What I'm Thankful For

Today is a day that can easily be overshadowed by excitement for Black Friday, or even Christmas!

It can also be taken over by itself. The name of this day is Thanksgiving. When you think about this word, do you think of turkey and mashed potatoes, or giving thanks for our blessings?

My mind (I confess) thinks of the last Thursday in November, and I think of....mashed potatoes. (and all those wonderful goodies)

There's nothing inherently wrong with celebrating this day, or eating mashed potatoes and turkey. However, it is so easy to lose sight of what Thanksgiving is truly about!

Thanksgiving is about giving thanks to God for the blessings he has poured on you in the years.It's a time of reflection for us to look back through the years and right now and just thank God for everything. A family tradition of ours is to go around the table and say what we're thankful for.

Five minutes spent on that is enough, right? Uh....no. But once we do that, we seem to think we're covered! Now we can move on to the food, football, and shopping. Uh...no. It's absolutely fine to eat turkey and hang out with family and play games. But we cannot take these things for granted!

So, I'm taking these traditional Thanksgiving activities and trying to turn them into praise.

1. I am so thankful for taste and smell. I wake up this morning and hop out of bed. Thanksgiving, it's finally here! I twirl around my room in my pajamas and fling my door open. Suddenly, my nose is greeted by a wonderful scent. The air smells of spicy sweet paprika, butter, and other spices. I smell the Thanksgiving turkey! Later, we feast on spice-rubbed turkey, mashed potatoes swimming in butter, Parker House rolls, creamy green bean casserole, tart cranberry sauce, crispy-crunchy stuffing, and sweet potatoes covered with sugar, spice, and everything nice. I am so thankful to God for creating all these wonderful flavors and enticing smells.

2. Laughter fills the room, and I start to giggle. It's just another random family conversation, but today, I am not taking it for granted. I soak in every moment of the radiant warmth that only comes from family. We laugh, we cry, we goof around. We talk about the randomest things at dinner, and then become the worst Wii handbell choir on Wii Music. Today, I thank Jesus for providing me with such a wonderful family. I love my leader of a father, my sweet angel of a mother, my comforting sister, my best friend brother, my gentle grandmother, my silly and joyful grandfather, my other hilarious and wonderful brother, and my flower-bringing 'uncle'. :)

3. I eagerly look through the newspaper ads, plotting out my list. I check my budget, I check it again. Black Friday midnight shopping is here! I am thankful for the money to be able to buy Christmas presents this year, and I am thankful for my willing mother who will take me and my sister midnight shopping. I am thankful for stores and Pepsi at 1 AM. :)


That's just a few things, but I am thankful for so many more things. My one thing that I am most thankful for is my theatre group. It has been a real blessing and I am so happy to have you all. I cannot wait to perform "The Happiest Millionaire" with all of you!

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? See you all soon and Happy Thanksgiving!

Fashion and Design...in General.

Well, what can I say? I have neglected my blog once again. *Sheepish look* I am sitting here on this beautiful and snowy Thursday night at 11 PM wondering what to do with myself. I have successfully finished all of my school so I can take a full week off for Thanksgiving Break. Now that I know I don't have to go to bed early, I don't know what to do with myself! So, I remembered that I have a blog....and I decided to post on it. Exciting, ya? ;)

I'm finishing up an online Interior Design class right now and let me tell y'all that I love it! I think I may have found my life's calling, for real. Also, I have delved deeper into it on a more spiritual level. But I'll get to that in a later post.

Okay, my theater group is doing "The Happiest Millionaire" for our spring show! YAY! It is set in the early 1900s, so I decided to research fashion of that era and post some pictures.

Look at this vintage wedding dress! My goodness, I think I'm in love!



Another wedding dress...just look at that satin sash!

Ohmagoodness. Look at that black fabric! I love the peacock-style tail and the intricate detail.


I love vintage everything! Especially vintage fashion drawings like this one.
 
Here's a peek at the dress I bought on my birthday shopping date with my mom and dad a few weeks ago! Don't worry, I wear it with jeans or leggings, and it is longer on me than it is on the model. I wear it with my new lace cowgirl boots! (see below) I just adore lace dresses, so I bought myself this new cherry red one!

Well, these are my new boots! What do y'all think? Thank you so much mom and dad for the wonderful birthday surprise of these boots! :)


 

Happy Early Thanksgiving to y'all and a very early Merry Christmas! I'll do a Thanksgiving fashion post for you guys from my own wardrobe later this week!

Au revoir....for now! :)

Pop Star Prayers

So...I've been thinking about a few people lately, and some things have been weighing heavily on my mind. I've had an idea brewing in my head for a while, and I have finally pinned it down.

Katy Perry used to be a Christian, right? She has a Christian album that was released a while ago under the name Katy Hudson. Now, she's done a complete about face and is the very liberal and worldly pop star that we all know of.


We all have just accepted her as the worldly girl she is now. But shouldn't we as Christians do something other than accept this? We need to be praying  for her! We should pray for her to turn back to God. We need to pray that she will find her way back to God. It is our responsibility to spread the news of the Gospel. We already have a head start on Katy since she used to be a Christian. I've heard a few songs of her on Pandora and she is a talented singer. Her talents could be used for a wonderful purpose in the kingdom of God!

Another star to pray for this week is Miley Cyrus. We all know what's happened to her. Miley - good girl= bad girl. That is who 'she is' now and we've all accepted it as her new persona. But we need to be praying for her in the same way that we should pray for Katy.


Things to pray for:
Salvation for both. Pray that they will come back to Jesus and find light again.

Wise decisions. We should be praying that neither of them does something very irrational that could ruin their lives forever.

Relationships. Miley was engaged to Liam Hemsworth, but that is no more. Katy had an ugly divorce and is still broken from it. Pray that someday they will find true, Christian love. Pray for their future marriages and pray for their future spouses. I will be praying that they will find godly men to lead  them.


What do you think of this new segment? It is easy to write these girls off as products of the culture and famous, good-girl-gone-bad stars. But they are people. They are people just like your sister, your best friend, or your cousin. They need salvation just as much as we do. We are all in need of Jesus' light.

Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whomsoever believes in him shall not perish but will have eternal life."

Tip from the Kitchen!

 Okay, I'm starting a new section on my blog! I call it:Tips from the Kitchen! Enjoy. :)
Well, as an aspiring pastry chef, I finally tried something that could be very useful to me! CHOCOLATE WORK!!

Does this mean I've never worked with chocolate? No! That would be close to a sin....it just means that I tried working exclusively with pure chocolate.

So what did I do with chocolate? I melted chocolate chips (which aren't the best to use because of the wax holding their shape) and then I poured them into a piping bag. I decided not to use a tip this time around (though I might use my fine writing tip next time) but I just snipped off the end of the bag and started piping!

Here are instructions for piping chocolate designs: (I piped footballs because of the game yesterday!)

Melt a handful of chocolate in the microwave. (or over a double boiler if you're bored and have a lot of time on your hands!)

While that is melting, get out a cookie sheet and cover it with wax paper. Take the chocolate out of the microwave. It may not be completely melted after 30 seconds. Once you get most of the chocolate melted, take a spoon ad stir it thoroughly. Then, pour it into a pastry bag and snip off the end. Squeeze with even pressure and pipe designs onto the wax paper! Then, once you have piped all the designs on the wax paper, stick the cookie sheet with the chocolate designs on an even surface in the freezer.

Wait 20-30 minutes (30 for best results) and then remove the designs from the freezer. Take the thinnest thing you have in your kitchen (I used my angled spatula, but a butter knife would probably work too) and gently slide it under your chocolate designs. Transfer them onto either cupcakes or whatever you wish to top with them and...VOILA!

Hope you enjoyed this little tip from the kitchen!

Elegant Blog Award!

Hi gals, (and guys, if you're reading!)

I was nominated for the Elegant Blog Award! (Thank you Aimee, sorry I'm seeing it so late!)
Let's go....

THE RULES

When you receive the award, link back to keepcalmandsparkle1099.blogspot.com and the blog that nominated you. http://dorryelizabethkooper.blogspot.com/

 Display the award button in the post

Answer all of the 12 questions given in this post (Do not make your own questions)

Nominate 12 bloggers

Notify them that they have been awarded     

1. What made you decide to start blogging? 

Well, I started out on Homeschool Blogger because of boredom. Just kidding! Actually, my mom and my sister had one, and I wanted one too, but you had to be thirteen to get on Blogger, and I was only 11, so I got on HSB. I got on mainly to share my writing and photography, and it grew to fashion from there.

2. What's your fashion style? 

I wear a mix of vintage and modern. I love lace, polka dots, and stripes, but I also love colored jeans and modern tops. 

3. What is something none of your followers know about you?

Well, that could be hard since some of my followers are either family or Bffs! ;) Something y'all might not know is that I was born with a hole in my heart, and God healed it! I never had to have heart surgery when I was a baby, praise the Lord! He healed me from it and now I am totally fine.

4. What are some of your blogging goals?

Some goals of mine are definitely to get a LOT more followers, say 50-100. That would be amazing. I would also love to get more comments, because I love comments a lot! Another thing is that I really would love to get is more pageviews. In the way of posting goals, I want to become more dedicated in posting fashion and photography. I'm so sorry that I haven't told you all this yet, but I will not be posting any more of my boarding school book, because I think it will actually be finished and I'm hoping to publish it one day. By the way, the title is PIPER IN PINK. :)

5. Where is your favorite place to shop?

Kohl's!!!!! They have some of the most amazing clothes for great prices, so ya. :) Plus, their juniors' stuff fits me! :)

6. What would your ideal amount of followers be? 

Ideal? As many as I can get! :)

7. What are your talents?

I love dancing, I sing in our worship band at church, I play piano, I bake/frost, I'm writing a book, and I am currently in a theatre troupe! I have an amazing God story about my theatre group, so maybe I'll post it someday. :)

8. Are you a leader or a follower?

I could go either way! I will lead when I need to, but I am content to follow as well.

9. What is one of your favorite quotes? 

Hmm..I don't really have a favorite! Sorry, lame answer....:P

10.  Do you have a favorite book or book series?

I love the Baxter saga by Karen Kingsbury! It's super good. But then again, I also love the Hunger Games and the MDBC series by Heather Vogel Frederick. And Jane Eyre. And Pride and Prejudice. And Anne of Green Gables. I just love books in general...

11.  Out of all the synonyms for elegant, which would you describe yourself with (smart- dressy- stylish -graceful -dainty- fine) ? Well, graceful is off the list...so is dainty....I'm a dancer, but I am a klutz. ;) Maybe stylish. I love fashion and I like to have a smile ready and have a stylish personality!

12. What is your favorite flower? 

Orange roses! They are so gorgeous, especially when the petals dry and they turn red and yellow. 

Now to nominate 12  (however many I can think of!) bloggers: 

Gabbi-@ Aspirations:Aspiring to Inspire 

 Emma @ Musical Books

Nicole @ Reckless 

Primrose @ Fashionable Inspirations!

Aimee @ The Princess Corner  

 

All right, y'all are nominated! See ya later, everyone! 

Dressy+Denim+Knee-high Boots!

Hi everyone,

So....yesterday was church day. We have Saturday night church (which is awesome!) and we are anywhere from shorts and tees to dresses and ties. Our family is the worship band, so we try to dress on the nicer side of things. We still wear jeans sometimes, but with nice shirts. We want to set an example of respect and honor the Lord through our dress during church. This was my outfit from last night!


Sorry for the bad picture, but I took them with my iPhone in the women's bathroom! :P I wore an army green shirt with ruffles that ties in the back. It flows and drapes softly at the bottom. I wore my favorite dark Rue 21 jeans and...
 
.....my new black boots! I got these at Kohl's just last Wednesday. They were originally $52, but my mom had a 30% coupon, so I got them for $35. I have a hard time finding tall boots that fit me because I have really skinny legs, so they're all super wide at the top! :P Here's the link to the Kohl's website so you can see a better pic of them.  http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-1408563/so-tall-riding-boots-women.jsp

 
 My hair is super straight, long, and very blonde (hence the name of the blog!) and so, occasionally, I like to curl it for something different. Several years back we came across these things called Jelly Rollers. You plug them in and they heat up, and then you wrap your hair around them like a normal curler and they snap into place. Once they cool, you take them out and VOILA you have curls! My curls turned out a little crazy, so I flipped them up in a clip. (what you're seeing is about half the length of my hair!)


And then, just for fun....my minion iPhone case. :) My brother and I just recently got a phone, and Mom let us each pick out a case, so Noah went for totally black, and I decided to go for a minion. :) I figured since you can't get a real minion, I'd get a case with a minion on it!

Fashion Stats:
Shirt-Kohl's-$15
Jeans-Rue 21-$15
Boots-Kohl's-$35
Cami-Kohl's-$5
iPhone case-Ebay-$6
Earrings-Gift


Do any of you guys have Saturday night church? Do you like minions? (please say yes!) ;) Au revoir, fair readers!

Fall Fashion, Anyone?

Hi guys, I am so sorry that it's been...forever. :P I've been busy keeping up with regular school, online classes, and my new theatre group! Also, last week I found out that my grandma died, so we flew out to Michigan for the funeral. It's just kind of been a crazy month.

I'm sitting in the airport right now (and have been for three and a half hours) so I figured, what better thing to do than write a blog post! I also wanted to give you a little update on my book...It's coming along at 60 pages, and 27,000 words. I cannot believe what is happening with this book! I think I will actually turn it into something. Also, I've finally given it a title! Anybody care to guess? It is three words long...

Here are the scrambled letters. (in no particular order) PINERINKPIP

First one to answer correctly gets...air hugs and kisses. ;)

Well, should we look at some fall fashion? I love when I get to change out my sandals for my favorite boots, and switch my tanktops to cardigans.

Let's go over the top five must-haves of the 2013 fall season.

1. Cardigans! These easy sweaters button up or zip up. They are a little lighter than an actual sweater, and can dress up an outfit, or simply provide some fashionable warmth.

This cardigan can be found at your local Target for about 14.99. I love the brand, Mossimo Supply Co.!

2. Knee-length boots! They are perfect to tuck your skinny jeans into, or to wear with a dress and leggings. I recently outgrew my old ones, so it's time for a new pair! I found these (below) at Kohl's. I haven't bought them yet because they're about $50, so I'm waiting for them to go on sale. ;)

3. Skinny jeans! (but not too skinny!) I have recently discovered skinny jeans. For one, I wear them because they are the only kind of jeans that actually fit me. But two, I really like how they fit into boots. I buy mine so that they are still a little loose-fitting in the legs. I don't like them if they are tight anywhere on the legs, because that means they are too tight for me.




4. Colorful tanks! We have to have something to layer under our cardigans, right? Plus, we can even tuck the into our pants underneath our cardigan to ensure full modesty of the backside. :) 


5. Jewelry! Whether you want to add a chunky bracelet, a delicate necklace, or some dangling earrings, jewelry is a wonderful accessory to winter clothing. We tend to dress just for warmth, and end up looking like an unfashionable snowman! ;) Jewelry helps add a little trendy sparkle to lighten up the outfit.



What are your top five fall trends? I'll be doing another "Top 5 Trends" post here very soon!

Au revoir!

First day of school!

*YAWN* Hey, guys! Today was my first official day of school! I am now in high school. :) My mom always spices up the first day of school with a little present bag for all of us, and today was no exception! I got blue and green themed pens and paper and stuff and even a cherry Pepsi! Thanks, Mama for being an amazing teacher. I love being homeschooled by you. You are my best friend and I'm always learning new things from you.

My subjects are.....Biology, Algebra 2, Lit Analysis (with Landry Academy), Interior Design (Landry Academy also), Geography, American History, Spanish 4, BBW, and Bible!

Did any of you start today? What are your subjects?

Downton Abbey Fashion

Let's go back to a time when fashion was just as important as it is today. It is a time when dresses were all women wore, and the fashions were more modest. Let's look at some of the fashion of Downton Abbey, shall we?


This scarlet embroidered dress is gorgeous. I wish we still dressed like this! Now, all the dresses are too short to wear. This screams elegance.
 
Edith's dusty rose dress on the left is gorgeous. I love the elegant sleeves, the way it drapes, and the color. Mary's dress in the middle is beautiful. The femininity of the skirt and the sleeves makes it even more beautiful. Sybil's dress is my favorite of all the ones on the show!! I love the color and the style of it. Sybil rocks. ;)


This drop-waist flapper-style gown is cute! I love the sheer strip of fabric that hangs down, and the color is pretty on Edith.
 
Oh my goodness, I love the hats!! Especially Edith's hat. Mary's dress is gorgeous with a light blue pinstripe! Edith's dress is cute and fun and I love the sleeves. I'm not a huge fan of Sybil's belted, collared dress.

Sybil's purple dress is an awesome color for her. The empire waist, 3/4 sleeves, and boatneck top are elegant and simple.

 
One of my favorite scenes ever is this one where Sybil comes down wearing pants! I love this outfit! It is so spunky and awesome. :) The delicate embroidery adds elegance to this sassy outfit.

There's your vintage fashion post, readers. I'll have a new post up very soon! :)

Colorful Living

I was thinking about it the other day, and I absolutely adore color. We truly have a creative God! He has made each and every color! They are all beautiful and unique. They truly can affect moods, too! For instance, would you be happier if you were in a black and grey room or a cheerful yellow one? They are visually pleasing and fun. I grabbed my camera and took a few shots of some colorful things that make me happy.

 Do you know what this strange fruit is? Yellow watermelon! I had never even heard of one until I went to my aunt and uncle's house! It's super yummy and visually pleasing!

 Ahh...fruit is one of my favorite things! And sitting here in this dish, are my three favorite fruits. Cantaloupe, strawberries, and kiwi. :)

Next, I took some pictures of my room. It is my 'happy place'!

 For those of you who have been in my house, you know about the lime green paint. ;) It looks pretty pale in this pic, but trust me, it's bright in real life!

 This is my brightly colored memo board! It was a DIY one, and it was super fun!

 My curtains are turquoise lace. They're elegant, but fun all at the same time!

 Ah, my bed! I love the turquoise and green layers and the white rick rack. Plus, I have a pink laptop! :) (that's where I do all my writing and posting, y'all!)

I don't know why, but I love having fun sheets. These are my new ones from Target, and they're super soft! Plus, they're turquoise and polka-dot! It's always good to have sheets that actually match your room.

So, this has nothing to do with color, but I wanted to show you my minion keychain!!!! He is so adorably cute, and it's my favorite 'style' of minion. :) (combover, short, one eye!) I got him in a Cocoa Puffs box and he is my new best friend. ;)

What colors make you happy? :)

Florida, Fun, and Fashion!

Hello readers! Sorry I haven't posted in a long time...I was in sunny Florida! We went for a week in Orlando and then stayed on beautiful Marco Island for a week. It was a glorious restful two weeks! :) Sorry I left you with no posts, but we very rarely had Wi-Fi and then only on iPhones or iPads which aren't great for blogging! Later in the week I'll have some photos from our vacation. In Orlando, we went to Disney World, and on Marco Island we went for an airboat tour! That is such a great opportunity.

As Aimee's reward, I'm doing a fashion post on Amy Adams! Sorry it's so late, Aimee!


I can't get over how beautiful this dress is on her! It's made of a sparkly sapphire blue fabric and it is perfect! She looks so wonderful with her ivory skin. The cap sleeves are adorable, and I love the cut of the dress.

Oh, wow! This stunningly vintage combination of black and white is gorgeous. The exaggerated butterfly sleeves are cute and the peplum skirt is adorable. Together, they form a wonderful outfit.

 
I think Amy looks good in any color she puts on...this light teal embroidered dress is very pretty and is a wonderful complement to her eyes. I love how it just barely gathers to one side at the waist.

Simple, classic, hunter green! This dress is a marvelous color on her, and I love the gold clutch and strappy sandals.

 

This gorgeous black and white toile dress is so amazing!! I love the black bow and the crossed neckline! The knee-length skirt is wonderful and so are the black accents on the neckline.

Blue is her color! This simple sheath dress with a sheer top is pretty. The sheer fabric should maybe not dip so low, but it is not revealing. I love how the sleeves go back to solid fabric.

This helps all of us to see how you don't have to sacrifice fashion if you want to be modest. In fact, modesty is even more beautiful! Modest clothes can be adorable and gorgeous, but the thing that is truly beautiful is a woman who is modest. Modesty starts in the heart and works outward to everything you do and wear. We need to take a stand against immodest clothing and hearts! We must be the generation that stands out from the world.

1 Peter 3:3-4 ESV 

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

1 Timothy 2:8-10 ESV 

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.

Princess Kate Middleton Fashion!

I've seen so many pictures of Princess Kate, and I think I've fallen in love with her outfits. They are modest, clean, and vintage!

This coat dress is so chic! Add brown tights and suede ankle boots, and it's even better! She looks stunning in brown.
This dress is gorgeous. It has feminine pleats and a belted waist! The fluttery skirt is so beautiful, as is the boatneck top. And her hubby is looking nice!

Vintage vintage vintage! This army button style three-quarter sleeve dress is adorable. The dusty grey pumps are a wonderful touch, as is the hat. As for her husband...no idea what he's wearing!!
 
This sunny yellow dress is bee-yoo-tiful. The puffed sleeves, the collar, the oversized buttons! Ah, it is a breezy spring beauty.

This three-quarter peplum red dress is gorgeous. (as always! The pleated skirt does not make her look prep school either! And the dramatic hat could NOT be pulled off in America. But England? Totally.
 
A beautiful smile, a beautiful dress! I love the dainty grey tie around the waist and the subtly pleated skirt is lovely. I love the speckled grey dress with the inky black pumps.

Wow. This is a lot like what I picture my wedding dress looking like! I love lace sleeves, but I would want the lace to not start until the arms for full modesty. And, I would choose a higher neckline. She looks like a princess (haha!). I love the lace overlay on the skirt and the intricate details on the bodice.

Princess Kate definitely has a good sense of fashion! Can't wait to see the little royal baby coming soon!

The 2008 Grammy Awards!

This is the last Grammy post, and then I will do a review on style evolution of specific people! Please leave a comment with suggestions of people I should do.


Oh look, it's Miss Sassy Plastic Wrap! (a.k.a. Miley Cyrus) This dress looks like it's made out of either a grocery bag, a Ziploc bag, or cling wrap. Two words. UG. LY! Her hair was gorgeous though. Why would you want to cut off your beautiful locks and dip them in a bucket of bleach?
 
Oh wow. The fluffy blue part of this skirt is gorgeous! But the silver part...?? is very much lacking. Beyonce tried to go for a "fierce" look here, but I think she just spoiled the femininity. The uneven tube top is very odd.


Alicia Keys' Grammy dress is a beautiful midnight blue. It is modest, and very feminine. The wide strap halter top is pretty, and so is the side stripe ruching is slimming. The clutch looks like a glasses case!! Or a small pink football.


 
Ohmygoodnessohmygoodnessohmygoodness!! I love this dress on Taylor!! The blue is SUCH a beautiful color on her. I love the almost corset style top and the jeweled, draped skirt. And oh, her hair! So gorgeous.

Rihanna chose a knee length electric blue dress. This color is gorgeous with her dark skin. I'm not too wild about the fringe hanging around the knees. I think it would have looked better if it had been a ruffle layer. Haha! I just looked at her hair and the color of the dress and couldn't help but think "Sonic the Hedgehog!" ;)

Well, that's all for now! Let me know in the comments what people I should review! :)

Voyez-vous demain, des lecteurs !