Friday Favorites

It’s Friday, so y’all know what that means!  It’s time to link up with Erika, Andrea, and Narci to let everybody know about some of my favorite things!

Right now the news is filled with images and stories that will break your heart wide open, but news outlets and social media are also filled with stories of humanity.  (If you haven’t seen the story of Matrress Mack, you need to take a couple of minutes and go check it out. What a wonderful man!)  Seeing God’s love in action this week has been my absolute favorite thing to witness.  The devastation of Hurricane Harvey is mind blowing, but the love that is shining through people is incredible to see.  I’ve cried a lot this week, and I’ve prayed a lot this week.  Having friends directly impacted by the storm has made it more real for me than it would have been otherwise.  It’s been a great lesson to me, and in the future, I hope to always remember to treat an event like it did happen to somebody I know and love.

I was on a group  text this week with two friends from Houston and all of their college besties.  They were all Kappas together at A&M, and I’m kind of an honorary member of their group because two of my high school besties are in the group.  We’ve been texting a lot over the last several days (since Jill and Carrie are in Houston), and something stopped me in my tracks yesterday.

The girls in this group are believers, and one of them asked “How do people who don’t have a relationship with Christ get through this kind of tragedy?”  The answer given was that it’s our job to pray for those who don’t believe.  Think about that for a second.  We all need to stand in the gap for those that don’t believe.  That’s a big responsibility.  We also need to stand in the gap for those that are believers, but that are so weary right now, they might not have the strength to pray.  Those of us that are believers need to be dedicated prayer warriors for all.

So, now that we have prayers covered :), let’s all remember to GIVE what we can.  Whether it be time, supplies, or money….LET’S ALL GIVE.  If you didn’t catch my post on Wednesday, please go read it now if you are still looking for ways to help.  I list several different ways to donate and a couple of different ways to volunteer.  I wanted to share a couple of new ways here now as well:

• My friend Jenny is a nurse that lives in Ft. Worth, and she sent me the following information:  Cook children’s hospital in Ft. Worth is caring for the NICU babies and families that are displaced. Jenny spoke with them yesterday and reports that money donated will be used for housing and meals for the families as they will be there for some time. You can go to cookchildrenspromise.org.
• LISTEN TO THIS!  YETI is donating 100% of sales from YETI.com and their Flagship store TODAY ONLY *September 1st*.  100% of sales will go directly to relief funds for the Gulf Coast region. Orders must be placed by 11:59pm CST on Friday, 9/1. YETI Flagship is open from 10am-8pm on 9/1. Applicable to available inventory only.  Y’all, not 100% of proceeds….100% OF SALES!  This would be a great time to grab birthday or Christmas gifts.  WAY TO STEP UP, YETI!

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So Monday we started 3rd grade.  THIRD GRADE.  I mean, how is that even possible?  I swear it was just yesterday that we were taking away his paci and I was bawling in the corner because I thought he was so cute with a paci and didn’t want to see it go.  True story .  And now he says things to me all casually the weekend before school, like “Hey, mommy.  I’m fine to walk in by myself on the first day this year.  I’m definitely big enough now.”  EXCUSE ME.  No you’re not.

Guess who walked him in.  #thatsright #idid #itsthelaw

Then it was time for the comparison shot.  First day of 2nd grade on the left…..First day of 3rd grade on the right. He’s such a little man now!

And we of course had to get all the brothers in a first day pic.  🙂  Y’all, these pups that I used to pick up at the same time and carry around together are now 34 pounds EACH.  Don’t forget that you can follow them over on ig at @ourgoldenpups.  😉

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I’ve shown you this dress before, but I’ve never shown it to you before with my denim jacket.  It was a little bit chilly on our way out the door to church on Sunday morning, so I grabbed it.  I’ve been grabbing it for 4 years now.  Yes, it’s that good.  Its’ stretchy and comfy and is different than anything you’ve ever not liked about a denim jacket in the past.  Seriously.

embroidered dress  / MUST HAVE jacket

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I had every intention of getting dressed yesterday to take a couple of outfit pictures with some GREAT NEW FALL TOPS!!!!

HOWEVER, the mountain cedar (or whatever  the heck else is floating around in the air) has knocked me on the ground.  Yesterday, I sneezed at least 250 times (a conservative estimate), my nose was red, and my eyes were swollen and itchy.  Not a good look for pictures.  So, you’ll get to see the outfits on me next week, but here they are being planned.

And please, pay special attention to the jewelry in the picture.  All pieces are from The Starfish Project (which you can read  more about it in a minute).

First things first.  THIS TOP IS AWESOME.  I adore this mustard stripe for fall, but it also comes in white, heather grey, and a black and white stripe.  I have no doubt this is going to be a staple for me.  It’s definitely cute all on it’s own, but it will also look great under either a denim or military jacket.  AND IT’S ONLY $39.

Size references:  size small top (true to size), size 27 jeans (true to size), size up a 1/2 size in the booties.

peplum top / pajama jeans /multi strand necklace c.o. The Starfish Project / similar earrings / booties / monogrammed tote c.o. Barrington (use code STMTSAVE10 for 10% OFF your purchase)

Get The Look For Yourself Here.  Just click on the picture(s) you are interested in:

And here’s another fantastic top.

LOOK. AT. THE. SLEEVES.  The poplin!  The pleats!  The tiny bows!  And it comes in navy too! #calmdown

The online description says it’s a sweatshirt, but after feeling it, I think it’s way more like a very thick t-shirt that has some stretch to it.  #clearasmud?  It’s a really nice heavy fabric, and the sleeves are just about too darling for words.

Size references:  size small top (true to size), size 27 jeans (true to size), size up a 1/2 size in the booties.

ruffle sleeve sweatshirt / turquoise triangle necklace c.o The Starfish Project/similar earrings / pajama jeans / leopard belt / booties  / leather and suede cross body bag

Get The Look For Yourself Here:

Before you go, I want to talk a bit about The Starfish Project.  You need to hop over to their site so you can get a peak at all of their gorgeous jewelry.  If you want to learn about their mission, click HERE.  And if you want to know about the name “The Starfish Project”, scroll to the bottom of the page.  I find the parable that the company is based on incredibly inspiring.  I’m actually going to put it here…

One day, an old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked he came upon a young boy who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, one by one.

Puzzled, the man looked at the boy and asked what he was doing. Without looking up from his task, the boy simply replied, “I’m saving these starfish, Sir”.

The old man chuckled aloud, “Son, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you make?”

The boy picked up a starfish, gently tossed it into the water and turning to the man, said,

“I made a difference to that one!”

As you can see, when you receive an item from The Starfish Project, many of them are connected to a story of the women that helped create the piece.

So this is just a little introduction to The Starfish Project.  More on the company next week when I actually try on these outfits!!!  😉

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LOTS of sales going on this weekend.

LOFT is 30% OFF all regularly priced items.  Click HERE to shop.

Anthropologie is an ADDITIONAL 40% OFF all sale merchandise.  Click HERE to shop.

And there are LOTS OF NEW MARKDOWNS AT NORDSTROM!  I’m a little confused, because some of the items are items that were available in the Anniversary Sale, and now they’re back and on sale again.  BUT HEY, I’ll take it!

The blouse and the earrings in this next outfit are BOTH ON SALE!

This blouse is AWESOME and one of my favorite items from the sale.  I ordered it on a whim, not really having a lot of expectations for it, but I absolutely love it.  I’m wearing the small, so it’s true to size.  It has a loose fit, but it’s not baggy or slouchy at all.  It just hangs really nicely, and there are these lovely ruffles that cascade from the cap sleeve down the side.  The top is both chic and fun!  It looks great with jeans, and it will look awesome with a pair of nice slacks or a pencil skirt.  I also purchased it in the pink floral during the sale, I just never blogged about it because it was sold out at the time!

The outfit would have been just as cute without the leopard belt…but with my leopard clutch and some black heels.  I was going to show you the sassed up look as well (with the heels and clutch), but they were behind closed doors, and there were sleeping puppies between us…so that didn’t happen. #neverwakeasleepingpuppy

blouse / earrings / leopard belt / itty bitty boot cut jeans care of Wit and Wisdom/ heeled booties

This sassy off the shoulder number, earrings, and the tote are ALL ON SALE!

This next top is a little out of the box for me, but I wanted to show it since it wasn’t a cardigan, and I do think it’s totally sassy and fun!  It’s pretty lightweight and such a cute fit.  I’m wearing a small, but the part around the waist is very fitted.  If I were to get it, I think I would size up to a medium for a more relaxed look.

off the shoulder pullover / earrings / initial necklace / articles of society jeans / heeled booties / embellished tote

Even the mixed metal Kate Spade watch is ON SALE AGAIN!

Our favorite bra is back and 40% OFF!

I had 2 favorite pairs of earrings from the sale, and these were one of them!  50% OFF and GORGEOUS!

This gorgeous swimsuit is now 40% OFF!

This Rebecca Minkoff hobo is 50% OFF!

My cardigan comes in several colors and is 40% OFF!

This reversible grey tote is now UNDER $25!!!!

Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday!

Filed Under: Fashion 16 Comments