“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive;
and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
-Maya Angelou
Today starts the new style series! I tend to look for a little substance behind most things I do because really, it’s the only way I will stay motivated. This year I wanted to share a topic in fashion that would be a good resource for those of you who come to visit each week. It’s also my nod to the art of getting dressed.
I get asked most often where to find the right dresses for the right occasion, so this is my series to answer the question! 31 dresses. The number will be a challenge but a fun one as I seek out dresses that fit my guidelines of feminine, tasteful, stylish, and versatile pieces that are well made and a benefit to your closet.
So here is Dress One, the bell sleeve fit and flare dress I found at Altar’d State. Head to their store and see if you can find this feminine frock to add to your closet when you need that dress for any occasion (I got it half price)! There are some similar ones you can find at asos.
I hope you enjoy this series, and I look forward to the hunt, and saving you the work! Here is a video that is pretty good depiction how style has changed over the years. And as much as I love a pair of distressed denim and a tee, there is something to be said about the dress, and what it can do for a gal. So cheers to the dress, and the confidence that can come with it.
We took our first family trips in 2015, and had (knock on wood) good experiences. It wasn’t until recently that we have been able to travel much more than just to see family. Gabe and I both love traveling and introducing new places and experiences to our children. Keep in mind, we never had much to spare for travel in the beginning of our marriage, and our first trip without our little ones was this one for our 6th anniversary! Blogging has brought more opportunities for travel now, but I don’t think it has to be expensive to see the world around you. These are just a few ideas that have helped us make family travel possible… VIEW FULL POST
Raise your hand if you had a sloowww start to 2016. Insert emphatic wave. I took my head out of the Christmas high clouds, looked around and wanted to stick my head back in, but the flu x 5 decided to drag me down to reality. However, I needed the extra slow to think through and write down more concrete intentions for my family and I in 2016. Gabe and I have plans to sit down and make small and large goals for ourselves and our little family in all areas. Not particularly action items like exercise more or travel to x, but more get- to- the- root- of- happiness goals like more structure and less clutter in all realms. I will dive into some of these through the year in topics of health, family, etc.
There will also be some changes in blog content! Every year I fine comb through the topics and direction of this space, adjust it’s sails and move forward with anticipation for the new year. This go around, I would love your feedback as well as to what you would like to see more of!
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT IN 2016:
Home and design posts – I just shared on instagram that we will (hopefully) buying our first home this year! We are finally ready to plant roots, and I would love to share the process along the way including some home renovations. In the meantime I will continue to share projects around our rental home. Also, it appears this is one of you reader’s favorite topics as well!
New style series being revealed this week! – It was a little tough keeping up with the Buildable Wardrobe posts, and I am still learning a good deal about the whole ethically made journey and where to buy clothes from. So I am putting that series aside for now , but I promise the new series will be a good one!
Travel – With four little ones travel is a whole new kind of GOAL that I am setting my mind to. Even if we just explore locally or to visit family, it is something Gabe and I want to keep up because it is a fun way to broaden horizons and beat the winter blues! Will be sharing travel topics along the way!
Life/motherhood Topics – Writing takes a whole lot of energy for me, although I never regret it once it’s done. I look back on some of the posts I have written through the sun and rain and I am thankful for them to re-visit. I also think it is important to connect with you all on the real stuff and not just the design and style projects that tend to stay on the shinier side of life. Vocabulary seems to be a lost art these days so I am going to attempt to keep my mind sharp and push myself to write once a week.
Beauty/ Health – This is tough for me to carve time for, because I am uber low maintenance on this topic. However, I like a challenge, and one of the biggest is to take care of myself. So I will occasionally be sharing hair/make-up/skin care finds that I am convinced are worthy of a share;)
I have some awesome Food contributors that I hope can still share a good recipe here and there. I wish I could share more Biz Tips posts and DIYs, but trying to narrow down my focus and these didn’t quite make the cut. Home DIY’s might still make appearances.
And I am sure you have noticed the new blog look! I am so thankful to Brandi of Maiden Sites for implementing the new look and making all my requests happen . We are still tweaking here and there, and will be developing the shop section soon, but I hope it makes it easier to navigate. I’ll be sharing occasional surprise content just for IHOD insiders this year so be sure to sign up!
Feel free to comment or email us with any suggestions you have for the new year. I am so grateful to each of you who take the time to read, comment, and be a part of this space. It makes me want to do high kicks. And maybe skip…
Okay I think that is all for now. Cheers to the fresh start!
Last year I didn’t really make resolutions, but had two clear guidelines: No expectations and break through limitations. Life delivers great opportunities to walk through new doors and accept closed ones….as well as be content with the door you already walked through. Those guidelines I kind of forgot about come summer, but I had already started forming the habit of this mindset. What a difference the right mindset can make. It was a challenging year, but one of my favorites. I hope this year can just be another opportunity to love my family well, try a few new things, and try to conquer life long bad and good habits. What are your resolutions and goals for 2016? VIEW FULL POST
A round up of reader favorites from 2015!
Some of these surprised me, but it is pretty cool that some of my own personal favorite posts were yours as well.
Thankful for each of you who come to read IHOD each day. I am looking forward to revealing some new series and a whole lot of fun content for the New Year.
It was a really, really good Christmas this year. Maybe because the weeks leading up to it I was learning a few lessons. I felt so overwhelmed with gratitude.
{ There is no better feeling than walking through my parent’s front door.}
It’s the very best day of the year for so many reasons. I thought I would share a little bit about the last few weeks and the unexpected lessons learned…
I think many of us would admit we have some hope and expectations of what our christmas will be like. That all the gifts will magically be wrapped and put under the tree, or that there will not be any squabbles among siblings, or tiffs between spouses. We might even be picturing that perfect 5 course meal that will turn out perfectly for our guests. We all have a vision of what our ideal Christmas would be. It’s hard not to really.
This year for me it was to do all kinds of good deeds with my kids. I was going to have shopping done early so that I could have a more peace filled few weeks before Christmas. I was going to bake up a storm to shower all of my neighbors with perfect loaves of bread. And I was going to make sure to have my Christmas cards in the mailbox by the 15th. Well, they have yet to be mailed. A little avalanche of events happened that prevented many of these things from happening. I was starting to feel very discouraged and disheartened. I wanted to do all of these good things, but I couldn’t even get my foot out the door without my shirt on backwards.
Over the last few weeks of taking care of my sick little ones, it hit me. I was so attached to MY idea of how Christmas should be, that I was missing the simplicity of what it needed to be. After I was forced to throw my to-do list aside, I served my family. Lots of baths, extra cuddling, and many loads of laundry later, I felt the peace creep in. I learned a real good lesson on acceptance and gratitude. To love my little ones…..so simple, but its something I need to be reminded of constantly. I didn’t need to go caroling and baking bread to find God’s peace. Instead, I found it by pouring myself out into my children.
However, we did have a little time for that advent service list, and here is one cool story too good not to share:
This year we decided to chop down a tree and give it to someone who really needed a boost. We weren’t sure how it was going to happen or who it would be. I almost gave up on the idea several times, but I wanted more than anything for my kids to start to understand what an act of service can do for the world around them. Gabe made a few phone calls, and on our way home from the tree farm, we somehow found a home for it. A mother who recently lost her husband, and was working extra hard this year to make things work for her family. She was so thankful, but as you know, giving usually ends up having a greater impact on the giver than the receiver. What I wanted to be a lesson for my kids completely did a number on me. Perspective. Gratitude. Appreciation for each person around us in different walks of life. Writing this out because I want to remember this day with my crew and that joy that is ours for the taking of we look in the right places.
Wishing you and yours much peace, and time of rest and renewal for the new year.
With love,
Anna
“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices. For yonder breaks, a new and glorious morn.”
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