{strength}

 

Fashionably late.

Fashionably.  Thank you, Goodwill.

late.  Thank you to my upbringing.  The Casey family was never anywhere on time.

The month of June has had me hushed and befuddled for all of its thirty days existence.  I have wrestled with and wallered all over my word for the month that is currently TWENTY-FOUR days expired.  The wounds are still bound with band-aids and my July is licking at them with tender care all whilst moving forward with its new rhythmical focus.

For those new to my monthly synopsis, visit here to catch up:

January

February

March 

April

May

Yes, Eli Garrett, my 7 year old son, is my photographer in this monthly endeavor.  I like his honesty and quickness in completing the photo session.  If an image comes out blurry, he says its art.  The I'mneverwrong and/or alwayslookonthebrightside approach to his life serves us all well so many times.

Shall we begin?

I think so.

       

Ensemble statistics:

Dress:

• Gap brand
• $1.00 Goodwill 
• {NOTE:  All readers who are not familiar with Goodwill, listen up.  All clothing articles housed in Goodwill are color coded with a tag system.  It varies from store to store, but typically there is one color tag that is 1/2 off for that week.  Then there is another colored tag that is $1.00 for that week.  The colors rotate from week to week.  Finally, either the 1st weekend of the month or the last weekend of the month, depending on your Goodwill, the entire store will be 1/2 off.}
• This information is like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
• Yes, that's right.  I am your leprechaun.  
• The fabric this dress is made of is a great grey tweedish kinda vibe.  
• It's totally machine washable and I dry it in the dryer too.
• The halter neckline is very nice for those out there needing the "allusion of chest." 
• Yes, I can be a magician and a leprechaun. I'm cool like that.
• There is a petite ruffle at the empire waist line too.  This is Gap's secret code for "Hey! This woman doesn't have much up top to offer, so this cute ruffle will be the perfect accessory to help with the "allusion of chest."
• The length of this dress is awesome.  It is just to the knee which ensures professionalism and the classic conservative look.  
• I have worn this dress with a black and also white sweater complete with vintage broach pin and the dress still rocks.
• I have also worn this dress with LOTS of layered chunky necklaces.  Don't judge.  Seriously.  Busy sometimes can be better.  Imagine me saying that.  I bit my tongue the entire time I was getting ready so as NOT to go back to the jewelry box or scarf drawer.
• The pencil shape of this dress is perfect for those without curves with more of a boy type figure.  I think the halter does a masterful job of creating the shapely look.

Shoes:

• Merona brand
• brand new with tags
• Goodwill $5.99
• black patent leather
• peep toe
• My ALL TIME favorite heels.
• I could play a full 40 minutes of basketball in these.  I kid you not.
• I have danced the equivalent of 10 miles if not more in these shoes.
• And, I have loved every minute of it.
• I have worn them here and here just to name a couple of documented sightings.  I also have them on here on my website.
• See, I told you I adore these shoes.
• I have worn them so much that on my "go foot" {that would be the left one for me} all that is remaining on the heel is a the raw edge of the actual nail head.  
• Yes, so I click when I wear these in an odd sort of way.
• Never fear, I am on the hunt for a shoe doctor for a fix.

Bracelets: 

 Wore them last month.

• $5.00
• Dillard's Department Store pre-Thanksgiving sale.
• HUGE rock like rhinestones with a magnetic clasp.
• Get compliments on these all the time.
• The rhinestones have a gray vibe to them which promotes an old world vintage look.

Right Hand Ring:

Wore it last month too.

• The Laura ring by Premier Jewelry.
• FREE!
• I had a party and received over $400 in free jewelry.  The Laura ring was first up on my wish list.  It totally looks like an heirloom passed down from my grandmother.  It is my go-to right hand ring.
• If you are interested in a Premier party to stock up on some great FREE jewelry, contact my friend, Kara Alexander.  She will be more than happy to help!  This ring actually comes in gold now too.  YES!

Earrings:

• Leslie's, a junk jewelry store now closed down, in my old stomping grounds.
• $2.00
• These earrings are the perfect waterfall style.
• Not too gawdy, but not too plain.
• The clear stones look like watery rocks up close not diamonds.
• I don't wear these earring often, but it's like they just have a way of jumping out of my jewelry box and into my hands when I do select them.  Almost like they know when its showtime.  

Hair:

• Clean.
• Washed the night before.
• What the what??
• That's 2 months in a row for me.  That's like credit for the next 6 months of dirty hair I will no doubt be reporting to you.
• BLONDE.
• Yes, real blonde.
• I am the type that gets bored with my hair easily.  
• I have had my hair many different lengths and colors.  
• Kenny finally had a heart to heart with me regarding my hair length after our first 2 years of marriage.  

It went a little something like this: 

"Meg, long hair looks good on you.  It always has.  It always will.  Let that work for you."

• I think my pixie cut where my hair was about 1.5 inches long all over my head our first year of marriage kinda did him in.  
• But color?  Nah, I am still all over the map. 
• Read here  and here about the time I played kitchen beautician.
• I've had it bold with a fat steak in the back.  Go here to check it out. 
• And, let's not forget the time I died it MYSELF once again on Christmas Day a dark all over auburn brown.  Go here to check that out.
• And, Kenny still loves me through it all.
• My new hair girl is a gem.  We just celebrated our one year anniversary last week.  I am getting a blog post all primed and ready to introduce you to her too.
• In the shot above I actually had just gotten really short all-the-way-across bangs cut.  I opted for a more dramatic look and took the big curling iron and rolled them back.
• The rest of my hair is what it looks like after sleeping in a clip.  Yep.  Not kidding.

Make up-

• Bronzer.  "It can do a lot for you."  I once gave this advice to my best friend.  
• I decided I should take it too.
• lipstick:  MAC brand  Ruby Woo.
• Back before we had children, Kenny would go to the MAC make up counter all by himself and select make up for me for part of my Christmas gifts.  
• I LOVED that he did this.
• He chose Ruby Woo.
• He was spot on too.
• Eyeliner:  black and heavy on the upper lid

Total outfit investment:  $13.99

June 2012

My word:

My personal word of growth for June was strength.

My mission:

I wanted to really look at this word from all angles.  I wanted to find this word in others and inside of me.  The world we live in now is so very face paced.  Media driven with modified versions of one's life shared through Twitter, Facebook and Texts are so often only part of the person's life picture.  A late night on the couch sifting through posts and tweets can oftentimes leave you second guessing the certainty of your life's course.  

The devil's work is masterminded and disgustingly magnificent when fine tuning your insecurities.  

My status:  

*  *  * 

3 out of 5 stars.

My memories:

strength |stre ng (k)θ; strenθ|

noun

1 the quality or state of being strong, in particular

• physical power and energy 

• the emotional or mental qualities necessary in dealing with situations or events that are distressing or difficult 

I love the way the word strength comes out of your mouth.  It takes teamwork from the s t & r to create the start up sound.  The eng is but a stepping stone of noise until the word's finality in the th.  

I love in the definition it states that strength is a quality.  I also love that it encompasses all the various forms that strength can be:  physical, energy, emotional, mental.

June was a time for me to stare at my surroundings and see the beauty of strength around me.  

There are people around me who are so very strong for me.  I don't tell them thank you enough.

To Kenny who chose me to love.  For his listening and leaning on.  For his demands to have more time with me.  For his confidence in me as a woman, a mother, a teacher, a homemaker & business owner.

To my boys.  I loved and appreciated being a part of such a powerful conversation with them this month.  We were on the topic of superheros. Eli and Casey were discussing each of Avengers' strengths.  I loved being able to hear them assess each character's strong points and why they possessed them.  From there, the conversation catapulted into a discussion of all the different ways God makes humans strong.  At 5 and 7 years old, they got it.  They got that we all have gifts and each are different and just as good.  I hope they never forget this.

To my friends whose time I share with them is invaluable. Friendship is such a strength.  It is the times when I am able to be close with smiles that make my heart beat more fluidly that I reminded of the blessings that define my strength.

God, thank you for these human examples of your strength in action.  You lessons are not always easy, but your love is always there.  

And, June was a time to for me to look into the mirror and see the little girl that never felt like she was enough.  I stared long and peered deep into myself. Many nights, my runs were spent at a rhythmic pace to the tears dripping onto the track as I pushed through whom I was not.  

Halfway through the month, I realized my heavy laden burdens of self doubt were sabotaging the someone I am.  A cycle all too well on repeat in my life.

How many times must I remind myself to hold my shoulders back and sit up straight?

I cried at more movies this month than I feel like I ever have thanks to this search for strength in and around me.  The transparency of self yielded so much emotion from me.  Lead characters grabbed my heart; convoluted plot lines purged my weakness even more.

And, after much inner debate and struggle to see, I wrote on my heart the value of strength.

Strength is the gifts God has given you.  Those go-to guarantees that a simple 'I can' will merit.  It is trusting in those.  All of them. 

It's trust.  It's leaning when you are weak.  It letting go when you can no longer.  

The trust in that we are each one of God's masterpieces.  We are the contour lines and the shade of grey.  The long stemmed strokes and the short choppy punches of color.  

We are human thus reminded of our weaknesses equally with our strengths. 

And, we are enough only when we work together with Him to sound out the word:   from the s t & r to create the start up sound.  The eng is but a stepping stone of noise until the word's finality in the th.  

And I will get stronger each and every time I remind myself that He expects me to hold my shoulders back and to sit up straight.

.mac :)