Mermaid Braid / / Holiday Hairstyle Tutorial

 Hey y'all!  Here is a holiday hairstyle that I just did on my sister-in-law, Gina.  The gorgeous, mermaid braid is actually really easy and simple to do.  Take the middle of your hair on top of your head (as shown in the picture below).

 Start braiding as normal, but add a small strip from beside the group of hair you started with.

Do the same thing on the other side.

 Continue adding like that all the way down as far as you'd

like to go and fasten it with an elastic band.

Add a pretty ribbon to make the style pop with color!  I used a pink ribbon to match her shirt, but you could use a red one to look more festive, or any ribbon color that matches your Christmas sweater.

Voila!  A pretty Christmas braid that looks lovely!

Upside Down Dutch Braided Bun Updo / / Hair Tutorial

Hey y'all!  It's time for another hair tutorial, Yay!  This one is for a really neat braid the is done upside down.  A cute style for Christmas parties, holiday events, or any other occasion.

First you start by flipping your head upside down,

 Beginning the braid at your neck and working all the up past your ears.  Once you've mastered the french braid, the dutch braid is fairly simple.  The only difference is that you cross the strands of hair under each other instead of over; making the braid basically look inside-out or like it's on top.

 Now twist the remaining hair into a bun on top of your head.  I have extremely thick, heavy hair that is difficult to keep comfortably pinned up without pulling and this amazing, little, hair accessory keeps me from using 50 bobby pins (literally!).  Using this twisty, looking pin, I can put all of my hair up with only 2 or 3 of them and it will stay nice and secure all day long!

You can find them on Amazon and they are well worth getting.

 That's it, a quick, but cute and elegant updo for when, if you're like me and a busy mother, you just need to put your hair up fast and still look nice and presentable. :)

This cute style would work great for Christmas by just adding a red ribbon or something and pairing it with a lovely, holiday sweater.  I hope this was helpful.

What hairstyles do y'all use when you just need a quick, 5-minute, and out the door style?

Outfit Post / / Purple Hooded Shirt

 Hey y'all!  I hope your all having a great Christmas week.  Mine has been fantastic.  I thought I'd just post real quick an outfit that I wore the other day while out in town, Christmas shopping with my mother.  She got this cozy, purple, hooded shirt for me form Tractor Supply and Co., and I absolutely LOVE it!!!  It was one of those brisk and slightly wet kind of winter days, so the hood came in handy.

 I like the comfy feel this outfit had all day with the pockets on the front of the shirt to keep my hands warm and wool socks in my the fuzzy, brown, boots for my feet.  Also, Jesse took all of these pictures with our new camera that he wrapped as an early Christmas present!  Which, as you can tell, I'm extremely excited about!  (Sorry about the dates and all on the bottom of the pictures; I forget to take them off :/.)  One of the great things about this shirt is that it is long, and even longer in the back, keeping overly, form-fitted jeans more covered and modest.  I tend to wear pants more when it's cold or windy out and they work well for crawling around on the floor after my little, seven-month-old son too; whose is now starting to crawl all over the place :).

 Winter boots are one of the most wonderful additions to any wardrobe, since you can wear them with so many different styles.  You can change your whole outfit just by wearing your jeans over them, in them, with boot cuffs, wearing them with a long skirt, or medium skirt and leggings, etc.  I like it when my toes are warm, so in the winter I wear wool socks a lot, especially when I'm going to be outside for a long time.

//outfit details//

T-shirt: Souvenir

Hooded Shirt: Tractor Supply Co.

Jeans: Belk

Wool Socks: Amazon

Boots: Walmart 

How have y'all been wearing boots?  Hope your Christmas week is marvelous and thank you so very much stopping by!

Outfit Post // Denim Shirt & Cowboy Boots

 Hey y'all! If anyone's known me very long at all, they know that I love country and western style clothes and am a huge fan of denim.  Here is one outfit that includes all of that!  I like the contrast between the dark blue, colored shirt on top with the lighter color of the skirt being on the bottom.  Adding the western cut, denim shirt and blue, trimmed, cowboy boots kept the common color (blue) and style (country western) theme consistent.  The flower color brings out the color of my skirt.  I love wearing outfits like this, because it can be dressed up or down according to the occasion.

 Fashion Tip: when choosing to wear a very, flouncy flowing or tiered skirt, it can usually be best to pair it with a more fitted top, and if that top is too fitted, than adding a flattering over shirt, shrug, vest, etc. will keep it more modest.

Also, I'm rather tall being 5'11" and have a hard time finding skirts that are long enough, or that don't accentuate my height.  Which is why I really like wearing tiered skirts that reach just below my knee with flattish, heeled boots; so as to kind of break up my long length from waist to toe and keeping me from looking too tall. :)

 // outfit details //

Shirt: Walmart

Camisole: Walmart

Denim Button-up: Vanity Fair Factory Outlet (I really like
shopping factory outlets for great deals and lower prices)
Skirt: Thrift Store
Leggings: Walmart
Cowboy Boots: Shoe Carnival
Flower Clip: Walmart
Necklace: Gift from Jesse

My husband likes it when I wear flowers in my hair, so I'm always trying to come up with different hairstyles that use them and other accessories.  This hairstyle was one that I just did in the car on the way, but I'm always trying to come up with new ones.

How do y'all wear your hair when you add flowers, bows, etc.?

What ways do y'all like to add denim to your outfit styles?

Country (Work) Outfit / / Helping Run The Sawmill

Hey y'all!  I haven't made an outfit post lately and the main reason for that is mostly because we've been working so much that most of my outfits haven't been very blog worthy or at least fashionable, but I decided this time to just go ahead and keep it real with all the sawdust, dirt, messy toboggan hair, and all :).  Since a lot of life (at least on the farm for a country girl) isn't all lace, ruffles, and pearls, I am going to go ahead and show y'all my general, winter, work attire for tough jobs.  This week, my husband Jesse and I have been doing a lot of sawmill jobs which you can read more about on our farm blog TheWrightFamilyFarm.blogspot.com.

  Although I do like to dress pretty in skirts and dresses, a lot of times the practical truth is that some jobs can be a little too dangerous and sometimes more immodest in a skirt than in some good, sturdy work jeans/pants.  It was a cold and windy day when we we're sawing, so I had on a lot of layers (which I do a lot) including my absolute favorite coat ever!

I got these women's deerskin work gloves from one of the returns pallets that we got for our online resale business, Wright Resale (which is 20% off everything right now by the way store-wide til Christmas!), but you can also find them on Amazon and they are definitely a must when it comes to hard, outdoor jobs and chores, as well as some good ,work boots like my waterproof, John Deere brand ones pictured below (which I completely love!).  I also highly recommend having a nice, brown, canvas jacket in your wardrobe, because they just work so well with everything from working outside to even pairing with nicer and dressier clothing, since the darker, plain color adds so well to most any outfit and hardly ever clashes with the colors of any clothes.

// outfit details //

T-shirt: Souvenir

Sweatshirt: Borrowed from Jesse

Jeans: Walmart

Leggings: Belk

Coat: Tractor Supply Co.

Boots: Local Boot Store, but you can also find on

for a pretty good price on Amazon

Gloves: Amazon

Toboggan: Also Jesse's, as well as the

earplugs for hearing protection

Do any of y'all do a lot of hard, outdoor work?  What do y'all wear as work clothes? 

If you can, please take the time to leave me a comment below; I'd love to hear from and

get to know y'all :)!  Thank you so much for stopping by and have a Merry Christmas!

A Few Tips For Being (and Feeling) More Productive

Do any of y'all just feel completely overwhelmed and like your just NOT getting very much accomplished even though you've set out with a purpose to do and get all that stuff done, written to-do-lists, made out schedules and everything, but you're just not seeming to get anywhere at all?  I certainly know I do sometimes; especially being a new wife and mother with a little 6 month old baby boy, trying to keep a clean home (having always been a "creatively messy" child growing up), learning to cook (and actually have meals that are good and on time),  all the while helping work with my husband running our home-based businesses (and I know it's just gonna get even more complicated as life continues).  So how are we supposed to get all of our normal household tasks (and abnormal tasks that come up) done and still finally get to make, learn, or do some of those things that we are always wanting to try to get to?  Well, here are some of my tips to actually feeling like your getting stuff done and accomplishing a lot!  We all really have a lot more time than we think we do, it's rather more about how we are managing that time.

I'd always kind of been that person that's had great intentions and started so many projects, but didn't always seem to finish them or I got to feeling that I was stuck going around in circles and just not getting ahead on anything (or my regular tasks just got left undone), but here are some practical ideas that my husband has taught me, my mother told me, and that I've been learning along the way.

Write a To-Do-List

This is very important, but also it's very important to not let them be too big.  Keep them small enough and in steps that you can actually achieve.  Don't write down so many that you get completely overwhelmed from the very beginning.  I like to keep my lists small with like only 6 or so at time until you get them done.  If you feel like you just can't remember everything that you need to get done, I've found that writing a "master list" is helpful, but don't let that be your daily "to-do-list".  Once you've finished your small list that you can actually handle right now, then you can go back to the master list and set yourself 6-8 or so new goals.

Don't Generalize Your Lists

For example "Clean whole house" is something that needs done, but break it down for yourself into manageable goals like "vacuum the floors", "do a 4 loads of laundry", etc.. Make sure to be more specific and you'll actually feel like you're getting somewhere instead of letting the monstrous job of "clean entire house" overwhelm and discourage you.  Make daily top priority goals like:

         - set out meat from freezer for tonight's supper to start thawing
          - clean shower and toilet
          - call pediatrician
          - write a blog post
          - make biscuits for tomorrow's breakfast
          - organize 1 closet
          - take pictures for 5 items to post in online store
          - exercise for thirty minutes

Every Minute Matters

Whenever you find yourself having even 2 or 3 minutes here or there; USE THEM WISELY!!!  It's amazing how much can actually be done in a very short amount of time.

 -Do a quick clean up of a counter or table area
 -Patch a small tear on a pair of pants
 -Write a thank-you note or answer an important email
 -Swap a load of laundry
 -Take your vitamins
 -Write a quick list of about 5 new products to start making to sell in our online store
 -Wash a couple mirrors
 -Never walk over anything; go ahead and pick that object up and put it away
 -Take the trash out to be burnt
 -Organize a "clutter space"
 -Practice an instrument for 15 minutes so you don't get rusty
 -Drink a glass of water (something that I am always reminding myself since I'm nursing my baby)
 -Write a list of meals to make for next month to save yourself that time later
 -Call or text your husband to tell him how much you love him (that'll always lift your spirits)
 -Sweep a floor

Make a habit of using every moment instead of dreading your work or spending all your time thinking of everything that needs done.  Playing good music, lighting some nice smelling candles, and things like that are also helpful for keeping a positive attitude and setting a good atmosphere for yourself and always stay in constant pray (God is my best friend and talking with Him is one of utmost, main things that keeps me motivated and going/moving forward).  Be efficient, break it all down, go and get that stuff done.  I'm by far not perfect, but these are a few of the things that have helped me.  Don't get stuck in the rut of feeling like your life revolves around diaper changes, laundry, dirty dishes, bill paying, and clutter cleaning.  Instead get a plan, get organized, and set daily goals that you can accomplish.  Every second counts and eventually they add up to minutes, hours, days, weeks, and years so make them worth something and manage your time wisely! :)

Christmas Sale! w/ Coupon Code

Hey y'all!  With Christmas just around the corner and everyone out looking for good deals, I thought I'd post real quickly some of the sales and coupons that my husband and I are offering.  Just CLICK HERE and search around through some of the products that we make and sale here on our farm.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check back here soon for some more outfit posts, hair tutorials, and more fun stuff! :)

French Braided Messy Bun / / Hair Tutorial

 Hey y'all!  I know it is another hair post after having a bunch in a row, but this is the way I had my hair up the other day so I decided to just go ahead and post it.  This is definitely one of my most favorite go-to hairstyles mostly because it just gets all my hair up and out of the way (and is very comfortable), but is still a kinda cute messy bun ;).

 First start with all hair brushed and flipped the way you like it.

 French braid it half way back til right behind your ears

 then grab it all up and twist it around itself.

 Tie it all off with an elastic band and that's it;

a cute, fast, elegant twist on a regular messy bun.

 Tip: If your hair is awfully thick like mine, you may want to add

a few jaw clips, bobby pins, or twisty screws to keep the weight of the bun

up, so it's higher up on your head.

It was a rainy day, but another great benefit of this style is that later that evening when I took it all down, I was left with pretty waves in my hair since it had gotten wet earlier.  I hope this was explanatory and y'all liked it.  Thanks so much for stopping by and I'd love to hear from y'all.  What are some of your "go-to" hairstyles?

Gibson Tuck / / Historic Hairstyle Tutorial

 Hey y'all!  I love historic hairstyles and this one is soooooo simple.  It doesn't require anything, but an elastic ponytail holder and the decorative flower or such is optional.   Also, it is a less than 5 minute quick, comfortable, updo which is also a great plus for a quick go to style.

 Start with a loose high ponytail

 and then split and seperate it on the top.

 Take the entire ponytail and stuff in inside the pocket

that you just made (can be a little trickier with super long hair,

but still possible).

 (I apologize for the bad quality of some of the pictures)

 And that's it; an elegant, draping updo for

any occasion.

Thanks for visiting!  Maybe this made sense.

Are there any other more historic style hairdo's

or particular era themed styles that y'all would like to know how

to do?  Just leave me a comment below :) .

Happy fall and I hope y'all have a great day!

Braided Half Crown / / Hair Tutorial

Hey y'all!  It's time for another hair tutorial and this time I did a braided half crown on Gina and it turned out really well.  First, you braid a piece from one side of your head as pictured below.

 Then do the same to the other.

 Next pin the second braid up under the first

 And do the same to the other side.

 I did this one rather quickly, but you can if you try and hide the bobby pins better than I did it'll look a lot better.  And there you go, a pretty half-up half-down braided half crown! :)

This is the way I did her hair for the Looney House Fall Festival click here to see a post about the event on our farm blog The Wright Family Farm.

Thanks for stopping by and if there are any hairstyles in particular

that y'all would like for me to post about, please leave me a comment

below.  I love to hear from y'all!