This and That About....Debbie's Stylin' Sweater Weather!

Black And White Sweater Skirt Combination

The air is getting cooler and we're getting into sweater weather for sure! Today, I'm stylin' with a black and white combination that I really enjoyed wearing recently. The black and white sweater is a recent purchase. I actually stocked up on a few of these sweaters in various colors as I like this "old style" crew neck design.  The crew neck is soft and comfortable and I like the lightweight warmth of the sweater paired with a short sleeved white pullover. I also like the look of the collar tucked over the round neckline. The sweaters I purchased at Walmart are Faded Glory brand. The price I paid was under $10 per sweater...a real bargain for a nice looking sweater! You can see the exact sweater here.

The shoes are a new find at DSW. The heels are flattering and very comfortable without being crazy high and hard to walk in. I'm trying to make better shoe choices...sometimes I buy for "style" and end up not wearing the shoes often because they aren't comfortable to walk in. These shoes will definitely be worn and I love the style as well!

The shoes are Rieker Antistress Mary Jane Pumps. You can see them here. I paid much less in the store for this shoe than the amount listed on the site. The skirt is Southern Lady and I've had it awhile and don't recall where I made that purchase. The hemline on the skirt has a slight ruffle which adds interest to the look.

I find black and white a figure flattering combination which is nice as well! I'll be wearing this combo again and again.

How about you? Do you have favorite sweaters you enjoy wearing? And what are your favorite color combinations? 

Until Next Time,

Debbie

I'm linking this post with Jess at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish for Turning Heads Tuesday. Please visit her blog. Thanks so much, Jess, for the linkup!

This and That,,,About A Holiday Wreath!

Burlap Holiday Wreath

Thanksgiving is almost here dear readers! And soon after that....Christmas! I'm all excited today about sharing a burlap holiday wreath that I fashioned myself. It's easy to make (I am not a crafty person) and versatile enough to see me through several holidays. I came home from the craft shop and literally made this in about 20 minutes! And, the materials were not expensive. The styrofoam wreath was under $5 and the burlap wrap was about $6. So for about $10 I have a pretty wreath. Here's how I did it.

I first assembled my materials: one styrofoam wreath, a roll of burlap, scissors and straight pins. Burlap is so popular right now and the roll of burlap made this project super easy. 

I cut a fairly long length of the burlap and secured it to the styrofoam wreath with a couple of straight pins. I then simply began wrapping the wreath, making sure to overlap a little on each edge as I brought the burlap through for each wrap. I didn't measure the length and I did have to cut a little extra length to make it around the whole wreath. I simply used more straight pins to secure ends and continued wrapping until the whole wreath was covered. 

Then, it was time to make the bow. I did this by taking a length of burlap and I fashioned one loop to the size loop I wanted and then while holding that loop tight in my left hand, I twisted the burlap and created another loop with my right hand. I grabbed that loop with my left hand and continued to make loops making sure to twist the burlap each time. I will admit I had to start my loops about 3 times before I got the size I wanted on the loops and before the bow started to look "bow" like. 

When the bow was the size I wanted, I had a long "tail" of burlap left. So I cut up the middle of that long burlap tail and wrapped one end of the burlap tail around the middle of the bow a couple of times and then tied the ends to hold the bow together. I know some people are adept at using wire for this, but I just used the burlap. I have to tell you, I'm kind of proud of how that bow turned out! (For a non-crafty person like me!!!)

I then used the left over length of those two tails to tie the bow to the wreath, knotting the tails in the back of the wreath so they don't show on the front. You can see how I did this in the above picture. 

And, voila! I have a pretty burlap wreath to hang on my front door! Remember I said this wreath was versatile? Right now it is plain burlap, which I think looks nice for Fall. However, the way I tied the bow allows me to remove it if I decided to put on a red ribbon for Christmas...or, I may keep the burlap bow but tuck some Christmasy flowers or ornaments on to make the wreath more Christmas like. 

So, that's it for my easy Burlap Wreath. If I can do it, so can you!! Thanks for visiting my blog today and let me know what things you are doing to prepare for the upcoming holidays. I'd love to hear from you!!

Until then,
Debbie

This and That...About "Tag, You're It!"

Hello Dear Readers!

I haven't done a mid-week post in awhile, but today I just can't resist. Julie Wunder over at Running In A Skirt, has tagged me and many other bloggers to answer some fun survey questions. I'm up for the challenge, so here we go! You'll learn more about me in this post, for sure!! And please be sure to check out Julie's answers on her blog!


1. How has blogging impacted you and your life?

Oh my goodness, this is the most fun I've had in a long time! I absolutely LOVE blogging! I thought about starting to blog for a couple of years after starting to follow Running In A Skirt and Kelly at Talk of the House. Right before school started this year, I decided one day to just go for it! I didn't really know what I was doing and I still have lots to learn, but I'm over three months in and going strong. Lots of plans for the future with blogging!!

2. What's the favorite post you have written?

Hmmm...that's a tough one. I have enjoyed the posts I've written about Styling My Foyer Table and I have had so much fun and many giggles over my Debbie's Stylin' posts. But, the most heartfelt posts are the devotions about scripture. Guess, they're all my favorites!

3. You'll have to read Julie's blog to see my answer to this one!       Look for my post response below her blog. 

4. What is something special you do to treat yourself?

I like to go on shopping sprees occasionally and I like to treat myself to something sugary and decadent like chocolate cake.

5. Do you take spontaneous trips or are you more of a planner?

I don't even walk down the hall spontaneously...I am a planner in everything I do!!  And especially with trips...I need to know when I'm going, where I'm going, what I'll do when I get there, what the weather will be like, etc. etc. I'm a bit of a control freak, can you tell?!


6. Where was your last trip to?

My last trip was in October to West Virginia to visit with my sisters and family members. We celebrated my sister Joyce and brother-in-law Chuck's 50th wedding anniversary while I was there. I was their flower girl (six years old at the time!!) 50 years ago! 


7. Where is your dream vacation destination?

  I would love to eventually get to Hawaii. I think it would be so awesome to be there. And as you know if you have spent time on my blog, I love England and would enjoy seeing the English countryside. I've never been overseas so that would be a huge travel leap for me. I'm not a great flyer, so I'll have to get my courage worked up for either Hawaii or England!!

8.Weirdest fact about you?

Well, I don't know how weird this is, but I usually have about 5-6 books that I am reading at the same time at any given time. That's just how I roll with reading!

9. Are you a light packer or a I should take everything just in case gal?

Definitely, a take everything just in case gal! Like I said...control freak!!

10. Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to your 18 year old self?

I would tell myself to not major in music, but go ahead and major in elementary education and enjoy music on the side. I ended up going back to college to get my elementary certification six years after graduating with a music degree and could have saved myself time and frustration! Oh well....live and learn. Who really knows what they want to do in life at 18 anyway? I'm still deciding what I want to be when I grow up!!

Hope you enjoyed learning a little bit more about me! Hope your mid-week is going well! Thanks for reading my survey answers. Please let me know what your answers to some of these questions would be!

Until next time,
Debbie

This and That....John 14:27

Finding Peace

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27 KJV)


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I'm thinking today about the scripture John 14:27 and the reassurance that Jesus gives us concerning peace. It's hard sometimes to find and feel that peace, isn't it, even when we know and believe that peace is there for us. 

Life just gets in the way, sometimes, at least it does for me. Stresses in the workplace, worries about loved ones, not to mention the troubles in the world at large. It just sometimes gets to you and that feeling of peace we want to have is elusive. 

I'm thinking today about looking at the peace that Jesus offers not so much as a "feeling" but as "knowledge." Troubles may come (and they will) worries may come (and they do) but through it all, even if I'm not feeling peaceful, I have the sure knowledge that I'm not alone. Jesus is with me all the way. And it is in that knowledge....that Jesus is with me....where I find the peace. Jesus specifically said that He doesn't give us peace the way the world does. And let's face it, there's not lots of peace around us is there? But I can have that sure knowledge of Christ's presence within me that reassures me of His peaceful presence. 

This is a hard lesson for me and one I come back to again and again. That's why I love this scripture so. I would just love it if everything in my life was just perfect all the time. But, life just doesn't work that way does it? And even in the midst of my wonderful life that is filled with so many blessings...I let the stress get to me. Perhaps you who are reading feel this way sometimes as well? 

I'll close today with the translation of John 14:27 from The Message.

"I'm leaving you well and whole. That's my parting gift to you. Peace. I don't leave you the way you're used to being left--feeling abandoned, bereft. So don't be upset. Don't be distraught."

How beautiful! Until next time....may you feel well and whole and experience the knowledge of Christ's peace in your life.

Peace,
Debbie

                                          
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Linking to: Imparting Grace

This and That About...Debbie's Stylin' Weekend Casual!

Casual Saturday Attire

Happy Saturday, everyone! I'm feeling like enjoying the outdoors today wearing some casual Fall attire. As you can see, the leaves have reached their peak of color and are gracing our lawn and surrounding woods. The Fall colors make a perfect backdrop for my second "Debbie's Stylin" post. 

I love the comfort of jeans. These are Gloria Vanderbilt Signature jeans that I purchased at Stein Mart. These jeans are super comfortable and give a little extra stretch which is great for this over 50's gal! The brown quilted jacket is also a Stein Mart purchase. The orange top I've had awhile and don't remember where I purchased it. 

I like the look of these boots with the boot cut style of these jeans. The boot cut along with the heels on the boots give a long leg look which is nice since I'm only 5'4".  In all honesty, though, if I were going to be walking a lot, I would choose a flatter shoe or boot. It's hard for me to walk long distances anymore in heels! The boots were a birthday gift from my sister and I love them!

Here is a closeup of the gold earrings and chunky bracelet I am wearing to accessorize. It's hard to see them in the photos.

I plan to keep enjoying the Fall colors as long as possible! All too soon, I know, the temps will get much cooler and those little white snowflakes will be falling! I can't believe tomorrow is November! Hope your weekend is filled with fun and beauty and until next time...keep on stylin'!

I'm linking this post with Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Please visit this site at: 
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com/

Also linking with Not Dressed As A Lamb. 

This and That...About My Favorite Author Part 3!

Hello, dear readers! Hope your week is going well. I was away this past weekend and couldn't complete my three part series about my favorite authors until today. I want you to know this was a really tough choice. As I said before, I have so many favorite books and authors that I dearly love...these posts could really go on and on! But, I'm sticking to my promise of a three part series and so today, I am sharing my love for the "Cat Who" series by Lilian Jackson Braun!

As I have shared previously on this blog, I love cats. So you know I just have to love a series that combines mysteries with two smart Siamese named Koko and Yum Yum! They help their owner Jim Qwilleran solve untold numbers of mysteries in the town of Pickax located in Moose County. We never learn the actual location of Moose County. The author simply says it is, "400 miles north of everywhere." Over the course of the series, which contains around 30 books, we find that Qwill is a recovering alcoholic who used to write for newspapers "down below" before coming to Moose County because of having inherited millions. He is required to stay in Moose County for at least five years in order to claim the inheritance and ends up staying there. He writes a weekly column for the local newspaper called "The Qwill Pen" using his knack for being able to write 1,000 words on just about any subject. Along the way, memorable characters add to the story lines. There is Arch Riker, the editor of The Moose County Something, who used to work with Qwill down below before divorcing and moving to Moose County. Arch marries Mildred, a former teacher and excellent cook who contributes food articles to the paper. Although Qwill has several lady friends over the course of the series, the main love of his life is Polly, the librarian, whose voice is both soothing and scintillating to Qwill. Other characters also have recurring roles in the books such as Hixie Rice,  Fran Brody, Junior Goodwinter and Celia Robinson to name a few. 

I have to admit that The Cat Who series holds a lot of sentimental ties for me. My mother introduced me to the series many years ago and up until her passing we shared a love of reading and discussing these books. When she was in the hospital during one of her last stays, I would read aloud to her from the latest book in the series. I always felt that she could hear me. I gave many copies to her as gifts over the years. I now own those books and love seeing the inscriptions I would write inside the covers to her. Writing a short note inside the book is a tradition in my family when we give a book as a gift. 

Lilian Jackson Braun actually wrote the first book in this series in 1966 and after writing two more, took an 18 year break from the series, returning to write more in the 1980's and continuing until her death in 2011. The earlier books have Qwill living and working for newspapers "down below." The later books are his life in Moose County. Just like the Miss Read "Fairacre" books and Jan Karon's "Mitford" books, I feel that The Cat Who series are slice of life books. There is a mystery to be solved, but there is also the day to day life of characters who are interesting and lead lives that I enjoy reading about. 

So, that's it for my series on my top three favorite authors. I hope that you might give these books a try if you are not familiar with them. Perhaps, like me, you will find some new "friends" to spend time with in these rich and engrossing stories! And until next time, as Cool Koko the bibliocat might do....enjoy some white grape juice and kabibbles!




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This and That.....About My Favorite Authors Part 2!

Jan Karon

The Mitford Series

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Happy Saturday everyone! It's very Fall-like and windy in my part of the world today. The perfect day to "cozy up" with a warm cup of tea, your feet up on the couch and all wrapped up in a throw. It's also the perfect day for me to continue my series on my top three favorite authors. I'm really excited to share this author with you because her books have really touched my life and have given me many, many happy moments of reading! 

As you can see from the photo above, I'm talking about Jan Karon, who is the author of the "Mitford Series" and the "Father Tim Series" of books as well as several other stand alone books. I will focus today on the Mitford Series which is where I first fell in love with Jan Karon's writing. I still remember reading an excerpt of her first book, "At Home in Mitford", in a magazine article years ago. I can remember thinking at the time that I would like to read more about Mitford and Father Tim. I was so happy to find that I could, when Jan Karon's first book was published! From that moment on, I was hooked on Mitford! (And luckily, Jan Karon has just released a new Mitford book, so fans can continue reading in the series!)

I know that many bloggers out there are already fans of the Mitford Series, because I read about it on your blogs! But, for those who may not be familiar with the series, I'll give a little detail. The story lines in Mitford all revolve around the central figure of Father Tim, who at the beginning of the series is an unmarried Episcopal priest in his sixties. He lives his faith in loving and practical ways, such as visiting with his parishioners Miss Sadie and her dear friend Louella, or cooking a meatloaf or ham to share at a church pot luck supper. He puts up with his annoying church secretary, Emma Newland, and joins in with his doctor, Hoppy Harper, who himself struggles with faith after the loss of his wife, in praying for patients. Everything Father Tim does is blanketed with prayer. We find as the series continues, that Father Tim has hurts and questions from his past that he must come to terms with and these hurts and questions make us realize that even men (and women) pastors of the faith are human just like the rest of us. 

There are so many characters in Mitford to love and to laugh with that I know I won't be able to do them justice in a blog post. Who couldn't love Dooley, the little boy abandoned by his mother, that Father Tim takes in to raise? His first meeting with Father Tim was punctuated by his telling the Father that he needed, "to take a dump!" And then there is Cynthia, the neighbor who moves into the house next door. We come to know Cynthia as an artist with a painful past who finds redemption in God's love and in the love of a certain priest. (Spoiler Alert!!) But, oh the story of how this love blossoms! Only Jan Karon can weave such a story! Or how about the characters of Percy and Velma,  owners of the The Mainstreet Grill. The books tell us that if you eat there, you'll be regular! And then there are Mule Skinner and J.C. Hogan, friends of Father Tim who meet with him regularly at The Mitford Grill to eat lunch. And we can't forget the Marmalade cake made by Esther Bolik. My mouth waters just thinking about these cakes that were given to people as gifts at Christmas time or just to give comfort when needed. Of course, one of these cakes was almost Father Tim's undoing....but, you have to read the books to figure that one out!

I could go on and on about the series and the characters that are found in these books. Suffice it to say, that these stories are rich in the joys of human warmth, some suffering and lots of day to day living. But, the stories are always presented in a way that brings hope and the sure knowledge that in the end all will be well, because God's love is surely present in all things. Faith is the capstone (in my opinion) of Jan Karon's books. 

I mentioned in my last blog post that the next author I would be sharing about also enjoyed Miss Read books. It's funny because the first time I read a Mitford book I felt like there was a similarity to Miss Read. I just experienced that same small village down home comfort in reading about Mitford that I had experienced while reading about Fairacre and Thrush Green. Imagine my delight when I saw this at the top of one of my Miss Read books!

Jan Karon had read Miss Read books and loved them just like me! This knowledge has only added to my delight in reading the Mitford Series. Knowing that my top two favorite authors have a connection is amazing!

Because of my great love for this series, my husband gifted me with several Mitford village pieces for one of our wedding anniversaries years ago. I enjoy these pieces so much. Since they are the winter series, I usually display them at Christmas.

Another friend and I also led a book discussion with a group of women from my church when the first Mitford book was published. The group loved the book so much that we decided to make a pilgrimage to Blowing Rock, NC which is where Jan Karon was living at the time. Blowing Rock was also believed to be the "Mitford" on which Jan Karon based her books. The ladies and I had such a great time touring Mitford....oops, I mean Blowing Rock together. We saw the church which looked surprisingly like Lord's Chapel and saw the sprawling white house which reminded me of Miss Sadie's house. How could we not try to find Jan Karon's cottage? I'm kind of ashamed to admit this, but we had been given a few "hints" from town folks about the location of her cottage. So, we drove in that direction. Her cottage had been featured in a recent magazine article of the time, so we had a general idea of what it looked like. And, yes, we did find the cottage. And ....although I am red faced with shame to admit this.... some of us might have gone up on the porch and rung her doorbell! We just LOVED her books so much and we were SO overcome with seeing the buildings come alive in Blowing Rock, we just wanted a quick hello. A very lovely and kind young woman answered the doorbell and after listening to us gush about how much we loved Jan Karon and her writing and just wanted to tell her that, the young woman thanked us and told us the author wasn't at home. So we quickly got in our cars and drove away. Like I said, I am ashamed to admit that we bothered the poor woman in her home. I know she eventually moved to a farm in Virginia where fans like us couldn't come up on her front porch! But, I share this to let you know the affect the Mitford Series can have on you! These books leave you wanting more....more friends like Father Tim, more warmth from the people you live and work with, and most of all, more faith in God. The faith that Father Tim conveys in all he does. Really....what more could an author ask for than fans that love her books so much?!

So, that's it for today's post. I'll finish up my series of favorite authors next time. This will be tough because I have LOTS of books and authors I love. Whom will I choose for this third post....hmmm....

How about you?  I would love to hear some comments about my author's post or my blog in general or your favorite authors....leave a comment and we'll talk! Until next time, hope your day is cozy and you have a great book to read!

Love from my Mitford to yours,

Debbiethisandthat