Times of Change

Change is something I have never liked. Never known how to deal with it, and actually I'm still trying to figure out how to coop with it. I guess it's because I get too comfortable in one place and area in my life that change seems so extreme and too much of a difference than what I'm use to. This year though I have experienced to much change, and I feel my life is only full of change.

Thirteen years ago my dad was diagnosed with a brain tumor that was sitting on his optic nerve. I was only four years old at the time and I don't remember anything about it. Anything I've heard has only been full of past memories and experiences but it has never had an affect on me. Mostly, because for one I was too little, & two my dad was able to have radiation which helped kill the tumor making it not active and dead. They always had to keep an eye on it, but they guaranteed that the radiation would last for about 10 years. Well just a few months ago my dad had his yearly check-in appointments with his doctor and MRI scans, and we found out that my dad's tumor is growing and is now active. So my dad is going to have to do another round of radiation treatment which is going to be very hard on his body and brain because he's already had a full dose of it ten years ago! We also received more bad news, that they have found a second tumor near his brain stem. We weren't prepared for this at all and the radiation is going to be much harder and stronger! 

My dad's treatment is going to last for the next six weeks and he actually started two weeks ago. So we have just begun this new course, well sorta. We decided to use UCLA for our hospital because they have the best technology and trained doctors. From where we live now the drive is about two hours without traffic one way. So commuting isn't an option. Thankfully we have been provided with an apartment out in LA for the next six weeks, that way it's easier and literally three blocks away from our apartment. This whole new change has been hard and isn't going to be short. Plus I know how awful my dad is going to feel because of his treatment, and I can already tell & we are only ten days into the 28 days total we have!

Because I still have classes my sister and I aren't going to be able to stay in LA with my parents, so we are going to be staying with my grandparents until my dad's treatment ends. Right now my emotions are all over the place, and things have been rough! I'm not looking forward to the next few weeks of just being away from my family, and comfort zones. I just cannot wait until this is all over and done with!

This new chapter is going to be completely out of my comfort zone and a little challenging. Hence the fact that my blogging has been put on pause or just slower than normal! I haven't been in the mood to blog lately because of how I've been feeling & I didn't feel up to taking outfit posts because it would only be full of fake smiles and forcing laughter. I have no idea why this is happening but I know God has everything in control. I truly believe God does his best work during trials and I'm holding on to the fact that he is going to show us something good out of this. I just have to be patient and wait for God's timing, which is anything but easy but I know that it will be worth it. Psalms 119:50 states "My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life."

Remix Archives // Coral Shorts

Remix archives are one of my favorites. I love being able to visually see all the different ways I can wear my clothes. Shopping for new pieces of clothing is always so fun and selecting styles that are more different for my taste can be a nice change. But I hate it when i buy something that is so unique and different that I cannot layer it with anything else because of how wild the pattern can be. That's why I love buying pieces that have solid colors or that are simple and mild with the patterns. Colored shorts have been my new favorite style, and these coral shorts seem to go with everything! On a different note, I finally got around to creating a Chictopia account!! I think it's such a great site, and another way to enhance my social media. I'd love it if you could stop by and give me a follow, & be sure to comment and let me know if you have one as well so I can return the favor. 

I'm playing around with the idea of creating a Q+A video!! I love being personal here on the blog, but sometimes it can be tricky, worrying about how others view me and my opinions. And when your writing a blog post it's difficult to answer everyones question because of how random some can be! I mean one minute I chat about the weather or my every day to day life, and the next my favorite ice cream? No, it just doesn't work! So that's why I think a video would be the best solution! Write in here, and let me know what kind of questions you'd like to see in the video! Or of course you can comment like crazy on my instagram!

DOWNTOWN GIRL

Lately I have been so pumped to create more fashion posts here on the blog! I think mainly it's because of the spring and sunny atmosphere but there's something to be said about documenting your life through photos! I'd have to say it's one major reason why I created A Beautiful Heart, and why I love blogging so much. I love looking back on my old styles and seeing how much I've changed. Or re-reading my bible study posts and remembering how I felt. And when I write my coffee talk posts, I feel like it's my way of journaling and spewing out my thoughts. A Beautiful Heart is a life-style blog with a few recipes, outfit shoots, and DIY's here and there but I finally feel like I've been able to be so much more personal here on my blog. 

I finally feel free to post and talk about many topic, instead of worrying about how others view me and my blog content. Recently I have been reading so many articles on how bloggers feel like they are "being judged" and that their blog is "only full of haters with negative comments." Thankfully I haven't had to deal with many negative comments or mean people in general. I just think it's so sad that people have nothing better to do than waste their time trying to ruin someone's self-esteem or even their opinions. As a blogging community we need to unite and encourage one another, not pull others down. The articles I read disgusted me but also made me even more grateful for the readers I have! 

shirt + turquoise necklace/Forever 21 : shorts/American Eagle : high heels/T.J.Maxx : layered necklaces/Miranda Fyre : purse/Tilly's : sunglasses/Charlotte Russe : photos by Hannah

Lemon Bars

Lemon bars are one of my favorites but I don't have them very often! So having these were a great treat! I love blogging because it gives me a great excuse to try new recipes and bake! These past few days I have been spending my time on Pinterest just scrolling through some recipe boards and i have become so inspired by all the fun summer party recipes! So be on the look out for some fun summer drinks & food here on the blog! 

Crust:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• ½ cup white sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Lemon Topping:

• 4 eggs
• 1½ cups white sugar
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 lemons, juiced (about ⅔ cup)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and ½ cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9×13 inch pan.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1½ cups sugar and ⅔ cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.
4. Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool. For a festive tray, make another pan using limes instead of lemons and adding a drop of green food coloring to give a very pale green. After both pans have cooled, cut into uniform 2 inch squares and arrange in a checker board fashion.
5. Sprinkle with powered sugar

Four Ways to Style Jeans

 BLACK JEANS

Black jeans are one of my favorites. Its great for winner and still spring, well sometimes. Depending on where you live it might still be too cold for dresses and skirts so therefore jeans do the job! Black is a color that works great with bright and bold colors and yet you can make it very mellow with grey and whites. As you can see in the photos above, I tend to use black with black! Soon, I hope to find a colorful blazer because I love color but I sometimes shy away from it because I don't want my outfits to be so bold.

           ORINGINAL BLUE JEANS

This of course is more of a general way to pair jeans with your outfits. But I tend to go towards the darker blue jeans instead of light washed jeans. Blue jeans are perfect to display different looks such as wearing cowgirl boots, heels, tank tops, and even dresses.

 BOYFRIEND JEANS

 I am a huge fan of boyfriend jeans because no matter your shape they tend to always be flattering. I also love holes in jeans and boyfriend jeans just seem to give the hole/rips a better look. These jeans are perfect for spring because you can pair more of your light pastel colors! I haven't done many posts with these jeans, so hopefully this spring you'll be seeing many outfits with these cuties.

 BOOT CUT JEANS

 These jeans aren't my favorite and tend to be my last jeans I go-to but when your wanting to wear jeans and your tired of your everyday pair, boot cut jeans are a nice change. Plus for a while I was noticing how they have come back in style. These can be more trendy and only last for a little while in fashion but I still think they are flattering and are great for wearing boots underneath.

 

Fitness Wishlist

The past few days have been so nice and cold outside. This kind of weather definitely motivates me to go for a jog and workout as much as I can! Mostly because I can't stand sweating when its blazing hot out. So lately I have been on a fitness/workout kick...while being full of inspiration because of spring! Spring time means cute adorable dresses and pastel colors. What better way get ready for spring/summer then picking up some fitness essentials?! I have been wanting these items for a very long time and slowly over time I was able to buy them all. These few essentials have helped me stay motivated along with helping me in my workout routines. My favorite is the polar watch because I love being able to visually see how many calories I'm burning instead of guessing or assuming how many I've burned. Being able to see a large number of burned calories helps me to keep going and to not give up! I've also been searching for a yoga mat for a while now and I didn't find one until I was browsing around Forever 21. Of all places! I love mine especially when doing sit-ups and stretches, its just really nice to have that extra padding underneath you! What are some of your workout essentials along with some motivation fitness quotes?

 yoga mat / forever 21 : polar watch / amazon : running shoes / sketchers : water bottle / pink