Welcome to the gOOd life

i love you because...

2012-02-13T12:00:00.000-04:00

i made this cute love frame at a church activity and thought it was such a great idea for a valentine's gift! you print it out on any printed paper, put it in a frame(the frame pictured is from walmart for $3), and you can write whatever you please with a dry erase marker(i wrote the cheesiest possible line, can you tell?). i made two of them for both of my girls and plan on writing something on it at least weekly for as long as they live in my house! now, i need to go make one for my husband too.

i found one, two, three cute free printables if you'd like to make one too just in time for valentine's day!

happy valentine's day to you!

❤

p.s: i need to figure out how i can incorporate my

white laced polka-dot tights into my outfits everyday, i love 'em!

International giveaway $60 giftcard to Romwe.

2012-02-09T13:26:00.006-04:00

-click here to see last week's giveaway winner.

We have a giveaway for you today from Romwe where two lucky winners will each receive a $60 giftcard and a pair of tights! This giveaway is open to everyone. Romwe offers up-to-date fashionable items such as shoes, jewelry, to clothes and more. Here are some of my favorites from the store right now.

To enter the giveaway, please go to Romwe and register, then leave a message below this post with the email address you used to register by february 14th.

For extra entries(optional):

-Tell us what your plans are for Valentine's Day!

Best luck everyone!

*use code V-day20% for 20% off. expires feb. 9th.

*use code V-day30% for 30% off on valentine's day only, feb.14th.

inspiration file: anthropologie tangerine flicker dress

2012-02-03T01:38:00.011-04:00

in my inspiration file: tangerine flicker dress from anthropologie $358.

i was so close to buying this dress when it was on sale. then when they had the extra 50% off of sales during the holiday season, i tried to find one but it was completely sold out. so i was determined to make it and was about to buy some fabric when i found this dress online.

very similar right? you can purchase the dress here.

it also comes in a petite size. (i got petite uk4)

i haven't started on the dress but the dress is on sale right now
so i thought i'd let you know in case you wanted to purchase one!
tutorial coming soon!

p.s want a tip for buying at asos.com? instead of converting the currency to USD, keep it at GBP which will save you about 10-15%. when you purchase in GBP, the bank/paypal then converts to USD to the most current currency which is about 10-15% cheaper than the price asos.com sets as USD.

jay's sister's husband's brother's wedding.

2012-02-01T01:25:00.003-04:00

we went to jay's sister's husband's brother's wedding, you got that? ;) we had fun dancing and seeing a happy couple celebrate their special day.

the girls always love going to weddings to see "a princess get married to her prince wearing her princess dress." then we have this conversation every time.

adi: "mommy, i wanna get married to my prince and wear a princess dress too!"
me: "who will be your prince?"
adi: "daddy!"
me: "but i'm already married to him, he's my prince! you'll have to find another prince, sweetie."
adi: "mommy, you already had your turn. it's my turn now. and then ana's turn."

Tiffany and Co.

2012-01-31T19:48:00.003-04:00

here's another monthly update of Tiffany and Co.! they're coming in less than two months, on march 21 to salt lake city. the grand opening will coincide with their 175th anniversary and also their new 2012 collection.

did you know that the Tiffany Blue, which is an iconic symbol of Tiffany and Co., was chosen because of the popularity of the turquoise gemstone in 19th century? and then the color was adopted to use on Tiffany boxes and shopping bags, which the color is now known internationally as their brand. the Tiffany blue color is also my mom's favorite color. :)

International Giveaway by Oh! Nostalgia Designs

2012-01-31T02:34:00.004-04:00

We have a giveaway for you this week by Oh, Nostalgia! Designs. They offer beautiful vintage inspired jewelry that's sure to bring you those nostalgic feelings we all love! I love how they offer timeless, classy, and simple pieces that will match just about any outfit. Here are some of the things I love from their store.

And they're offering one lucky winner a long necklace featuring a vintage rhinestone, a glass pearl, and a vintage flower bead. The chain is 24" inches long, gold plated brass. The value is $35. This giveaway is open to everyone!

To enter the giveaway, please visit the store and leave a comment telling us what your favorite item is.

Extra Entries(optional)
-Follow Welcome to the gOOd life blog
-Heart Ohnostalgia on Etsy.
-Share the giveaway on twitter, facebook, or pinterest and leave a comment with a link.

Extra Links

Twitter

best luck everyone!

*update:

and the winner is

Congratulations! You will receive an email shortly!

anthropologie honeyed peplum skirt tutorial.

2012-01-30T05:14:00.002-04:00

here is the tutorial you've requested for!

inspiration: honeyed peplum skirt by anthropologie $258.

savers was having a 50% off sale on MLK day so i got this navy blue pencil skirt for $2.50. i knew i could do something with the extra length so i bought it and the honeyed peplum skirt came to mind.

before

after

the back

let's make it!

what you'll need:

a mid-calf or longer skirt

4 buttons

scissors

matching thread

sewing machine

hand needle

estimated time: 45 mins.

skill level: a confident beginner or intermediate

budget: very low.

1. try the skirt on and see how much you want to cut the bottom and cut.

2. cut off the lining(if it has one).

3. cut the strip in half.

4. cut a rounded shape on one side of the strip.

repeat with the other strip to mirror the shape.

5. sew the bottom edges secure.

7. make two pleats in the front and two in the back. repeat with the other strip.

(see the pictures to know how much to space out in between the pleats)

9. *pin the strip around the skirt first to make sure it goes all the way to the zipper.

adjust the pleats accordingly so it goes around the skirt.

10. flip the pleated peplum part down and iron.

you're done!

two things i did differently than the anthropologie version is that instead of the ruffles going all the way around in the back, it cuts off in the middle back.(which i had to do due to the zipper back), and then the more obvious, the buttons! i attached the sailor-inspired buttons which i think gives it a more personality. :)

skirt($2.50) + buttons($6) = $.8.50. i saved over $250!

my favorite artist.

2012-01-27T03:17:00.000-04:00

we've taken quiet a lot of pictures as a family over the years but this family picture is definitely my favorite so far.

by the one and only artist, adalie. we look like the characters from antz, don't we? ;) (i love how she drew our dog achilles climbing on my husband and yes! i'm the only one who has hair! :)

and here is a letter she wrote to uncle mikey who is currently serving a mission in china. she told me what to write and she drew the pictures herself.

dear uncle mike,

please come visit me later. i'm going to write a picture of you, achilles, and me on the paper. um, i wanna say that i love him. and these are all the words so i want to draw a picture of him, achilles, and me.

she wrote that she was going to draw her uncle, her and the dog, but she drew herself and her three-eyed little sister instead.

have a beautiful weekend everyone! ❤ ♡ ♥

settlers of catan.

2012-01-25T02:28:00.007-04:00

all my siblings got together for a night of settlers of catan.

can you guess who won the game?
(and who looked bitter at losing?)

my sister who meant to take a picture, but instead video'ed

is saying, "no one cares for a picture except for you."

but i didn't care, all i cared is that i beat my husband! and 5 others, eh hem.

what? i'm not a competitive person, what makes you say that? ;)

p.s: oh just in case you forgot husband, i won the last bet we made,
so thanks in advance for a week of folding laundry!

while you are sleeping.

2012-01-24T03:51:00.004-04:00

did you know that every night while you are sleeping, mommy comes and lies next to you in your little green bed to make sure your legs are not out of the bed, that you're still breathing and well, and to give you many gentle kisses? that i just can't stop starring at you in awe at how cute and adorable you look? that even on those days when you poop and pee in the house or chew up everything, as soon as you fall asleep i start missing you and wish you were awake to play with me? that i make a promise to God that i'll be a better mother tomorrow than i was today?

hahahaha, okay, i'm so joking. well, kind of... is it bad that i love my dog almost as much as my own kids, if not just as much? i absolutely love being a dog owner. it was my husband's idea to get a dog(he's always wanted a dog since he was little), but he said to me the other day, "i think you like having a dog more than i do!" and i think he's right, i love him so much! it doesn't hurt the fact that he never whines or talks back, or throws temper tantrums but is just so sweet all.the.time. not that my 2 and 4 year old daughters do any of those things or anything... ;) but i love each member of my family just the way they are.

DIY: Honeyed Peplum Skirt

2012-01-23T02:34:00.027-04:00

inspiration: honeyed peplum skirt by anthropologie $258.

before

after

the back

p.s: i didn't post a tutorial but i did take pictures along the way so let me know if you'd like a tutorial!

*a tutorial has now been posted! click here to view the tutorial.

while you are sleeping.

2012-01-20T03:06:00.012-04:00

did you know that every night while you are sleeping, mommy comes and lies next to you to make sure you're tucked in your blanket, that you're still breathing and well, and to give you many gentle kisses? that i just can't stop starring at you in awe at how beautiful and angelic you look? that even on those days when i can't wait until you girls are in bed so i can have some peace and quiet, as soon as you fall asleep i start missing you and wish you were awake to play with me? that i make a promise to God that i'll be a better mother tomorrow than i was today?

dinner with the family.

2012-01-19T04:03:00.020-04:00

we went to tucano's with my family where the service was pretty disappointing. my sister-in-law found a hair on her food and when she told our waitress, we had to wait 30 minutes for the manager to come and half-heartedly apologize(we were already done eating so we just sat there waiting). she also told the manager about something else about the food she wasn't happy with, and he said, "well, besides those two things, how was the experience for you guys?" well, what are you suppose to say to that besides, "well, besides those two things, it was good. i guess..." anyway, if this had happened to me, i would just brush it off but when things like this happen to someone else i care about, i'll show them what's on my mind! or more like want to say something but not have the guts to say anything so i just keep quiet and then promise myself to blog about it later... ;) plus, don't they usually give you some kind of compensation in situations like this? i've found hair on my food in two different restaurants in my lifetime and they were more than apologetic and either paid for my whole meal or gave me a giftcard to use at our next visit. i know i sound bitter, and yes, i am still a little bitter that someone in my family wasn't treated the best.

anyway the point is, tucano's, you better step up your service or else yo' better hide yo' kids, hide yo' wife, hide yo' husband! ;D

okay, i'm over it now. oh, the power of venting on a public blog. it's like therapy, i tell ya! :)

would you like some tea?

2012-01-17T02:55:00.013-04:00

one of my girls favorite thing to do is to have a tea party. but we have one rule: we must speak in a british accent. i don't know how it's started, oh alright alright, maybe because i so wish i had a british accent and it's just an excuse for me to practice my accent in hopes that it'll get better? just maybe. it just sounds so cool and sophisticated, even when one might be saying something really dumb like, "what's her butt, i'm smiling so big right now my cheeks hurt(while she hardly looks happy), how did that taste coming out of your mouth?" (can you guess who i'm quoting? hint: the bachelor.)

so unfortunately you'll have to bear my horrible accent(i wish i knew how to edit my voice out, it's kind of embarrassing posting this) but you'll also get to hear my girls' adorable accents.

disclaimer: my british accent is actually a tad better than how it sounds in the videos. for some reason when i speak it with my girls, i subconsciously start mimicking their tones and pitches. okay, that sounded like such a lame excuse haha, but i promise it's true! :)

so who would like to join us at our next tea paaa-teeee? ;)

achille's first encounter with snow.

2012-01-16T03:06:00.004-04:00

we didn't get any snow while my sister and her family were visiting for christmas , so we went near the sundance ski resort to see some snow. it was achille's first time seeing snow and it was so fun to see him play in the snow, which he loved! he also loved getting all the attention where ever he went. i think there wasn't one person that passed by without stopping to either just look at him and comment how cute he is, to pet him or take pictures of him. he's been quiet the crowd pleaser where ever we go and i mean, can you really blame him? ;)

going through the car wash.

2012-01-12T04:01:00.001-04:00

we went through the car wash for the first time with our girls and well,

can you tell from these pictures how much they loved it?

they've been asking everyday since if we can go to the car wash again,

and this is how the conversation usually goes.

adi: mom, can we please go to the car wash again today?

me: no honey, the car's not dirty yet. you only go when the car's dirty.

adi: (pointing to a tiny water spot on her side window) look mom, see? it's dirty!

we need to go to the car wash again so it can be clean!

b-day with my husband

2012-01-11T02:18:00.005-04:00

on my birthday, we went to the tree room restaurant in sundance. it was pretty fancy, and the food, service, and the atmosphere was really nice.

but for some reason i didn't enjoy it as much as i thought i would. i felt a little guilty to be honest. i still feel guilty and i wish i could take the time back. i mean, i loved spending time with my husband and he was cracking jokes left and right and making me laugh the whole time and i had a great time with him, but i felt a little guilty we were spending so much money on food! i couldn't help but think as we were eating and paying, we could feed at least 20 people with the money we just spent...1 in 7 kids in utah go hungry... kids just like adi and ana... i've been looking into volunteering and am particularly interested in homeless shelters or the utah food bank, and i wanted to go volunteer on my b-day instead but it wasn't very well planned on my part so we ended up going with our original plan.

anyway, i don't think we'll be going out to fancy restaurants anytime soon. hopefully never. unless someone else is paying for it hahaha. i always tell my husband how i want to help the poor when i make lots of money, and one day my husband said to me, "you always say you'll help the poor once you become really rich, but then you spend all this money on clothes. why don't you help the poor now instead of buying clothes? you can start now by donating a little, instead of waiting until later." ouch. he was so right. i can start now. what makes me think i can donate large sums of money later when i can't donate a little now? so that is my new year's resolution which i wish to carry throughout every year of my life. to help/donate now. instead of buying/spending money on things that i don't need. to think next time i want to waste my money like on clothes which i have plenty, "how many children can i feed with this money i'm about to spend on ?" and hopefully it'll change my mind. i know it won't happen every time and i have a looooong way to go since i can be a pretty materialistic person at times, but hopefully i'll get better as time goes by. and i have my wonderful husband to remind me if i get side-tracked. :)

crepes on a saturday morning.

2012-01-09T03:07:00.012-04:00

on saturday morning we had crepes for breakfast. i always use this recipe that's so easy, it never fails! we enjoyed our crepes while achilles just watched with his cute puppy eyes. that's one thing with having a dog, you can't share the joy of food together! and food is one of the greatest joys in this life! at least it is for me anyway. but he enjoyed his milk bones and didn't seem to mind too much.

he's adjusting to his new environment so well and fits into our family so perfectly. we kind of love him a lot.

crepes recipe via

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

sledding time!

2012-01-07T18:51:00.000-04:00

we've been promising the girls that as soon as it snows enough, we'd go sledding. so we woke up this weekend and there was snow! so off to sledding we went!

towards the end, ana refused to walk because she was so hashed from all the uphill walking.

and sometimes i get questions about what i use on my skin, and you know what my favorite winter item is for me and my girls? vaseline. i use it year round but especially more so in the winter. i recently read this article on 14 beauty uses for vaseline and i had no idea i could use it in so many ways! now i use it to tame fly-aways on my hair, i use it as an eye makeup remover, and put it on my girls' lips and cheeks before we go out in the cold, and i love it. they also have a vaseline for the lips(the small one on the left-which the girls call it "aww, the baby one!") which is thicker and lasts longer on your lips. you should try it!

b-day with the fam.

2012-01-05T20:16:00.002-04:00

my dad's birthday and my birthday's only two days apart

so we celebrated it together by having dinner with the family.

i think my husband looks hot in this picture. :)

dad, i hope you had a wonderful birthday!

i love you.

Happy Birfday to You

2012-01-04T19:30:00.009-04:00

I don't know why...but this is one of my favorite pictures of her :D
I just wanted to wish my wife HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Having a public blog can sometimes be intimidating as you don’t know who will read the intimate details plastered on the page of hundreds of computers. But I know how much this blog means to my wife and on her day, I wanted to publically let her know that I love her and I wish her the best birthday even if it’s simple. And despite its simplicity today, I hope I can treat her as if it is her birthday everyday of the year and hope that I can be the man she deserves from today until forever.
-I’m thankful for a spouse that is confident in all she does, that is patient with our kids and with me.
-For someone who stays calm and collective and continually understands and sympathizes with the day to day pressures and stresses of life.
-For someone who has a strong and driven belief in Jesus Christ and continually lives her life to a higher standard which in turn makes me a better person just by being around her.
-For the extra pounds that I’ve put on since we’ve been married due to the time and effort that she slaves over dinner menus, grocery shopping, and cooking and always makes sure that our two little girls get enough to eat.
-For her upbeat attitude about life and the way she brightens up a room just by being in it.
-For her perfect smile and the most photogenic face I’ve ever laid my eyes on. She's even more beautiful in person.
-For her thinking of me when she buys clothes and (semi)-catering her style to my taste. :P
-For her creativiy and drive that always leaves me in awe, proud, and inspired.
-For her little acts of unselfishness like letting me have the remote at night even if she wants to watch a show.
-For her always cleaning and appeasing my OCCD (obsessive compulsive cleanliness disorder).
-For her taking the time to do fun things and interacting with our girls day in and day out.
-For chaffering the girls around to their various activities.
-For planning and executing countless birthday parties and functions for our girls.
-For being such a good kisser
-For her random texts or calls that let me know she’s thinking of me.
-For her trust and loyalty to and in me and being supportive in all that I do as a father and as a husband.
-For the way she makes me feel by building me up and not breaking me down and never talking bad about me to others.
-For the patience, love, and kindness she shows to me and all that she associates with.
-For her giving me a chance and taking a chance on me in love.
I could go on a couple pages, but just wanted to tell her that I am so happy that we worked out. When I first met her, I never thought we’d end up together, that I'd ever have a chance with her, but life allowed our paths to cross despite the craziest circumstances and despite our not close to perfect roller coaster relationship, I wouldn’t want to travel this road of life with anyone else by my side. It’s a story for a whole other day, but a story that I can’t put down because she’s my main character and I’m so happy that we get to write this book together! I Love You, plain and simple, pure and sweet. Happy Birthday Sarah
– luv me and the gurls...and the dog haha

happy new year to you!

2012-01-03T03:34:00.000-04:00

on new year's eve, we let the kids stay up later than their usual bedtime and we all drank lots of sparkling cider, which the girls called it "the fancy, spicy juice". then we played bunch of disney princess songs and had a dance party where i was aurora's(ana's) prince while my husband was ariel's(adi's) prince.

then after we put the girls to bed, my husband and i drank more "fancy, spicy juice", and kissed for a whole year. a whole year since we started kissing in the year 2011 and didn't stop until it was the year 2012. ;) then we watched our very first episode of the dog whisperer and went to bed. can we be any crazier and more wild? i think not! and i wouldn't have it any other way.

this year's going to be a very good year, i just know it. and i wouldn't wish any less for any of you, so happiest new year to you as well!

christmas part two.

2011-12-31T03:06:00.001-04:00

after we had our christmas with our little family, we went to my parents' to celebrate with them. everyone except for my brother jacob came into town, :( which doesn't happen so often now that we live all over the states, so it was wonderful. families are the best, aren't they?

1. trying to take a picture of achilles with a santa hat on.

2-3. a memory book we made for our dad. (i'm the little baby in the picture:)

4. with my beautiful mother and sister. my dress c/o of romwe. 5. excited achilles.

6. with my sister in-laws and my sister with our matching sweaters from mom.

7-9. trying to take a family picture with all of us looking at the camera but failing.

(i thought it was hard with two toddlers but now it's even harder with a dog!)

10. with all my family. 11. my wonderful, loving parents. 12-13. our christmas dinner.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Tiffany and Co.

2011-12-31T02:22:00.082-04:00

i've never been a girl who cares much about expensive, brand names, but guess who is? my husband, haha. even before we were officially a boyfriend/girlfriend, he went to hawaii to visit his home and came back with pearl earrings and matching louis vuitton key chains for me and him. then he bought me a matching bracelet and earrings from tiffany's to match the heart tiffany's necklace my sister gave me, and he almost got a tiffany's bracelet for himself. so i think it's safe to say that my husband is probably more excited that Tiffany and Co. will be opening its first store in salt lake city in march, 2012. maybe i'll get him a matching heart bracelet so we can be true bff's. ;)

Tiffany and Co. has asked me to update every month until the grand opening, which i'm happy to oblige since they offer flawless, beautiful jewelry. check out their holiday collection too.

christmas part one.

2011-12-30T04:52:00.005-04:00

our oldest daughter adi woke us up super early on christmas morning(after running into the livingroom by herself and opening all the stockings and choosing which stocking was to be hers, stuffing it all back in, making sure santa paid a visit and left presents under the christmas tree) and had us go straight to our livingroom to open the presents. i wanted to cover the blanket over my head and go back to sleep and demand that the rest do the same, but there was no way our two excited kids were going to do just that! so open presents we did, and saved the best for last.

i love the last picture where she seems to be saying, "daddy, you can clearly see that i don't want him on my lap, but why aren't you doing anything about it?"