Thanksmas 2012

Since it's the holidays, I'm not taking very much time to post much. In fact, I've refrained from making a blog post since before finals started.. sometimes you've just got to prioritize. But today I will add a few pictures from this year's annual Thanksmas party.
(For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, Thanksmas is a celebration that combines Thanksgiving and Christmas. My Manchester friends do the dressy Thanksgiving dinner potluck style, then change into ugly Christmas sweaters for Dirty Santa, caroling, and other Christmas festivities.)

Happy Christmas, everyone! I hope your holidays are filled with warm feelings and unending cheer!



Does this catch your Pinterest?

Be sure to check out the Darling Dentelle Pinterest board! (A work in progress, sure to be filled with all kinds of goodies soon.)




http://pinterest.com/tinaboo93/



Prepared for Smooth Sailing

As many times as I have begun a blog entry with complaints, emotional struggles, and difficult decisions, I'm finally at ease. I can break the pattern of late and share much lighter subjects today, because believe it or not, things really are beginning to make sense. There definitely are days that hold more weight than others, but I can now look ahead to the future and feel a general excitement about what I hope is in store.
Besides figuring life out, I think getting to be laid back for a change has made a huge impact on my disposition as well. These last couple of weeks have been so easy going! I've been able to enjoy spending a lot of time with my girls, getting coffee together and talking or hitting up Target. I love them so much and have no earthly idea how life would continue without them.



Dress, shoes: Mod Cloth, cardigan: Papaya,
tights: Target, purse: Charming Charlie,
 necklace: gifted



One thing that has got me all about the future is *brace yourself* planning for having a family. Now, "family" is a broad term. It applies to having a career, a husband, a place for my[our]selves that I can decorate and make personal, setting roots... but it also means having children and establishing family dynamics as a whole. With the holiday season slowly creeping up, I've become engulfed by ideas and traditions I want to set for my own family one day. And even beyond the holidays, I think about the kind of things I want to do as a mother on a daily basis. Don't judge me! I just come across inspiration things that I tuck into the back of my mind to save for later (Pintrest is one of the biggest offenders). Thinking about making life exciting and fun for my future kids fills me with joy.

I personally believe I will be an unbelievably cool mom. I will ensure that my house is a lively house, always kept open to friends and parties, a place where my kids' friends feel welcome and people can stop by whenever. At least once a month, my family will have a "get cultured" day where we either go out to eat new cuisine or do something artsy, like visiting a museum or watching a play. I'm also dead-set on making a weekly family day where the chosen family member of the week gets to decide what movie we watch or game we play. It will be a loud household, in a good way, where there is ongoing music playing (or I'm singing) and laughter and conversation. You may think I'm merely talking big talk and that none of this will actually play out the way I intend by the time I have children, and maybe you're right. However, I'm pretty set on making my parenting work the way I want it, and therefore will work very hard for it when the time comes. For now, I'm just a single college student who wants to eventually stuff her children into a large shirt. One day...

This is a similar, yet different, take on the Maiden Braids hairstyle I tried out a few weeks back. I used four strands total, two on each side of the head, rather than a singular piece. Instead of twisting the hair, I actually braided them. Then the leftover hair in the back got pinned up. It was a somewhat lengthy ordeal that took the night before to create, but the outcome was pleasing. The "maiden braid crown" look is refreshing and unique, and I'm rather glad I discovered it.

I am digging fall in Tampa. It's all the cool, sweater-wearing weather without the miserable nasty elements involved. I can comfortably wear layers because I want to, not because I have to in order to avoid hypothermia. Putting on a pair of tights under a dress or skirt, stepping out into the crisp air and warm sunshine... aaahhh. Feels wonderful. I've had so much fun figuring out how to blend my pastel colors (like rose, sage, coral) with fall layering clothes.

Spring prints + darker colors = my kind of fall

The Potential of Palms

Mid terms are done, fall break is coming to an end. Things have definitely settled by this point - not to say that they were particularly unsettled to begin with, just that I had a lot more questions and uncertainties floating around in my brain. Strangely enough, I still have questions and unanswered questions, if not more now than before, that have replaced the old ones. But they are less distracting.. the kind of "wait and see" questions that really bother you but you know you can deal with. Patience is key. I've had a lot of time to think about things, let things go, and put complete trust in God. All in all, this whole life thing is going pretty well.

It's super weird being on campus during fall break. The grounds are DEAD. No joke! I'm fairly certain that 75% of the students have gone elsewhere for the four-day weekend. FC is lacking its daily hustle and bustle. It is not the same place without all the liveliness!

The building I am standing in front of is Hutchinson, or the chapel... perhaps what you'd call the focal point of Florida College campus. The shingles are looking rather nasty, but the triangular roof still stands out for its uniqueness. It's a pretty cool structure.

On the previous topic of fall break, I must admit that I feel conflicted. It doesn't really feel like fall (or that long of a break! haha). That's Florida for you. I mean, the weather has been a lovely temperature. But it's not like you can really tell what the season is by the look of the landscape or anything. In lou of trying to bring fall to Tampa, I've been beginning to take steps in the "autumn" direction. I've busted out some scarves, darker/richer colors, and layers. The good thing about the current weather conditions is that it has been cool enough for some layers; luckily I have thin enough layers to accomplish that comfortably. I'm inspired to do so much, but I'm finding that I am lacking in most of the areas needed when I look in my closet. Where are the quarter sleeved shirts? How do I not have more knits? Jackets? Vests? I utilize my resources, but I can only do so much with what I've got.

 

Top: JCPenny (altered), skirt: hand made,

scarf: thrifted, shoes: Dr. Scholl's,

ring: Charming Charlie



This skirt is the first article of clothing that I made myself. Not altered, repurposed, or changed into something else... completely made from scratch. Like, it was nothing but fabric and some buttons before I sewed it all together. The feeling of accomplishment it woven into its fibers. But moreover, I made it at my grandmother's house with her by my side, guiding me through the process. She works magic with a sewing machine. I'm totally inspired by her work room: so many tools, threads, fabrics, embellishments. She's always making things for her grandchildren (and great grandchildren). I was planning on making several items at her house, but time always got away from me. For now, this light blue skirt is the only one to live to tell the tale. There are some good memories in that skirt.

 

The longer I'm in Tampa, the more I realize what a neat place it is. There's so much out there to soak up, and I'm rarely able to experience anything off campus. Thankfully, I have Erika around for sister-date excursions. She's lived in the area for 9 years and is able to introduce me to some pretty amazing and eclectic stuff. We just completed a day in historic Ybor city: there was a "food truck war" going on, consisting of multiple kitchen trucks from local dining places parked in a lot, selling their food. The weather was fabulous. The pupusas, lobster roll, and apricot crepe, (and oh the pupusas)- delicious. Erika and I spent the day eating yummy food and enjoying each other's company. It was lovely.

After a day like that, I feel inspired to do nothing but explore new things. I wish I could make a month goal for myself, such as, "for this month, I will visit a new part of town every weekend," or, "I will stop by somewhere different before heading home everyday for a month," or, "once a week during this month, I'm going to eat a new dish at a new place." But I'm not here to live it up and eat pupusas everyday. I'm here to go to school and focus on spending as little money as possible. And I'm ok with that to a certain degree. I'm driven to dive fully into college in order to move on with my life, so I find it important to block everything else out until that task is accomplished. However, I am a very adventurous individual who craves the thrill of sinking her teeth into the flavors of a new habitat.

Man. I wish I could put serious life on hold for a period of time, take a break from what needs to be done and do the things that are out there to be done.

Twist it up a bit



Every morning, I wake up and want to get out of bed less and less. With the little time that I have, I try to figure out SOMETHING different to do with my hair other than straightening it, making it wavy, or putting it up in a bun, especially on days when I skip a wash. So I have gone on a quest to find simple ticks to amp up a hair do. Here's number one: The Maiden Twist-braid Crown (from A Beautiful Mess).

It was my first attempt, so it's clearly far from perfect.. but it's definitely a keeper. I got tons of compliments on it all day. It's fun to tell people, "Thanks! I tried this for the first time this morning, and it takes approximately 3 minutes!"

I do believe I'll  have my hair down and wavy with it next time, as in the pictures. But I'm very pleased with how it turned out overall.