Celtic Knot // Hair Tutorial

Hey y'all!  It's been way too long since I posted a hair tutorial here.  Today's hairstyle is one of my very very favorites, the Celtic Knot.  Since I'm of Scottish and Irish decent, I've always loved Celtic hairstyles and braids and this one is super pretty and not terribly difficult once you get the hang of it after some practice. One thing that's really amazing about this knot, is that you don't have to pin it or anything. It just stays!  If you're worried about it though, you can use a couple of bobby pins to secure it a little more.  So without further-a-do, here's how to tie a Celtic Hair Knot:

Collect a group of hair from both sides of your head.  lake the one on the left and loop at as pictured above with the end crossing in front.

Next take the right strand under the loop.

make the right strand cross over the left's tail and pull it up behind the hair coming from the left.

Lastly, have that tail cross over the top of the loop, onder the strand in the middle of the loop, and over the bottom peice of the loop.  Straighten and tighten evenly. Voila! A beautiful Celtic knot!

Just keep practicing and I'm sure you'll get the hang of it in no time. :-)

(I hope all of that made enough sense)

And thank you to my best friend and sister-in-law

Gina Wright for being such an awesome hair model!

Are there any specific hairstyles that y'all would like a tutorial on?

What are some of y'all's favorite Celtic hairstyles?

I'd love to know about them!

I hope y'all are having a very blessed day. :-)

Outfit Post // Navy Blue Nautical Midi Skirt & Cream "Creating a 'home' not just a 'clean house'"

  Hey y'all!  My life as of late has been fairly simple and repetitive (except for caring for a rescued newborn kitten that the dog dragged up :/ ).  Mostly consisting of never-ending housework and the raising of our little boy.

  Cleaning house is not always the most exciting job around and we can sometimes get stuck in the feeling that we as wives and mothers have a boring, ongoing task that never seems to get done.  Life continues and your house may seem to never be all the way clean, but our roles as wife and mom is about sooooo much more than just creating 'a clean house', but creating a 'home', a safe haven for the family, a happy, pleasant atmosphere.

  Yes cleaning is a major part, but our job is so much more than just having 'clean house'.  We should be diligent in our work, willingly serving others, and also joyfully and cheerfully caring for the needs of our family. We should strive to put a smile on our face first thing in the morning and happily greet our households with joy throughout each day!

In Proverbs 31:27 it says,"She looketh well to the ways of her household."

  We don't all have to be naturally good at everything like decorating, cooking (definitely doesn't just come natural to me), hospitality, or cleaning, but we can learn most of these with a little effort.  You are generally responsible though, as the wife and/or mother, for your home's atmosphere.  My desire is to make my home's atmosphere one filled with love, joy, peace, kindness, and a safe haven for my family to come home to; a place full of laughter and encouragement.  So don't get caught up in the feeling that your's is a job of worthless housekeeping, but rather a great ministry of homemaking.  Creating a "home" which is a work of great worth!!!

I love this midi skirt because it is so comfortable, really cute, and very easy to dress up or down depending on the occasion.  This is what I wore to church yesterday and it worked quite well since it is still warm outside, but the longer sleeves were nice for the chilly breezes in the shade.

Heart Blossom Jewelry

This BEAUTIFUL pair of earrings was made by my amazing, best friend, and sister-in-law Gina Wright.  She has just started a handmade jewelry business called Heart Blossom Jewelry which I will be doing a review on very soon.  I don't have pierced ears so hardly ever wear earrings, but she also makes them with the option of screw-on (like the ones pictured that I'm wearing) or clip-on's.  Aren't they completely gorgeous?  I certainly think so. :-)

// outfit details \\

Shirt: Walmart

Tank: Sears

Skirt: Walmart

Flip-flops: (I can't remember)

Screw-on Earrings: Heart Blossom Jewelry

Remember, our job as homemakers is so worth it!

What are some of the ways that y'all stay motivated?

How do you find joy in housework?

"Practice Makes Perfect" - Outfit Post // Green, Brown, & Boots

   Hey y'all!   I don't know about y'all, but we've had a very busy week or so over here, with things like digging a ditch to run water to our house site (for any of y'all that don't know, my husband and I are building a log home), making and posting new products for our Etsy Shop, running our sawmill business and our online resale business (both of which are constant ongoing tasks), preparing our yard to plant grass, fixing the chicken coop, and so much more!

   And this list doesn't include all of the normal, daily home chores that must be done like cooking, washing dishes (never ends), laundry, teaching and guiding our little son, etc..  It is such a blessing to have so much to do!
 
   Something that I've personally been thinking on a lot lately is, practicing on purpose, joyfulness and gladness when the going gets rough.  It's easy to be joyful when nothing is hard and life is going smoothly, but what about when everything goes wrong, or when everything gets stressful?

   Something I heard the other day is the saying "practice makes perfect" and that what you practice is what you'll perform.  They used the example of musicians, which I understand well having played piano since I was barely six-years-old along with many other instruments.  When you start learning an instrument you practice playing the notes over and over and over until, without even thinking about, your fingers just do it.  It's become such a habit that you really don't think about anymore at all.

   It is the same with your attitude.  If you are practicing thinking thoughts at everyone and everything of irritation, discontentment, bitterness, or "oh poor me" then, when you are put under pressure, those are the notes that you'll hit without even thinking about it.  But if we practice thinking thankfulness, joyfulness,  and merriness, not just when we feel like, but on purpose all the time, and replace our bad thinking with joyful, thankful thoughts, then when put under stress we will respond in a calm state of mind and the little things just won't annoy us anymore.

   We are what we practice.  Proverbs 23:7 says it so clear, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he". None of us want that "ugliness" to fly out of our mouths, but if we are constantly practicing a habit of unhappy thoughts, then that is exactly what will come out.  "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Philippians 4:8).

   So let's start practicing, on purpose, to have a thankful heart which produces joy.  Be thankful. Count your blessings. Smile.  Randomly throughout the day just put a big smile on your face and say "thank you God for _____ ".  You'll be more happy and joyful in no time!  Cheerfulness is very attractive; nobody wants to be around a moping grump (and for us wives, no husband eagerly awaits being around a grouchy complaining wife), but a lady with a glowing, cheerful countenance is very beautiful, lovely, and quite attractive (and our children love to be around, and want to please, a smiling, joyful mama).  Two of my very favorite verses are,

"A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by the sorrow of the heart

is the spirit broken" (Proverbs 15:13) 

and

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.  Serve the lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.  Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations"

(Psalm 100).  

  Joy is a fruit of the spirit; so as Christians joy ought to be very visible in our lives! "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" Galatians 5:22-23.  So ask yourself, what are you practicing?

This is an outfit that I wore to church a couple of weeks ago

and is one of my favorites!  It was a rather rainy day, so the boots

were a perfect addition, but of course, in my country girl opinion, boots

are always an awesome addition to any outfit. :-)

French braiding the front of your hair to the side is a really nice

way to wear your hair down, but away of your face.

// outfit details //

Shirt: thrift store

Tank: Walmart 

Skirt: thrift store

Ariat brand boots: local boot store

What did y'all wear last Sunday?