Etc. Archives | Page 34 of 254

My Life Lately

October 30, 2015~ Etc.

Hi guys, it’s me. In case you’re wondering. 😀

Life has been so crazy for me lately, how about you? I’ve been staying up till 3-4 a.m the past several days because remember I told you briefly how my dad was scammed $11,000? Well, he got scammed again. By the same people. This time $22,000. Thankfully, we found out before he was planning on sending another even bigger lump of sum to these scammers. So I’ve been going over several hours a day sorting this out and making sure this never happens again which is why I stay up so late making up for the lost time to clean, blog, alter a costume for my son, and such. Ugh, it makes me so frustrated and angry that there are such people out there who could be so heartless and selfish and evil. My dad and my mom are the most innocent and pure people I know and it’s heartbreaking watching them get older and age and have their health be deteriorating as is, but this just added a whole new level of stress for me!

But I am glad we caught it before it got much worse and it’s not the worst thing that could happen to someone, and in the end, it’s just money. I am glad my parents are safe and I get to live close to them and be there for them and keep them company. I believe no matter what happens to you, there are is so much more good and beauty all around you than the bad and the ugly. And we are to live life expecting trials and hard things to come our way instead of saying why this, why me, why can’t my life be easy, because in the end, we are all to have trials so that it will strengthen us and make us become wiser, better people.

Anyway, what are some things that are going on in your life that are good or bad? Ah, I wish I could see face to face each one of you who read my blog and get to know you! I hate this always talking about myself and have it be this one-sided conversation. I love listening to other people’s stories!

Anyway, this was a random post. And kind of cheezy. But it’s who I am. haha

Anyway, this is my 3rd sentence that started with the word “Anyway”. Just wanted to let you know in case you weren’t aware. Okay, I should really go to bed, this lack of sleep is messing with me.

Fall Outfit

October 23, 2015~ Etc.

Textured pleat top | Pants: 7 For All Mankind | Boots: Frye | Hat: Nordstrom

Photos by: Emily Cooper Photography

Don’t you think the title of this blog post is just so clever? The most creative blog post title award goes to me ya’ll!

I’ve noticed that as I’ve gotten older, I stick with more classy styles and also solids. I love solid colors so much! I love the texture of this white top and the pleat in the front with the collar, and these pants are so comfortable. I also have another pair of these Frye boots in size 5.5 that are brand new in original packaging if anyone wants to purchase it! It’s originally $380 + tax, but I am selling it for $250. Just email me at sarahtyau(at)gmail.com. 😉 I hope you have a great weekend, we are off to the dinosaur museum that my son’s been asking me to take the past few days!

shop this look:

Achilles the Lion

October 21, 2015~ Etc.

This post is in partnership with Big Heart Pet Brands. Thank you, thank you for supporting this little blog of mine!

Sleepy lion

Achilles says Happy Howl-o-Ween! I was just telling a friend last night that I feel like the worst dog owner sometimes because I can’t take my dog Achilles to most outings I go on with my kids. But Halloween is one of the few outings we can take him with us, to go trick or treating! We dress him up in his costume to start off, but usually within 5 mins. he has shaken off the costumes so he ends up walking around with us without any costume on. It’s way harder dressing our dog than our 2 year old boy!

Another reason why we are not the best dog owners is that even though we tried to train Achilles and took 2 training classes with him when he was a puppy, the only tricks he knows how to do is sit, lie down and hold still. We are terrible, I know! We are looking into getting another dog for Achilles, to ease my burden of mom-guilt. I have mom-guilt with my children and with my dog! Double the mom-guilt!

Big Heart Pet Brands (the makers of Milk-Bone, Pup-Peroni, Canine Carry Outs and Milo’s Kitchen) conducted a study and came up with “TOP 10 RANKING DOGGY TRICKS ” because dogs are the ultimate tricksters, The nation’s most popular doggy tricks are:

#1: Sit (77% of dogs can do this on command)
#2: Shake paws (58%)
#3: Lay down (57%)
#4: Stay (50%)
#5: Give a kiss (44%)
#6: Beg (31%)
#7: Roll over (27%)
#8: Speak or bark (26%)
#9: Spin (14%)
#10: Play dead (10%)

How many of you own dogs and what tricks can they do?

For helpful decorations that will let your neighbors know you’ll be trick or treating with your pup, wacky DIY doggie costumes, and ideas on how to treat your pet’s tricks, visit http://treatingforall.com/

And we are having a fun giveaway for you dog lovers, if you’d like to win a doggy gift basket full of treats & toys such as:

>> Milk-Bone treats
>> Milo’s Kitchen, Pup-Peroni, and Canine Carry Outs treats
>> Cool outdoor toy to include your pup in Halloween!

Simply leave a comment on this post on how you’ll be celebrating Halloween with your dog!

Hope you have a Happy Howl-o-Ween!

*UPDATE: The winner is:

Please email me at sarahtyau at gmail to claim your prize!

What My Husband Said To Me That’s Changed Me Forever

October 19, 2015~ Etc.

“You’re the most kind & pure-hearted person I know.” My husband said to me a couple weeks ago. I looked at him expecting him to burst out laughing at his own sarcasm but as I looked into his eyes, I knew he meant every word. And since, the world I lived in has been shattered and forever changed.

After all the mean things I’ve said to him when we’d get in fights and my sassy attitude that time of the month, I’ve never even been remotely close to this mean to anyone else except for my poor husband. Isn’t it so sad how we treat the people we love the most more poorly? And here he was saying I was the most kind & pure-hearted. I don’t deserve that compliment. There are so many faults I find in myself that I’m constantly trying to overcome. But he believes it, and since then, when I’m about to say something to him with attitude, I catch myself saying, “No, he thinks I’m the most kind person, the most kind person will never say that!” And I stop myself. And instead of attitude, I say something sweet to him instead. I have become a more kind wife and a more kind person since.

I’ve also learned one lesson in life. People will act the way you expect them to. People will be the person you label them as. In a book “The Hidden Messages in Water”, a Japanese scientist labels water such as love, hatred, war, peace, friendship and then freezes a droplet of water from each label and takes pictures. The positive words formed beautiful, symmetrical, clear snow flakes, like the ones you see in illustrations. On the other hand, the negative words formed asymmetrical, deformed, incomplete snowflakes. It is the coolest thing, here are some pictures from the book:

So like those droplets of water, we too become what people(including ourselves) label ourselves as. If a simple act of labeling had that much effect on water, think of how much more power it has on a human being! How important it is to use words to build people up instead of building them down! I have made it a goal to label people higher than they are, to see not what they are at this present moment, but to see their potential & what they could be. If I don’t think highly of another person because I think they’re selfish, I’m going to treat them as if they’re considerate & selfless. I believe that person in return will act considerate & selfless towards me because he/she knows that’s what I think of them as. If I ever have to deal with kids that are going astray and keep making poor choices, I’ll treat them like they’re responsible, smart, respectable adults. And they’ll in return act that way. There is so much I don’t know about how life works but I love learning bits of pieces as I go.

When I Don't Feel Like Cooking Dinner

October 17, 2015~ Etc.

This post brought to you by Wendy’s. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Life is Beautiful.

I have many days when I don’t feel like cooking dinner. I remember growing up my mom would sometimes say before dinner time, “I don’t feel like cooking dinner.” And I never really thought much about it until I became a mother. Now, my parents live a few miles away from me and when she says, “I don’t feel like cooking dinner.” I say, “I can only imagine! I’ve only been married for 7 years and I feel that way already, how am I going to feel when I’ve been married 40+ years like you and dad?”

A couple times a month Jay stays at work late and on those days, I usually grab some take-out to eat at home. Going out to eat to a sit down restaurant with 3 kids by myself? No thank you. So to make it a more fancy, sit-down atmosphere, we move our table and the cushions from our swing porch and make a little restaurant of our own!

He didn’t want any frosty to go to waste when it spilled. Smart boy.

Wendy’s is my favorite fast food restaurant which is why I said yes to this post. 😉 Maybe it’s nostalgia because there is one right by our house and near our High School so during lunch in High School, my friends and I drove to Wendy’s many times. I’d always get their caesar salad, chicken nuggets & the chili from their .99 cent menu. And the chicken nuggets are still .99 cents! They also used to sell bread sticks for like .39 cents, does anyone remember them? I was so sad when they stopped selling them when I was in HS. Wendy’s, you should bring it back! 😉

From September 14 through November 1, Wendy’s® is selling its Halloween Coupon Books. For $1, customers can get five or 10 free Jr. Frosty coupons. Funds from the sales of the coupons books will go to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption® to support programs such as Wendy’s Wonderful Kids. Wendy’s founder, Dave Thomas was adopted and he founded the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, which finds permanent, loving homes for more than 130,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care system. Check out Wendy’s adoption page for more information.

The Jr. Frosties are the perfect size and I get the coupon book every year, it’s such a good deal, 5 frosties for $1. I love dipping my fries in the frosty, does anyone else? 😉