Life is Beautiful

Motherhood, Sewing, Family

OUR SUMMER BUCKET-LIST

~ SHARING MY HEART WITH YOU

 

 

 

This post is sponsored by fairlife ultra-filtered milk. As always, I am very selective with what brands I feature and only feature ones I really love!


 

Today was not the best day. Jay’s been in China for the last 5 days and he gets home soon, but it’s always the last day of being solo that’s the hardest! My son had his 1st public meltdown at McDonald’s, I’m running on 2.5 hours of sleep(in order to publish my sewing video due today at 4 pm which was 2 hours ago but it’s still not done because #momslife), and again came the feelings of resentment towards my husband who gets to focus 100% towards his career while at work while I’m juggling everything at home while working at home, but still always having to put motherhood first, and putting about 18% towards my ambition thus my video not being published on time. The extra resentment and anger is probably due to the lack of sleep mostly BUT the feelings are real!

I posted on my instastory how I just need to accept that my life is not about me and I was being a little sarcastic and sassy when I said it but when I was done saying it, I had a feeling that that in fact is true, that our lives aren’t about ourselves. It is all about what we do for others. Perhaps we will be judged on what we did for others & not on what we did for ourselves. Yes, I believe there’s a season where we need to put ourselves first to get an education, strengthen our talents, and pursue our passions and dreams, but what if all those things are in order for us to become knowledge and successful in our own way so that we can use our resources and strengths to serve others?

So I do need to accept that my life isn’t about me. Especially right now with young children. And that is okay. I have everything I need in my life and life can’t get any better than this.

 

 

One of the things that helps me to appreciate my life more and focus on the present is to do something both my kids and I enjoy. A lot of the times we do things that only my kids enjoy but tea parties are one thing that I equally get excited about as well! We used to have tea parties every week but the past few months have been so busy and hectic(isn’t May such a crazy month?) that we haven’t had a chance to have one. So I had a tea party all set up for the kids after school and they were pleasantly surprised to come home to find a delicious looking tea table waiting for them.

My tea party might look fancy and look like I spent a lot of time preparing but that strawberry cake you see? I got it from a mom’s night out blogger event the day before. I just saved it because I knew my kids would love it. I have the kids help me get the plates out and just wash/cut some fruits we had in the fridge, unwrap some store-bought snacks, and pour some fairlife ultra-filtered milk into the tea cups and we were ready! It doesn’t take much time and whatever you put on the cute little plates, looks fancy when it’s all set up to be a tea party!

We love eating sweets for our party because what’s a true tea party without some sugar? But to combat all the sweetness, my favorite “tea” to serve is fairlife milk. I love that it has 50% more protein, 50% less sugar and 30% more calcium than regular milk. And I love the taste. It tastes very clean and creamy, and knowing that they come from happy and very well taken care of cows, makes it taste even better. You just gotta taste it for yourself to see what I mean.;)

If you remember, I visited fairlife‘s flagship farm in Fair Oaks, Indiana and I fell in love for their brand. Sue, the co-founder genuinely loves what she does and cares so much about the well-being of the cows, the environment and in doing good. She is such a down to earth lady and so passionate about her farm that you couldn’t help but to fall in love with the farm and Fair Oaks! You can read my post about my visit here.

 

 

While we sipped our milk, we made a Summer bucket-list and here’s the list we made:

 

  • Hike the Y
  • Sleep on the trampoline with sleeping bags
  • Eat ice-cream cake as a whole, with just a fork and no plates.
  • eat cake using our hands, with no plates or utensils
  • Drink honey from flowers
  • Go on a crystal treasure hunt
  • Sleep in a tent in our backyard
  • Go camping and go to the Dinosaur Park
  • Paddle board
  • Bike to the BYU Creamery

 

We will be adding more as we approach Summer but my favorite one is “drink honey from flowers”. Can you tell which of my 3 kids said that one? We are so excited for Summer! Do you have any fun plans for the Summer? What’s on your Summer bucket-list?

 

SNAP CONFERENCE + ABC CONFERENCE

~ SHARING MY HEART WITH YOU

 

 

 

 

I attended Snap Conference last week and I made 3 diff. business cards for each day of Snap Conference as I handed out a before/after of a refashion as I was also wearing it in person. A good idea, no? This overall dress used to be a small women’s coat, see the full video tutorial here.

I was excited to hand out my business cards but as soon as I drove 45 miles & arrived at the conference, I realized I had forgotten them. I quickly asked my friends if any of them were in UT county & was coming to SLC, & luckily one of my friends Rebekah(thank you!😘) said if someone could drop it off at her work, she can drop it off to me. I asked Jay if he could leave work, go home and get the business cards & drop it off 20 miles away, before her work got over. So he went home to get it, searched for it for 20 mins. all over the house but he couldn’t find it. I called him & told him all the locations it could possibly be at and he looked in every corner of the house, but nothing. We were running out of time so as I was sitting in the middle of class in a room full of people, I closed my eyes & said a quiet prayer. “Heavenly Father, please have my guardian angels go to my house & grab the business cards and put it right in front of Jay so he can’t miss it. Please do it immediately & have Jay find it within 3 mins. Thank you.” Right after I was finished saying a prayer & I opened my eyes, I knew Jay was going to find it almost instantly. Literally 10 seconds later I get a text from him, “Found it. Leaving now.”

Do you realize just how much resources you have from the Universe?

Not only do we have people who love us here, but we have all those people times a thousand, perhaps even more in Heaven, eager & willing to help us. Their love is so great for you that if you ask them for help, they will! Just like a mother or a father who would drop everything to go help their child in need, we have angels all around us who will do the same, except with them, they can literally come to our side in an instant since they’re in a Spirit form & can travel simultaneously.

You are never forgotten. You are always loved, by way more people than you know. So use the extra resources. Ask for help from the Universe. None of us can or are suppose to do it alone.

 

 

 

 

The next conference I am attending is the Affiliate Blogger Conference on Saturday, May 13th and I asked the host if I could have some discount codes for me and a couple of my friends who might want to go and she opened up 10 tickets for their early-bird pricing which is 30% off! Use code: earlybirdextended to get the ticket for $69 instead of $99. It’s for the first 10 people so I’d act fast if you are sure you want to go. And say hi to me if you are coming!

 

 

 

WHAT HELPS ME FROM FEELING JEALOUS

~ SHARING MY HEART WITH YOU

For our Sunday best is this custom portrait by @jaimeclarkart, I was pleasantly surprised & so flattered to receive it, thank you Jaime!

 

#sharingmyheartwithyou
I am a happy, confident person. I’ve never wished I was somebody else & I know I can do anything if I really wanted to, just like you can. I think this is why I rarely feel jealous or envious towards others. My belief is that we are all equally given 24 hours, no more, no less. And we are free to choose how we spend that time. If I saw someone with a rockin’ body w/ a 6-pack, before jealousy or comparison seeps in, I realize that I too could have that if I choose to dedicate many hours of my 24 hrs. exercising, lifting, eating right. But that’s not my dream. Sure, I’d take a 6-pack if it was handed to me, but am I willing to sacrifice the time & the hard work to have that? No, I’m not. I choose to do sewing instead. It doesn’t mean it’s a better choice, it just means it’s my choice. Just like it’s her choice to dedicate many hours in fitness. So you do you, I’ll do me, I’m so proud of you!

If I saw someone killing it on a MLM, before comparison of paychecks or lifestyle seeps in, I realize I too could have that paycheck if I was willing to dedicate much of my time in travel & work. But is that worth it to me? No. That’s not my dream. Is it worth it to that girl? It is, so you keep pursuing your dream, girl!

If I see flawless feeds on IG where every photo is professionally taken, cohesive & stunning, and I feel myself starting to compare my imperfect IG of non-staged and non professional images, I remember that I too could have that perfect IG feed if I really wanted to. But do I really want it? No. Because if I really wanted it, I’d put my time into it. But I don’t, so it must mean I don’t really want it that much.

If I see an amazingly edited video and start to feel insecure in my lack of video-editing skills, I remember that if I really cared, I’d take classes or google how. But is it worth a part of my 24 hrs. right now? It is not. So I’ll keep chasing my dreams while you keep chasing your dreams! Let’s cheer each other on as we pursue our own dreams!

If I really wanted what others have, I too could have it if I was willing to dedicate & sacrifice as much as he/she is. But if I choose not to, then there’s no point in me feeling jealous, for I chose not to have it.

Design the life you love. Only you can be the designer.

 

THE SECRET TO LIFE

~ SHARING MY HEART WITH YOU

 

 

 


A man just finished graduate school, got a job & bought a house with plans to renovate, complete with a gym & a library. Within 7 months, he got married to a girl with 3 young kids, then they were expecting. He got a 2nd job as a newspaper delivery man. One day while driving, he felt the blues, the weight of the stress of trying to stay ahead in this competitive world. As he pictured his family, friends, his house, one sentence entered his mind, “Life doesn’t get any better than this.”

He realized it didn’t mean life couldn’t get any easier or he wanted to have the blues. It simply meant he had everything he needed. And it hadn’t been that way when he lived alone & roamed his house, planning the interior.” .

Years later when his aging parents came to live with him & as he woke up at 3 am everyday to help his mom, he knew, “Life doesn’t get any better than this.” He never got a library or a gym, but in the midst of a very full house, he was grateful for what was also a very full life.

“In the midst of finals, a romantic crisis, or a conflict with a spouse or roommates, it’s a sign of spiritual & emotional maturity to remember “life doesn’t get any better than this.” It’s because it’s your life right now, and nothing is more invigorating than living your life, which is truly the process of making your choices based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To do so is to really live.” -Elaine L, Jack

I read this yesterday & it’s changed my life! What if I lived every stage, every moment of my life thinking, “Life doesn’t get any better than this.” Isn’t that a life truly lived? If I live like this and when I’m on my deathbed, wouldn’t I truly be able to say, “I was the happiest person in this world.”?

So I choose to really live. Life really can’t get any better than right now. Even if my 2nd child put a brown paper bag over her head because she didn’t want to take our Sunday photos.😉

 

Read the full talk here. Read my similar posts here:

 

KILL THEM WITH KINDNESS

~ SHARING MY HEART WITH YOU

 

 

 

Today an incident was brought up that I had forgiven & moved on from. While I had never been treated so poorly, I killed them with kindness & thought it was over. But I was wrong.

Holding a grudge or resentment only hurts you & empowers the other. You’re giving them more power & control over you if you can’t forgive. Because negativity is replacing the love that could be had. It’s only when we let go of any hatred, resentment or grudge in our hearts are we truly free, & they no longer have power over us.

Kill them with kindness is my life motto. Not because I’m a good person, but it’s for self-interest since I’ve found that it’s the only way to happiness. I cannot hold any ill feelings towards someone for very long, because it consumes me & my heart cannot take it. Only when I let go of it all, & take it a step further by treating them with kindness, am I able to have peace & joy.

Because one of the eternal laws that govern us is that if we serve & do a kind deed to someone who harms us, we can’t help but let go of our resentment & gain love for them. When you gain love in your heart, it only empowers you & adds happiness to your life. When you gain hatred, you’re giving away your power, the power to be truly happy. That’s why there’s a saying “The best revenge is to live a happy life.”

That’s why the scripture says, “Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which persecute you.”

That’s why Jesus has the greatest love of all, because he paid the biggest sacrifice & served us all. That is why parents have such pure, powerful love for their children, because they sacrifice so much for them. Sacrifice & kind deed = love. True, Christlike love.

So let go of that resentment. Forgive. And let that beautiful, gentle, yet overpowering feeling of love, peace and joy enter your heart. If you can’t do it alone, ask God for help. He’ll be so happy to help you. A power greater than your own will give you the strength to forgive and replace your heart with one of the greatest joys and peace you will ever find on this Earth.
#sharingmyheartwithyou