Happily Hezface Tees

Guys, I am so excited to announce that I'm launching my tee shirt line early December 2015! I've been working hard creating cute, comfy, fun shirts that you'll love. Check Happilyhezface.com soon to see the full collection.

For now, here's a sneak peek of the Best Day Ever tee. Perfect for Disney days, birthdays, or any day you're spending with the people you love. Cheers to the best days ever!

Sticky floors and full hearts

My friend stopped by the other night to pick up something she had left at my house. My one year old was already asleep, so I let her in and we whispered in the entryway. After a minute she looked behind me and smiled. "I love it," she said.

I turned around, not quite sure what she was looking at. I hadn't done a thing to my house all day. In fact, as far as I was concerned it was still the usual disaster of toys, shoes, and children's books that it usually is. But then I realized that's exactly what she was looking at. 

"It just makes me so happy," she said. "It looks lived in and happy." 

I kind of laughed and started explaining the messes around the house. Now that I realized how messy it was, I felt a little embarrassed, but then she said something that changed my mind. She said she hoped that her home looked just like that when people came over and saw her kid's messes. She hoped they saw a well-lived in, cozy, happy home. 

I loved that thought. 

After she left, I turned off all the lights and walked around my home. Normally I rush around before bed thinking of the never-ending to-do list I have. 

The norm is something like: Oh right, I need to call and take care of that tomorrow. And I cannot forget to run this errand. And I can't put this off any longer! And look at the dishes, ahhhhh. 

Then sleep. Then wake up and be a mom, wife, author, primary counselor, friend, sister. Do all the things. Then repeat. 

But instead, I ignored the to-do list and stopped to appreciate the mess in front of me. I felt this wave of gratitude thinking of the thousands of prayers that I said before Kenzie came. Of all the time that I so wished for sticky floors, scattered toys, and baby socks and shoes all over the house. 

Tonight I looked at that mess and got teary-eyed. I thought about how not very long ago I wished for this more than anything else-- and I am so grateful that this is my norm. 

It's chaotic. It's crazy and messy and most of the time we can't find our remotes. But I love it so so much. This is exactly where I want to be. 

And you know what? Life doesn't have to be perfect to happy. Or in my case, my home doesn't have to be spotless to be a happy.

So next week when the days get just as crazy and the dish pile looks just as high, I hope I remember back to this moment and remember what true happiness is. 

Much love, 

Heather 

Our Fall Fun List

Today is first day of Autumn! Can you believe it? I love scrolling through Pinterest and looking at fun fall to-do lists. Everyone has different things on their fall checklist, but I wanted to make our own family one with things we do every year to celebrate our love for the season :)

Come November I'll check in and see how many of these we actually accomplished! But even if we don't finish them all, it will just be fun to have family time and enjoy the season. 

Warm sweaters, hot chocolate, and pumpkin treats, here we come! 

Fall Fun List

Make pumpkin treats

Decorate the house

Take walks

Go to a fair or carnival

Visit a pumpkin patch

Drop off Halloween treats to a neighbor

Stay warm in a cozy sweater

Carve a pumpkin

Watch Hocus Pocus

Go trick or treating

Make a Halloween craft

Crunch leaves

Eat candy apples

Feel crisp autumn breeze

Choose a new Thanksgiving recipe 

Give thanks!

Fall family photo shoot

Drink hot cocoa outside

Read a book (hey, I know a series you might like ;)

Watch Thanksgiving Day Parade 

Enjoy the season! 

Beanie: Radswim // Lips: NYX Matte lipstick in Aria

Coral and Lace

  

Guys, this dress, I am so in love. So much so that I turned into that heart-eyed emoticon when I first saw it. It's a coral and lace dream! 

Have you ever found the perfect dress but wish you could tweak just a few things? Making it just a little bit longer? Changing the neckline or adding sleeves? You can do all those things on Eshakti.com and it's kind of amazing.

You pick your favorite dress, jumpsuit, or top (there are tons!) then choose the neckline, length, and sleeve you want. 

Where has this site been all my life? High school dances would have been so much easier to get a dress for! Back then my cute mom was always trying to hurry and sew on sleeves or find a matching cardigan for my prom dresses. I should really pull out some of those old prom pics and share them! 

But before then, check out Eshakti and look at their darling dresses! There are so many styles that are perfect for fall. And Winter. And Spring. Okay, for all seasons! Also, wouldn't it be great for bridesmaid dresses or any other special occasion? I think yes. 

Coming your way!

Hello lovely friends! Here's a few things I wanted to let you know:

Today I did a guest post over at Brea Getting Fit! It's all about taking small steps to a healthier life and what I do to stay healthy, happy, and sane with a chaotic schedule! Check it out here and let me know what you think! 

Also, I have some super exciting posts coming your way, including: 

*Fun fashion posts (one featuring a gorgeous gown from Eshakti).

*New videos talking about growing hair long and healthy, mascara versus eyelash extensions, and how to create vintage Hollywood curls. 

*And some motivating words about going for your dreams. 

It's gonna be fun :) Stay tuned next week, and Happy Weekend! 

Summer Highlights

Hey guys! I cannot believe summer is coming to an end. I'm always sad to say goodbye, but also so excited for fall to come. But before we pull out our cozy sweaters and pumpkin cookie recipes (am I right?), I wanted to share our family highlights from summer!

Kellen has been working, going to school, and prepping for law school all summer long, and I've been writing, starting the Happily Hezface online store, and chasing around Kenzie all summer :) Even though it's been crazy busy, we still had a lot of fun summer adventures and so many good memories.

I'm always chasing my family around with the camera, and they're probably sick of it, but it's my way of slowing things down! Kenzie is growing up so fast, and even when I look at the pictures from earlier in summer, she looks so little!

But I'm so happy I did film everything because I got to create this video of our favorite moments from summer, and it makes me so so happy! I think I'm going to try and make this a yearly tradition. I want to a make summer highlight video every year to document this for later.

So here was our summer checklist:
Play at the splash pad
Watch fireworks
Go swimming
Play at the park, a lot
Eat snow cones, ice cream, and watermelon
Go for lots of stroller rides (seriously, hundreds)
Celebrate Kenzie's first birthday
Spend time together as a family (my favorite one)

I Hope your summer treated you well! Have a fabulous day, friends!

Fishtail Braid Tutorial

I love this braid and it's so simple! Watch the tutorial below to learn how to do a front dutch braid into a fishtail braid :)

A Very Glittery Birthday

I'm so excited to share the pictures of Kenzie's party! Here's what you'll see below: 

Glitter forks

Glitter vases

Glitter cups

Glitter filled balloons

Glittery banners

Glittery cakes

A darling little babe all in blue

And one happy momma :)

So I went overboard, I get that. But what better time to get carried away celebrating then for your baby's first birthday?! And also, LOOK AT ALL THE GLITTER! 

It was such a fun day and I'm so grateful for the family and friends who supported my glitter obsession and came to celebrate with us! 

Seriously, all of it just makes my heart happy. And I'm already planning birthday party number two. Kidding! 

Till next year! 

Happy 4th of July!

Wishing you a safe and happy 4th of July! 

Disney World With a Baby

This post is a little late, but better late than never, right?! 

Last month we went to Disney World, which is seriously one of my very favorite places! Kenzie was so happy in her stroller at the parks and completely entertained seeing new places and people watching. She loved the parks, which made me love the trip.

This was her second time going to Disney World, which has four different parks, and the whole time I kept mentally making a list of advice I would give to other moms going with a baby. Does anyone else do this?

I kind of laughed at myself, then thought, wait, I really am going to make a list of advice! My list is small, but I think these things could made the difference between an exhausting day at the parks or an awesome day at the parks!

This list could work for Disneyland too, or really, any amusement park. So without further ado, here is my advice!

Take the big stroller
Wondering what stroller to take, the big one or the small one? I've done both. The umbrella stroller is lightweight and great for travel, but not my favorite for the parks. If I'm going to commit to a stroller for hours upon hours, I want to have my big, sturdy, stuff-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-in-the-bottom stroller. Plus I wanted Kenzie to be as comfy as possible and have a little tray for her sippy cup and snacks.

Bring snacks
Speaking of snacks, Gerber baby puffs were awesome for keeping Kenzie happy. I would sprinkle some on her little stroller tray and she was content for a long time. I also brought yogurt bites, which she loves. We took a lot of baby food breaks, but I thought both the puffs and yogurt bites were a great, quick, non-messy snack for her to eat in her stroller.

Take a lot of snacks for you, too! At the end of the day you have literally walked for miles around the park. A small lunch isn't going to cut it. I bring trail mix, grapes, tons of water water bottles, cookies, and anything else that will give me energy to play all day. 

Take a Break

Nap time can be a little tricky to navigate at the parks. But I have to say, it's always best to leave during the hottest part of the day, which tends to also be the most crowded time of day. The combination of the two can lead to a big baby meltdown. And possibly a mommy one too.

So definitely leave! Go back to your hotel for a nice break. You can eat lunch, rest, let your baby take a nap, or go swimming. We did all four. When we got back to the parks I felt refreshed, Kenzie was happy, and we had such a good evening! 

Go on all the baby-friendly rides

Okay, if you're worried that there aren't baby attractions, don't be, there are tons. Not only that, Disney offers a rider's swap pass that lets parents take turns riding attractions. But if you're wondering what rides your baby can go on Disney World, here are a few:

Pirates of the Caribbean
Haunted Mansion
The Jungle Cruise
Peter Pan
Midway Mania (Toy Story ride)
Winnie the Pooh
Little Mermaid
It's a Small World
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Finding Nemo
Spaceship Earth
Kilimanjaro Safaris

There are so many more throughout the parks, but that gives you an idea. Plus are a lot of little play areas and a splash zones that's great for babies and toddlers (once they can walk or hold themselves up).

If I left anything out that you would suggest for Disney parks with a baby, let me know!

Also, most of these pics are from the resort we stayed at, Disney's Port Orleans. As you can tell, we took a lot of swim breaks, considering most of the pictures are at the pool :) And the carriage is the real carriage from Disney's new Cinderella film! How cool is that?

The fun swimsuits are from Radswim.com. I love their suits so much and it was so fun to match with Kenzie! 

My First Film Role

Last month I got to be in a short LDS film called Alberta's Story, and it was such a cool experience!

I grew up taking acting classes, but I only did extra work (background actors) and theater. So this year I jumped back into the acting world and began auditioning for different Utah films.

The whole experience of auditioning is crazy, and scary, and exhilarating, and fun. It seriously pushes you out of your comfort zone. If you want to get a role, you have to be bursting with personality and show that you are willing to work really hard.

A few weeks ago I got an email from my acting agency about an audition for an LDS short film. I sent in a video submission, got a call back, and then met with the writer and director of the film for the final callbacks. Not long after I received the good news that literally made me do a happy dance at 11:30 at night, even after an exhausting day with my baby. I got a role! Wahoo!

The film is based on a true story about a family and their experiences with family on the other side of the veil. I was so grateful that my first credit role was working on an uplifting movie about family. I play the midwife who delivers the baby! And that was interesting trying to figure out how to best portray that role.

On my way to set, I was sooooo nervous. I started second guessing myself and kind of freaking out because it all felt so foreign to me. But once I got on set, my nerves calmed. I met some of the cast and crew and was so relieved how kind everyone was.

One of my favorite parts was going into the hair and make-up trailer and getting "camera ready." Even though the hair and make-up for the film was supposed to be simple, the actors still had to wear a lot more make-up for the cameras than they normally would. The make-up artist put my hair into a fishtail braid and airbrushed my make-up on (side note, airbrush make-up is insanely awesome). Then she sent me to set!

I wish I had taken more pictures of everything, but I'll be honest, I was scared! One of the most important things in the acting world is being professional. And as much as I wanted to run around and snap pictures of the actors, director, and set--I didn't want to get in the way or distract people. I was just happy to be a part of everything!

The film premiere will be in Utah, and from there it will be submitted to different film festivals, which is really cool. I can't wait to see the finished product. I'll post more about the premiere when it happens!

Hair by Gaia Hair and Make Up Artistry

<Press Play>

This week I got to visit my cute friend Cassandra to freshen up my highlights. While she round brushed my hair, I decided to film the whole process. It takes forever and it's so much work! But it's fun to watch the whole video sped up, and I absolutely love how it turned out! Make sure and check out Gaia hair and make up artistry in Draper! 

Catch a Wave!

I have SUPER naturally wavy hair and every once in a while I like to embrace the waves and let my hair go crazy! (And by crazy I mean get as much volume and wave as possible). Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your natural wave! 

Tips for voluminous natural waves

*Flip hair on each side of your head and upside down while blow drying 

*Lift up roots with your opposite hand while blow drying near your part

*Use shine serum with your favorite curling product to eliminate frizz

*Continually curl the ends of your hair with your hand or "scrunch" while blow drying

I made a little video tutorial below if you want to see how I created these waves. 

P.s. Don't forget to dance to "I whip my hair" by Willow Smith afterward just for fun ;)