The Power of Powersheets

How many times have you actually set a goal for the New Year and given up after a month? If you are anything like me, it only took me like two days and it was back to the "norm".  Well, that all changed about two years ago. That is when I caught a webinar about making things happen by a woman named Lara Casey. I ended up purchasing her book called Make It Happen and actually blogged about it here. In her book, she talked about taking small steps towards your goals instead of being overwhelmed by one HUGE goal. At that time, life felt upside down. I was working in both my business and working for someone else full time , trying to buy a house, and tons of other crazy things I won't get into. So needless to say, I was in need of making a change that would turn my world right side up.

After reading Make It Happen, it was like a lightbulb finally flickered on.  At the end of the book, she mentioned practical ways to start prioritizing what was important. #Powersheets was one of the tools she mentioned. As timing would have it, #Powersheets were about to go on sale for the next year. I knew I had to get my hands on them. So, I purchased a 6 month set of #Powersheets and waited anxiously for the mailman to deliver them. I purchased a binder (that year's #Powersheets had a 3 ring hole punch), pens and markers that would help me get messy while I began to goal set. Those sheets lasted a year. Why? Because I didn't prioritize my goal setting...but it was progress. Progress that I would not have made if I had not purchased this goal-setting tool. To be honest, it wasn't until this year that I finally began really dedicating time weekly to my #Powersheets. And, oh, how I saw things cultivate and finally bloom.

PHOTO CREDIT: DIPP PHOTOGRAPHY

Since the time I began using #Powersheets, I've been able to jump full time into the work I love, prioritize time with family and friends, and begin planning for other exciting chapters in my life. Ultimately, thinking about how your goals will affect you when you are 80 in your favorite rocking chair while sipping some cafecito really puts things into perspective. I don't know about you, but I want to enjoy that time in what's truly important.

Are you looking to make a change? Transition to work that you are passionate about, lose weight, or something else you wish you could change? Why don't you start today? It just so happens the 2018 #Powersheets are available now and it would be a great time to take a step towards making intentional, positive change. You won't regret it.

Preparing Your Garden

Most of you are reading the title of this post as if it were a surprise line drive to right field. Yes. You heard me use a baseball reference. Softball in my case...but I keep moving onto the point. The last thing I think any of you would expect from me would be to write a post relating to gardening. But it might actually surprise you to see where this leads...

You may have noticed a bit of a buzz on social media regarding a certain book coming out. One I can say I've been waiting for since reading Make It Happen. Just in case you need an introduction, Make It Happen is a book written by the ever thoughtful Lara Casey. Her highly anticipated follow up to her first book, Cultivate: A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life, is kinda picks up from where Make It Happen left off, but not in the way you think it would. 

The book is divided into three parts, this post being about the first part titled Prepare Your Garden. Like Lara's first book, Cultivate is written to not only give you great content, but also constructed to make you think and reflect on your own story amongst the one written on the pages in front of you. This is especially true with some of the topics Lara touches upon. In this particular portion, she refers a lot (as in most of the theming of this book) to actions that revolve around gardening. Weirdly enough, it was until I really started sinking into this book that I realized how accurate the correlation gardening had to how we build our lives.

Throughout each chapter, Lara disperses the lies we believe into actionable truths. From Embracing Your Season to Nourishing Your Soil, I was constantly reminded that it takes time to get your foundation in order. Something that in this microwave, instant gratification moment of time we live in, it can be difficult to really cultivate a life that is rich in love and truth. 

To some of you, this sound like I'm talking to you from the deep end of reality, one you would rather stay away from. But the deep end is a part of the pool you need to visit from time to time. Because goodness knows playing in the shallow end of the pool is limiting.  

Cultivate is available today on Amazon. There is also an audible version available. 

I'll be updating the blog with my progress in the book for those of you who may be interested in reading it. So far, I say get your copy. Whatever "season" you may find yourself, it will definitely give you a faith based, batch of helpful real talk verses some of the fluff that is out there.  

Special Touches: Wax Seals

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If there was something I have always loved, it has been receiving an invitation to help celebrate someone's special event. What would make those moments even more memorable was when there was a special touch added to the envelope. One of those special touches is wax seals. 

All throughout history, seals have been used as an official signature. If something needed signing, the mark of your ring with some wax did the trick. Fast forward to the present and some seals are still used for the same practice. However, what most people know it for today is the final touch to an invitation. 

I had always wanted to acquire a seal with our logo on it. We would use it for Thank You Cards and brown paper packages tied up with strings. ;D I stumbled upon BackToZero and fell in love instantaneously with her shop. Who wouldn't love multiple colors of wax and customized seal designs?!

Even with all of the options offered by the shop, BackToZero offers a service near and dear to our hearts. They offer the service to create your own custom seal. This means that you can create something for your big day and it be specific to your theme or yourself in general. 

After some time, we finally ordered our own. I cannot tell you how easy Lingke made our transaction. She will let you know if your logo or image needs to be resized. She also offers traditional sealing wax and sealing wax can be placed in a glue gun, allowing for easier application of the wax (and less black burn marks in the wax).

I suggest that if you are planning a special event or want something to make your personal stationary stand out, think about creating a custom wax seal. It will be something you can use for any occasion. If you need help deciding on a design, take a look at BackToZero's shop or ask us to create a design for you. Lingke will take the design and create a beautiful seal for you to use and cherish.

Something New

Every Bride follows the traditional mantra that others have used before them:

• Something Old
• Something New
• Something Borrowed 
• Something Blue

Typically, as was in my case, my wedding gown was my "something new". Even before I had started the "hunt" for the perfect gown, I had my own ideas of what I wanted in a dress. I wanted to feel beautiful and classic, but with a bit of the nontraditional. I had wanted to rent my dress, but knew that I would more than likely have to buy it due to my curvy figure. This also scared me since watching shows like "Say Yes to the Dress" and "My Fair Weddings" gave the impression that if you wanted to look exquisite in a dress, the price tag would be more than $5,000.

My attitudes changed after my one and only dress appointment at Brides of Florida. Their friendly attitude and encouraging words helped me find "The Dress". They had exactly what I wanted and were willing to listen to what I needed as a Bride. It was also a blessing that they have great pricing and payment programs. 

If you are still looking for your dress, definitely visit their website and make your appointment today. You'll be glad you did.