Balancing the Fashion Equation

by Shannon


(Editor's note: While I'm typing this out, Cruncher is listening to "I'm Blue" by Eiffel 65, his second favorite song, on repeat. He's desperately trying to learn the lyrics. Yup. At least he's cute.)


Mixing and matching a wardrobe is the kind of challenge I love. I naturally have a mathematical mind, but I choose to appreciate art and style.  Sometimes, balancing an outfit feels like balancing an equation to me, so I'd like to walk you through how my brain works when combining pieces for the first time. Like many a professor, this post will be far to wordy, so strap yourself in.

When my sister went shopping with her bridesmaids last spring, she was hoping to find something we could wear again (thanks, Sis!). I was really excited about the lace Jessica Simpson dress we found on clearance at Macy's, and all three of us found our size in the four dresses that were left. It was really tough for me to not wear the dress leading up the wedding, and I looked forward to wearing it later.

But  ... it took me eight months to wear it again.

It felt just a little bit fancy for Mass, a little too fancy for dinner out and a lot too fancy for work. I knew if I was ever going to wear it again (and not to another wedding), I would need to find a way to dress it reeeeeeal down.

I'll just state the obvious, here: When I link up for What I Wore Sunday, I try my darnedest to wear a new combination of items each week. I'm blessed with a versatile wardrobe and lots of fantastic places to shop for affordable new and used clothing. I have a few items I've not yet worn for the link up, but I'm saving them for spring and summer. So, I knew it was time — time to break out the bridesmaid dress.

Even though we wore this dress in a June wedding, it looks more like a New Year's Eve party dress, so it would translate well for this cold weather we're (still!) having. But, since it is (still!) cold, plus the outfit needed to be modest, I definitely needed something to cover my arms.

Deets (from bottom left clockwise): 
Floral jacket: Meijer; Golden Belt: Target
Striped Oxford Shirt: J. Crew, consigned
Cropped Denim Jacket: Wrangler, consigned
Plaid Preppy Cardi: Vintage, consigned
Fine-Cord Icy Blazer: Petite Sophisticate, thrifted (and gifted)
Plaid Riding Jacket: Target (and gifted)

Here were all my options for modesting-up the frock. Hands down, the BEST way to style this dress casual is a cropped denim jacket and some boots. The ruggedness of the denim and boots balances the lacy, girly dress in a way that ... well ... just works.

Necklace Deets: Vintage, consigned

I threw on a vintage statement necklace, which pulled in the blue of the jacket and the laciness of the dress, stood back and smiled. BUT. I knew I wasn't going to wear this. Not yet. I had decided to send my new boots back to Zappos for an exchange, and there's just something about a denim jacket with a dress that screams "SPRING!" to me. As much as I want spring-dress weather here and now, I needed to hold off. Just know I'm really looking forward to wearing this getup after Easter.

Pearls Deets: Target

On to the first-runnuer up: the oxford shirt. I had seen other ladies on the link up take a perfectly lovely dress and layer it over a preppy oxford with pearls on top, or even a lace skirt with an oxford and chunky necklace. Something about this look here doesn't work for me, though. My brain was saying, "Yes — the math is there! It's balanced: Preppy, feminine, classic. It works!" But my eye was say, "No. No no no no no. Start over." I might give this combo another try in the spring, when I can wear a strappy sandal. The biggest problem with this outfit is none of my winter shoes were going to work. I considered my tan penny loafers, but those shoes look sooooo much better on a naked leg, not with nude hose. Again, the cold weather had defeated my fashion equation.

Belt Deets: All from Target

Second-runner up: the floral jacket. Ryan HATES this combination, though I had excitedly purchased this jacket (on severe clearance!) specifically for this dress. I thought the jacket's pleather and gold zipper gave the dress the hardness it needed, and I was planning to pull it together with black tights and my black heeled boots I wear too often. I had multiple belts that would work with the jacket's colors and was deciding between them when ... sigh ... I realized Ryan was right. Hate to admit it, but the man has really great style instincts (probably from being raised by a single mom). The cut of the jacket is the main problem, and I'd alter it if I weren't so lazy (it's without a liner, so a pretty simple job).

The jacket needs to be shorter. Cropped jackets actually hit me at my natural waistline, since I'm not quite 5'2", so a non-petite jacket has a tendency to look sloppy when paired with something that isn't body conscious. I would try belting the jacket on the outside, but it's too boxy. The fabric would get all bunchy and weird. This dress isn't fitted enough to work with a non-structured jacket, which is why I knew none of the jackets, sweaters or shirts I had considered were going to work.

It was now clear. In order to balance this fashion equation in winter, the dress required the following:

• A structured jacket or sweater: The dress has far too much fabric in the skirt to have a bunch of fabric up top, as well. When wearing a flowy jacket, wear a body-conscious bottom, and vice versa when wearing a structured top. If you wear all flowy, you'll look bigger than you are. If you wear all fitted, you might look immodest (depending on the fit).
• A belt: I might have lost five pounds since the wedding.
• Some rock 'n' roll jewelry: This would provide that "hardness" the dress needs to toughen it up and dress it down.
• A solid color from knee to floor: Since the dress hits me at the knee and I'm lacking in the height department, I don't need my legs to be chopped up into smaller pieces.

I was going about it all wrong. The biggest hindrance to the dress wasn't the jacket. It was the shoes. Each time I had considered a jacket, I was good until I got to my feet. Plus, not all of my shoes look good with solid-colored tights.

Shoe Deets (left to right): Crown Vintage from DSW, Naturalizer from TJ Maxx, Report from Zappos.
Black Belt Deets: Simply Vera Wang

I already knew the penny loafers weren't going to work. The metallic flats only work with brown tights, and the dress isn't a brown-tights frock. Hmm. New black boots maybe? With a black belt and black tights, it's a little bit rock 'n' roll. Perhaps a little bit '80s too, but that's en vogue now (and, funnily enough, very Madonna). I pulled out last year's Easter cardi, and there was my outfit! I just needed jewelry to complete the look.

Necklace Deets (left to right): vintage thrifted, Target and Target

The old lady chain didn't work with the neckline or the shoes. The chunky chain necklace wasn't quiiiiite long enough, though I wished it worked. Love. That. Necklace. Last one up, the exaggerated chain necklace was juuuuuust right. It's a little bit rock 'n' roll, just long enough for the neckline, not too heavy (since the belt is pretty focus-pulling), but still added a nice punch to the picture.

Earring Deets: 1928

I could have gone all the way rock 'n' roll with the accessories, but something more delicate worked best for earrings. The filigree and little porcelain rose looked lovely with the dress' lace and were the same gold finish as the necklace. Ryan picked them out, actually, and it was the right call.

Can't really see the shoes too well, but there it is — the balanced fashion formula. The dress is more casual, yet still Mass appropriate. Modest, yet statement-making.

Which jacket or sweater would you have chosen? Did you like one of the other necklaces or pair of shoes better? How do you pull together an outfit: in your mind, on hangers, or by trying it on?


(Editor's note: By the end of this post, Luke had moved on to "The Saga Begins" by Weird Al, his first favorite song. Still on repeat. Still cute.)

Sola Scriptura on the Road to Emmaus

by Ryan

St. Martin of Tours, St. Gregory Chapel, Louisville, Kentucky

There are times in life that a word or idea won’t go away — what composer Richard Wagner might have called a leitmotif. If something reoccurs enough times, and you are already a bit of an odd ball, you begin to think: Surely, this is a sign. My sign? Emmaus.

• A church's outdoor sign on the drive to my school, featuring the Emmaus Road Quartet. This Sunday only!
• A fellow teacher asking me if I was attending an Emmaus Walk this year.
• My latest Bible study taking me to Luke 24, where a passage about the road to Emmaus is found.

Well, Emmaus it is! I try my hardest to read each chapter in my Bible study as if I were reading it for the first time. My most recent study of Luke 24 unearthed something rather unexpected — a harrowing challenge to sola scriptura — the idea that any Christian can understand, without error, the things of God with the Bible and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is not my goal, however, to refute sola scriptura point by point (there is already abundant material available to that end), but rather to reflect on this reading and the aforementioned challenge it would seem to give the subscriber to that theological viewpoint.

St. Louis Bertrand, Louisville, Kentucky

The account of the road to Emmaus can be found at Luke 24:13-35. Two travelers (one who is named Cleopas) are returning to Emmaus from Jerusalem and are recounting amongst themselves the events of the last few days — involving Jesus, his death and seeming disappearance from the tomb. During their conversation, Jesus joins them on the road; the eyes of the disciples are obscured from recognizing their Savior. The next few lines of the story struck me as peculiar:

“Then he said to them, Too slow of wit, too dull of heart, to believe all those sayings of the prophets! Was it not to be expected that the Christ should undergo these sufferings, and enter so into his glory? Then, going back to Moses and the whole line of the prophets, he began to interpret the words used of himself by all the scriptures.” (Luke 24:25-27)

For the subscriber to sola scriptura, the following text must come as a shock — the disciples do not yet realize that Jesus is in their midst — they have not been brought to all understanding by hearing the scriptures. Even though their hearts “did burn at his words” (Luke 24:32), the glory of God remained concealed. An objection might be made on the grounds that the travelers did not yet have the Holy Spirit; indeed, that the Spirit did not yet have them. This objection would seem to be nullified when considering that it is God-Made Man, Jesus Christ, who was teaching the travelers, and even the Word of God from the Word-Made Flesh does not open the eyes of Cleopas and his companion. It is in the next turn of events where these disciples finally see:

"And then, when he sat down at table with them, he took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and offered it to them; whereupon their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and with that, he disappeared from their sight."(Luke 24:30-31)

This, to me, has to be the difficulty of difficulties in this passage: Jesus reveals himself through the appearance of bread. Not only that, but he uses a prayer formula very similar to that found in Luke 22:19. This Passover prayer is where he equates the bread with his body: "This is my body." Here, a handful of hours after his resurrection, Jesus seems to show us that his Passover sacrifice is in continuance — not as a repeated sacrifice, but the same sacrifice in perpetuity. It is in this re-presentation of the Passover meal that Cleopas and his companion meet Jesus; they come into contact with Christ in the flesh — not merely a symbol. What the scriptures anticipated, in mysterious and clouded ways, as “through a glass darkly” is now seen “face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12) — the physical reality of Christ, revealed in simple bread. If the travelers met Jesus in this bread, then is it such a stretch to think that we, weary travelers on the road to life, still meet Jesus in this way?

St. Louis Bertrand, Louisville, Kentucky

So, are the scriptures then unimportant next to the glory of God manifested in this bread? I think that would create a false dichotomy — these things do not oppose each other, since they are both of Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God (the scriptures) and the Word-Made Flesh. The incident on the road to Emmaus shows us that these realities reside together, belong with each other, reveal each other. Indeed, it is these two ideas that we find bound together in the Mass. Or, as found in scripture under the appearance of marriage: “…what God, then, has joined, let not man put asunder" (Matthew 19:6).

Seven Quick Takes

by Shannon

"I have not been called to be successful, but to be faithful."

~Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

This is our blog's first dive into "Seven Quick Takes" with Jen Fulwiler at Conversion Diary. Knowing me, they won't be quick.

~1~

First off, this:

source: Catholic Memes

We will dearly miss him so, but he will continue to be an inspiration, which is such a blessing.

~2~

So, this happened tonight:

Yes, there was beer involved, but not nearly enough beer to justify it.

Speaking of beer, this is my companion tonight as I blog.

Ryan picked it out for me, this being his inspiration. Cruncher pretty much knows all the words to "The Saga Begins," because every 5-year-old Catholic boy should. 

~3~

This week is a break from school, so the before-and-after-school program asked us for $30 extra if we wanted Cruncher to attend a few field trips. I was thinking zoo (if we had a warm snap), art museum, science center. You know — the educational stuff.

Instead, he has gone to an animal shelter (not bad) and Build-A-Bear (pictured), and tomorrow is GattiLand. I repeat — GattiLand. For serious? It's the ghetto Chuck E. Cheese, and they call that a field trip? [Insert snarky comment about the public school system here.]

At least Cruncher likes his new bear, Nolen. (Yes, with an E.)

~4~

Got my boots! The brown ones are going back. But I'm getting the same pair. You see, I'm the type who examines things before I buy them, picking the item that looks least touched, and I refuse to buy something if there's anything that needs fixing. I always pull my groceries from the back of the shelf. So there are a couple things about the brown boots that aren't Just. Quite. Right. So, I'm going to give it another whirl. Kind of a gamble, but here's hoping. 

The black ones are great, though. 

Deets:

Cape: Vintage, consignment shop in town

Skirt, H&M, consignment shop in town

Tights: Target

Boots: Report, Zappos

Since it's the end of the season, I also bought a new coat. It's actually more of a fall-jacket weight, but I prefer my coats light for layering. 

I'm pleased as punch with it, and I've been able to test it out in the cold this week, since we had flurries twice! I was perfectly warm.

Deets:
Coat: Daughters of the Liberation, consignment shop in town

It was $30, and I gather the brand is sold by Anthropologie, so I'm pretty sure I got an amazing deal, especially since it looks as if it's never been worn.

~5~

I'm ahead of schedule on Easter prep because I'm actually using my planner this year. I'm usually scrambling through Holy Week, so I'm feeling pretty confident. We do a family basket instead of individuals, and I always fill it with books, so I went ahead to our favorite local book store yesterday to pick up everything. I can't enter that store without spending at least $20, and I found a couple additional non-religious books to give to Cruncher yesterday:

Cruncher's teacher has encouraged non-fiction stories since November, so the Ben Franklin book for $1 was a good find. Also, Ryan's had his eye on the Merriam-Webster Pictorial Dictionary for Cruncher, but thinks he might yet be too young for it. When I found this Mother Goose in Hieroglyphics book for $1.50, I knew Ryan would get a kick out of it. He actually said, "Oh, yay!" when I showed it to him. There's a key in the back to answer the picture riddles, so it'll be fun to see if we can guess the right words for the rhythms and rhymes. Also, Cruncher should be able to read most of the printed words on his own.

Next items on my Easter Preparation List: Cruncher's outfit (he wants a mis-matched suit), DIY plans for a door wreath and some sort of sacred artwork. I'm hoping for a new Stations of the Cross picture or a vintage icon of the Last Supper. I'd also like to get our front door painted before spring and start working on the garden around St. Patrick's Day.

~6~

It's Friday afternoon, and you realize you didn't plan head for your meatless meal. No worries — if you have a carton of eggs, you can make a frittata! A frittata is a fantastic way to clean out your fridge, getting rid of anything and everything that's about to go bad, or known as "borderline" in our house (commence singing Madonna here). Ryan and I love to serve frittata with tasty things, though, as we did this past Sunday. Here's the step-by-step, but you actually can use just about any combination of cheese, veggies and meat (or no meat) that you please.

Ingredients: Italian mix of shredded cheese, spinach (1 bag frozen or fresh), 9 eggs, 4 or 5 green onions, 4 oz. of goat cheese, 1/2 a cup of sun-dried tomatoes and 4 oz. of mushrooms

Heat an oven-safe skillet with a couple tablespoons of olive oil on a medium heat, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the mushrooms, and slice them (unless you're lazy — ahem! — resourceful like me and bought the pre-sliced ones). Chop the white and light green part of 4 or 5 green onions and about half a cup of sun-dried tomatoes. 

Throw the veggie mixture in the skillet, and sauté until the mushrooms are a little soft. At this point, I added some pre-cooked breakfast sausage, but it's optional. Sauté until everything was warmed through. While this is going on, chop up the rest of your green onion, then throw the spinach and green onion in the skillet. The spinach is fluffy, so I threw a random lid on top to help steam the spinach. 

While the spinach is shrinking down, crack nine eggs in a mixing bowl, and pour in 2 or 3 tablespoons of half and half, milk or cream. Then throw in about 4 oz. of shredded cheese (I prefer white cheeses when including goat cheese), and whisk it up until mixed. 

The spinach should be shriveled up, so pour the egg mixture on top. Use a spatula to pull up the fried mixture so the eggs can seep underneath. No need to mix and swirl it. Crumble the goat cheese all along the top, like your dressing a pizza, and sprinkle some pepper up top. As it cooks, run your spatula along the edges of the skillet to keep it from sticking. When the entire thing is about halfway set (to where it's no longer liquidy, but the mixture still jiggles like jello when you shake the skillet), throw it in the oven for 13-15 minutes. 

Ta da! You'll know it's finished when it's a little brown around the edges and no longer jiggly.

Since our frittata was dinner for guests (though it would make a fantastic breakfast), we served some local truffles and caramels, toasted French bread, blueberries and cheeses. 

And a few pictures of our Sunday guests, Isaac and Tenille with their sweet children:

Our most recently baptized Godson, Little Bear.

I think Isaac was more than a little pleased to see Boo-Boo so enthralled with Cruncher's Star Wars toys.

A couple years back, we first met Isaac and Tenille was with Boo-Boo at our favorite bookstore. As all six of us hung out in the Catholic section, Isaac turned to us and said, "Do you go to St. Martin"? Why, yes we do.

Visit again soon!

~7~

I was talking about veiling with Ryan today, and it's just ridiculous that I care so much about what people think. I'm judging people for judging me, when I should be giving people the benefit of the doubt. After all, "You probably wouldn't worry about what people think of you if you could only know how seldom they do" (source). I need to remove the pressure to be successful in everything I do and not claim the power to control things. Trust God, and be the best version of me I can be.

"Blessed is the servant that does not think himself any better when people make much of him and exalt him than when they consider him worthless, ordinary and contemptible. For what a person is before God, so much he is, and no more."

~St. Francis of Assisi