Broken Into Beautiful

The Pawsitive Effects of Raising Kids with Pets

2017-01-04T16:08:00.004-06:00

Is your home without a pet? Are you worried about your little ones getting along with a furry companion? Don't! Studies show that pets are tremendously helpful with your children's development.

I grew up on a farm in South Carolina with horses, ducks, chickens, cows, dogs, cats, parrots... you name it, we had it. My furry and winged pals gave me the confidence to set out on numerous adventures from my first skinned knee to my first heart break. They were my best friends when I had no one else to talk to.

Overall, an estimated 4 in 10 children begin life in a family with domestic animals, and as many as 90 percent of all kids live with a pet at some point during their childhood, says Gail F. Melson, PhD, professor emeritus of developmental studies at Purdue University, in Indiana, and the author of Why the Wild Things Are: Animals in the Lives of Children.

So what are the benefits of pets in these kids lives?

1. Responsibility

Pets rely completely on their families to feed them, give them water, clean up after them, and exercise them. This teaches kids early on how to take care of others and to be depended on. Kids who are present in the care of the animals typically learn to be more compassionate and empathetic. This in turn makes the kids better at taking care of themselves too! At an early age, kids can watch the parents and help as they are able taking on more responsibility as they get older.

2. Learning

I used to line my stuffed animals up and my cat and play teacher. I would make fake tests and pass them out and grade their "answers" a.k.a. whatever answer I marked for them. I thought I was an especially imaginative child, but apparently this is very common and educators have brought animals (mostly dogs) into schools to help developmentally challenged kids learn. There is also a program called "Book Buddies" where kids read to sheltered cats at The Animal Rescue League of Berks County Pennsylvania. The kids feel less judged while honing their reading skills and the kitties get the comfort and play they need.

3. Health

For physical health, According to a study by Dennis Ownby, MD, a pediatrician and head of the allergy and immunology department of the Medical College of Georgia, in Augusta, having multiple pets actually decreases a child's risk of developing certain allergies. His research tracked a group of 474 babies from birth to about age 7. He found that the children who were exposed to two or more dogs or cats as babies were less than half as likely to develop common allergies as kids who had no pets in the home. Crazy, right?!

Dr. Ownby has a theory: "When a child plays with a dog or a cat, the animals usually lick him," he says. "That lick transfers bacteria that live in animals' mouths, and the exposure to the bacteria may change the way the child's immune system responds to other allergens."

For mental health, pets help with an array of mental disabilities. Did you know that a cat's purr is healing? No, seriously! Cat purr vibrations are in the 20 Hz to 140 Hz range, which means their purring itself can have a therapeutic effect! A 2011 survey by the Mental Health Foundation and Cats Protection found that 87 per cent of cat owners feel their pets have a positive impact on their well-being and 76 per cent find coping with everyday life easier thanks to their kitties. Sign me up!

4. Family Bonding

"Whenever I ask children and parents if their pets are truly part of the family, most of them seem surprised -- and almost offended -- at the question," Dr. Melson says. The most common response: "Of course they are!"

Pets can be the center of your activities as a family. A trip to the dog park, a camping trip, fishing, all are immensely more fun with a wagging overflowing happy tank along side you. Each family member shares in the responsibility of caring for the pet too which inspires communication and provides a commonality between everyone which is especially important during the teenage years.

You can't still be hesitant about sharing your home with one of those cute faces! What are you waiting for? Go get your new family member!

July 4th

2014-07-04T15:24:00.003-05:00

I'd be JuLYING if I said I didn't like dressing up for the 4th. Ha! Anyways...It is Independence Day, and I'm just in my new apartment listening to people go nuts with patriotism. I'm not too patriotic myself, but it's fun to see people get into it and dress up in red, white and blue. I can see why a lot of countries chose those colors, because they look BOMB together. This outfit I made myself from a skirt that just reached my shins. I absolutely love it, and the top is so great I decided to post 3, count it, 3 different July 4th outfits using this top!

My hair is an absolute mess right now, but you can see that I dyed it a good bit darker than what it was when I posted a month ago. I LOVE it. The darker color brings out my features better, and I am all for that. SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED since I last posted holy moly. Ok so quick re-cap: I have a new place which I HAVE to show you once I get it set up better, I am single and I get to have my kitties back! All such great news. Oh and my classes are over, and I have so much time now!!! Ok enough of that here's outfit #2! How great are these glasses by the way?

Now ladies and gents, outfit #3! Which one is your favorite? I love the matching crop top and skirt, but I do also love these high waisted white shorts.

I hope you have a lovely 4th. I may go get some stuff to make cupcakes and just hang out at the pool. Nashville always has a wonderful fireworks show (APA voted it #2 must-see fireworks show) so I may go check that out later.

Till next time!

Jess

Good Monday

2014-05-26T19:08:00.003-05:00

It is finally summer, and I have so much free time that I've decided to start posting more on this ole blog again! I'm dusting off the cobwebs by introducing you to these 2 furballs that we (Pat and I) found in the roof. That's right IN the roof. They were 10 days old when we found them, and we bottle fed them and wiped their poopy butts and now they're 7 weeks old! They're using the litter box and completely weaned! The brown one is Sergeant Pepper, but we call her Sarge. The orange tabby is Tater Tot, but I call him Tate for short.

I've been with Pat now for 4 and a half months, and it has been the greatest. I've been really good friends with him for a year and a half and made him wait about half of that time before I'd date him :3. I'm so glad he waited, because this has been the most rewarding, least stressful, most supporting relationship I have ever been in. He has claimed the kittens and I couldn't be happier, because that means I get to take care of them and watch them grow into big kits.

Now that I've introduced to you the new loves in my life I guess I could talk a bit about myself! I had been so extremely busy and unhappy I decided to take some major me time and hang out with friends more and really just let loose. That meant a blogging hiatus! I had the most fun meeting so many people around middle Tennessee and actually going out to trashy bars and house shows, but now I'm ready to settle back down again and only go out when I'm supporting Pat playing. Well that and you can't go out for very long when you have to feed kittens ever 3 hours the first 2 weeks, 4 hours when their 3 weeks, 5 when they're 4 weeks... you get the picture haha. I already have 3 more posts lined up, and I'd really like to get this thing rolling again!

Till next time,

Jess

Season's Greetings

2013-12-22T21:22:00.004-06:00

Phewwwww has it been a hot minute and a half since I last posted on here??? I was kicking butt all semester and just really didn't have time. If I had my camera in my hand it was to take photos for class and my other free time was eaten up by the fact that I'm being recorded and helping 5 different bands. OH YEAH. Busy girl right here. I'll definitely have time to post more during this break, and then it may be stark again as classes started up, but BOY have I missed this. I HAVE CHRISTMAS PICTURES! SO MANY CHRISTMAS PICTURES TO SHARE!! I don't know what it is, but this year I am in the spirit. It helps that I have cats that make everything much more fuzzy and adorable (I have plenty of those pictures to share as well for another time). Also we homemade Christmas cookies for the first time as a family. =]

My sister and I ended up doing the most work as Mom didn't know how to roll the dough/cut out the cookies, which is pretty funny since she is an amazing cook. Maybe that's the real reason why this year I feel more in the spirit of things, we are doing more family things and aren't fighting. It's such a beautiful, rejuvenating feeling. My Memaw has also come down to visit more, and I love her company and knowledge of pretty much everything. She supplied us with the cute Christmas cookie cutters.

I ended up stopping taking pictures as I started icing up the cookies with my little sister Brittany and taking cookies in and out of the oven, but I'm happy with what I got and can't wait to share more later =].

Till next time,

Jess

Indie Trendie

2013-09-04T12:34:00.001-05:00

Gosh what a beautiful day it has been so far. I had to rush to class, because the school's bus systems are still sucking major monkey butt right now, but it made the walk to class so much nicer, and I didn't have beads of sweat running down my back (isn't that the worst?!). I usually bike, but someone was kind enough to relieve me of my bike, and so now I walk everywhere (dripping sarcasm here as my bike was stolen). I am tired today though since I didn't sleep so well last night. I woke up at 3am from a nightmare, and don't mind admitting that I had to coax myself back to sleep with the lights on, haha! My mornings start at 8am, and that may be a nice time for some of you, but Jessica Shealy is NOT a morning person, and she'd rather her days start at 10am. As long as I have my coffee, it's not so bad I guess. I do absolutely love my classes though, and I am closer to graduation! I can almost smell the diploma (and stresses of finding a big girl job).

Whenever I went home to South Carolina in July, my dad's mother (Memaw) gave me a lot of her mother's old hats and jewelry and night gowns and it was the greatest. You'll be seeing more and more of what I got as I make more posts, but the first thing I'm showing is this wonderful flower cap. If you have been on the internet, even for just a little bit, you know that flower crowns are huge, and so I couldn't wait to put on this bad boy. Ok, so actually trends like this usually bug me, but who doesn't want flowers in their hair? This outfit isn't all too special, and I've worn it so many times, but now with the flower crown it has been made new again! Ah! I love it. Let me frolic in a field. Sidebar: Last time I frolicked in a field, I got a terrible rash all over my body as I forgot I was allergic to grass. Who is allergic to grass?!!! This girl.

Well I've got to do some homework and get ready for my next class. It's so good to be posting again.

Till next time,

Jess

Guess Who's Back? Back Again?

2013-08-31T17:23:00.000-05:00

Wow it has been a hot minute since I've posted on here. I have had quite the hectic and strange Summer, but I'm glad to say that I am back, things have calmed down and I've missed you all dearly. I have so much to catch you all up on, but I'll spread it out over a couple of posts.

There have been so many changes that have been made, and I feel like I'm really going to try and step out of my comfort zone and be less inhibited. I'm looking at this year as if I have opened not a different chapter in my life, but a completely different book. I'm growing more and more into myself, but also reaching out to others, even complete strangers. I don't even know if this post makes sense, but basically I'm just trying to say that I'm moving forward with my life and bettering myself.

I guess what really sparked all of this was making candidacy into my major (Phew, hallelulu, I was SO stressed over that. THANK heavens), and being newly single. It forced me to go out to hear live music by myself, and I ended up swished away in this whirlwind of new faces that soon became friends. Things are good right now. I'm even going swing dancing on Monday. I was so afraid of what this year was going to look like, but I'm so happy with how things are in just the first week of classes.

I think 2013 is going to finish out quite nicely.

Till next time,

Jess

The Hip Bone's Connected to the...

2013-07-22T20:07:00.000-05:00

How long has it been since I made a post? I've been dealing with personal demons the past month, and I just didn't have the motivation to make any posts. To be honest, it's been an ugly month for me as I've struggled with anxieties and big decisions. Instead of talking about it though, I'd rather just say I can't wait to read up on everyone's posts so your lovely faces can make my days brighter.

Do you ever put on outfits that are just totally not in your norm of what you usually wear? If you take a look at my blog, this outfit is DEFINITELY not what is in my comfort zone, but this absolutely amazing pin that the beautiful and talented Enid Twiglet made and gave me inspired me to be more edgy. I love it. It's a hip bone on my hip bone. Also, can I just continue to gush about how amazing Enid is, because she is so nice and lovely and sent me a few little trinkets that made me smile so big tears were in my eyes.

I'm honestly just so ready for school to start back up and everything to be in full swing again. This summer was weird and emotional and lonely for me, and I vow to never have a summer like it EVER AGAIN! Just kidding, bad times do happen it's the course of life and all that fluff *grumbles. At least today I feel like a rockstar.

Thigh Highs:Walmart

Boots:Kohls

Top: Forever21

Shorts: Outreach Thrift

Brooch: c/o Enid Twiglet

Till next time,

Jess

The Process

2013-06-27T14:59:00.000-05:00

Today I decided to show the process of me getting all dolled up. Sometimes you just have those days where you want to pay special attention to yourself and wear something a little nicer than you normally would. One of those days where you say, "Yeah it's 90 degrees and I'm probably going to have back sweat, but I'm going to look fabulous all the while!"I also wanted to practice more with lighting and effects and have a bit of a storyline, so this is also an experimental post. "Ooooh so complex!" says the audience.

I had an actual vintage, 1940's dress picked out, but it had long sleeves and as I said, 90 degrees, nuh uh...not even for the sake of beautiful photos. I found this "modern takes on vintage" beauty at an American Thrift store with Allen and he liked it and gave me the extra confidence boost when I tried it on. It's cool and a halter top so it screams summer time! Well not literally...that would be obnoxious and weird. As I type this there is 2 hours left until my grandparents arrive to take me to dinner! I am so very excited to see them, but I should also wrap up this post since I have an excel test to do....BLEH!

As I mentioned before, I was playing around with different lighting and effects so if the photos don't exactly flow, that's why. I still really enjoyed dressing up and being more "model-y" for the camera and experimenting. It's good to put yourself out there right? I made sure to get a great back shot so you could see all my flattering moles and freckles, haha. It adds character.

Sorry for the short, ill-informative text, but as I said I gotta wrap this mother up! If I have more time later I will come back and make the text more interesting, but as for now you're stuck with this! AHa! Anyways, I tried to get a shot of the cute pockets the dress has even if they're sorta silly since who wants to put anything in a dress that's supposed to hug your hips? Maybe it's for extra padding. Maybe it's for little love notes. Maybe it's Maybelline. Well enough of me being silly I'm going to head on over to the club house to do this test and I will get back to you later!

Till next time!

Jess

Up Late

2013-06-27T03:34:00.000-05:00

Ha, what? Me? Up late? Ok, but seriously my sleeping patterns get real wonky at that hormonal time of the month (I mean let's get real when am I not hormonal? I mean the REAL hormonal time of the month)...TMI...whatever. So I decided to eat two breakfast burritos, make some strong coffee and take some Audio Technology notes and do the weekly quiz.

I love this class and I'm so glad I took it accidentally even though I don't need it for my major. It's basically a dumbed down version of a class I took last semester, and I am thankful for it since that class was just a complete mess. COMPLETE MESS (i.e. cheating scandal, no one makes higher than a C unless they're Batman himself, teacher is lousy...etc etc). I LOVE this quirky teacher though and his silly slide shows. He talks to himself, puts Simpson's references oh and this Avatar one that has a Star Trek reference inside of it all while still being relevant to the course material:

You can also see bits of my new Mac Book Pro Retina in the photos. IT'S A DREAM! My wonderful Papa got it for me, because my puttering 6 year old Dell was biting the dust. It even acted like an ornory old man, pooting out hot air and then dozing off randomly. Everything is so beautiful and the pictures took less than 5 seconds to import and delete off my camera (HOLY CRAP!).

Anyways, I also like this class, because it's visual, and I get to doodle helpful little bits. Usually when I doodle it has nothing to do with what we're talking about and makes people question whether or not I was high when I did it (Seriously I doodle weird things in class like seals with people noses and duck feet). I was also complaining to my friend Carlos about missing Allen and no one being here for the Summer=MULTITASKING! This late night/early morning charade worked for me though, because I ended up making a 100 on the quiz. WOOP WOOP!

And here's an embarrassing photo of my "sick shelf" that has yet to be cleaned from last week and early this week. I was getting migraines every night and pain meds weren't working so I would force myself to sleep with NyQuil. Bleh. Thank goodness tonight is not a repeat. Well this is a rather unusual post for me since I hate unnatural lighting for photos and don't really talk about school, because funk that mess. BUT! I hope you got a kick out of hearing about my school life/Night life none the less.

Till next time,

Jess

Through My Eyes

2013-06-23T23:44:00.002-05:00

I took a little weekend trip down to Camp McDowell to spend some time with my mister man on his break during camp sessions, and I had THE BEST TIME. I haven't had this much fun in a while, and I fell hard for the place and a little more for my mister. I was going to humorously title the post "rocks," but I figured since I'm not in any of these pictures it's more of a post where you can see everything as I saw it: through my eyes. I know...I'm so deep.

The camp is incredibly beautiful, and I felt so alive being outside. I loved that I got to share that with Allen too, I feel so much closer to him since the camp means a lot to him. There was this bridge that we had to cross to go over a large creek, and I felt like Indiana frickin' Jones. I tried running across it as if I was being chased, but it was just Allen behind me probably waiting on me to trip over myself as the bridge bounced up and down. Allen then took me to a place called Tillers (It's another creek), and my wimp self actually got my lower half in the water (I'm TERRIBLE when it comes to cold water), and let the current pass over my legs and through my toes. I even had tiny, freckle sized leeches sucking on me for the first time which was really neat.

Another worthy mention was the drunkard that came in our cabin while we were sleeping. Allen and I had finished watching The Shining and were snuggled up seconds away from slumber when we heard footsteps. We looked up and saw a shadow of a figure in the cabin. Allen thought it was one of the other counselors, and when he called out his name he didn't answer. Allen turned on the lights, and a glossy eyed stranger was illuminated. The guy had Mardi Gras beads on, and just let out a slurred, "I'm sorry." Allen said there was a wedding going on up the hill and he must have been with them. Allen led him out and locked the doors. We kept the bathroom light on and snuggled in close, but it still took us a while to get back to sleep. It's funny to look back on now, but it was cuhreeeeepy when it happened. Maybe next post I'll have another fun story to share.

Till next time,

Jess

Cullman, Alabama Trip #3

2013-06-16T23:29:00.001-05:00

I visited my wonderful mister over the weekend and we walked around the lake again at sunset. The weather was perfect, and the flowers were just gorgeous. This was after we had a great day thrifting, and I found that 1980's romper with adorable anchor buttons, and Allen found that plaid shirt that felt like it had never been worn, ALL FOR A DOLLA FIDDY! Well not the two combined. My romper was $3 or sumfin like that.

I had to get a picture of my tootsies, because I actually took the time to make them cool and artsy fartsy like other bloggers. I just couldn't get over them and how they matched my shoes, but if you look closely you'll see all of the poop. The ducks and geese were adorable, but there were poop land mines everywhere. The ducks in that picture were just a talking to each other. I wonder what they were saying. Probably something like, "That's a well dressed couple, I bet they got their clothes for really cheap at a thrift store." Thanks ducks, we did.

I was really proud of how all of these photos turned out. I think I'm still improving a bit and better learning my camera. This makes me very happy as sometimes I can feel like I'm at a standstill. It also helped that I had my mister man around to keep me in a good mood and to inspire wonderful pictures :P. Anyways enough about that. I think y'all already know how much I adore him. Though I'll just say he's so handsome and sweet and funny and supportive and talented...ok now I'm done.

It was so stinkin hot during the day. It said it was only 90, but it was SO humid and there really was no wind. I thought we were both going to melt when we ended up playing put put. Oh yeah the point of complaining about how hot it was was to say that I'm glad we went to the lake at sundown, because it was very much cooler, and I didn't have sweaty boobs. Let me tell you...actually I don't need to tell you, because most of the people who read my blog identify as women, and they know what a burden sweaty boobs are. Ugh. Sucks, amiright? Someone needs to invent little fans/vents in bras.

Well my photo dump is at its end. I hope you enjoyed them. My little heart is jumping for joy, because I am going to get my new Macbook Pro Retina that my Papa bought me tomorrow, and THEN I get to visit Camp Mcdowell this coming Saturday where Allen counsels. How lucky am I? Of course I'll blog about it. I should just change the title of this blog to "I get to see this hot, wonderful guy named Allen and here's where I gush about it."

Till next time,

Jess

The Best and Worst of Times

2013-06-14T05:31:00.003-05:00

Here's a video of me trying my damnedest to learn a few common phrases in Icelandic. It's hard, and as a result there are two naughty English expletives in it, sorry Mumzie. As you all as my witnesses, I will get these phrases down! It is currently 4:45 am, and I could not/can not sleep. A lot of exciting things are happening in my life right now, and I can't settle down and lie down long enough to fall asleep. I have to leave at 7 to go see Allen anyways so I might as well pass the time by making thing post.

All Tied Up

2013-06-12T20:23:00.000-05:00

Wow, thank you all for the great reception I got on the last post. I was afraid that it wouldn't be read since it was on the longer end, but I loved opening up and showing a little more about myself. Every post won't be like that, but I'd like to keep it up. Today was actually a pretty good day despite the fact that all of it was spent in the library. I guess it's a good thing I ended up looking like a bit of an IT guy who shrunk his tie in the wash (I say this affectionately!!). I also got to talk to Mister Man for a whole 57 minutes!! Ah! We had quite the lovely conversation and even though I spent only 20 minutes of it in the sun, I burned up like the crumbs that fall into the drip pan on the stove! (See what wonderful similes you get when you read my stuff? WIN!)

Speaking of the tie though, I saw it in the kids section of the thrift store, and I don't know why, but my mind told me, "Jessica, you must buy it and wear it." "With what?" I asked my mind. "Everything." it replied. So that's basically the story of how I acquired this tiny little clip-on tie that I love oh so much. It'll probably be making more appearances and not really make sense with my outfit, but I honestly don't care. I think if I'm confident enough about it, it'll work itself out. Right?! Right. Maybe it'll catch on, because I'm so cool (heh, right).

Oh goodness, I do have some wonderful news! I get to see Allen Friday...BUT ALSO! I'm going to Iceland and Boston with my grandparents for my birthday possibly! Why is this exciting for you, reader? I don't know...I guess, because you'll get to see totally cool photos and get some neato Iceland facts like: Iceland has more than 20 volcanoes and the energy of the Iceland volcanoes and vents is used by geothermal power stations and supplies the heating to around 85% of all households. WOW! Thanks Jessica! I'm probably mostly excited about the horses and puffins and Kleina pastries, but I'm also excited to have some quality time with the G's (grandparents). Just don't ask me to try and translate/name anything, because holy frijole that is one confusing language (i.e. Svalbarðsstrandarhreppur -No that's not a sneeze, that's a city name). Well that's all I've got for this post. I hope everyone is having a glorious week!

Till next time,

Jess

Feministic Outrage

2013-06-11T18:31:00.000-05:00

Because I'm trying to open up a bit more about myself on this blog, I decided today to talk about something that has very much been a part of my life since I was in Middle School: Feminism. Yup! Since Middle School. I've always been a strange gal with opinions and beliefs different from the southern republicans I grew up around (Not that they aren't great people, just doesn't leave much to talk about). I didn't have a lot of friends because of this (until I found theatre, and the crazy and lovable loons that inhabit it), but I just wasn't going to budge on my opinions and wasn't going to alter myself to get along with a certain set of people. I've always yelled and screamed and cried about how unfair it is that women are oversexualized and undermined, especially with how much I love comics, and delving into that could take up about 20 posts, nay, an entire blog itself (and there are some, I'd be happy to give you names).

I've boycotted many places with overtly sexualized ads of women, and people will say to me, "Do you really think that's going to make a difference?" Um it makes a difference to me? I know other people who stand up for what they believe in and boycott them too, and if more people did this it would definitely make a difference. Even if I was the only one, I'm not going to just throw my opinions out the window for a shitty Hardee's burger when they have soft-core porn commercials with women. I've also heard, "Oh you're just insecure and jealous, because you're not getting the attention." Also, WRONG YOU IGNORANT TWATS! I'm very happy with myself and receive much unwanted attention that I'm afraid to leave my damn apartment sometimes, because I'm constantly harassed. I won't go to any kind of club or bar setting without at least 3 girl friends or a guy. Just today a guy cornered me and asked me to go bowling with him in the LIBRARY!

I have my father to thank for a lot of this, because he instilled in me that I could be anything I damn well pleased, and I was no lesser than anyone or any gender. It's especially wonderful hearing this come from a man (This also helped me to see that there are wonderful, wonderful men out there, including my boyfriend, who want the best for everyone. I try not to be a He-Man Woman Hater like some tend to be). This is what has helped me through my major too. Audio Production classes have 3 females to 30 males...no lie. I've heard comments like, "Well, that'll be good for you! People will hire you so they can look at you!" UGHHH!!!! I could scratch their eyeballs out!!! They'll hire me, because I'm damn good at what I do!

I'm not saying being sexy is bad. I love sexy females. I love feeling sexy! It's when that's all you see. It's when that's all your gender is depicted as-sexy, inadequate, can't do things on her own- that it causes issues. I honestly just want equality. I want to not have to go out of my way to prove myself just because of my gender. I shouldn't have to go the extra leap to prove that I'm intelligent and independent just to make $.70 to every man's $1.00 (It's even lower for women of color!) Anyways. That's my shpeal. I am saving some of this rant for another time. Thank you if you read it. I hope it was coherent. I'm stepping off the soap box now. *Bows*

Till next time,

Jess

My Best Friend

2013-06-11T02:42:00.000-05:00

Allen is a huge part of my life and so I felt like he needed his own post. I've never had someone sweep in and make such an impact on my life as he has. I feel more motivated and confident, and I have him to partially thank for providing all of the support that he has. It's never gone overlooked or under-appreciated even if I didn't mention it. I've never had a partner show me the care that he has, and it is so, so wonderful. It's heavenly being able to relax and know that the person you're thinking about is thinking of you too, and cares for you just as deeply. I have never before had the luxury of standing by and knowing a boyfriend is trying their best to get in touch with me at the time they said they would, and he's at a camp in the middle of nowhere with no service except for on a hill. He brings out the best in me, and I still strive to be even better. I can even see improvement in the way I discuss/argue things which is new territory for me as I have tried this with other people, but it failed for one reason or another.
This guy makes me so incandescently happy. I anxiously await hearing his voice at night and have butterflies the entire time I'm talking with him. Whenever he was still in Murfreesboro, I'd anxiously await hearing his knock on the door, and my heart would jump into my throat as I'd run to the door as fast as I could.
I feel like we make the perfect little support team for each other, and with him by my side I feel as though I could take on the world. Just with this blog he is overly supportive and reads every post and actually enjoys them and thinks they're good. He's the one who gave me the extra push I needed to open an Etsy shop. He believes in me, and I can't begin to explain what that means. He believes in me and listens to me, and I can't get over how lucky I am for that.
I feel as though I can talk to him and confide in him anything, and I can completely relax and be myself. This is why he is my best friend. I would do anything for him and put his needs above mine in a heartbeat, and that's a new phenomenon for me. Sure I'm still selfish and immature at times (and I'm sorry about that), but this is the closest I've ever been to being completely selfless, and he makes it so easy. Sure we fight, we're both so similar that it does cause some butting of heads, but I'm never left feeling unresolved. I don't stay up and worry about it, because I know in the end we both really care for one another, and we will be fine. We're always back to smiling and in each other's arms one way or another.
Allen and I fit together so wonderfully and I count my blessings daily that I *get* to talk to him and be cared for by him. He's amazing and the greatest person I've ever met. His talents and looks are unsurpassable in my eyes. I look up to him and hope to continually be inspired by him for as long as it's permitted. He and our relationship truly are perfect.

Alterations

2013-06-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

Whenever I buy dresses and skirts and shorts from thrift stores, they are 90% of the time longer than what I want. I'm 5'8" so it's not because I am petite, the vintage styles were just longer than what we wear now. I pretty much go through this procedure with all of them. It's simply just cutting off extra fabric and hemming, but I've been asked how I do this, and I am happy to oblige!

First Step: The first thing I do is put on the dress and mark with a pin where I'd like it to hit.

Step 2: Then I measure from the bottom of the skirt up to where I have the pin to see how many inches around the skirt I need to cut off. It ended up being 13.5 in.so I then placed pins all around the skirt at 13.5 in from the bottom.

Step 3: Then I cut a good inch below where I have the pins to leave enough room for error and hemming.

Step 4: Then I fold the end up twice, stitch it et voila!

This is officially one of my favorite dresses I own. I LOVE the color and, as you know if you've followed me for a while, gingham is my favorite pattern. It's playful and perfect for hotter weather, and it goes perfectly with these new mint sandals I picked up from Forever 21 for $8.80. I'm extremely happy with this find. I'm also extremely happy with the fact that I get to see Allen in 4 days AH! Too bad mister is colorblind to orange. I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend and your Monday is off to a wonderful start or end. (Just noticed my button had come undone...woops! Also those are dead flower pedals at my feet...goodness this is just a wonderful mess of a post! =])

Dress: Thrifted-Outreach Thrift
Sandals:F21
Sunglasses:F21
Bracelet: Gift
Hat: Vintage/Grandmother's

Till next time,

Jess

What the Folk?

2013-06-09T14:50:00.001-05:00

I woke up to a wonderful thunderstorm today. The thunder shook the apartment and the lightening flashes danced along the walls. I love summer storms and watching them out of my window. This week Murfreesboro is having the annual International Folk Fest. I've never seen it before so I am really excited and I can't wait to see what it's all about and take pictures! Then I get to see my darling dearest Friday, and you'll hear me gush about that more later so that's all I'll say about that. The sun has popped it's eager head out now, and so I think I will bike down to the square to see if any activities are going on there (Ha! I rhymed)! I hope everyone has had a fabulous weekend. My mood has lifted, and I am very thankful for that.

Shirt: Thrifted-Outreach Thrift
Shorts: Thrifted-Goodwill
Socks: TjMaxx
Shoes: Target
Head wrap: F21
Bracelet:Gift \
Earrings:Gift --All from Mom
Ring:gift /

Till next time,

Jess

Fleurs

2013-06-07T22:48:00.000-05:00

It's just been too hot and humid for clothes. I have to be honest, it doesn't really feel like Summer yet. It could be because I am taking classes though. I don't know, I guess I was just expecting more. I'm in Tennessee, and you can't really take day trips to the beach like you can in South Carolina (we have a pool, but I'm ALWAYS harassed when I try to go to it). I'm also not doing any plays, and no one is here. It's just really quiet. It's not a Summer I'm familiar with. I love my random weekends that I get to see Allen, and it does end up feeling more like Summer when I am with him, but I hope things pick up in the Boro. It's getting to be pretty lonely. Anyways, I don't mean for this to be a downer post especially after the fun one I had yesterday, but this is how I've been feeling. I don't always post so much about personal things on here, and it could end up feeling shallow so I think I'm going to open up more. On a lighter note, I do really love this top. It feels like a pillow case, and I feel so feminine in it.

Till next time,

Jess

Cheeky

2013-06-06T18:59:00.000-05:00

I just got off of the phone with Allen, and so I am in a super good mood (if you couldn't tell by the photos). This week has been going by so quickly since I've been busy studying my fanny off for finals tomorrow. I had 3 week Summer courses, and I'm actually a little sad they are ending already, I really enjoyed them. I am exhausted, but I am feel very darling in this completely thrifted and vintage outfit. The top is one of my favorite finds honestly. I love the jean material and vertical stripes. I would wear it everyday if I didn't want to wear it out. I've been wearing these sandals a lot this week, because they are so darn comfortable, and as I said before, my others were chewed up by a certain pup who I won't name (He knows who he is). I was afraid they were too strappy before, but now that they are broken in they are heavenly. Ok now lets talk about these red shorts. I had high waist red jean shorts last summer, but they are far too large for me now, and I was SUPER excited to find these on the Goodwill rack. This outfit is just super comfortable and makes me feel like dancing around.

Till next time,
Jess

New Listings!

2013-06-05T00:06:00.000-05:00

1970's High Waist Electric Blue Skirt with Buttons<-Click here!

1980s Blue Wrap Dress with Pockets Large<-Click here!

1980s Polka Dot Button Up Shirt with Lace Sleeves Size M/L<-Click here

1980s Black High Waist Jean Cut-Off Shorts Small<-Click

Cockatiel Sings My Neighbor Totoro

2013-06-04T22:09:00.000-05:00

I just had to share with you this little gem I found. I have a huge, goofy smile on my face every time I watch it. It's a beautiful little cockatiel singing the theme to My Neighbor Totoro.

Keepin' Busy

2013-06-03T19:39:00.000-05:00

I got this dress at Goodwill, because I loved the color, the cutouts, and the buttons on the back. It was extremely too large and fit me like a Mumu, and we all know just how flattering those are. I had the idea of making it a separate top and skirt, because I think it looks adorable together and makes for great outfits separately as I've shown below. All I did was cut it in half, fold the ends, and sew it leaving enough room to push the elastic through using a safety pin. Pushing the safety pin through is a relaxing process for me and rather fun (this is a lie, I find it annoying, and I just pretend it's my favorite thing in the world so I can trick myself into thinking I'm having the best time ever).

Anyways, it's a quick and easy process of altering a dress that may not fit quite right. I think it has this nice vintage Latina flare, and I've been really into midriff shirts lately ever since I fell in love with high waist bottoms. I did get worried that I may now have too many crop tops, but then I told myself that was silly, and our summers are so hot that I'll be glad for my overzealous sewing of midriff shirts.

I visited Allen again last weekend in Cullman, and it was not as eventful, but there were so many disasters (i.e. the dog chewing to bits my favorite sandals). I have to say that I love that no matter what happens, Allen and I just laugh at it together and end up closer at the end of the day. We had to leave a lot earlier than I originally thought, and I swear what happened when we were leaving was just like a movie and just like us. We both said our goodbyes and drove off in our separate ways. I ended up turning around, and I'm not really sure why, but I felt like it was something I should do. As I was driving back to the house, I saw Allen driving up to it as well. I laughed and rolled down the window and he said, "So you turned around too?" We then talked for a good bit (more like 4 hours. I cried for 2 of them like a huge baby! Thanks again love for putting up with that.) in a parking lot and then actually left. He made me that necklace in the above photo out of a guitar string, and it's now my favorite piece of jewelry. It's my reminder that he's thinking about me as well while he's away.

Till next time,

Jess

Ave Maria Grotto

2013-06-01T13:19:00.000-05:00

Last weekend when I visited Allen in Cullman, Alabama, he ended up taking me to the Ave Maria Grotto. It is located on the grounds of St. Bernard Abbey, the only Benedictine monastery of men in the state of Alabama founded in 1891. You would never think that something so magnificent would be tucked away in a place I had never heard of before. The Grotto consists of a landscaped hillside of 125 small stone and cement structures, the handiwork of Brother Joseph Zoetl a monk of the Abbey for almost 70 years. Brother took time to construct some miniature buildings using stone, concrete, and unwanted donated materials such as broken plates, costume jewelry, ceramic tile, beads, marbles, seashells, etc. Each structure is based on his work from extensive readings of history and the Bible. Of all the factual replicas constructed, he had seen only about six: those in his home town of Landshut, Bavaria and those at St. Bernard Abbey. All other were constructed from photographs or from printed descriptions.

This little organ was my favorite along with the dragon who lives underneath!

Can you spot the leaning tower of Pisa in the above picture?

In the picture below is the actual Ave Maria Grotto itself. Grotto is Italian for cave and this one stands 27 feet high, 27 feet wide, and 27 feet deep. Brother Joseph built the altar using bits of crushed glass, stone and cement. He also made the stalactites which hang from the ceiling.

How adorable is that chipmunk crossing?!

I'm on my way to Cullman again today, and I'm excited to see what adventures we get into this time!

Till next time,

Jess

Cullman, Alabama

2013-05-29T17:58:00.000-05:00

I had QUITE the weekend. Long story short, my keys were stolen Saturday, and I went nutso trying to find a locksmith and was locked out of my apartment until Tuesday at 12:30pm. This is why I have been absent. The weekend was not all bad though as I got to see my love, Allen, in Cullman, Alabama at his grandparents. Since he is camp counseling in Alabama for the summer, I'll be making random trips down to see him when he has breaks. We visited the Ave Maria Grotto built by Brother Joseph, and it was absolutely stunning. I'll be posting those pictures tomorrow with a better description. Allen and I also went to Smith lake for Memorial Day (which was MUCH too freezing for my blood), and he showed me around some thrift stores. His grandparents were utterly adorable and his grandmother spoiled me with an abundance of good food. The house was so cute (especially the Teddy Roosevelt on the piano) with all their old furniture and country style decorations. My favorites were the cabinets and the couches. I also met their dog Bandit who was the same size as me basically, and is only 18 months. I still have scratches and bruises from rough housing with him. It was a fun filled vacation of 2 days, and I can not wait to see Allen again this coming Friday.

Till next time,

Jess

New Items Added!

2013-05-21T20:24:00.002-05:00

Hey all! I have added some new items to my Etsy Shop, Lillian Sheik! I also now have a Lillian Sheik button that will be making it's home to the right side of my blog that takes you to my shop. (Click on the descriptions underneath to go to the link)

1950s Vintage Antique White Shawl with Flowers<-click!

1980's Cristian Italian Leather Cross-Body Purse<-click here!

1940's Crystal Bead Brooch<-click!

Beads and Bronze Multi-Strand Bracelet<-click!

1980's Mardi Gras Mask Brooch<-Clickeroo!

1950's Leaves and Beads Bracelet<-Clique!

Brass-Plated Ribbon Earrings and Brooch Set<-Click here!

Mardi Gras Mask Earrings<-clickedy click!

Till next time,

Jess