-
The Benefits of Altruism & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #127
Did you know that practicing altruism benefits the giver as much as it does the receiver? Maybe even more. Caring about other people and acting in the interest of others with no expectation of reciprocity fulfills and energizes us in a unique way that no other behavior really can accomplish. While it is proven that exercise releases dopamine which helps to improve our moods and make us feel happier, the act of giving and helping others unconditionally also releases endorphins that activate the part of the brain associated with trust, happiness, and social connection. When you perform a good deed for someone else, it really does make you happier. This…
-
The Importance of Making Changes
Have you ever felt like you are stuck in a loop of the mundane? Like nothing is really improving or moving forward? Feeling kind of…stagnant? This is a normal wave in the ocean of life, the waxing and waning of the tide. And it is times like these when we are forced to reevaluate the way things are, the way we do things, and where we want to be going. These are the times when changes are important. Life Changes to Improve Your Mood If you simply have not been feeling great lately, maybe it is time to make some changes. Getting trapped in the same routine or feeling burdened…
-
The Good Buy/Good-Bye Book: Rompers, Jumpsuits, and Overalls
Welcome to The Good Buy/Good-Bye Book! Welcome! This is The Good Buy/Good-Bye Book. A while back, Nancy and I started The Bad Buy Book, a monthly series about our worst purchases. It was a lot of fun to do and we both learned something from it, too! Nancy learned that off-white against her face is not the most flattering color. And I learned that I have a serious problem resisting a good thrift shop find when it comes to pieces that fit “good enough” but “not quite right.” However, after running that series for a year, we decided to change it a bit. For this series, you can choose whether you want to share…
-
What to Wear to a Barbecue & Your Own Twist Link Up #9
Monica and I are bringing you some style inspiration for Summer Barbecues in this month’s Your Own Twist Link Up. Your Own Twist is a monthly series hosted by Monica of Jersey Girl, Texan Heart and myself where we showcase our own interpretations of a chosen style theme. We share the theme with you ahead of time in case you are interested in joining us. Feel free to link your own Summer Barbecue outfit ideas below. Or add any outfit, style, or fashion post that you’d like! We publish this post on the third Thursday of every month. But apparently we had some confusion with the dates! That is what…
-
Inspired by Living Outside the Stacks: Style Icons & Link Up On the Edge #149
This is a kind of a double “inspired by” post…inspired by Daenel’s look that was inspired by Nicole Richie for last month’s Fab 40’s theme of Style Icons. My style icon for that post was Gwen Stefani as you may probably already be aware…since I ended up sharing two Gwen-inspired outfits. But when I saw Daenel’s super chic boho outfit, I knew immediately that I wanted to create something similar. If you don’t already know Daenel, let me introduce her. She is the creative and super stylish librarian behind the blog Living Outside the Stacks. In Daenel’s own words, she has “the research skills of a librarian, the preservation skills…
-
Wednesday’s Quote of the Week: The Words of Steven Tyler
“I think if you were to really peek under the hood of what got Aerosmith back again for our second life in the Eighties, you’ll find out that it’s exactly this, it’s the willingness to take a risk.” Steven Tyler What comes to mind when you think about staying power, determination, and the unwillingness to go quietly into the night? For me, there a lot of different things that come to mind, but often I think of certain people in the entertainment industry. The ones who just keep going and going strong. The ones who refuse to give up in the face of adversity and weather the media storms with…
-
The Perplexities of Social Media & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #126
Humans beings are social creatures. Even the least social among us still require community and interaction to survive in the modern world. Sure, there are some people who choose to live off the grid, but it is only through social education that they have acquired the skills to survive such a remote lifestyle. Social media at its most basic level has been integrated into human societies as far back as ancient times when the first postal services were created as a means of long distance human communication. Probably few of us even consider ancient postal services as a form of social media in the context of the modern world and…
-
Guest Posting for Jersey Girl, Texan Heart
Happy Monday! Today I am guest posting for my dear friend Monica of Jersey Girl, Texan Heart. She had asked me to share my thoughts about body positivity for her Monday Motivation series. So won’t you please hop on over to her blog and read my guest post, Monday Motivation: Love Your Body, It’s the Only You’ve Got. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on the topic of body positivity! Please share in the comments here or on Monica’s blog. Either place, I will be reading them all! Also, don’t miss out on the $500 Sweepstakes from Country Outfitter! All you need is an email address and…
-
Just a North Country Cowgirl & Link Up On the Edge #148
I think I have wanted red cowgirl boots ever since I saw Ariel wearing those iconic red boots in Footloose 35 years ago. You know the ones I speak of, don’t you? Didn’t every young girl want to be as badass as she was back in 1984? I am certain I had cowgirl boots back then, but they definitely were not red. And I was only 10, so I am sure that even if I had red cowgirl boots, I certainly was not permitted to be as damn sexy as Ariel, the defiant preacher’s daughter. Wasn’t she the perfect example of teenage rebellion, too? And she got to make out…
-
Inspired by Gwen Stefani: The Power of Clothing
Just last week, the Fab 40’s and I brought you some outfit stylings inspired by our favorite fashion icons. If you read that post, then you know that my outfit was inspired by the spectacular Gwen Stefani and that I photographed two separate outfits. I ended up not featuring this particular one for two reasons. The first reason is that I photographed the other outfit in front of murals of rock icons and that seemed to be the perfect setting for the Fab 40’s theme. The second reason being that once I created this look, I realized that it is absolutely something I would have fashioned on my own without…
