September 2020 – christyleepixx

several bags on trolley near train in station

Have you ever carried a backpack or luggage that was just to much to lift for very long?

The baggage you carried weighed you down and you literally couldn’t move forward?

I think metaphorically, we can all relate.

We ALL carry baggage.

Often times, we fight through the baggage, thinking we are strong enough, we are tough enough, we can push through it.

Guess what?

We can’t.

Even more, we shouldn’t carry that baggage.

If you are Christian, or a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints like me, we know that our Savior Jesus Christ made it possible for us to leave our “weaknesses” or our “baggage” at his feet, then we can move forward.

The Savior did not suffer so intensely, and then expect us to suffer and carry ALL our baggage through life.

The Savior suffered, so that we can be forgiven, and leave our weaknesses and our “baggage” at His feet.

What’s even more beautiful?

If YOU let Him, the Savior will literally help us take off that big heavy load we carry, bit by bit, so that we leave it all at His feet.

It is a humbling act, to realize we have weaknesses, we have baggage, and we can’t continue to carry this “heaviness” through life.

And yet, through our own humility, we can find peace and relief. We can more forward and progress as a person as we continue to leave our “baggage” at the feet of our Savior.

The Savior loves you indefinitely. I know this and I have felt this.

The Savior does not want any of us to “buried down” with such an amount of heaviness to carry through life.

If we can reach to our Savior, and let him help us, the happiness we can feel is more than any other worldly happiness we have ever experienced.

2 Nephi 2:25 “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2:25)

The Savior wants us to have “joy” in our life, He just asks that we reach out to let Him help us.

man talking picture while smiling — Photo by Hannah Nelson on Pexels.com

Reach out.

You will find him.

Be humble and know that we all have baggage that we must NOT pack through this life.

Forgiveness and repentance are the keys to feeling peace.

Remember what a bright and beautiful person you are, despite your weakness, you have so much to offer this world.

Remember you are infinitely loved by the Savior.

And drop your baggage and your weaknesses at His feet.

Feel His Peace.

And express Gratitude for His love.

Until next time!

xoxo,

Christy Lee

Food, Gluten-Free, Recipes

The Best Loaded Sausage Jalapeño Poppers/Gluten-Free

September 26, 2020 christyaustin1680

These loaded jalapeño poppers are sure to be a new family favorite.

These jalapeño’s are naturally gluten-free, and quite easy to make.

You can follow the youtube video below for the step-by-step recipe. Or you can read below for the written recipe.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

-Softened cream cheese

-3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

-1/4 cup parmesan cheese

-1 package of hot sausage-cooked

– 6–8 jalapeños

-Package of pepperoni slices

-bunch of green onion.

Instructions:

In a frying pan cook the hot sausage thoroughly. Set aside.
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Slice jalapeños in half and de-seed. I prefer a few seeds left but its to your liking. Set aside. (wear gloves)
Combine cream cheese, mozzarella, parmesan and mix.
Add cooked sausage to the cream cheese and mix well.
(Wear gloves) put cream cheese and sausage mixture into the jalapeños –put a generous amount in each jalapeño.
Once each jalapeño has the sausage and cheese mixture, place one slice of pepperoni on top of the cream cheese mixture.
Cook jalapeños in the oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
Allow to cool, then sprinkle green onion over the top.
Enjoy!

Family, Lifestyle, Relationships

Why I keep “dating” my husband …

September 26, 2020September 26, 2020 christyaustin1680

Date nights?

Maybe you’re not sure what that is, or why people have date nights?

Well, I can tell you that date nights in our marriage are not just important .. they are VITAL.

And even though I know I’m not a marriage expert by any means .. I know date nights are vital for ALL couples.

So here is why I keep “dating” my husband:

1-Communication with each other. It’s easy to get busy with kids and work and such, and forget to take time as a couple to just talk, to connect and to communicate with each other.

2- Growing deeper in our understanding of one another. What does this mean? Talking about the highlights and low points of our days, weeks and year—and understand where our spouse is struggling or excelling. By understanding each other more, we can empathize with each other more and connect in a more positive way.

3- Physically being near one another. I remember going to dinner with my husband and having the thought “goodness my husband has the best smile.” Just taking time to physically “fall in love” with each other again is key.

One of our first overnight getaways after the kids were born.

4- Emotional and spiritual bonding. If couples aren’t going out together, it’s difficult to grow emotionally and spiritually. Driving in the car and having a deep discussion without interruption may be an example of an emotional or spiritual connection. It’s hard to make these connections with a spouse when there’s a lot of distraction all around.

5-Strengthening friendship. At the end of the day your spouse should not only be a friend, but I would argue your spouse should be your best friend. Spending time with your spouse is a key component to creating a strong friendship. And friendships must continue to be nurtured. Even the best friendships can be broken if there is little to not time spent to help keep them strong.

6- Sharing beautiful moments with each other. Your spouse is the one that will experience life with you, so who better to share beautiful moments with than your sweet spouse?

I know for me personally, I look forward to date nights more than pretty much anything. Having a moment to be exclusively and solely with my spouse is a time to reconnect and prioritize relationships.

If you have young kids, understand it’s not selfish to go on date nights. Those children need to see their parents dating and in love. The example of prioritizing the marriage relationship is key.

My parents have been married over 50 years and something that warms my heart is that they go on date nights weekly!

It doesn’t matter that my parents have been together longer than they’ve been apart. Their friendship and relationship is prioritized as very important and what a tribute it is to see them enjoying each other’s company for so many years and making time for date nights!

So if you’re married, take time for the date night!

I could write in depth about the importance of date nights but just know, it’s so important for so many reasons.

Do you and your spouse go on date nights ?

xoxo,

Christy Lee

Cleaning/organizing, Family, kids, Lifestyle

13 Tips on Traveling With a Baby…

September 25, 2020September 25, 2020 christyaustin1680

Traveling with a baby can be challenging because there are so many items to consider bringing.

After packing for my own three kids over the years, I came up with a list of helpful advice for parents that are traveling with a baby.

#1- Always pack an extra set of clothes and jammies because more than likely …you’ll need it.

#2-Don’t forget the meds! The motrin, Tylenol and even vitamin d drops. Ironically— my kids tend to get sick when traveling and having these items on hand are key.

#3- Utilize ziplock bags! I use ziplock bags for medicine, diaper ointment, baby snacks … it saves things from leaking and it’s easier to find items in a ziplock bag.

#4-When packing diapers and wipes be on the safe side and plan for 10 diapers each day, and a pack of wipes every two days. This is generous, but it keeps you safe.

#5- Pack a stroller that is easiest to haul and collapses easily. Even an umbrella stroller is ideal if your child is old enough to hold their head up.

#6- Pack plenty of baby snacks and food, you can always take the extras back home.

#7- Pack at least 2 binkis and 2 bottles so that there is always a back up.

#8- Buy travel size of the following: baby lotion, baby shampoo and body wash.

#9- Bring at least 2-3 blankets.

#10- no matter the weather pack a jacket.

#11- Baby toys-Baby’s can be quite easy to entertain but grab at least 1-2 baby toys to have on hand.

#12-Bring oragel or teething ointment, you never know when their teeth may start cutting.

#13- If the baby is used to a sound machine — bring it! Losing sleep while traveling is not fun.

I hope these tips have been helpful!

As always, I would love to hear your tips as tricks when traveling with a baby.!

xoxo,

Christy Lee

Family, kids, Lifestyle

Favorite Fall Traditions

September 23, 2020September 23, 2020 christyaustin1680

I have to admit, I will hop on the bandwagon of fall being my favorite season!

I love the leaves changing, sweater season, football season, and even better.. fun family holidays and traditions.

Here are some of our favorite fall traditions that we enjoy every year and we hope you will too!

#1- Family Soup Night: often times we coordinate this around Halloween.

Everyone brings their favorite soup and we taste all the variety of soups there .. and it ends up being a fun recipe exchanging event.

Plus- this time of year is perfect for soup!

#2- A nice drive to see the changing leaves. We are close to the mountains and enjoy taking a peaceful mountain drive.

#3- Pick out pumpkins from a pumpkin patch. If you have little ones in the family— picking out favorite pumpkins is so exciting for young kids.

You can even create a challenge like “who can find the smallest one,” “roundest one,” “biggest one,” etc.

#4- Decorate Halloween or Fall sugar cookies!

#5- Paint or carve pumpkins

What are some of your favorite fall traditions?

I would love to here!

xoxo,

Christy Lee

Good Reads, Lifestyle

My Mantra for life and why I love it…

September 5, 2020September 4, 2020 christyaustin1680

Do you have a “Mantra” in your life?

If not, I would suggest you finding a mantra that fits you and that you can live by.

A mantra is a great reminder of how you want to live your life.

So what is my mantra?

“Faith Not Fear.”

When did this become my mantra?

Back in my early twenties I saw a very cute sign that said “Faith Not Fear,” and it stood out to me so much I had to buy it.

I looked at that sign a lot as I navigated being single.

“Faith Not Fear” helped me through grad school and working full-time.

This mantra was put to the test when we were undergoing a health diagnoses for my two-year old son.

I remember specifically having a discussion with my husband as we were going to get my son screened for cancer–which is every mother’s nightmare right?! My husband reminded me to lean more on the side of Faith and not on the side of Fear.

We were blessed to find out that my son did not have cancer, he had something called Periodic Fever Syndrome, and it still interrupts his life, but we live in Faith hoping it will continue to improve and that he will be a healthy, happy boy.

Fast forward to the fall of 2019 when my baby girl came early due to a heart condition…my husband and I again leaned on the mantra of “Faith Not Fear.”

During the Pandemic and the “unknowns” that come along with Covid-19, again, my mantra has helped me push onward and remember “Faith Not Fear.”

Or this past spring when Salt Lake City had a 5.7 earthquake with MANY large aftershocks, I had to teach my children my mantra of “Faith NOT Fear.”

You see, naturally, I am a very anxious and pessimistic person. I don’t like that side of myself, but it seems that my brain always turns to the worst case scenarios… and I KNOW it’s not good.

Finding my mantra to have FAITH, and not FEAR has truly been a blessing in my life. It pushes me everyday to remember to be strong.

I value my religious belief in God in my life, and by having Faith in all that happens in my life, is truly what helps me live life to it’s fullest every single day.

So I challenge you…..to find your mantra.

What can help you the most in life?

What represents you?

What lifts you up and makes you a better person?

A mantra can TRULY help you to focus on the good and to see the beauty around you.

I hope you find your mantra that you can live by.

As always, I would love to hear what your mantra is in the comments below.

Until next time,

xoxo,

Christy Lee

Uncategorized

Must-Have Fall Clothes/Accessories for under $20!

September 3, 2020 christyaustin1680

Who doesn’t love cute clothes and accessories at a great price?

With the season change, and fall underway, it’s the perfect time to go shopping for some new items in your closet.

I tried to find as many items as I could that were cute and that offered FREE shipping, so purchase quickly before the deals end!

I hope you enjoy shopping!

(PS-click on the pictures to see the different varieties available)

(Disclosure: this blog contains affiliate links. This means that I get commission from any link you click on…but of course it’s at no cost to you!)

Leopard Print Skirt

How cute is this leopard print skirt! And the fabric and elastic waist band are sure to be comfortable to wear as well.

This skirt is currently $19.99 so snag it fast while it’s a great deal!

To purchase, click here.

Autumn Season Tops:

These adorable Fall shirts are so fun!

There is a variety of options and they currently ship for free.

Price is: $17.99

To purchase click here:

Oval Natural Stone Drop Earrings

These earrings are beautiful and are sure to match any outfit!

The detail is beautiful in these earrings and the price is great.

They currently have free shipping with the price at $7.99

To purchase these cute earrings, click here.

Chanel Drawstring Hoodie

This cute drawstring hoodie looks not only comfortable, but it’s also very stylish.

Fall just SCREAMS hoodie season, and this is one I know I want in my closet!

This is another item that currently has free shipping so get it while it lasts!

The price is $19.99

To purchase, click here.

Everest Pocket Top

Camo is such a fun style right now!

And this cute long sleeve shirt with a pocket is perfect for fall!

It currently ships for FREE and the price is only $18.99

To purchase, click here.

Striped Snap Cardigan

These cute striped cardigans are perfect for fall.

These cardigans come in a variety of colors.

They also have free shipping RIGHT now so snag them fast!

The price is only $19.99

To purchase, click here.

Colored Handcrafted Necklaces

These beautiful necklaces are sure to be the perfect addition to any outfit.

These necklaces also have FREE shipping at the moment.

The price is only $10.99!

Click here, to purchase.

Enjoy your fall shopping and the beautiful fall weather!

Comment Below with your favorite items!

xoxo,

Christy Lee

Month: September 2020

Sunday Thoughts: Leaving our weaknesses at the feet of Our Savior Jesus Christ….

The Best Loaded Sausage Jalapeño Poppers/Gluten-Free

Why I keep “dating” my husband …

13 Tips on Traveling With a Baby…

Favorite Fall Traditions

Top 5 Books I Want to Read This Year/Goodreads

My Mantra for life and why I love it…

Must-Have Fall Clothes/Accessories for under $20!