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Category: faith

Because of Him

posted in faith, lifestyle, Uncategorized by Hanna on

Wicker baskets, colorful Easter eggs, and bunny shaped candy continues to fill the stores as Easter draws near. As children, we always looked forward to dying Easter eggs, searching the yard for plastic eggs filled with money and chocolate, and getting fun Easter baskets filled with goodies. And while these are all beloved childhood traditions, we wanted to take today to reflect on the real reason we celebrate Easter– that is, Jesus Christ the Savoir of the world. We celebrate His life, His death, and His triumph over the grave. Because of Him, there is no end only beginnings. Christ paid the price for our sins, died on the cross, and rose from the dead– providing a way for each of us to return and live with God and our loved ones someday.
Because of Jesus Christ we don’t have to say good-bye forever at the grave, but only for a short time. Also, because He suffered for us and for our sins, we are not alone in our trails and struggles. He knows us. He knows our pain, our sorrows, and our weakness. Without question, Hanna and I have both felt Christ’s abiding love as we have faced trails of our own; both big or small. As we have mentioned before, Hanna and I are perfectionist in almost everything we do– it is sometimes more of a weakness than a strength. We’ve always know the kind of women we wanted to be and we’re constantly striving for it, but we are only human. There are times when we loose our tempers; when other things gain precedence over our family; when we’re not as loving as we should be; or when we’ve made wrong decisions. We’re constantly falling short, but because of Christ’s great sacrifice there is no end to how many times we can start again.
This Easter we invite you to share the blessing that are yours each and every day because of Jesus Christ. Share with us through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or by commenting below using the #BecauseofHim. We challenge you to remember the Savior in your Easter celebrations this year and allow His life and His ultimate sacrifice to help you start again and work miracles in your life. We only say this because we know it to be true. We have experienced it in our own lives, and it has brought more hope, joy, love, and happiness then we ever thought possible. We look forward to your thoughts this week as we prepare for Easter!
You can learn more about Jesus Christ, His atoning sacrifice and His resurrection at mormon.org/becauseofhim.

Cinnamon Rolls With a Twist

posted in faith, family, food, recipe by Sara on
 Stripes and Polka Dots // Cinnamon Roll Twists
Happy Monday, I hope everyone had an awesome weekend! Since my work schedule has changed, I’ve been able to enjoy four day weekends! I love having four full days home with the little one! However, my days off last week were hardly a break. Sometimes I feel more exhausted after a day home then after a day at work. I was so busy chasing after my daughter, catching up on housework, and running here and there that I hardly had a chance to breathe. Come Sunday, I was more  than ready to sit down, relax, and be uplifted (both physically, mentally, and spiritually).
For those of you who did not know, this weekend was General Conference for my church (not sure what General Conference is?…click HERE) and I must say that I was definitely uplifted! There were so many inspiring and hopeful messages; I simply loved every minute of it! Apart from the wonderful talks, one of my favorite things about conference time are these yummy cinnamon roll twists– our family tradition. It is one of the many recipes I’ve adopted from my mother-in-law, which I loving got permission to share it on the blog today.
Stripes and Polka Dots // Cinnamon Roll Twists

Cinnamon Roll Twists (Makes about 30 rolls)

Mix together:
3 1/2 cups warm water
1 cup cooking oil
3/4 cup sugar
5 Tbsp yeast

Let raise for 10-15 minutes.

Add:
4 cups flour (one at a time)
1 Tbsp salt
3 eggs (one at a time)

**If you are using a Bosch or Kitchen Aid, change your beaters to bread hooks, then mix in an additional:

6 cups flour (one at a time)

Roll out dough right away in a big rectangle leaving the dough about 1/2 inch thick. Spread 1 cube of softened butter over the top of the dough, then cover with brown sugar and cinnamon. Fold the rectangle in thirds, and seal the edges.  Cut the dough in 1 inch strips, twisting each piece. Place the twisted dough on a greased baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. When finished baking, frost immediately. (Icing recipe below)

Stripes and Polka Dots // Cinnamon Roll Twists
 
Stripes and Polka Dots // Cinnamon Roll Twists
Stripes and Polka Dots // Cinnamon Roll Twists
Now for the cream cheese frosting…my favorite part. Simply frost these rolls right out of the oven so the frosting can melt and seep into every crack and crevasse; then eat and enjoy!
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cube softened butter
1 8 oz cube of softened cream cheese
powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp of milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
Stripes and Polka Dots // Cinnamon Roll Twists
Stripes and Polka Dots // Cinnamon Roll Twists

These always make WAY more than our little family could ever eat by ourselves, so we like to divide them up and take them around to our friends and neighbors for all can enjoy. I’ve never tried freezing them…if you should try it, let me know how it turns out.

Friday Finds #6: Metallic Love

posted in faith, Friday Finds, inspiration by Sara on
This week has been a roller costar of emotions for me, but I’m ending it feeling truly blessed and happy about life. After getting home from my trip, I was feeling pretty tired and sick…literally. I had one day to rest up and was then hurled back into life and a busy schedule. We managed to push through work, midterms, and a nasty case of the stomach flu—and needless to say, we’re alive. I feel disappointed at myself when looking back on it now. I started the week feeling tired and wanting the people around me to feel sorry for me. As the week progressed and the workload seemed to keep piling up, I became touchy and worst of all; a complainer. In my pathetic state I happened upon an article that has helped me view life a little differently. The article is titled, “Living a Life with Peace, Joy, and Purpose”—intriguing right? To accomplish this goal, one of the things that the author suggests is to NOT complain.
He states, “Life isn’t always fair. That’s a fact. But it’s always charged with marvelous opportunities if you know how to find them.”

Days might completely suck, but my life doesn’t.  My life is amazing, and I am forever grateful for the love I experience, the joy I feel, and the countless blessing that I receive each day.
Anyway, thanks for letting me share my “ah-ha” moment of the week. On a lighter note, I certainly can’t complain about today’s Friday Finds theme of “Metallic Love”. Just as we’re a little obsessed with stripes and polka dots, we’re as equally obsessed with almost anything metallic! Why do we love them so much? Metallics are considers to be neutral meaning that they pair nicely with almost anything, and they easily give any space or outfit that added “wow” factor.  Below are some of great metallic pieces that have caught our eye lately:

1.   DIY Gold Geometric Lamp Tutorial |  by Sara M. Dorsey Designs
2.   Bronze Desk Chair | by the OPAL Design Group
3.   Metallic I-phone Case | from Amazon
4.   Metallic Glass Jars Tutorial | by A Beautiful Mess
5.   DIY Metallic Fridge Magnets | by KOJO-Designs 
6.    DIY Metallic Pencil Skirt | Cotton and Curls
7.   Metallic Skinny Belt | from Old Navy
8.   Embroidered Metallic Pillow | from West Elm

If all of these wonderful metallic finds didn’t fill your craving, take a look at the touch of metallic I add to my home with my DIY Silver Lamps. 
I hope all of you have a fantastic weekend and I challenge you to smile!
“Life is not all that bad. You will soon learn that everybody has problems and nobody wants to hear about yours. Put those things aside and smile. Have a good sense of humor… I will tell you a secret of how to wake up in the morning with a smile on your face no matter how you feel: go to bed with a coat hanger in your mouth. Remember, a good sense of humor helps you greatly.”

– SARA

I’m Back!

posted in faith, family, home, lifestyle, marriage, motherhood by Sara on

Hi everyone, remember me? It’s only been like what, three weeks since my last post but who’s counting right? To be honest  real life has finally come and hit me square in the face and I’ve had to come to terms with what I can realistically do.

For the past year and a half I have enjoyed the luxury of being a “stay-at-home-mom”. It wasn’t always easy and there were days I wished it was me going to work instead of my husband. There are some people with the misconception that being a “stay-at-home-mom” means sitting at home all day and doing whatever you want (I know because I used to be one of them). However, this couldn’t be any farther from the truth! There is always a diaper to change, laundry to do, errands to run, and meals to cook. Then you have those occasional days when your children demand all of your, time, attention, and energy. It is at the end of days like that when I’d gladly trade my husband jobs.

Now that my husband is in school full time with a demanding schedule, it looks like my wish has come true. I’ve been greatly blessed to find a wonderful job that will allow me to provide for my family while my husband finishes school, but it has been a rough adjustment for all of us. I hope to one day find a good balance in my new situation, but for now I feel confused, guilty, and torn. Over the past year and a half my role has been to be a mother. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay at home and devote all my time to taking care of my baby and the home. It too was a rough adjustment at first but I came to find great joy in it. While becoming a mom is by far the greatest thing I’ve ever done, it has also been the hardest. It wasn’t always necessarily the sleepless nights or the 24/7 care that a baby requires that was hard but finding my own identity within  being a wife and a mother. I can honestly say that since having my baby I have come to find myself.

While being a mother and a homemaker is still a major role in my life (and the most important), I am now having to take on the role of provider, at least until my husband is done with school. It is a sacrifice I agreed to and am willing to make to help my husband fulfill his goals, but it certainly doesn’t make leaving my baby any easier. Since I started working a little over two weeks ago my time at home seems much more precious. With less time at home and more time away from my family I’ve been struggling to balance and prioritize my life. I’ve been force to really ask myself what things are most important and what things are not. In order to determine this I decided to make a list of what my underlying goals and priorities are in life. Here is my list:

1.  Be an attentive mother.
2.  Fall more in love with my husband everyday.
3.  Continue to build my relationship with my Father in Heaven and act in His will.
4.  Remain true to who I am and what I love.

These basic yet profound lifelong goals are what influence my daily actions and priorities. With all this being said, I also love blogging and am determined to continue what I began only four short months ago. I may not be posting as often (hopefully more often than every three weeks) but I hope you’ll continue to follow and enjoy my adventures in life as a working mom, wife, seamstress and blogger!


Inspiration Monday: Finding Balance

posted in faith, inspiration Monday, lifestyle, motherhood by Sara on

I came across my inspiration for today when searching for a little pick-me-up. It has been three weeks since the move and only two weeks since my husband started his doctorate program and I can already begin to feel the wait of it all. Even worse is how torn I feel about my role in this new chapter of our lives. Somehow I need to be a wife, mother, and bread-winner all at the same time and quite frankly I have no idea how. Being a supportive wife, an attentive mother, and dedicated homemaker while trying to provide an income and find time for myself has been a struggle. Balancing life has never really been a strong point of mine, but I know if I’m going to make it through it’s something I’m going to have to learn.

I light of this new found revelation, below are some great posts/articles I’ve recently read that have truly inspired me and have brought great comfort in the fact that I am not the only person out there struggling to balance a hectic life.

One of the greatest sources of inspiration I receive on a daily bases is from my twin sister. While she often seems like it, I know she is not perfect and is a mom like me just trying to make it though the day sometimes. I know I can always turn to her for help or motivation. She recently wrote a post on her blog about taking charge of her life and am ready to join in on the challenge!

Another source of great inspiration and encouragement is my faith. It is often what keeps me going and brings more joy and comfort than I could ever describe. I absolutely love this talk from Elder M. Russell Ballard on ,”Keeping Life’s Demands in Balance”.  He gives eight wonder suggestions on how to balance our lives so that we may live it to the fullest. I invite everyone to read it and benefit from it as well.

I sincerely welcome and encourage any advice, tips, comments, or inspirational articles you have on finding a good balance in life! Thanks for reading and happy Monday!