Styles of the Week

Turkey Day is just around the corner!! I only have two more days of work before a 4 day weekend. I couldn't be more excited because between my healing arm (not taking prescription meds anymore!), a nasty cold sore on my bottom lip (why do they suck so much!!!), and on and off again congestion (I have added a personal humidifier to my holiday wish list), I am not feeling this week at all. 

So what updates do I have for you all?

Remember how I said that I'm sure there was a reason I was accidentally sent the Rose Cecily and not the Garnet I ordered?

Well, I was doing laundry and found my garnet square scarf from tznius.com (from 10 years ago, one of my favorites, but I tend to forget about it!... also, it appears to be on sale!!)

Simple Cotton Scarves - Tznius.com

So I DO in fact have a garnet colored head cover, but what I do NOT have (until now) was a simple pastel, so when I knew I wanted to wear my Everyday Cecily to my interview for full-time status, I was pleased to discover that my head cover went perfectly with pinks an teals.

Sadly, I've loved that skirt to complete death (it's COVERED in stains that will NOT come out, and it's even starting to get holes), so that will be the last time I wear that particular one. I'm going to repurpose the material make another skirt just like this one (although I really hate sewing jersey cotton, so any tips are welcome!)

My hair was done in an "under Heidi braid" since my hair's not yet long enough for a full Heidi braid. Today I decided to spice things up though, and repeated the style but with four braids instead of two. 

It's not my tidiest work, but I really liked this. 

Lastly, NOT on the topic of hair (it's always a struggle with me), something this weekend reminded me of a trip to the City Museum in St Louis a few years back. 

For the record, I bloody LOVE the City Museum. I sort of love St. Louis. When I was living in Champaign-Urbana, my then-boyfriend and I were given some money for a spring break trip by his mother, "just because", and we decided to go to St. Louis (my first visit to the CM). When he got into graduate school in Steven's Point, Wisconsin, I was saddened that we probably wouldn't return to St. Louis for a long time. After we ultimately broke up, and I, through a series of events ended up moving to Peoria, I remember being overwhelmingly happy that I was staying day-trip distance to St. Louis. 

Well, it was my second trip to St. Louis, this time with Chris, and I remember having trouble trying to decide what to wear (I think the first time I wore jeans with a skirt over it, but it was April then. It was July the second time). Since there was a substantial amount of climbing involved, I needed to wear a skirt I could move in, and something underneath for the inevitable 'roll-up'. I opted for my workout skirt and a pair of shorts.

This was not the best choice. Not only did the skirt keep catching on things, but so did my shorts. 

All the sudden, I spotted a group of middle school aged girls, and immediately recognized them as my people, because they were all wearing what I should have been. 

How silly of me!! Here, I had spent so much time thinking of warm weather leggings, I had forgotten that they come in Capri length!! And why do I only own ONE mid-length jean skirt? How silly of me. 

That's really what I strive to do with this blog. Often times fashion blogs are focused on looking stylish or trendy, and that's cool, but the reality of dressing modest is that sometimes you're just not sure what to do when you're NOT being stylish. Sometimes you just need to know what to wear in everyday situations, but still be you. 

Peace!

Daily Adventures

Well today was exciting. 

My elbow is still bothering me, and while I was able to deal with it the past few days, today it was hurting even before I got to work. 

Here's Onyx telling me he thought I should stay home. 

But it was already 10am and I needed to leave for work, so I didn't want to call in right away. I decided to go to work and get through half a day before calling the doctor. They might not even be able to get me in right away anyhow. 

Well, my PCP wasn't available till January, so I was told to see the Prompt Care, but the only place that took my insurance was in Morton, 20 minutes away. But that wasn't so bad because Chris, my fiance works in Morton, so I got to see him and tell him the diagnosis. 

Doctor said it was a bruised elbow muscle/tendon/nerve/something that hurts. He said it happens when one bangs their elbow, but I told him I didn't bang it, it was stress from leaning on it too much. He said that happens too. Sadly (or maybe not) the whole thing took so long (driving out there, filling out papers, waiting in the waiting room, getting initial vitals [I apparently have a low grade fever!], waiting for the doctor, talking to the doctor, getting MORE vitals [he said my knee reflexes weren't working but he just wasn't tapping the right spot], having the nurse help him with the computer, checking out, going to update Chris while I bought my brace, going to the pharmacy, waiting for the lady in front of me to show the pharmacy clerk something on the computer [no idea what that was about], having the pharm clerk check my insurance, waiting for my Rx to be filled, checking out with my Rx) that by the time I was done, it was a quarter past 5. Add 15 minutes to get to work and I would have only been at work for half an hour. 

Not worth it. 

I might have dealt with it since I had class right after, but I also hadn't had a chance to do my homework, since it hurts so bad to write, that I just decided to miss today. 

But I did look cute...

FIRST PACKAGE ARRIVED!!!!!

Yesterday was simply brutal. I have discovered that I cannot lie on my back (either in bed or on the couch) and use my phone or my Nintendo DS, because it seems to put pressure on my right elbow and aggravates my tennis elbow. 

Well, I forgot this, and was playing The Legend of Zelda (yes! the original) on my DS this weekend and whelp... lets just say work was brutal. 

So how excited was I when I got home and I had a package from the lovely ladies at Garlands of Grace!!!

I immediately took off my grey Walmart cowl and tried each one on. 

The materials are amazing. The lace you see is crocheted cotton. 

However, none of them have the strip of velvet I've heard about that keeps them from slipping, and the Meg you see in the above photo didn't like the back of my couch. It could just be that the One of A Kind don't always have the velvet, or only the lace ones have it. 

But that's okay, cause I was planning on going and buying some velvet to make no-slip bands anyhow. 

They are beyond gorgeous, and those ladies really do know what they're doing. 

Today I'm sporting my Garnet Anywhere Cecily (that I think they accidentally sent me Rose, but that's alright, because I have other headbands in Garnet. I don't really want to go through the trouble of contacting them about it. Plus, I've always believed that The Lord guides our mistakes, so I'm sure He has a reason that I needed this color ;) )

And as an exciting bonus, today is Garlands of Grace's 8th Anniversary, and there is free shipping for orders over $30 (which is very easy to do). Just in time for the holidays!

Check out here!

Surprise! Celebrating 8 years with free shipping today :)

Peace!

Shopping Spree and First Snow!

Oh my! Winter seems to be upon us already. I woke up this morning to this sight out my window. 

Not much, but I feel like it's the official end of Autumn. So sad. I'm not a huge fan of Winter, especially when Autumn is so perfect. While December is nice with all the Yuletide festivities, I feel like the rest of Winter is just a cold bummer. 

But in the meantime, I had to stop on over to Walmart, which I typically try to refrain from, since I prefer to shop local, their produce has repeatedly made me sick, and just typically do not like a lot of their practices. The good news is I found some really great items that I couldn't really find anywhere else (you win this round Walmart). 

Namely, this little gem. I tend to gravitate over to the headband section near the jewelry when I go there, just to see what they have, and even though I had seen this before, it caught my attention this time. It's Walmart brand (otherwise I would have just purchased it from the source), but as you can see, it's really great priced, and it advertises you can wear it in several styles. I tried out the main ones today for you all. 

 It slips easily, and not only am I showing three different ways to wear it, but I'm also displaying the progression of how it will fall throughout the day. But I really like it as an easy "throw on and go" piece. 

Walmart also has a selection of $1 large bandana, my favorite of what I got was this one. 

The brown, orange, pink and yellow theme is so warm, especially with this chilly weather, and that henna Indian pattern is to die for. It's long enough to tie into a turban wrap too, although I was too lazy to do it today, perhaps later this week. 

In the meantime, I figured since I was there, I'd hop on over to the hair section in the pharmacy and see if they had any headband grips. They didn't but I did find these lacy headbands. I'm not sure if I'm going to make grips out of them, or just wear them as accents, but I figured they'd come in use either way. 

 I also got The Percect Bun by Remington. I've tried the sock bun and I've never gotten it to work right, so this looked easier. I still can't quite get it to work right, but I think I just need practice. 

 So there you have it, some great finds all under $5! Which is perfect because the new World of Warcraft expansion just came out, and I've been waiting on bated breath to play. So far, I absolutely love it, but since my main is a Draenei, I'm really excited to see more backstory for these characters. 

Well, I'm off to kill some Orcs!!! 

Peace!

A Post About Opinions...

So, it was brought to my attention that some women have stopped patronizing Garlands of Grace due to the ladies Anti-Catholic and Anti-LDS comments.

As you can probably tell, I'm extremely pluralistic in my attitude. I have friends that are Catholic, Protestant, LDS, Orthodox, Jewish (Reform, Conservative, Traditional, Orthodox, Hassidic, Messianic), Muslim, Pagan, Hindu, Buddhist, and a whole bunch of other religious paths too long to list.

I love my friends, and I love that our faith in a power higher than ourselves brings us together. I love that we love good and reject evil. I don't mind that we disagree on the details.

I am disappointed that a business would feel the need to bring, what basically constitutes as religious politics (additionally, I'm fully aware they have brought actual politics up as well) in what I feel is an inappropriate forum.

That being said, I will not boycott them, or refuse to promote them. The reason being that I feel that doing so would also be bringing politics into play. I like their products. I will purchase their products. If you also like their products, you may also choose to purchase them. Or you may not. That's totally cool too.

In Matthew 7:1-2 it is written: "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged." 

The Talmud states: "In righteousness shall you judge your fellow" (Shavuot 30a)

And the Quran states: "O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult on another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers." (49:11)

That means not looking down on people you think are sinning. It also means not looking down on people who judge others. 

Regardless of whether they are ultimately correct or not, they needlessly embarrassed and hurt others. But you know what? I forgive them. Moving on. 

Haul Post

I was going to hold off this post until my packages arrived, but I just can't wait!! 

I went on a bit of an online shopping spree and I simply MUST show you what I got!!

From Garlands of Grace I got one in each of my favorite styles: 

The Cecily’s Anywhere Scarf in Garnet. I have a few convertible headbands, but I simply couldn't resist this color. 

I had a hard time decided between this, Meg’s Heirloom Covering in Cream and Meg's Soft Gray Shadows. I love how this could easily be an everyday snood. That soft cream color matches everything.

Lastly I got this gorgeous Stretch Suzanne in Soft Plum, but in honey color. I can't wait to see it!

Then, I decided to browse for bonnet cap underscarves. I sent to do a search for these from time to time, because they just seem perfect for a lazy, no effort day, or working out. Amazingly, I ended up at Hijabstoreonline.com and found these on sale for only £0.75 (about $1). 

 

They each have sequins on them, that I will probably clip off, and I might decide I'm not that crazy about the patterns, but for only a dollar, I'm okay. 

Then, I decided to get a lovely, plain gray one, for only a little more at £1.75.

I just got the email that they're being shipped, so hopefully next week, I'll have a little fashion show for you all!

Outfit of the Day is pretty drab today. I'm feeling really drained today (I think I'm fighting a cold, or I'm just not reacting well to the cold front that just came in), so I'll really just show you my top today. 

I'm wearing my ivory crop 3/4 sleeve shell from Kosher Casual underneath a black 3/4 sleeve sweatshirt from Walmart. Nothing fancy, but a good use of the crop shell. I will admit though, that I wish I had a sleeveless crop, since the arms feel a bit constricting with this outfit. 

That's all for today!

Peace!

Welcome!

Hi! I'm Môrgan, 30 year old, soon-to-be married, working woman, who tries to live a religiously observant live, though I suffer from a lot of laziness, which I am working on.

I had been thinking about starting a modesty fashion blog for a while now. I live in a pretty cool area, Peoria, Illinois, and I work at a community college, so we have a lot of Apostolic and Muslim women that pass through our hallways every day.

Not only am I inspired by the creativeness of each young lady I see, but I am also encouraged by how many shapes, styles and faiths modesty comes in.

This blog is going to be my way of not only highlighting the interesting fashions I see, but also a way of sharing products I like. Far too often I see blogs that only share extremely expensive products, and while they are often amazing and beautiful, it can be frustrating if you're just getting started and need a lot of start up items.

Additionally, I wanted to blog because I'm not you're average religiously observant woman. I like to think of myself as a little Punk Orthodox, though I really am just me. I cuss, I drink from time to time, I go to parties and concerts, I'm an unashamed geek, and yet I'm still committed to my values.

I'd like to show young women and men that being modest doesn't mean being quiet, or boring. Not everyone who is pious spends their time at home knitting, baking and doing yard work. We watch football, we go to amusement parks, we shoot fireworks off in our backyard... There are many ways to serve our faith and God.

So!!! Where to start!!

Well, I'm gonna post a quick "Môrgan's Favorite Things!"

I keep seeing adds for Halftee.com, and actually, I first found the site while doing a Google search for cropped layering shells. I admit, I love the variety they offer, but I was rather disappointed with just how LOW the neckline is!!!

It doesn't look too bad for the pictures of the less endowed women, but if you're an extremely curvy woman like I am, that neckline isn't going to cover anything up top, and at $25 a shirt, I have to pass. 

Instead, my favorite crop shells come from either Shel Sheli or Modest Essentials (why Ms. Amanda claims she couldn't find these surprises me, Google crop shells or midriff shells and you'll get a whole page full of stuff). 

The neckline is much higher as you can see, and in practice, it actually sits right on my collarbone, but may be higher if you don't have as much to fill it out. But the best part is that it's only $14!!!! Sadly it doesn't come in many colors (I swear Kosher Casual had some in grey and 'offwhite' recently, but I can't find it now), and I'm tempted to just buy a bunch in white and dye them myself, but I'm also really loving my ivory colored, I may just buy a bunch more of that. 

Another site I'm madly in love with is the ever popular Garlands of Grace. Most of the time, I just buy regular headbands or make my own, but I couldn't resist those amazing prints! 

As reasonable as the prices are for what you get, it's still going to need to be a holiday wishlist item most of the time, but I had a little money to indulge myself, and I couldn't resist. 

Lastly, my OOTD!

I'm feeling kinda lazy today, so just a boring blue maxi skirt, one of my favorite hoodies, hair in a messy bun. I almost never wear anything but maxi skirts, they're my favorite. (Sorry that I'm slouching, lol)

Until nextime!!! 

Peace