Happily Ever After

These pictures are so magical! Thank you so much Amanda!! A friend of mine shot with her and I really liked the pictures so I creeped on Amanda's Instagram and fell in love with all of her work. I knew then that I wanted her to do our family/ "Hi we're married" pictures. We emailed back and forth and I described the style I wanted & once I saw the pictures I was speechless! She went above and beyond what I had in mind. Ever since she sent me the finished product I've been staring at them over and over. UGH! Perfection!! Remember in my post from last week I posted the flower crowns I made? THIS is what they were for :) Olivia was going to wear the one I made for her but since her romper was purple, and so was the flower crown, I didn't want it to be too matchy-matchy. Instead we opted for a white bow made out of flowers so they can match her sandals. I want to post our entire gallery but that'd be a really long post haha So for now enjoy these :)

**DETAILS**

Photos: Mirage + Light Photography

Location: Mission Trails Regional Park

My dress: SheIn

Olivia's Romper: Target

Bryan's Top: ROSS

If there is anything I missed or you would like to know just leave a comment below :)

Sneak Peek!

More to come soon...

Oniochalasia

Oniochalasia:(n.)buying or shopping as a method of stress relief or relaxation.

Better known to most girls as Retail Therapy. Today I was feeling blah so when my husband got home from work I left to go shopping! Originally I had only planned on going to buy my daughter a dress but then one thing led to another and I was in ULTA. NOOOOOO!! For someone trying to save money that is not the place to be haha kidding! I ended up finding a lot of cool things on clearance and then just bought some new makeup products to try. While on maternity leave I've been addicted to watching YouTube makeup tutorials! Over here thinking Im a pro haha In a future post I plan on compiling all my fav videos for you all so stay tuned :) I took a pic of the stuff I got at ULTA and if you've tried any let me know!

1. Earth Therapeutics Anti-Stress Eye Pillow. MY FAVORITE buy! and it was on clearance for $5.99. Loving the lavender + chamomile smell. Mama like ;)

2. NYX finishing powder in the shade Banana. I got this to try because I've heard tons of good things.

3. it's a 10 leave in hair treatment. My most expensive purchase :( Buuuut it works! A friend recommended it not too long ago so I got a sample size and fell in love. Therefor I went ahead and bought a bigger bottle.

4. Cell phone Mirror. My last iPhone case had a mirror on the back and when I upgraded to the iPhone6 my new case didn't have one. Im not sure about you but I always need a booger check and the camera doesn't always help.

5.Maybelline Baby Skin instant pore eraser. Inexpensive primer that works great for me!

6. Island Pineapple Bath Confetti. We all need a nice looking bathtub for those "relaxation" selfies haha and on clearance for $1.49!

7. Maybelline Fit Me foundation in the shade coconut. I got this to try a different contour technique I saw in a video. Lets hope it works!

8. Almay oil free eye removing makeup pads. MUST have! and both containers of 80 pads each were on clearance for $2.97

9. Tropical Coconut bubble bath. For my baths duh! I plan on christening our new master bathroom tub with this as I enjoy ME TIME

10. Blending Sponge for makeup. The old one had been through too many applications.

11. Ardel "Demi" lashes. I have yet to master the falsies thing since my own are pretty long but I still got some to try

^my real lashes by the way!^ one of my makeup attempts and some contacts ;)

God Is Good!

STORY TIME!! Ok, so my job had a 6 week paid maternity leave policy then you must return to work. I was scheduled to go back to work mid July and two weeks before that I was stressing because we hadn't found a sitter. How can I trust a stranger with my 6 week old baby?? With all the cruel people in the world and being scarred by nanny horror videos on facebook I planned on using my vacation time to stay home longer with Olivia. Well, all my stressing was evident to my husband so he kept telling me to keep praying about it and reassuring me, like always, that things would work out. I cast all my cares on the Lord and BOOM! The Friday before I was scheduled to go back my job changed the policy! We got an additional 12 weeks paid leave added onto our 6!!! So thankful and blessed! Im not using it all right now because I miss working but the extra time I did take helped a lot!

Now, our apartment lease was set to expire this August and our rent had been 1525$ a month with no utilities. To stay there another year our rent would increase by another 170$! To go month to month would be 1700$, a 200$ month to month fee and NO utilities. Yea, San Diego is expensive!! We looked on Craigslist for cheaper but nothing had what we wanted. Getting discouraged, I started to just say screw it lets stay here another year. Then one day my husband found a neighborhood in the perfect location, perfect price and it was an actual HOUSE! Although we'd be renting, the wait for the house was 1-3 months and we just found this place a month ago. Grrrrrrreat. More stress buildup...where would we stay once we had to be out of our apartment? Would family be able to come down and help move? Ugh! Can you tell I stress out easy?? haha But God blessed me with a husband strong in his faith and as always he reminds me to get in prayer even more. We both did and that brings me to the reason for this post; WE GOT A MOVE IN DATE!! We wouldn't be homeless when the lease is up!! SOOO BLESSED!! :D

If there's one thing I'm constantly reminded of its to put my trust in the Lord and His timing. Whenever I start to get stressed I just need to pray about it and put it in Gods hands. He's always watching out for us. God is good all the time! All the time God is good!

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." -Matthew 6:36

Motivation for your Monday

Merbabe

At the beach again! What's new haha when you live so close might as well take advantage! Especially when you have family visiting from Arizona :) My Aunt and cousins spent the night after a woman's conference and before they left back home we went to the beach. I love my family! Safe travels ladies :)

All My Single Ladies

Lately I've been hearing a lot of people say things like "I want a relationship...I wanna be married and settled down...Im tired of being single...Why do guys act the way they do...How do I find a good man...WHERE do I find a good man". Im NO relationship or dating expert. I've been with the same man since high school and you'd think everything would be perfect but we're human. We fight and make mistakes but our relationship is centered around Christ. If you're a believer I encourage you to seek God and He'll bring the right person in your life. Recently while browsing through Facebook, I found a good article on Christian Courtship from Essence Magazine. These tips are written by Heather Lindsey and you can find the complete article here. Enjoy!

Christian Courtship Basics:

1. Set your boundaries.

Don’t fret. Look at your boundaries as a way to honor God and not a book of rules. Because you love God and live for Him, honor Him with your body and be involved in a healthy relationship that glorifies God. With the boundaries that you place, you have more protection and God honors it.

2. Find Your Purpose.

Use your single years wisely! Take time to seek God and understand what His purpose for you is and how it should be used to glorify the Kingdom. Before you think about getting into a relationship, you must know who you are in Christ.

3. Strengthen Your Relationship with Christ.

Be content in your relationship with God alone. Learn to be content and whole with who you are as a Christian. Enjoy intimate time with the Lord and be still in His Presence. At the right time, God will present your Adam.

4. Educate Yourself on Biblically Based Relationships.

Read books that are biblically based. These will help you gain wisdom on God’s design for relationships and marriage. After all, Christ is the author or love.

5. Check Your Spiritual Chemistry.

Chemistry is spiritual before it’s physical. Make sure you and your beau are on the same page. Your spiritual values and goals should align and compliment each other. Marriage is ultimately serving Christ together.

6. Understand Your Role.

The man should be the leader from the beginning. Ladies, submission should start before you get married. This doesn’t mean you have to be entirely submissive to him pre-vows, but if you’re headed down that road, it’s best to start practicing and understanding biblical submission.

7. Check Your Focus.

Don’t get lost in the fantasy of finding your Adam. Every guy that crosses your path is not a potential husband. If you feel having a man is more satisfying than God alone, then that is becoming an idol in your life. Let go and trust that God will bring him in His perfect timing.

8. Grow In Your Season of Singleness.

Enjoy these days while you have them. One day you will be a wife with responsibilities. There is a cost that comes with that. Marriage is bigger than the idea of a ring.

9. Let God Lead.

You’ll know it’s time when God leads you to do it. Stop trying to run ahead of God and allow the Holy Spirit to lead. Trust me, you’ll just know when it’s the one.

10. Stand Strong on Your Beliefs.

Don’t let others discourage you from doing what is right. You’ll be attacked and told your standards are too high because you choose to abstain from physical intimacy. Keep living for God and hold tight to your standards, even when it’s not popular.

Three Months

Olivia has blessed us with her presence another month! She is laughing, cooing, trying to communicate and smiling constantly :) When her dad jokingly tempts her with pizza or ice cream her face lights up haha She loves looking at the pictures in the books I read to her. I couldn't tell you how much she weighs or how tall shes grown but my little pork chop is almost busting out of all her 3 month old onesies! Olivia likes to play on her colorful play mat and watch VocabuLARRY on tv. She's doing great on tummy time! She's so strong :) I wish I could report that her hair has curled up but its STILL straight. Well, the ends are slowly starting to get a little flip but still. She doesn't complain much when I dress her up and I think my smarty knows what a camera is. Whenever I put it to her face to attempt to take a picture she'll either smile or stare at me like "LEAVE ME ALONE!" haha 'You are my sunshine' and rocking on the rocking chair with mom are what puts her to sleep. Very thankful she is sticking to a schedule where she can sleep all night! 10pm is the latest she'll be up and then off to dream land she goes until 5 or 6am when she wakes up expecting a hearty breakfast. If she isn't sleeping in her big bassinet then she's sleeping with mom and dad in the bed(in her co sleeping bassinet). Swaddling is still her favorite way to be cozy. Olivia has had a play date and met so many more people who love her this month. I love her fat cheeks and kiss them constantly! Blessed we have our healthy girl here to brighten our days :)

Beach Babes

Ocean Beach earlier with my cutie while Daddy was at work. Blessed we live so close to the water :) PS: baby powder works great to get sand off!

Flower Power

In preparation for a surprise next week I made Olivia and I flower crowns!(above pictures) Those who know me, or maybe those who've just seen my social media, know that I love hats and headbands. More specifically, "flower crowns"(&basecall caps). They're so elegant to me and even tho the trend was started many years ago by a hippy nation I cant help but be in love. Anyways, I found a beautiful listing for a crown on etsy for 80$! My husband would probably kill me if I spent that kinda money on an occasional wear piece haha so instead I went to Pinterest and did some digging. After many distractions from food recipes to home decor(we're moving into a HOUSE soon by the way!) I found a pretty simple YouTube video. Using the same technique I just switched  flowers and used floral tape so Olivia didn't get poked with a stray wire. Including supplies I made both for 20$! :) I'll link the tutorial here. Soo excited for you guys to know what Im hiding but you'll have to wait til next week ;) Happy Humpday by the way!

Motivation for your Monday