They're Back

The staple of every true '90's girl's wardrobe is making a come back and I'm secretly excited! Imagine a baggy pair of overalls with the legs cuffed, a fitted crop top and a messy ponytail or bun high on your crown! Ahh...so much excitement to hopefully try this trend!

They're Back by cathrynhill featuring jean shorts

Summer Lime Time

I am so ready for warmer weather. In yet another cold snap, I am dreaming of bright pants and flowy tops!

Summer Lime Time by cathrynhill featuring straw tote bags

Wallis coral blouse
$52 - wallisfashion.com

Dorothy Perkins yellow pants
$27 - dorothyperkins.com

J Crew espadrille wedge
$88 - jcrew.com

Kate Spade straw tote bag
$276 - couture.zappos.com

Aqua gold jewelry
$21 - bloomingdales.com

Why No Photos?

I've made several promises to post photos but somehow never do. I'm so sorry about that. I'm done promising something I've never been good at accomplishing.

Its not that I don't love photos! I took a film photography class in college and then proceeded to do 2 independent studies using film.

But I've realized that big life moments for me are lived and not captured on the camera. Taking photos is the last thing on my mind these days. I would rather enjoy the time and experience than be focused on capturing it in just the right lighting and moment. (And that I never remember my camera or to order prints).

I'm sorry for not being better about this but its not where my focus is. Plus Jon hates having his photos taken. We've not had professional pictures since our wedding which was over 3 years ago.

Please, don't let the lack of visual aids keep you from reading. You sometimes miss the best parts when you can't see past the picture to the life that is being lived without the camera.

Pressure...

Growing into a function, productive member of our society is different for everyone but I don't think we ever really outgrow peer pressure. And with today's culture of social networking the tradition of leaving people in the past isn't as easy. You can stalk those people that should have been left in high school through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., etc.

Which can bring on jealousy and bitterness and childish feelings that previous generations have been able to move beyond. It can bring on the pressure to prove that you are successful, that you have made something of yourself. That you have grown up and moved beyond them.

There is the pressure to have a big house, a nice car, be rich and have material goods, get married and have 2.5 children and then retire comfortably. And social media can show you how far beyond your peers you are in achieving all that you are excepted to have and be.

Now, I'm not swearing off social media...I love it! But I do wish that I wasn't addicted to it and that when I stalk check in on someone that I didn't become a hateful, jealous, bitter and judgmental person. My goal has been to try and honestly be happy and joyful that according to social media that they have it together (and to forgive any perceived mistreatment from 10 years ago).

I should not be jealous and envious that high school class members who got married years after me have already started their families. I was a delusional early 20's girl when I got married that honestly believed that by this point we'd be rich and already be starting our family and I would be a SAHM (stay at home mom).

But God had other plans for me and Jon. I needed to ride the struggle-bus; I'm still on it to be honest because I'm still growing up. I like to think it's because I truly cherished and didn't rush my childhood and teen years. Thank you older siblings for showing me how precious a childhood can be!

On my journey to grow closer to the Lord, I must learn to love my neighbors and to love them with an honest, Christ-like joy. Which can be a struggle and I'm working on it. My goal when on social media now is to express joy for everyone's life mountains and pray for their valleys.

How are you working on cultivating a caring, soft, and Christ-like heart toward others?

Long & Short of It

I may just be getting older but it seems like skirts/dresses are getting shorter!

Nothing wrong with short skirts, heaven knows I wore really short skirts in public when in high school and college; which is the time in to wear such things. I guess I got it out of my system and I was a very lean and muscular young lady.

I love dresses and skirts but I hate when I go to the store, find a fabulous dress then go and try it on only to find its too short! Every time it seems like. It may look great from the front but I have to do the butt test. My butt sticks farther out (thanks to my track days) so dresses tend to be shorter in the back. Even if I decide to purchase I have Jon double check that its appropriate before taking the tags off. If he is in anyway uncomfortable with me wearing something too short or too revealing it usually goes back to the store.

That may seem silly and controlling but I feel that as a married woman I need to respect my husband by dressing in a way that he is comfortable with; to some degree, he'd prefer I wear sweats and a hoodie because that's what he loves to wear. My body is his and other men do not need to see all I've got going on.

Maybe I'm made uneasy by the shortness because I have a job that has a modesty business casual guideline. Hello, I'm a church secretary! However, I think its a combo of getting older and having a better understanding of the need for modesty as a Christian and as a married woman. Though I probably do push the envelope more than I realize. 

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.                             ~1 Corinthians 6:19-20

The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.                                                                                              ~ 1 Corinthians 7:4

Do you find it difficult to find a dress or skirt at a length your comfortable with too? Or am I just being to crazy?

"The Shining" Review

Recently, I finished reading Stephen King's The Shining.

I have loved the movie for some time now but had never read the book. My MIL (mother-in-law) loves Stephen King and has read all of his books. She is just an avid reader! It's awesome because my husband is also a reader but I've usually leaned more toward the romance-girly novels but have decided to challenge myself to read more and widen my range.

Jon bought the Kindle version in the Fall when the sequel, Doctor Sleep was released. I downloaded it too and slowly started to make my way through it. I've been off and on with reading it due to transitioning into a new job/schedule and the holidays. I finally finished it thanks to a Valentine's evening spent alone and an unexpected snow day from work on President's Day.

I would say the book is better than the movie! And it almost  makes me sad because I like the movie! Almost! The mental image is way more intense than the image on the screen; this is why your imagination is your best friend and worst enemy!

I felt that Wendy and Danny were better in the book, hands down. Wendy wasn't as annoying and Danny wasn't as creepy. Jack, was level across the board from the book to the movie and if anything, Jack Nicholson was spot one for the role in my opinion even though movie Jack and book Jack are at times not the same (One of King's big complaints about the movie).

King has such a way of writing that it can truly cause you to feel as if you are there. I think I had such a hard time getting through the book because I would get so freaked out that I would have to stop reading. My brain and heart couldn't take it! But having seen the movie, I knew the general idea of how it should end and that helped push me through.

It made me wonder if Jon and I could survive being isolated for 6-7 months in a snow covered hotel; let alone in a hotel that is out to claim you for its self.

All in all, Stephen King is not my natural pick but of the 2 books I have read of his (The Shining & 11/22/63), I have been shocked by how much I did enjoy them after I was finished. Getting through them is difficult for me since they are not my go-to choices but definitely worth reading.

The next Stephen King book on my list will be Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining. Though in the habit I am forming with King's books, I probably won't read it until the fall.

However, do not suggest that I read It! That will never happen! I am still extremely scarred from the movie which I for some reason was able to watch at a very, very young age and have to thank for my fear of clowns. And thanks to my friends from junior high when they found out why I was afraid of clowns for making me afraid of bleachers! Thanks but no thanks!

Lady Cave Inspiration

Lady Cave Inspiration by cathrynhill featuring ZENTS

Challenge Yourself

The past few years I have been challenging myself to branch out on what I choose to read.

I am I big fan of romance novels but they can get old; especially when you read the same author. Every author has a pattern, especially authors that have a lot of books in stores. Nothing wrong with that, its how they guarantee the book will sell and how they make their living but if you never branch out on the type of book you read you will see this pattern and then you get bored.

So, I decided that I needed to expand my range and the style of books I read. I'm still a die-hard romance novel fan. They are wonderful when I simply want to read to zone out, read quickly and read just to read. But its really awkward when in conversation about books all you have to talk about is "Fifty Shades of Grey."

Plus, my husband is a reader too but we can't have conversations about books if we don't read the same ones. In an effort to give us more topics I began reading books he has read but are also more socially acceptable to admit I've read them.

These are challenges for me because I'm branching out and I'm a slow reader. I tend to read every word on every page and details can be hard to follow. But below is my current list:

Checklist:
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the  King by J.R.R. Tolkien
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
The Shining by Stephen King
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Jane Austen Collection  (have read Pride & Prejudice)
A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
Beautiful Creatures Saga by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (I've read the first two books but stalled on the 3rd)
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (have started but never finished, several times)
Sherlock Holmes Collection by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I'm sure this list will grow with time but this is where I am at right now! The next major one from this is Anna Karenina. Hopefully, I will be able to accomplish this goal; though it may take me a long time.

Any suggestions? What are you currently reading? Are you stick in a pattern or are you branching out?

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day by cathrynhill featuring black shoes

Maxi & Crop Top

Maxi & Crop Top by cathrynhill featuring a red skirt