Friday, March 28, 2014

Powder Blue

White living room, kitchens, and bedrooms are popping up all over Pinterest lately. It's become increasingly popular to have a monochromatic room because it let's your decor pieces really stand out. It's light, and airy, and happy. I get it. However, after coming across a couple of images of rooms using powder blue, I kind of fell in love with the color. Here's 5 reason's why you should consider going for a shade of powder blue in your house.


The pastel shade of blue reflects light, just like white does, meaning you get the same brightness in a room with powder blue walls as you would have with white walls.


Blue is one of the few colors that I really love with both browns and grays. You could take a blue room really cool by adding shades of gray and black. Combined with warm browns and wood grains, blue can take on a very warm, cozy feel. Or, for a more contemporary look, pair the pale blue with both browns and blacks. This is my favorite option.

Not interested in very neutral rooms? Any accent color can pair with blue for to get a different style. Blue paired with a bright green or orange can lean toward an eclectic style. Pair it with other pastels for romantic or traditional style.

Just take a browse around Pinterest and you'll find every room in your home could be done up in powder blue. It's incredibly versatile.

With the mint green trend spreading across the world like wild fire, this hue is unexpected, but just as fun and refreshing. Because of that, it's a great color to try out this spring.

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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

S P R I N G


This morning I was gently reminded by the sun, that spring is actually here. Even though our basketball season kept me busy this winter, occasionally I had these bouts of restlessness and sadness that were new feelings to me. I was eager to get back to doing projects at the house and fixing up the yard, but my bones hated the cold weather. With that came a lack of inspiration and a lack of motivation.

Our God is amazing though. When I needed that pick-me-up, He sent me this verse from Genesis 8:22.

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.

Yes, it may be cold and gray outside, but life still goes on, and He wants us to remember that He is still giving us life. He is still blessing us with an amazing amount of mercy and grace. And we should still be serving him and worshiping Him. 

With encouragement from a dear friend, I started the Naptime Diaries Lent journal and through it, God has lifted my spirits so much. The journal has become a great transition out of the winter season into spring, constantly reminding me of the blessings stowed upon me on those cold days that I hated so much.

Spring is here and His blessings continue to abound.

Friday, March 14, 2014

transition your wardrobe into S P R I N G


Last fall I did a fun blog post on transitioning into a fall wardrobe from summer. Seasonal transitions can be difficult but there are some really fun was to keep your look warm on those cool spring days but still bright for the new season. I've pulled together three looks that I think fit the season perfectly!


For some reason spring always feels preppy and girly to me. It's time to break out those skirts you've been hiding in the back of your closet but there is still a crispy feeling in the air. You also don't want to feel like you're baking in the sun at the warmest part of the day. My suggestion? Pair a loose knit sweater with a sleeveless blouse. It will keep you cool and breathable but covered to block some wind. I love statement earrings for spring, either paired with loose wavy locks or a pretty pony tail. Also, black and white is a HOT spring trend.
This outfit screams celebrity status if you ask me. It's just missing your favorite pair of sunnies. The smart, dark denim, with a black tunic provides a great canvas for a bright, floral print scarf, a chunky bracelet, and a bright bag. Since your feet have been in boots for what seems like years, treat yourself to a pedicure and show it off in some platform wedges. I love the brown leather paired with black.
For a casual look, that is oh-so-easy, slip into a printed maxi dress and throw on your favorite cardigan. A long necklace, a leather bag, with your hair piled on top of your head and you are good to go!

Shop all these pieces right here on my luvocracy board.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

C U R R E N T L Y



listening to: Skillet's Rise album and Kari Jobe's Where I Find You album.... I realize that they are pretty much complete opposites of each other but one gets me pumped up and one calms my soul. I'll let you decide which does which ;) find more of the music i love here.

wearing: straightened hair in a high ponytail with statement earrings

looking forward to: Excel classes! Are you local? Have you signed up yet! I'm really excited about the floral arrangement workshop!

coveting: Every item from the ban.do life collection and every item from the Oh Joy for Target collection. see my favorites here.

watching: How I Met Your Mother as it wraps up it's final season. It's getting really good and I  know there's going to be a twist at the end... I just know it!

happy about: the sunshine that was outside my window yesterday. i'm gonna need that to come back real quick.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Season endings + How to OVERCOME your enemy


Phew. What a whirl-wind past two months! Over the weekend we had our last Upward game and the award ceremony. It was a jam-packed weekend but we had such a great time with those kiddos.

So many of the parents joked that we were probably glad that the season was over because they understood the time commitment we had given. Eight weeks of three nights of practice, one night of meetings, and a full day of back-to-back games. It was a huge time commitment, but I had to honestly answer those parents that it was a bittersweet ending. KJB and I both get so much joy teaching those little ones and learning the things that are on their hearts, that we would miss this season of life.

We heard a great message last night from Nathan Jorris, an entertainer out of Fort Wayne, IN. We find that it is often difficult for our award ceremony entertainer to reach such a wide age of children, from kindergarten to 6th grade. But Nathan did a great job and I recommend him to anyone looking for someone to creatively share God's word.

I had a super proud wifey moment last night when KJB took the stage to challenge the children and their parents to start a relationship with their biggest bully or enemy. He told them to think of the person that they encounter on a daily basis, the person that makes it difficult to get through your day. And he wanted them to do three things each day. I thought I would share them here, because I think it's a challenge we should all take.


1. Say hi to them everyday. There's a good chance they want attention and the attention they are directing to you is negative. Smile at them and say hi before they have the chance to be negative.

2. Ask them how they are or how their day is going. Give them the chance to talk if they want to. It may take awhile for them to open up, but if you are asking them every day, eventually they will.

3. Pray for them. God knows that you struggle with this person so ask him to help you. Ask him to give you confidence to approach them and the right words to use with them. Pray that their heart will be softened, they feel loved, and that whatever is going on in their life that is hard, that God would place His hand over.

God is still in the business of making miracles. Don't forget that.

Friday, March 7, 2014

on my H E A R T

hey, you.

i'm not sure where you are in your life right now, but i God has put something on my heart and i have to share it.


yes, you are. you are so loved. you, right where you are.

you, feeling not enough. you, feeling left out. you, feeling defeated.

you, feeling overwhelmed.

you are so loved. say it with me OUT LOUD.

God wants me to remind you of that. He loves you and is waiting for you to love Him back. He wants you to acknowledge that so that he can overwhelm you with more love, because that is what God does.

there are moments in life, just little fleeting moments, where we will feel all of those awful things like hatred, destruction, embarrassment, failure. and we will wonder why we aren't good enough to not feel those things.

it's because God didn't make us that way. He wants us to turn to Him in those moments because only His love and grace is good enough to overcome them.

so, lean on Him today. let Him show you that you are loved.



+ + +

this weekend i'm taking a mental time out, and to quote Jessi Connolly, I'm going to do things that are TOO MUCH for the internet. i'm stepping away for a few days to absorb life and live it wildly.

i challenge you to do the same!

Thursday, March 6, 2014

My House Wants

My house is begging for a bit of spring life... for birdhouses and bright colors and plants galore. While the snow is slowly melting (then falling, then melting, then falling, then melting), I'm dreaming of warm days, birds chirping and patio lounging.

Find all the items above on my Luvocracy collection.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

No More E X C U S E S


Good morning my friends. Today is the first day of lent and I got up early to spend some time with Jesus. I don't normally participate in lent, but this year I decided it was time to make a change. It's time to fast from those things that are keeping me from meeting with Jesus every day. For me, that means losing a little sleep - waking up a bit earlier to dive into the word and spend time in prayer. Time that's focused on Him, not just done while multitasking three other things. 

(I'm also giving up Starbucks because that's another excuse I have for not making time in the morning. This is going to be a really hard one, friends.)

This morning I was reminded that Jesus gives us hope. And I'm hoping that these 40 days will be just the beginning of intentionally setting aside time to spend with the Lord. 

Are you participating in Lent? What are you giving up for the Savior? 

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Stella and Dot Giveaway!


I've talked numerous times about how much I adore Stella and Dot. In fact, I did an entire series on how to build a jewelry collection with Stella and Dot pieces. (make sure to check that our right here if you missed it!)

But I haven't talked much about their bags, which I love just as much. Especially the Tia Crossbody (see the red one in this post!) It is absolutely perfect for day-to-day because it's compact but expandable to hold your 12 lipsticks... Am I the only one that does that? Tell me I'm not. But the crossbody strap also clips off to make a perfect evening clutch.

The bag comes in three colors, which the winner will get to choose from.



Can't wait for the giveaway? Shop Stella and Dot right here!

Why am I doing this giveaway? Because I believe that a perfect bag can be a handy tool for any woman and I love to help provide women with the tools they need to succeed in life. Excel Workshops is an organization I started to help women learn new things, build their skills, and make new friends. We host a variety of workshops from flower arranging to couponing to self-defense skills. To help get our name out there, I've created a Facebook page. All of our workshops will be listed there along with a link to register for the class. If you haven't yet, hop on over and give it a "like". Then enter the giveaway below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!