Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Seven (days) Of Skirts, Day 4

Day 4 is here! I can hardly believe I'm half-way through this project already! :) I have some exciting news... two friends have joined me in this challenge to wear skirts for seven days. My dear friend McKenzie is the first... here is what she said to me about the project: (shared with permission!) :D

Julia, I absolutely love your SOS project!! :) You looked so lovely and feminine in your outfits! I was very blessed by your purpose in doing the project. It is so encouraging to know that I have a kindred spirit striving to be modest but also beautifully feminine! I often feel alone in that area at times. Like you, I do wear pants, shorts, etc. but I also love wearing skirts. I have a lot of old friends and even family that "look down their nose" at me because they think I am just trying to "fit a mold" or that I am legalistic. I have always hated for people not to accept me and so I strove to try to please everyone. Of course it was ridiculous to think that I could please everyone and I did not succeed. The only thing I succeeded in was making myself completely miserable. I realized the only person I needed to please was my Savior. When I quit worrying about what others thought and concentrated on what HE thought, I found true joy and acceptance!
-McKenzie 

You should hop on over to Pecan Pastures and see the cute outfits McKenzie is putting together. Her first one includes some of my jewelry, actually, which was neat to see! :D It thrills me to no end when people like my stuff. ;)

And... my dear mother is also joining the SOS project on her blog, Gloria in Excelsis Deo! She has written a dynamic post on modesty and being 'ok with the skin you're in'. Here's a little excerpt to tempt your literary tastebuds:

Our culture today is obsessed with skinny. Before the days of Twiggy and Barbie, women were considered normal if they had a little body fat. Strong, robust women worked hard for their families on farms and in the home. Paintings of past eras show women with volumptuous curves and feminine figures. Not to mention my ancestry. I am 100% Dutch. Dutch people are big boned, tall and robust. It is not healthy to be as skinny as your bone structure will allow. 
I know a few people who are just naturally thin or small, but they are not as numerous as my friends who have a 'normal' figure, or are even what used to be called 'pleasingly plump'. Not everybody is built tall and thin, and that is okay! When we are discontent with our shape and size it's like we are telling God "You messed up when you made me. You should have made me thinner!" What?!?! That's no way to talk to our creator! He knew what he was doing when he created us.

Bear with me here and read this passage of scripture:

Psalm 139:13b - 16

...Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
We are beautiful to him, and I am sure it hearts his heart when we denounce and disparage the way he made us.
This is no excuse for misusing our bodies and overeating, of course, and we should not look to food to satisfy our emotional needs for comfort or just eat too much because we like the pleasure of eating tasty food. (Both of which I have been guilty in the past.) Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and as such should be taken care of... everything in moderation.

I would strongly encourage you to read my mom's post and tell her what you think! (Come back and tell me too, I'd love to hear your thoughts!)

Allrightythen, without further ado, here's today's outfit!

Day 4:

Skirt: 'Choices' - found it at Belk
Lime green top: Yard Sale! :D
Flip-Flops: ? - found at The Sock Shoppe
Hair: Side Ponytail
Jewelry: Jewels by Julia
We went down to the river today and as soon as I saw this tree I knew it had to be part of today's photo shoot! :D

This is another one of my absolute favorite skirts... the aqua and lime green and swirls are so fun and splashy! :)

My dear mom took these pictures for me. {That's the river going downstream behind me}

I took this self-portrait so you could see my side ponytail and chandelier earrings a little better. There was actually a delightful wisp of a breeze when we first got there. It died down after a while but could still be felt out on the water.  

Speaking of water.... (and while we're on the topic of modest femininity & such)....
 Here's my swimsuit!
Mama sewed it for me out of swimsuit fabric! I've worn it for a couple years now and we're getting ready to make a new one, but it still works for the present. I always get compliments when I wear it and the knowledge that I'm modest as well as comfortable in the suit is wonderful! :)

Today's post was a little late because we just got back from the river! We had a fun day out in the sun and in the water. We swam, waded, threw the frisbee around, and met some friends who had also come for a day at the river. It was a blast! (I think I even worked on my tan a little bit, too! :D) Lol. :)

Have a delightful day!

5 comments:

  1. Wow! Great swimsuit! That's so cool that your mom sewed it for you!
    I have THE toughest time trying to find a modest swimsuit at a store! I am definitely not one of those super-slim girls our culture values. My body type is very similar to yours, and I have a really hard time finding a suit that doesn't show cleavage. =P Plus I like to have a skirt-bottom. Less of my legs showing. ;-)
    That said, how neat that you could make your own and have it be as modest as you like!
    I really liked your outfit the second day. That was so fun how it matched your room decor! =)

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  2. Thanks for the comment, Julia! :)
    Yeah. Being half Dutch, I have learned to be glad for my muscles and tall, strong body type. (Definitely not super-skinny.) I'm not plump but I have large shoulders for a girl, which makes it necessary to be creative when finding tops. ;)

    Yes, I don't think I would be able to find a store-bought swimsuit these days that would fit my standards without a long and arduous search! :P I like skirt-bottoms on swimsuits too, and mine even has shorts underneath. :)

    Blessings,
    Julia

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  3. Beautiful post!
    I LOVE that skirt. It's gorgeous.
    Your swimsuit is so cute, too! I am enjoying your seven days of skirts. Skirts are so fun to wear!

    Thank you for your kind comment on my blog. :-)

    Blessings,
    Leah

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  4. Hello Leah,
    Thank you! I am very glad that you are enjoying the SOS project! :) Skirts really are so much fun to wear! :)

    And of course you're very welcome. :D

    Love & Hugs,
    ~Julia

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  5. You are so pretty! What a fun idea!

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Hi! Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog. I hope you are having an absolutely wonderful day. :)

Please remember to keep your thoughts and remarks kind and pleasing in the sight of our Lord.

I would encourage you to sign your name to your comments... otherwise it might not be published.

If you have a question you would like to ask me, feel free to leave me your email address - it will not be published - and I will try to answer or help as best as I can. :)

Sometimes it takes me a little while to get back to you... but I do try and reply when I get a comment. :D

Love & Blessings!
~ Julia ~