Mother Love

motherhood + home + family

MY FULL HEART + A DISCOUNT CODE!

Life isn’t perfect, and it’s not meant to be. But life…it is so full of beautiful moments, beautiful things, blessings – big and small. Sometimes we can lose sight of those things…those beautiful things about life. In the middle of the mundane and the sorrows and difficult seasons and hard things, it can feel like that is all there is. I find that my heart can so easily lose sight of gratitude and march right over into complaining about the things that aren’t the way I would like them to be…instead of really seeing all the things that are.

The other morning I woke up early, before Ben and Ayla were even stirring, and it was one of those wake-ups that you just knew wouldn’t let you go back to sleep. Instead of fighting it, I decided to get up, make a cup of tea, and spend some time with my journal. I rarely get out of bed that early these days, since I usually like to sleep as long in the morning as Ayla does. But this morning was beautiful and there was a ethereal mist over the lake and everything was still and new and fresh.

I started writing…just letting myself think on paper. I wrote about my husband…about how I never dared dream of being married to such a good, good man, one who romances and pursues me endlessly, who prays for me when I’m wrestling with lies and my own heart issues, who actually laughs at my really horrible sense of humor and likes my cooking, who lives his life with such integrity and honor and spirit. I wrote about my little girl…about how I never ever knew how much I could love a child like I love her…and about how her little life has already changed me in so many good ways…and about how she melts my heart into little puddles with her bright eyes and smiles and coos…and about the thought of watching her grow up and become who she is meant to be is one of the greatest joys and honors I will know. I wrote about the blessing of my family…about how God has redeemed and transformed us…about how much fun it is to sit with my mom and sister and crack the dumbest jokes and act like the silliest people and about how the laughter that comes from those moments are so good for my soul. I wrote about how it feels like God is giving us a season of change and hope and dreams…about how I see my husband finding new life as a daddy and as a businessman and as an individual…about how I feel my own heart coming alive in brand new ways that are both challenging and beautiful.

I wrote about how my heart felt so full and overflowing.

Life isn’t perfect, and it’s not meant to be. But there is so much good in life and I want to live with a heart focused on the good things and the beautiful things and the sacred things that surround me every day.

I found this gorgeous full heart t-shirt on from Sweet T’s Design Shoppe on Etsy a few weeks ago, and knew it was a perfect staple for my wardrobe the minute I saw it. It’s such a comfortable and versatile piece, and I just want to wear it all the time! And for a limited time, Sweet T’s is offering a fifteen percent discount to Beautiful Undefined readers on your purchase of any of their beautiful graphic tees or tanks. I’ve got my eyes on this, this, this, and this!

The fifteen percent discount code is good until July 15, 2015. 
Enter code UNDEFINED at checkout for your discount. 

What about you: what are three things in your life that give you a full heart?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

THE BEST BASICS

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Every girl’s closet needs basics, no matter what kind of style you wear.

Undershirts and t-shirts and layering tanks are the foundation of a great wardrobe, in my opinion. You can have all the most fashionable and fun tops or dresses in the world, but you got to have some basics to back them up. I’ve tried to keep a closet without having some great basics, and I’ve discovered that it just doesn’t work out well. Lesson learned: invest in the basics!

A few weeks ago, my sweet-husband-who-literally-spoils-me-endlessly gave me a gift of some money that I had to spend on clothes for myself. Best gift ever, right?!? I couldn’t use it to buy things for Ayla or the house…it was only for me. It was such a nice and beautiful gift, and his timing was impeccable. My postpartum closet had been feeling so ugh to me, and it seemed like every time I went to pick out an outfit, everything just felt so old and worn out and just so maternity feeling. I had bought a few new things during my pregnancy, but obviously things fit differently during those nine months so I didn’t want to really do much shopping then at all. It was literally so much fun to figure out how to spend this money on some new postpartum things! He gets me, hehe.

I don’t necessarily do the capsule wardrobe thing, but I have dramatically scaled down my closet in the past years. I don’t buy something unless I absolutely love it, and even then I often go home and let an item sit with the tags on for a few days while I decide if I really, really want to keep it. I love to shop and I don’t mind spending money on things that I need (ok, and just want sometimes), but I also have come to appreciate having a closet with only things that I fully love.

I’ve almost spent all of the money that Ben gave to me for shopping, and a big chunk of it went into investing in some really good basics. I was super happy to get the things I ordered in the mail (since these days online shopping is where it’s at!) and see how nice they fit and how they complimented my closet so perfectly. Now that I have some new solid basics plus some jeans, shorts, and tops that fit me right, I feel like a new woman, hehe!

Here are some of my favorite basics:

Downeast Basics Wonder Tee // perfect for layering under sheer tops
Downeast Basics Wonder Cami // i love the higher neckline that these camis have
Aerie Best T Tank // i love the longer length of these tanks, plus SALE!
Everlane Cottten V // good quality tees that last forever!
Target Long & Lean Tank // these are just handy for wearing under anything
Target Drapey Tank // such a flattering length and fit

What about you: where do you like to find your wardrobe basics? What are items essential for your own style/closet?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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