lenny & eva.

i have a major crush on the brand lenny & eva.

this inspirational & sentimental jewelry line totally speaks my language. 

it is super cute. it is adorably original. & it is jam-packed with faith. 

it is the perfect everyday accessory collection. 

i was so over the moon when i discovered this line at marion's. 

all the pieces are interchangeable. 

which guarantees a one-of-a-kind look

that is completely catered to your style & personality. 

the cuffs. the beaded bracelets. the chains. the wraps.

the charms. the sentiment plaques. the add ons.

they all can be switched & worn in so many different ways. 

it is just brilliant. 

i have stacked my arm full of faith reminders.

i need those throughout the days.

it is so sweet to look down & be reminded 

of grace. or to pray. or of His truths. 

i mean. really?!

how cute is this little bundle?!

i just adore them. 

these would be the perfect gift for any girlfriend

as they speak to all women, in all walks of life. 

some are centered on love. some are centered on encouragement. 

but all are equally inspiring.

i just love it. 

so run out today and snag your interchangable lenny & eva.

marion's has a big collection with a ton of options to choose from. 

visit her & she can help you create the perfect look. 

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purposeful time.

one of my biggest adjustments in becoming a mom

has been learning time management.

i have never been super stellar at time management.

& honestly. its mostly because i never really had to be. 

when you are single or a newlywed. time management can be flexible. 

aside from your job. you are pretty much footloose & fancy free. 

you can eat when you want. work out when you want. 

socialize when you want. nap when you want. 

cook when you want. swim when you want. 

watch the oprah show when you want. shop when you want. 

do absolutely nothing when you want. 

you are basically living on your own preferred time table.

all of that changes when you become a mom. 

suddenly. your time is now revolved around these precious little babies.

your sleeping. your eating. your cleaning. your exercising. 

even your daily shower time can be dictated by your babies. 

the first two months of having two babies

i often felt as if i had no free minutes for just myself.

i felt as if i was constantly being pulled in three different directions. 

and i most certainly was. 

i was trying to clean while i played with patrick. i was trying to cook while i fed pierce. 

i was trying to play on pinterest while i had conversation with my lovie.

everything i did was multitasked. 

resulting in divided attention & diminished success. 

my quiet times with the lord took a backseat to catching up on sleep.

my playtime with patrick was lacking in quality and attention.

evening time with my lovie was taken over with wanting of few moments for myself. 

thats when i realized the value of time management. 

purposeful time management. 

i realized that i would gain so much more fulfillment in my life

if i were giving 100% to each of my roles. my chores. my jobs. my luxuries. 

at this point in my life. my faith & my family are my top priorities. 

while my social life may sometimes suffer. 

& my community involvement may take a backseat. 

i know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the lord has called me to be

his child. lovie's wife. patrick & pierce's mama. 

& that is where my time. energy. love. sacrifices need to be poured into first.

to have great success in this assignment my time management needed to change. 

purposeful time management looks different to everyone. 

this is what it now looks like to me. 

it means sacrificing extra sleep to wake up at 6 every morning. 

this gives me two hours of a quiet. sleepy. peaceful house. 

two hours before the boys wake & run ahead full speed.

two hours to have purposeful me time. 

to fill my tank. to have some fun. & feed my soul. 

to have prayer time. to play on pinterest. to write. 

to put on makeup for the day.

if you know me well. you know i love to sleep. i am not a morning person.

shockingly. this has been one of my favorite changes.

i look forward to getting up early every morning. 

i love my purposeful. quiet. alone time. 

purposeful time management means putting everything aside

during playtime with patrick & pierce. 

dedicating time to just being present in the moment with my boys. 

not playing puzzles while i am playing facebook. 

not speed racing cars while i speed race through pinterest.

not filling a sand bucket while i am filling an online shopping cart. 

not turning the pages to a children's book while i am turning the pages of my magazine.

not building my to-do list while i am building a big block tower. 

completely devoted. uninterrupted. undivided. focus on my boys. 

this makes for such meaningful time spent together. 

purposeful time management means

using nap time to get my household chores done instead of resting.

this way my time with lovie is not compromised in the evenings. 

i try to make sure that almost everything is done & tidied before lovie gets home from work. 

he works long hours. he gets home after dinner time. & boy does he work hard. 

we are both tired at the end of the day. 

we are both ready to just relax at the end of the day.

ensuring that most of my chores are done before lovie gets home 

allows us to have a few minutes alone together after bed time routines.

uninterrupted. just to talk. just to be together. even if we are just laying beside each other. 

being purposeful in the time throughout my day has made such a huge difference. 

it has strengthened relationships. it has allowed me to accomplish more. 

it is amazing to see the difference of exclusive dedication to each task at hand. 

the quality of each assignment is exponentially greater. 

how do you establish purposeful time management in your home?

i would love some tips from other mamas. 

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an unwanted promotion.

in the weeks before pierce was born.

i had visions of my two boys hugging & loving one another

from the very first minute they met in that hospital room.

i thought. surely. the second patrick saw his very own baby brother.

he would adore him & be proud to be a big brother. 

i was so wrong. 

oh let me tell you. 

these past three months have been tough. 

patrick most certainly did not want to be a big brother. 

he did not want to meet him. he did not want to hug him. he did not want look at him.

& he most definitely did not want to share his cars with him. 

patrick was gifted an unwanted promotion.

the weeks that followed pierce's homecoming

were overflowing with tears times three.

baby tears. big brother tears. & mama tears.

there were tantrums.

exponentially worse than the normal two year old. 

these were terrible-two-meets-only-child-wannabe- tantrums. 

if i was holding pierce. patrick stated put him away! put him down, mama!

if i said oh, look at the funny face pierce is making . . .

patrick would deliberately look the other direction. 

at first it made me a bit sad.

why didn't he love his baby? why didn't he even care to look at him?

to tickle his toesies. or to giggle at his little noises?

and why was my facebook newsfeed flooded with other brand new big siblings

that were holding. hugging. smiling. kissing. their new babies. 

i kid you not. patrick would literally not lay eyes on baby pierce for the first 6 weeks.

forget about hoping for a hug or a kiss. 

was i doing something wrong?!

should i have read more books to him about

becoming a big brother or bringing baby home?

should i have gotten him a toy doll to pretend like he had a baby?

should i have spent more time talking about what was in my big tummy? 

had i simply just spoiled this only child rotten to the core?

to the point of no return? where he thinks the world revolves around him?

and i was going to have a snotty crabby tyrant for the rest of my life?

dramatic. i know.

but us moms sure know how to blame ourselves & question our mothering.

& then i realized.

he is just like me. just like you. 

he is just like everybody in this world. 

and change is hard. 

change is hard for all of us.

especially for a two year old. 

his itty bitty world had been rocked. 

& he is {still} learning how to deal with it.

i tried several different tricks to foster the brotherly relationship. 

i'll give you a lollipop if you give pierce a hug.

come pinch pierce's nose. it will be funny. 

will you show pierce your favorite dinosaur?

oh look. pierce is waving at you. 

& then after several weeks i finally gave in.

i realized that it would only happen in patrick's timing. 

i stopped trying to force his love on baby pierce. 

we all know forced love is not love at all.

i stopped trying to get his approval of having a baby brother. 

i know that one day it will make him so very proud.

i stopped trying to bribe. to beg. to entice. to trick.

none of that worked. 

i simply loved on patrick. 

loved on his broken little heart.

loved on his selfish little soul.

i made sure to have one-on-one time with him.

just to play. just like the old days. 

{the good old days if you asked him}

& i let him work through this little bump that turned his world upside down. 

while i rested in the peace of knowing that this will pass. 

pierce is three months old tomorrow. 

we still have a long way to go. but we are slowly making progress. 

at this point patrick is used to. and quite comfortable. with pierce being around.

if pierce is in the other room patrick will sweetly ask 

where's baby pierce?!

i know that in some way. having pierce around is patrick's new normal. 

& while that is the extent of their friendship at this point. 

i am ok with that. 

i know that one day my sweet patrick boy will be so grateful 

for his unwanted promotion to big brother. 

he just doesn't know it yet. 

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devotional diapers.

there are a lot of unknowns when you become a mommy.

will my baby be a good sleeper? will i be up all night long for months?

will i have success nursing? will i even like nursing? will i feed my baby formula?

will my baby be content & easy? will my baby be fussy & colicky? 

becoming a mommy . . . 

whether it be a first time. second time. or third time mommy . . .

is like sailing into uncharted territory in a lot of ways. 

however.

one thing i am certain every new mommy will have.

{and have several times a day}

is the joy of changing a dirty diaper. 

this goes without any question or doubt.

yes. every mommy. will in fact. be changing diapers.

all. day. long. 

that being said. 

all of the uncertainities of being a new mommy.

all the learning. & the experimenting.

can very well leave you exhausted.

{even if you have a wonderful sleeper}

so exhausted. in fact. that daily time with the Lord can easily slip away.

morning quiet times are likely filled with baby cries.

& goodnight prayers are probably cut short due to dozing off.

so what better way to send a sprinkle of encouragement to new moms 

& allow them to easily have a few minutes spent in the Word

than with the darling diaper devotionals. 

after all. 

every mommy will be reaching for several diapers throughout those first days.

so why not have each little diaper deliver some promises & truths 

for that weary mama to stand on?!

i adore these honest company anchor diapers. 

they are too stinkin cute for a brand new baby boy bottom. 

personalizing the scriptures really makes this gift special. 

some scriptures can be encouraging for the mommy.

some can be promises for that sweet new baby.

either way.

the Words are from the Lord.

& they bring great comfort.

loved making this treasure of a gift for my new mommy friends. 

hope it brings them strength in those first few weeks of motherhood. 

i could certainly use some for my first few months of terrible twos. 

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september theme: apples.

patrick is at such a fun stage. 

he is so incredibly curious. inquisitive. & full of wonder.

he wants to know about everything & anything.

i hope he always stays this way.

i have chosen to keep patrick home from preschool until he is three.

i just can't imagine sending my baby to school quite yet.

like peter pan. i hope he never grows up. 

so to keep him excited about learning & to avoid boredom

i am creating an at-home-faith-based curriculum for us to do together.

it is nothing serious. i am not pushing for him to be reading and writing at age two.

it is more for toddler appropriate fun & faith exposure.

playtime. storytime. conversations. prayer. & crafts.

the theme for september was apples.

we practiced fine motor skills by glueing red button apples onto apple trees.

we used halved apples to make apple print stamps with paint.

we painted apples out of watercolors.

we baked mini apple turnovers. 

we ate bags & bags of sliced apples. 

we had such fun with all things apple.

my favorite element of this months theme was the way we incorporated faith.

what better way to bring the b.i.b.l.e. into playtime than through

apples & the story of creation. 

it was just too easy. 

patrick loved hearing the story of adam. eve. and sin the snake.

{he couldn't say the word satan so it came out as sin the snake}

i found these darling free printables on pinterest.

how stinkin cute are they?!

i printed them. cut them. laminated them. & glued magnets on the back.

it was so much fun to watch patrick's imagination soar using these characters.

i also loved the little story sequence cards. 

this was a great way to share the story of adam & eve.  

i am grateful for the conversations that were sparked through this months theme.

conversations about god & sin. apple trees & buttons. 

the simplest way to ensure that conversations of faith are happening everyday.

how do you incorporate faith at home with your children?

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an elegant baby shower.

one of my favorite things to do is party plan.

it is just so fun to create a beautiful table. a delicious menu. & watch it all come together. 

whats even more fun is planning a bash with a bunch of your best girlfriends.

now that is a real treat. 

a group of us hosted a shower for one of our dear friends, shannon.

she is having her first baby girl in just a few weeks. 

we have prayed for this baby. we have hoped for this baby.

we cannot wait to hold this sweet little baby!

planning a shower for shannon was so special.

and we all thought it turned out just perfectly. 

take a peak.

the table was a mixture of antique silver. driftwood. & pinks.

the perfect combination of feminine. rustic. elegance.

i just adore the vintage baby cup filled to the brim with sweet treats. 

fresh blooms are a shower necessity. 

i love mixing in roses. ivy. & other greens.

are you just dying over this crystal baby bottle & teddy bear?

how impossibly sweet are they?!

little accents like the pink bow around the teddy really make it sweet.

it is a simple way to really emphasize the gender of the baby.

if this were a boy shower. a blue ribbon.

it the gender was a surprise. a white or yellow ribbon.

one of my favorite details of this shower were these cookies . . .

the scallops. the dresses. the details.

they are quite possibly the most beautiful {and delicious} cookies i have ever seen.

i would love to take credit for them . . . but i can't.

sweet holly from holly's sweet hobby made them for us.

she is an absolute doll to work with. i highly recommend using her.

animal crackers are always a darling way to celebrate a baby shower.

they are just so perfect.

holly also helped us knock it out of the park with these sweet treats . . .

personalized baby blocks.

and get this. they are actually rice krispie treats!

is your heart skipping a beat?! 

my heart was bursting at the seams when these blocks arrived.

i kept checking my front steps for the delivery man. 

and when that box was opened i just melted. literally melted. 

i love how this cake turned out.

and {spoiler alert} it was a breeze to whip together.

to save time. i cheated a little bit on the cake.

remember i have a busy toddler & a newborn to care for. 

time. is. precious.

i had gigi's cupcakes bake the cake & frost it for me.

this truly saved me time & clean up & stress. 

game changer. totally worth it.

plus. then i just got to do the really fun part . . .

the decorating.

some chopped pistachios. some raspberry macaroons. 

some white chocolate bark. 

& a big. beautiful. bloom. 

and you have yourself one stunning cake.

i found a cake similar to this on pinterest & used it as my inspiration.

so simple. so fun. anyone can do this. 

{and your guests will be easily wow-ed}

i really loved the naked frosting technique. 

i thought it would add to the rustic charm element of the table.

another treat of hosting a soiree is getting to break out your silver.

its not very often that i get to use my silver flatware . . .

so when the opportunity arises. i take advantage.

it is worth the work of polishing.

us girls decided to keep the menu super simple.

totally delicious. but super simple. 

some green grapes.

the worlds best chopped salad {recipe to come}.

& chicken salad croissants. 

i have to say. i think that my girlfriends 

& i put together a wonderful shower to celebrate baby girl kula. 

the best part is that is truly was so simple & completely cost conscious.

shannon. we can hardly wait to meet your sweet little bundle.

she is already covered in prayer & lots of love. 

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