A Time And A Place For Prayer

        

Hi Guys and Gals.

It's good to have some time to get back with you and share some of the wisdom that I've picked up along the way.  Today I'd love to talk with you about something that seems small but can make a MAJOR impact in your life.  Wether it be your day to day comings and goings or the bigger picture of a life in need of depth, quality alone time with The Lord is not only powerful but it's truly possible.  It doesn't have to be you on a hill top overlooking the ocean.  It can be in your immediate surroundings.

        

I was inspired to write this after reading a great article over at RachelWojo.com. (blog link-http://rachelwojo.com).  The title of the post is Creating A Place To Pray.  It's a great resource that will clarify and make simple the idea and concept of finding a little place of peace for your alone time with The Lord.  Click the link below to view the post and come back here an let me know what you think.  Let's discuss...

(post link-http://rachelwojo.com/creating-place-pray/).

To Be A Student Of My Life's Work....That Is My Goal

        

The definition of work is:
(noun) Physical or mental effort or activity directed toward the production or accomplishment of something.

In life we all make it here with a predetermined agenda for our lives.  Some of us may be destined for a career in the medical field while others of us were created to teach.  Whatever your endeavor it should be your goal to be a student of your work.  To learn all that your craft has to offer must be your focus.  Studying how it came to be, who pioneered the way, and even innovations for the years to come are significant to your success.  This is not only true for career choices but for life choices as well.  If your day is mostly spent volunteering with the elderly or even staying home with your children there is so much you can learn to make yourself a better servant of that which you are called to.

                                         

As a homeschooling mom I find that I have to constantly remind myself to research more on the new things and even study history to refresh the old concepts that concern my everyday of being.  It's crucial for my children that I watch their changes and behaviors to stay up with their learning styles as time goes on.  I have to take a few minutes now and then to delve into new makeup and fashion trends and products as well for my makeup business.  As SAHWMs (Stay-At-Home-Wives & Moms) we can get so focused on staying on schedule and remaining in routine that we forget that we can refresh ourselves by freshening our approach.  It's fun for me to do new and different study skills with my oldest son, age 10 (almost 11).  I have him to draw pictures and write silly songs or riddles that coincide with the terms, ideas and subjects of the lesson.  It makes it fun for me and he not onely loves doing it but he retains it almost immediately.

        

Whatever you do make it fun, make it interesting, do it decently and in order and make sure it's what you love.  Work that's not rooted in love is not work…it's torture.

I hope that these little "snaps shots" of the lessons that I learn along my journey can help enrich your life the way it has mine….Until we read again.
~Alana

                        

FASHION FRIDAY: Blue with Black and White

Here it is...

The first outfit that I paired with the boots is a nice royal blue t-shirt and a stretch black and white skirt. I dressed up the shirt with layers of necklaces and I snagged a leather tie belt from a black coat that I thrifted.  The boots are Guess and were thriftedas well. 

Fashion Facts:

T-shirt: WalMart (old);  Skirt: Target (old);  Leather Belt: Thrifted;  Accessories: Various (old);  

Boots: Guess-Thrifted

            

                                            

              

This is my Wonder Woman Pose, lol.

                               

                                         

Have A Great Weekend,
~Alana

Fashion Defined...

Hello My People!
In keeping with the theme of defining the subject matter of this wonderful blog you are reading, here's a post that defines my fashion.

When it comes to getting dressed I consider it an adventure.  For me it's a full on exciting experiance!  Because I'm an über creative artist I love dressing with different colors, textures and fabrics that you may not normally put together.  I have also rarely found an event, circumstance or place where getting "dolled-up" is inappropriate.  We live in a country where we are relatively free to live our lives as we so choose.  This means to me that I am perfectly free to wear sequins to the grocery store and lace to the play ground.  Unless there is a strict dress code for where you are going there is no such thing as being overdressed!  If you're meeting your girlfriend for Saturday morning coffee and you want to wear a suit with rhinestone necklace and patten leather heels, YOU BETTA WORK IT!  There is so much freedom in doing what you want and being who you are through fashion.  Of course you will have those that will either wonder or actually ask you, "Aren't you a bit overdressed?".  However, there will be even more that will silently or verbally confess to be totally inspired to live life out loud by your public display of confidence.  My constant fashion encouragement is, "So do it!"

You mean you feel like wearing a feather boa with your denim jacket and skinny jeans, "SO DO IT!"
You say you'd feel liberated if you paired your sequins skirt with a t-shirt and chuck's, "SO DO IT!"  Throw away your inhibitions and GO! FOR! IT!  You have NOTHING to lose!

When it comes to shopping I am relatively frugal.  A great deal on gently used items at a thrift store fulfills me so much more than a pricey new substitute.  However, please don't misunderstand this.  I am defiantly a fan of the high, high end luxary brands that find their home at the likes of retail icons like Bergdorf Goodman, Saks and Neiman's and my closet will one day be filled with such things.  But for now, in this station of my life, I am way more excited at the potential of becoming debt-free than boasting of owning such gems of fashion.  My husband and I are on a plan to become debt-free by the end of 2014 and I aim to do my part in making that happen.  Until then, I have been so so blessed to find great things at local thrift stores and as products of my sewing skills.  This also means that you'll see me rewearing lots of pieces encluding jewelry and handbags.  It's my goal to simply inspire your creativity for what is already in your closet or an inexpensive alternative.  I wanna show you a realistic, non habit forming (lol), approach to fashion.  So, as you follow along with my journey, keep an open mind to the different ways you express yourself through fashion...economically.

Fashion forward,
~Alana

TEASER ALERT!

Hi Loves!

I'm bringing you another teaser to get you excited about this weeks Fashion Friday Post.  Some of you may have figured out that I'm an avid "thrifter".  I just get soooo excited when I find great items at my local thrift store.  I'll tell you more about that in a later post.

These black boot beauties were one such find at a thrift store I visited while in Louisiana, my birth state.  I'm going to show you a few outfits that I put together with these boots and give you a few tips on wearing boots and super high heels.

Sooooooo STAY TUNED...

                                     

Later,

~Alana

Purpose Defined...

                        

Hello Out There,

I hope that as you're reading this you're experiencing a great and fulfilling day.  If not, you're only one thought away from changing that. ;0)

I wanted to take a moment to lay out for you the purpose of this blog that you are reading and who you're reading about.

My name is Alana Higginbotham and besides my love for God I have many things that make my life interesting.  I am a wife, a mom, a women's ministry leader, a makeup artist and fashion stylist, we own a wellness business, and I homeschool my two sons.  In conjunction with the businesses that I own and my women's ministry experiance I also do public speaking events and am in the middle of writing 2 books.  Whew!!!  Lol, it sure sounds like a lot when you list it all out but even though I wear many hats I don't wear them all at once.  The blog that you're reading reflects all of those facets of my life.  You can't really call it a "Mommy Blog", it's not just a " Fashion Blog" and it's so much more than just a "Homeschooling Blog".  It's a blog about a girl living life with her eyes wide open, her fears vested in God, and a willing heart.  Every post will be centered around what I'm doing at the moment.  

The purpose of this blog is to encourage every woman wherever she is in life.  I feel like, by some measure, I can speak into the life of every woman.  In some fashion, God has allowed me to experiance a vast array of life's challenges and triumphs.  My purpose, much like the purpose of this blog, is to uplift you by sharing my experiences and injecting you with idea that you're not alone.  I truly hope that your life is enriched by coming to know me through my blog.  I appreciate your readership.

                       

Until we read again...

~Alana

Nuggets of Wisdom:

The world would be less violent if people wouldn't leave two Doritos in the bag and return said bag back to the pantry...World Peace Is Possible.

FASHION FRIDAY: Tease No More...Fashion Inspiration

Good Afternoon Lovelies!!!

When trying to figure out what to wear to Word Wednesday Bible Study (church site here, LiveStream here) last week, I stumbled upon an old post from one of my favorite fashion bloggers.  Eboni from The Fashionista Next Door (click to check her out) posted a look wearing a pink scarf as a turban.  And I LOVE IT!!!  I, of course, started to think of what I already had in my possession to pull this look off.  And wouldn't you know it ...I've got a pink scarf!!!!  Since I felt like my scarf was a little to big for the look I was trying to achieve, I cut it in half.  I knew I wanted to add a multi-colored element because I would be wearing a few solid colors.  Sooooo, I thought, "Let's make a clutch from the left over drapery fabric!"  and that's just what I did.
It was frosty out on this evening so I just had to pair my fav purple wool coat, that I thrifted a few years ago for $24, with this ensemble.

This is Mrs. Eboni, isn't she fabulous!!!  Click here to view her post.  My interpretation of her look is similar but not literal.  Though you can't see it here, my shoes are a mid-heel snake skin pump.  Keep scrolling to get a better look of the ensemble.

Purple Real Wool Coat: Thrifted

Yellow Jacket: Lane Bryant (old) Jeans: Lane Bryant Stretch Jeans  Snake Skin Shoes: Marshall's (old)  Clutch:DIY by Me   Necklace:  Vendor Booth at our Women's Convention  

Do you have a look that you've seen that you want to try? Are you unsure how to pull it off?  Tell me about it in the comments section.  I'd love to hear about it!  Have A Great Weekend!

TEASER ALERT!!!!

Hi Guys & Dolls,
HAPPY HUMP DAY!!!

This is just a teaser or "Prelude To A Post", lol.  Stay tuned to the WifeyMom Blog to figure out what these two things have in common.

Pink Turban Scarf

DIY Colorful Clutch-Made By Me

        

Silly Face ;0)

Have a great day!

I Love Color-OOTD

Hey Out There,
I'm keeping it short and sweet today folks...

Teal Top: INC from Macy's-Old   Pants: Lane Bryant (similar here), Belt: Lane Bryant-Old, Shoes: Cole Haan Kitten Heels (Thrifted)  Jewelry: Old,  Watch: Michael Kors-Gifted

I was actually headed out to do some thrifting on this day.  When I initially put this together I didn't want to wear these shoes with it.  But after putting them on I realized they couldn't be more perfect!!  They are a tortoise shell print and I love how well they compliment the entire ensemble.  They add more print to the printed pants and a shine that coordinates with the belt.  The shirt and pants are made of a cotton spandex that makes it extremely comfortable...like wearing pajamas.

  

Love These Girls!!!

Hope you enjoyed todays post.  Are you ever apprehensive about wearing prints?  Have you ever even thought about wearing prints together?  Tell me about it.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Let The Sunshine In...OOTD (Outfit Of The Day)

Headed To Bible Study

Hey Folks,
I thought today would be a great day to add some sunshine!  I'm not sure what the weather is like in your neck of the woods but here it's pretty gloomy, rainy and cold.  It's an official "No School Snow Day" for the school districts in our area so lots of kiddos are home today...but that's nothing new at the WifeyMom house. ;0)
This is a fun to wear outfit that I sported last week for our Word Wednesday Bible Study at my church.  (church site here, LiveStream here)  I got tons of compliments and comments, lol.  Mostly, the ladies mentioned that they would have never thought to put snake skin print with yellow and blue.  The truth is, animal print acts as a neutral.  You can pretty much pair any solid color with almost any animal prints. (We'll talk more about that in another post)
Here's a few more pics of the look and the accessories up close.  Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Balance is the key to life, lol.  I almost fell.

Outfit Stats:Top: George from WalMart (here) (you'll need to wear a cami under it-Lane Bryant (here) Pants/Leggings:Macy's (old)  Shoes:Antonio Melani (Thrifted)  Necklace:Gifted  Watch:Michael Kors (Gifted)  Bracelet:Charming Charlies (old)  Sunnies:YSL Nordstrom Rack (old)

Fashion...In The Unlikeliest of Places and OOTD

                   

Auto Show Ready!

Hello Out There,

I'm coming to you with an Outfit Of The Day post in conjunction with one of my fav fashion outings.  This weekend the Auto Show was in town.  Yep, that's right the Auto Show gets my fashion feathers perked right up.  I'm not sure if this is a common occurrence but at our local Auto Show women really dress up.   I don't know if it's because they are around all the shiny new automobiles or if they're using the "car show girls" as their fashion measuring sticks.  I'm talking 5 inch heels folks...and I was loving it.  So much fashion to see and appreciate.  I made a mental note of lots of fashion ideas.

The icing on the cake for me, and what I usually save for last, is seeing what the Toyota Girls are wearing.  I'm not sure how long this has been a Toyota Car Show booth tradition, but for the last two years that I know of each lady is outfitted in a beautiful new Escada dress.  And it's red!!!  Last year it had a great little ruffle of fabric in front.  This year it had a great little v-neckline with small pleats.  LOOOOOOVE IT!!!!

Jacket: Lane Bryant (old) Cami's: Lane Bryant Liquid Leggings: Dorothy Perkins (Thrifted)  Sequins Tennis Shoes: DSW  Scarf and other accessories: old

This years show was great!  These ladies were funny and I learned that Carla, on the left, has a great blog.  Go check her out at organiclifestyletv.tv  It's all about healthy living and eating.  She's a doll.  Check out Mr. Photo-Bomber in the back ground with his sharp self, lol.

                                               

Here's a full length shot of this years dress.

                                 

And this little red beauty is from last year.  Hubba Hubba!  Love That Dress!

Do you find a wealth of fashion in uncommon places?  Tell us about it!