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Today for supper we are having company-- JD and LovelyDaughter, and JD's mother and sister who are here visiting-- so I will be busy cleaning up the house and planning a great meal.
Unexpectedly, JD's dad had a heart attack this week-- he's only 43-- but fortunately he will be fine. Oddly enough-- though less unexpected, since she's elderly-- Swede's mother had a heart attack this week also, and ended up in the hospital room next door to JD's dad. It feels like heart attacks are going around, and maybe I should stay indoors.
I had a a extra half hour or so while I was out getting groceries the other day, and I took the opportunity to do a little clothes shopping, and ended up getting three great items on SUPER clearance . I want badly to show you pictures, but I have to find the batteries for the camera and charge them, and then take the photos, which I just don't have time for today. (In case you're wondering, the reason I have to look for the batteries is because they're rechargeable AA's, which also fit just about every other small electronic gadget we own and our collection of batteries is always scattered amongst them.)
Where was I? Oh yeah. My great clothing finds:
*A classy fitted white shirt with some cute details and a tiny bit of stretch ($5, originally $27.99)
*a red velvet blazer ($8, marked down from $39.99)
*a gray and black striped henley sweater with jewel buttons($5, original price $23.99).
Now all I need to do is hem my ankle-length black skirt to knee length and I'll be set for a weekend of worship team responsibilities.
Oh! And Also! I bought this pair of shoes:
I wanted these for LovelyDaughter's wedding, but I didn't have the money for them at the time. But now I found them on ebay for much less, and I'm really excited to have a pair of dressy black heels for summer. They're in the mail and will be here any day.
One of the reasons I was so excited to find those three clothing items is because they were on my "menu." I've decided that shopping for clothes is very similar to shopping for food. If I go grocery shopping and I just buy what looks good, along with some staples that I know I always use, half the time I get home and have nothing for supper. It's much better for my cooking sanity to shop by menus. Then when I go to make some great dish, I actually have everything it takes. When I don't there's always one or two important ingredients missing, which is very frustrating.
I've been doing the same thing with clothes shopping. I'll buy some cute thing that caught my eye, and it probably fits and looks pretty good, but all the same, I get home, and I still have nothing to wear.
Now I've changed my plan, and I've got a set of pictures I'm shopping off of, as well as a list. Classy white shirt? Check. Cute blazer? Check. Black strappy dress shoes? Check.
I'm going to keep going until I have everything on my list and can make every outfit I've chosen. Later, I should also be able to mix and match those things into many other outfits as well, but first I have to have the ingredients!
Here are some more outfits that I'd like to try to imitate:
What do you think? This blazer and leather skirt combo really catches my eye.
This is the first trench coat I've seen that I like. And since a trench coat is one of the classic basics, that's a good thing. I want to have the basics, but I want to like them!
This outfit makes me want to get a pair of khakis. I really don't like khaki, but this outfit is so cute that I'm thinking of finding some just so I can do this look. I know, I can do the "look" by just wearing jeans and some other color of sweater and some other color of scarf-- which technique I'm using for most of the other outfits I'm patterning my wardrobe after-- but sometimes it's all about the, you know, details. Besides, I don't have any dark blue in my closet, and this would be a nice change.
I've been asking myself, "How did I get here, thinking, talking, planning, dreaming CLOTHES, after studying St. Therese last week?"
Doesn't it seem odd, after reading about a holy life consecrated to God and spiritual things to now be so focussed on something as worldly as clothing? The vanity, the uselessness!
No--really it's exactly right. This is all about 1) redeeming everything for Christ, making every part of my life holy and consecrated, including my interest in looking nice; 2) reclaiming the little joys of life which I had lost somewhere in my journey, and 3) rejoicing in my femininity.
Strangely, I feel an unexpected joy and excitement about this project which is overflowing to other areas of my life. New clothes! New dishes! Plan a garden! Invite friends over! Clean!
I don't understand all of it, but I feel like God has me in for an interesting, fun, exciting ride.
You can read more Quick Takes, or join in yourself, by going to Conversion Diary.
3 comments:
You have just changed my life! I can't tell you the money I have wasted by buying one cute thing that didn't go well with any of my other clothes, therefore being useless. The idea of shopping for outfits like shopping for a menu is sheer genius.
Thank you!!!
That's a great plan!!!!!!!!! I don't see anything wrong with having a decent wardrobe. It's not vanity to look nice, we are supposed to represent God and the Bible talks about being clothed in the finest linen in Heaven, so I can't imagine that He wouldn't want you to own a nice classy blazer as long as it's not owning you! That's the catch...material goods don't own us, we own them.
Can't wait to see pictures!
1) redeeming everything for Christ, making every part of my life holy and consecrated, including my interest in looking nice; 2) reclaiming the little joys of life which I had lost somewhere in my journey, and 3) rejoicing in my femininity.
I love that, but I'm afraid that I take it a bit overboard. TJMaxx has become too big in my life and I've got to learn to reign it in.
Nevertheless, love, LOVE the black strappy shoes! They are so awesome! I also like the khaki/scarf look. Very casual, yet put together.
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