Step to the Music

Step to the Music - is a wonderful book written back in 1953!  I read it for the first time as an 8th grader in middle school. 

The book is a delicious read set during the Civil War.  Abbie, is desperately in love with Douglas.  And she is pretty sure she is going to marry him, too.  That is, until Lorena shows up and charms every man in town, including Douglas.   Not only that, Lorena is from the South, with Southern Sympathies, and slowly sways Douglas to the rebel side. 

Life is not so easily planned, nor as simple as Abbie once thought.  What will happen to her now, and will she ever find love?  4**** stars!

Outfit Details:
I totally felt like a Southern Belle in this outfit, and thought it would match perfectly with a book set during the Civil War.

Dress: ModCloth
Shoes: ModCloth
Belt:  Vintage
Earrings:  Gift
Necklace:  ModCloth

Also, we had fun during our Spring Break doing art every day.  One day we had to paint a picture telling a story.  I decided to do it too.  My story was when we were walking on our lawn one summer night and found a beautiful Milk Snake.  I hate snakes, but this snake was truly beautiful. 

Now, spring break is over, and sadly, we have all gotten extremely sick, so we've been watching movies for 2 days straight.  That is all the news from me today! 

Have a great day!
Xoxo

The Mark of the Dragonfly

The Mark of the Dragonfly, I must say, is one of my favorite recent science fiction / fantasy books.  Piper is all alone in the Scrap Towns on the outer boundaries of the World of Solace.  She makes her living fixing things that no one else can fix.  One day after a meteor shower, she meets a strange girl named Anna.  She bears a tattoo in the shape of a dragonfly on her arm.  That means she is under the king's protection.  If Piper takes her back, she may get a reward.... so begins the intricate and imaginative tale.  I enjoyed it so much, I can't wait until the sequel: The Secrets of Solace, will be released in the Spring of this year!  4*! 

This book is also full machines, and a clock that only works for Piper.  Since clockwork is so important in this story, my outfit features clocks!  I love teal and red together (and it was cold), so I also wore my red jacket.  Both pieces are new - picked up from ModCloth's last 70% off sale!  Shoes match my top, as usual.  I love the details of the dress - from the quirky and fun vintage print, to the beautiful and delicate red buttons.  This was a fun outfit to wear, and I look forward to finding more stylish and comfortable clothes from Effie's Heart.

In other news - we had some new neighbors move in.  Cows, my friends, cows.  Honestly, we love watching them.  They are pretty quiet, and they are pretty sweet animals.  The farmer we live by takes good care of his cattle.  They get to eat all the yummy leftover beat tops from the fall harvest all winter long. 

Also, Sunday was the NCAA selection process for college basketball!  2 games have already been played:  Wichita State and Florida Gulf Coast won their games to make it into the field of 64.  2 more games will take place tomorrow, and will give us the complete field of play.  Thursday the madness will begin!  Yes!  I am a huge college basketball fan!  You didn't expect anything different did you?  I pretty much enjoy all sports! 

I have my map / brackets all printed out.  I am going for the AZ Wildcats - they are my team since the days of Mike Bibby and Miles Simon!  :).  They are only a 6 seed this year, so we'll see what they can do. I am looking forward to the next 3 weeks.  :)

Happy March Madness to you all!  Good night!!!

Outfit details:
Dress:  ModCloth
Jacket:  ModCloth
Necklace:  Lia Sophia
Shoes:  ModCloth
Earrings:  Lisa Sophia

Going Vintage

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt is an amazing and fun story about a girl named Mallory, who suddenly finds herself single after her boyfriend cheats on her.   To deal with what happened, she decides to "Go Vintage.". What does this mean, exactly?  Well, she swears off all modern day technology, and makes a list of things she must accomplish, like:  have a dinner party.  Hilarity ensues with technological complications, her ex's cousin (who just happens to be cute and sweet), and all sorts of other hijinks.  I really recommend this book for a light hearted romantic read.  4.5 stars.  ( Just an FYI - none of the books I read or review will have anything more than kissing.  - So if you are a parent worried about that - this book doesn't cross any of those lines :). ). Thank you! 

I have been a ModCloth lover for a very long time.  Long before they even had a "Style Gallery!". Gasp!  Did you even know that?  So, you could still post pictures. but it was more like a whole other website all together.  People could write about their outfits and other people could even comment on them!  I think, although I am not 100% on this one, you couldn't vote for your "favorite"... Everyone was equal.  I kinda miss it actually ... 

This woman who used to post all the time was my favorite!  She had amazing vintage style.  She always had this theme, and she was always going vintage.  She had 100's of hats as well, and they were the envy of all.  I loved her style of dress!  Well, one day, she posted a picture with the dress you see me wearing now.  She had these gloves, and hat, and throw in a vintage bicycle..  it was an amazing photo shoot!  So, I had to buy the dress immediately.  I don't claim to be as stylish as her - but this dress is still one of my favorites.  I totally feel like I am "Going Vintage" in it.  :)

In other news... my hubby brought home waaaaay too much Boom Chicka Pop Kettle Corn popcorn.  It is my absolute favorite treat ... in the world!  Not so good for my diet though.  :(  Also, he found a brand new wood stove for our house at 1/2 price.  It is gorgeous and has a glass front.  It is so nice to cozy up to it at night and read by fire light.

That's about it for me today!  Talk to you later, and...

Happy Friday to you all!  Have a great night and weekend!! 

Outfit Details:
Dress:  ModCloth
Cardigan:  Charter School Cardigan - ModCloth
Shoes:  ModCloth
Necklace:  Vintage!! From eBay!
Earrings:  Sun drop Earrings
Bracelet:  Lisa Sophia

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

The inspiration for this outfit comes from a gloriously delicious book called The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate.  It is about a girl named Calpurnia and her family.  Mostly, it is about Calpurnia and her grandfather and the relationship they form over science. 

Callie grows and changes in the story.  She evolves.  She also learns that she loves science and figuring things out.  She loves researching plants and wants to discover something new.  This book does touch briefly on "evolution" and " natural selection.". However, even though I do not believe in evolution, I didn't feel like the author was overly zealous about the subject. 

The story is so beautifully told, and the characters all come alive - Callie is such a wonderful girl, I just love her! -that I was able to look past the things I don't believe in and enjoy the actual story.   If these things offend you, or if you take fiction books literally, then this book is not for you.  If reading about what someone else believes, while staying true to what you believe is something you can do, then I highly recommend this book. 5*.  Also, The Curious World of Calpernia Tate is coming soon, and I just can't wait!

Callie is a Scientist who loves to study animals and plants.  Plants seem to be her favorite, so I decided to wear my amazing full skirt splashed with Sunflowers!  Along with my blue polka dotted blouse.  I don't know why, but I just was in a mood for blue today - so blue cardigan, belt, and shoes.  I wear this outfit with stripes, and lots of yellow too, so I can't wait to style this skirt in more ways this spring and summer.  It is totally one of my favorite skirts. :). I did add yellow in my necklace, earrings, pin, and hair accessories.  Something about blue and yellow.... means spring is in the air!

Outfit Details: 
Blouse:  ModCloth
Skirt:  ModCloth
Cardigan:  ModCloth
Belt:  Newport News
Shoes:  Newport News
Hair flower:  Handmade Gift
Earrings:  Sundrop Earrings
Necklace:  Gift on our Honeymoon - an Amber necklace from the D.R.

What is your favorite spring combo?  Let me know below! 

Good night!

The Friendship Doll

The Friendship Doll is by Kirby Larson (same author who wrote Hattie Big Sky).  It is written from the perspective of a doll: Miss Kanagawa.  It is a story about a doll from Japan and the people she touches.  It is a super sad story.  And it's pretty neat that the story is actually based on a true story of Friendship Dolls from Japan to the United States.  58 dolls were sent over in 1927.  This event happened before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  After that sad time in history, many of these friendship dolls were destroyed.  Sadly, only 13 of these dolls have ever been found.  4* - I do recommend this book!  It is historical fiction, which I love, and Larson is a wonderful story teller.  Go read it! 

My outfit is based on this book.  I thought that the skirt had a cherry festival look to it.  I love stripes with flowers, so added my striped shirt.  It was a little chilly out - so I added my pink flower cardigan. 

Outfit Details:
Blouse:  ModCloth
Skirt: Giveaway
Tights: Gift
Shoes:  Chadwick's
Necklace:  Gift
Cardigan: Gift
Ring: Sheinside

In other news:  We got to go see Zootopia!  It was really funny!  A little scary for little kids, and it does talk about evolution FYI.  (Without saying: Evolution)

Also!  My hubby let me order a whole new pile of books, which I can't wait to dive into! 
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Missing in America
Return to Sender
Saving Wonderland
A Year in the Life of a Complete Genius
Absolutely True
Jack The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk
The Categorical Center of the Universe of Candice Phee
Two Summers
Josh Baxter Levels Up
The Swap
Ruby Lee and Me
Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend.

Look for some new book reviews coming soon.  :).

So excited.  Have a good night! 

Getting to Know Me Monday... I Love Where I Live

I live in the middle of no where!  The biggest city is 90 miles away - to the north of us.  It has about 100,000 people living there.  It is waaay too big.  The next closest city has about 8,000 people living there.  Also waaay too big. 

The truth is, I am happily content to live in the middle of no where.  I have no desire for fancy shops, eateries, or refinements of city life.  I am totally a Country Girl.  That's with a capital C and G.  I enjoy the soft breezes, the sounds of birds, the smell of the fields in the rain.  I love hearing our river tumble by, and the sounds of coyotes under the moon at night.  I love seeing the blue sky during the day, and a million stars at night.  I love being close to rivers, mountains, sand dunes, waterfalls, and geysers.  There is nothing like it. 

What do we do for fun you might ask?  Snowboarding, skiing, ice-skating, hiking, biking, camping, four-wheeling, and so much more.  It's not a life I would change to live in the city.  I know other people think differently, and that's cool.  But, for me, this is the life.  Where do you live?  Do you live in the country?  Or are you a city girl?  What do you like best about where you live?  Or, do you feel like you belong in the opposite place you live in now?