Mother Love

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!

…dreaming of the beach! We head to the South Carolina coast with my family at the end of next month, and it can’t come soon enough for me. I’ve been collecting swimming and beach things for Ayla, and I hope she is able to enjoy the sun and sand and waves as much as we do. I’m so ready for some sunshine and skin color again!

…iced coffee-ing every day. I’ve yet to make cold-brew coffee concentrate since I’m too lazy, and I just brew an extra cup or so in the mornings to save for the afternoon. I throw ice cubes, coffee, vanilla extract, and maple syrup in a cocktail shaker, mix it up till it’s frigid-cold, pour it into a glass, and top it off with milk. The swirl action that happens with the milk is literally one of the best parts of making an iced coffee, hehe. It’s so mesmerizing!

…feeling the purge mode again. This feeling of “get rid of all the stuff!” seems to hit me like clockwork every few months, and that’s cool…I guess. We already try to live as minimally as we can without it feeling like we are back in the stone age…but we’ve done little things like get rid of the toaster in favor of just using the oven broiler and selling some electronics and furniture that we don’t really use much or need. I keep grabbing things out of my closet too that I just don’t wear any more or that no longer fit well and adding them to a stack to either donate or put up for sale in my online shop. It’s almost like a mild kind of addiction, this getting rid of stuff.

…loving our spring weather! This week has been gorgeous, and I love having the windows and screen doors open all day long to let the breezes in. Our lawn is green and growing, and it was so cute to watch Ben mow last week with Ayla strapped to his chest in the Ergo carrier. She was a little unsure of it at first, but once she got used to it, she was all smiles about riding along on the mower.

…reading, watching, listening, wishing.

What about you: what are you loving lately?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!