Sunday is a Delight

Happy Sabbath! Today, our meetings were focused on: family councils, family home evening, and making the Sabbath a delight; meanwhile, I thought I would be the first person in history to stand up and whoop a child DURING the Hymn “Families Can Be Together Forever.” Hahaha. {Yes, I'm 100% kidding. Although, that hymn was playing as my kids were being nuts.} Love these crazies! And love being spiritually fed. In Relief Society {a meeting for all women the 3rd hour of church,} we talked about President Nelson's talk, "Making the Sabbath a Delight." I wrote a blog post about it HERE, but I figured I'd share parts of it again since I love his talk! Hope your day was beautiful and full of family, service, worship, or whatever brings you peace, connection, and contentment.<3


"Sunday really is good for the soul. We didn't make it to church today, and this may sound silly, but that's something that is actually really hard for me! I love being at church, and with 5 littles that are so, well, little; I feel like the 3 hours of learning and worship really does refill my cup. Even though we weren't able to go today, we spent the day as a family and went on a Sunday drive. I've been on kind of a mission to really try to consciously make the Sabbath a delight, like the title of this conference talk!
Obviously with a newborn it gets a little crazy, and even during pregnancy sometimes it was really hard to get there and be prepared with being sick, but even just the little things helped. Things like setting out the kids' clothes the night before so the morning of isn't a mad dash. Things like knowing what we are going to eat for breakfast and having a quick plan B if for by some miracle we sleep in and don't end up having time for a fancy Sunday breakfast. Things like packing my bag for church the night before and making sure the snacks and doodle boards are ready to go. {We don't usually take any other toys to church, but then if we sit by a family with toys, my kids try to play with them, so I'm reevaluating that. Haha! Any advice, Mamas?} Things like setting my scriptures, iPad, and lesson manuals next to my things so they are ready! Things like making sure I have extra diapers in my bag. {Duh, but I've seriously had to leave before to take babies home because I've forgotten! Haha!} And also things like saying a prayer before church to get in the mindset of being ready to take the Sacrament. It makes all the difference when my mind is already there instead of muttering a quick one as the bread comes down the aisle!
Small, simple, and easy things that probably seem like a no-brainer to everyone else, but something I have to intentionally think about to be organized! Haha! And then, after church we love being able to watch family movies, give the kids naps, {my hubby jumps on that train, too!} and do something in nature if we can! I feel like one of the places God's presence is felt is being around His creations! And this state is especially beautiful for that!
I would love to hear what things YOU do to make the Sabbath a delight, no matter your beliefs or religion!:) Also, my hubby is home from a business trip, so we are so happy to have him home!
Have a great week!<3





I'd also love to add this quote by President Nelson, “What sign will you give to The Lord to show your love for Him?”

A few years ago, M. Russell Ballard spoke to our local churches about how it used to be called “The Holy Sabbath Day, then it was Sunday, then it was The Weekend.” That always stuck with me. What signs do I give The Lord that I love Him and appreciate this day set apart from the rest of the week?<3
When we had our first set of 3 kids under 2 1/2, Sundays were crazy. It felt like I spent most of the time in the hallway since two of them weren't old enough for Nursery, and it would have been easy to feel, "Is this even worth it?" But something kept me coming back. By some tender mercy, I felt fed by walking through those doors, even if I didn't catch all of the lessons. I knew that Heavenly Father saw my effort of getting kids dressed and out the door even when it was tricky. And now, with 5 kids 5 and under, I feel the same way. I'm grateful for realizing that early on with our babies, and the effort has never felt in vain.
It’s such a personal thing for everyone, but I know God looks upon our hearts, and if we keep the intention of having our Savior in the forefront of our thoughts and actions just a little bit more on Sunday, we will be blessed and have an increase of the Spirit!

XO

Sarah








               





To Vlog or Not to Vlog

That is the question! Haha! I love to be hands-free with my kids, and I also LOVE to document their little voices and the funny things they do! I almost get anxiety thinking of them getting bigger without me keeping record of this amazing small stage. But then I also get anxiety having technology out while they are awake! I also go through this weird thing of how much to share online, keeping them protected, and not wanting to show too much but also wanting to be abundant and make meaningful connections. This balance is something that brings me anxious feelings, but in talking to friends about the matter, the conclusion is that we want to believe there is more good in the world. And I believe that whole-heartedly! There is so much more good. Even just yesterday, I had a few comments that broke my heart a little bit on Instagram. I haven't said anything on my feed because I don't want to bring attention to it, but I do want to say that the friends {real life friends and those made through Instagram} came to my rescue. It was really touching, and even though I haven't shared those feelings over there, I hope each person knows how incredibly grateful I am for their goodness! What brought me to tears wasn't the negativity, but the kindness. So so much kindness!<3
So, here we go! The link to the Vlog channel is in the video below! I wanted to keep my regular channel less cluttered with vlogs so we can focus on Anxiety, Birth, and silliness! Let me know what your thoughts are, and thank you again for your beautiful kindness and positivity!
XO
Sarah

The Dainty Pear Channel: HERE
The Dainty Pear VLOGS Channel: HERE


                

                

Turn on Your Light

Happy Thursday! I just wanted to share this amazing talk! It's one of my favorites and I find myself not being able to listen to, watch, or read it enough! She speaks of kindness, about light, strength as a woman, and about the fact that it's OKAY to be different. Sometimes it's so nice to be able to readjust and look inward to think about what our priorities are, and what the things are we hold most important. It's so easy to be distracted or set of course by small things, but, when we have a firm foundation and are continually working on that, I feel like there is great serenity and power to be found!<3
XO
Sarah


           

Happy Monday!

Snotty noses, snuggles, and saggy diapers on sassy one year olds are what dreams are made of! I couldn't think of any more S words to complete my illiteration, so Happy SMonday!;) Hope everyone had a great Sabbath yesterday!
XO
Sarah

Dress: HERE {$15! I ordered a Medium.}
Little Toddler Dress: Zara
4 Year old Dress: H&M
Boy Blazer: H&M
Boy Shoes: Old Navy

Also, the burgundy dress from my Birthday last week {last couple of pictures below,} is linked: HERE












And then, I saw Christ.

Today in Church, one of the speakers reminded me of a post I wrote a few years ago that I felt impressed to share. He was talking about the "Bread of Life." I had an experience while working on a couple of the Bible Videos, where I got to look in the eyes the actor who was playing Christ as he said, "I am the Bread of Life." My soul burned and my eyes filled with tears. I knew right then that even if the Savior himself was saying this to me, I wouldn't believe it any more than I did right in that moment. I watched the people portraying Christ and His Apostles walk the dusty roads in dirty sandals. I watched animals run across set and smelled the smells and saw the scenes of Jerusalem. It was all so realistic, like I had been transported to the time period. I'm grateful for the testimony builder that it was, and wanted to share this post that I wrote after that experience, along with one of the videos here! Happy Sunday!
XO
Sarah




This past week, I have been on set of a new Church Movie being filmed in a remote part of Utah. When I got called back to be cast in it, I was surprised, and was also a little worried, because I had just cut off all of my hair!! It ended up not being a big problem, because I had to wear time-period clothing, which included a head covering. I SO WISH that I could post pictures, but it is a breach of contract! Noooo!!!!!! Haha! I wrote a hand-written letter to my brother who is on a mission in Peru, so I will type an excerpt of what I said to him here, because it explains a lot of what I would write anyway: 


“Hi, Gabey Bum! How art thou!? I am on the set of a new church movie right now; it's a stinkin' awesome experience! We started filming yesterday. The film is called "The New Testament Project." It's supposed to replace the old one that has been used, and this will be used officially by the Church for the next 20 years. They'll use it in Missionary Videos, Mormon Messages, Seminaries, Institutes, and General Conference. Crazy, huh!? I get to sit like a foot away from Jesus...it's surreal and really cool. (Ha! Well, okay, the guy who plays Jesus.) When we start a scene, it's not hard to get into character because all the costumes and set are identical to Ancient Jerusalem. I am so dirty from all the dust, dirt, and animals, and it makes you feel like you are there. On top of that...the guy playing Christ looks SO much like I picture him! I love it! It is super hot here, because it's in the desert, and I really miss Tom and B, but it's only for a couple of days before I come back for another 2 days in a couple of weeks. Yesterday when I checked in, I filled out paperwork and then got my costume. It took a while, but we finally got rolling and it was crazy hot, but then started to rain and got crazy freezing cold!!! Filming movies is definitely different than watching them, and it is totally different than I thought it would be. I had a super awkward moment yesterday when I went to use the PortaPotty. I totally forgot to lock the door because I was so worried about my costume falling down the bottomless stink hole! Anyway, right as I was dropping my drawers, an old(ish) guy walked in! (Well, not in, but he did open the door!) My dress was kind of still covering me, so I gave him a terrified look and he immediately shut it and apologized. That all would have been fine if he didn't then proceed to take the potty RIGHT next to me and start TALKING to me! He was saying things like, "I'll try to be quiet." and other things that I can't quite remember. I didn’t know what to do, so I talked right back! I told him that I was glad my pants weren’t all the way down. Also, [even MORE awkwardly enough] we got out at the same time and I looked at him and said the only thing that came to mind: “Good job.” TALK ABOUT awkward turtle!! AND WORD VOMIT!! Ha ha, I just thought you would appreciate that story.”
So, all jokes aside from the Potty story, being on set really was one of the single most spiritual experiences I have had. The second day, after getting my costume and waiting outside of the hair and makeup trailer, I was talking to a couple of ladies, when John [the one who portrays Christ] came and walked by me. I kind of did a double take, and then saw him walk back and started talking to us. We were joking around, and it was surreal to be talking to Christ. I know that may sound absolutely ridiculous, but it was incredible for two whole days to only be thinking about these types of things. I didn’t have cell service, internet, or television, and I was in the desert dressed in a costume portraying a follower of Christ. In one of the scenes, I was able to be “featured” as the director called it, and Christ was sitting less than a foot from me. As I listened to him speak, the words he said pierced my heart. I don’t know a less cheesy way to describe it, but all I could think about was me seeing Christ for real. In the flesh. Right in front of me. And the Spirit I felt right in that moment just brought tears to my eyes! It was amazing! He was saying things straight from the scriptures, unaltered, so the words I was hearing I had read before, but it completely brought it to life. We did that particular scene over and over; it was where he was teaching in the Synagogue and he is questioned by a Pharisee. As I turned to hear the Pharisee doubt and question Christ’s words, and then look back to Christ for his response, it felt so real. I felt for a moment that I was actually in Ancient Jerusalem, sitting in the Temple and listening to a man who claimed to be the Son of God. And I believed him. It is indescribable how it feels to BE there, to watch him interact with people, to watch him perform miracles, to watch him be doubted and ridiculed, to see his Apostles and the love they had for him. I realize that it was just a movie set, but I called the title of this blog “And Then, I saw Christ,” not just because I saw the man who portrayed him, but I saw Christ in my mind’s eye, walking the streets of Jerusalem, bringing a message of peace to His people. I saw him, and I talked to him, even if it was through someone else portraying him. It takes it to a whole new level when you aren't just reading about him, but you are experiencing a taste of what it was like to be around him. I think that the actor has to be living so well, because how else can you even attempt to rise to the occasion of acting as Christ, and exude so much kindness and goodness. Although movie sets are more stressful than spiritual, honestly, there were times where you could find spiritual moments and see with spiritual eyes the amazing things that were happening. Hands down, one of the most incredible things I have ever done, and I am so excited to go back. I was apprehensive of taking the job because I was getting anxiety thinking about leaving my baby for 2 long days, but while I was there, I knew he was in such good hands and didn't worry at all! :) Not only did I gain a greater testimony of Christ, I gained a greater testimony of how awesome my husband is. He was SOOOOOOO supportive, he helped pack my cooler, take things to my car, calmed my nerves, made me dinner after an exhausting and long day, told me how excited and proud of me he was, and took care of everything at home. Yeah, he’s pretty much awesome. :) I’m incredibly grateful for my family, friends, the Gospel, my relationship with Christ, and for this unique opportunity that I have been blessed with! :)


XO
Sarah
           
             

Anxiety Tools

HEY! Today we're talking Anxiety on #tdpyoutube, and what's more fun than that!?;) Honestly, serious videos aren't totally my jam because I like to keep it light and fun, but I also always want to keep it real.  Occasionally I will get messages asking about Anxiety since I have it in my Bio and have done videos on it before, and I wanted to just put up a few basic things that have and do help me cope and clear anxiety. I know it's a lot more complicated than this many times, but hopefully this can resonate with someone! I'd love to hear what you do to help when anxiousness arises! Also, if you are in the middle of an anxiety journey, just know I'm cheering for you and sending big hugs your way!
XO
Sarah


          

TDP Motherhood Project || Thelma Lou

Loved getting to hear so much wisdom from this beautiful and fun woman at 85 years young!

XO

Sarah




Turtleneck: HERE
Sunglasses: HERE
Pants: HERE



                 

Jet Set Baby!

Took this little baby on another adventure! She travels so well, it's awesome! I nurse her on takeoff and landing to ease the pressure in her ears. It was a short flight, but she slept on Daddy's chest for  most of it! *Cue heart eyes emoji.*
XO
Sarah





Jacket: My Sister's Closet Boutique {Use DAINTYPEAR10 for a discount!}
Luggage: HERE
Baby Outift: Target
Shirt: JANE
Jeans:HERE
Shoes: Nordstrom Sale








Chopstick Curls || Faux Perm How To

I thought it would be fun to try out my daughter's curling iron last week, and I had some questions on how to do them on Instagram, SO, we did it again in this video! It's a fun change without quite the commitment of a perm. Hope this is helpful!
XO

Sarah

Products Used:
Curling Wand: HERE

Pureology Spray:HERE
Kenra Smoothing Creme: HERE or the Gloss: HERE
Sebastian Trilliant: HERE
Mythic Oil: HERE









                


Happy Sunday

“The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” W. R. Wallace. Happy Sabbath Day!

XO
Sarah






Whole30 Food Roundup: Week 1

DAY 1

Yesterday was DAY 1 of our Whole30! I mentioned on Instagram Stories that I would try to do either a Vlog or Blog Posts to show what we're eating and what I shop for during The Whole30. {Tom is doing it with me, so we'll see how that goes. Hahah!} I am doing this just to reset and hopefully help my sugar addiction. I don't have a scale, so I won't be watching that, but you can always tell when clothes fit differently. I'm also hoping that cutting out sugar and dairy will help with the breakouts I've been having, but I'm not going into it with too high of expectations! I'm also nursing, so I need to really focus on having enough calories and drinking a lot of water to keep up my milk supply. I'm doing it for fun and for a challenge! Instead of seeing it as something really hard with so many limitations, I have been trying to see it for it's possibilities! I love getting in the kitchen and trying to be creative and explore with food, and now that I'm not pregnant and can actually eat without puking everything up, it seems like a great thing to do!:) Haha!

SO, here was our first day of Whole30 Food roundup!

Breakfast:
We had a little get together with cousins since Christmas Break is almost over. We had a Whole30-style buffet with Sweet potatoes, ground turkey, hash browns, and eggs with spinach and peppers. We were going to have bacon, but picked up the wrong kind and it wasn't Whole30 compliant, so we didn't cook it.

Lunch:
I made this super easy Lemon Pepper Chicken with Mashed Sweet Potatoes. I cook without a recipe probably 90% of the time, so I'm going to try to write them down as we go. I didn't start cooking until we were married, so I'm NO pro, but I have really come to like and even love it! There are a few cookbooks that I really like, which I'll have to share sometime, but so many times I find myself in the kitchen without a plan and throw things in the pan! Hahaha. There is also a Whole30 Cookbook that I will try to cook out of this time! Also, if you haven't read the book, "It Starts With Food," it's pretty helpful if you're doing or deciding on whether to do The Whole30! I read it a couple of years ago when we did it first, but I should probably do a refresher!



Steps for the Potatoes:
I washed and peeled several sweet potatoes and put them in my Instant Pot {I have the 8 quart!} with a little bit of water and set the manual time to 12 minutes. When the came out, I dumped all the potatoes in my Kitchen Aid Mixer until blended and smooth. {I've had my mixer for 7 years, and it's still like new! They're also on sale right now for $199.} I only added salt to taste and they were still deeeelicious! But I love sweet potatoes! They will be a common theme during this Whole30!

Steps for the Chicken:
I put Avocado Oil in the pan, let it get hot and then placed two chicken breasts in it. I seasoned them with salt and pepper {this time I put more pepper because I wanted some spice.} Then, I flipped them over and seasoned the other side. {Be careful because the oil is hot, so don't lift it all the way out, just kind of roll it over if you can.} Then, I cut a lemon into slices and put them on top of the chicken. I waited until it was cooking through and turned it over again with the lemons now underneath the chicken {touching the pan} and covered it with a lid.

Since the chicken breasts were pretty big, they had a harder time hitting temperature, so I cut them into 4 or 5 pieces {I usually don't cut on a nonstick pan because it ruins them, but was careful not to touch the bottom,} and covered it again. Once they were almost to temperature, I covered everything in baby spinach and put the lid back on. When the spinach was done, I put them on a plate with the mashed sweet potatoes and voila! Lunch is served.<3

Dinner:
We got babysitters and went out with our cousins for dinner. Since we had a later lunch and I wasn't sure if there was anything compliant on the menu, I waited until we got home to eat, where I had smoked salmon and leftover mashed sweet potatoes. I had a migraine through dinner and afterwards, so I also took a Tylenol because MAN, those first few days of no sugar can be rough town! Hahaha! If you are doing this, I wish you luck and good tasting food!<3


XO
Sarah







Day 2

Brunch:

Sweet potato hash with spinach and egg. I just shredded the sweet potatoes and then made them into a patty in the pan. I started with a metal pan and ended up starting over on a nonstick!:) Then, once it was assembled on the plate, I added Franks Red Hot Sauce!





Snacks:
Baked Banana chips, Whole Banana, leftover mashed sweet potatoes, hard boiled egg, smoked salmon.

Dinner:

I still had some tri-tip steak in the fridge that I needed to use, so I sliced it and cooked it in the pan just with salt and pepper {and it was SO YUMMY. I have a tendency to overcook meat because I'm a germaphobe, but it was really medium and so tender! I like to buy the kind at Costco, it's usually about $30 for a package.} Then I put it over a plain preprepared kale salad and added straight balsamic vinegar for the dressing. It was actually really good for how easy it all was!





Day 3


Breakfast:

I decided to use the same pan for everything, and cooked eggs first in some Avocado oil, then added spinach. Seasoned the spinach and then moved it to the side and added cauliflower rice, a little bit more avocado oil and more salt and pepper!



Dinner:
We went to the Temple with some friends, and everyone decided to go to Cubby's afterwards. I ordered the citrus salad with tri-tip steak and no dressing. Basically, it was a bucket of Kale, but the fruit in it gave it some juice. And I was so hungry, I scarfed it down so quickly! Haha! I still had a headache {probably from cutting out sugar,} but eating helped a bit.



\]=\
Snacks:

Throughout the day, I mostly had bananas in between meals since I need to go back to the store! I also had water with lemons and limes to drink.

Day 4:
Breakfast:

Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Smoked Salmon.

Lunch:

Five Guys! There IS a way to make this compliant! I got the burger wrapped in a lettuce, green peppers, pickles, jalapeños, and hot sauce {not ketchup!}

Costco Run:





Dinner:

Green beans, leftover chicken, and avocado.




Day 5:

Breakfast:

Scrambled eggs with spinach. Side of blackberries and grapes, side of avocado. {The kids wanted seconds--love this simple but yummy and filling breakfast!}





Lunch/Dinner:

Chicken, brussels sprouts, cauliflower rice, and a side of compliant apple sauce.



Snacks:

Compliant coconut water {Usually I would just do water, but I'm nursing a baby and have felt a little dip in supply, so thought some electrolytes would be nice.} I also had applesauce and more avocado halves.


Day 6:

Breakfast:
Fruit. {You're not really supposed to have fruit as a main source of a meal, but I wasn't feeling great with a cold. I made up for it with lunch!

Lunch:

Spinach, Chicken, Smoked Salmon, Avocado, Grapes, Blackberries, Balsamic Vinegar, and then a Broiled Grapefruit with Cinnamon and a side of Bone Broth with salt and pepper added.






Dinner:

 I wasn't feeling super great, so my hubby did dinner! He made Tilapia cooked in avocado oil, and then a side of sautéed spinach and avocado. Such a good man!







New Year's Eve!

Happy New Year! Yesterday was Sunday and New Year's Eve! I loved this quote by M. Russell Ballard: "If your goals are righteous, then go for them."

Hope your New Year is fabulous!<3

Also, I got the girls a curling iron a few months ago and saved it for Christmas, so we figured it was a good day to bust it out! Haha! I had some questions on Instagram Stories about it, so the link is below with the outfits. It's not a perm and it didn't take too long to do, the wand gets pretty hot!:) If you guys  think a Youtube tutorial on my channel would be helpful, let me know!<3

XO

Sarah




Curling Iron: THIS ONE
Dress: THIS ONE
Shoes: Nordstrom SaleThese ones {They were sold out, maybe they'll restock!}
Toddler Dress: H&M
Girl Skirt: THIS ONE
Girl Shoes: Old Navy









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