Sunday Best and All the Rest

   And just like that , Christmas has come and gone. I thought perhaps today's post would be a last weekends events with photos to illustrate. Instead, I present something more like photo essay with a few words of explanation. Though I don't always hold the view that a picture is worth a thousand words, I think in this case photography will help you reminiscence of Christmas day with me.

   Hello dear readers! The season has officially changed today, though winter had already come to the North. Even here on the coast, frost has been covering the ground each morning. Meanwhile, my birthday has now come on gone, with sweet family and friends making it a special day. Christmas festivities continue and fighting illness has become a normal part of my day. Yes...it's December!

  Hello, dear readers! Has December kept you with scarcely a dull moment? I am in the midst of a busy, under-the-weather, and sometimes stressful season, but the unhappy moments can be brightened by the fun events and kind thoughts surrounding them. Through it all, we must keep on traveling the road called life and trusting that God has the best plan for all circumstances.

   Ah, December, the month of overlapping colds! Though disappointed to miss out on a party this week and thinking of the looming pile of work waiting for me at the office, there is a silver lining to my current malady. I have had time to 1) paint my nails (which I r arely do) and 2) finish my new blog header. What do you think? I'm excited to have a new look and a more accurate description of the content on Sunday Best. Now for a bit of the "and more" part! ;)

   Good evening, all! Can you believe it's the last day of November already?! Winter has come upon us in the north, with cooler temperatures here to stay even in the temperate climate of my corner of the world. With this chill in the air, I've had to become more creative with dressing for work. Happily, I enjoy dressing for cooler weather. It's time to enlist the sweaters and boots!

   Being married is a wonderful blessing! But guess what - being single is a wonderful blessing too! In our times of discontent, self-pity or reckless living-for-self, we single people need to take time to regroup and see just how the Lord has gifted us with singleness. If we desire marriage, this reflection may not take away our longing, but that isn't our goal. Our goal is to live a joyful life that brings glory to God!

   Hello, humans! At long last, Paige is giving me the opportunity to be a main feature on her blog. Why I'm not prominent in each post is a mystery to me, but so are many things of the human world. My lack of blog attention is probably just as well, for I have a mistrust of things that I can't discern by my excellent sense of smell.

       Hello all! I have a special post to share today, thanks to the fashion website eShakti. This will be my second review for the company (see the first here ), and I am as pleased as I was the first time around. Now, I offer my honest opinion of the garment I received.

   Hello all! Tonight, I have a two-fold post to share with you. First, I would like to show you one of my newest clothing items. Next, I have some reader-inspired content per Tabitha's idea (thanks!), in which I will be sharing tips for buying clothing secondhand. I look forward to continuing to implement my reader's post ideas.

   Hi all! Today I'm doing something that I haven't done in quite a while now - it's a blogging tag! This is one I hadn't heard of before, and it's quite the insightful award. I would like to thank the lovely Lexi from Times and Seasons of a Beautiful Life for nominating me (if you haven't visited her blog before, be sure to click on link! :)). Now, time to answer the Q's!

   Hello everyone! I hope all of my U.S. readers have managed to stay safe and dry during this month of storms. Here in the Pacific states, the dark skies have been pouring, but those of us in my area  have remained safe. At times like these, sweaters, blankets, hot chocolate and cuddly little dogs are what's in order!

  Happy Monday, readers! Of course, you are most likely seeing this on Tuesday, thanks to my late night posting and the fact that many of you are in a different time zone. Is your week off to a good start? I'm currently getting over a respiratory bug, but I had a pleasantly low-stress Monday at work. :)

   Hello everyone! Can you believe this is already my first blog post for October? September went by so quickly that I even missed celebrating my blogversary on the 2nd....hehe, woops! Regardless, the season has transitioned from summer to autumn, and the time for sweaters and boots has come!

  Hello, readers! I hope your mid-week finds you with plenty of strength and energy to finish the month of September - can you believe how quickly this year is going by?! Today I have some photos to share with you of a mini-vacation my parents and I went on last weekend. It was a splendid way to bid farewell to summer.

   I don't like sewing. No, I mean, I really don't like sewing - it makes me cry. The fact of my dislike used to bother me. You see, I never really fit the typical Christian home-schooled girl mold. I had little to no interest in things like sewing, cooking, and playing violin. I found more enjoyment in drawing, writing, and playing with dogs. Now in my early twenties, I still don't fit the mold. I can cook a square meal, but don't make homemade bread. And I get out my creative juices with photography rather than making clothes. Some of you might be thinking "big deal", but those of you raised in the same kind of community that I was will understand why my uniqueness has bothered me. Maybe you have a similar story.

     Hullo friends! I hope you have all had a lovely weekend. Mine has been full of rest, spur-of-the-moment fun things, and weather changes (dark colors and tights in summer weather can be a bit uncomfortable)! To top it off, I'm here to share with you one of my new second-hand finds from a shopping day earlier this month. :)

   When I turned three years old, my mother made me a hot pink tutu. Along with a matching veil and pink and teal striped leotard (it was the 90's, ok?) , I was ready to reign. As far as I can recall, that tutu was my first and last piece tulle clothing...until last weekend, that is. While out on a shopping expedition with my mom, I met a brand-new tulle skirt, fit for a grown-up princess.

   Well friends, the time has come for the final post of Being in The Word. I hope this series has been inspiring and encouraging to you. Writing about being in God's Word has definitely pushed me into study. As they say, you really learn something when you teach it! In this wrap-up post, I would like to share with you the ways I have learned to study the Bible. May these become tools to help us further learn and apply scripture!

   Hi everyone! Well, I guess I'm a once-a-week blogger now. Life stops to wait for no one, and the hard times, busyness, and taking time for rest and fellowship has caught up with my blogging life. Rather than pushing myself to come up with two posts a week, I will make it my goal to post once a week. It may happen more or less often sometimes, depending on how the week is going. Part of blogging is being able to enjoy it, and I think paring down will help me to have more fun, and hopefully maintain blog quality!

   Happy beginning of the week readers! It's time for the last "reason" post for the Being in the Word series! Next time, we will wrap it up with a few pointers on how to study the Bible, Lord willing. I shan't get too ahead of myself though...;) Let's study the LIGHT of God's word.

   Do you ever have one of those rare, precious bursts of inspiration in which a clear idea suddenly comes to you? Well, that's how the outfit I'm sharing today came together! After having it planned out for a few days, I wore it to church on Sunday. That sunny afternoon ended up being perfect for a photo shoot in the local garden! Mom and I met one of my co-workers and her dachshund there, and we enjoyed getting in some outfit photos and dog photography!

    Hi everyone, and happy weekend! You folks asked for photos from my trip, and here they are! I wasn't feeling up to continuing my series this week, so it actually worked out quite nicely to have something else to share. Please enjoy the beauties of California. :)

   Hi all! My personal outfit posts are back from vacation, apparently. ;) As a matter of fact, I'm back from a mini-vacation myself. My parents and I enjoyed a three-day weekend in which we stayed two nights at one of our favorite summer getaways. Perhaps I'll share some photos with you soon! For now, please let me present to you my latest outfit shoot.

   Greetings, friends! After a bit of a break, it's time for the fourth installment of Being in the Word. I hope to continue encouraging you and I both to delight in the words of our Lord. It is truly indispensable for LIFE!

   Hello all!  I hope have been enjoying some time out in the sunshine this weekend, as I have. Today, I have a bright and summery guest post to share with you. Having three sweet ladies guest posting for me this month has been fun, as it has relieved me of some stress, and given me a chance to share the talents of my blogging friends. This evening, I am pleased to introduce the lovely Dani, who blogs at A Vapor in the Wind . 

   Hello all! This week we're taking a break from the Bible study series, because I have a special post to share. My friend Bethany from Liberty or Death agreed to share with us about one of the places she has traveled to this summer. Enjoy reading about the Little Brown Church, and be sure to check out Bethany's blog! P.S. I had to make the photos smaller to fit into my blog margins, so please click on the photos to better see details. ;) The Little Brown Church "There's a church in the valley by the wildwood, no lovelier spot in the dale;   No place is so dear  to my childhood as the little brown church in the vale." 

   Greetings, readers! I hope that your week is off to a productive, not-too-stressful start. This week is the last of July and summer is quickly passing (unless of course, you are in the Eastern hemisphere ;)). It makes me want to be sure and get in favorite summer pastimes before the season changes again!

   Hello friends! Are you ready for another installment of Being in the Word? Let's dig in!

Hello! My name is Melani. Thanks so much, Paige, for asking me to guest post on your lovely blog! I have a modesty blog myself, Reflections of the Heart . I enjoy sharing outfits, articles, and occasionally inspiration from other bloggers! : )

   Folks, it's time for our first post highlighting a specific reason to read and study the God's Word. By now, you have very likely heard of the most recent instance of violence in our world. It's another sobering reminder of how much we need the Lord for the answers to life's hard questions. May we humbly come before Him to learn.

   Hello all! I hope you're having a great start to your week. Indeed, Monday can feel a little...Mondayish...but truly, the week goes by quickly and on Friday we are almost sad to leave behind the industrious, scheduled days of work, school and whatnot (or at least, I am ;)). Happily, I am feeling motivated in my blogging this Monday evening, and I hope that you are motivated to read! ;)

   If you are a believer in Christ, you have most likely read the Bible. Perhaps you have read it in whole many times across the years. Maybe you  have a hard time reading even a Psalm a day. Your copy might be falling apart from frequent use. You might be a new believer, holding your first Bible, and unsure of where to begin. No matter who we are, we daily need the Word in our lives!

    Hello all! I hope you've been having a good weekend thus far. Many of us in the States are enjoying a three-day weekend, getting ready to celebrate our nation's birthday. Happy Independence Day, fellow Americans! :)

   Hello all! Instead of perfectly posed outfit portraits to share today, I have a couple of snapshots from an outdoor day with my family this weekend. We went out into the sunshine to celebrate Dad's birthday and enjoyed a couple of afternoon hours by the river. Of course, I brought my camera, and had great fun capturing cloud shots with the polarizing filter on my lens! 

    Have you ever had a moment of despair when you've just had it with being a Christian? Fighting sin seems too hard, and you're tired of trying to be perfect. Maybe you've thought "I'm not cut out to be a Christian!" Well, I have!

   Hi all! I'm back after a bit of an unplanned break. Life got busy, and putting together fresh outfits got difficult.  Photos didn't get done until Monday and by yesterday I figured I may as well wait and write the post today. Such is life, but I'm glad to be back!

Source    Hello all! June is here, which means that the hour has come for a seasonal inspiration post of Pinterest finds! :) The weather is warm, tropical fruit is in season, and it's time for a wardrobe change.

   Hi everyone! Did you have a good weekend? Mine resulted in the second forearm sunburn of the year, a timely reminder that summer has arrived. ;)

   As mentioned in my last post, I spent part of this Memorial Day visiting a cemetery. Though not a large place, the cemetery was filled with small flags on the graves of the veterans, as well as many full-sized flags. Going there was a good way to remember what the holiday was all about, and I enjoyed photographing the symbols of patriotism. Here are several of the photos I took.

   Hello, readers! I hope you are having a restful Sunday before starting the week's duties once again. I managed to fit in a wee bit of napping, which was most definitely to my taste after a busy week and Saturday! Tomorrow it's off to work again and I want to be refreshed and ready to go. :)

   It's rare that I write about current hot topics, but the time has come to break my silence. You have most likely heard about the gorilla named Harambe that was killed at the Cincinnati Zoo last week after dragging around a small child that had entered its enclosure. Many people are angry about Harambe's death, blaming the parents of the child, and showing social media activism with the "#JusticeforHarambe" hashtag. This is just one example of a world with misplaced values.

   Hi readers! As you may remember from last week, I bought some fun new things at the mall last weekend. I wore each of my four new items last week, and liked them all, but only got a photo shoot with one of them! Here is my new skirt, a unique find for me.

  Hello everyone! I have a fun, unique post to share with you tonight. Last week, a representative of King Ranch Saddle Shop emailed me, encouraging me to put together a Southern-inspired look. I decided to give it a go, and now present you with my Southern belle ensemble, starring a pair of King Ranch Saddle Shop boots!

    Hello all! I hope you're weekend has been refreshing. Mine has been both relaxing and productive. Today Mom and I set off for the mall on a mission to gain some new duds. We were successful, and I found a few nice items that I can wear to work and church. I look forward to showing you what I bought in posts to come, but for now I will share the outfit I wore to church and shopping.

  At work today, I was inspired to write to you about being a good employee, and being a light as a Christian employee. This is especially for young people who are just starting out in the workforce, or heading that way. Now, I know that I still have much to learn! Nevertheless, I hope that what I've discovered in these past few months may be useful and encouraging.

   Hi all! After seeing my opening photo, you might be wondering if the seasons got confused when they came to my town, and if spring and autumn decided to trade places. Well, don't let the knee socks and golden leaves deceive you. Though there was a fair bit of temperature change last week, Friday was actually a decently warm day. For one thing, there really are flowers blooming in my neighborhood, and for another, those boots were stifling! :)

    Hello, readers! Today I have a few photos to share with you from a sunny weekend in April. My parents and I went for a drive to the redwoods to soak up some rays and drink in the fresh air. For me, part of the enjoyment of being outdoors is capturing the beauty of God's creation.

    Hi all! I had intended to write a post yesterday but ran out of energy and time. Sunday just might be a better day to post than Saturday...the weekend gets busy so quickly! In any case, I'm here today with an outfit that I think captures my personality well. It's a combination of folksy and bright, crisp pieces that meld rather than contradict each other. ;)

   Hi everyone! I have a different kind of post to write today. There's no outfit, and no devotional, and no tag today. Instead, I'm going to share with you a little bit about life and blogging.

   How do you do readers? I am worn out after a day of shopping. Let me tell you, it can be downright discouraging sometimes (like, what exactly is up with stores not carrying size 5-6 shoes?)! Nevertheless, I finally found the things I set out to buy and enjoyed spending time with my mom.

   Happy mid-week, my friends! May you stay strong through work, school, and home-keeping! I have a few relaxing photos to share with you, full of shades of blue and green; You can almost smell the clean air! :)