Association Of Catholic Bloggers

When you see someone approach you, wearing a low-cut blouse, showing her “wears,” do you rush to judgment? Do you think less of the woman? Odds are your answer is yes. Now, if a woman approaches you wearing a scooped-necked sundress, cut at the knee, do you even give her clothing a second thought? Or, might you be looking more at the whole person, the persona, instead? This example proves that modesty breeds respect because in the case of the woman in the sundress, no negative opinion rises to your consciousness. Rather, you look beyond the outfit and see the woman for who she wishes to be seen, as someone who deserves respect. Modesty Breeds Respect Embracing the virtue of Modesty not only garners the respect of others, but it also garners self-respect.  How we view ourselves is more important than how others view us. Yet, we tend to place more weight on what others think than on what we think of ourselves.  We believe what the magazines and television ads tell us abo...

Well, even in Kenosha, Wisconsin, they must be wearing summer clothes, by now. At least I hope everyone has tucked away the sweaters and brought out lighter clothing. With the warmer weather, here in North Carolina, I see lots of tank tops and short shorts. In my humble opinion, that’s okay if you’re running errands around town or attending a picnic. But, when I see such attire at Sunday Mass, well, I give a double-take. I try not to judge the person, but I must admit that I question the prudence of the choice of attire. Modesty seems to be lacking. When I see such skimpy attire at Mass, I wonder what the person thinks of God. Does she realize who she is coming to see? Does God’s opinion of her matter to her? Then, I wonder what the person thinks of herself. Does she feel the need to make a statement? “ Notice me, at all costs !” My mind then drifts to ponder if she dresses like that all the time. How much self-esteem does she lack? As you can see, how we present ourselves, in ...

Hi there, ya'll!  The modest fashion world is one very diverse place.  Even among Catholics, the definition of "modest apparel" can vary greatly from person to person.  Recently I joined a Facebook group that advertised itself as a haven for Catholic women of all ages to share ideas for modest style and makeup and was hoping to learn more about modesty from my fellow Catholic sisters.  After a few days of being a member, though, I sadly left the group feeling a bit discouraged.  No two members seemed to agree on ANY aspect of modesty whatsoever, and the prevailing theme of the whole group was that modesty is subjective, it means something different for each woman and each woman gets to decide what she considers is "modest".  One woman very emphatically declared that she wears bikinis every summer to the beach and doesn't feel that this violates the virtue of modesty in the least.  The same woman also announced that she was never g...

Hi there, ya'll! =) I've been MIA these past few weeks because my family and I have been on vacation in Mexico! I am planning to share a vlog of our trip on my YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe so you can see it as soon as it's posted!

Hi there, ya'll!! =) A few weeks ago I made an appointment (haha, just kidding, my mom made the appointment.  Making it myself would require using the phone, and this introverted lass doesn't use the phone unless absolutely necessary) with my doctor to have him look at a strange rash all over my back and legs.  Turns out it was a pretty bad Staph infection, so I have been quarantined in my room for the past couple of weeks with nothing to do but read and search Amazon Instant Video for movies to take my mind off the itching.  One of the movies I tried was the chick flick "So Undercover" with Miley Cyrus (I was REALLY bored, don't judge) and the twenty-three minutes I watched of it gave me a lot to think about.  The main character is a tough, foul mouthed, slouchy young woman who spends her days riding a motorcycle around her town and working as a private investigator.  One day an FBI agent shows up and offers her a job where she would be working undercover as ...

Hi there, ya'll! =) Don't you just love it when your favorite store has a huge sale??? Few things make me happier (okay, that may be a  slight  exaggeration, haha) than seeing an email in my inbox telling me about a big sale coming up somewhere that I love to shop.  A couple of weeks ago, Neesee's Dresses sent me one of those oh-so-happy emails to let me know they were having some great deals to celebrate Labor Day.  I had originally intended to only get one Maxi dress for my family's upcoming vacation, but when I saw all the prices and deals (including TWO FREE DRESSES, YA'LL), I ended up with several Maxi dresses, and two new Midi dresses.  I've never written a haul post before, but I think this will qualify nicely, and I can share some of my ideas for styling each dress with you all!

Hi there, ya'll! =) One of the most common complaints you will ever hear from a woman is "I have nothing to wear!"  Often it is pronounced by a woman standing in front of a closet overflowing with clothing, shoes, and accessories, and yet she still is insistent; she cannot find anything to wear.  We (myself most definitely included) all have our weaknesses when it comes to shopping, and tend to buy certain items impulsively without actually considering whether or not we will ever wear them.  As a result, we have a closet filled to the brim with things that do not match and we very well may never put on.  Having too many options can be overwhelming and prevent us from seeing which options are actually good ones, so if you are one of those women who have "nothing to wear", the first thing you must do is narrow down the list of options.  Anything that you have not worn in the last year simply has to go; if you haven't worn it in the last year, chances a...

Hi there, ya'll! =) I've been going through a slight (cough) Grace Kelly obsession lately.  A friend had me watch "High Society" a few months ago, and I was utterly captivated by Grace's style, poise, elegance, beauty...in short, everything about her.  Her grace (wink) was such a contrast to pretty much every female actress and celebrity today that it really inspired me to try and develop these traits more in myself.  Now, Grace Kelly certainly wasn't perfect, and there are many aspects of her life I do NOT want to imitate, but from reading several of her biographies and learning about her life, I feel I can safely say she possessed many excellent qualities that young ladies of today would do well to imitate.  With celebrities such as Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and Miley Cyrus being paraded in front of all our young women today as examples of "female power" and "strong women", it's no wonder we have all these poor, confused girls ru...

Hi there, ya'll! =) Is there anything easier to style than a black dress? I doubt it.  No matter what "capsule wardrobe" or "closet must-have" list you look at, every single one I've seen has been adamant about one thing: every woman MUST own at least one little black dress.  After seeing how versatile and flattering they are, I can understand why! My family and I just returned from a trip to Kansas City and, even though I had packed other clothes, I wore this black dress every one of the four days we were there, just switching up the accessories and tops I wore with it to make completely different outfits for each day.  I thought I'd share a few of the different ways I've styled it to give you some inspiration for your own LBD! The dress I'm wearing came from a thrift store, but I've linked some of my other favorites at the end of the post to help you find the one that fits your style best. =)

 Hi there, ya'll! =) I realize that wool floppy hats are generally more of a Autumn/Winter accessory, but this weekend the temperatures dropped and it FELT like Autumn, so I thought it would be acceptable.  Plus, it was raining and gloomy most of the day, and this hat protects my hair perfectly.  Sometimes you just have to step out of the box and break some fashion rules to save yourself...and your hair. ;P Sometimes life can be completely overwhelming...actually, it would be more honest to say life is GENERALLY overwhelming.  Balancing relationships, housework, self-care, your spiritual life, etc., is tough, and can keep you so busy and wrapped up in your responsibilities that you fail to actually live your life, which is the whole point behind having all these responsibilities! As important as they all are, sometimes we need to take a step back and evaluate their purpose.

A number of years ago I read von Hildebrand’s Privilege of Being a Woman . To say it was life-changing would be an understatement. Of course, there is a saying that “when the student is ready the teacher will appear” and that may have well been the case with Alice’s book. As a grown woman I can safely say that I was ready for the truth that was found in her words—hence “life-changing.” The problem with life-changing experiences, per se, is that they sort of leave you wondering “Now what? Where do I go from here?” In the years since reading Privilege of Being a Woman I have read countless other non-fiction books that have been touted as “must reads” and yet without exception each has left me feeling a bit empty. Not quite doing it for me. They are okay, don’t get me wrong; but of the caliber of the von Hildebrand book? Nope. And I know they serve a purpose—but I have yearned for something more than a book that seems to be a mere collection of blog articles (as a dear friend ...