair post up yesterday.... ;-)

Alright! Can't wait to see your out fits!

Western

Hello!  I can't believe we only have 3 more themes to go! The fashion show has gone by so quickly. I've really enjoyed it so far, though, and I hope you have, too! :-) Y'all are making it very difficult to pick winners, though. Everyone had such great outfits. :-)

Today's theme is Western. I will admit that if we were working cattle or something, that I probably wouldn't look this nice... for some reason, the cows just don't appreciate it. Wonder why.... =P In any case, it was fun to do this theme!

Samantha's Specs:

Shirt- Thrifted

Jeans- Bergners

Cami- Walmart

Samantha and I seem to match a lot in our clothing! But, I guess that when you think of western, plaid just instantly comes to mind. ;-) (oh, and thank you to the big bull for being a 'prop' in my pictures!)

Specs:
Shirt- Cato
Skirt- Thrift store (same one I wore for the Stripes 'n Dots theme)
Boots- TSC (Tractor Supply Company)
Earrings- Borrowed from sis (They are little cowboy boots)
Bracelet- Given to me by a friend
Hair- Knotted French braid.

Samantha and I seem to match a lot in our clothing! But, I guess that when you think of western, plaid just instantly comes to mind. ;-)

Also, remember that you can email me your outfits. Just put the theme in the subject box, please. :-)