Do you have a song to sing?

I'm in the choir, I'm not going to release a cd anytime soon but Incan carry a tune...and not just in a bucket. Today the pastor preached about Mary and how she sang a song of praise to God after the angel visited her and told her she was going to birth the savior of our world. Throughout the bible we are admonished to make a joyful noise unto God we see the Israelites singing praises to God for his goodness, mercy, grace and provision. What do we have that we should open our mouths and offer a song of thanksgiving unto the Lord? I'm certain if we thought about it we could quickly think of something to sing praise about. So don't be discouraged if you feel like you can't carry a tune, God wants our praise and while I might not be on the billboard top 100 I know He delights in my praise because it comes not just from my throat but from my heart. Find some time today to open your mouth and sing a song of praise to God for something He's done in your life.
Now on to the fashion:
I'm back in the scene with more first Sunday fashions. How many different looks can you create with black and white, but hey I'm part ninja so I'm okay with all black all the time. Today I've got a simple pencil skirt with a black and white diagonal striped blouse with exaggerated puff sleeves. I belted it with a red patent leather belt to add a punch of color.

Saved by faith

This week was youth Sunday and the youth minister preached about salvation and authenticity. I love messages about authenticity because many Christians forget what they once were. Who they were before Christ entered their lives or where they have ended up if Christ hadn't changed their path. Do all Christians forget? Of course not but many times those that do don't realize the potential impact that has on unsaved people. When we walk around 'holier than thou' some people get the misimpression that to be saved you have to be perfect and since they aren't perfect (and truth be told neither are we) they can't be saved. They mistakenly feel that they must somehow clean themselves up before they can come to Christ. The irony of the situation is that we don't clean up anything. If we could save ourselves Christ wouldn't have had to die for our sins. Christ cleans us up and turns us around. As Christians when we share our transformations and credit God for those changes we empower others because they can envision those changes in their lives and they will pursue Christ and invite Him into their lives to make those changes. So lets own up to our pasts, after all the old man has passed away.
Now on to the fashions!
Youth Sunday's are casual for me. Navy cargos and a navy safari shirt. A wedge bootie and orange belt for a pop of color. I love skinny fit cargos but finding a pair which works with my slightly athletic build was a challenge because my legs are muscular. These fit the bill though so if you find a style you like don't be afraid to try several different versions, by different designers and in different sizes too. Sometimes we have to ignore numbers in an effort to get a good fit!

What are you thankful for?

Going in to the thanksgiving season we stop to reflect on all the things we're grateful for. We list food, shelter, clothing, family, friends and loved ones, but we often our lists stop at those things we can see, feel, experience, numerate. This year I'm grateful for all that God has done but I'm also grateful for all that He hasn't done. The harm that He hasn't allowed to befall me, the prayers that he said no to because He had something better in store. The times that He made me leave my house 5 minutes later and while I may have been upsurge at the time those times may have been to protect me from an accident or some unforeseen outcome. I'm grateful for the times that I had an inner hissy fit because God changed my plans only to have to sulk back with my tail between my legs and admit "Uh, the change of plans you made, God, good looking out. Great idea I never would of thought of." Every once in awhile take a moment to think upon how things could be different if God allowed our situations and circumstances to play out differently...I bet you'll have something new to add to your list of things you're thankful for.
Now on to the fashion:
Channeling my inner Aladdin call me princess jasmine from now on ; ) hot pink trapeze blouse mixed with a black and white print modified-harem style pant. I love harem pants but I think this inseam on this is hanging low enough with a pattern this would of been too busy.

Mustard seed faith in a have mercy moment

My pastor talked about 'have mercy' situations today. Well what's a 'have mercy' situation you ask? Well lemmie share: basically it's an unforeseen life changing circumstance or situation that forces you to reevaluate everything, and changes all your plans for your future. It could be an illness, unemployment, death, relocation anything. The joke about these situations is we can never prepare for them, try as we may, we can only respond to them. While the flesh part of us may go into panic mode the spirit man needs to trust that God has a plan and 'this' is a part of it. Obviously this is probably a lot easier said than done when everything is upside down and uncertain our flesh can get loud and agitated. HOWEVER, here's a little secret we don't need tons of faith to help change our situation. All we need is faith the size of a mustard seed. We don't need to know the how's, the where's, the when's or the why's because more often than not all of that becomes clear by the end of the situation. All we need is a modicum of faith that believes in God's ability to resolve whatever it is we are going though and He'll take care of the rest. Check out Luke 17:5-6, you don't have to take my word for it : ) and since you've got your bible nearby look up Romans 8:28...which is God's biblical assurance that everything WILL work out.
Now on to the fashion:
A simple shift dress which combined my two favorite colors white and cream. This would also make a good packing dress for out of town travel it's polyester (don't judge me) and folds up really small. The shoes are a cream snakeskin print which played off the colors of the dress.

Desire the Lord of the house!

This message came from 7:30 service. The pastor spoke about motives and rationales for attending church. Our church attendance should be more than a ritual. Church should be more than a physical building that we go to Sundays and maybe a couple of days during the week (remember our bodies are the temple of the holy spirit anyways). It's good for us to go to church seeking a word from the Lord but guess what? We need to go to church seeking the Lord as well. When we pursue a relationship with the Lord that relationship will sustain us. We may forget the message when we walk out the door, our focus might be drawn back to whatever problems we had when we walked into that building. But if we are seeking to build a stronger relationship with God, that won't fade. That relationship will carry us through those problems and sustain us through our difficult times. The best part of building a relationship with God is that it's not limited to Sunday mornings. Yes, it may start there but it continues at home during our devotional time, in car rides when we may have to 'get something off our chest' and have a little talk with Jesus, when we pray because we don't know what else to do, when we tell God because we don't know who else to tell. The relationship is what I'm seeking!
Now on to the fashion! I'm a lady y'all! High waisted hot pink and black pencil skirt and black blouse. Clearly not complicated fashion styling at work here but its a clean look and the fit allows it to remain youthful enough. Here's a secret: the skirt is sized down because I have a small waist and it's the only way I can keep my high waisted pieces up

Conflict resolution #101

Conflict is a natural part of life, and as much as we'd like to deny it conflict can also arise and exist in the church. The truth of the matter is that conflict is not always a bad thing...if we use it to come to resolutions that advance the kingdom of God. The problem with conflict is how we act upon these differing opinions, are we combative, volatile, aggressive and hateful? Or are we able to sit down, talk through our differences and come to a happy medium or a level of understanding respectfully? The bible reminds us that when we do experience conflict with other Christians we are to Matthew 18: 15-17 and go to our neighbor in love to talk it out, if necessary we may need a mediator...and that's okay too. But the thing we need to remember Is a spirit of love AND forgiveness, yes forgiveness. We might have been the been the victim in the situation and justifiably might feel that we are owed an apology and restitution but the reality is that Christ wants us to forgive and love one another. We're called to love one another as Christ loved us Christ even as he hung dying on the cross asked God to forgive the very people who put him there. Forgiveness isn't always easy but when we go through life harboring bitterness and anger towards others in our hearts ultimately we are the ones who end up hurt the most. Lets search our hearts and if we find any anger towards another ask God to remove it, help us forgive and most importantly love.
On to the fashion!!!
All black everything! More first Sunday fashion. At one time I got "in trouble" because I was wearing colorful shoes with my all black so I had to switch to black or white...but not anymore, yay! This was a cotton wrap dress, I paired it with black and brown leopard pumps ( I love the bow on the back : ) I also accented the look with an amber brown broach to help tie the color pallet together better.

Praise is what I do!

I'm the interim director of the dance ministry at my church (a position I've held for about 2yrs...it's a long story). We minister twice monthly and this month is our pastor's appreciation/anniversary so we teamed up with the male mimers to minister in dance and mime which was no easy undertaking. We ministered to "Praise is What I Do"...the extended version. We had flags, sheets, streamers, scarves, I joked in practice what's next a hoolahoop? But all jokes aside the experience was awesome. I think the beauty of ministry, but especially those related to the arts, is when we give our meager talents over to the Lord to be used to His Glory we find that He magnifies them. In college I was a member of a dance group and I used to kid and say I was on the remedial squad because I couldn't choreograph, took forever to learn things and would forget an 8-count by the time you counted to 5. So imagine my chagrin and reluctance when I was tapped to be over a dance ministry!! I didn't know how I could make up one dance...much less 20? But God is faithful when we trust Him and our little becomes much when we place it in the hands of the Master. I am not good at what I do but God is awesome at what He does, so we being every practice with prayer and we dedicate our gifts and talents to the glorification of God....and in all modesty He does a great job with what we offer unto Him for His use (we're on YouTube ; )
Now on to the fashion: welcome fall!
Simple stuff, a mustard hi-lo skirt and sweater. I bought both pieces from the same store but the sweater is actually several years old, while the skirt was purchased this year. A little secret about this outfit is I had the wear an extra slip over the lining of the skirt because the actual lining was realllllly short, but since the skirt zips I could only pull the skirt partially up. Yeah, but it sound more complicated than it was. The colorblock shoes provided the inspiration for the outfit.

Enlarge my territory...

My pastor had been doing a series on the prayer of Jabez recently. While I was familiar with the prayer of Jabez because I had read a short book on it years ago I still find it to be interesting because it's a powerful example of how a simple sincere prayer can change so much. Sandwiched amongst a long list of begat this and begat that lie Jabez who was noteworthy for two things: his mother bore him in pain and he prayed and asked God to bless him, expand his territory, keep him from evil and keep His hand upon him...and God did. Two verses (1 chronicles 4:9-10) but it's so powerful because it clearly outlines steps we can take to be blessed. Jabez's prayer wasn't only about God blessing Him but also about keeping him from harming others, a reminder that we have a obligation to be mindful of how we impact others. In essence God heard Jabez's prayer and blessed him because Jabez prayed in accordance to God's will. How then can we receive God's blessing pray in accordance with God's will and His word.
Now on to the fashion...first Sunday! Aka Ninja Sunday dressed in my traditional all black I was inspired (loosely) by Audrey Hepburn and decided to put on just about every piece of pearl jewelry I could find in my jewelry drawers...but I think it works, so don't judge me ; )

God is watching you

The topic of today's sermon was God is watching you. Despite its basic message the sermon was profound in that we so often forget that God is ever watching us. Admittedly, at times, I have taken for granted the fact that God is always watching the things do, the places I go and the words that come out of my mouth. While as Christians we are forgiven of our sins and God still readily extends His grace, mercy and forgiveness to us, it's still important to strive to be a better Christian today than we were yesterday. As Christians we are to constantly devote ourselves to spiritual growth. How would you day be different if God was sitting in the corner on a stool at our jobs? Or on the couch in our homes? How about riding in the passenger seat of our vehicle? We joke about "big brother" watching us or listening in on our phone conversations but the reality is someone bigger than "big brother" is watching and listening all the time. God. He might not physically be on that stool, or couch or passenger seat but He is always be our side watching us, protecting us, providing for us and guiding us.

Black faux-wrap blouse:
Grey leopard print jeans: Vanilla Sky
Black o-ring belt: Gap
Black suede peep toe booties: Steve Madden
Black carryall purse: Coach

In the valley.

The pastor of the church down the street from my house is doing a series on the valley. He preached a message from the 23rd Psalm that completely changed the way I looked at a text that is so familiar I could quote it verbatim from memory. It was encouraging because no matter what every individual is either entering a valley, going thru a valley or exiting a valley. The beauty of the valley is we are never alone in the valley. Even when it seems like we are going thru a trial or a problem and all our friends, family members and love ones have left, we STILL are not alone. God goes before us leading us INTO the valley. Contrary to popular belief, those trials are not always punishment for things we may have done sometimes God orchestrates situations to teach us a lesson or build our faith and trust in Him. Even when our trials are a consequence of poor choices on our part God isn't going to abandon us to ride out the storm, He sticks right by our side as we maneuver our way through our trials and when we see the light at the end of the tunnel guess what? God is bringing up the rear, His goodness and love follow us!! So the next time you think your alone in your situation, whatever it may be, BE ENCOURAGED God is with you! And remember valleys exist between two mountains so while you may be transitioning through the valley you can only emerge on a mountain!!
Now on to the fashion: yea my dress is colorful...blame it on my foreign roots ; ) This dress actually has a drawstring waist but I didn't particularly care for it so I added a belt to the dress. As for the heelless Mary-Janes they're remarkably comfortable, it's just a matter of balance. This outfit pretty much put an end to my summer brights but at least I got a chance to go out with a bang : )

Have a little talk with Jesus...

Since summer has ended and school has begun I had to change my schedule/ routine. Earlier mornings, longer days the whole nine yards. Throw in a Monday class that disrupts my entire week and the ripple effect begins in earnest through my life. I could bore you all with the details but lets be honest that's not why you're here...you're here for fashion and the Lord (in whichever order floats your boat). Sooooo while my work schedule has little to do with fashion it has a lot to do with my relationship with the Lord. See, I have a prayer partner. We pray daily during the week. While we used to pray around 7:30am my new schedule requires me to leave my house 20 minutes earlier, so now I'm leaving at 7:30am. Well this left me with two options: pray earlier or skip prayer with my prayer partner and just pray by myself. Well I have to tip my hat to my prayer partner for being a trooper because we now pray at 6:30 am and I KNOW they're tired and would much rather sleep until 7:15 because more often than not I'm tired and would rather sleep until 7. The reality of the situation though is that sleeping in is not an option. In Proverbs 8:17 God promises that those who seek Him early shall find Him, and I definitely need to find Him daily. If you aren't starting your day with prayer and devotional try it, I promise you'll find Him early in the morning and your days will be better, even when they're worse because your mind will be set on better things.
Now on to the fashion!
Summer is over so except for Youth Sunday I'm pretty much done with casual looks. I'm still trying to squeeze the last bit of bright colors out before the cool weather starts but since I live in South Florida I've got time.

Coral and royal blue blouse: Local boutique
Royal blue capri's: target
Royal blue suede pumps: Steve Madden
Royal blue clutch: express

Not rain, nor hail, nor sleet, nor snow

I live in South Florida and earnestly prayed for several days for a tropical storm day (don't judge me). Well, God blessed me with tropical storm Isaac and in turn a Monday off from work and the best part of it all was despite a lot of rain and wind we basically got by unscathed. But that was Monday afternoon rewind 24hrs to Sunday when the meteorologist still was giving conflicting reports on the severity of the storm and the estimated arrival of the most inclement weather bands. Although some ministries had cancelled morning service my church had not, and honestly I was quite apprehensive about our church's decision to have service because according to the weatherman the most inclement of weather would arrive as service let out. Honestly, I would have loved to go to 7:30am service go home and bunkered down for the rest of the day but as the coordinator for the dance ministry with a dancer on program for the day I knew I needed to be present, so off to 10:30 service I headed...and boy was I glad I did! Not only was the young lady's dance AWESOME, the weather held up ALLLLLLLL the way until Sunday night! I know I've said it before but I really do think sometimes God just waits for us to step out on faith and trust Him so He can show out in our lives and our situations.
Now on to the fashion!
I wasn't exaggerating when I said I had some reservations about heading out to service in potentially inclement weather. My outfit definitely reflected my sentiment for the day. I kept it really simple and went with wedge booties because I HATE getting my feet wet. I also have a guest in my picture, "button", my niece, but since her mom dressed her I won't go into details about her outfit ; )

Yellow cotton safari shirt: Apostrophe (British clothing line)
Drab skinny fit cargos: The Limited
Brown ultra suede wedge boots: Wild Diva

Planes, trains and automobiles!

Yaaaay! God is really awesome! This picture was taken less than 24hrs after I'd just gotten off the plane from London. I'd just spent the last week in England, Manchester and London, enjoying the Olympics, English culture, history and ramen...because the food there is gross.
Now I'll be the first to admit getting to church was a struggle. Changes in time zone and 12 hours in the air is no joke...but I felt that we press our way through to so many other places and for so many other reasons, how could my walk with Christ come any lower on the list? So I went and was it worth it? Yes! And did I go home and sleep the rest of the afternoon and evening? Oh yes!!
On to the fashion...
I kept it remarkably simple: black pants with a hot pink flutter crepe blouse. I was supposed to get my hair done two hours after arriving back in the states but as I took my phone off of airplane mode for the first time in 8 days I was greeted by a voicemail informing me that the young lady who does my hair would be coming to town the FOLLOWING week. Well I did what any tired fashionable naturalista would do...reached in my stash of scarves and tied my hair up.

Pink crepe top: Pretty Good
Black pants: Mossimo
Black platform Mary Janes: Steve Madden
Pink and orange scarf: Versace for H&M
Orange braided belt: H&M
Fuchsia hobo bag: Coach

Ministry matters

As the director and a member of the dance ministry I minister regularly in dance at church. This Sunday was women's Sunday and the minister asked my god sister and me to minister in dance and mime to a specific song. Marvin Sapp's testimony. While I felt that this was a good mime song I wasn't entirely convinced this was a dance song. However, ministry isn't always about what WE think as much as what the holy spirit wants. The reality of it all goes further than ministry though because much of our Christian walk isn't necessarily about what we want as much as how God desires to use and whether we're ready to be used.

On to the fashion:
5th Sunday means women's Sunday at my church and as a member of the choir I am required to wear women's ministry purple and/or pink. Keeping with the casual summer theme the choir has been doing I paired a knit sundress with a cardigan and platform sandals and called it a day : )

Dress: Fang
Cardigan: The Limited
Multicolor striped platform sandals: Shoe Republic
Plum woven fold over clutch: unknown
Bangles: F21

Internationally known!

It was international day at our church and we had a guest speaker who spoke on child abuse. As a former abuse survivor, she shares her story to help raise awareness amongst parents and children regarding the dangers our children our exposed to. It was a insightful presentation for many of the parents who didn't realize how many dangers they had unintentionally exposed their child to. It's a conversation I frequently have with close friends because as a teacher I often see how parents good intentions go awry. Children who use their phones and computers to contact people without their parents knowledge. Well meaning parents who allow children to spend large amounts of time unsupervised or extend freedoms to children who are not necessarily emotionally or mentally prepared for them. I guess the take home message is that parents and adults need to not just be aware but actively participate in the everyday undertakings of their child and young people in general. As Christians were admonished to train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it (prov 22:6). It's our goal and responsibility to not only lay the foundation but also provide the framework and oversee the construction for the next generation.
Now on to the fashion!
We're clearly still keeping it casual and I helped serve lunch after service. Everyone cooked dishes that were a part of their cultural heritage. I made chicken souse and Johnny cake...nom nom nom, and yes I served in those shoes ; )

The prodigal son's brother?

Sunday's message was about the prodigal son. If you grew up 'in the church' or attend services regularly now it's probably a parable you've heard before. The prodigal son centers on the willfulness of a younger son who gets his inheritance early wastes it ending up homeless and hungry. He returns home broken with hopes of just being a servant so he can have meals and a roof over his head. Instead of putting him to work in the fields the father welcomes him with open arms and has a party for the son who's returned, safe and sound (kinda like how God forgives us and loves us despite our faults ; ) All is not well at the house however...the older son ISPs because the father just let the younger son waltz back in their lives like nothing happened. That gave me pause because I wondered how often do we play the older son role so caught up in our jealousy, anger and self righteousness we can't rejoice for and with others when they are blessed despite their past or mistakes they've made? Much like the father had lost a son he too had lost a brother but was so caught up in himself he couldn't see or appreciate the bigger picture. Just some food for thought.
On to the fashion!

It's still casual Sunday at my church so this yet another take on my casual. I've also come to the realization that while my favorite color is white I like pairing my brights together...especially blue and green. Maybe it's because of my Caribbean roots and the blue and green mimic the colors of the ocean or maybe it's just because it looks nice against my skin : )

White Smooth Tank: H&M

Blue Pleated Maxi Skirt: Impression

Green Belt: Walmart (Clean-up asile 9 ; )

Blue Turnlock Purse: Coach

Earrings: Unknown

Ring: ForLove

Green Sandals: Steve Madden

Ye have not...

On Sunday one of the older women at the church had to be rushed to the hospital during service because her blood pressure was high. Ridiculously high. Like 220 over 100-something high. So my mother, whose a nurse, called 911, who in turn dispatched fire rescue. Once they arrived they quickly made the decision to rush her to the hospital and begin lowering her blood pressure in order to avert a stroke. The older woman had several grandchildren at the church and she asked to see them before the ambulance took her away. After saying a few words to each, the ambulance pulled off with her and her niece leaving us with several distraught children. The first thing that came to mind was to have the children pray for their grandmother, problem was one of the grandchildren refused to do so. After we prayed with the other children I took the grandchild to the side to speak with her. I asked why she didn't want to pray for her grandmother, didn't she believe God could heal her? She said she knew God was going to heal her...so she didn't want to pray. Hmmmmm. I explained to her that while God can do everything the bible tells us that we are to ASK him for what we need... ask and it shall be given unto you (Matt 7:7). We're also reminded that we sometimes don't have things because we haven't asked for them (James 4:2b). Eventually she prayed but I was reminded of how often we neglect prayer and circumvent our blessings as well. If we're to pray without ceasing then we constantly have opportunities to ask God for what we need.
Now on to the fashion!
We're still in dress down mode at church, but I've never really been a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers kind of girl...or at least not all three together, so this is my idea of dress down. The neon shirt is my homage to summer ; )

Neon top:

Jeans: Forever 21

Shoes: Rck Bella

Clutch: Express

Blast from the (not so distant) past

This week I was road tripping again, it's summertime what can I say? My most recent destination was Orlando via plane with a one year old. My god sister and I went to Orlando to with her daughter, my niece, to visit her daughter's god-mother who's also a good friend of mine and meet up with my sister, who came over from Tampa. I'll pause for a second so you can review all the relational patterns going on in the last sentence ; )
It was a nice relaxing weekend spent with family, friends and loved ones. While loitering on Saturday my god sister jokingly suggested she might be pregnant again. Well never one to let something that major slide, we promptly woke her at 7am the next morning to as we so delicately put it 'make her pee on the stick!!'. Within 60 seconds the stick turned blue, or the plus sign appeared or it said pregnant I don't remember what it said all I know is I'm gonna be an auntie again!! God is constantly in the business of renewing and rebuilding. Like the author of Lamentations says in the 3rd chapter verses 22 and 23 God's mercies are new every morning. It's encouraging that daily He blesses us in new ways...sometimes ways we didn't even think of
On to the fashion!
Because we were out of town and our host doesn't have a home church we streamed church live in her living room from the iPad (technology isn't the devil ; ) therefore this weeks fashion offering is a throwback to first Sunday a few months ago.

Gray print wrap dress: Old Navy

Grey Patent Leather Peep Toe Pumps: Nine West

Gray Patent Leather Clutch: Nine West

Road tripping!

It's summer and although I just saw my sister the previous Sunday for Father's Day my parents thought it would be nice to drive four hours to see my sister a week later and it'd be fun for me to go along with them...operative phrase in the sentence being 'my parents'. I personally thought it would have been fun to sleep late and clean my house, obviously we had dissenting opinions, but in the end I went along on the trip. Sunday, while on the trip, I learned that an acquaintance's young wife had just died suddenly after a brief difficult battle with cancer, leaving him with two small children. The thing about the situation is he's spent the last few days thanking God for the opportunity to spend time with his wife before she died and allowing him to make sure she knew exactly how he felt before she passed. I messaged him to let him know how much his testimony really encouraged me and others. So while I got guilted into going to visit my sister I had a good time and admit that at the end of the day time with friends, family members and loved ones is what it all boils down to!

On to the fashion!
I hate packing complicated clothing that needs a lot of attention once removed from a suitcase, so when I hit the road whatever I pack has to be easy to deal with. I chose to wear my hair loose the same morning a tropical storm blew into town...sadly my big glorious 'fro was no match for the rain and humidity. I promptly snatched it into a ponytail right after church

Kimono Sleeve Blouse: H&M

Purple Cami & Black Knit Pencil Skirt: Forever 21

Hunter Green "Skinny" Belt: Forever 21

Peacock Feather Earrings: Unknown

Forrest Green Leather Clutch: Banana Republic

Happy fathers day!!

Sunday was Father's Day. My Facebook timeline alternated between people shouting out their father/ child's father and ladies bashing deadbeat dads as they shouted themselves out for being an awesome 'dad' to their child. I personally am a Father's Day purist, I prefer to give additional honor to single moms playing both roles on Mother's Day while leaving Father's Day to the men who are fathers, as well as the uncles, granddads, god fathers, coaches, neighbors and church members who fulfill the male figure role in the life of a child who they didn't father. To those men I salute you. As a woman who grew up with a father (my parents celebrate their 34th wedding anniversary this month) I grew up with a model of what a man should be and what I should look for in a spouse. I'm grateful that I don't just have a father... I have a daddy, one who to this day I know that if I have a problem that I can't fix I can turn to him. He may not be able to solve all of them but he'll never abandon me either and he'll stick by my side throughout. Perhaps that's why God created great fathers, to give us an earthly model of how our heavenly father works.
Now on to the fashion!
I am a member of the health and wellness committee at my church. On Sunday we had to wear blue in honor of prostate awareness, but I'm not the best at following clothing directives so this my take on blue clothing. Yes, I know I have on more colors than a bag a Skittles but I figured why not go ahead and taste the rainbow.

Blue Spaghetti Strap Jersey Knit Dress: J. Crew

Green Cardigan: Express

Yellow Belt: Forever 21

Yellow Purse: Coach

Multicolor Sandals: Nine West

Anchors away!

Clearly God is still trying to get His point across with me. I went to early service, as well as, regular morning service. Once again I heard two services from two different pastors, who clearly had an early morning cup of coffee to discuss their major points because they were spot on with the same take home words. Well MAYBE it wasn't their shared cup of joe that had them on one accord but something else (ie. the holy spirit ; ) Both pastors literally made "don't quit" their take home message. I think it's something to take to heart, no matter what we are struggling with. We never know what point our circumstances will change until they've already changed. The moment we throw in the towel might be two moments before our breakthrough...one we'll never experience because we quit too soon. So keep your head up and don't quit!

Now on to the fashion!
My dress was a dress I'd stalked for a couple of weeks at Marshall's and had given up on because I needed a new dress like I needed a hole in my head. Well I'd wandered in and lo and behold what was on the clearance rack? My dress! Winning! Although it looks black indoors the dress is actually navy blue and white. Since I was feeling quite nautical I paired it with orange accessories and the rest in seen below.

Through it all...

I can finally exhale. Over 180 days, no planning, no pull out, no push in, skeletal help...but I made it!! I started the school year with high hopes and ended it battered, bruised, exhausted and staggering across the finish line with a prayer and a plea. This admittedly has been one of my most difficult year of teaching. A year that made me genuinely glad I enjoy what I do, because of I didn't I probably would have made arrangements to ensure this was my last year teaching. Occasionally I think God puts us in situations to test our mettle. To allow us to see: how bad do you want this? How hard are you willing to work? And most of all: how much are you willing to trust? This year I found out pretty bad. My kids made progress, which made it all worth the stress, the aggravation, the late days, and all the work I took to my house on field trips. As I packed my students up to walk them all downstairs for dismissal one of my girls started crying, and not that little weeping stuff. Boo-hoo sobbing and wailing. In alarm, I ask, "what is wrong?" She replied that she didn't want to leave me for the summer. And with that I fell in love with teaching all over again.
In celebration of the end of the school year and my birthday (last month) I went to the performing arts center to see the Lion King. I saw it last time it came to South Florida but when has that ever stopped anyone from seeing something. Since this is a 'fashion blog' I couldn't make an entry without some fashion, silly ; )
On to the fashion:

3/4 Cardigan: Gap
Brown and cream skirt: Forever 21
Shoes: Oh deer!
Bag: Louis Vuitton
Brown shawl: Forever 21

What's black and white and red all over?

The newspaper....bwahahaha. Hey, if you can't amuse yourself who will? I sing in the choir, so every first Sunday you'll see lots of black, white or some combination of both. If its a good day I can sneak some colorful shoes in and my choir director won't say anything. Today was a good day...as evidenced by my red pumps.
I attended two services at two different churches but both pastors spoke about having a spirit of expectancy. I've been praying about somethings for quite sometime, but today was confirmation that I may need to start preparing myself for God's movement in those areas. Guess I better "get ready, get ready, get ready!" (in my T.D Jakes voice).

On to the fashion!

Black and white top: Xtaren (from a local boutique)

White capris: Express

Red patent leather pumps: Guess

Red patent clutch: Steve Madden
Red Patent Leather Belt: Forever 21

Bracelet: Arm candy couture

Carribean Calm!

   Yesterday was Baccelaurate Sunday at church. We honored the Class of 2012, as well as students matriculating to high school and middle school. As a member of the education committee I had to wear cap, gown and  my Master's hood...and for once I was a little glad I had to wear it. I had sized my dress down so it would fit better but did not realize that a better fit would also cause my dress to ride up while walking. : (
   I like my little turquoise dress...but I don't think I'll get to wear it again unless its winter time with some tights and a jacket. *sigh*

 

Turquoise Dress: Mossimo by target
Green and turquoise shoes: Bakers
Green patent leather clutch: Target
Peacock Feather Earrings: Forever 21

Bracelets: Forever 21 & Aldo

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!

    Hey y'all! I've always admired fashion bloggers who have lives fabulous enough to chronicle their comings and goings though the lens of a camera while highlighting their fashion choices for the day. Alas, I am an elementary school teacher and therefore pretty boring. Ms. F. Brown loves cardigans, camisoles, slacks and skirts etc. Dull. Very dull.
    Occasionally, I have the opportunity to get dressed up and hit the town, but honestly, my clubbing days are pretty far behind me. I've grown up and grown in Christ, so for me every seven days I arise early enough to dress with some care as I prepare to head to the house of the Lord for worship. Sundays are the days that I've chosen to highlight because that's the one day I regularly look smashing : ) Seriously, Sunday is the one day I that I regularly get dressed not just for function and form but select things because I enjoy how they look and how I look in them.  

    I recently decided to chronicle my Sundays (and the occasional other day as well) in an effort to help folks realize that all Christians don't wear turtlenecks and ankle length skirts in August (and I think God is okay with those of us who don't as well : ) I also wanted to encourage Christian young  ladies that as a daughter of the King we can dress up and glorify God while still looking 'current' and 'hip'. Someone once called my style like Sexy for Jesus. Once I thought about it I decided I liked that description because as an unmarried woman Jesus is my man and I want to look good for him...plus that's way better than being called slutty for Satan. So sit back and follow along and I share my SUNDAY'S BEST