Life is Beautiful

Motherhood, Sewing, Family

Sunday Best- it looked cuter in my mind

~ Etc.

lace dress: ASOS (sold out but here’s some I love 1, 2, 3)
necklace: PaveMaison c/o
color block heels: Seychelles
(sold out but love these Seychelles colorblock heels 1, 2, 3)
I wore this outfit to church without a chance to see the whole ensemble in the mirror.  When I came home and looked in the mirror, I thought, “Oh, this doesn’t look very good!”  Has that ever happened to you?  The shoes are way too bright for this quiet, muted dress and takes attention away from the beautiful, intricate details of the lace.  Darn it, it looked really cute in my mind!  It doesn’t look terrible but just something isn’t right about it.  Next time I’ll wear a more subtle shoes to not take the attention away from the dress.  I think it’s fun to wear fun, bright shoes like these with a very simple outfit, like maybe a solid black or white.  These shoes will definitely ask for attention so make sure you’re wearing a simple outfit so the shoes can pop.
So I put on this outfit so I can redeem myself for this Sunday Best post.  I looked in the mirror to make sure it looked as cute as it did in my mind! 😉
denim shirt: choies c/o
striped skirt: romwe (love this too)
necklace: DIY
sunglasses: 
black sequin flats: choies
Remember this necklace I made that was inspired by the Anthropologie majorelle necklace?  I made it two years ago but I still love it.  For a tutorial on how to make your own, go to this post.

30 lbs. of Korean B.B.Q for a dinner party

~ Etc.

We went to Jay’s cousin’s house for dinner and as I was talking to his cousins, we started talking about Korean food and how much they loved Korean food.  Jay then said, “Sarah makes the best kalbi.” to his cousin visiting from SF who’s never tried my Korean food.  His cousins that live here have had my kalbi and other Korean food but realizing that his cousin from SF never have, I said, “Everyone come over for dinner tomorrow!”  So the next day, 36 people came over for dinner.  
I asked my sister how much meat I would need to buy and she said one pound per person.  And me always having to cook way more than enough(I would get all antsy if I had to worry about not having enough food to make sure everyone’s full and satisfied!), I bought 30 lbs. of kalbi(beef short ribs).  Turns out though, you only need 1/2 a pound of meat per person.  So it’s safe to say there was way more than enough for everyone. 🙂

we had to tightly pat it down to make it all fit in the bowls.
after marinating all the meat.
Jay grilled the kalbi on the BBQ grill but I had to taste test some beforehand.
this Korean pancake is always a huge hit.  
Dinner menu:
kalbi
rice
lettuce & red pepper paste
korean pancake
kimchi
watermelon
grapes
cherries
lemonade & water
Korean food can get pretty messy! 🙂
then we had FHE(family home evening) and ended with a pinata.
Jay saying, “Everybody has to give me a big hug if you want a bag for the candy!” 
The funny thing is, just a couple of days before I was telling Jay, “Let’s simplify life.  Let’s not throw Aiden a big birthday party and just keep it in the family.  3 kids is so hard as it is, let’s just simplify life a little more.”  Then the next day I invited 36 people over for dinner and made 50 lbs. of kalbi! Haha, But we are always inviting people over for dinner and feeding people weekly, it wasn’t even overwhelming because I’m so used to it!  And that’s just the way I like my house to be.  Always inviting and welcoming people and feeding their souls with good food, love, and friendship.  So cheesy yes, but so true! 

Slide the City

~ Etc.

We went to Slide the City, a 1000 ft. slip and slide that you ride in the heart of Salt Lake City.

I try to carry my girls as much as possible before they get too big for me to carry. 🙁

The lines were pretty long and they ran out of tubes so we had to ask around, and a couple of people got hurt and were carried off on an ambulance.  But if the lines weren’t so long, it would’ve been worth it.  Would I go again?  Probably not, at least not with 5 kids 6 and under! 

Taking care of my skin + skin tips

~ Etc.

I am getting plastic surgery!  Haha, just kidding!  I went to Light Touch to get some facial treatments done.  I got the dermaplane where a sterile blade was used to scrape off a layer of my skin to gently exfoliate.  I laughed when I was told “It’s a gentle procedure where we use a knife to scrape off a layer of my skin.”  It sounds nothing but gentle, it sounds scary!  A knife, scraping off my skin, yikes.  But it ended up being really nice and not scary at all.  Several months ago I started using jojoba oil and coconut oil on my face but I guess I put too much because I started getting bad bumps on my cheeks that still lingered even after I stopped using the oils.  I was told my pores were clogged up because of too much oil and no exfoliating.  Well, after one dermaplane treament, all my bumps went away!  I couldn’t stop touching my face because it was so smooth.  A week later, the bumps are still gone!  
the scene where they scraped off my skin with a knife.
Outfit detail: 
black shirt: old 
tribal embroidered dress: Chicwish c/o
two-tone sandals: Target
Some things I learned about skin care from the visit:
  • The best thing I can do for my skin is to use a Clarisonic with an exfoliator. She used the Clarisonic to clean my face and I loved it!  
  • Did you know that you need to put on sunblock every 2 hours?  Two hours, that’s ridiculous!  I mean who really does that?  Well, the aesthetician who did my treatment does.  I guess sunblock wears off after 2 hours.  I asked her how she could wash her face, put sunblock on and reapply her makeup every 2 hours and she said she uses this sunscreen powder stick.  There is no way I would spend that much on a sunscreen, I found this one for much cheaper.  That one I could do.
  • If I want to use oil on my face, only put about two drops and mix it with a lotion.  And make sure to use an exfoliator to get excess oil out to prevent the bumps from appearing.
Are there some skin tips/regimen that you know of?  Please share!

After a consultation and expressing how I would like to have more clear, radiant skin and how the intense sun tanning I’ve done when I was a teenager is starting to show on my face, I was recommended several treatments of dermaplane and 6 treatments of the medlight.  I’ve never gotten anything done to my face except one facial massage right before my wedding, and had no idea what any of these treatments were.  They were very patient and good at explaining things to me and for the next month, I am to use these two prescription creams on my face to get my face ready for the medlight treatments.  It’s suppose to help with my sun spots and dark spots, I am so excited!  I will be sure to post before and after pictures after I complete all the treatments!  

Giveaway with FP, My Stitching corner, Sweet Juicy April, & The Wooden Mouse

~ Etc.

This might be one of my favorite giveaways I’ve hosted, you’re going to love all these stores like I do! One lucky winner will win a $50 gift card to Sweet Juicy April, a pair of Freshly Picked moccasins, a doll of your choice from The Wooden Mouse, and a $50 gift card to My Stitching Corner.

Let’s take a look at each of these adorable shops.

I will be featuring two quiet book shops and they’re two of the best-made quiet books I’ve come across.  I contacted all these shops personally because I just fell in love with each one of them!  Check out this 8-pg. customized quiet book for my son Aiden and you’ll know what I’m talking about!
The dress up doll.  the clothes can be tucked in the pocket for easy storage.
finger puppet & shoe tying.  you can choose your own animals for the finger puppet.
car and neighborhood.  there’s a little pocket with a button closure to put your own car in.
mailbox and I spy.  it comes with little papers inside the felt envelope so you can write your own letters!
bead counting.  You can customize the colors of all the pages as well, how neat is that!
Isn’t it so adorable?  I got this book for Aiden but the girls couldn’t stop playing with it.  We just taught our daughter how to tie shoelaces so she loved practicing on it, it’s much easier to do so than on a real shoe!  There’s many other pages offered that we didn’t choose, but my other favorites are the flower button, monster zipper mouth, and the gumball machine.
Freshly Picked

My son just started taking his first steps within the last few days and it’s been so exciting yet so heart breaking that he’s growing up so fast.  These shoes are perfect for beginner walkers because of the flexible soles, it helps with balance and doesn’t restrain his feet’s movement.  A lucky winner will win a pair of his/her choice of color and size!

The Wooden Mouse

A winner chooses any of these dolls.

I fell in love with these Lulu Knit Dolls the moment I saw them.  I wanted a doll that was machine washable and didn’t have any items attached that could be a choke hazard.  I also wanted one that was a little vintage feel to it and soft to the touch.  This doll is even more impressive in person and very well made and very soft.  I don’t know how to crochet so this looks so intricate to me but I do know it requires some talent to make something so cute like this!

I think I was more excited to receive this camping quiet book more than my girls.  I only let them play with the quiet books when we are at church and they’re required to sit quietly for 1 hour and 15 mins. which isn’t the easiest thing to do when you’re 6 and under.  This book has been a lifesaver because the girls can play with it the whole time!  I try to side-bust and play with them(I’m always the bear since the girls call dibs on the people :(, but they don’t even let me!  But that doesn’t stop me from playing with it, my favorite is poking the marshmallow on a stick and roasting it in the fireplace and making smores.  On my wishlist from My Stitching Corner is the Farmers market quiet book, it is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.

To enter the giveaway, fill out the rafflecopter below.  Best luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway