Taking Thyme

Envisioning long flowing skirts with a bit of lace below the skirt hemline is such a pretty vision.  Hair loosely pulled up off my face, a nice shirt that suits my body and the skirt perfectly…pretty visions I tell you.

{pretty yellow dress from shabby apple}

Now for the honest part ~

I have one skirt that should show a hint of lace below the hemline but doesn’t because of my body shape, my hair is not long enough to loosely pull it back off my face, and I am not stylish enough to perfectly match much with my body type or my skirt.

Yet I still am wearing skirts.  It was very easy to always pull on a pair of jeans, and a shirt, and I looked like most other people, so I mostly blended in.  Then the journey began… and has joyfully continued.

I began wearing skirts a little over a year ago. 

Wearing skirts was my “start” at being “modest”,

being a “traditional” Catholic wife and mom.

  I had no idea what I would gain from wearing skirts, or what I would gain from reading so much about modesty, Our Blessed Mother Mary, and being feminine.  The path I am taking is one filled with Grace from God to go down this path, this is my path.  I am not implying that one must take this path to find a grace filled life, or to discover what I have. This is my story {disclosure officially done}

My journey has only just begun, but in a year many ideas have floated around my heart and mind as I put on a skirt every morning.

I am learning humility ~ I am no more modest, spiritual, or holy in a skirt ~ it is WAY more than simply putting a skirt on.  Putting a skirt on is the easy part

I am learning silence ~ enough said on that one…

I am learning to have faith ~ that my dress is pleasing to my husband, our Lord and to our Blessed Mother Mary

I am learning patience ~ patience with myself and others as my life has taken a turn that is totally overflowing with Grace, there is no way this journey would have begun without grace from our Lord

So does dressing in skirts mean that I wear denim jumpers? No, although I do have a few denim skirts {one happens even to be stylish}.  I found the Goodwill is a great frugal way to buy cute skirts and dresses to make my wardrobe more feminine.  Being modest is not just about being in a skirt, it is among many other things, being feminine and dressed for your state in life.

My state in life was going to be my ticket to wearing jeans ~ I am a homeschooling mom to a young son, and have a home daycare.  I can’t wear skirts all day, I’m on the floor playing with kids all  day, I’m cleaning and picking up the house all day {I wish my house showed that effort}, I would be uncomfortable…the list could go on and on about how my state in life is not conducive to wearing skirts.  Really? My state in life is about being a strong Catholic loving wife, being a model to my daughter and step daughter of femininity, showing my sons what it means to be a lady, caring for children while their parent’s work.  I am to show these children beauty and order.  I am easily able to show them these things as I sit on the floor with my skirt laying around me, or as I cook meals with an apron on to keep tidy, or play out front ~ believe it or not a skirt still has allowed my legs to move.  Now two years ago, I would have thought I would need to stop my life to wear a skirt daily.  A year of wearing skirts, and my flower beds still got weeded, and my tomatoes still did not grow.  As I worked in my flower beds and garden this past summer I envisioned my old Grandma Jones in her yard and she was not wearing the newest Levi cut.

I have seen the beauty of the little girls I care for

as they hold tight to my skirts as I am cooking their lunch.

  I always get visions of Charlotte Mason in what I envision she was wearing as she was guiding souls and they were holding onto her skirts.

So…will I never wear jeans?  I still own I believe 2 pairs of jeans in my closet.  I put on a pair when I thought a tornado was headed towards us.  As I stood in our driveway with my husband and I had on my comfy jeans, I stood differently, I felt differently.  Again, this is my story.  You don’t have to agree.

I like coming down the stairs and feeling my skirt flow.  I like showing my family that a good skirt has to have a good spin when I twirl.

I like wearing skirts

Wearing skirts helps me to stay focused on what is important to me

For any that are interested, here is some modesty and skirt reading for you…

What Fisheaters says about modesty

Raising Arrows ~ She wears skirts series

Colleen Hammond – “Dressing with dignity”

Catholic Modesty

And for pinterest love ~ my skirt love board