Kaitlyn E. Bouchillon's Blog, page 13

What I Learned This Winter

From wearing hoop earrings to rude comments about singleness to discovering rolled ice cream, this winter season held several seemingly ordinary but important lessons.

My friend Emily is the mastermind behind the simple but meaningful practice she calls “What We Learned.” For years now, I’ve joined her by jotting down notes of the small, the sacred, the silly, and everything in between.

More than anything else, it helps me pay attention to what’s happening around me, what’s happening within m...

Small Beginnings, Craziness, and a Flash Sale

You know that thing you’re supposed to do or make or say or write — but you’re too nervous to actually do or make or say or write it?

Consider this a friendly kick in the pants to get on with it and take the next step of obedience.

For months I put off writing Even If Not, playing with the idea of writing it and offering up one hundred reasons why I wasn’t the right person and it wasn’t the right time

But at some point it came down to this: God made it clear that I was the girl and now was th...

A Letter to the Girl Who Feels Forgotten

Of all the things I truly dislike writing about, singleness tops the list. But this isn’t about being single, not really. This is about how even when we feel forgotten, we’re anything but. This is about how we’ve been given every good thing we could possibly need for right now, this present moment. This is about God’s timing and a story larger and wider and deeper than we could imagine… a good story He’s invited us into.

I’m not sure where you find yourself as you read these words. I’m postin...

behold and flourish

Do you pick a word for the year? Something you’ll focus on, a word or maybe even a phrase that will be a guide or a stake in the ground for the next set of 365? Somehow here we are — 31 days into 2018 — and I’m still struggling to wrap words around my words of the year.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Words of the year. Plural.

(Is that even a thing? Don’t answer that.)

For many years now, I’ve chosen a word of the year. Instead of making a list of resolutions or writing down specific goals, yo...

This Is the Truth: You Are More

Do you need a do-over?

You made a mistake, said words you wish could be taken back, walked away when you should have stayed (or stayed when you should have walked away). You desperately wish you could go back and undo the moment, rewind time and make another choice, but instead you’re left picking up the pieces.

Or maybe everything is okay, but real life feels vanilla — boring and mundane and just plain ordinary.

The days all run together, each one looking like yesterday. You’re waiting for a...

14 Can’t-Miss Books Coming in 2018: January-April

Good grief, 2018 is jam-packed with incredible books releasing. In fact, there are so many great upcoming releases that for the first time, I’m splitting this list into three posts: January-April, May-August, September-December.

First up? Rachel Hollis, Bob Goff, Kayla Aimee, Ann Voskamp, Ruth Chou Simons… just to name a few!

As you know, I’m kinda maybe sorta just a little bit obsessed with books. And based on the number of shares and pins on previous book round-up posts, y’all feel the same...

Free Christmas Printables for Your Home

As we decorated the apartment for Christmas last month, ornaments hung carefully as carols played in the background, I asked, “What if I made Christmas printables for the frames by the tree? What phrases or words would you want to see?”

An hour later, we landed on these three designs to best fit our little home. Within three or four days, I caught myself singing one particular Christmas song over and over. It begins like this:

“Come, thou long expected Jesus…”

The artwork on the walls became...

The Best Books of 2017

Before we get to the best books of 2017, I want to mention an awesome book-related deal happening at Amazon right now!

Until 11:59pm PST on December 14th, use the code BOOKGIFT17 at checkout to save $5 on any print book purchase of $15 or more. If you need a last-minute Christmas gift for a friend or you want to pick up one of the books on this list, you might as well save a few dollars at the same time. (The code will also work if you want to preorder a book that will come out in 2018!) (Als...

car wrecks and candles

Snow is falling from the trees. Yesterday, it fell from the sky. I’m cozy beneath two blankets, my eyes ever on the window to my right.

Drip. Drip. Green begins to appear as the sun slowly but surely melts the many inches of snow that fell for hours, transforming our city into a Winter Wonderland. The sky, pure white yesterday, is now a bright blue, completely empty of clouds. To my left, a flame flickers as a candle begins to burn out. The room is brighter than normal today, illuminated by t...

What I Learned This Fall

From organizing my Notes app with emojis to learning I’m an HSP to discovering that the royal family doesn’t use their last name… fall 2017 was really something.

My friend Emily is the mastermind behind the simple but meaningful practice she calls “What We Learned.” For years now, I’ve joined her by jotting down notes of the small, the sacred, the silly, and everything in between.

More than anything else, it helps me pay attention to what’s happening around me, what’s happening within me, and...