I know that in the fashion world right now, there are many poor uses of these wonderful additions to the “pants” category, but leggings bring great comfort and ease while still looking polished!
Wait. Hold UP. Did she REALLY just put leggings in the PANTS category??
Yes. Why YES I did.
I mean, come on now! Leggings DONE RIGHT look awesome! I’m not talking about wearing TIGHTS with a cutoff top or even a thin cotton legging with a cropped shirt…Seriously ladies. No one wants to see your underwear print… or the dreaded camel toe. Please. Spare us the pain and discomfort.
I am however talking about my FAVORITE way to look chic and feel comfy all day!
Behold! THE LEGGING!
There are 3 things I love the most about a leggings versatility!
1. You have a great diversity of fabric choices, which allows your level of comfort to be maximized. I tend to stick with cotton, but have some leggings in tweed that are great.
2. Perfect for BOOTS! I remember in my mid 20’s when boots made a huge impact on the way my friends and I dressed. Skinny jeans hadn’t fully made their entrance and we would tuck and roll our pant legs into socks to get that fitted feel. No need with the legging!
3. Perfect transition for summer dresses into your fall and winter wardrobe. Most of my dresses are in a classic print or solid color, so when layered with a pair of leggings and some boots, I have an adorable ensemble and I stay nice and warm.
MY CURRENT OBSESSION: PRINTED LEGGINGS!!!
Here is where it gets FUN! I love the new addition of prints because it allows you to stay trending with all of the bright colors, fresh floral designs and my favorite trend right now… AZTEC!!!
These leggings are hitting stores everywhere and are super cozy for the fall and winter months.
In this picture I took a variety of prints and colors, giving some easy examples of how you can wear this trend. I would pair it with a cozy sweater or drapey long sleeve tee and then add any assortment of boot options! Stick with an Ugg style boot for a casual look, or match a calf length leather boot for a touch of class. Toss on a scarf or chic beanie and you have an effortless yet adorable look!
As always, never underestimate the simplicity of some simple jewelry to finish off your look.
Here are 3 different looks with printed leggings!
Soft & Cozy
Classy & Chic
Simply Casual
(all photos from Polyvore at http://rachael-dee-thomas.polyvore.com/)
Getcreative! Have fun and let your own unique sense of style shine though!
Let me know in the comments below YOUR favorite way to wear leggings.
I love breakfast. LOVE IT.
We Are big breakfast believers in our house!
Yet on Saturday morning I wanted something warm, cozy and CHEESY.
(Mmmmmmmmmm cheese.)
So I looked through a couple of casserole recipes and whipped up this beauty! (The hubs is already requesting I make it again!)
SUCCESSSSSSSSS!!! 😉
I affectionately call it my Oooey Gooey Cheesey Breakfast Bake!
So easy and the recipe is so versatile!!!
All the ingredients (except for the cheese) make this recipe Paleo friendly and is a great hearty meal for a cold winter morning.
I chose to include yummy sweet potatoes, veggies, sausage and eggs. AND CHEESE! I love the fact that you could easily swap out bacon, chicken, zucchini, tomatoes, squash, etc! Sky is the limit.
My motto in any sort of cooking is to be flexible and versatile. I rarely follow a recipe to the dot, and always add lots of yummy spices. This recipe will NOT disappoint and is sure to be a family favorite!!
So here we go!
I started out sauteing a mixture of onions and bell peppers.
While those were getting the onions nice and toasty,I chopped up the sweet potatoes and spinach.
Next I boiled the sweet potatoes for 10 min (or until tender) on med high, then drained them one finished.
As the sweet potatoes are boiling, I started cooking the yummy, delicious, smells oh so good sausage!!!
Once fully cooked, I added in the sweet potatoes and veggies, and mixed all up. Doesn’t that look DELISH!!?
After that’s all mixed up make sure you grease your pan with some coconut oil. This way it won’t be permanently plastered to your lovely bake ware 😉
Once everything is ready to go, place the sausage and veggie mixture in the pan and smooth evenly. Then place the egg mixture all over the mix and stirred gently. (I beat the eggs with salt, garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper)
NOW. LETS TALK CHEESE. :)))
Depending on your choice of veggie mixture and favors you choose to season with, get creative on the choice of cheese you use!! Parmesan, Colby, jack or cheddar, GO NUTS!! We chose to use a Colby jack blend and covered the entire mixture with it. Mmmmmm cheeeeeese….. Nom nom nom
Pop it into the over at 350 for about 35-40 min and…
VOILA!!!!! Oooey Gooey Cheesy Breakfast Bake!!!
Well there you have it friends!!! Healthy for a low-carb lifestyle and PERFECT for weekends or CHRISTMAS MORNING!! So simple & easy to make and you’ll have plenty of leftovers!
I hope you enjoy this as much as I did (and my husband raving approval)
I would lover for you to join me for my next post on Clean Eating where I’ll post my famous Almond Meal Meatloaf!!!
Let me know what you think of this breakfast and comment below your favorite early morning meal 🙂
This is the first in a series I am going to be starting on a variety of fun fashion trends, new designs from my handmade jewelry line, as well as interviews with beautiful women in the fashion industry and real women who simply want to create and express their own fashion in everyday life.
Can I just say I am SO excited!
Over the past 9 months since I have launched rachaeldee.com, I finally started walking in a dream and passion that God gave me years ago. Its not just the ability to make handmade jewelry that is trendy, fashionable and affordable that has me excited. Its also the reality that I have met so many artisans who sell their products, fashion or art forms as they fully embrace and exude the beauty that God has given them in their own unique area of influence. This is what makes me excited to do what I love and call it my job!
Art, beauty and fashion, I truly believe is an expression that the God of allCREATIONhas blessed and gifted His people with. It is the unique trades and gifts that are meant to enhance and beautiful His people! For me, designing artisan, hand made jewelry is really about women adorning themselves with the beauty of Jesus and celebrating the fact that they represent the heart of God! The jewelry is just the fun part 😉
I want to take Thursdays as an opportunity to connect with YOU. I want to talk trends, take away points and hear your input on the day to day hustle and bustle of being the best YOU that YOU can be. You might be a stay at home mom, a college student, a working-two-jobs-single mom just trying to pay the bills. You might be some fancy pants lawyer with a gift of justice, a hairdresser or nanny. AND YOU KNOW WHAT!!? Each and every one of you is beautiful!
Each and every one of you have an aspect of Gods beauty to express and give to those around you…
AND I WANT TO CELEBRATE THAT IN YOU!
To start today’s first TRENDSETTING topic, I have chosen one of my favorite Fall/Winter color trends:
COBALT BLUE!
This color trend is a rich, saturated hue of blue that is sure to stand out on any skin tone.
It is seen to be paired well with a steel grey, simple black, white, cherry red or even neutral taupe!
Again, my motto is be bright, bold and beautiful in whatever you choose wear.
Let the daring and dashing side of your personality SHINE through a simple statement piece.
Too scared to use Cobalt Blue as the main thrust of color in your outfit!?
I have some beautiful friends who love to keep a simple, sleek, neutral silhouette while using the trending color in their accessories instead of the totality of their ensemble!
Cobalt blue is a fun, life-giving color that speaks of peace, stability, calmness but importantly of CONFIDENCE.
So this week, open up the door to trying this gorgeous fall color trend and see how it makes you feel, how it improves your confidence and makes you walk with a bit of swagger 😉
Comment below with YOUR best tips and tricks in using this stunning color! I read every response and want to hear your thoughts!
Ok.
So I have a thought and need to know if I am the only one… Or if perhaps, there are many of us in the same place.
My thought is about the importance and value of being JUST YOU.
I’m talking about being ALL IN, no matter the season. About loving FULLY, no matter the heartache. About being all that God has made YOU to be, even when its downright HARD.
YES. HARD!
My heart is reflecting this morning on BEING (who God made) ME (to be).
Just me. Quirks, humor, personality, dreams and desires… ME!
Not comparing myself to my nearest and dearest friend.
Not being what I presume my husband wants me to be.
Not living under the shadow or cloud of who I was a year ago, but JUST BEING ME. Today.
And you know whats amazing about this?
I AM ENOUGH! Just the way I am. TODAY!
Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:13-14, ESV)
Did you catch that? THE WAY IS HARD.
From the mouth of Jesus Himself!
HARD!!? But everyone said that when I came to know Jesus, life would get better, easier, simpler, blessed, money, provision etc…
Anyone heard these phrases? Lived under them? Questioned God when life didn’t go quite the way you thought??
He gave us a tender yet sober warning that the WAY IS HARD… Hard, but so incredibly and deeply worth it.
Shame tries to silence us and make us believe that we are not good enough, strong enough, pretty enough, skinny enough, patient enough or loving enough to truly walk in the fullness of God. Yet the moment we allow shame and condemnation to take even the smallest foothold, we are allowing those lies of the enemy to crush us into despair and a false identity of who God says we are.
The silence and isolation that follow shame are real and debilitating in the process of allowing others to speak life into the deep places of our heart. How then do we crawl out of the pit? How do we walk as God made EACH of us to be!?
My challenge to us all today is asking The Lord what HE sees and thinks of us in every aspect of our lives. EVERY Arena.
Its not about what others think. At the end of the day, God’s opinion of me is the ONLY one that matters.
He is the giver and of life and breathes truth into my weary soul… He gives abundantly when I ASK.
YOU ARE ENOUGH. You are created in His image. You are FEARFULLY & WONDERFULLY made!
My mother always told me growing up that “Hard is not bad, its just hard.”
There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Weeks, months, years of wrestling produce a patient endurance inside of us.
Let your heart be free today to just be you. Thank The Lord for making you EXACTLY the way you are. Take a deep breath (literally) and thank Him for your beauty, your strength, your wisdom, your friends, your family and your eternal relationship with Him.
He is near to you today and LOVES every part about you. Ask Him to reveal a deeper measure of His nature and character today and let the beauty of who YOU are be enough!
Comment below in any capacity you would like to share and let me pray with you, agreeing with the truth that He speaks over you.
These designs are JUST IN TIME for Christmas (which is 49 days away!) OH MY!!!
Some oldies… but goodies! And some are BRAND NEW!
With under 50 days till Christmas, we are getting close to CRUNCH TIME!
As always, I love a good custom order and just made two of my dear friends an earring and bracelet set for weddings they’ve been in! Pictures of those lovely ladies and more to come SOON!
Keep an eye out EVERY Thursday!
I am starting a fall trend series of YOUR favorite colors and fashions!
I will also be posting FLASH SALES and a BIG surprise to the blog that is coming soon!
(all photos from Polyvore at http://rachael-dee-thomas.polyvore.com/)
to the over at 350 for about 35-40 min and…
(Via Pinterest-
(Via Pinterest-
