Finding joy in the everyday

Part 7: What am I going to wear to work? In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing (1 Timothy 2:9) Whether at home, visiting friends, going to a party or going off to work — we need to wear clothes that reflect our Christian life. This post is as relevant to a stay-at-home mum to one that works.  As Christian working women we must not ignore the fact that the clothes we wear contribute to the impression others have of us. If we wear revealing clothes, short skirts, tight outfits etc.. and at the same time call ourselves Christian, what message are we sending our workmates. Something very confusing.  We are carrying the reputation of Jesus Christ with us, so it is important that our personal appearance never hinders our witness. Whilst it is important to be smartly dressed at work   (or if we are going off to church) we need to make ...

Can a girl have too many shoes? Do you wear all the shoes you own? Do you want more? Do you buy a new pair every season? Due to a foot problem, a young woman was required to buy a comfortable pair of shoes that would help her feet recover and due to the price, bought only one pair. This is what she discovered after wearing one pair of shoes all year: Ultimately, my year of wearing one pair of shoes taught me a few things: that you can learn to enjoy having fewer choices and that, truly, no one really cares what's on your feet. Unless it's especially bright, interesting or ugly, it's background noise. How do I know that? Not long before the shoes finally died, a colleague who'd seen me almost every working day for the past year stopped me in the hall and said: "Cute shoes! Have I seen those before?” Only being able to wear one pair of shoes has changed the way I dress as a whole. Because I physically can't follow some fashions th...

I LOVE bright colours — reds , pinks , orange , blues . So I was surprised to find that not all Christian women believe that we should wear bright colours. Why, because some think it draws to much attention to ourselves and makes us noticed in a crowd. We should be only remembered for our smile and kindness and not the colour of our clothes.  I struggle with this — I don't wear red to be noticed or to draw attention to myself — I wear red because it is a happy colour and it makes others happy. Many people will compliment me when I wear red and tell me that it brightens up their day. I wore a hot pink (modest) skirt to work the other day and everyone loved it— because it was alive and joyful.  Too many people wear black, particularly in winter — I wear black, but always mix it with something bright. We live in a dark world, we need colour to brighten it up, to cheer others up, to bring joy — this is why I wear colour. It has nothing to do with attention-seeking a...

Who loves wearing cardigans? I do—not only to keep me warm, but because they look great too.  If a princess (Mary of Denmark) can wear them and look stunning, so can we!! Cardigans went through a bad patch when they looked more like something your grandmother might wear and not for the young and modern woman. I grew up in the 1970s when my mother knitted me all my jumpers (sweaters) and cardigans - they were practical but not always beautiful.  Cardigans were associated with school teachers or librarians, ladies going off to church. They were seen as sensible and useful but not elegant or sophisticated. A woman of the world didn't wear a cardigan, cardigans were not for women who wanted to have fun or be noticed.  We all recognize the librarian stereotype. The caricature that shows a woman, not especially young, probably a spinster, wellread, humourless, sensibly but boringly dressed – probably in a tweed skirt, cardigan, comfortable shoes, old-fa...

“In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.” ( Timothy 2:9-10) Modest apparel, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing — what does this all mean? Interestedly it means many different things depending on who you ask. For some women it means only wearing skirts and dresses, to others it means covering up but wearing trousers. Some women wear old-world clothing, others go for the modern look.  Some women choose to limit their  jewellery  to the bare minimum, others wear necklaces, earrings, bangles etc... Some women believe that they wardrobe should only contain a few items of clothing, others have no issue with the amount they buy. Makeup can vary from none to lots.  Who is right—this is a very personal issue that we are alone will be ...

Source: Hello magazine As you look through these photos from recent newspapers what is the first thing that strikes you about them ? MODESTY Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge (in cream), Princess Mary of Denmark (in orange) and the Sophie, Countess of Wessex (in blue) are all out at Royal Ascot (the annual horse racing event in Britain) a few days ago and the first thing that hit me was their outfits.  Here are all three modern women in modern outfits that are ALL modest.  The lengths of the dresses are below the knee, the necklines are high and cuts of the dresses are elegant.  Don't they all look feminine and pretty. Their make up is minimal, so to their jewellery. They are all wearing their hair up and it looks  beautiful and sophisiticated.  We too can dress elegantly, modern and feminine and still remain modest in our entire. 

Renaissance Italy provides one of the most striking instances of the shoe’s extreme history. Venetian women of status popularised the wearing of a style called the chopine. These platform shoes were often crafted from wood or cork. And 15th-century Venetian gentlemen were very keen for their wives to wear these extremely high shoes, according to Elizabeth Semmelhack, senior curator at The Bata Shoe Museum. This was because of the way it hindered their mobility – and therefore, the idea goes, they would be less likely to run off with other men. Indeed, very often these women would have to be accompanied by attendants to ensure that they didn’t topple over. Chopines would be an average of around five and a half inches but their height was rumoured to have reached up to 20 inches. As elevations became more extreme, Venetian sumptuary laws were even brought in to address the ridiculous nature of these shoes. In 1430 the Venetian Major Council forbade the wearing of chopines that wer...

According to an article in the Guardian ( LINK ) British women totter about in some of the highest heels in Europe, research reveals. With home-grown celebrities like Victoria Beckham and Cheryl Cole leading the trend, the penchant for sometimes painful stilettos sees an average heel height of 3.3 inches (8.4cm). This compares to an average of 2.4 inches (6 cm) among French women and 2.7 inches (6.9cm) among German women. The Spanish were closer to the British in their love of height, wearing an average heel of 3.2 inches (8.1cm), the survey by foot care brand Compeed found. The Duchess of Cambridge is known for her “nude” 4.3 inch (11 cm) heels which has increased the wearing of stilettos by younger women. I have no idea how the Duchess does it considering the amount of walking she does. They must be super comfortable and soft.  Almost two thirds (65 per cent) of British women cited blisters as a significant source of pain resulting from wearing high heels. Psycho...