I Survived The Week

It sounds dramatic because I am dramatic. I sometimes wish I could just be super even keel, but I am not. I am normally surfing a high or riding out a low. This week was a low. I got sick and was out of the game for a few days, thankfully not without help so I could rest off my illness but it left me feeling unlike myself and down in the dumps. The things like writing and taking the kids on everyday adventures that normally excite me, seemed to require far too much effort and I got through the week barely on tv, tea and toast.

I am not even going to tell you that I tried because some days I didn't. I kinda felt a little bit bad about it but kinda didn't. 

I had scheduled work one night this week which I am normally so excited about but even it was stressing me out. I wasn't going to cancel so before walking out the door I kneeled by my bed and prayed. I didn't even know what to pray or be grateful for but I just started by saying "thanks God for the day", then I started to rhyme off some other things I was thankful for and I realized I had lots to be grateful for. And I was grateful. 

As I drove to work though, I still didn't feel like myself. I tried to focus on my blessings, the sun and the good music on the radio but nope, still didn't feel like me. 

Do you ever have days, weeks or months like this? Please tell me I am not the only one. I have come to learn sometimes life is hard and things kinda suck for no specific reason. These phases always pass, I normally learn a few lessons while in them but they aren't fun. 

It is also very helpful for me to write and share, that's actually why I started my blog in the first place, to help sort out my thoughts. So if your going through a dark period, your not alone, everything will be ok and it won't last forever. 

Here's to a brighter tomorrow 

Xoxo

Audrey

I Am A Wild Fire Woman

I am so proud to be a contributor for Wild Fire Women, a tribe of women whose hearts are to empower and inspire each other to chase our wildest dreams.

I met the founder of this community Brittney Andreesen, on Twitter over a year ago and I believe it was a friendship conducted by God. Now I am honoured to take part in her community by sharing my stories alongside some other amazing women. Community really is the key word. I share because I love connecting and relating to others and Wild Fire Women is going to bring us all closer together through conversation.

I hope you will take a few minutes to check out the website here, and my first post, Insecurity For Faith.

Stay tuned for some more exciting things coming from my collaborations with Wild Fire Women!

xoxo
Audrey

I Always Want More

Lately I have been working on being content with what I have because often I find myself always wanting more. More clothes, more makeup, more house, more car, more technology, more of everything. God has been really working with my heart convicting me to not only be content with what I have but to truly feel blessed for everything, EVERYTHING I have.

The other day I was on my way to Walmart to stock up on diapers and wipes. As I drove to the store I did a little day dreaming about some other stuff I would love to be shopping for but didn't need and God spoke this to my heart, "Heather, it is a privilege that you have the means to purchase the things that your family needs". I have the ability to effortlessly travel to the store and get what I need when I need it. Suddenly my perspective for my little trip to Walmart turned from an ordinary stock up, to a beautiful blessing.

Warning: if you ask God to do amazing things in your life He always will, it just may not always be what you had in mind when you made the request. God is working on my heart and He knows that one of my weaknesses is "new things" and consumption. This is truly an area I have felt so much movement in lately. Slowly and kindly God guides me to the area of my life that requires His work.

This past weekend we had my side of the family over for brunch after church to celebrate my moms birthday. Our family is growing (which I love!!!) as my sisters had their significant others with them as well. Sometimes when I have people over, I worry about where everyone will sit, if my house is clean enough or stylish enough and if we will have enough food but this time I didn't. I just enjoyed everyones company. The oven worked, we had more than enough food to eat and while we cant all fit around my little kitchen table, we can all eat together. WE WERE TOGETHER! It was a blessed day and I live a blessed life.

Lord, give me strength each day to overcome the temptation and desire to constantly have more and THANK YOU for the many ways you have blessed my life.

xoxo
Audrey

Check Myself Before I Wreck Myself

We had planned on going to Sloan's Christmas Tree farm to get our tree this year as we have done for the last 3 years but a long week prior to the weekend made us second guess the day trip and we opted to stay in Sarnia to get our tree. My inner Clark Griswold so badly wanted to push us to the limit and create the "perfect family Christmas tree memories" but I listened to my husband and my gut and we stayed home.

I suggested we go to DeGroots Nurseries because I have heard good things about their trees. When we got to Degroot's, we were happy to see they were hosting the Bluewater Health Winter Wonderland Family Fun Day. There were lots of activities for the kids including a train ride,  music and even a few of Santa's reindeer. We even ended up running into our friends while we were there so Luke got to enjoy the festivities with some of his little buddies.

When it came time to pick a Christmas tree we went for a pre wrapped tree for simplicity sake. When we brought it home and unwrapped it I started to feel a little sad that we didn't go all out for our Christmas tree day. The tree wasn't fluffing out the way I had hoped it would and I was just feeling a little lost. Its so silly that an "imperfect" tree was deflating my Christmas spirit but it was.

Luke went down for a nap and I sat on the couch alone for a minute in quiet and I checked myself hard. "Heather, get it together, Christmas is not about the tree or any other fluff that comes with the holidays, you are lucky to have a tree at all."

I really do my best to keep the birth of Christ at the centre of my Christmas festivities but it can be challenging. I love everything about Christmas but just as fast as all the glitter and gold can get me excited, it can let me down even quicker.

I find when I spend time focusing on the amazing gift of Jesus's birth, I don't get let down by unattainable holiday expectations or the January blues. I want to enjoy all my Christmas traditions like the tree, movies, baking, wrapping and gift giving all the while knowing that these things are second to the true meaning of Christmas.

How do you keep grounded while enjoying all the festivities of the holidays?

xoxo
Audrey

A Family Legacy

Psalm 112:2 Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

It has taken me a few days to settle my mind enough to write this post as my thoughts have been circling around my family and how I might put my thoughts into words that will make sense. Blogging and sharing on social media isn't for everyone but for me it is therapeutic. I have found comfort in reading so many posts from other people all over the world, who have had similar experiences to myself, and because they shared their story, I didn't feel alone. I also think its pretty cool that one day, generations beyond my own will be able to read my blog and know more about their roots. On with the story.

Last week my Grandma Brown passed away, I left her funeral with a sense of peace and pride for the woman I called Grandma. John called her wife, many called her friend, some called her sister and a lot called her mom, above all of these titles she was a woman of God. A woman with an unshakable faith that has left a legacy for so many to take pride in.

In the bible their are many stories about family lineage and the family legacy that ancestors leave for their descendants. One of which is that the descendants of the faithful will be blessed. I believe that my Grandma Brown has left our family with the legacy of faith. Because of her faith in the Lord we have been given a clear example (our blessing) of Gods abundant blessings in ones life, who chooses to body follow God.

Her life was not perfect nor easy at times but she would tell you that through it all God was with her and He blessed her, even in those trying times. There are a few pivotal moments in my Grandma's adult life that will forever define her faith in my mind. One of which I would like to share; When I was one, my grandpa suffered a head injury changing him for the rest of his life. The man my grandma married was not who he use to be and against the recommendations of medical staff, she brought him home to live with her instead of having him cared for in a brain injury facility. She had no experience caring for someone in his condition and had no certainty as to how far he would recover but her dedication to marriage and strength in the Lord allowed her to care, love and nurture her marriage for 17 more years with my grandpa.

Her legacy of faith in The Lord is something she worked at everyday and something that I intend on carrying on. Knowing God is the greatest gift anyone can give because through Him we can do all things.

Prayer: Lord, make my faithful, bold, graceful, obedient and joyful like my Grandma Brown and help me to carry on her beautiful legacy so generations to come will know You! Thank You for her legacy!

I am grateful.

Work From Home Mom

Work from home/stay at home mom is my most favourite title yet!

I am so excited to team up with WeWork to talk about my current work space and what my future dream work space would be. WeWork is a coworking company that offers shared office space all over the world, and there're interested in learning more about what goes into the ideal work space. 

My role has many facets but the most important piece is mom, so for me, the fact that my little office is in my home is a dream come true for this point in my life. 

I work when it works for my family. This normally means, early mornings, evenings and nap times and it's kind of perfectly imperfect. There are days when I am playing on the floor with Luke and my mind is racing with creative ideas for my business as a makeup artist, blogger and YouTuber, and it's hard to just play when my computer is right there. I try to keep everything in order by always having a note pad and pen in the kitchen, ready to jot down ideas and my phone is never very far either. I have my computer at my desk but the amazing things we can do on our phones these days means that my office really is wherever I am. 

My desk area is special to me though, it's designated as my space, I have it decorated as I like it with items that are meaningful to me. I have one plant in my whole home that was recently gifted to me by my mom. It sits in the window in my work space as a reminder that she is my number one fan always supporting me in what I do.

My pictures are mostly of Tyler, Luke and I, they are my motivation, I want to make them proud. There are also a few old pictures. One of me with my sister Sara and our two friends Melinda and Holly when we were kids. I like this picture because it reminds me of my childhood self, a wild, free little girl, a piece of myself I try to stay in touch with regularly. Then there is a picture of my Grandma Glenna, she is no longer with us but I love her beauty in this photo and it reminds me that I am part of a history and a story that is so much bigger than just me.

As you can tell, this current work space I am in is very personal. One day I would like to expand my little corner into an entire room or studio space for Heather Audrey Lapier Industries to expand and grow but for now I want to be in my home, in my little corner and often simply on the floor with my son.

I hope your work week is filled with productivity and accomplished in a space that fuels your creativity and allows you to be who you are.

To learn more about my work please check out my YouTube channel and website.

xoxo
Audrey

Fall Inspired Makeup Tutorial by H.A.L. Makeup Artistry

I am so excited to be sharing this video with you, I filmed it at the beginning of September. We are fully into fall now and I am in my element in this season. I hope you enjoy this video, learn some new techniques and have a few laughs with me. Grab a cup of coffee and lets talk makeup for a little bit.

If you liked this video, please subscribe to my channel! And THANK YOU for watching!

Tending To The Garden

Its harvest season! I have been keeping an especially close watch on our garden lately, being sure to get veggies out as soon as they are ripe for the picking. A few weeks ago I spent a bunch of time weeding the garden (things were getting out of control in there).

Side step for a moment - This particular week I had been praying a lot that God come into the areas of my life that are holding me back from moving forward. I asked for His guidance in releasing things that were not good for me and help me to see what those things are. Sometimes the things that are blocking our growth, are things we think are harmless. God quickly showed me the areas I needed to work on and I was grateful.

Back to the garden - While in the garden pulling weeds, I couldn't help but see the parallels of my current action, to the work God was doing in my life. We weed the gardens so that our plants can produce good fruit. Removing the weeds allows the plants to get optimal nutrients and sunlight so they can thrive. It takes constant work to keep the plants in this state though, as garden tenders we need to go back to the garden regularly to review the soil and remove anything that will not benefit the plants.

Once the plants do produce fruit, all the tending seems worthwhile. The fruit is nourishing and allows gardeners to share their bounty with others. There is often so much fruit that it must be given away.

God is constantly tending to our lives, lovingly reviewing all the pieces of our lives and trying to help us remove the things in our lives that are preventing us from bearing good fruit. Some of the not so great things, have deep roots and take time to remove, or repeated tries to remove, and if we feed the bad things, they will continue to grow back. But if we persistently give those things to the Lord, they will be removed from our lives and allow new branches of life to grow, branches that will bear amazing fruit, enough to share and fruit that will nourish our soul.

As I weeded the garden, I tore out some weeds in my life. I talked to God and let Him know I was ready to lay some things at His feet. As I stepped out of gate and looked back at my refreshed clean garden, I was so pleased with what was left. The garden looked stronger, like it could breath easier with all the bad stuff removed. I thanked God for my time with Him in the garden and for showing me what I needed to remove from my life so I could be stronger, breath easier and bear good fruit.

I Love Autumn

I am so glad to live in a place where I get to experience all four seasons. By the time a new season rolls around, I am ready for the change and freshness it brings with it. My favourite season of all is fall!

It is ingrained from my school years that autumn means routine, fresh starts and new goals, it is such an exciting time. The cool breeze of fall is like a refreshing drink of water after a hot summer. The start of cooler weather and shorter days, makes me feel like its ok to rest and recharge inside. I start to go into nesting mode, cooking and cleaning and wondering what area of my house needs to be redecorated or spruced up.

I love the holidays that come with fall too! If you are a foodie like me, it doesn't get better than a Thanksgiving feast with your family and friends. As a child I loved getting dressed up for Halloween and I hope Luke will too. I just got his costume for this year and he is going to be a monkey.

All the little things that come with the autumn season just make me happy, like pumpkin spice everything, pumpkins, the colours of the leaves and the fashions trends.

I be will sharing all of my autumn adventures here and on my fav social media platform Instagram, so come along for the ride and be sure to follow me over there too @HEATHERAUDREYL

Happy weekend friends, I hope its a great one!

My Makeup Story

Sisterhood

Check out this fun interview video I created with my sisters, all about the awesomeness of sisterhood.

Gratitude Monday - I Set The Tone

Last week I was feeling a little stressed at times, it was a busy week and I didn't take much time to slow down and reflect, which I know leaves me feeling frazzled. In addition, Luke was a little off as well, he was having a hard time going to bed and would only let me be the one to tuck him in.

Finally on Saturday, I started to slow down and think about why Luke had been acting a little different. I realized that he was simply feeding off my emotions. I had been buzzing around all week and even though Luke is with me all day, we hadn't had as many quiet snuggly moments as we usually do.

After realizing this, I felt bad for Luke. He was trying to tell me all week "hey mom, lets just chill for a few moments and everything will be ok". It only took me 7 days to get the hint but I got it.

I will never be the perfect mother or completely avoid ever feeling stressed again but I will remember the lesson I learned this week, I set the tone for this household and Luke will learn to handle himself in situations from watching Tyler and I. I already knew this but sometimes it takes me getting smacked in the head with the concept, to learn the lesson.

Today I am grateful for the lessons I learn when I do slow down and reflect.

I Am 30

Today I am 30, Wahoo! Its an exciting day, I am here with my health, family and cake, what more can a girl ask for.

Honestly though, I really am excited to be 30 and to be growing older. Everyday I like myself a little more and learn something new about myself and worry less about what the world around me thinks of me.

When I was in my early 20's I was filled with self doubt. I did a lot of learning in those years but I would never want to repeat them, no thanks. I am all about moving forward these days and only looking back to learn from those previous mistakes.

My life is a pretty awesome journey and I have a feeling its only going to keep getting more awesome, which means I need to grow and get older. So don't bother feeling sorry for me for getting one year older and reaching this milestone birthday because I couldn't be more excited about it.

In honour of my birthday week, I am eating dessert every night!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Follow Your Dreams

My youngest sister has turned her childhood passion for dance, into a successful career. I think this is pretty cool so I interviewed her and am excited to share her story with you. Check it out here.

Follow Your Dreams

Let's Talk

This week I was inspired to share my journey with mental illness because of the stories I came across during #BellLetsTalk.  I read one post stating how great it was, that everyone is excited to talk about mental health and sickness during this one day but how we need to keep the conversation going.

I agree that the one day promotion is beneficial in creating awareness but we do need to be comfortable talking about mental health everyday.  So, here is my story and some of my journey through mental illness.  I hope you will share yours, share my video if it touches you, comment on this post or listen to someone you know, who may be having a tough time.

Let's talk!

Why I Blog

I have been blogging for about three years now and I love this creative outlet more today than I did when I started.  I find so much freedom in putting my thoughts down and sharing them with the world.  I have also discovered some amazing bloggers who tell stories about their own lives and experiences in a way that I can relate too, which makes me feel connected to these people that I otherwise may not have had the opportunity to meet.

I started blogging because I was trying to sort out the thoughts inside my head and writing them down really helped.  Then I decided to share these thoughts because of the positive experience I had when reading other blogs.  Having the ability to relate to a bloggers situation gave me comfort knowing I wasn't alone in my feelings and opinions.  So I thought, maybe I can offer someone else this same comfort by sharing my story.

I believe that we have the ability to create amazing connections with others if we simply remove the fear that they may judge us.  Life is not a stream of perfect instagram photos, its messy, disappointing, exciting, hopeful and so much more and for me to feel truly connected with someone, I want to see all of their sides, not just the pretty ones.  And for me to acquire the trust of someone else, I also need to be willing to show all my sides, to me this is the equation to a real relationship.

Social media presents us with the opportunity to connect with people all over the world who share similar interests as we do.  By using social media as a two way communication tool, I have connected with graphic designers in LA, Yoga Teachers that travel the world and regular girls like me who have the same interests as I do.

I blog because it provides me with a creative outlet and a way to share my life with anyone who is interested in taking part in the conversation because I want to connect with people.