overalls.

i remember being in elementary school.

donning my fave gap denim overalls nearly everyday.

i mean. how cool where they?!

well. have i got news for you. 

overalls. are. back. 

and they are cuter than ever. 

check em out. 

effortless. casual. street style. 

the cutest cover up.

i think layered over a striped tee is such a cool look. 

but a jeweled top would make it a bit more girlie.

the cuffs. the heels. so super cute.

but this is my fave look of all.

i adore this entire outfit. 

the slouchy shorts. the striped boyfriend tee.

the straw tote. the round sunnies. 

this ensemble is just overall perfect. 

are you bold enough to rock the return of the overalls?

i have found several cute pairs at madewell. current/elliot. & guess.

love this throwback to the early nineties. 

so cool. 

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when life gives you lemons.

 . . . jet off to capri & drink lemoncello. 

my lips are puckering just looking at all these lemony prints a la kate spade.

how fresh. and breezy. and just wonderful is this collection?!

i would love to be bold enough to wear a scarf around my head.

a pretty little nod to jackie o. 

the sweetest canopy striped top. 

adorable. 

oh. my. goodness. 

if this were to be mine . . . 

i would find an excuse to wear it everyday.

ladylike to the tenth power. 

of all the outfits. this has my name all over it.

the shoes. the pants. the top. the sunnies. 

come to mama. 

sweetly chic. 

just love it all. 

will you don lovely lemons this spring?

or will you just stick to drinking your lemonade?

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it's not you. it's me.

today is the day. 

i am ending a relationship of nine years.

a relationship that has brought great joy. 

but has also brought a heaping amount of not so pleasant things.

yes. facebook. i am talking about you.

i am breaking up with you. 

just know. 

it's not you. it's me. 

i know. i know. that is so cliche.

but it is so true. 

you are great. and so very popular.

you are entertaining. you are always there for me.

you never leave my side. you always let me say what i want to say.

you make me laugh. you have a ton of emotions. 

but . . . .

it is time that we part ways. 

for good. 

au revoir. facebook.

*****

i have had several people ask me why i am getting off facebook.

& so i am here to share with you why i made this decision.

you see. 

for me. facebook brings more bad than good. 

dramatic i know. but hear me out. 

i have three very good reasons. 

reason number one.

i waste entirely too much time reading the news feed. 

whenever i have a free minute at home. i check it.

when stopped at a red light. i check it.

when laying in bed at night. i check it. 

when i am with other people. i check it. 

ugh. 

this compulsive checking of facebook is driving me nuts. 

it is like i am looking for something. but what am i really looking for?!

i am spending too much time watching what other people are doing.

that i am missing out on precious moments in my little life. 

moments that could be filled with wonderful things.

cooking. baking. reading. praying. organizing. bike riding. walking.

simply put. 

i do not want one more minute of my life wasted reading facebook. 

i want to live life. love people. & be completely present in every moment.

reason number two.

being on facebook sometimes makes me sad.

i feel that it is easy to get hurt feelings when i am on facebook.

i may just be overly sensitive. but if i were a betting girl. i would bet you can relate.

the news feed is filled with pictures of people having tremendous amounts of fun. 

going to parties. hanging with tons of friends. traveling with other couples. 

living the perfect life. loving the perfect spouse. being the perfect mother.

and if i am being honest. 

i feel lonely sometimes when i see that. 

i feel inadequate because it prompts comparison . . .

which we all know is the thief of joy. 

instead of relishing in the utter joy of my life. my marriage. my friendships. 

i sometimes find myself feeling discontent when reading facebook.

instead of allowing this cycle to continue. 

i would rather not read Facebook.

i would rather thrive in my happy. wonderful life. 

it may not be facebook perfect like everyone elses seems to be . . .

but it will certainly be filled with love beyond measure. 

reason number three. 

for me. facebook is such an unnatural way to socialize. 

it takes away all of the genuine communication. making it too easy to stay in touch.

it takes away all of the vulnerability of an honest & open friendship. 

it glorifies the happy times & sweeps the realness of life under the rug. 

creating socialization that is just all wrong. 

socialization that goes against the very heart of what it should be. 

maybe i am too traditional. too old fashioned.

but i am going to stick to socializing the way we did before facebook came along. 

that just feels natural to me. 

so. there you have it. 

that is why i believe breaking up with facebook is the best answer for me. 

i am sure i will miss being in the know of where everyone is checking in . . .

but i highly doubt it. 

{please do subscribe by email to get new post updates. you can do so on the right side of the blog}

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divergent chic.

i am dying over these images from instyle mag.

the stars of divergent are beyond chic in every possible way.

take a peak. 

how stunning are they?

and that backdrop ain't too shabby either.

love. love. love. 

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garance for rifle paper.

i cannot even begin to tell you how thrilled i am about this collaboration.

two of my faves. partnering up together. to make fab paper goods.

garance dore for rifle paper company is sheer brilliance.

you may remember this past post.

when garance & kate spade partnered up together.

it was beyond fantastic . . . so i have no doubt this new mix up 

will be equally as wonderful. 

i mean. it just simply cannot get better than

paper goods. black & white. with a dash of frenchie chic. 

counting down the minutes till i get my hands on these goodies!

c'est si bon. indeedie. 

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tales from the crib.

one of the things i love most about parenting

is the fact that as a mom & dad . . . we get to choose how to raise our baby.

we get to make decisions daily in regards to how we do things.

sometimes these decisions can be tough. other times the right choice is a no brainer.

whether easy or hard. fun or difficult. trendy or original.

there are lots of decisions to be made when it comes to raising a baby. 

to breastfeed or formula feed?

to use cloth diapers or regular diapers?

to make baby food or buy baby food?

to follow baby wise or have a loose schedule?

to let your baby cry it out or immediately rescue?

if i am being completely honest . . .

i have wavered on each of those decisions.

{ok maybe not the cloth diapering. that was never an option in my book}

but the other ones. i have totally dabbled on both sides. 

i wanted badly to breastfeed. but i did not produce milk.

i had to learn to be ok with formula feeding.

and i am totally ok with that now.

i have steamed. roasted. mashed. pureed. & mixed 

all the organic produce you can imagine. 

but go figure. patrick likes baby food from a jar much better. 

so i feed him both. 

i have tried to be diligent in following a very systematic schedule.

but quickly learned that i am not a systematic schedule person.

so our mornings are very routine. & our afternoons are very much not routine.

but it works for me. it works for baby. its a win-win. 

& of course. 

i have been the mother that sets her babe down in the crib.

screaming. wailing. sobbing. totally crying it out to the tenth power.

but i have also been the mother whose heart hurts when her baby cries that way.

and i rescue. i comfort. i let the baby win. 

with all that wishy-washiness of decision making.

there is one decision that lovie & i have made that we have never wavered on.

baby patrick has slept in his crib. 

in his nursery. 

down the hallway. 

all alone.

since literally day three. 

& we are quite pleased with that.

don't get me wrong.
the thought of co-sleeping sounds so sweet.

and those first few weeks i slept with one eye open. staring at the baby monitor.
watching to see that chubby belly go up . . . and down . . . and up again.

& there have been many nights that i have whispered
let's have patrick sleep with us tonight.

but we haven't. and we won't. 
and i can't tell you what a blessing that has been.

it has been a blessing in many ways. not just for the most obvious reasons.
like private time for mama & dada. tv watching. not having to tip toe around.
but also for little surprises that have brought so much joy to us.

patrick's crib has become a safe haven for him.
somewhere that he feels completely comfortable & secure.

we have filled his crib with soft books. a few rattles. & stuffed animals.
just a few of his most favorite things.
so when he wakes up . . . instead of feeling alone . . .
he reaches for one of his things to entertain himself. 

the same is true before he is going down for a nap.
he has books to look at. and toys to play with. until he dozes off. 

i just love the fact that he enjoys being in his crib.

and then there is the complete & utter enjoyment of watching him wake up on the monitor.

it is by far one of the sweetest things i have ever seen or heard.

since he does not see mama or dada the second his baby blues open.

he finds ways to entertain himself as he is rising from his slumber.

he coos. he tries to talk. he rolls around. he rocks back & forth on his knees.

he makes noises that are hands down the most adorable little sounds ever.

he does little things that i would never get to witness 

if he were waking up with us right next to him. 

thank heavens for video monitors with the volume on high!

yes. i am certain that for us. this was such a great decision.

it brings be great joy knowing that our sweet boy will grow up

loving his own little space. his own little corner of the world. 

& the value of him learning to entertain himself in quiet play . . .
there are no words to share how important i feel that is.

our tales from the crib are so sweet.
there are a few tears. but mostly a heaping dose of contentedness. 

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hippity hoppity.

it is time for the easter bunny to start collecting 

treasures to fill little easter baskets for little ones near & far!

growing up. i always loved easter morning. 

my easter bunny would hide our baskets somewhere downstairs.

leaving a trail of powdered sugar bunny prints as clues. 

i thought it was the most magical thing. 

how wonderfully sweet is that?!

and then the pure joy of opening my easter basket.

finding one treasure after another. 

sweets. and treats. & goodies. all sorts.

chocolate bunnies. sugar eggs. & jellybeans.

oh. i. just. love. it. 

i can hardly wait for the easter bunny to visit baby patrick!

so all you bunnies. 

when you are out there collecting treasures for baskets.

don't forget to pick up some mini-bunny scripture books.

the perfect way to remember the true meaning of the easter holiday. 

how stinkin cute is this mini bunny book?!

i just love the little embellishment & the little cottontail.

absolutely precious. 

each mini bunny book is filled with scriptures 

to remind the reader of all the blessings the Lord has given them.

a very special thing to remind ourselves of during easter time.

He is risen!

i am offering monochromatic mini bunny books.

choose from green. pink. or blue.

perfect for boys & girls. 

so sweet. right?!

these also make great little gifts for friends during the easter season.

so these are not just exclusive for little ones easter baskets.

they are great for neighbors. coworkers. bible study groups. and the like. 

i especially love this style of mini bunny book.

i think the jumbo polka dots and just the cutest.

so playful. so whimsical. so sweet.

the last design for the mini books is this one.

total flower power during this spring season. 

all of the mini books are written in this style . . .

i am so blessed by God. 

so when you are reading the scriptures. they personally apply to you.

help me to remember that all scripture is God-breathed.

i just love these mini books.

they are so cute. so powerful. and just so special. 

each book is 3 x 4 inches. 

so they are the perfect size to toss in an easter basket. 

keep in your car. or throw in your purse. 

17 dollars a pop.

buy five or more & receive one free!

hippity hop on over to the etsy shop to order yours today.

as we only have a very limited quantity of the bunnies & flowers. 

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when god seems distant.

yesterday was just one of those days. 

one of those days when i was. well. kinda grumpy.

my house was a mess. my babe was extra needy. 

i was tired. & i just felt kinda blah. 

it was one of those days when i just wanted to do

whatever i wanted to do at that moment.

a selfish kinda day. 

its interesting.

lately i have felt distant from god.

if i am being honest . . . my prayer life has been seriously lacking.

my quiet time has been non-existent. & i just have not felt that burning desire.

i have felt a distance between god & me. i have not liked it. 

yet even still. even after realizing this. i hardly did a thing to change it. 

i have been too busy. too many other priorities. 

{yikes!}

so at the start of my day yesterday i opened my daily devotional.

i read in bold print: when god seems distant.

the title burned into my heart. sending a tinge of guilt.

i smirked to myself. knowing that was god tapping me on the shoulder. 

thought to myself . . .

i know its not you God. its totally me. 

i know you are waiting patiently for me. 

i am the one who has created this distance. 

a distance made up of busyness. 

{i have heard that if the enemy can't make you really bad . . . he will make you really busy}

the whine of a babe broke my train of thought.

commissioning me to my next little task at hand.

needless to say . . . my daily devotion was never read. 

prayer time never happened. 

as the clock ticked on my day got harder.

when 3 o'clock rolled around. patrick seemed exhausted.

yahoo! i am going to get an afternoon nap. 

time for myself to do whatever i want to do. 

God had a different plan for me. 

i fed the babe his bottle. he fell asleep in my arms. 

i laid him in his crib & then all of a sudden . . .

eyes wide open.  

i tip toe out thinking he will fall back asleep. 

oh no. not so much. 

screams. sobs. standing in the crib. arms flailing over the side rails. 

the whole nine yards. for a long fifteen minutes. 

so i swoop back in to rescue & soothe.

after a few noisy rounds of sleep to crib to my arms again.

 he eventually really falls asleep on my chest.

i don't dare move a muscle. much less lay him back down.

but i. want. my. nap. time!

my thoughts start racing.

i have so much to do.

i have dinner to make. i have laundry to fold. i have a shower to take.

i have blog posts to write. i have images to be pinned. i have books to be made.  

i have instagram to look at. i have emails to respond to. i have magazines to read.

i have cookies to baked. i have hidden chocolate to find.

{thanks mom for hiding my chocolate for me . . . but i could really use it now}

there. is. so. much. i. want. to. do! 

and then there it was. 

the voice of god.

not an audible voice of course.

but a heavy message weighing on my heart.

child. what about my time?

where do i fit in?

what about our time in communion?

woah.

it was loud & clear. 

God had to use my screaming baby to allow me to hear His voice. 

to physically stop me in my tracks & nearly pin me down in that overstuffed rocking chair. 

to convict my heart. my mind. my soul enough to realize that it was time.

time to be still. 

time to pray.

time to listen.

time to just be. 

and at that moment i knew.

blogs & books & cooking & cleaning 

needed to wait. 

this was His time now. not my own. 

and literally two hours later . . .

my sweet baby quietly woke up on my chest.

comforted by the sound of my beating heart.

and my grateful heart. 

grateful for God's patience. persistence. 

& perfectly good timing. 

i hear you. god. 

i will keep you distant no longer.

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a sacred spring.

springtime is here.

i just love this season.

the world is bursting with new life.

just as the baby springtime plants start new life.

every morning. we too. get to start anew again . . . 

with new mercies.

& praise the Lord for that.

what better way to start off this sacred springtime season

than with springtime inspired scripture books. 

starting this new season planting yourself on the soil that is rich in promises.

the soil rich in truths. soil rich in the reminders of new mercies.

i know i say this a lot. 

but i am really loving the newest scripture book designs.

they may or may not be my fave thus far.

take a peak.

isn't this sweet little birds nest so lovely?!

 i adore. adore. adore. this green checked paper.

especially paired with the natural burlap & the twigs. 

so perfectly spring!

i think this all neutral style is equally as beautiful.

the elegance is in the simplicity. 

do you love the birds nest & baby bird eggs as much as i do?!

this design is the epitome of springtime.

soft pinks & greens with a big flower bloom.

i love how the jeweled flower adds a pop of glitz to an otherwise softly muted book.

and words cannot express how much i love that ribbon.

if i could. i would use it on every book. 

it is just so beautiful. 

i get a lot of questions for explanations on what is inside these books.

so i wanted to give you a brief little run down on just that.

each book has sixteen personalized scriptures in them.

when i say personalized that means a name is inserted into the verse.

for example . . .

God so loved Patrick that he gave His only son.

the personalization makes this book impossibly powerful.

i offer several different themes for books. 

each theme includes a collection of preselected scriptures

specifically revolving around that theme.

i currently offer the following themes.

love. wedding. anniversary. engagement. 

encouragement. sorrow. life lessons.

birthday. friendship. baby boy. baby girl.

baptism. graduation. mothers day. fathers day.

i have also created holiday themed books

for christmas & easter.

these books tell the story of the respective holiday

using chronological scriptures. 

here are a few sneak peaks of the easter scriptures . . .

this style book is wonderful to read with your family through the holiday season. 

a very sweet way to remember the meaning behind each sacred holiday. 

any cover book can go with any theme book. 

plus the embellishments are interchangeable. 

i want this to be the perfect book for you!

so. in a nut shell. 

if you would like to order a scripture book . . .

here are the steps you follow. 

1. pick the cover that you like.

2. pick the embellishment that you like.

3. pick the theme that you would like.

4. select the name that you would like used in the scriptures.

& then leave the rest up to me. 

the turn around time is typically 3-5 days plus shipping.

however. i have had several rush orders that needed to be completed by the following day.

and i am always happy to try my best to make that happen for you. 

you can always order from my shop on etsy

or you may email me at 

kristen{dot}brett{at}gmail{dot}com 

hope you find my books are wonderful as i do.

they truly are such a sweet gift. 

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