Wishing you and your family a merry Christmas and a happy new year from my little family! 🙂
This year had brought a lot of love, joy and success to my family and business. Eight days ago I started my #GoodVibesGifting series for the purpose of giving back and connecting with my readers.
I got nervous at first that no one would participate in this series but as the days went by, I saw our connections way more than I’d ever imagined.
Next year, I’m going to share with you a lot more content that would benefit our community most.
Thank you for sharing your ideas in yesterday’s post. You can still give me more ideas at the end of the post even though this series has ended and I’m about to announce our winners.
Or feel free to leave your comments below about what areas in life you want to improve most so that I can focus on those areas next year.
Now, it’s time to announce our winners. I’m going to post their stories below, I hope you find them helpful and you can use their inspiring stories to improve some areas of your life.
TERRI PIETTE
I am grateful for the birth of my daughter, I found out years later that I had a tumor/cyst on my pituitary gland. I wasn’t producing hormones and had this since puberty but never knew and it just kept growing all those years. I realized then how lucky I was to have even gotten pregnant, Also i didn’t produce breast milk and never knew why. As much as I have always loved her, with the news I found out, I realized how much of a miracle she really was and appreciated her even MORE.
DAWN SMITH
I would love to be able to help my sister know that she deserves good things in life. Her and my Brother-in-law just bought a house and she doesn’t think she deserves it. She has low self esteem so anything good that happens she a hard time accepting it. I guess in general just being able to help someone see that they are a good person and when good things happen believe in them and yourself.
My family is my first value and being a good person. The world is so different than when i grew up and i just feel that we need to be better to each other. To not judge someone and to see how they are as a person. I strive to be a better person daily and feel that if i am positive it might help someone else to be ?
Dealing with a negative person can have so many effects on not just them but you. When I come across someone who is negative i try and talk to them and see what is making them feel that way and if it’s something simple i offer some positive thinking that might make them see the situation a little differently. then there are some negative people that start to change how you are and those people just seem to be people that are so unhappy that no matter how hard you try and be positive they already have a wall up to block anything good. to me those people still need us to be positive and just be who we are and offer to be an ear if they need it. We can’t turn our back on everyone but we can decide who we are going to use our energy on and to what extent.
DREVA ST CLAIR
I’d like to work on self care and spiritual growth so that I can feel more positive and rejuvenated and have that rub off on other areas of my life. It’s so hard to find time to Yourself when you have young kids but its also really important for your Well being.
I’m the first person in my family to get a bachelor’s degree. To some that may not be much but my mom couldn’t afford to put me through college so I found a way to make it happen through scholarships and financial aid.
Also, I became a mother two weeks before I turned 23 and my two little girls are a dream come true.
LORNA WEBSTER
For me, I don’t know that I ever learned to ‘love’ myself, but what I did realize is that the outer shell is not important at all. I love myself inside and that’s what’s important. As you say, we all will be old and wrinkled eventually there’s no avoiding it, but many are born with disfigurements or can never look the way society wants. What I’m saying is, the more we throw off society’s expectations (something really hard, even I feel them), the happier we are. Societal expectations are there to make us unhappy, to make us ‘buy’ but the truth is if your personality is beautiful you will be beautiful. It shines out of your face and the people who love you will see it. It’s why we have ‘guilty’ crushes on ‘ugly’ people. Beauty is totally subjective and made up of so much more than the external shell. Sorry if this is a bit preachy, but I learned this over time!
You are so right that those people are unhappy and spread it outwards. I have a lot of hard things in my life and am a realist, but once I started facing my issues, I lost all that bitterness. Now I love to bring people up and support them. I find the best way to tackle that negativity, if you’re brave enough is to point out exactly how harsh and evil they are being. If that doesn’t work, I tell them ‘I actually don’t care about your opinion and I hope some day you are able to heal from whatever makes you so hateful’ that drives them absolutely nuts but sometimes it’s what they need to reflect on their behaviour. At the end of the day if somebody loves you they will support you and if they are not supporting you, don’t listen to them. A loving, supporting person will give their advice and voice their concerns in a way filled with care for you. Nasty, bitter concerns have no place, you know who you are and what you are doing, ignore them!
SHANNA ELISE UPTERGROVE
I am grateful for my patience. Maybe being deaf has taught me that, but I love that I can listen to my children and even my mom and help them out and be grateful that I can help them!
Growing up, I did not appreciate being deaf. I think I fully embraced it after I got pregnant with my first child. today, I don’t mind it at all, it is a good thing that I can turn my hearing aid off when I want and enjoy total silence. But not being able to hear has helped me become closer to my kids and family.
MELISSA A CRAIG
One project that I want to start doing that I just simply had the time for is compiling a family recipe cookbook, to hand down to my girls, I seriously did not have the time when they were younger, but now I have a little more free time and would love to compile recipes from my grandmothers. From some of my aunts and from our gatherings, to some of their favorite things they loved growing up. I think it would be great for them to keep and learn from.
I was always upset I never went back and finished college, at 35, I decided it was time. I went back and got not just one but 2 degrees! I made me feel accomplished and it showed my girls who were in middle school at the time if you work hard anything is achievable.
I WAS AN OVERWEIGHT KID, ALWAYS HAD BEEN SINCE THE YOUNGEST PICTURES OF ME, I NEVER had a time when I was thin, match this with moving all the time, I went to 14 different schools growing up, this meant for no long-term friendships even in the tween or teen years. I now have tried to maintain a healthy weight and have been steadfast with my own children in where we live. I set the goal of living in the same school district and home while my kids grew up, I never wanted them to feel like the new kid in school. They have gone to sleep away camp and had other experiences where they were meeting new people but I wanted them to have lasting friendships that I so lacked growing up. now my daughter a senior in high school has had the same best friend since first grade. and my youngest a freshman has a friend well a few of them since kindergarten. I just know that small thing has made me and them happier and healthier, so the thing that has changed is the nomad lifestyle.
PATRICIA WRIGHT
I will tell you of a project I did and am thankful for. I had always wanted a record(book like) of my life. I did it over 30 years ago. I am glad I did because 8 years ago i had a brain enuryism and forgot a lot. If I hadn’t written and typed it i may never have had my story to pass on.
PATTY
Actually, I was dreaming to be a travel blogger. I came to the U.S. three years ago and my first trip was to see Cherry blossom in D.C. while I was three months pregnancy. My husband and I enjoyed road trips and we had been at 23 U.S. states. Our dream trip is to travel from coast to coast by trains. In reality, my travel plans are held due to I have to care my little girl 24/7 I don’t even have free time to spend on my own. However, there were several great moments that our family spend together. I am looking forward for a right time near future to visit pleasant places in the U.S. with my lovely family.
To dealing with the negative people is to start by understanding the reasons for their negativity. I would say almost all negativity has its roots in fears. So better way is trying to understand them with mind positively.
SHANNON F
THE ways I choose to deal with negative people VARIES. I’m not sure if it is the best but I have learned that it’s also not worth letting them consume my thoughts or life. Sometimes I have to SET boundaries with myself or them, Remind myself THAT their negativity is theirs them and not Mine, OFFER a positive perspective or attitude, understand that what they are going through Is most likely temporary, OR if needed i keep my interactions to a minimum or not at all if THE negativity is too much to be AROUND on a regular basis. I have noticed that negative people are much easier to deal with if my own self-worth is high.
AMYBELLE2001
I just understand that if someone is negative, it is something that they are dealing with, not me. So I don’t pay attention to it and try to understand why they are that way. It’s hard and not always the easiest thing to do.
SUSAN CHRISTY
I get spa treatments to take care of myself physically, and spend as much time as possible with those i love to take care of my mental/spiritual needs.
My dream as a child was to get married and be a housewife in my small Kansas town, which did not happen. but I achieved something even better. I was in the travel industry for over 30 years and saw the world. I’m sure if my big dream had come true I wouldn’t have seen much outside of Kansas.
PAULA R
I was a secretary when I started working, a few years later I became a dispatcher, years later I became a repairman, one of a couple women working with all men. Then my most important job: A mother.
BARBARA PACIFIC
I dreamed of going back to school and at the age of 41 I enrolled in college, I graduate this June with my associates Degree in Social work I will work with foster children. I feel so very proud of myself. I feel empowered as a woman! I would love any makeup if you have any Too Faced cosmetics would be amazing I would really love any cosmetics the palettes look amazing
PAMELA SLOSS
I am grateful I survived being a survivor of suicide. I lost my husband very tragically in 2004, 5 weeks after he returned from A Year in Iraq. There were days I couldn’t get out of bed. And other days I wanted to be dead. It Took a whole lot of counseling and support from some stronger friends and family who put up with all the HURT, anger and lashing out. They HELD together the pieces of me. And I’m so glad to still be here.
ALISON BRAIDWOOD
I always wanted to live overseas. So i did. I moved to England after I finished university, and lived in London for 17 years. I always felt at home in London, and loved the mix of cultures. I’ll never regret doing it. It does broaden your horizons.
SAMANTHA
None of my family went to college so me being the first was a dream that i surpassed. Sheer determination got me through.
Those are the stories from our winners. Because there are so many good stories you were sharing, instead of 8 winners I doubled it to 16 winners.
If you are one of them, please send me an email to hello@allaboutgoodvibes.com within 48 hours (by Thursday December 27th, 2018 8:00 PM (MST)) with your full name, address and your phone number. I’ll ship out the gifts by the end of this week. Congratulations!
Thank you all who participated. Hope to connect with you and give you some gifts next year.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments below, what kind of content you would like to see next year. I’m waiting to hear from you!
Wishing you and your family, love, joy, happiness, success and prosperity. Happy holidays!
Merry Christmas Eve! Hope you’re ready to celebrate your Christmas with your loved ones tomorrow.
I can’t believe today’s finally come and it’s the last day of our #GoodVibesGifting event! So much to learn from this eight days series. So much appreciation from me to you and your family.
If you missed my Day 1, Day 2 , Day 3, Day 4, Day 5 , Day 6 and Day 7 posts, don’t hesitate to go back and check them out. You still have tonight to share your stories. I will announce the eight lucky winners tomorrow evening.
This first post, will provide you more details on the rules and how to participate in this #GoodVibesGifting event. We would love for you to join us on this last #GoodVibesGifting post in 2018.
LAST MINUTE NYE PARTY OUTFIT IDEA
First thing that comes to my mind when it comes to New Year’s Eve Party is bling! That’s why I’m going for a silvery and glittery look from head to toe today. Anything bling would work for the night party, you don’t have to use only silver like me. You can pick gold, rose gold, black, red, white, green or pretty much whatever color you’re feeling for the night. But just keep in mind to make your outfit shine bright, as if it’s going to be your life in the new year. 🙂
This look actually reminded me of the millennium celebrations, on NYE of the start of the year 2000. I remember that most of the places were decorating with silver as their main color. Everyone was afraid of the end of the world and such on NYE. I went for a horror movie with my cousins that night and my mother was so worried. After midnight everything was just fine as it was another new day and new year. Anyways, hope you’re enjoying your NYE party this year.
My outfit details are displayed below with a few similar dresses.
DAY EIGHT OF #GOODVIBESGIFTING
Get to know me: Everyone has problems in life. Some of us choose to fix them, some of us choose to stay with them, and some of us choose to forget about them. For me I love fixing my problems. Either it’s small or big, I never neglect the problems and let them shadow me everywhere I go.
The first process I do when it comes to fixing my problem is to find the roots. Then I will start digging deeper to see why those problems occurred. I would try my best to find the methods to start solving them slowly but surely. If method A doesn’t work, I will move on to method B, C and so on.
Most of the time if the problems involve other people, for example they’re the problem, I would give back my kindness to them if talking isn’t helping. Either they feel it or not at least that’s the only one positive thing I can do in this case. The more kindness you give back the more likely you will be able to change their negative attitude toward you.
If you have family problems, problems between you and your partner, I recommend not bringing the third person into your situation. Don’t use your emotions to solve your problems because that will lead to the wrong way of solving them. Try to solve your problems when you’re in a steady mind set. If you really need help, I highly recommend you make an appointment with some professionals, they have learned how to help you through their processes and steps. But the person who is the most important that will determine the success is only you.
If you decide to fix your problems with no doubt, you will be able to do it. You just need to trust your ability fully. But if you decide to fix it but still hesitate about the results, this would take longer or it would never work.
Right now for me I want to fix my health problem the most. Even though I don’t have any bad decease, just something minor but I want to make sure I am healthy so I can spend as much time that I have with my loving husband and daughter.
My thought for you today is to never be afraid in fixing your problems. If there’s a problem there’s a solution.
QUESTION FOR YOU TODAY:
What’s one area in life you would like to improve most? Is there anything I could be a part of in helping you through my blog?
I’m looking forward to reading your answer. Don’t forget to stop by my Instagram and answer a fun question there too! Also don’t forget to use #GoodVibesGifting at the end of your comment so I know you are participating in this contest.
To get a sneak peek on the gifts you might win, watch my InstaStory here.
See you again tomorrow for the winner announcement and inspiring stories from all the winners!
It’s day seven of our #GoodVibesGifting and we are only one day away to the end of this series. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to share your stories with us. I know it’s not about the gifts as much as the good heart you have and that you are wanting to share some parts of your life to our All About Good Vibes’ readers.
I feel like the more we connect and the more we have a chance to spread the positivity around us, the better we become and the better the world will be. Not to say that the world is bad but we are all tend to lack communication, connection and understanding about each other. So let this series be the start of our small community and to help lift and support one another. I will be here for you and I know you will be there for me too.
Keep your stories coming because we are all looking forward to reading them! 🙂
If you missed my Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, and Day 6 posts, feel free to check them out and share your stories there. If you want to know more details on how to be a part of this series, head over to this post, read through the first section to learn about how to join.
FALL/ WINTER OUTFIT IDEAS
This year I found myself wearing a lot of knit sweaters especially the graphic and slogan ones. I think because I am pregnant, I found it so easy to put on, and to mix and match my graphic sweaters with all kinds of outfits. It does its job keeping me warm and it’s also fun to see different designs and sayings.
You can wear it with a dress, a pair of jeans, high heels or sneakers. Pretty much you can pull off the cool look without adding anything more. You can dress up or down with the graphic sweaters.
In today’s look, I tried to keep it simple and made sure the sweater was the main focus. I picked my metallic midi dress to go with my silver slip-on (similar pairs here and here) sneakers. My bag and earrings are black, to match with the color of my top which is out of stock but I found two similar ones for you here and here. I also picked some fun knit graphic and slogan sweaters for you below as well.
We took this photoshoot on Halloween night, our second night in Tokyo around the Shibuya area. It was so much fun seeing people dressed up and to walk around the famous shopping street. We were there right before people got out of work which was nice because there were a lot less people than at night when everyone comes out to party. We saw on TV that the entire area was packed with people and it was so hard to walk around during the Halloween party hours. Good thing we picked the right time to visit and head back to the hotel at the right time.
DAY SEVEN OF #GOODVIBESGIFTING
Get to know me: I started noticing my life changing after reading this book, The Power by Rhonda Byrne. I have to say that I’m a bad reader but a good collector. I bought so many books but never finished reading them.
One of the the books I finished reading and I keep going back to, is The Power. The reason I love it so much is that I see my life changing after applying the rules this book provides to my everyday life.
Whatever I expect to have, I will have them in a matter of months or even days. A few quotes by Rhonda Byrne that are so true and I recommend for you to follow are “What do you want more than anything right now?. Think about it a lot, feel it, and you will receive it.”, “What you’re thinking right now is creating your future. You’re always thinking, and you are always creating.” and “Your thoughts are a creative power to use to materialize your dream.”.
This book has kept my dreams alive and made my dreams become a reality.
I was a dreamer since I was little. I wasn’t only dreaming but I also felt the feelings of achieving my dreams as well. I got so excited every time I would think about achieving my dream and how that would feel. I didn’t know about the power of the universe before but I was living my life that way before I discovered this book.
After reading the book I found that I’m in control of my needs and wants. All I have to do is to think positively. Feel the good energy thats coming my way. And get ready to receive what I’m dreaming for. Just so you know that it might sound simple, easy and unrealistic, but trust me when I say it’s true. It can be hard to see results if you have negativity surrounding you or have a closed mine about your power and ability to create your own dreams.
I don’t want to get into the stories from the book incase you want to grab a copy and start reading it yourself so I didn’t ruin it for you. All I have to say is, this is one of my favorite books that has helped me get what I want and I want you to have a chance to receive what you want too.
Either more money, great job, soulmate, great health or as small as a person smiling back at you today, you will be able to get it if you believe in your power.
I will be sharing and talking more about this topic next year. If you’re looking to enhance your new year, take a look at this book if you haven’t already and get ready for your best year yet!
QUESTION FOR YOU TODAY:
Have you ever achieved one of your dreams? What did you do and how did you feel after you achieved it?
What’s one gift would you like to receive most from me? Take a look here.
I’m looking forward to reading your answers. Don’t forget to stop by my Instagram and answer a fun question there too! Also don’t forget to use #GoodVibesGifting at the end of the your comment so I know you are participating in this contest.
This post was made in collaboration with Sephora inside JCPenney.
As always, all opinions are my own. #ad #SephoraInJCP
Sephora inside JCPenney Last Minute Gift Ideas
Ho Ho Ho! Santa is coming to town in a couple of days and I know some of you still haven’t finished shopping or just started to shop! Nothing to worry about because we still have some time left. And you know what! I’m here to help you find and pick the right gifts for your girls, for him and even yourself.
I went to Sephora inside JCPenney the other day and my oh my, all the perfect gifts for everyone were there. I didn’t have to stop anywhere else, only one stop at Sephora inside JCPenney and I got all the last-minute gifts I wanted.
Inside the store, you can easily find anything quickly because they display gift products all around the store with labeling like Makeup Palettes and Gift Sets with big letters. If you need to find any specific items, you can always ask for help from the pretty ladies who work there.
I went in and out of the store so quick and still had lots of time to stuff my stockings and wrap some of the gifts without feeling exhausted. As you guy know I’m in my third trimester which means everything can be quite hard to achieve during this joyous time of the year. Thanks to Sephora inside JCPenney for making my tasks and day so smooth. I’m just so grateful to be able to get all the gifts for everyone.
I encourage you to stop by your local Sephora inside JCPenney to discover your last-minute holiday finds while supplies last.
If you want to know what I got and what the products I recommend for you to get are, keep on reading.
My goals were to shop for my sisters, my mother, my husband and myself. With that being said I separated my last-minute gift ideas into 3 sections, Stocking Stuffers Gifts for Her under $30, Stocking Stuffers Gifts for Him and Must- Have Gifts under $100.
I hope you find my last-minute gift ideas helpful and I can’t encourage you enough to visit a Sephora inside JCPenney near you. You will have a lot of fun shopping there, trust me.
Since this blog post will be the last beauty post of the year, I wish you a lot of happiness, success and prosperity from today onward. Stay safe and enjoy your holidays!
Thank you for your love and support over the years. And thank you for stopping by All About Good Vibes today. I will see you again next year!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
It’s day 6 of my #GoodVibesGifting event!! OMG, time flies! Each day I look forward to reading your stories and it’s helping me set my goals for next year. You have contributed to my goals for sure. I’m going to keep it a secret for now about what I’m planning to do but hey, that’s exciting and worth looking forward to.
If you missed my Day 1, Day 2 , Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5 posts, don’t hesitate to go back and check them out. There are so many stories and thoughts from our Good Vibes Tribe members who you can learn from their life experiences and situations. Don’t forget to leave your stories at the end of the post because you might be one of the eight lucky winners of this contest.
This first post, will provide you more details on the rules and how to participate in this #GoodVibesGifting event. We would love for you to join us.
FALL/ WINTER OUTFIT IDEA
Today’s look has a little sweet touch to it. If you want to make your look to be on the sweet side, try incorporating pink into your outfit.
My tip when wearing light colors, like pink, is to match with other light colors but try adding one dark color item to help make it contrast. Unless you want to go all out to be super soft and sweet, then only wear light colors from head to toe.
As you can see here, my beret, earrings, sweater (similar here), bag and boots (similar here) are all in light colors. But I chose to wear this navy dress (similar here and here) to make it contrast to the look. So, I don’t look too sweet or too simple.
We took this photoshoot in front of our hotel when we were staying in Tokyo, Japan. If you’re planning to visit Tokyo, Japan with your family, I recommend checking out MIMARU TOKYO NIHOMBASHI SUITENGUMAEI apartment hotel. It’s a super nice place in a business district. Great for a family trip and very convenient to hop on the subway to visit places.
DAY SIX OF #GOODVIBESGIFTING
Get to know me: I’d love to share with you on how I take care of my emotions at the end of each day on this post today. Because it’s so important to pay attention to your feelings, your mind and your soul and it will help you to become a better minded person.
I used to wait for the weekends to come before I started taking care of myself and to have some Me-Time. But guess what!, you don’t need to be like an old me. You can start doing it everyday. I know it might sound hard to do it but if you can spend only 5 minutes of your day to connect with yourself and take care of your spirit, you will feel a lot better and calmer than you used to be.
What’s the point of waiting until the weekend, right? You might say you’re super busy during the week and there’s no time for you to take care of yourself. Well, you’re living your life everyday, which means you should pay attention to yourself and your emotions everyday as well.
You don’t want to build up those unfavorite situations you’ve been through during the week and let those situations worry you through the weekend. You need to give your body and your mind a break, to help reset and get ready for the next day.
Either you pick to sit down and have a cup of tea in a calm environment to wind down or pray for 5 minutes, these can really help you as a person to connect with yourself and let go of those bad situations you have faced. If it’s a good day for you, use your 5 minutes to fulfill your emotions, mind, body and soul with positive energy.
For me, I love to take an extra 5 minutes in my shower, just to stand there, listening to the sound of the water, and let the warm water soak through my hair and body. I’d take a long deep breath and exhale slowly to let go all the tiredness and things that bother me on that day. That’s the easiest way I found myself relaxing and calming down my mind at the end of the day. It doesn’t take long and I don’t need to go above and beyond my everyday’s activities. Only 5 minutes of my day does make me feel recharged and ready for what’s to come next.
On the day that I have more time to myself I would listen to music, do a mini spa and eat my favorite sweets with a cup of hot cocoa. I would fill that hour with positive energy and joy as well and I would let go of all the bad energy. These tiny things make my soul and my body happy.
They are such simple things in life but when I pay attention to myself close enough, these small, simple things become more beneficial to my mind and helps to balance my emotions.
My thought for you today is to try to find one activity that help calm your mind each day and start taking care of yourself and your emotions. Even if it’s a few minutes a day. Don’t wait until you have time, because that would be very hard to make it happen. Don’t postpone it, you need this and your soul needs it too.
QUESTION FOR YOU TODAY
What do you like to do to take care of yourself?
I’m looking forward to reading your stories. Don’t forget to stop by my Instagram and answer a fun question there too! Also don’t forget to use #GoodVibesGifting at the end of your comment so I know you are participating in this contest.
To get a sneak peek on the gifts you might win, watch my InstaStory here.
Mollie Larsen is the creator of All About Good Vibes—a feel-good destination that inspires women to love, care and be themselves. Growing up she loved dressing up, taking care of her skin and helped supporting others. She believes in positivity and seeing good in all situations. Her biggest achievement of the day is putting her babies to sleep early, relaxing and watching her favorite shows with her husband.
