Its Friday! Hurray! And a beautiful one at that! 

What do you have planned for the weekend? I hope its something fun!

So this week was jam packed for me. The beginning of autumn kicks off a busy season in my life, and I have to keep giving myself pep talks so I don’t just stop in a daze! No kidding, sometimes I will even whisper, “Alright soldier, lets keep moving those feet! Left! Right! One! Two!” The cadence seems to help, I guess you could say I’m marching to my own drummer!

In keeping with Fashion Friday, I have lots of things to share and would love your feedback as well. I’ve said this before, I am a late bloomer when it comes to fashion, but here I am! (Same is true for technology!) Can I just say I am having a blast! I realize you may see some of the things I post and roll your eyes and think, “Now that was tragic!” (Sometimes I think Kasey my bloggy doggy is thinking those very words!) But the beauty of this day and age is that we are free to explore whatever fashion we like! So I am sharing the things I find and you can laugh right along with me!

To begin with, I have been so blessed and honored to share some beautiful styles from my sister Stacey! Her husband Matt took the photos at this park a few weeks ago (thank you, Matt! The photos and subject matter are fantastic!) This week we have a really fun statement tee she is wearing.

Her tee says “Espresso Yourself,” from Lemongrass Life and Style, and its in an adorable font and a fabulous light gray color. She is wearing a statement necklace, and a statement bracelet as she leans up against what I would call a statement car! All in all, I think she is making a statement! “Be You! Enjoy your life!”

She and her husband are car enthusiasts, and this is one of their latest acquisitions, a 1940 Lincoln Zephyr Convertible Coupe. It is stunning! I drove behind them to this park, and its a thing of beauty driving down the road!

They see the beauty and value in this magnificent vehicle! Can I tell you, that is what people love about Stacey! She sees the beauty in everyone! Besides being a lover of fashion and design, she is an RN, and has been instilling hope and encouragement in everyone she meets 24/7/365. She is the one the neighbors call when someone is sick, or hurt or just not acting right. She volunteers as first aid at events. She is also just as good at administering first aid to the wounded heart. So her contact list is pretty long… I love her dearly! 

Much more to come from Styles by Stacey in the future! Thank you, Stacey! Your styles are fun and gorgeous, and that is my favorite kind! And thank you, Matt for the beautiful pictures!

I would also like to say thanks to my husband Troy and my son Jake for their help in this week’s pictures! It is truly a blessing to have supportive, kind and loving people around who help you out with making your dreams come true!

This week, I also wanted to begin sharing some winter coats as the styles are out there in the stores now, and I am already looking at them trying to decide if I need a new coat, and what I want. When you think about investing in a coat, its different than other clothing items in that it will be exposed to the elements, and could possibly get more use than any other item in your closet. So your “price per use” index comes into check as it gets used a lot! You want to feel warm, dry and still feel like you look nice! So I am going to occasionally be sharing some of those looks with you. Today I have two black winter jackets to share with you, and I would love to hear your thoughts on them.

Bear in mind it was about 78 degrees and humid when we shot this yesterday, so if I look like a wilting rose, its because I was!

This jacket is by The North Face, and its super soft and comfortable, light weight but trust me it keeps you toasty warm! I’ve never owned North Face before, but I have to say its really a lovely jacket! Seriously, just the feel of the garment in your hands has this satiny silky soft feel to the touch! It feels luxurious!

Next is another black jacket, this one by Bernardo, and another packable jacket.

One of the things I liked about this one is that the hardware has a rose gold hint to it.

It too is very soft to the touch. Both feel equally warm, both have hoods, the North Face one has a slightly more slim fit if you want to decrease on the bulky factor. They are within $50 of each other, both have great reputations. So, wondering what you think?

Next, I have an olive green top with a twist from Gibson. Its toasty and cozy and soft, and I will undoubtedly get tons of use out of it this season!

My bag just went on sale 50% off, $29.98! Grab it if you need one! Comes in black too!

My necklace is a statement necklace with rose gold hints, and it looks great with black, greens, burgundy, cream or blush colored tops.

Why am I standing on the fireplace? To help show you my boots, they have a pointy toe, but its fun, and the heel is nice and thick so I’m not wobbly!

Finally I have a red tee by Socialite. 

Its cute with a denim jacket, and I love that the red is bright, I love cheerful colors!

My necklace is an engravable necklace, and it says, “Blessed”, because that is how I feel every day of my life.

Finally, I wanted to show you this floral arrangement my son brought home from work last Saturday. It was headed to a dumpster, and Jake brought it home.

It was stunningly beautiful and huge! And I was so glad he brought it! Saved from the dumpster! How could you throw something so beautiful away?

As the days rolled on this week, I pulled the roses and put them in a vase, all they needed was a little water and someone to love them! Its kind of what we all need! If we can see the value, indeed the beauty and miracle in each and every human life, and maybe be the person who offers encouragement like the water to the roses, we can actually be a game changer, and people may flourish! Even people who thought they might not ever flourish again! I believe every moment we have on this earth can be one we flourish in!

And every life is worth it! I work with kids in all ages and stages and all walks of life, and its amazing to me how important love and encouragement are for our entire lives! From our first breath to our last and everything in between, love and encouragement makes all the difference in the world! People are worth it, you are worth it. Please know how precious and valuable you are to this world. What you say and what you think matters, its huge.

Just like a single rose can say more than a giant bouquet, each person is precious and treasured for who they are individually. That is the priceless treasure of our earth. You… with your own story and me with mine. And when we can see that in each other, then we can appreciate what a great gift this life truly is.

Please know that even if things have been one big struggle for you lately, you are worth fighting for! And so are your dreams! No expiration date on when you are allowed to have new dreams! Isn’t that a beautiful thought? And then when you actually begin to shift your dreams into plans… then it gets downright exhilarating!

I really do believe no matter what has happened before, no matter your victories, or your failures, there is hope for a fantastic future for all of us! This really can be your favorite chapter!

I hope you have a fantastic weekend! I will be back next Tuesday for another Tasty Tuesday!

Love Always,

Amy

“Writing in a diary is a really strange experience for someone like me. Not only because I’ve never written anything before, but also because it seems to me that later on neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year old school girl. Oh well, it doesn’t matter. I feel like writing.”   Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl