My Sis is one of the most stylish gals I know. She just has a knack for pulling any look together. She's brave when it comes to fashion choices (a lot braver than I am!). I asked Sis if she might pull a few outfits together from one of her favorite fashion retailers, Free People!

Here's a few of her favorite pieces for a little fall flair. These could also transition so easily into a winter wardrobe! Need just the right top for a Super Bowl party? Or a great pair of jeans for ice-skating? Or a sublimely cozy sweater for those snowy winter evenings? Look no further! :)

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I chose these three outfits since I find each one quite versatile for fall. 

1) You have the tomboy, with her boyfriend jeans, touchdown tee and statement necklace, throwing on her chucks. 

2) And then you have fall classy with a plaid over sized shirt, skinny military pants and her go to well worn ankle boots. 

3) And finally you have your casual gal Friday, with her leggings, drippy tunic and huge cardigan paired with her comfy ankle moccasins.

Obviously the most important part is to dress to impress herself. Find your size, wear what suits you and frankly don't give a damn about the rest!

{outfits courtesy of Free People: We The Free Touch Down Tunic // FP Patched Twill Herringbone Pant // We The Free Wonder Woman Top}

Seeing right.

A few years ago I read Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. I really enjoyed it. And, while I don't agree with every train of thought in it, it's a book I find myself thinking about and mulling over from time to time. I love Ann's challenge to readers to practice thankfulness on a daily basis, not just the faddish pre-Thanksgiving kind of thankfulness. 

I firmly believe that it's possible to practice thanksgiving in every single season of life. If I can't be thankful, then it's a matter of me not seeing correctly. Because, truthfully, there is an un-ending list of gifts God has given and I can recognize...in the hard times, I can be grateful. In the painful times, I can be grateful. In the ecstatic times, I can be grateful. It's a matter of seeing right.

I'm thinking about thankfulness a lot this month, and hoping I can practice it long after Thanksgiving has come and gone.

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“How my eyes see, perspective, is my key to enter into His gates. I can only do so with thanksgiving. If my inner eye has God seeping up through all things, then can't I give thanks for anything? And if I can give thanks for the good things, the hard things, the absolute everything, I can enter the gates to glory. Living in His presence is fullness of joy- and seeing shows the way in.” 

― Ann Voskamp

Pruning.

A few weeks ago I joined my husband and his parents for a little work in the apple orchard. I made cinnamon rolls for the crew before we started work. I think eating cinnamon rolls out of the back of a pick-up makes them even more delicious, don't you?

My husband and my father-in-law got to work digging holes for the apple trees. Digging is hard work. 

In fact, it's also long work. Every hole had to be at least a foot wide and a foot deep. A bit of rain the day before had softened the ground, but the work was still time consuming.

We planted a variety of apple trees...Cortland, Fuji, Granny Smith...we even snuck in two pear trees!

After patting down the soil around the trees, we got to work pruning them. Pruning is a funny thing. It feels wrong to prune...cutting the branches off?! What?! 

Andrew has read a lot about pruning and about apple trees. In fact, one of the first things I loved about him was the conversational way he talked about planting and harvesting. 

He's told me a a great deal about pruning. It is absolutely essential to prune a tree. If you don't prune the branches you can have an unhealthy tree, or even lose the tree altogether. Pruning allows the tree to produce fruit in the future. Our trees will wait several seasons to produce any kind of fruit, but the pruning we did a few weeks ago will ensure a great harvest in the future.

I've been thinking a lot about pruning since our work in the apple orchard. How it's necessary. But, often painful. Andrew cares a great deal about these apple trees. As a farmer he knows that pruning is essential for the health of the tree. He prunes the trees because he wants the tree to thrive.

Andrew prunes the apple trees.

God prunes my heart. 

Andrew wants these apple trees to be healthy.

How much more does God want my life to be healthy? How much more does He long for my daily living to produce fruit? How much greater is His desire for me to be rooted and established, growing into His plans for me?

76th International Gold Cup

It's taken me most of my 20s, but I finally discovered my kind of tailgating...horse racing! A group of us headed out to The Plains this weekend for the 76th running of the International Gold Cup. We brought along a potluck assortment of food...including cheese samples and Pinot! We spent the afternoon relaxing on the lawn, holding our breath during each race and swooning over the stunning parade of hats. 

My husband picked up KFC before we left for the races. It had me tickled all afternoon to be drinking Pinot while eating fried chicken. I can't think of a better combination, can you?