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Friday, June 30, 2017

Little Letters: Just June Moments






Dear Minot, North Dakota, you were a lovely experience. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. I got to see the rolling landscape and at times I really thought I was in the midst of a desktop wallpaper, where all you can see is green grass and blue skies. We had a great variety of adventures and made new friends.




Dear Preston Pearson, you are my favorite person on planet Earth, and spending time with you was incredible. Let's do another adventure soon. 




Dear Evelin, Emily, and Alex, I am SO incredibly proud of you all and happy that I got to celebrate your high school graduations with you. You are awesome and smart young people, and I am excited to see what you do in the next few years. Let God guide your footsteps and you shall not fall. You can do ALL things with God on your side! Don't forget that.






Dear Blueberry & Peach Cobbler Addiction, this is so bad, but I love you. And now that I've had you with ice cream I can't stop loving you. 



xoxo, gotta go make a new batch!






Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Fourth of July Modest Outfit Inspo

4th of July Modest Outfit Inspiration

4th of July Modest Outfit Inspiration

4th of July Modest Outfit Inspiration

4th of July Modest Outfit Inspiration

4th of July Modest Outfit Inspiration

THE FOURTH OF JULY IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE HOLIDAYS, AND IT’S ALMOST HERE!

Whether you’re spending the holiday at the lake or your backyard, it’s fun to feel festive for the day, and what better way to do that than by playing dress up?
For any of you ladies needing some outfit inspiration for the upcoming cookouts and family get-togethers you came to the right place. I always like incorporating patterns or textures into my outfits. To start off with I wore a simple red pencil dress (this one was handcrafted, but you can find a similar one here). Other super cute fourth appropriate Dainty Jewell’s dresses include The Highlands Dress and the Sidewalk Stroll Dress.
I paired my dress with a navy and cream thin striped belt just for a touch of navy and a bit of a nautical look. This complemented my Seychelles sailboat espadrille wedges perfectly. These shoes are so fun to wear and they are definitely a statement piece on their own. Wedges are the way to go when you know you’re going to be outside on grass or unpaved terrain and they are so comfortable! Some other cute espadrilles I’ve been eyeing include these shiny ones and these pop-of-color ones. Lastly, I paired my small leather Dooney & Bourke bag with this outfit as a solid/neutral piece. I love this little bags classic shape, it is one of my favorite thrift finds to date. What will you be wearing this fourth of July?

4th of July Modest Outfit Inspiration



Happy Independence Day to you all!


XOXO,

*This post first appeared on www.daintyjewelsblog.com*


Friday, June 23, 2017

North Dakota Nostalgia - June 2017





Sometimes life is really exciting because you do all sorts of exciting and absolutely random things you never in the world could have imagined. I never in a million years would have guessed that I would ever be getting on a plane to visit North Dakota. Especially not to visit my boyfriend there! So here we are y'all, remembering and documenting this fun adventure.

Here is a quick run through of the days that all blur together now.


Thursday:

 I arrived in Minot early in the morning in time for some coffee and muffins at Tim Horton's.  We visited the Burlington bridge, and had a picnic of watermelon and snacks at Oak Park, where Preston tells me that ticks are totally normal in ND. #nottodaysatan

 The weather was absolutely wonderful the entire time I was there, hot and sunny all day! We had a cookout that night at Preston's grandparents house where I got to meet everyone a few at a time. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and Little Bit, the cutest belly rub beggar. 

We went on a bike ride that afternoon to the park again, where we managed to see a humongous raccoon (that was terrifying). That evening we met up with Preston's cousins and played games outside until dark. (soccer/swings/foursquare).




Friday:

We had an early start to the day with a ride out to the farm for breakfast at Preston's aunts house. Her kids were absolutely the cutest! They had two new puppies, Max and Marley, and they were really cute. 

We then had a lunch of Knoephla soup at the Sletten Farm, where I met the other half of the family. We went four wheel riding, visited a haunted house on the farm, the pit, rode and DROVE the tractors, and visited with the horses. My favorite part was probably driving the tractors and the combine. Preston's grandpa showed me how to do it and it was SO cool! We end the evening with a family game of volleyball and dinner and games at Shawna and Jason's house. It was lovely!

P.S. That sunset!








Saturday:

 We ventured out to Medora and the Badlands where wild horses and bison roam. We watched the prairie dogs poke their little heads out into the daylight. We had a nice hike, where we thought we heard rattlesnakes in the bushes. After a delicious and much needed pizza lunch, we went to the Medora Musical, which was amazing! It was all completely outside and the night fall only added to the magic of it all! 







Sunday:

We had an early breakfast at the Sletten's. I remember at one point when Preston was out at the car, his Grandpa tells me "I don't know if this means anything or not, but you have our approval". It was the sweetest thing, and obviously mean a TON to me!

I helped Preston run his Sunday school van route. Did I mention the terrible allergies I had?! I was NOT expecting that in ND where there are hardly any trees! We did a quick run to a store for some Claritin to get me through church without sneezing all over the place. It worked.

We delivered the cute wild children back to their homes after Sunday school, and went back for Sunday service. I was so glad I got to spend Pentecost Sunday service with Preston and his family, it was the best way to spend it. 

That afternoon the Aprils were having a going away party, since they were moving to Georgia. We got to spend a great evening with everyone and had a game night with some of his cousins that lived out of town and a nice cozy bonfire. Then there was of course the after party meet up at Denny's with the ongoing fun.



Monday:

Our last day we visited the Minot Zoo (I think the penguins were our favorite) and the Scandinavian Heritage Center. We had a nice Sushi lunch before Preston dropped me off at the airport. Is there anything more depressing than airport good-byes? I think not. 







xoxo,








Dreams of Purpose

DREAMS DON’T WORK UNLESS YOU DO.

Those dreams that are lingering in the back of your mind, kept in the shadows on a shelf, the ones that you say you’ll get to; but deep down, you’re too afraid to try them out for fear of failure. 
Those dreams that glisten and shimmer around the edges. The ones that scare you, draw you, amaze you, and yet seem so out of reach. That is the great big dream you should be chasing daily. 
We all have goals and dreams we want to accomplish for God’s kingdom yet we hold back. Whether it’s because we are unsure of how to pursue this new path, or because we’re afraid of failing, we need to keep these three things in mind when considering our dreams of purpose:

    1. WE SHALL NOT FAIL WHEN GOD IS ON OUR SIDE.

    With God all things are possible. Yes! Even the great, big, scary things! The enemy will try to intimidate you and tell you are thinking too big and grand, he will try to scare you away, but the Bible says in Joshua 1:9 (KJV), Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

    2. BELIEVE IN THE ONE WHO GAVE YOU THOSE DREAMS TO SEE YOU THROUGH IT.

    With prayer and guidance from The Lord, we are the vessels he has chosen to use. You CAN do it! Let God work in you, that when you accomplish something and seem to have reached the unattainable, God is glorified when people realize you couldn’t have done it on your own without His divine help. Don’t let the daily toil get in your way of pursuing your God-given dreams and wear you down. Be strong and determined! Philippians 4:13 (KJV) I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

    3. BE CAREFUL WHO YOU SHARE YOUR DREAMS WITH. 

    Be careful who you share your dreams with, as anyone who doubts and instills doubt in you can very well kill your dreams before they even had a chance to take flight. A Debbie downer can squash your dreams out quick. An example that comes to mind is Joseph the dreamer. Joseph had dreams at an early age, and when he shared them with his family, they mocked him and hated him because of these dreams. Joseph’s dreams were on a shelf for a very long time, and there was a point where he possibly laughed at himself for having those far-fetched , ridiculous dreams, especially while sitting in a jail cell! Joseph’s far-away dreams were probably a mere memory, but it wasn’t too long before God allowed them to come to fruition.
I believe Jesus has given us all our own individual dreams that align perfectly with what He has planned for our purpose. We can use this as our compass to guide us through life and follow the direction in which He leads us. 

WHAT DREAMS DO YOU HAVE FOR ENHANCING GOD’S KINGDOM?

That little one that pipes up when its quiet all around? Whether its starting a Sunday school van route, teaching a Bible study, or even starting up a new ministry at your church, I encourage you to pursue it. However, you make yourself available, God can and will use you. Those dusty dreams that seem all but forgotten, tucked away in between the pages of a prayer journal or diary…
Jesus still hears the echoing prayers you prayed as a child. He hasn’t given up on you or your dreams. He is working in you daily to prepare you and equip you to use those dreams of purpose for victory.

xoxo,



*This blog post first appeared on www.daintyjewellsblog.com*