Wearing White After Labor Day And Vegetarian Meals

Wearing White In The Fall and Eating Vegetarian

Hey Everyone! I've managed to pull myself out of my "slump" I wrote about over the weekend and thought you might like to talk about a couple of things today. I know you may consider it "old news" to even talk about wearing white after Labor Day since this "rule" seems to have gone by the wayside. For some folks, though, it's still a bit of a big deal to decide whether or not to wear white once September has arrived. So, I'm sharing with you the outfit I wore to church today for our annual outdoor service followed by church picnic celebration. 

I have to admit that I have been a bit on the slow side to wholeheartedly embrace the idea of wearing white in the Fall. It was always such a hard and fast "rule" growing up. But, today, I actually pulled out these pants and didn't think twice until I was heading out to church and I thought briefly, "Hmm..I'm wearing white pants and it's September 15th," and then the thought left me and I forgot all about it. That's progress, folks! It really was a silly rule anyway, wasn't it? But, like other fashion rules, feel free to keep it or break it if it feels right to you! I was quite comfortable in these white cargo style pants that I picked up in the Spring at Sam's Club. I also own them in tan and have worn them a few times this summer. To me they are a more "polished" style of cargo pants which I like better on me. (Brand is Khakis & Company if you are interested). The top and shoes you have seen before. This is one of my favorite tops by Ex Officio and you know I love my Skecher shoes! Comfort all around for today's picnic. 

I decided to pull my hair up into a high ponytail. Yes, we can still wear ponytails, ladies, even over age 60!  I've debated from time to time about getting my hair cut short just for a change. But, in all honesty, wearing a ponytail or pulling it up in a clip is something I enjoy being able to do for either a change of look or when I don't feel like messing with my hair. If I go short this won't be an option and I sometimes think it's actually harder to keep shorter hair looking good and styled than it is to keep longer hair looking styled. Opinions? 

I wish my hair was as thick as it used to be but it isn't. I did read online that you could "tease" your ponytail to make it look thicker so I gave this a try and liked the results. 

Now, in true "this and that" fashion you get two for the price of one in today's post! We're going to switch gears and talk about a vegetarian meal I fixed recently which was delicious and I decided to share!

The Mr. and I eat vegetarian meals quite a bit although both of us will eat meat....just not often. I threw this meal together in minutes a few days ago using some staple items I keep on hand. I sauteed a jar of mushrooms and some fresh spinach in olive oil while cooking one of those steam bags of brown/multi-grain rice with vegetables added in the microwave. (We use the Bird's Eye Steamfresh brand). I then cooked some Morning Star Farms Vegetarian chicken patties in the microwave, cut them up into small pieces and added that to the mix. As a final touch, I added some store brand french fried onions to the mix to give a little extra flavor. 

Oh my, this was yummy!  The rice already had carrots and broccoli mixed in which blended well with the mushrooms and spinach I added. Fresh mushrooms would have been healthier but I didn't have any on hand so, to cut back on salt, I rinsed the jarred mushrooms under water to remove some of the salt. You can do rinsing with any canned vegetables that contain sodium if you want to cut back. Of course, there are also sodium free canned vegetables available as well. Let me know if you give this dish a try!

Do you wear white after Labor Day?  Do you incorporate vegetarian meals into your weekly meal plans?  Hope you will take a moment to share in the comment sections. And, don't forget to follow me by email so you never miss a post. Just look on the right-hand side of my post for the "follow me by email" section, add your email and submit. It's easy and no cost to you!

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Writer's Slump; A Saturday Devotion

When You Don't Know What To Write

It happens to all bloggers from time to time, I guess. Writer's Slump or Writer's Block or whatever you want to call it. The juices simply aren't flowing and the writer finds himself or herself looking at the keyboard wondering, "What am I going to write about?" That's me right now. It's been one of those weeks where life has thrown a few lemons my way and I just don't have it in me to put on an outfit and take pictures or to get excited about a book or some outing I've been on. Sigh.....yep, I'm blocked for sure! Just out here floating around in cyberspace, like a ship at sea, wondering what direction to go in and what, possibly, I can write about!

Sometimes, life seems to lose its color for a bit, kind of like brown leaves falling to the ground in disarray. Once, they were lively and green and blowing in the breeze on a branch and now they're dull and crunch underfoot when they get stepped on. And, sometimes, it feels like life is stepping on us doesn't it? 

But, here's the thing about these kinds of feelings. They don't last forever. Just like the gray storm clouds that appear filled with wind and thunder and lightening. The storm may be filled with fury, but it doesn't last forever. And, before you know it, the gray clouds begin to part and the blue sky shines through. There might even be a little sunlight peeking out to brighten the day!

We serve a Lord who promises to be with us when the storms of life come. Whether the storms of life are ocean waves that threaten to overpower us or merely trickles of raindrops that add a sense of grayness to our day, the Lord promises to be with us and to get us through. 

"When you pass through the water, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."  (Isaiah 43:2)

So, today, if circumstance has thrown you into a bit of "writer's block" with life, I pray that you will take heart. Tomorrow will be better. The clouds will lift. The storm will abate. The gray skies will clear. And, the words will come....

Because, we never walk alone.

Blessings,

Debbie

Photography at Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary

Late Summer Early Fall Photos

The Mr. and I set out for the Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary this morning to do a bit of birding with our respective cameras. I ended up focusing on landscape scenes more than birds. They decided to be sneaky and hide from us, although the Mr. did get a few good shots. I am still fiddling with settings on my little camera. I liked this pretty little blue flower. 

Not sure what these are but, every once in a while, little white pieces would float through the air like snow. It was so pretty!

Berries seem to form on plants this time of year. I like the color showing the first glimpses of Fall.

The first leaves beginning to fall on the boardwalk. 

The lake is always so beautiful. I like how the white fluffy clouds reflect in the water. 

We had hoped to catch the Great Blue Heron at home but, alas, it wasn't to be today. 

But, I did catch a giant turtle coming up for air. There were five or six of these guys swimming around looking for bugs. 

The Mr. was trying out a huge lens a friend had loaned him. 

He's a serious photographer. 

And one of my favorite subjects!

I spied some more pretty flowers. It was so relaxing to just walk slowly, enjoy the scenery and snap photos at random. 

Next to the lake is an old gnarly tree that couples have carved their initials into over the years. I wonder if TR still loves BG?

But, most importantly, does DB still love BS? (Pun intended, couldn't resist!)  Of course, carving into trees is not healthy for the tree. This tree seems to have weathered it well over the years. 

I caught a rower out on the lake. This must be hard work!

And, I posed for a picture next to another gnarly old tree close to the lake. My birding attire is not exactly a fashion statement. But, it was a happy time to be in the woods practicing photography. 

But, where oh where were the birds? Maybe next time. 

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31

Until Next Time,

Debbie

*Photography by Debbie Ross and picture of Debbie by William Ross

Black and White Tablescape for Fall

Black and White On The Table For Fall

Hello everyone!  Black and white may not be the colors most associated with Fall, but today I'm going to show you how I created a Fall tablescape using these colors. I'll be playing a bit with different arrangements of items on the table so you can get different ideas for arranging a similar table.

This tablescape began with black and white placemats that share a wonderful message. I am definitely blessed! These are from the Dollar Store as are several other items used in this tablescape.

The napkins for this setting are actually kitchen towels that say, "Blessed and Thankful."  I surrounded the hurricane lamp with a wreath I covered with black/white checked ribbon. The faux candle inside has a bracelet of the same ribbon and the little white pumpkins are topped with bows of the same ribbon. Our dishes are white which makes a black and white theme easy! Towels, pumpkins, wreath and placemats are from Dollar Store. Hurricane lamp and ribbon are from A.C. Moore.

I saw these napkins at the Dollar Store and really like them, also, so I'm switching out the towels for these.

And now I can use the towels on the front of the oven! Versatility!

And, I decided it looked kind of cute with the pumpkin on top of the napkin. 

Which arrangement do you like best? Towels for napkins?  Pumpkins on top of the paisley napkins?  Hope you'll let me know in the comments!  Total cost for this tablescape was not much.  I hope to use the hurricane lamp eventually on the dining room table, so you will see it again when I reveal that room! Are black and white colors you think of for Fall? 

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Match Made In Seven: Our Music Icon

Music Icon(s) From The Seventies

Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of Match Made In Seven. If you are new to the blog, here is a review of what we do here at Match Made In Seven.

We are an international group of fashion bloggers who meet once a month. One of us chooses a theme in turn, and that can be anything. A book, music, a color, a movie. And then we style an outfit based on that theme. The theme of this month is chosen by Nancy and is: Our Music Icon! Also, take a look at the other bloggers and how they have interpreted the theme this month. (See list at end of post)

When Nancy told us her choice for this month's theme I started pulling CD's off the shelf trying to figure out how to choose just one music icon! I'm pretty eclectic when it comes to music and what you see displayed here doesn't even touch on classical! My upbeat musical tastes were honed during the seventies when groups like the Bee Gees, The Carpenters, Captain and Tennille and the musical styles of disco were all the rage. But, one icon seemed to stand out as I perused my collection and I have chosen her for this post; Olivia Newton-John. 

Olivia's career has spanned decades and along with loving her songs such as "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "Let's Get Physical" I also admire her strength as she has battled cancer three times. I loved her in Xanadu and Grease. As I researched photos of her I noticed that often her clothing style is casual, yet stylish, like you see in the CD cover above. I also remember that in the seventies when I first began listening to her music, I was most often seen in jeans, a tucked-in tee shirt and tennis shoes. So, that's how I'm styling myself for today's post. We'll call it "Flashback to the Seventies" styling!

So, here I am in my favorite 1970's outfit....oh, who am I kidding, it's still my favorite outfit!  I chose my thrifted yellow tee with butterflies on the front, my Vintage American Blues jeans and my New Balance running shoes for my icon outfit. My hair is styled similarly to Olivia's on the CD cover. 

I chose simple, small blue earrings to wear. I didn't go in for big earrings or lots of jewelry in the seventies. 

I loved to dance and found the disco vibe of lots of Olivia's music easy to dance to along with the music of my other icons. 

As I've been reading up on Olivia I have been impressed by her positive outlook on life as she battles cancer and her love for her daughter and her husband. She still performs today and is loved by so many fans around the world. 

Source:https://www.onlyolivia.com/img/ooex.jpg

And, she certainly is lovely, inside and out!

Please be sure to stop by the other lovely ladies' blogs to see how they are styling this month's theme! And, I would love to hear about your music icon when you leave me a comment! 

Darlene of https://aquamarinastyle.com/

Sonja of https://www.yustsome.nl/

Bettye of https://fashionschlub.com/

Anna of https://www.muttonstyle.com/

Emma of http://www.style-splash.com/

Nancy of https://www.nancysfashionstyle.com

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Easy DIY Flower and Paper Crafting Projects

Sharing Recent Craft Projects

Happy Monday!  I thought today would be a good time to share some of my recent craft projects with you. I've been busy in my craft room working on some more paper crafting/sign making as well as doing some new flower arrangements for the foyer table. I hope you enjoy!

I just haven't been inspired over the summer to change up the foyer table until a few days ago when I was browsing instagram and saw a pretty flower arrangement in a vintage type box. I began thinking how pretty such a box arrangement might look on the foyer table, so I went looking for a box to use. I ended up buying one on, of all places, the wedding aisle at A.C. Moore. The box you see above is one of those boxes you see couples use at weddings for guests to place cards inside. It's a whitewashed gray color and has a removable top with a slot. I simply turned the side that says "Cards" toward the wall. 

I wanted to choose flowers that would pull out the colors seen in my pretty quilts that hang above the door. I already had a few such silk flowers but I need more, so I went hunting at the Dollar Store to see what I could find.

I'm really pleased with the addition of the green and orangey/gold flowers to the mix. Just what I wanted! I decided to enhance the box arrangement by adding my faux succulents to the front and moving my succulent wreath to the hanger behind the box. I didn't like the hanger pole showing through the wreath, however, so I draped a crochet doily behind the wreath and added my wooden house as an accent. What do you think? Would you rather see the pole or do you like the doily and little house addition? 

I'm trying to decided if this is too much for the foyer table and if I should just have the box display without the wreath. What do you think, readers?  You will also notice that I switched out the door wreath and added the "R" I created awhile back underneath the wreath. 

Next up, is some paper crafting I did to create a new sign. I used some brick style scrapbook paper to create the background design and then added 3-D homestyle stickers on top.

Here's a closeup of the stickers.

And, here is the completed sign. Not sure where I will display this, yet. For now, it is gracing my craft room!

Hope you enjoyed my crafting today. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments. Have you signed up to follow me by email yet?  It's so easy and you won't ever miss a single post! Just look for the sign up on the sidebar of my blog.  And do be sure to stop by Wednesday for another edition of "Match Made In Seven" an international blogger group collaboration.  See you then!

Until Next Time,

Debbie