I Am Employed By The Kingdom Of God

Now I am an entrepreneur. Yikes, that's a lot of pressure. Pressure to create recognition for myself, pressure to draw in clients and pressure to make my own income. I have had a few moments this week where I find myself spinning my wheels, worried if I can really make this stuff happen. Then I take a step back and remember the reason I have chosen this new career path:

1. I feel this is Gods will for my life. 

2. To focus more on caring for my family. 

3. To financially contribute to our household. 

I believe this is the order of importance for the reasons I am currently taking the steps I am taking. Yet, it's easy for me to worry and forget, that The Lord said he would take care of me, if I follow His lead. As I read some scripture this morning I was reminded that desiring earthly things, like money, won't get me anywhere but focusing on what God wants me to do and where he wants me to spend my time, is the only way I will run a successful business. 

It kind of struck me like a lightening bolt "I am not working for me, I am working for God, He is the boss and He is in control." I have heard this kinda of statement before but it really sunk in today. 

For me, this realization means that sometimes it might be more important for me to read the Bible, pray and meditate, over spending time promoting my business. 

So I am kind of an entrepreneur but I am more like an employee of The Kingdom of God. 

Xoxo 

Audrey 

Cat Eye Makeup Tutorial By H.A.L. Makeup Artistry

Pretty In Pink by H.A.L. Makeup Artistry

In this makeup tutorial, I am creating a fresh look with only a few products, in minimal time. I have used my blush as an eyeshadow in addition to applying it on my cheeks. Using one product for multiple steps, is a great way to save time. Thank you again for stopping by my blog, I hope you enjoy this video.

Gratitude Monday - I Am Grateful My Family Lives Close

This post is a day late but I did start writing it last night. Oh well, I am grateful everyday so it does not really matter.

I have always appreciated my family and been grateful that I get to see them often. Ever since having Luke, I am so much more appreciative to have my family near by. I am also super grateful that they want to hang out with us so often.

Yesterday I just had to run some errands in town but the day turned into a super fun one, because I got to do those everyday things with my fam jam. Emily met up with us at Walmart, then we went to Toys R Us to get a baby gate (Emily's extra hands came in very helpful) and then we grabbed a coffee with Grampy Brown.

One of the best lessons I have learned while being on maternity leave, is how much I undervalued the time I spend with my family. I love little coffee dates and Sunday walks to the park. I have heard the saying "quantity time" over "quality time" is more important, when it comes to spending time with loved ones and I believe this to be true. It is so much easier to have a strong relationship with someone when you spend regular time with them.

Luke has changed a lot of things in our lives and he has definitely brought everyone closer. For that, and the fact that we can see our family pretty much whenever we want, I am extremely grateful.

What are you grateful for? I would love to hear from you.

Social Media Barriers

Do you follow a ton of people from your town on social media, scroll by their pics, like and comment on their posts but are unsure how to approach that, "social acquaintance" if you ran into them at a coffee shop?

Confession, I use to feel socially awkward about saying hi to someone I followed on social media and was only moderately connected to in, "the real world". 

Social media has made it very easy for us to see into the intimate lives of our acquaintance's, from a distance. Peering in through the images people choose to share and sometimes leaving the scene without a trace or "Like". 

When I would see these individuals, I knew they had just been married or remodelled their kitchen but I was afraid to say hi and ask for more details. Why was I so afraid? They were the ones putting that content out there, and they had accepted my friend request. They knew, I knew, what was going on in their lives. I felt as if there was a barrier that needed to be broken. 

I love social media and the potential it provides me to meet cool people, that I would not otherwise have the opportunity to meet. I love commenting on people's photos and I love it when people comment on my stuff. I not only love to share my story with others, I want to know your story too. People are cool!

I decided a few months ago, I was going to overcome my fear of crossing the social media barriers from online to real time, so I started sending personal emails to a few people. 

When I was pregnant with Luke, I connected with another pregnant mom on Instagram through a hashtag. We were at the same stage in our pregnancy and begun following each other, as we shared many similarities in preparing to be mothers and interests in general. After giving birth to our boys, one day a part, I decided I needed to know more about this girl so I invited her to email with me. Turns out, we have crazy amounts of things in common and now I have a wicked cool pen pal in California. 

I also decided to email a girl I kinda knew and had mutual friends with but had never officially met. We both tweeted and blogged and interacted online. From what I knew, Tara Jeffrey was a pretty cool chick, that I wanted to know more about. So I emailed and invited her for a visit. Since then, we have been in touch and had the opportunity to help each other out with a few things. She is a super cool mom, freelance writer and farm girl in training and I am so glad we have had the opportunity to connect real time. 

It's scary to put myself out there sometimes, but in my experience it's totally worth it. I want to get to know people for real, not just the version I see on their Instagram feed with perfectly filtered photos, the real people, because that's way better! 

If you have felt the same social anxiety that I have felt, I invite you to step out of your comfort zone and say hi to that person that you kinda know from Facebook, they could be your next, real friend.

xoxo
Audrey 

How To Colour Your Brows by H.A.L. Makeup Artistry

In this video I demonstrate how I fill in my eyebrows each day and some other eyebrow colour tips.

I am so excited about the response I have been getting from everyone about H.A.L. Makeup Artistry and love hearing from you. You can Tweet me, send me a Facebook message, comment on Instagram or comment below and let me know, if there is a makeup topic you would like me to cover in a makeup tutorial video.

If you like this video please subscribe to my Youtube Channel.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Gratitude Monday - I Am Grateful For Moms

This weekend I went with the Kelly Van Gaver Dance Studio to their first competition of the season, to help out with their makeup. We created some fabulous and dramatic stage looks, to enhance their amazing performances. The teams did excellent, receiving many awards and representing Sarnia as a place with much talent.

I love working on these styles of makeup projects because it allows me to really play with my makeup, brush up on my false eyelash application and reminds me that time management, in the makeup industry, is a must.

You are probably wondering what this has to do with moms. Well, since becoming a mom, I am aware of many things that I was unaware of before and one of those things is, how much stuff my parents did for me. While working backstage yesterday, it was so obvious that the dancers at KVG have amazing moms! Moms who are willing to give up their weekends to be backstage at a dance competition for 12 hours supporting their children. Moms who do hair, makeup and sew costumes. Moms who run out to get lunch. Moms who pack lunches. Moms who encourage their children and offer constructive criticism. Moms who are cheerleaders and coaches. And, moms who drive home in a quiet vehicle while their exhausted children sleep.

I thanked my mom yesterday for everything she has done for me that I probably was not thankful for when I was a child. She simply said, kids need to be kids and they shouldn't really be aware of that kind of stuff. Boom! And that my friends, is why my mom is the bomb! To all the moms who sacrifice a ton of stuff so their kids can do cool things and chase dreams, what your doing matters big time, even if it doesn't feel like it in the moment.

Below are some pictures of the wonderful girls I had the pleasure of dolling up on Saturday.

Happy Monday everyone, now go tell your mom thank you!

 

Easter Makeup Tutorial by H.A.L. Makeup Artistry

Easter Sunday we woke up to a little snow falling so I decided I would brighten up my day with spring colours on my skin. I shared my makeup application in my first makeup tutorial, check it out below. If you enjoyed my video, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel and stay tuned for more videos, I will post something new every Wednesday. 

Gratitude Monday - I Am Grateful For Easter

I am grateful for Easter and the promise of new beginnings. I am grateful that forgiveness is freely available for me to accept each day because I mess up a lot. 

I am grateful for appetizers and parties, eating little bites all day long is my favourite style of meal. 

I am grateful for my husband and the many ways he surprises me. I am also grateful for the cuteness of father and son matching outfits. 

I am grateful for my sisters. 

I am grateful for my little family. 

I am grateful for silly hats that make people laugh. 

I am grateful for this crazy little dog/duck. 

I am grateful for grandmas who play outside and on the ground with their grandchildren. 

I am grateful for cousins, a bond that is stronger than friendship because you come from the same place.

I am grateful for birthdays, holidays and the memories that are made on these specials days when we all get to be together. 

Luke - 7 Months

Luke, it is so fun to watch you grow and learn.

Things are starting to get a little wild around here. You are a wriggler when I try and change your bottom and you are very vocal when you want our attention.

You and I watch Ellen in the afternoons from 3-4 while we wait for dad to get home from work and when I laugh at Ellen, you laugh at me.

I am always trying to figure you out because your always evolving, I am thinking this will never change. I like that you keep me on my toes. Your dad and I peek at you every night when your sleeping and whisper "dream big Lukey Luke".

Lent - Giving Up Caffeine

Yesterday was the last day of lent so today I am back to drinking my regular caffeinated coffee. I am excited to be drinking regular coffee again because I really do love it. Through lent, I did learn that no matter the situation, it is important for me to maintain a steady level of self control, everything in moderation you know. Prior to lent my moderation was way off balance and I was using, "I am a new mom" as an excuse for too much of my coffee and treat eating habits.

I believe God wants us to enjoy our favourite things and find pleasure in something as simple as a great cup of coffee but anything, even a simple cup of coffee, is bad for me if it is not in moderation.

I am always super grateful for the lessons I learn at the end of lent, this time can often be a challenge but the rewards for going through any challenge, far outweigh the trial in the moment. I knew this wouldn't be an easy task for me but I did have faith that anything I do with the help of God, can be a success. I also learned that it's ok to ask God to be a part of every facet of my life, even something as silly as giving up caffeine, He wants to be a part of it all.

Easter is a time of new beginnings and today I am feeling really refreshed. I hope you have an amazing Easter weekend with your family and friends and that the Easter bunny brings you lots of chocolate to enjoy in moderation ;)

xoxo
Audrey