Nubian Queen Maxi Dress

It's Sunday.

The weekend is over, and all I really have to say for it is that I wore a pretty dress, because life is about to get hard again.

I'll get to why in a minute, but first, let me tell you how last week went for me. This past week hasn't been hard at work, but I did learn something new about myself. My job is actually making me sick. While I am grateful in this tough economy to have a job that allows me to pay my bills and wear pretty clothing, I now possibly have acid reflux. I figured it was acid reflux when I detected the tase of bile in mouth, and could feel acid burning in my stomach. I think it could be stress related so I've really gotta take better care of myself and try to not get stressed out so much, especially the things I can't control.

To make matters worse, I'm fighting a major spiritual battle that feels pointless getting into because no one really seems to understand. I'm really hoping to break out of this slump soon. But I'm slowly beginning to understand that I going through things will always be hard if I never grow through it. I haven't been the best at accepting help, because I've been let down so much on this journey.

Some of you may not know but I am studying online to become a Marriage and Family Therapist. The material of the programme isn't difficult, but the real struggle is that the programme clearly did not make proper accomodations for students living outside of the U.S. I have been trying to land an internship in family therapy since September of last year, and while there are probably some people who have been looking longer than me, lack of progress is devastating for me. I have been lied to, deceived, given the run around and just plain turned down since I began this search. I have alienated myself from friends, family and God trying to figure out if I was even doing this right thing. I've been on the verge on quitting more times than I'm willing to share. I try to keep it together because everyone tells me to keep fighting, but it really is easier said than done. I had to get that out because I'm hoping that God's test will become my testimony. While I personally don't believe that God sits around creating difficult or impossible situations for us, just to teach us a lesson like your sadistic highschool teacher that didn't have a life outside of teaching, I do accept that things happen that we just can't control that can either make us or break us; and that choice is completely ours to make.

Maybe you're going through a struggle of your own. Maybe you're like me and sick of hearing people tell you to keep fighting and you want to quit to. I am in no position to tell you what to do, as I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to do.

While trying to figure it all out, I'm going to keep busy. (Idle hands are the devil's workshop). So last night, I dug through my trunk and looked at all of the fabric I still have. To be perfectly honest, none of it spoke to me. I wasn't getting any ideas, and I didn't feel like doing anything with any of the fabrics. After going back and forth between the trunk and Pinterest for at least an hour, I settled on a blue African print fabric that I've probably had for two years. I decided to make the laziest maxi dress ever to wear to church today. I figured if it didn't work, at least I would've gotten rid of some of the fabric that's taking up space and preventing me from buying more. I've included some photos of the process in case you want to try this yourself.

I started by laying one of my crop tops over the fabric and cutting around it to make the bodice. (I did say laziest maxi dress ever).

For the bottom, all I did was invert it to the wrong side, and stitch up the side to a certain point.

The hardest part of this whole thing was putting in the zip. I had to make the neckline a little lower, but that wasn't hard.

After that all I had to do was hem and I was done.

(My, it's really hot, and I already lost an earring look)

Everyone in church liked it and couldn't believe that I made it in one night. One of my friends said I looked like a Nubian Queen. So that's what I decided to call the dress.

If you stuck with me this long, thank you. I hope you have an amazing week. I hope that you can look at any setback as a setup for something greater. I hope that you can grow through, whatever you go through. And I hope unlike me, you never forget that God is always talking to you, and only you can interpret that; no one else can tell you God's plan for you. Sometimes we just need take a moment to listen.

XoX,

Olivia

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