What We Wore for Family Pictures

Even though we live in Minnesota (the frozen tundra of the lower 48) I am not a snow person. So I am not sure why I was so set on getting pictures taken in it this year. But at first snow fall we rushed to my Mom house for a new set of family pictures. In this area my Mom and I work well together, I love setting up the shot and she loves taking the pictures (playing with her cameras). Here is what we wore for pictures:

On Me

Long Sleeve Tee: Old Navy

Winter Vest & Scarf: Thrifted (Savers)

Jeans: American Rag

On Mouse

Sweater: Thrifted and refashioned by me

Dress: Target

Socks: Target Woman's socks refashioned to legwarmers

They were part of Mouse's Christmas outfit 3 years ago.

Boots Thrifted

Headband: Claire's or Target not sure

On Steve:

Sweater: Geoffrey Beene
Button Down Shirt: Van Heusen

Jeans: Bass

This one is my favorite picture from the day.

 So this is what we wore for family pictures.

Join the rest of the girls linking up at the

 Pleated Poppy and join us in What I Wore Wednesday.

~ Cassi

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Give a Mouse a Book

If someone would have told me a year ago that I would be taking this picture I would not have believed them. Mouse has struggled so long with reading that I never imagined she would get lost in a book.
Mouse's vision therapy is over now and she is doing so well. She is being to understand why books are so fun. It has been hard for me to watch her struggle, books have always been my escape. To not be able to share this with her caused me such pain.
But when I walked in on this the other night I knew she had made it. She is truly seeing the wonder a book provides so good that you don't want to put it down. To live for a bit in a magical world there is no better way to go off to dreamland.

~ Cassi
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Feathery Hair Clips

We are back from a short holiday break. How was your Thanksgiving? Ours was perfect as always. My Uncle is a great cook. But mostly it is perfect getting together with my whole family. Then Steve and I tackled more house projects and have the bruises and cuts to prove it. All but one door (the cause of cuts and bruises) and one wall have are done. Tuesday the plumber comes out and then we can get the final inspection! So nice to be done.

My craft room is coming along nicely. It will be great to report to crafts made in my new space but for now you will have to continue with crafts made in our living room. And in this case you will also have to put up with horrible pictures.

Last week I showed you some flower sprays using feathers, well while working on that I also whipped up these feather hair clips for Mouse.

I took some vintage buttons I happen to collect. I glued these in a group on the the feather stem.Then glue the lot to a hair clip. Yep that was it. I didn't say it was going to be a brilliant project just a feather project. 

Here is what the two looked like.  

Mouse didn't want to take pictures of them on so you will just have to imagine it.

Cassi

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What I Wore Wednesday - Old pictures

I seem to have lots of pictures from this summer and early fall that haven't made it to WIWW. I thought I would showcase one of those missing outfits from then. Steve and I went to a park during one of our lunch dates and decided to take some WIWW pictures there.

Sweater & Scarf: Target

Skirt: Not sure

These little booties took me months to find. I need the perfect pair of ankle boots and I think these fit the bill.

If you follow my WIWW posts you will realize I wear them often. Because not only are they super cute they are soo comfortable.

Boots: Macy

So that is what I wore one chilly August day. Join the rest of

at the Pleated Poppy and join us in What I Wore Wednesday.

Cassi

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Floral Spray Tutorial

One of the items I saw at The Vintage Gypsy was these great flower and feather sprays. I knew right away our readers here at Bright Forest would love these. Since The Vintage Gypsy doesn't have a shopable website yet I thought I would put together a tutorial inspired by their beautiful floral sprays.
First you need to head to your nearest craft store and pick up a collection of feathers and one larger flower. This is what I came home with.

I decided the white feathers didn't work right with my decor but don't worry I have a tutorial coming up with what I did with those. Now back to the spray you will also need a glue gun and some coordinating ribbon. Start by cutting down your flower to the size stem you think looks nice I did about 5 inches. After that bend your flower towards it's stem so it will sit at an angle once on the table. Then glue you feather grouping to one side of the flower like so:

Now you will take the ribbon and start twisting it down the stem. I started at the top and glued that piece down first like so:

Then continued wrapping until the entire stem was covered. And that is it you are ready to place your spray on a side table. I used mine in this setting with some vintage books. On the other side is my Dayspring pedestal.

Check my links page to see where this is linked to.

~Cassi








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Five Minute Friday ~ Grow

It's Friday time to write for five unedited minutes. I am always amazed at what I write never what I thought I would right about. Join up with the rest of us at The Gypsy Mama. She'll give you the topic you just write.

Grow...

I feel I am at a cross road. Staring at the roads ahead and wondering which way to go. Which way will let me grow?

How do I grow in my trust in God? Do you ever feel like you don't know which way he has planned for you?I am always at that feeling with my career.

Do I keep on the path I am on? If I take that path I will need to grow in trusting him that I will become content in what I do.

Do I keep looking for the path I spent years studying for? Trusting God to find the new career for me.

Or do I take this new path that has been set in front of me? One I had never really considered before. Trusting God to make it financial possible.

Each of these paths will bring about Growth. They will each teach me to trust in God for my needs. But neither option is a bad choice. So how do I know which way God wants me to go.

~ Cassi




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Get a Box - By Mouse

Do you want to help a child in need? Get a box and you can help a child!
Each year the Samaritan Purse group gathers boxes put together by people like you and me. They send them to the kids for Christmas. What a great Christmas present!

You can send the child all sorts of stuff like pencils, toys, soap and anything else you can think of. Except there are a few things you can't send like Army men, because some of the kids live in countries that are in war zones. Some of the kids live in Guatemala or Africa where it is hard to get stuff or they can't afford it.

Like markers to Africa or Pencils to Columbia. Are great for kids who won't normally get this stuff.
Today in Awana club (I will talk about in different post) we talked about how some kids don't know God and we have to find ways to show them.

You can pick a child either boy or girl and you can pick the age you want to buy for. So pick one and make a child happy. Show them God's love today. Hurry this program ends November 21st! You must hurry to help a child in need.
~ Mouse


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What I Wore Wednesday ~ Shorts & Tights

I have loved the shorts and tights look forever. (Honest, I used to wear this look in Jr High, granted it had more of a Punky Brewster vibe back then.) I hope this a more refined grown-up approach to tights and shorts.

This is what I wore to the theatre. Steve took me to see Sherlock Holmes Final Adventure at a local community playhouse. Being a complete Sherlock Holmes fanatic fan I was very excited to see this production. But in being a crazied fan makes seeing remakes hard. I have read all the stories twice (once as I bought them and then once in Chronological order). I can easily point out mistakes and character flaws. But I am ok when companies do adaptations of Holmes, like the BBC version that sets homes in a more modern day setting. Love that one, if you haven't seen it you need to. You can catch the first three episodes on Netflix.

So this is what I wore to the theatre:

Jacket: Thrifted

Tights & T-shirts: Target

Shorts: too old to remember

Booties: Macy's

Necklaces: Gifted and Avon

Earrings: My Great Grandmother's

Oh and did you see the new haircut. I got about 5 inches cut off and had swoopy bangs added. I am still getting used to it. But when groupon offer a $23 haircut, style and deep conditioning treatment you have to go for it.

I did not wear these earring with the outfit since I just got them. But I wanted to showcase them. I got these at my new favorite store, The Vintage Gypsy. I love them.

Want to see what others are loving right now click over to the Pleated Poppy and join us in What I Wore Wednesday.

Cassi

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Remembering to give thanks

 It's almost the end of the month and I haven't done my review on my newest Dayspring product. So here it is.
What is Dayspring you may ask. Well it is the Christian offshoot of Hallmark. But more importantly it have become more than just a product site. It has become a community of Christian woman by starting InCourage. They are really becoming a one stop shop online to get some Christian inspiration.
One of the things they do is each month there is a listing of products they have on sale which normally (like this one) corresponds with the holiday or season.
What can be more perfect for this Thanksgiving Month then a reminder to thank the one who has made all this (the world not just Dayspring or this blog but all of it) possible.

"To Live with JOY is to See GOD's Goodness" How true is that! This massive solid pedestal is engraved with the message that is such a needed reminder.  

Remember I said massive the pedestal is over a foot high and almost a foot round. And heavy the picture online makes it look a lot smaller. Yes, I know it gives measurements but I just didn't visualize it right. But I love the height it provides. I added some fall squashes to mine and put it on the cedar chest in our living room.  

This is what the whole deco looks like with my new pedestal. Head over to InCourage and check out the other deals the month. Or stop by Dayspring and pick up a pedestal for your self. If you go to the InCourage site first there is 50% coupon for the pedestal and the wooden caddy (which is also great).

Please see my disclosure page for deals of this review and others.

~ Cassi

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Vintage Gypsy

The first weekend of November had me taking a road trip to Prior Lake. Cate at Wild Ruffle was holding a Pop-Up shop. I love Cate's fashion blog so I had to go check it out. My Mom decided I should have company for the trip and came with.
The pop-up shop was great. There was a good turn out for her first one in both local designers and shoppers. After we made it through that we decided to tour Prior Lake. Which is much smaller than I imagined. But there is a few shops to make it worth the drive.
My new favorite shop of all time is The Vintage Gypsy. Seriously, I could have bought everything in the shop and been a very happy girl. But I restrained myself and only bought a few goodies (I will show case later this week).

This is what greets you as you walk through the door. Which is a perfect display of lovelies that encompasses the store. The Vintage Gypsy is an eclectic mix of new clothes, vintage / antique furnishings, repurposed decor and new accessories. I bought pair of peacock feather earrings, which were made with metal instead of feathers. I so love them.

These two smiling girls where running the shop that Saturday and graciously let my Mom take pictures of them. The staff was friendly and inviting. Not the typical pushy boutique workers.

This little alcove was were they focused their home decor products. See that HUGE beehive light fixture, those are handmade by a local artist. The also had these cute vintage pots with feathers in them. And some vintage knickknacks like a sweet owl I picked up. It is a pale yellow color so I will need to spray paint it before showing but for $8 I couldn't leave him there.

This was the last vignette in the store as you walked out. Which is where I found said owl. But I also loved the use of vintage books they used through out the store. I will be driving back to Prior Lake just for this store.

~Cassi

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Five Minute Friday ~ Unexpected

It's Friday and how this week is going I am glad it is only five minutes of writing because that is about how much time I have today for this blog.

Topic: Unexpected

It is the unexpected that makes me anxious. The unexpected bill when I crash yet another car. The unexpected price of things that drive up the budget. Those financial things that worry all couples, families, individuals. They seem to be on my mind so much lately.

The more the unexpected comes up the more I earn for the unnecessaries. It's a hold I know he has over my brain,. That I need this or that. Or it's not that expensive. Retail therapy I think some call it. Not that all want is wrong.

But I let it hold in a little too deep sometimes. I let the unexpected financials to eat away at me.

Trust in Him... God will provide for our true needs and the unexpected. That I understand. But how do we reconcile that with our wants. I want a new camera (mine is dying a slow death) and I want a family trip to the ocean this year. Two items that have a death grip on me.

I can give trust to God the the unexpected...now I need to give him trust for my wants. And that my wants are His wants for our family. And to trust if they are not answered prayers.

That maybe there is something else Unexpected out there that is His wants.

~ Cassi


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Things that fit in a SUV

We own a GMC Envoy SUV.  This SUV has hauled many things during the basement project.  Wood of any size, the future vanity, ductwork and lately items I thought may not fit.
We picked up an air hockey table for the basement.  I knew width wise it would be a good fit, I worried about the length of the table.  The day we went to look at the table was a cloudy and at times, rainy day.  I was worried the table would stick to far out the back and get wet.  We lucked out, the rain stopped and the roads dried quickly.  We were able to fit the table in the Envoy, after about ten minutes of pushing it around.  It fit so well we were able to close the back hatch.  The issue was we had to push the front seats as far up as they could go.  Cassi had to drive and scrunched right up to the steering wheel. 
This week we purchased doors for the basement, again I thought, width wise we will be fine, but how far out will they stick?  After way to much time at the store we picked the four doors we needed.  We took them out to the Envoy and started to put them in, we lucked out in the length of the doors did not stretch to far out the back.  All four doors loaded easily and a ratchet strap held the back door of the Envoy down.  Only issue was the dome light stayed on and it was already dark out.  This became an issue when we started down a road and two deer decided to have a conversation in the middle of the road.  I did not see them, more worried about the van behind me, but Cassi did and warned me in enough time to move to the shoulder of the road while they ran off to the other side.
I'm pretty amazed on what we are able to fit into the Envoy.  It has made it so we don't have to borrow a truck or trailer from friends and family.

~Steve

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What I Wore Wednesday ~ Work to Date Night

This week has been crazy! Work is intense. I have to present a ton of reports in the next two weeks. And we have had sparadic internet service at best. But that is not why you came to our blog this morning. You are intertested in what I wore:

Work outfit here.

Sunglasses & Sweater: Target

Tank: Thrifted

Skirt: Not sure probably thrifted

Boots: Bass Outlet

Necklace: Charlotte Russe

Then for date night:

I switched out the skirt for my favorite jeans by American Rag.

Check out all the other girls at

Pleated Poppy- What I wore Wednesday

~ Cassi

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The Bone House - Book Review

The Bone House

By Stephen Lawhead

Here is what the back of the book says:

"One piece of the skin map has been found. Now the race to unravel the future of the furture turns deadly.

Kit Livingstone met his great grandfather Cosimo in a rainy alley in London where he discovered the reality of alternate realities.

Now he's on the run-and on a quest-trying to understand the impossible mission he inherited from Cosimo: to restore a map that charts the hidden dimensions of the multiverse. Survival depends on staying one step ahead of the savage Burley Men.

The key is the Skin Map-but where it leads and what it means, Kit has no idea. The pieces have been scattered throughout this universe and beyond.

Mina, from her outpost in seventeenth-century Prague, is quickly gaining both the experience and the means to succeed in the quest. Yet so are those with evil intent who, from the shadows, are manipulating great minds of history for their own malign purposes.

Those who know how to use ley lines have left their own world behind to travel across time and space-down avenues of Egyptian sphinxes, to an Etruscan tufa tomb, a Bohemian coffee shop, and a Stone Age landscape where universes collide-in this, the second quest to unlock the mystery of The Bone House."

Now to start if you haven't read The Skin Map, STOP! Don't go any further into this book. It will make no sense and becoming quite confusing.

OK, you either still want to read on or you have read The Skin Map. There is still one more disclaimer this is the middle book of the Bright Empire Trilogy. Which is evident through out the book. The Bone House is a jumble of characters, time lines and sub plots that at best tell a small piece of the larger picture. But for the most part they lend to a confusion of the reader. Skin Map ended at a scene where you couldn't wait to read book two because you needed to know what happened. But after finishing book two I am still unsure.

As for the too larger host of characters, I still love Mina's strong willed character. Personally, I wish the story would focus around her more. The male main character Kit is still helpless and annoying but towards the end he seems to finally start becoming a character to like.

Now as a reminder this is a middle book, which means it is a set up book for book three. I felt that this was all this book was. Nothing really happened in the book that made you think like the first one. And the story was too filled with sub plots and extended characters that you lost the focus on the important ones.

I may still read book three but mostly because I read book one and am still left wondering about it not because of book two. I do hope all of it comes full circle in the final book. Or I may never know my answer to the end of book one.

Disclosure: I received this book free of charge from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com blogger book reviewer program, in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. (Disclosed in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

~ Cassi

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I Heart Faces - Photo Challenge Black

Late night entry into the I Heart Faces Photo Challenge. This weeks theme is black.

I took this photo of Mouse on our way to the roller derby. It has been one of my favorites ever since. I love how the black around makes her eyes stand out. I also like that it is not completely centered.

~ Cassi
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Floral Outfit for Mouse

It has been a while since I made Mouse a full outfit. It might have been since her birthday. So last weekend I got to work on three outfits. My favorite of the three was this floral number.  I bought this fabric years ago and just finally got to it.

First I cut out the skirt, just a straight rectangle pattern, twice the width of Mouse's waist. I then added a strip of white satin ribbon along the bottom. Hemmed it and added the elastic. I finished the skirt off with a white backed flower on the white ribbon. Mouse added the tights, they were a perfect match.

Next I took the left over material and cut out some of the flowers. I added a few of them to her shirt with a quick stitch around the edge of the flowers.  I also took one of the flowers and add some white fabric to the back. Then I glued it to a hair clip. The whole outfit turned out pretty good, I think.

Tutorial on the pumpkin topiary from last year is here.

Check out my links page to see where I have linked this up too.

~Cassi

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Five Minute Friday ~ Remember

It's Friday

time to join Gypsy Mama in writing for five minutes on the topic she gives us. Are you ready for some unedited words on

Remember...

I am going to be an Aunt soon. This will be the only other child beyond our own in the family. It's a new experience for us all. And after eight years of one Grandchild my parents are excited to say the least.

But for me it brings up all the bitter sweet memories of Mouse. Those days when people say it goes so fast. And as a new parent you think it will never be forgotten.

Now the years have slipped by. Those memories I thought I would always remember get fuzzy. There grows an ache to hold her, swaddled in a blanket again. To stop the evil time that keeps on going without my approval.

To see this small woman child here beside us makes me almost weep with from lost moments.

To see this small woman child here beside me makes me weep with what is yet to come.

I pray for moments to come that will be remembered.

~ Cassi

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Ode to old shoes

The life of a pair of my shoes has come to an end.  I bought these on the cheap as summer run around shoes.  The soles wore out so quickly that I could not wear them in the grass anymore, I would slip and fall.  But they still look good, so what to do with them.  I know, I needed shoes for working in the basement.  Comfortable shoes that I could slip on and off easily and that I could wear for hours at a time. 

These shoes have hung sheetrock, painted, drilled, put in electrical, installed ceiling tile and sipped coffee.

The life of these shoes have come to an end because we now have flooring in our basement.  Laminate in the craft room and carpet in the main rooms.  No more needing these shoes, socks work just fine.

~Steve


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What I Wore Wednesday ~ Train Station

After seeing all the great photo shoots of fellow bloggers, Steve and I, thought that we should try a location shot for this weeks what I wore. This old (not working) train station is minutes from my work located in the middle of a park. For lunch the other day we headed out to the park to get so new shots.  

What I Wore: Jacket: Thrifted

Sweater & Tank: Target

Necklace: I made

Pants: New York & Co

Shoes: DSW

It happened to be a very cold wet day so the shots didn't turn out the greatest but here is a few.

What Steve wore: Jacket: Thrifted

Shirt: Van Heussen

Jeans: Bass

And the post would not be complete with out a picture of Mouse in her real Halloween Costume. Here she is as a gypsy. Costume made by me.

To see here other costume from this year, click here.

Check out all the other girls at

Pleated Poppy- What I wore Wednesday

~ Cassi

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Book Review - The Skin Map

The Skin Map by Stephen R. Lawhead

Here is what the back of the book had to say:
"It is the ultimate quest for the ultimate treasure. Chasing a map tattooed on human skin. Across an omniverse of intereing realities. To unravel the future of the future.

Kit Livingston's great-grandfather appears to him in a deserted alley during a tumultuous storm. He reveals an unbelievable story: that the ley lines throughout Britain are not merely the stuff of legend or the weekend hobby of deluded cranks, but pathways to other worlds. To those who know how to use them, they grant the ability to travel the multi-layered universe of which we ordinarily inhabit only a tiny part.

One explorer knew more than most. Braving every danger, he toured both time and space on voyages of heroic discovery. Ever on his guard, and fearful of becoming lost in the cosmos, he developed an intricate code--a roadmap of symbols--that he tattooed onto his own body. This Skin Map has since been lost in time. Now the race is on to recover all the pieces and discover its secrets.

But the Skin Map itself is not the ultimate goal. It is merely the beginning of a vast and marvelous quest for a prize beyond imagining.

The Bright Empires series-from acclaimed author Stephen Lawhead-is a unique blending of epic treasure hunt, ancient history, alternate realities, cutting-edge physics, philosophy, and mystery. The result is a page-turning, fantastical adventure like no other." 

This is the first book in the series and with its numerous set of characters you have to start with this one. You first meet Kit on his way to his kind-of girlfriend Mina's home. From then through the rest of this book I don't really like Kit. He is this whiny follower type of guy that just doesn't appeal to me. Mina on the other hand is first told to you from Kit's perspective which is not positive. But through the rest of the book you see her take charge and really lead. As for Kit's Great Grandpa he seems like someone you would want to sit down and chat with for hours.  

The story line takes off right away; I like that in a book. I don't want chapter after chapter of character building, I want to learn about them through actions. Lawhead does a great job with showing the character's true character through the choices they make.

The history shown in each timeline is superb. Watching as each character adapts to their new surroundings, Lawhead makes each era so real. One of my favorite timelines was seeing Kaffe (or Coffee) make such an impression on Prague.  The ending does leave you needing to read book two in order to get some answers. Lawhead does a teaser at the end.

The negative I would have to say is there are so many characters and timelines throughout the book that it is hard to keep them all straight. There also seems to be a few spots especially at the end that seem to jump ahead (or offer no explanation on how they got there) that was a little odd to me.

But over all this was a good read. I have already started book two, The Bone House. It was outside my normal choice in books and was well worth the change in genre.

Disclosure: I received this book free of charge from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com blogger book reviewer program, in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. (Disclosed in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

~ Cassi