TOMS

Hello everyone,

Today I thought I'd talk about my new favorite shoe to wear - TOMS. If you have not yet bought yourself a pair, allow me to point some things out about TOMS.

1- they are amazingly comfortable
2- they are highly fashionable right now
3- TOMS are versatile; they can be worn to work or around the house (I don't recommend going hiking in them, though)
4- TOMS come in a ton of different colors
5- when you buy a pair of TOMS, a pair of shoes is given to a child in need, you get a cool pair of shoes, (along with the status symbol: "hey, I care about the children"), and you get a TOMS flag and sticker! (ok, not the biggest selling point, but hey, it's kinda cool)
6- did I mention they are comfy???

When you decide to buy a pair of TOMS, here are some tips from a TOMS wearer that will hopefully make your purchasing and breaking in process easier.

1- know what color you want, and check the TOMS website to see how much they are. Nordstrom usually has a good selection, but sometimes are sold out of the color you want - you can always get them from the TOMS website. Also, check Zumiez, PacSun and other places that sell trendy shoes. Some places raise the price a bit, so it's good to know how much they normally go for.

2- Get the right fit. If you get a pair that is too big, they will rub the back of your foot and give you blisters. Plus, the "flopping off your foot every single step" thing is really annoying. When you try on your TOMS, they should be a tight fit. TOMS WILL STRETCH!!!! If they stretch, and become too big, you will have the "flopping off your foot every single step" thing going on. I almost bought a size 8 because the 7.5 was so tight, but the 7.5 stretched out and they are a perfect fit now. Also, don't wear socks when you try them on, unless you plan on wearing socks with them all the time. It will change the sizing.

3- breaking them in. The first few times you wear your TOMS, they will be very tight and uncomfortable, but that's just because they are still getting used to your feet. I wore mine with nylons on for a couple times before going barefoot in them. The nylons give your feet that smooth ability to slip those shoes on a lot easier, and it starts the break in process very nicely for your feet. The nice thing about nylons is that they are so thin that they won't over stretch your shoes, like socks would.

4- Decide: socks or no socks. I personally do not wear socks with my TOMS. I love being able to wear them barefoot - its much more comfy to me. However, no socks has a major drawback - your TOMS and your feet will stink! Currently, mine smell like icky feet! It works out though, because I just don't take the shoes off around people (and I avoid going to houses that have a no-shoes rule lol). I have friends who never wear their TOMS without socks. They wear the little footy socks that you can't see when you have the shoes on. Because they wear socks, they don't have the smell problem. I hate those socks, because they always slip down off the back of my foot.

5- save the thingies that come inside the shoe. I have no idea what they are called, but if your TOMS ever get wet and you need to reshape the front of the shoe, these come in handy to have. They keep the shoe from becoming mashed/deformed in the store.

Next time: my white TOMS needed to be cleaned! What I found that worked... And some things I wish I had tried!

100 Things, continued

I had this all drafted and forgot to hit save and lost everything - I think I'll add that to my list of things I hate...

100 Things I Hate

16. Curly poofs (you know, the ones that were sooo popular in the nineties?)
17. Deodorant that doesn't work
18. Patent leather that scuffs really easily
19. White leather boots
20. Platform shoes that are super cute, but the platform makes them about 7 inches tall
21. Getting a run in my last pair of nylons right before church
22. Cleaning hairspray off the bathroom counter
23. Toe shoes (just cuz they're comfortable doesn't mean you should wear them)
24. Man purses
25. Bed head hair (some people wake up with it, other people spend 45 minutes perfecting it in front of the mirror)
26. When I can't find the right color shoes to match an outfit
27. Leather skirts
28. Glitter (the kind that gets all over the church pew and is impossible to get out)
29. Bad posture (I have it, but I hate it)
30. Shoes with tassels on them


100 Things I Love

16. Rubber rain boots
17. Silk
18. poofs
19. Color blocking (think bright! Bright colored shoes, sweaters, skirts - its huge right now)
20. Vintage (especially dresses and suits)
21. Headbands (just not with big diamond or sequin stuff on it)
22. Little girl tutus
23. Little boy suits
24. Black and white shoes for guys (think spats)
25. Polka dots
26. Fabric stores (love em love em love em!)
27. crochet accents
28. Contacts
29. White skirts
30. Huge purses

100 Things

This was inspired by Mrs. Cramer, from Adventures in Odyssey. She is hilarious, if you haven't heard her in "To Mend or Repair," you definitely need to! She goes to an open mic poetry reading and reads her poem entitled "100 Things I Hate." some of the things on her list include: flimsy supermarket lettuce, poems that don't rhyme, children laughing, democracy." Hahaha I love her! I am compiling a list of 100 Things I Hate.
However, since I believe in balance, I am also creating a list of 100 Things I Love. This is written in all jest, and I hope you all enjoy it!

100 Things I Hate by Apostolic Fashion
1. Spandex
2. Slips with slits
3. Cute clothes ruined by rhinestones or sequins
4. Flip flops that cost more than $5 (I mean, really?? They're pieces of rubber!)
5. Hats that make my ears stick out
6. Pimples (they always show up right before a big conference or meeting)
7. Clothes tags that scratch
8. Saggy nylons
9. Cute shoes on the clearance rack that aren't my size
10. Elastic waistbands
11. Sprung bobby pins
12. Uneven hems
13. Greasy lotion
14. Irons that spit water all over my clothes
15. Ill-fitting bridesmaid dresses

100 Things I Love by Apostolic Fashion
1. Converse All Stars
2. High heels
3. Finding a "brand new with tags" skirt at a thrift store
4. Jean skirts
5. Sandals (hallelujah its spring!)
6. Cowboy hats
7. Hot sticks
8. Plaid
9. Dressing up
10. Hearing someone say "omyword I love her outfit" behind my back
11. Scarves
12. Yellow
13. Having someone else do my hair
14. Sunglasses
15. Fuzzy socks

Pictures

I have recently discovered Pinterest, and thought I'd share some fun stuff with y'all.

An ode

An ode to my favorite jean skirt

Here's to you, my darling jean skirt
You've been an amazing part of my wardrobe
Your stylishness conformed to my pastor's guidelines
And you kept me modest and comfy
A find like you is such a rarity
And I enjoyed the time we've spent together
All the conferences we've attended together
The boring college classes we've endured
The comfy "jeans and hoody" days we've shared
All this must come to a close
As alas, you've lived a good life
And you've served me well
You've worn yourself out on my behalf
And you are now wholly holey (and therefore no longer holy)
I'll miss you dreadfully
Love, your wearer for the the past 6 years

Psalm 45

I recently read Psalm 45 in my Bible reading, and it got me thinking. Allow me to draw some parallels to apostolic fashion from this chapter in the Word of God.

Psalm 45:11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for He is thy Lord and worship thou Him.

Psalm 45:13 The king's daughter is all glorious within...

Verse 11 talks about how the king (aka God) desires our beauty! May I draw your attention to three different verses that discuss beauty...

1 Chronicles 16:29 ... Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness
Psalm 29:2 ... Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness
Psalm 69:9 worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness...

Holiness is beautiful!!!! Thank the Lord - that's the only chance some of us have to be beautiful! (only kidding). When we receive the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues, we have the Holy Ghost working in our lives, making us holy! We cannot be holy on our own - wearing a dress and doing your hair the apostolic way will not make you holy. Only the Holy Ghost can do that! I am reminded of that old song, "Jesus on the inside, working on the outside, oh what a change in my life!"

God desires us to be holy! Psalm 34:11 says the king greatly desires our beauty (the beauty of holiness). The reason why we should be holy? "For He is thy Lord." and then it gives us a command, "worship thou Him." The three verses that discuss "worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness" make me think that holiness coupled with worship is pretty important to God. In fact, I have always thought of worship and holiness together being beautiful to God. When we worship Him with a holy heart, He flat out LOVES it!

Psalm 45:13 says that the king's daughter is all glorious within. This tells me that the princess is not simply beautiful on the outside - she is a glorious person on the inside as well! Sometimes we focus so much on looking just right on the outside that we forget about being glorious inside. Let me encourage everyone (including myself) to work on being glorious inside. A glorious-within kind of woman (in my mind) is like the Proverbs 31 woman (who just really amazes me - how does she do all that stuff????) as well as bearing the Fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, patience). Next time you're getting all spiffed up for church or a special date night, or maybe just going to the grocery store, remember to put on your glorious inside, as well as your glorious outside! And ask the Lord for help with being glorious inside - if anyone can make you glorious, if would be the King of Glory!

With love to my glorious/beautiful sisters,
A.F.

The Mall and Perfect Friends

So I haven't been to the mall in forever, since life doesn't always allow for hours-long shopping trips. However, I recently went with a couple friends for a day-long shopping excursion, which included thrift stores and the mall. Walking through the mall and being bombarded with pictures of mostly-naked people and other inappropriate sights made me sick. I decided if I ever have children, I will NOT take them to the mall. Wow - so inappropriate.
There was a girl at the mall (I think she worked at Nordstrom) who was obviously on her break outside the store. She had a mini skirt (2 sizes too small), boots, and patterned nylons on. She was standing outside Nordstrom talking on the phone, and I wonder if she knew what happened next. Three guys walked by, and these guys were like total losers. You know the type - white trash who probably sit at home in their trashed trailer, drinking beer, playing video games and beating their wife. Anyway, the three of them stopped and stared at her for a good 3 minutes - it was nasty. I wonder if she knew when she got dressed that morning that that was the kind of guy she was going to attract that day. My word, if I had guys looking at me like that, my daddy would hit the roof. It creeped me out just seeing them stare at her like that.
On to better subjects.
Any of you have perfect friends? You know the type - skinny, tall and gorgeous? The kind you don't want to stand next to in a picture, because you feel frumpy beside them? Yeah, I have been blessed with several perfect friends. I was talking to one the other day, and she said something about needing to lose a few pounds. I CANNOT be the only one in the world who has heard this from someone who OBVIOUSLY DOES NOT NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT. I really wanted to throw her out a window... but I refrained (only because she was not in the same county as I was at the time). I even have a perfect guy friend. He's the guy that walks into the conference and all the girls inhale at once. I'm friends with him just so I can be popular with the girls ("Who is that??" "Can you introduce me??") A few days ago, I said something about those shirts that you get at camp or a conference that are unisex size and never look flattering. I said "That shirt looks horrid on me," and he said "Well, it looks good on me." I said, "Well, SOME OF US AREN'T PERFECT!" and you know what the brat said? "Oh, yeah... sorry." Grrrr....
Someday, I want to be someone's perfect friend...