Winter in the Park

The other day we had a sunny winter day with no snow, so you bet we decided to meet up! These last few weeks have been brutally cold- trust me. Frost bite was a serious concern at my work, and when it got up to 17 degrees a couple days ago everyone was rejoicing for a "warm day". Us Michiganders begin our countdown to springtime once the first snowflake falls, and I'm sure bloggers everywhere are ready for a little more daylight to work with. I know we are!

Katelyn's wearing: Shoes- Kohl's // Jeans- American Eagle // Sweater- Delia*s
Jacket- H&M // Beanie- Forever21 // Glasses- Firmoo

Laura's wearing: Top, skirt, necklace, hat- Forever21 // Tights- Target // Booties- DSW

It looks like even the southern states are getting hit with some snow! Stay warm, friends!

Tea Box Express // Review & Giveaway

If you didn't already know, the two of us have a major thing for coffee and tea. We were recently sent two monthly subscription boxes from a fantastic company called Tea Box Express. It is a monthly box of tea goodies that includes brand-name tea and three or four fun tea-related products. They source quality teas and interesting accessories for you to throw a tea party of your own. We were so excited to open our boxes and see what kind of goodies were inside. 

We were given the January and February Tea Box Express boxes. 

We thoroughly enjoyed every moment of baking our easy-to-make scones, sipping on earl grey tea, tasting our clotted cream and strawberry jam, and sharing conversation. There is something so symbolic about sharing tea with loved ones. It was a perfect opportunity for us to sit down and catch up. 

To share the love of these fantastically fun products, we're offering one of our lucky readers a box of goodies from Tea Box Express! All you need to do is fill out the entry form below and comment with your email address! 
Sorry, this giveaway is open to U.S. readers only!

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Breaking Out of a Broken System // Review & Giveaway

Several months ago, I heard about an amazing book titled Breaking Out of a Broken System which was co-written by the Bolt Brothers. The book explores the lives of brothers Seth and Chandler, who grew up 10 years apart and work in two entirely different industries (Seth is a touring musician and Chandler is an entrepreneur). They share the keys to their successes and wrote this book to create a map for success by letting readers in on their personal experiences and lessons. They each have successfully achieved their own dreams because of lessons that were instilled into them at a very early age.
Breaking Out of a Broken System was also written with a solid mission for a great cause. Each book purchased gives 1 life-saving malaria pill to someone in need. 

This book is their personalized map for success for everyone to use! I promise that it will inspire you and help you find purpose in your work and in your life. 

Just before Christmas, they released the book in hard copy. It was the perfect opportunity for me to purchase one for myself and for Katelyn. We were immediately motivated to make some changes in our lives. No more settling. It's time to unlock our full potential.

Here are our top 5 takeaways from this incredible book:

1. Setting Goals + Your Mini-Successes
We've been trying to get in the habit of setting small goals for ourselves; whether it's for the blog or something personal we'd like to attain. It helps when we hold each other accountable and reward ourselves for a job well done. Since starting our blog together, we've found ways to challenge ourselves to be better every day. No day is wasted. From working out together at the gym to writing down our bucket lists and coming up with a business plan, we know that setting the goal is half the battle. Once it's on paper, we have to find a way to check it off.

2. Show Me Your Friends, I'll Show You Your Future
"You are the average of your 5 closest friends."
It takes a lot of audacity to analyze your own friendships and conclude which ones are the most significant and necessary. We've all had people in our live that aren't the best influence or are a constant source of negative energy. Those relationships can be toxic and it's best to weed out the friends who bring us down. In the book, they mention that you are the average of your five closest friends. If you want to live a more positive and influential life, it's essential to surround yourself with people who lift you up and encourage you along the way. Luckily for us, we have a huge, loving, motivating family and great friends who keep us in check. Plus, we have each other. And we are SO grateful for each other.

3. Saying "YES" to Giving
The book discusses the concept of giving in numerous ways. Rather than working to make a profit, giving can lead to much more. You must sow your seeds in order for them to grow. Giving is the best way to feel better. In 2014, I selected a different fundraiser to donate/support each month. Whether it was helping a family adopt, donating food over the holidays, selecting causes I believe in via crowd-funding, or volunteering my time to help others, it was all 100% worth the time, the money, and the effort. Since joining the team at SowHope.org we've been challenged to think outside of the box and make a difference. The book talks about 'being blessed by blessing others', and that is exactly what enriches our souls. Sharing the wealth doesn't have to be money specifically, either. Passing along your knowledge, donating your time, or simply spreading kindness will bring great joy. Give and you will be blessed.
We both have big dreams for the next few years. We want to travel and serve the Lord by stepping out of our comfort zone and putting our hands and our heart to work. 
'Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.' - Luke 6:38

4. 'Do It Now'
Procrastination is like a prison. When it takes over us, it's hard to break free. We both loved this part of the book so much. This portion came about from the author's mother leaving post-it notes around the house on all of the unfinished business that needed to be done. Since many of us have an "I'll do it later" attitude, this is one great way to combat procrastination and get it done. The best way to avoid resistance of tasks is to just do it now. Since we started reading it around the same time, we actually both ended up sending "do it now!" texts to each other when it came to small tasks we needed to complete throughout the week. Delaying things that need to be accomplished only creates more work later. Finishing them right away creates a sense of empowerment.

5. Rebellion is a good thing
No, we don't mean acting like criminals. Rebelling, or going against the grain, is a way in which we allow ourselves to grow. Society instills the idea that rebellion is a bad thing. The authors go on quite a bit about how our most passionate ambitions in life are diminished by a society that believes it's in our best interest to conform to an uncompromising definition of what "success" looks like. Unfortunately, that's just society stealing our thunder. Conforming doesn't promote success, YOU create your own success.
When it comes to challenging the status quo, my mind always pictures this image: 

As children, we imagine what we'd like our life to look like. No boundaries, no rules, no limitations, just greatness. As we grow up and are influenced by others, our dreams can become watered down by realistic thinking and we succumb to mediocrity. WHY? In order to challenge the status quo, we most break out of our societal bubble of conformity and stand out.

In an effort to raise awareness about the cause and share our love for this book, we are giving away a hard copy of Breaking Out of a Broken System. Our extra purchase saved another life!
Fill out the entries below to enter to win this book!

Comment below with your email address so we can contact you if you've been chosen!

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Regardless if you win or not, we sincerely hope you pick up a copy of this book for yourself or for a friend. We are passionate about the purpose it serves and hope you find it useful like we did. 

 

 

Mapping it Out

You know those days where everything feels like a constant uphill battle? That was yesterday. I feel like I've been stretched and pulled in all directions and challenged in every aspect of life. These sort of days are inevitable, and although they hurt, they are necessary.

Katelyn and I met for coffee and chai teas at The Sparrows so we could map out a few plans we have coming up. After some blog discussions, we moved on to talking about our hopes and plans for the nonprofit organization we volunteer for called SowHope.org. The organization is run by Katelyn's mother-in-law and father-in-law. Ever since working on their marketing and PR team together, I've gained more perspective and a sense of purpose. Even through the hardships, it feels so good to belong somewhere and to give back. Having a supportive husband like Steve and a partner-in-crime-cousin like Katelyn to celebrate the triumphs is pretty gratifying and beautiful, too. I guess what I'm trying to say here is.. power through it. We are all challenged. We all feel defeated. Keep pushing, it's worth it.

 Laura's wearing: Shirt- LOFT // Jeans- Abercrombie & Fitch // Necklace- Forever 21 /

Bracelet- Charming Charlie // Boots- Dr. Martens // Glasses- Firmoo

Katelyn's wearing: Shoes- ℅ Wolverine // Tights & Sweater- Target // Blouse- Pull&Bear // Skirt- Forever21

We hope everyone has a great weekend!

Anyone have any exciting plans?

DIY Soaps made with Essential Oils

The past couple weeks I've been dabbling into making all-natural bath and body products with my DoTerra essential oils. I've been on a crunchy, earthy, healthy kick lately and I'm already addicted to finding new ways to use essential oils. One of my favorite handmade soaps came from a lady at the Nashville Farmers Market a few months back and it consisted of lavender and melaleuca. Ever since I used the bar to its entirety, I decided that I should start making my own. 

I use the melt and pour method, which is super quick and easy! I have tried using both goats milk soap and shea butter soap base. They are equally great and share the same consistency.  

This recipe makes approximately 4 full bath bars, but you can adjust the batch and use whichever molds you'd like. Once you're comfortable with the melt and pour method, you can start creating some of your own recipes based on your favorite essential oils. Here are some of my favorites:

Lavender Coconut Bath Bars:

What you need:

 + double boiler

+ silicone spatula

+ soap mold

+ 1 tsp. DoTerra fractionated coconut oil
+ 1 tsp. coconut oil

+ 6-8 drops DoTerra Lavender essential oil
+ 1 tbsp. lavender seeds

+ approx. 14 cubes of goats milk or shea butter soap base

 Directions: 

Put cubes of soap base into double boiler and stir with spatula until completely melted. 

Add fractionated coconut oil, regular coconut oil and lavender and stir until well-blended.

Remove from heat and pour into soap molds slowly and carefully.

Put in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove from molds after chilled.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bath Bars: 
 

What you need:

 + double boiler

+ silicone spatula

+ soap mold

+ 1 tsp. DoTerra fractionated coconut oil 

+ 6-8 drops DoTerra Lemon essential oil
+ 1 tbsp. poppy seeds

+ approx. 14 cubes of goats milk or shea butter soap base
+ (optional) 2 drops of yellow food coloring

 Directions: 

Put cubes of soap base into double boiler and stir with spatula until completely melted. 

Add fractionated coconut oil, Lemon oil and poppy seeds and stir until well-blended.

Remove from heat and pour into soap molds slowly and carefully.

Put in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove from molds after chilled.

Orange Creamsicle Hand Soaps: 
 

What you need:

 + double boiler

+ silicone spatula

+ cupcake pan

+ 6-8 drops DoTerra Wild Orance essential oil
+ 1tsp. vanilla
+ 2 tbsp. orange peel 

+ approx. 18 cubes of goats milk or shea butter soap base
+ (optional) 2 drops of orange food coloring 

 Directions: 

Put cubes of soap base into double boiler and stir with spatula until completely melted. 

Add Wild Orange oil, vanilla, and orange peel and stir until well-blended.

Remove from heat and pour into soap molds slowly and carefully.

Put in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove from molds after chilled.

Soap will maintain it's shape at room temperature. 

I'll post more soap recipes soon, so stay tuned!

Down by the Riverside

I swear every time we take photos, the next day there is a drastic change in weather. Even though it was freezing, it was sunny which is a rare thing during winter in Michigan. As I look out my window now we're in the middle of a snow advisory & being instructed not to leave our houses. Thankfully, watching the Super Bowl isn't an outside activity.

Katelyn's wearing: Boots & Sweater- Target // Leggings- JCPenny // Shirt- H&M

Scarf- Gifted (from India) // Hat- Meijer

Laura's wearing: Dress- Forever21 // Boots- Samantha Pleet Blixen Boots f/ Wolverine 

Hat- Thrifted // Necklace- Old Navy

How was everyone's Super Bowl?

Have a great Monday everyone!