Sap City Series {Daddy-daughter Edition}

I was looking through pictures from our summer in South Carolina, and these are two of my favorites.  Todd and Reese have such a special relationship.  I feel like I say that all the time, but they really do.  As my baby girl gets older and older each day, I realize how precious moments like these are.  I'm feeling pretty sappy right now, so if you can't tell this is going to be a sappy post, SO...brace yourself.  

Today was General Conference for our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I heard inspiring words from some of my favorite people.  The leaders of my church.  They spoke things to my heart that meant so much to me I can hardly figure out how to put it into words.  So for the sake of self-preservation haha, I'm not going to even try.  But I will say that at the end of those meetings (even if I feel asleep here and there lol), I left inspired.  I left feeling ready to conquer the world.  I left feeling peace.  Such overwhelming peace.  A peace that I've been seeking for a little while now.  Life has just been going so fast.  Too fast.  My baby girl will be two in December.  My baby boy is almost 4 months.  Time is flying.  I found myself aching for my baby Reese today.  My 4 month old little Reese.  Wanting to hold her and rock her until she fell asleep in my arms. 

My children and husband are my world.  I have so much love for them.  Children are such angelic little humans.  Don't get me wrong, Reese throws tantrums like the best of them and Riggs fights sleeps like a pro, but they truly are freaking sweethearts.  I love them.  And I'm so lucky to be their momma.

In one of the talks today, it was said that..."Right now is eternity," (Dieter F. Uchtdorf).

I've been thinking about that phrase all day today....right now is my eternity.  Today I felt that.  I really felt that.  I hope I remember how today felt when the days are really hard.  On the days that I can barely function because I'm so sleep deprived.  On the days that Todd really gets under my skin.  Because we're not perfect, and sometimes we get on each other's nerves.  On the days that Rigg's explodes through FOUR outfits in less than an hour.  True story y'all.  On the days that Reese has a million meltdowns because she can't find the words to express what she wants, and I can't read her mind.  On all those types of days, I hope that at the end of them, I can find it in myself to remember to see blessings instead of burdens.  

I hope y'all have had a great Saturday and have an even better Sunday.

XO,Me

#sapcityseries

I Am Brave and Beautiful

I am Brave and Beautiful - a beauty movement that is sweeping the globe. Colbie Caillat started it with her recent song and video called TRY. My blogging friend Megan of Brassy Apple wanted to push this movement along and invited women from all over to share what they looked like without make up and I joined in!! Colbie's song says,

"Take your make up off. Let your hair down... Look into the mirror at yourself, Do you like you? Cause I like you... "

Megan and her friend Cobi of Peacefrom6pieces have been the team behind this whole project. Their worldwide vision included creating their own video inspired by the song TRY. The talent of Robbins Creative made it possible for them to pull it off. You have to click play and see the beauty and bravery displayed and you might even recognize a familiar face in there;).

Me along with 101+ other blogging women from different backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, ages, shapes and sizes have decided to be Brave and Beautiful! You can join in this movement too by sharing what you look like without makeup on. You don't need a blog either! Just tag your photo with #IamBraveAndBeautiful on Instgram and search the hashtag to see who else has joined in. ALSO, if you tag it with a second hashtag - #ColbieTRY we just might be able to get Colbie Caillat's attention since she was the inspiration behind it all!

Are you brave and beautiful?  I am!  Here I go!

"The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode, but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.  It is the care she lovingly gives and the passion she shows." (Audrey Hepburn)

Oh y'all.  Where to even begin.  I have been so excited about this beautiful vision that Megan from Brassy Apple and her friend Cobi had to emphasize the importance of inner beauty and being comfortable in your own skin.  I've been thinking a lot about how to express my feelings adequately and just how passionate I am about what this movement stands for.  And so for a lack of eloquence, I'm just going to spew out my heart a little bit in hopes that you leave this post remembering just how beautiful you really are.  And that a woman's true beauty is truly reflected in her soul.

If I had a nickel for every time in my life that I felt less than because I didn't feel beautiful in the eyes of the world, I'm sad to say I'd be a rich woman.  Like most women, I used the world's standard of beautiful to define my self-worth.  I let unrealistic standards drown me in a sea of pity parties about how I looked or how I didn't look to be more accurate.  There was one night in particular in early college that I laid in bed and cried because I didn't feel pretty.  It tore at my heart.  And it hurt.  Low self-esteem is a plague and can tear down the most beautiful soul if you let it.  It's a poison, and nothing good comes from it.  It took me a long time to realize that.  I probably didn't fully understand what I was doing to myself (all that comparing and what not) until I was pregnant and found out Reese was a girl.  And then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

What kind of confidence did I want to instill in my little girl?  Did I want her to hear me talk about how I wished I was thinner, tanner, and healthier?  Did I really want that to be the legacy I left for my sweet baby girl?  Absolutely not!  I knew I need to face my fears of inadequacy head on.  I needed to get to the source of my negativity.  I wanted to be gentler with myself.  I wanted to recognize that who I was on the inside would naturally make me a million times more beautiful on the outside than any kind of makeup could ever do.  I had felt that confidence before in my life, and I wanted to feel it again.

So I prayed.

I prayed with my whole heart.  I prayed consistently and honestly.  I trusted who I was praying to.  I trusted that He knew my heart.  I trusted that He believed I was beautiful.  Even if I didn't know it in my heart quite yet, I trusted in the concept.  Fake it 'till you make it, right?  And sure enough...day by day, week by week, I slowly started to feel my soul coming alive (yes, there is no other way of saying it! lol).  It was like I was on fire.  My heart slowly started to believe that what made me beautiful was not what I looked like on the outside.  My beauty resonated in my heart and how I loved the people around me.  That is what makes me beautiful.

Here is an excerpt from a recent post of mine, "I Didn't Feel Beautiful".  This is what I was reminded of after a lot of trusting and praying...

"I believe that loving, supporting, and serving the people around us makes us happy and beautiful.  You are beautiful because of the listening ear you provide for your friend whose marriage is struggling, whose transition to being a new, young mom is lonely, whose kids have all left home and being an empty-nester is lonely, or whose husband lost his job and money is tight.  You are beautiful because you texted that person to let them know how much they mean to you.  You are beautiful because you're a caring, invested grandma who wants each and every grandchild to know they're unique and loved.  You're beautiful because you make dinner every night even if it means ordering in from Papa Johns.  You're beautiful because you're a good sister who supports her family in their endeavors and ambitions.  You're beautiful because you fold the laundry and do the dishes, so when your hubby gets home from work the house is clean.  You're beautiful because instead of doing the laundry and dishes, you let your 4 year old pretend to be a chef and you were the customer at her restaurant or you let your 2 year old show you the mess he can make by being Godzilla and destroying all the toys and legos in sight.  You're beautiful because you're 15 and noticed that there was someone new at school, so you said hi, asked where she's from, and if she wanted to sit with you and your friends at lunch.  You're beautiful because you try to be a good student and good kid, even if things are hard at home.  You're beautiful if school is hard for you and you feel like you're barely scraping by because what no one knows is that you're going to be an artist, an engineer, a musician, a beautician, or some other talent that can't be measured by run of the mill "academics".  You're beautiful because you're a strong, independent, happy woman who loves to work hard, enjoys her career, and makes the workplace an uplifting, supportive community for her coworkers.  

You're beautiful because you are your own person.  

There is not one person who has the same heart and mind as you.  Don't let anyone strip that from you.  Don't let the media tell you what you should look like or how you should act.  Don't let the girl in your Chemistry class make you feel stupid because you don't understand what you're doing.  Don't let the girl on TV make you feel like you're not pretty enough.  Don't let the girls who have boyfriends make you feel like something's wrong with you because you're not in a relationship.  Don't let the mom down the street who always seems to have it together make you feel like you don't have it together.  Don't let the empty-nesters who seem to have found their niche make you feel like you don't have one.  I can't remember who said this, but whoever it was really hit the nail on the head...

“Sometimes people are beautiful.  Not in looks.  Not in what they say.  Just in what they are.”

Don't stop here. Get clicking around - its a blog hop! Below are more brave and beautiful women bearing more than their natural beauty. They each have a little bit of their heart to share with you. Some get very personal. Some share stories. For some this was very hard to do yet they gathered their courage and did it anyway. We hope as you click around (and YES pin these different posts!) you will feel the importance of it, the empowering effect it has and that it encourages you in some way.

>>>>>>>Important info! Blog Hops often have glitches the first day. If the link has an ERROR, simply click on the HOME button for each site, or google the blog name next to the link, and you should see their brave and beautiful post there. Links will be updated as soon as possible.<<<<<<<<<<<<

1. BrassyApple 2. Peace from 6 Pieces 3. Is this Really My Life 4. Among the Young 5. Love Me Dani Marie 6. Sweet Charli 7. Kim Orlandini 8. XO, Ashton Tilton 9. She Calls Me Mama Leisha 10. Raising Memories - Canada 11. A Little Tipsy 12. Amy Cornwell 13. A girl and a glue gun 14. My Craftily Ever After 15. Maybe I Will 16. WhipperBerry 17. Paging SuperMom 18. All Things Thrifty 19. Ashlee Marie 20. The Project Girl

21. One Little Momma 22. Entirely Eventful Day 23. Diary of a Brown Eyed Girl 24. Tips from a Typical Mom 25. Utah Sweet Savings 26. Flats to Flip Flops 27. One Krieger Chick 28. What Meegan Makes 29. Simply Kierste 30. Live to be Inspired 31. HoneyBear Lane 32. Pretty Providence 33. Ma Nouvelle Mode - in FRANCE 34. MomEntity 35. Serger Pepper - in ITALY 36. Kiki and Company 37. Girl Loves Glam 38. Thrive

39. The Potters Place 40. Crafting in the Rain 41. Cooking With Ruthie 42. Delineate Your Dwelling 43. The Pennington Point 44. Bakerette 45. The Happy Scraps 46. Shannon Baird Photography 47. Tried and Tasty 48. Lionesses at the Gate 49. Fry Sauce and Grits 50. Lolly Jane 51. That's What Che Said 52. Sugar Bee Crafts 53. Your HomeBased Mom 54. Happiness is Homemade 55. The Crafted Sparrow 56. R&R Workshop 57. I Should Be Mopping the Floor 58. Sassy Steals

59. Let's Eat Grandpa 60. Being Spiffy 61. Sumo's Sweet Stuff 62. Ginger Snap Crafts 63. Bless This Mess 64. Apronista 65. Dreaming About Someday 66. Frenchie 67. Tastefully Frugal 68. Four Marrs and One Venus 69. Your Sister Circle 70. Over the Big Moon 71. See Vanessa Craft 72. Infarrantly Creative 73. Family StoryTelling

74. Albion Gould 75. Life as Mrs. Larson 76. Tried and True 77. Play.Party.Pin. 78. Bite of Delight 79. Ink Happi 80. ObSEUSSed 81. U Create 82. My Mommy Style 83. Find it Make it Love it 84. The Contractor Chronicles 85. Novae Clothing 86. Mommy Makes Things 87. At Home with Sweet T 88. We Like to Learn As We Go 89. House for Five 90. Organize and Decorate Everything 91. Sassy Southern Gurl 92. The Creative Mom 93. Keep Moving Forward with Me

94. The Benson Street 95. Mom 4 Real 96. Sowdering About 97. illistyle 98. The Crafty Blog Stalker 99. A Fiery Red Life 100. Cupcakes & Crowbars 101. One Sweet Appetite 102. My DayLights 103. Restless Risa

104. Sypsie Designs 105. Vintage Mother 106. Like Mother Like Daughter 107. 30 Handmade Days 108. Queen Bee and Me 109. Apples by Ashley 110. Boutique Cafe - in CANADA 111. Just My Little Mess 112. Bombshell Bling 113. Sarah Tyau 114. Taradara Make it 115. Capturing Joy 116. Ivory Lime Photography 117. Jenkins Kids Farm 118. Free Time Frolics 119. Bella Storia 120. Dana Ohlsen Photography

Ready in join in?Snap, hashtag and share! Tag @BrassyApple and @Peacefrom6Pieces if you can too!

Also follow our Bravery and Beauty PINTEREST board for more inspiration!

I Didn't Feel Beautiful

Hinckley. My little pal.  The little guy I'm about to tell you all about.  Here's a picture I took of him when he was 2 years old, about 5 years ago.  Driving home from Brassy Apple's Secret Project (launching September 29th) last week, I was reminded of a memory from when he was this old.  It came flooding back, and I remembered everything about that day like it was yesterday.  It brought me to tears just thinking about it.  It hits close to home, but I don't ever want to forget it, so here goes!

My whole life, I struggled with acne.  Oh yeah folks, we're talking Struggled, with a capital "S".  It plagued me as a teenager.  It got a little better as I went to college, but still bothered me and never completely went away.  I always noticed the clear skin of other girls or celebrities I saw in the media.  I'd always wished for that smooth, blemish-free skin.  I was embarrassed by the marks on my face, especially the uneven redness of it.  I never went anywhere without makeup on.  I always tried to cover the acne up, but it never quite covered it the way I wanted it to, and it definitely couldn't take away the rough, unevenness of it.  It was a major insecurity of mine and often the source of low self-esteem.  

Y'all I had tried it all.  I had been to the dermatologist a million times, and every new "procedure" or "daily face routine" failed.  Nothing ever worked.  Shocker.  My skin has always been extremely sensitive and more often than not, I would break out from the new "daily face routine" suggested by said dermatologist.  So. Freaking. Frustrating.  Not to mention incredibly hard on my hopeful attitude that this routine would be different.  This time it would work.  This time I would come out on top.  This time I would finally have that perfect skin I'd been dreaming of. Ha...ha.......HA. 

Well, one time in particular coming back from the dermatologist with a new procedure in tow, I got home, ran upstairs, and couldn't wait to get started.  Even though it would've taken time for it to show results, I wanted to get a move on with that ish.  But sure enough, not even ten minutes after applying the cleanser, toner, and cream (sweet merciful, I wish I knew then what I know now about skin care...simplify, simplify, simplify), my face broke out like cuhRAZY.  I was a mess y'all.  A freaking hot mess.  I'd never had my skin break out so terrifically horrible before.  I was swollen, red, itchy, and my acne was magnified ten fold.  I remember it like it was yesterday, looking in the mirror and being so unhappy, embarrassed, and completely mortified.  I didn't even want to show my face to my family.  I was so painfully embarrassed.  

So I cried.

I cried so hard and so long.  I cried because of my insecurity.  I cried because it didn't seem like I would ever add up.  I felt like no one would think I was pretty.  I felt exposed.  I cried because I didn't feel beautiful.  

After wetting a rag and patting my face, and trying to remove any sign of my hysterics, I finally braved going downstairs.  As I walked downstairs, my sister, her hubby, and my brother were playing a board game.  I'd half expected them to look up at my red, puffy, acne-filled face and drop their jaws at the horror.  But of course they didn't.  My sister looked up at me and said, "Finally!  Wanna jump in on the game?"  She didn't stare, and she didn't say a word.  I told her I'd sit out for this round and hop in the next.  So I sat on the piano bench and watched as they played.  

And that's when it happened.  

My sweet little nephew, Hinckley, climbed right up on the piano bench next to me, and completely caught me off guard.  Unexpectedly, he pulled himself up onto my lap and cupped his little hands and fingers around my cheeks.  He looked me straight in the eyes with the most sincere, sweet look on his face, and said, "Ashin, you are BOOOtiful."  

Yep.  That happened.  Bring on the falls, Niagara Falls.  Right then and there, my 2 year old Nephew taught me one of the most valuable lessons a girl needs to know.  And sure enough, I cried again.  

To that little 2 year old, I was beautiful not because of what I looked like on the outside but because I was his aunt.  Because I hugged and kissed him every time I saw him.  Because I laughed with him.  Because I cuddled and watched Backyardigans with him.  Because I played toys with him.  Because I loved him.  

And I believe that.  I believe that loving, supporting, and serving the people around us makes us happy and beautiful.  You are beautiful because of the listening ear you provide for your friend whose marriage is struggling, whose transition to being a new, young mom is lonely, whose kids have all left home and being an empty-nester is lonely, or whose husband lost his job and money is tight.  You are beautiful because you texted that person to let them know how much they mean to you.  You are beautiful because you're a caring, invested grandma who wants each and every grandchild to know they're unique and loved.  You're beautiful because you make dinner every night even if it means ordering in from Papa Johns.  You're beautiful because you're a good sister who supports her family in their endeavors and ambitions.  You're beautiful because you fold the laundry and do the dishes, so when your hubby gets home from work the house is clean.  You're beautiful because instead of doing the laundry and dishes, you let your 4 year old pretend to be a chef and you were the customer at her restaurant or you let your 2 year old show you the mess he can make by being Godzilla and destroying all the toys and legos in sight.  You're beautiful because you're 15 and noticed that there was someone new at school, so you said hi, asked where she's from, and if she wanted to sit with you and your friends at lunch.  You're beautiful because you try to be a good student and good kid, even if things are hard at home.  You're beautiful if school is hard for you and you feel like you're barely scraping by because what no one knows is that you're going to be an artist, an engineer, a musician, a beautician, or some other talent that can't be measured by run of the mill "academics".  You're beautiful because you're a strong, independent, happy woman who loves to work hard, enjoys her career, and makes the workplace an uplifting, supportive community for her coworkers.  You're beautiful because you attend church every week.  You're beautiful if you don't go to church and hike with your family instead.  You're beautiful if your beliefs are founded in goodness, reflection, and unity.  You're beautiful if your beliefs are founded in God.  

You're beautiful because you are your own person.  

There is not one person who has the same heart and mind as you.  Don't let anyone strip that from you.  Don't let the media tell you what you should look like or how you should act.  Don't let the girl in your Chemistry class make you feel stupid because you don't understand what you're doing.  Don't let the girl on TV make you feel like you're not pretty enough.  Don't let the girls who have boyfriends make you feel like something's wrong with you because you're not in a relationship.  Don't let the mom down the street who always seems to have it together make you feel like you don't have it together.  Don't let the empty-nesters who seem to have found their niche make you feel like you don't have one.  I can't remember who said this, but whoever it was really hit the nail on the head... 

“Sometimes people are beautiful.  Not in looks.  Not in what they say.  Just in what they are.”

Cheers to being who you are because it's a waste of time to be anybody else.

Hope y'all are having a fabulous day, and if not, then no worries because tomorrow's Friday! #holla

❤, Ashton Tilton

Peace I Give Unto You

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)

Yesterday was a little okay, a lot on the cray-cray side.  We're talking laundry flying, dishes piling, work meetings overloading, feeling the burn of a perpetual to-do list frying my brain, emotions boiling, and honestly y'all, just feeling like I wasn't being the homemaker, mom, and wifey I should be.  I let myself get so overwhelmed with this concept of what I should be and what should be done at the end of the day, that I let it affect my attitude which spilled over to how quickly I was to get frustrated with Buns and Reese.  I was a hot mess.  YIKES!

After a "come to Jesus" moment with myself last night, I hit the pillow with a determination to figure out how to lessen the stress I put on myself as a wife, mom, homemaker, and employee.  Something had to give.  

And here I am writing this post in efforts to share something I learned about this nasty thing called...perfectionism.

Perfectionism: an attitude or behavior that takes an admirable desire and turns it into an unrealistic expectation to be perfect now.  I pulled this from a talk/devotional I read this morning by Gerrit W. Gong (click here to read entire devotional) on becoming perfect in Christ and how that's different from perfectionism.  This definition of perfectionism kind of rocked my world y'all.  I felt like all of a sudden I had a circle of pointer-finger emojis circling round my head implicating me as a victim of this condition.  I was immediately sucked in and wanted to know how the heck do I overcome that unrealistic expectation?  Are you a victim of it too?  Let's kick this to the curb together! 

Do you have fears of being imperfect?  Do you fear making mistakes?  Do you feel your not good enough?  Do you view yourself as a failure compared to others?  Do you feel you're not doing enough to merit His love?  Are you left feeling sleepless, anxious, discouraged, or depressed?  These are all feelings Gong helps us navigate in his devotional on perfection.

If you are feeling any of these things to any extent, I have the most wonderful and greatest news...there is an out!  We can let go of the anxiety, discouragement, and exhaustion that results from trying to live up to those unrealistic expectations.  We can embrace the peace, joy, and assurance that we are enough.  And we can find that relief through our Savior, Jesus Christ!  Our Savior's love frees us and allows us to let go of the fears of imperfection and not adding up.  His love allows us to be more forgiving of ourselves and the people around us.  As we try to be more kind, humble, and selfless like our Savior was, we can be released of the pressure to be perfect.  Released I tell you!  Being perfected through Christ does not mean being perfect now.  Being perfected through Christ means embarking on the "eternal journey of our soul" and understanding that we are here on the earth to experience lifelong refinement.  It's totally refreshing if you ask me!  No one is required to be perfect and guess what?  No one is perfect!  We are all children of God learning and growing together.  We're just trying to make sense of who we are and what our purpose is.  

Something else I thought was powerful in the devotional was that the harder we try to be perfect, the further we feel from the perfection we seek.  Can I get an amen?! (Insert hands in the "ayer" emoji)  This brought me to the word I put in the photo above:  Simplify.  Getting back to the basics.  Filling your day with f a i t h.  Filling your day with h o p e.  If you don't like where you are in your life and are feeling unhappy, I challenge you to find the goodness in your circumstances.  Actually get out a pen and paper and jot down some things your grateful for today.  And if you can't even brainstorm one thing because you're feeling so helpless, I'll kick start that list for you...You are a child of God.  And that makes you beautiful.  That makes you good enough.  You have something inside of you that no one else has.  Harness who you are.  Embrace your gifts and talents.  I promise they are unique and something that no one else has to offer!  Strengthen your circle of influence.  Reaching out to others always seems to make us forget about ourselves.  Strengthen the relationships with the people around you: your children, husband, friends, coworkers, mom, grandma, cousins, and the list goes on.  Send one text today to a person you've been meaning to get in touch with or someone you just want to know is thought of and loved.  It will brighten your day and it will certainly brighten their day.

Cheers to finding goodness in unexpected places, and cheers to being YOU.

❤, Ashton Tilton