Reviews Archives | But First, Joy

Inspiring ordinary women to find joy in everyday things. Get My Newsletter

Warm Up with these new 2019 Cheddars Winter Menu Items

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15 Great Features about the Fossil Gen 4 Venture HR Smartwatch & Why it’s the best Smart Watch for Women

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What Are Happy Cards? & how they are putting the THOUGHT back into Gift Cards

7 Christopher Robin movie quotes about life that INSPIRE us all – 2018

Toy Story Land Bucket List – 18 Experiences you CAN’T miss!

Review: the Polaroid Snap Touch puts a modern spin on a retro classic camera.

5 new gifts from GameStop that will make your Star Wars collection galactic AF & a Star Wars giveaway!

Make it a Pokémon Christmas with these gift ideas + a Pokémon Giveaway

Annoy-A-Tron Review: A ThinkGeek Exclusive – Win a ThinkGeek Prize Pack with a $25 Gift Card!

I’m officially a Star Wars Droid Inventor! Check out my littleBits Droid Inventor Kit review

6 things you didn’t know about Pumbaa and voice actor, Ernie Sabella | The Lion King Blu-ray

LipSense Review: Does it really work? | A NON seller review with swatched LipSense colors

GrandeLASH-MD Review and Results | Thicker, Fuller Lashes for the win!

Mother’s Day Giveaway: Ladies, these stylish tech accessories are EVERYTHING that you need – Win one!

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Dream Big – Disney Princess Bouquet: This fruit bouquet is the perfect Disney trip announcement idea!

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Hanes Oh So Light Bra Review – The bra that doesn’t feel like a bra! & a $50 Visa Gift Card Giveaway

5 Trendy Spring Outfits every girl needs in her wardrobe this year! #OOTD

Celebrate those special moments with Precious Moments figurines – Valentine’s Day Edition #PreciousMoments

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Inspiring ordinary women to find joy in everyday things.

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Darling, you look perfect. ✨ When is the last

Darling, you look perfect. ✨

When is the last time you looked in the mirror and loved the entire reflection? Curves, fine lines, stretch marks, cellulite, grey hairs... all of it?

Sadly, it doesn’t come easy... loving the way we look. We have commercials showing women with the perfect skin, shiny hair, and expensive clothing. We have picture-perfect Instagram accounts with moms who have it all put together.

I’m sure you’ve heard it before but I’ll tell you again: that isn’t real life, for most of us, at least. Us regular people... We have stress, sleepless nights, responsibilities, and years of negative things people have made us believe about ourselves.

It takes WORK to love the woman looking back at you. That work... it starts from within. It starts in your soul and your heart. When you start prioritizing your self-care and spirituality, you’ll notice everything in your life transforming.

One day, you’ll realize that you see someone else in the mirror... A woman with features passed down from her ancestors; a woman with marks that represent a life well-lived. More importantly, you’ll see how bright your aura is now that you’re loving even the darkest parts of your soul.

Ladies, remember, YOU ARE PERFECT. We see it; why can’t you?

#loveyourbody #humandesignprojector #selflovefirst #selflovetips

Let’s normalize self-love. ✨ I’m so over s

Let’s normalize self-love. ✨

I’m so over seeing women doubt themselves. Even more so, I’m so sick of seeing confident women be torn down by others because of how much they love themselves.

We need to normalize loving oneself passionately. It shouldn’t be an unusual thing to do nice things for yourself. This is more than treating yourself every once I awhile. Self-love is about fully believing in yourself. It’s a unspoken KNOWING that you can do hard things and you can accomplish ANYTHING.

If you’re reading this, take it as a sign from the universe that you need to place an order for self-love. I challenge you to fall in love... with you.

#selflovetips #selflovefirst #selfcarechallenge #selflovechallenge #loveyourself

THE BIG REVEAL ✨ I’m so sorry I kept you guy

THE BIG REVEAL ✨

I’m so sorry I kept you guys waiting so long for this Paper Flower Shadow Box reveal! I rolled 42 paper flowers to make this beautiful sign for my office.

I used my #CricutJoy to cut the flowers and the @officialcricut shimmer smart vinyl. Isn’t it beautiful?

I created the quote/design myself and I have a free SVG for this on my blog if you’d like it., along with an easy-to-follow written tutorial. Just click the link in my bio.

“Good things take time” is my mantra of the year so I felt as if I needed to see in my office daily. I wanted to do something for ME, to stay in the theme of doing nice things for myself.

I hope you guys love it as much as I do! I think it’s safe to say that the Cricut Joy has kept me sane this past year.

#CricutMade #CricutCreated #cricutcrafts #papercrafts #goodthingstaketime #personalgrowthjourney

The first nice thing I do for myself every day is

The first nice thing I do for myself every day is cook a nice breakfast. ☀️

I take my time, asking my body what it really wants (and needs) to start the day. This is one thing I don’t skip because it sets the tone for how I’m going to treat myself throughout the day.

If you’re struggling with self-love, I encourage you to choose one thing to do for yourself every single day. Don’t make excuses as to why you can’t do it – just carve time out to make it happen for yourself. With two kids, a toddler and a baby, I still make time to do something kind for myself.

Braid your hair, read a nice book, learn something new, cook yourself a meal and use your favorite dishes. The little things will open you up to big things.

So, tell me: What are you going to do for YOU today and every day?

#selflovetips #selfcareideas #morningroutines #mentalhealthmatters #todayistheday

What is normal anyways? 🤔 I wanted to fit in

What is normal anyways? 🤔

I wanted to fit in; to be like the other ladies in my circle of colleagues and peers. I felt uncomfortable being “rough around the edges” as I liked to call myself.

I’ve never wanted to be the center of attention so blending in felt like the right way to go. So, I slowly molded myself until I felt like I was exactly what others wanted me to be.

I’m doing so, I lost myself. I forgot who I was before all of this. I couldn’t figure out what made ME special anymore.

In working on your mental health and journey of self-love, I ask that you never try to be “normal”. Honestly, the best route is to not try to BE anything other than who you are.

I know it can be hard sometimes... to remember who you are. So, do the things you love. Spend time with people who REALLY know you and love you.

Then, pay attention to who you are in those moments. Jot down the feelings, take mental notes, speak to others about what they love about you. Just as importantly, accept your flaws. Your flaws make you WHOLE.

FIND yourself. ACCEPT yourself. LOVE yourself.

#mentalhealthquotes #selfcarequotes #wholesomememes #authenticself #fallinlovewithyourself #mentalhealthawareness

✨ L E V E L UP ✨ My word of the year is GRO

✨ L E V E L UP ✨

My word of the year is GROWTH. This word kept popping up all around me, along with awakening, so I knew it was the universe was trying to tell me something.

Together, these two words have completely empowered me to make some big changes in my life.

I encourage all of you to trust yourselves. Pay attention to you intuition and follow your gut. We have the tools we need within us to grow – we just have to listen and pay attention to our bodies and minds.

If something doesn’t feel right — step away from it. Notice what makes you feel energized and what drains your energy. If something doesn’t align with your core values, let it go without a second thought.

My friends, that’s what true self-love looks like. Loving yourself enough to say no without feeling guilty. 🙌

Level up your mental health, dig deep into spirituality, and watch as the rest of your life transform. You’ll find yourself yearning for better foods, taking better care of your appearance, and wanting to MOVE your body.

We’re so often taught to “fake it til you make it” and to “just get it done”. Don’t listen to any of that. Put in the REAL work for YOU and everything else will fall into place.

You deserve to love yourself the way you love others. 💖

#loveyourselffirst #captionswithheart #levelup #mentalhealthawareness #humandesignprojector #stitchfix

“The new dawn blooms as we free it. For there is

“The new dawn blooms as we free it. For there is always light if only we're brave enough to see it, if only we're brave enough to be it." – National Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman 🇺🇸✨

I’m so honored to have witnessed an incredible piece of history today, as our first WOC was sworn in as VPOTUS! ❤️

As a mother of two boys, I vow to raise them to respect women as much as they do men. I vow to teach them to be kind to everyone and to ALWAYS stand up for what’s right.

As the strong female lead in their lives, I’ll teach my my children to love ALL children. I’ll raise them to be the LIGHT 🌟 in the dark times and to intentionally be on the RIGHT side of history.

Today is the beginning of something incredible. Young children everywhere get to see a piece of themselves in the leaders of our country. They get to see a woman who looks like them and leaders who have grace and empathy. 👏

Going forward, my greatest hope is for all of our children to be raised united, as one. Should the day come where they witness or experience acts of hate, my hope is for them to rise above and stand together. ✊🏻✊🏽✊🏿

May today be a day of celebration for all of us as we move forward in healing and hope.

#onenationundergod #togetherwestand #strongfemalelead

Where my people pleasers at? 🙋🏻‍♀️ I

Where my people pleasers at? 🙋🏻‍♀️

I used to be a people pleaser. It came in the form of comparison, self-hatred, and perfectionism.

I was constantly at war with myself to the point of rethinking and second-guessing EVERY decision I made from posting on social media to raising my kids.

I knew, if I wanted to be a good mother AND an impactful human being, I couldn’t continue judging myself or trying to be someone I’m not.

So, I started putting in a real, genuine effort to love myself, which is something I’d never really done before.

I introduced so many new things into my life, like journaling, personal development books, human design, and positive self-talk.

I also let go of A LOT... toxic friendships, expectations of people who continued to disappoint, attachment to material things, and bad habits.

I unknowingly was rewiring my brain to give myself more love and less critique. I allowed myself to do all of the things we’re often told we shouldn’t do: rest, fail, cry, make mistakes, and share all of that on social media.

My goal in sharing this is to inspire you to also put in the REAL work... FOR YOU. Stop listening to the busy world and start doing your own thing. Do what feels RIGHT for YOU and let go of anyone or anything that just doesn’t align with your end goals.

People will judge you regardless and when everything is quiet – it’s just your body and your mind. Learn to love it fiercely. 💖

#peacefromwithin #inspiringquotes #selfloveisthebestlove #warriorgoddess #humandesign #humandesignprojector #peoplepleasers

EDIT TO ADD: Reposted due to typo 🤦🏻‍♀️