Small Town Fashion Staple #1: Boots

 

You can wear them with jeans, you can wear them with skirts, you can wear them with dresses. And heck, out here you can even wear them with shorts! 

I love wearing boots in the cooler months and cowgirl boots are just a fashion staple where I live. When I don't know what to wear, boots and jeans it is! They can take you from the sale barn to a hot date. Cowgirl boots became a staple in my closet when I bought my first pair at 17- they were the cutest pair of Justin's with light pink tops that I still keep because they bring back so many memories! I wore them to school almost everyday and even wore them with shorts to go fishing with on my first date with my boyfriend. :)

This is the pair I wear now. They are Ariat's from Cavenders and very comfty! Received them as a birthday gift one year and love the cute stitching on their tops. The cut-outs give them a unique look. They have a little bit of a heel on them that is very flattering and make my legs look longer with jeans (my secret's out, hehe)! 

If you don't have a pair of cowgirl boots, you need some! The are the foundation of small town fashion and I promise their pairing with your favorite jeans will be the answer to any more of those "What do I wear?" questions. :)

Vintage Pyrex - A Collection in the Works!

There is just something I love about vintage Pyrex. 

How much more cute or more classic can you get? 

After watching my grandmothers and aunts cook with them for years, there is just something in my head that says that if it is mixed in an brightly colored Pyrex mixing bowl, it will not only taste better but make my tummy and taste buds as happy as the bowl's cheerful print. :) They must make cooking more fun too!

I've wanted my own set for years and felt like I had hit the jackpot when my mom, sister and I came across an antique store in Downtown Gladewater, Texas that had a wide assortment of Pyrex pieces and patterns- St. Clair Antique Emporium! If you are an antique glass collector, you should check this store out. They had some really cute 1970s martini shakers that I am still wishing I had grabbed. And I would recommend an afternoon in Downtown Gladewater anyway- it's an antique seeker's paradise.

The pieces I bought are the Gold Butterfly Cinderella Mixing Bowls. From a little research I found that they are a 1960s pattern. And vintage Pyrex collecting is more popular than I would have thought. I found this neat website that has the patterns and pieces diagramed for in case you are trying to complete a set. They also have really cute photos: Pyrex Love

After seeing so many pretty prints and pieces at the antique store, I'm thinking that I want more! Vintage Pyrex looks so fun displayed on a shelf with all of those bright colors and prints popping. Plus, it brings back memories and stories of the women in my family each time I look at it. I can almost picture my Mimi making cornbread with her bouffant hair pilled high when her bright blue Pyrex was brand new.

The Friendship Pattern is what I'm on the look-out for now. It's easily found online, but I think there is something fun to finding it in the store... so more antiquing here I come! :)

Photo of Friendship Pattern Pyrex on Flickr

I know I'm not the only one who I has fond memories tied to this timeless cookware. If you have had some of Pyrex of this style, feel free to share your pattern, your color and your story in the comments section below!

Hometown Spirit

In communities everywhere, things just don't get done unless someone steps up to do them. That is no different in a little town like mine where there is just as much to be done, with few people to do them and limited budgets available. Nevertheless, community leaders and volunteers work tirelessly to make where we live a better place. Last night I attended our community's Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet and I was quickly reminded of the kind of hometown spirit and community leadership that gives small towns part of that unique style I love so much...

These banquets are a true celebration of the town and its citizens. My favorite part of these things is the part of the night when the Chamber gives out awards like the Public Service Award, Community Spirit Award and the distinguished Citizen of the Year. The most precious community members always win. I was looking over the list in my program of past Citizen of the Year Winners I recognized the names of former Sunday School teachers, high school sports' most loyal fans, small business owners, charity leaders. It was really a list of hometown legends.

This year one award-winner got to the mic and said something really simple, but it was said with enough sincerity that it brought tears to my eyes. A very humble recipient who established our town's public library and currently serves as the elementary school principal stepped up to the podium just like she was about to talk to a close group of friends (and, really, she was). Clearly overcome with gratitude and surprised by the recognition she was receiving, she looked out over the Civic Center's full house and shared how blessed she had been by this community throughout her life. Then she ended with the most sincere statement: I love it here- It is my hometown. It was as simple as that. The room responded with smiles and the nodding of heads, because that sentence was something we all could relate to on a personal level, like a simple fact of small town life.

Leaders come in all forms. And around here they simply do things that need to be done, with no glitz and zero glamour. Time and time again you'll see them serving the community out of the pure goodness of their heart.  Great community leaders lead with genuine love. That is one thing I have learned from growing up here. And when I heard that gracious award-winner's words, that love and hometown spirit rang true as I've ever heard it. If that isn't Small Town Style then I don't know what is.

Small Town Style

Small towns have my heart. I was born and raised in one and that little town has helped shape who I am. Six months ago I graduated from college and moved home for what was supposed to be a temporary stay. I planned to be off to law school the following semester, but in what was supposed to be a “transition time” I remembered all the reasons why I loved my hometown and living the small town life.  As I did a little soul-searching, reevaluated my plans for the future and just plain listened to my gut, I decided that law school just wasn’t for me. An opportunity arose to work in public relations/marketing here at home and I gratefully took the position in a heartbeat. Today, I absolutely love my job and know without a doubt that it is where I am supposed to be.  A year ago I would have never guessed that my hometown is where I would live now, but I am so thankful that it is. Don’t get me wrong, I love the city (and you can find me there many weekends) – but small town life is the life for me. I have rediscovered blessings around every corner here that I wouldn’t dare trade for the Uptown apartment I originally had in mind.

I started this blog to spotlight the lifestyle we have here in Small Town, Texas. It’s laid-back, Southern and fun- and something we small town ladies do best. My goal is to show some of the little things that make life out here a little sweeter – recipes, event ideas, fashion tutorials, DIY projects and design inspiration, plus some posts you people from small towns can relate to… It’s going to be fun, so I hope you all come back and read along as we laugh and learn, treasure the little things and show all the city folk how it’s done out here. ;)