fashion

Psalm 23 has been special to our little family ever since we found out that Ayla was growing in my womb.

I can’t remember when I came across the idea, but I read about another set of parents that prayed a Scripture over their child every night, even before he was born. I thought it was such a beautiful idea, and we set out to do the same with our growing little one. We chose Psalm 23, because this passage is so full of rich promise and blessing. Every night before we went to sleep, Ben would place his hands on my belly and we would quote together Psalm 23…”the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want...” And almost every night without fail, she would start kicking and moving inside of me the very second we started praying this to her. It was the sweetest thing!

We’ve kept up this ritual even after she was born, and it’s the last thing we do in her bedtime routine before we carry her up to her bed and tuck her in. Sometimes she babbles along, sometimes she’s tugging on her daddy’s head and wanting him to play, sometimes she just sits and listens to us say the words that she’s heard almost every day of her life…”the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…”

I was so honored and excited to serve as a brand rep this past month for one of my absolute favorite shops. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know it’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Dear Mushka. I came across this adorable shop a few months ago and I immediately fell in love with not only the pieces, but also the heartbeat behind them. And I also love that the business is local to Nashville! Katie designs gorgeous necklaces, earrings, and bracelets…but she also injects so much personal love and prayer and meaning into each piece.

Each of Dear Mushka’s pieces are given a name, and this name corresponds to a specific Scripture verse. When Katie told me to pick a piece that I wanted as part of the brand rep, it was so hard to pick just one! I wanted Honey, Pearl, Parallel, and Eclipsed…but I eventually chose Staff because…”the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” How could I NOT pick this one?! This piece comes with a customized initial stamping option, and I got mine done with an A. It’s the first letter of my name and the first letter of my daughter’s name, and I plan to pass this beautiful, hand-crafted piece down to Ayla once she is old enough to wear it. I wear this necklace all the time, and I love to pair it with the Salt necklace for a minimalistic layering look.

And cool news! I’m hosting a GIVEAWAY for a Dear Mushka piece on Instagram, so head there now to enter to win one of these beautiful jewelry pieces for yourself!

What about you: which Dear Mushka piece would YOU chose if you win the giveaway?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

It’s so funny how you start to notice all the sweet little babies once you have your own little one.

I guess you easier see more of whatever you have going on in your own life, because I remember when I was pregnant, I felt like I would see pregnant woman everywhere. Now I don’t think about seeing as many pregnant women, but I do see babies all over the place! We’ve been so lucky to make some super sweet friends at our new church in Nashville who are all first-time parents to little ones that are all close in age to our little one. It’s been so fun and inspiring to connect with other parents who are in the same stage of life that we are, and we all “get” each other when we start talking about our respective baby’s poopy diapers or sleep habits or whatever.

Cari and Holly are two mama-friends that I met at our church a few months ago, and we immediately connected since we all have baby girls that were born within a month of each other (cari’s girl, ivy, was actually born the same day as ayla!). These two mama’s are the founders and owners of Tiny Fancies, a baby style-blog AND apparel line. The tees and onesies made by Tiny Fancies are seriously some of the softest baby pieces that we have in our closet, and I just wish they had them in adult sizes yet, hehe! Check out the Tiny Fancies website, give them a follow on Instagram (they are a fun account to follow!), and get one of these darling tees for your sweet little one! Or they would make a fun gift for an expectant mother or for your niece/grand-daughter/friend’s baby. Plus, they offer FREE SHIPPING! I always feel like free shipping is one of the best gifts in the world.

What about you: do you have fellow mamas in the same stage of parenting as you do to relate to? Is it encouraging in your journey as a mama/parent?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!