easter dress

Cute right? That was 18 years ago, on Easter Sunday. 

I think it's pretty fitting that I went with black and white again this Easter. I'm keeping it classy. In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm cheap. Like, really cheap. I bought this dress for $1.00 {thrifted} a couple of weeks ago. The only problem with it was that it was an XXL, but I was confident enough in my sewing skills to fix it. 

I put it on inside out, pinned it up, took it off {carefully} and zipped through it with a needle and some white thread. All better. 

I got tons of compliments yesterday and it made me a tad giddy to know how much I saved compared to most of the frilly dresses I was seeing. Plus, it felt good to get a new dress without breaking the bank. 

It's very possible that I am the only human being on earth who does this, but often I'll see something that costs $10 and think, "Hmm. Would I be willing to work a whole hour for just that item?" {since I make 10/hr} If not, I leave it behind. But when something costs a $1, the question is different, "Would I be willing to work six minutes for just that item?" Answer in this case, "Absolutely." It helps put things in perspective for me.

On a different {but possibly more important} note, lately my husband and I have been talking about our standards of modesty. It's weird how your whole life you push you push your parent's limit and then suddenly you're grown up and you have to think about what you really believe.

There's no specific outline in the Bible. Feminine and modest, but no standard of length or tightness. I didn't want to push the limit anymore, but I wanted to have some outline to help me when I'm looking for clothes {and even for our children as we are raising them}. Here's what we decided. 

Those shorts I was thinking about buying for this summer? They just got longer. That undershirt I hate to wear? It just became a staple in my wardrobe. I see these other women and I think, "Good grief! Put some clothes on! Just because you have it, doesn't mean you should show it off." 

Oh. 

Just because you have it, doesn't mean you should show it off.

Here's all I'm trying to say: I want to dress so that other women don't have to think that about me. I want to dress so that when men look at me they don't think disgusting thoughts. I want to set the example in modesty so that when the younger girls grow up they won't be able to use me as a, "But that's not fair! She's allowed to wear that!!" like I used so many women. 

I'd like to make a deal with you. I'll dress modestly and protect your father's, husband's, son's, and daughter's eyes, but it goes deeper than that. I want you to promise to do the same for me. Deal?