9.29.2013

Baldwin...

This past week was huge for my older brother- I mentioned before that he was named one of GQ's Best Menswear Designers of 2013, because of that, he did a line for Gap and it launched this last week. They also opened another store here in KC (on the Plaza)- it is awesome! Here is a little summary of the week for them and some of my favorites from the clothing line- I LOVE the clothes, it is really all I want to wear!

{This article was written about their whole story: PITCH}

{A video about his process designing the GQ line for Gap}

{The launch event in NYC: GQ}

{The Link to the GAPxGQ line:}

{He is everywhere- every Gap window (that carries the line) and billboards all over the country- including NYC (as seen below)}


Below are some of my FAVORITE pieces from Baldwin...HERE is a link to the Spring/Summer 2014 line, I love it all! The Baldwin pants keep their shape SO well- you don't need to wash them, the more you wear them the better they feel! (As previously mentioned I have a fashion philosophy- "price per wear" if you are wearing something for years and you wear it often- it is worth it to invest in quality items that you LOVE and flatter your body type. Jeans, handbags, sunglasses- the "price per wear" is nothing!)

{The L is my favorite- a super soft legging jean- truly flattering and easy to throw on}

{I LOVE "The Rivington" it is the perfect crop}

{"The Ten" is my favorite everyday jean- it is raw Selvage Denim, so it starts a little stiff and conforms to your body as you wear them}

{The Camo is awesome (I wear mine all of the time) Jay Z loves them too! :)}


{I love all of the T's and sweatshirts also- check them all out HERE}

{This is my absolutely favorite hat- I wear mine ALL of the time! HERE}

{The Men's clothing is awesome too- Dave seriously looks awesome in the jeans (he likes "The Reed " because he is extremely conservative)- You can see it all HERE}


{Here is a pic of Matt and I from the Grand Opening of their new store- I could not be happier for them, they have worked SO hard and God is blessing their work!}




9.23.2013

Giveaway: MEGA BLOKS FIRST BUILDERS BILLY BEATS™ DANCING PIANO




I am so excited about this giveaway- my girls have LOVED playing with "Billy" over the past few weeks! The music he plays is awesome, the girls break into full dance party when he turns on! Izzy has been teaching Milly her colors on the keyboard- she will say "this is green" and when Milly pushes it the green lights up! It is darling! Make sure to enter to win below!



MEGA BLOKS FIRST BUILDERS BILLY BEATS™ DANCING PIANO
For ages 1-5


About Billy Beats™ Dancing Piano
With three different modes of musical play, children can have fun with Billy Beats™ in all kinds of ways. Press the light-up block keys and watch Billy dance and play 1 of 8 different songs, teach children how to play music by letting them build their own songs and follow along, or even play different sounds that include a Piano, Animal and DJ/Party effects – all with the flick of a switch!

Billy Beats™ is compatible with all First Builders blocks that can be securely stored away under his big red hat. With three different modes of musical play and endless building possibilities, Billy Beats™ will keep kids entertained for hours!

Features:
·         3 modes of play: Dance with Billy, Teach Me, and Free Play
·         8 colored light-up keys that can play single notes or 8 pre-programmed songs
·         Sheet music on stickers included to let you build and stack a song to follow along!
·         Cool Piano, Whacky DJ and Funny Animal sounds with On/Off switch
·         Includes 8 First Builders blocks and 3 c-size batteries


TO LEARN MORE:
Visit the First Builders Official Site
Visit the Product Page

©2013, MEGA Brands Inc. All rights reserved. MEGA BLOKS and FIRST BUILDERS are trademarks owned by MEGA Brands Inc.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

9.16.2013

"Here Comes Heaven"

I recently ordered the book Here Comes Heaven by Bill Johnson and Mike Seth. I have been reading it with Ellie almost every night. Ellie is 6, this is a good age (FOR US) to start reading this book. It is a little "deep" for Izzy (4) to follow, but Ellie is really loving it and learning so much. Truth be told, I am inspired and learning so much as well. She is not ready to do a lot of the journaling in the book- but I am so glad we are starting it. It is one of those books that you could do multiple times and learn something new each time.

Here is their summary of the book:
You can bring Heaven to earth by using the talents and gifts that God gave only to you. Your heavenly Father wants you to be the best you can be!
As a child of God, you can live an exciting life of miracles and blessings beyond your imagination. As you discover who you really are through the love of Jesus, your greatest adventure will end in Heaven on earth!
You are on a royal mission to find the keys to the Kingdom of God. Those keys faith and prayer will transform your heart, mind, and spirit by unlocking the riches of Heaven and shaking up your world!


This book is a new way of thinking for me, I did not grow up as a "charismatic". I would love to be more of a charismatic! I want to care more about what the Father thinks of me than what my neighbor thinks of me. I want to bring Heaven to earth! I want to see signs, wonders, miracles. I am such a work in progress- my heart, body and mind do not seem to match up yet. Some people make it look so easy- it is in every fiber of their being and it seems like every word they say is straight out of the Father's mouth. I would love to live like that..more heart, less head- more Holy Spirit, less Jenica!

I grew up in a Presbyterian Church and attended a Lutheran School and the "Holy Spirit" was not a regular topic we discussed in school or church. I absolutely learned about "the trinity" (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) however the main focus was "ask Jesus into your heart to get to Heaven". That is awesome: no Jesus=no eternity in heaven, it is SO important and JESUS is so important! However, I want my girls to know the power and gift of the Holy Spirit ALSO. I find a lot of Christians get a little uneasy about The Holy Spirit and the only conclusion I can come to is that The Holy Spirit is not a regular "topic" for youth in a lot of churches. A lot of churches do the "church talk" really well: perfectly answered questions, perfectly folded hands, bowed heads, closed eyes, routine prayers, precious Bible songs- all delightful. However, it has occurred to me recently that the reason we teach our children these "actions" is more about self-control than about worship. I looked at myself during my quiet time recently and thought, why am I still folding my hands? My posture before The Father is closed hands...I want my hands open to whatever he has to show me, give me, teach me...after 34 years of closing my hands before Him I am retraining myself to open my hands before Him. And you know what...it takes effort. I think "closing the eyes" is also optional, I personally like to close mine in a group setting because my flesh is easily distracted- but you know what- open those babies up if you want to! A lot of us are so routine in our prayers that we forget to envision ourselves before the throne of God seeking him and WORSHIPING! My goal is to not pass the "routine" on to my girls but to give them the foundation for the RELATIONSHIP! I love Ephesians 1:13-14 "And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ—you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory." The Holy Spirit is our "down payment" on our Glorious Inheritance and we shy away from talking about it...that is Satan trying to steal our earthly gift: living on earth as it is in Heaven...in relationship with Him!
SO, this book, Here Comes Heaven is such a great tool for me to teach the girls something that, honestly, I am trying to learn and practice myself. I want them to live life as daughters of the One True King, I want them to know that their Father is flawless and nothing is impossible with Him and I want them to know that His spirit lives IN THEM, which means nothing is impossible on this earth! I actually have tried to read other Bill Johnson books (When Heaven Invades Earth is a good one) and a lot of it is over my head if I am being honest, so I would actually like to walk through this book myself and learn through the eyes of a child. Jesus told me if I want to enter the kingdom of Heaven I need to become like the chid (Matthew 18:1-3) so I will not feel bad about that! 

Thanks for hanging with me on a topic that I CLEARLY need a lot of work on.. isn't it amazing that we can study The Bible and walk with the Lord for so many years and still learn something new EVERY day! (pssss that is the Holy Spirit at work!) 

Here is a little "taste" of the new Bethel Worship CD "Tides" I am so inspired by their worship- some of the songs they sing are spontaneous- this is one of them. Literally inspired by the Holy Spirit! Amazing! 



9.13.2013

Big Shopping Weekend: 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target

This is an exciting weekend! One of my favorite brands of clothing is 3.1 Phillip Lim- I seriously love all of his stuff. The problem is, I cannot always afford everything I love. So, imagine my delight when I learned that 3.1 Phillip Lim is collaborating with TARGET!!!! This Sunday, 9/15/13 the gorgeous items arrive on the shelves/online! I might even show up at opening for this baby! Here are some of the items I am most excited about:


{He is known for his fabulous handbags}
{I would probably just do this pullover}

{Love the whole thing}

{I am not a huge fan of this shirt...but I love the pants and bag!}

{I love the men's stuff too!}

There is SO much more- check the LOOKBOOK or go to Target on Sunday!

9.07.2013

12 Great Articles for Moms!

I have come across some very interesting/disturbing/encouraging/convicting posts lately- so thought I would share with you in case you haven't read them! 


{HOLY COW...this article gave me a big wake up call- we are living in crazy times- knowing me, I will over-monitor- and I am okay with that! "Three Things You Don't Know About Your Children and Sex"}

{This article was good for me to read- I SO BADLY want to lock my kids up, turn off the TV, do a background check on every child that walks through my door, not teach them to shave their legs (because who wants to date a girl with unshaved legs...exactly!), beat the tar out of every kid who is mean to my kids...but this is a good reminder- at some point they need to live in the world and be able to make wise decisions on their own- so I cannot lock them up forever! (that does not mean they can watch most of the crap on TV though, haha) "Raising Christian Kids in an Ungodly World"


{I LOVE this- the prayers are exactly how I want to pray for the girls as they are in school "Prayer for my Children as they Return to School"}

{I am absolutely D.O.N.E. talking about, hearing about and most of all WATCHING that stupid Miley Cyrus clip from the MTV awards- must they continue to play it on every TV station and plaster it on the front of every magazine- HELLO, my daughters are standing idol in the check out line staring at her sticking her tongue out, wearing nothing and "twerking" Alan Thicke's son who is wearing the hideous black and white jacket.  However- I loved these two articles #1 , #2 Awesome!}


{Anyone who is pro-choice and finds this article terrifying (which you absolutely should) just needs to know that as the government legalizes something like abortion- this is the future..or worse.  I, for one, am terrified by ALL of it! "Two Minus One Pregnancy" }


{This was another great reminder for me during this season of "back to school" I really struggle because I would LOVE for my girls to go to a Christian School for elementary school, but it is just not in the budget- so I know this is where God has us- love this article as a great reminder! "Back-to-School Promises for Parents"}


{This is a great article for the "Mommy Wars" I am over the "judgement" and the "being judged" thing- I am FAR from perfect..and so are you! "Mom vs Mom- the War I Didn't See Coming" This is great too- good perspective! "Mom's When are You Going to Learn"}

{This made me cry my eyes out and hug my babies TIGHT!!! It also reminded me that even in the most horrible of times, God can do something AMAZING in you, through you and because of you..little old Y.O.U- I am hugely impacted by a family I will probably never meet! Sophie's Story}


{This hits right in the middle of my wrinkled forehead this week- Preschool Moms, believe it or not your child will have recess drama...in Kindergarten. It is nearly impossible to Shut Up...but this was a good reminder that I cannot control recess for my sweet girl- although...I would like to try! "Fighting the Urge to Fix Recess"}

{FINALLY...Would you please go on Martha Stewart and vote for Baldwin Denim for the 2013 Audience Choice American Made Awards- My brother works really hard on making an American-made line of clothing- I am a huge fan! VOTE HERE You can vote 6 times every day through September 22, 2013!!}




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