last weekend we had a ward Christmas party where the primary children and some other ward members acted out the Nativity.
i have read the story & even acted out the nativity many many times,
so basically i know how it goes.
but this time i got really emotional as i came to understand more of the divine calling & role of Mary.
as i watched a very pregnant sister act out the part of Mary and be continually denied by the "innkeepers," i started getting tears in my eyes to realize what Mary had to have gone through.
they had to travel for miles while being SO pregnant.
she had to be uncomfortable, maybe even starting to have contractions.
she had to give birth in a smelly barn with who knows what kind of assistance was there.
and to have all the pressure of raising Jesus?
and i'm sure there was more but of course we only have written down the positive things ;)
i mean, i hated being pregnant.
i know i complained to Adam a lot!
but at least i had a safe place to give birth,
and have a comfortable place to stay,
and had assistance from others including doctors & nurses to be there for me and Elijah.
but this very pregnant, very uncomfortable, very noble woman didn't have any of those things.
and she was carrying the most precious gift of all, the Savior.
can you imagine how devastating Mary must've felt to know that there was no room for her, a woman that probably needed that extra bed the most?
and all the fear she must've felt for the future, not just childbirth but as Christ grew up to become the Savior of the world?
i'm sure Mary was a lot more kind, patient, & faithful than i would've been,
cause just thinking of that situation makes me start getting anxious for her.
i can't fully imagine what she must've gone through, i'm sure there's a lot more than we will ever know.
but thinking about it has given me a little more perspective this year as we get ready to exchange gifts
and helps me remember that i have a lot more to grateful for instead of worrying about what is on my Christmas wish list.
{which can be hard for everyone to focus on what we don't have instead of what we do have}
i am grateful i have a safe, warm, comfortable place to call home.
i am grateful that i have family & friends to spend the holidays with.
i am grateful for good friends who make me feel loved & included.
i am grateful for a husband who is faithful & loving and is a good example to Eli and i.
i am so grateful for noble women like Mary who, by their example, have brought me closer to Christ.
i am grateful for her sacrifices & her faith to bring the Savior into the world to die for our sins.
i am grateful that God knows us & understands our limits differently, that He knows what i can handle {and that i could definitely NOT handle that!}
and i am grateful for the knowledge i have that no matter what we are all going through, that we are eternally blessed & loved. and that everything will be okay, even if it doesn't always feel like it in that moment.
i hope we can all remember what Christmas is really about.
i also hope we can remember all the wonderful things we DO have & help bless others around us.
last weekend the weather was so perfect and Elijah was so antsy that we thought it would be a perfect opportunity to do a little “hiking” up the canyon & test out our film camera. really it was just leisurely walking & standing since we just took our time to take in all the sights. the sights being the rocks, leaves, dirt, sticks, caves, and “fluh-flies” that we saw along the trail.
Elijah loved playing in the dirt and learning to throw the little pebbles off of the ledge. he kept picking up rocks & carrying them around with him, then ditching it for a bigger, more awesome rock later. his best catch yet was that big rock that was pictured above. we had to convince him to leave it in its home.
being outside in nature with a little, curious toddler is a pretty eye-opening experience. he notices all the little things along the way & is in total awe when it can seem rather insignificant to us. all the things we take for granted like the rocks or the scenery or the butterflies are totally captivating to a two-year-old who has never really seen all that before.
i love learning to see the world through Eli’s eyes. it really is a magical, beautiful place that i fail to recognize most of the time. just the idea of seeing a small white butterfly can stop him in his tracks as he tries to follow it wherever it goes. everything is so amazing to him! he keeps me humble & grateful for this beautiful, amazing world we live in!
Life is not a dress rehearsal. Everyday, you should have at least one exquisite moment. -Sally Karioth
when Tahnie emailed this quote i knew instantly it was specifically chosen just for me. something i’ve struggled with quite a bit lately is living in the present. i frequently find myself saying, “when we move then i’ll…” “when we have more money then we can…” “i will be more at peace when this happen…” “i can finally be happy when…”
i seem to forget often that my life starts now not years down the road when we’re finished with school or settle into a new town or have a house of our own {with a backyard!} or are able to afford family vacations or whatever! those things aren’t what constitutes worthwhile living. we can still have exquisite moments regardless of our circumstances.
this year, one of my resolutions was to find happiness in the simple things and to learn how to be truly happy with my life. i compare too often. i tell myself i’m not good enough because i don’t have XYZ like so and so have. so i have tried really hard to find JOY in the everyday.
obviously some days are going to be easier than others to find positive moments {like when Eli doesn’t go to bed till 5:30AM!!!!} but i know it’s still possible.
simple things like Elijah is being especially cuddly that day or he learned a new word {gotcha!!} or i bought a new, amazing smelling candle or i received a really kind email from a friend/reader or i put out some new spring decorations or our apartment actually stayed clean by the end of the day or there is a Harry Potter marathon on ABC Family or me and Elijah had a killer dance party to Party Rock.
these are little things that made me happy just from this last weekend!
life is hard. there is no denying that. there are days where i feel utterly, emotionally & physically exhausted. there are days where i feel completely alone & inadequate. but even in the worst of times, there are always blessings to count & be thankful for.
make each day count and fill your life with exquisite moments to last you through the trials that may come your way. your life begins now!
{and i wanted to give a huge shout out to those who helped me out on Facebook! thank you for inspiring me!!}
[counting Eli’s fingers at church to keep him sitting still]
i have to document this momentous day. because of course it will probably never happen again and i will forget that Elijah was once a well-mannered boy
ELIJAH SAT THROUGH ALL OF CHURCH!!! this is seriously a big deal. he whined once, then got entertained again. he sat on our laps, looked at books, ate his fruit snacks, played with our bench neighbors, counted fingers, looked at letters, looked through the hymns….
guys. he sat through the whole thing!! we didn’t have to take him out even once!
i love church & i love feeling uplifted afterwards. but ever since Eli turned into this rambunctious, energetic toddler i have hated going to church just to listen to him cry and chase him around the halls and never feeling like i felt the Spirit or the peace that is supposed to come with going to church. each Sunday i end up sitting at the pew, by myself while Adam tries to corral Eli {since i’m not strong enough honestly}, with tears in my eyes because i’m so frustrated that we can never ever get through the meetings.
and then today he did it!!! i seriously could not be more happier. it seems like such a silly thing to celebrate. but if you knew the weeks/months of frustration i have had with trying to teach him to sit still and the times i come home so flustered and crying to Adam because i feel like a bad mom and like i’ll never be able to teach him or he will never listen to me….. then yeah, you would be really happy too! :)
he did it!!! {and next week i’m sure he won’t but that’s okay. one day at a time!}
annnnnnnd i also picked a winner for the Somewhere Over the Rainbow giveaway from Monday {via} Random.org
and the winner is…. commenter #1: GRACE!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Grace, i don’t believe i have your email so if you could please contact me at mrs.robinsonblog{at}gmail.com i will get you in touch with Katy!
and a big thank you to all who entered!!
also, because Katy is basically the nicest person ever she is giving everyone a 10% discount for her shop now through the end of March just use the code MAR10 and checkout to get the discount
don’t forget to check out Katy’s blog & shop and get to know her better! you will love her!
how often i forget of the Lord’s tender mercies in my own life! the Lord is looking out for us and He is blessings us always.
i love when Elder Bednar says in his talk, “The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live.”
i hope we can all do better to recognize the tender mercies in our lives and know that the Lord truly loves us.
Ashley from After Nine to Five and i are hosting the Living the Right Life series to share how we are making changes in our lives to bring true happiness and joy. we also are opening it up to all of you to link up your own thoughts and feelings of how you are living the right life for you!
i don’t like to ask for help, especially for what i think are “little things.” maybe it’s a pride thing… but to me, if i ask for help, it means that i’m not good enough to do it on my own. i’m not adequate. i’m not capable. i’m not enough. but others are more than enough so that’s why they can help me when i can’t help myself. and honestly it’s a terrible terrible way to think i have learned.
before i wrote my post on friday, i went to a church activity and was able to talk to some of my friends. much to my own surprise, when one of my friends asked me how i was doing i just started crying. it was the end to a very long week and i was so exhausted from basically being home alone with Elijah all week and i just couldn’t stop the tears from coming. [did i ever mention that Adam is at school 12 hours a day? he leaves right when Elijah wakes up and then is home for an hour or two before Elijah has to go to sleep. which might explain a little more why i don’t do anything until the weekends cause i finally have time to myself!]
after my embarrassing breakdown in front of basically my whole Relief Society, and then my terribly long & pitiful post on friday, the most amazing thing happened: all of my friends stepped up and offered to help in any possible way they could. i had emails, text messages, comments {from all of you!}, people stopping by, all of these wonderful women offering to watch Elijah anytime i wanted or take me out for cupcakes or telling me to call them if i ever need to talk and even bringing me a sandwich and cookies for lunch [which was amazing cause i hardly have time to eat i get so tired!]. just this outpouring of love from my friends, many of who have children of their own, thinking of me and doing anything they could to help me feel better.
i was so incredibly grateful, i couldn’t get over how i got to be blessed with so many great friends. and then, i started to feel so embarrassed… when Adam came home i started crying {again} because i felt so so dumb and pathetic for complaining on my blog and crying at Relief Society and making it sound like my life was horrible. i felt so stupid that i could barely handle one small child when my friends with children of their own could manage to take care of their own children and families PLUS have time to be able to take care of my crazy boy. i felt so inadequate that i couldn’t handle my own life. they didn’t need help. they didn’t have to have people watch their kids during the day because they were going crazy. they seemed like they had it all perfectly under control. and i didn’t. how dumb was i?
but then after being gently reprimanded my a dear friend, i realized that it wasn’t stupid to ask for help, it was stupid to not ask for help. i was hurting myself by comparing my situation to others when i didn’t even know everyone’s story. maybe they didn’t have to ask for help because their husbands were actually home earlier in the day than Adam, or they had family close by that helped every so often, or quite simply their child was just easier than Elijah.
i was refusing to let others help me because of how it made me look. i was refusing to be happy because i thought it was wrong to let others into my life. i was refusing to be blessed because i didn’t think i was worthy of it. and i was also not allowing others to be blessed for their service because of my own pride.
so i’ve been trying to humble myself and realize i can’t do it on my own. and that it’s completely normal! NO ONE can do it on their own!
i’ve been trying to let people help me more. i’ve been trying to take up people’s offers when they say they don’t mind taking Elijah for an hour {because they truly don’t mind!} and i’ve been trying to put Elijah’s own best interests at heart as well. wouldn’t he be most happy playing with his friends than stuck in a car or store with a grumpy, stressed out mom? uh… yes he would. so why would i deny all of us involved of the happiness that service brings?
this is honestly a hard lesson for me to learn. i never thought it would be so hard to ask for help until i really needed it. and now i see i have a lot to work on!
you are all probably a lot better at me in this regard, but hopefully i’m not completely alone in this thought process. so i hope that we can all encourage each other to reach out to others when we need help especially if it’s already being offered. take them up on their offers! it’s not weak to do so!
and seriously thank you again to everyone who has helped me in some way whether it be comments or emails or phone calls or text messages or Subway sandwiches! i couldn’t ask for better friends! :)
we celebrated President’s Day the most American way possible: being lazy, going shopping, eating sushi & junk food, and pretending we can actually afford expensive things.
the American dream!
it was actually a really fun day with the little family! i have been trying to soak up as much family time as possible when Adam has any free time since he is at school so much right now {12 hours}. and it is only going to get busier. so me and Elijah totally monopolized Adam’s attention as much as possible instead of letting him study this weekend. hopefully he’ll still do well on his test… but i know that Elijah and i will appreciate the time Adam spends with us doing the little things forever!
and we really didn’t do much at all. just knocked off a few to-do’s: go to Costco {best sushi!} and go to Lowe’s to try and start a little herb garden.
by the way, going to home improvement stores is pretty much one of my most favorite things to do ever! i love walking around and picking out things that i want my future house to have. it won’t be for a long long long while but it’s fun to dream!
Elijah loved it too! we went to look at all the lights and he couldn’t stop staring. he had on this cheesy grin the whole time just in awe. he actually cried when we had to move on to a different part of the store. seriously. he threw a fit because he couldn’t look at the light anymore! guess that will become a more frequent field trip for him when we need to get out of the house.
and don’t let that picture of him passed out in the car fool you! he slept for 10 minutes and then when we got home was running around until he finally crashed for his first nap at 5:00pm. crazy kid!
even though we didn’t really do anything extravagant for our three-day weekend, it was still honestly one of the best days i had with Adam. i love being able to spend time together no matter what it is. and i realized that while it would be fun to go on a trip or spend lots of money on some BIG memory, it’s the accumulation of little memories that makes life worth living.
i know i get jealous a lot when other people get to go out and do fun and crazy things. sometimes i feel really trapped because of finances and the fact that we have a little kid which limits our options. i know Adam has heard me cry many many times over what i felt like were “missed opportunities” and not being satisfied with what we have right now.
but yesterday it just kind of hit me. so we just went to Lowe’s instead of going to a cabin for the weekend. so we just have our tiny apartment and don’t even have a balcony for a garden. so we don’t have a lot of extra funds to go out to eat at a real sushi restaurant. yes it would be nice to have all those things and i’m sure there will still be those times where i wish i did have all those things. but i can make the best out of my situation now!
i can be happy. i can find the joy in the little things around me. i can appreciate the time i have to spend with my husband just lounging around eating root beer floats. i can find happiness in seeing Elijah discover this world that i forget is wonderful sometimes. i can show love in small, every day gestures. i can learn to truly be happy with my life.
i feel like this post is a lot of rambling. and i really don’t even know where i’m going with it. just a big jumble of thoughts i guess. that is something i definitely love about having a blog, being able to get out my thoughts and write down my memories so i can look back on it when i need a reminder. and having a blog has also really helped me appreciate the small moments in my life more. a lesson i definitely have needed to learn this past year!
------------------------------------------------
also! if you took this survey and entered the giveaway, go here to see if you were one of the winners! winners must email me to claim your prize.
so basically i’m completely freaking out right now. i don’t even really know how to process this much excitement.
let me start from the beginning, a few days ago, i received an email from the editor of Leslie Blake Magazine [an online magazine that talks about fashion, entertainment, lifestyle, and more] asking me if i would be interested in writing an article for newlyweds to be published in their wedding issue to be published in a couple of days.
uh, yeah i would!!
it was all done really fast and all seemed so surreal. and then this morning i received an email saying, “the magazine was published!”
I’M PUBLISHED!!!! like i said, i am seriously freaking out.
you can read my article called “Why Isn’t My Marriage Like the Movies?” on pg. 39 of the Leslie Blake Magazine AND view my picture on pg. 21 on the contributor’s page. contributor!!
i feel so incredibly blessed! this has been a total dream of mine for years and the fact that i was able to be featured in a magazine is just amazing. i know it is all because of the Lord and He has truly been blessing me and my family!
please check it out here and tell me what you think! :)
when i first started this blogging journey, i always hoped in the back of my mind that i would be able to reach a larger audience of women to help motivate & inspire.
i thought that goal would take years to accomplish. so when i looked the other day and say a big 501 in my gadget i felt like i could cry.
i’m so grateful to all of you for wanting to hear what i have to say each day. i’m grateful to all of you for supporting me and being my friends when i needed them.
i know it might sound silly to people {especially those who may not blog} but in a way, i feel like this blog and all of you have blessed me in so many ways i cannot even describe.
i know it is because i chose to open up about my struggles and reach out to a wonderful community of women that i am happier today than i was a year ago.
so thank you thank you thank you for seeing me through it all and blessing my life!
and because i have amazing sponsors this month, they are helping me celebrate by giving away some awesome prizes for 21 lucky readers!!
first, i do want to say though that my sponsors really have been amazing! i have mentioned earlier that this month has been crazy hectic and i have kind of been the worst sponser-er… {is there a word for a person being sponsored?? am i have a total brain fart right now?} but my sponsors have been so INCREDIBLE and so kind & supportive even when i have been the lamest.
so i just want to say a very public THANK YOU shout-out to all my wonderful sponsors!! and if you haven’t gotten to know each and every one yet, YOU SHOULD!
okay now on to the awesome prizes!! :)
[there will be one winner for each prize! that’s 21 winners!!]
you cannot tell me that these aren’t the CUTEST things you have ever seen!! i am completely and enormously obsessed with these booties and i desperately need a girl so i can get her some in every size and color.
Rebecca is offering one reader a $20 shop credit towards any pair of boots in her shop! if you win, please please post a picture of your baby in them so that i can melt :)
Jen, Laryssa, and Courtney started this great blog showcasing their every day crafts and help motivate others to do their own budget friendly decorations! i love how their houses are transforming with all their simple DIYs and can’t wait to have a place big enough to do some of my own!
today, these ladies are giving away a $20 gift card to Target!
of course i’m biased {since she’s my sister}, but Rhiannon of Rhi’s Designs really is extremely talented and creative!! her necklaces are all one of a kind and gorgeous! i’m totally jealous that she got the creative genes in the family and can produce such beautiful pieces without batting an eye. i mean seriously… how is that fair??
today, she is giving away the above necklace at a $15 value!
Alisha has been a great friend to me and i have loved getting to know her through her blog. she recently took up knitting and made that adorable hat!! i absolutely LOVE it and i know one lucky reader will too!
Alisha is giving away a beanie {similar to the one pictured above} in your choice of color!
Blog Design for Header, Button or Social Media Icons OR Ad Space from Little Miss Nerd Girl
some great design goodies to help spruce up your look! Lacey from Little Miss Nerd Girl is giving away your choice of designing a new header, button or social media icons for your blog/shop OR a 300x100 ad space on her blog for the month of February.
i actually took this course after winning it in another giveaway and it.was.AWESOME!! Ashley is really able to help you figure out all the nitty gritty of blogging and gives you tips to help make your blog grow. she also helped me figure out exactly why i blog and what i hope to gain from it. definitely an e-book worth reading if you are getting serious about blogging!
Jenni has a cute, fun, and hilarious blog that is sure to bring any blog/shop traffic! She is giving away a sponsor spot on her blog to help your business grow.
if you are looking for more ways to spruce up your blog look, head on over to Amanda at Royal Daughter Designs! she works hard to give you the special look you want and make it unique to you.
Amanda is giving away individually designed social networking buttons for your blog AND a medium ad spot!
Kate of From the Guest Room has beautiful knitted items that i think are pretty essential to your winter wardrobe! i especially love this rope necklace that she is modeling above!
she is giving away a $15 store credit to one winner today!
Claire from Polkadot Pretties has some seriously beautiful products! you would think she sewed her whole life instead of being a self-taught sewer just last year!
today she is giving away this beautiful zipper pouch to one lucky reader!
Jillian has a great shop and blog where she talks a lot of fashion and style. i always like seeing how she styles items and her awesome moving pictures that she does!
Jillian is giving one winner a medium ad space on her blog!
i don’t think i’ll ever be able to adequately describe my absolute LOVE for this shop!! when i saw Kate’s artwork for the first time i couldn’t get it out of my mind and i am now determined to get a whole collection of her prints one day.
when she said she would offer a reader one print of their choice i could have died with jealousy! YOU ARE SO LUCKY!!
Chrissy is a very talented lady and a true friend! i love seeing all her shop items and what designs she comes up with next. and i totally want that above embroidery like nobody’s business!
Chrissy is giving away $15 shop credit toward any item in her shop!
Heather is one of the nicest and most genuine bloggers you will ever meet. and today she is graciously giving away a large 200x150 ad space for one reader which includes twitter mentions + group sponsor feature. working with Heather is a great way to get your blog/shop noticed and she does a great job supporting you to fulfill your goals!
Franchesca is another one of these amazingly talented designers that can take your vision for your website and make it better. she is giving away $50 credit towards any blog design.
Tricia has some amazing handmade earrings in her shop that are absolutely beautiful and colorful! i am especially coveting these beauties! please get them for me :)
Nicole’s shop has some incredibly beautiful products that i have definitely been swooning over for a long time! and to add to her awesomness, she is quite honestly one of the kindest and more supportive bloggers/shop owners i have ever met. when i first started working with her, she did all that she could to help me get the word out without me ever really asking. she is just automatically your friend!!
she is giving one winner a $25 credit to her shop which is totally incredible!! if you get one of her wrap bracelets, i would be forever jealous.
Ashlyn from My Unrehearsed Life is giving away a large ad space on her blog that includes an individual giveawayand/or a guest post!Value of $25. Great way to help your business grow!
Melanie is a great inspiration in the blogging community and has quickly grown a large following! she is so nice to offer a $10 Starbucks gift card to one lucky reader today to help with their morning coffee/hot chocolate runs :)
