Why You Have ZERO Reason To Be Anxious About Anything 

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I was praying earlier and thought of this scripture and started meditating on it in the afternoon…. then our Saturday afternoon bible study happened and the leader prayed it. Soo I started writing and here’s this blog now lol. I pray each of you finds peace wherever you need it.
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Or as NIV puts it,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Alright, so here it is… Don’t be anxious about anything but pray about it and submit it to God meaning you won’t worry about it anymore cause you gave it to God. Then, you thank God because you trust that if you’ve given it to God, he will take care of it.

Then verse 7, whew, I LOVE this. It stood out for me today cause I understood it in a new way. God can and will give you peace immediately. We so often ask why or try to understand whatever it is we’re in or how God will come through but sometimes we don’t need to understand as much as we need to just trust God. Thinking about the how, the why is what causes anxiety. Let God be God. In due time, your prayers/questions will be answered. It’s for God to figure out and to show you and He will. He promises “peace that surpasses understanding” meaning you don’t need understanding of your situation to be ok where you are. This peace that “guards your hearts and your minds” means he won’t let the enemy come in an destroy you with your mind and thoughts because that’s where doubt and fear and crying and sleepless nights come in. How magnificent is this peace y’all?? 

This means you have faith in his word, that He is God, and not only that He will answer and take care of you, John 14:13-14, but that He already has.

Love y’all, and I pray none of us will be anxious about whatever we’re dealing with because we trust God. I’m praying for some serious testimonies. Pray Philippians 4:6-7 and know that you can l i v e and have joy and that whatever you’ve been worried about is taken care of. You’ll have the finances you need, the job, the car, the marriage, the restoration where needed, the peace of mind, the healing, emotional healing, housing, support, the love, etc. It’s all yours. I’m praying for y’all. If anyone has a specific need for prayer, please share in the comments or leave a message.

❤ Carin

#DaddyIssues: Should I Call My Dad Today?

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I know you’re strong and have probably felt you had to be strong since forever because you are taught that’s what a man is supposed to do. And as optimistic as I know I sound when talking about fatherlessness and how God can restore relationships, I also know how hard this part of life can be, especially today since we’re bombarded with reminders to celebrate dad. You may feel you have no lessons that your father taught you that you actually value, he was never there for you, you two have never had an emotional connection, you have no reverence for him… only a sense of distance that’s been there as long as you can remember, no matter how close dad may actually be.

Even still, there’s a little piece of you that wants to matter to dad. A longing to hear the words, “I love you baby girl” or “I love you son”… to know what that real father son, father daughter relationship would be like. It may be hard to see how the dad mom, husband wife role will manifest itself in your own life.

In all of this, remember that God knew what you’d be dealing with now before you were born and he knows your deepest needs. He will always provide for you, Psalm 27:10. I don’t quite know how it feels to be fatherless, but I do know that God promises to one day give you a family of your own, Psalm 68:6. Any doubt, worry or even loneliness you may have in this area, you should replace that with the thought that you are complete. Isn’t it wonderful to know that you are complete because everything you need, the example you’ve desired, every answer to the questions you have can be found in your heavenly father?

Can you find it in yourself to forgive if you haven’t already? I know it’s not that easy and I know forgiveness doesn’t mean things will just be peachy overnight… or ever, but rather if you let go of the hurt, you can start the process of your healing. For the guys reading this, you’ll one day be the father you wish you had, you’ll start your own traditions and have the family you’ve prayed for. I pray nothing makes you feel inadequate or like you don’t know how to be the best man, father, husband, brother, son God has made you to be. It’ll be natural for you in Jesus name and you’ll see the fruit as you love and follow God first. Happy Father’s Day 🙂

❤

The One Goal We Should All Have

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“God first!” That’s it. Take a few to think about it. It’s easy to say “God first” without really putting Him first. We pray, read our Bibles, we fast and ask God to lead us, we give Him credit or glory when He blesses us. Isn’t that putting God first? It sounds good to say it and it looks good when we put this in our social media bios with all the appropriate emojis lol, but “God first” means so much more than that. Putting God first is laying down our desires, like really laying them down and being ready to go as God leads no matter how crazy it looks.

I was listening to this song, Just Want You. It’s a simple song. These words especially hit me, “I just want you. Take everything… ” If I sing it, would I be telling the truth? The earthly stuff I desire and have, if I had to give it ALL (family, possessions, career, company, etc) for Christ would I do so joyfully without hesitation? Major goal. Get to that point of surrender, dying to self, laying my life down where all I want is Him (regardless of what I’ve seen, done, experienced and what the world is doing, saying, believing).

Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman watcheth but in vain. Psalm 127:1. Pretty straight forward right? Is God the foundation of everything you’re doing?

As Matthew 6:33 puts it, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” And 1 Corinthians 15:58 makes this awesome promise that whatever you do in the work of the Lord, your labor is not in vain. Well, well. 🙂 Putting God first means everything will be taken care of and everything you do will be taken care of because that’s how God honors your obedience.

When we just want God, He’a able to take us places we wouldn’t go with our carnal minds, our fleshly selves. We go farther because all we want are the things of God which can only be success upon success. When we’re not so preoccupied on getting what we want or think we need, we can see where God is already giving. God has room to move us in the direction he wants to move us and we’re more open to receive these blessings.

This focus on kingdom things/work is always sufficient, always enough. Why? Because our God focus keeps us on track. When God’s direction is clear and we’re focused on Him, we’re not bogged down by people pressure, others pulling us in different directions. When we have a 20/20 God vision, and not just vision but sight, things are clear and we know where we’re going. It makes it more difficult for people and things to confuse us. We start moving in ways that don’t make sense to man. People won’t understand or comprehend because God is taking you places others can’t go when focus is self.

It’s not about a contract or a promotion or money or a trophy or fame. If we give everything to God, he’ll give us everything we need. We’ll always be satisfied. The less we want, the more God is able to give. He can give and it won’t pull us astray. We’re more thankful, more pure heart, less greed, less pride issues because we desire Him only.

He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30). Keep God in His rightful spot in your life, first, and everything will fall into place.

❤ Carin

All Messed Up

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Just got home from a brief convo with a few friends. I feel like we’re doomed. I know, I should be optimistic but how we think about love, dating, sex, it’s all messed up. Biblically speaking, it’s all wrong. First of all, we can’t love, truly love, selfless love, unconditional love because we don’t know God. How can we love or know love if we don’t know the creator and giver of love. God is love. What we think is love is something else and it pulls us in all kinds of wrong directions. Giving oneself away physically does not mean love.

Many of us are slaves to sex sin and don’t even know it. Slaves meaning it controls us, our relationships, life. We may think it’s normal because everyone says it is. If no one else has told you, let me, it’s not normal. Actually, it may be the societal norm but it shouldn’t be our norm. It complicates thing in present relationships and future ones. Sex before marriage will never satisfy. Why? Because it isn’t the order God intended it to be and it isn’t true intimacy. One can only experience true intimacy after marriage, the way God intended it to be (Hebrews 13:4). You can’t connect with someone physically if you haven’t connected with him/her spiritually, mentally, emotionally, socially. As a Christian, if you haven’t entered into the covenant of marriage, there will always be some level of inhibition, lack of openness, comfort or trust.

If I can just keep it real, I didn’t want to post this. I wrote this weeks months and months ago. I feel it’s one of those topics that most people feel, act, validate based on their lifestyle and social norms. Girls Ladies, it doesn’t make you a stronger woman, more free and comfortable with whom you are because you have more partners. And boys men, talking about how many girls you’ve been with doesn’t make you more manly. Who is man enough, strong enough, bold enough to change that narrative? Some things (i.e. abstaining) may never be the cool thing to do, but are you cool enough to make it cool to talk about how many girls you’ve abstained from in your circle of friends?

As a Christian, any man or woman who isn’t willing to wait until marriage isn’t ready for marriage. There’s a selflessness, obedience and honor to God that should come first. For the ladies and the men, let me say, you are worth the wait and for anyone who says or acts differently #deuces.

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:34-36)

If you are a Christ believer, you are no longer slave to sin. You are a son of the family of Christ, of light, righteousness, life. You are free. You have a right to be free. Free to overcome EVERYTHING you believe you cannot overcome. Everything you’ve given up on overcoming. Who is ruling? You can overcome whatever it is, depend on God to do it in and through you.

I know this is a topic that may make us uncomfortable. It doesn’t fit our lifestyles anymore so we tend to find ways around it. We start calling the Bible outdated, irrelevant, etc to justify or validate our sin as ok. If you’re a Christian, let’s acknowledge God’s truth in all things instead of disputing it because it’s difficult to accept or convicts us to the core.

I know some of you are reading this like, oh well I’m satisfied with where I am and what you believe or what you have might be good, but it’s not for everyone. Remember Christ. Jesus paid the price on the cross for us. For you and your intimacy, that you may know true love. He made a covenant with God just for you so you could be free.

❤ Carin

 

You Have Nothing to Prove

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“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” This. Because so many of us are in bondage to people. We dress, we work, we act, we do for others. What will so and so think, how many likes can I get, can I get promoted for this? It’s easy to let perception, influence, recognition run us.

Naturally we want to please our family, friends, baes, boos, bosses, fans, people in general, but reality is we’ll never be good enough for everyone. We can’t please or find favor with everyone. But God. The one who matters will be well pleased with us if we trust in and follow Him over man. Sounds easy, but it’s not. Actually think about it, how often do you make decisions based on what someone will think of you vs what you really want to do or feel led to do? From the little day to day things to the “bigger” life things… be honest 🙂

Let’s talk about this “proving ourselves” thing a little bit more. It’s such a part of our culture that it seems to be a natural, normal thing. Truth is we should only be concerned with what God thinks of us, “well done my good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21) And please don’t take this out of context… I’m not saying to neglect responsibility or don’t do things that are expected of us. I’m talking about our tendency to put people before God. Something I believe comes from a desire within to prove ourselves. At some point in life, a seed was planted that we aren’t good enough or that we don’t and never will measure up. Maybe it was something someone directly or indirectly said to us, a teacher, family, friends, society, circumstance or our own selves… missed expectations? Maybe it was something we’ve just internalized over time making us feel lesser than. It could be anything that’s led us to this point of believing we have to do whatever it takes to make it, to prove ourselves.

Why is thinking this way faulty? Because f r e e d o m. When we’re living to please others over God, we lack freedom and we’re bound to man. Freedom starts with an inner contentment with who we are in Christ. It means to desire what God has for you first and foremost, the willingness and ability to allow God to be in control of your life versus being influenced or controlled by our desire to be accepted by man over God. We can’t be free AND be subject to man. Isaiah 2:22 says, “stop trusting in mere humans who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?” 

Putting God first makes everything easy. Really. The challenge is that we often times are not putting God first. The demands of the world are too much and they aren’t for us to carry. The world enslaves us, causes us to live in bondage rather than freedom. We can easily get consumed with pleasing people, robbing ourselves of the joy that life should give us. When you’re feeling super pressured to deliver, as many of us do all the time, remember, the only one that really matters is God.

As a Christian, you aren’t meant to fit in with the world, doing the things the world does in the world’s way. Your life shouldn’t look like anyone else’s life. And as long as your life does or you fit in with the world doing worldly things, you’ll be unhappy, unfulfilled even because God has so much more for you. So, if you feel like a loner, or like no one gets you or that you don’t fit in, that’s awesome. It’s time to ask God where it is that He wants to take you. There’s a reason He’s unsettled you. Cheers to walking in a freedom that only God could give. I promise you, you’ll be happier than ever 🙂

As long as we’re living for him and trusting Him and letting Him be God in our lives, God will be well pleased with us. Keep things in order, God first for real, and everything else will be alright.

With love always,

Carin

Care For A Pair of Fizzy Goblets?

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Heyy y’all. I have a little something new new for you J I had a chance to connect with the good folks at Fizzy Goblet all the way in the motherland. Pretty awesome, right? I love Indian fashion, the prints, embroidery, the rich history and traditions that continue to inspire designs. One thing that makes Indian fashion unique is companies like Fizzy Goblet, one of India’s favorite handcrafted jutti designers. They are all about mixing the new with the old for a fun, contemporary look. Launched just six years ago, Fizzy Goblet is making waves in the Indian footwear market and has been featured in magazines like Elle India.

Mirror Mirror Blush Jutti
Bloom Broguesters
Parrots from the Wedding Collection

Tell us about Fizzy Goblet? We use bright colors and we make bold statements. We’re about subtle textures, intricate patterns and patent prints. Fizzy G is for the curious and experimental, for the light hearted and the passionate, we are for everyday adventures, taken one step at a time.

Fizzy Goblet is a such a fun, unique name, how did you come up with it? A love for Harry potter, wine and all things fun.

What has been your biggest “wow” since you launched Fizzy Goblet? I think every time a customer comes back to get another pair or tell us how much they love their Fizzy Gs, is a wow moment.

What surprises you most about your brand and what you have been able to accomplish? The fact people are so open and in fact hungry to try new concepts and designs that we set out to create.

The design team is very creative. I love the various styles, mix of prints and materials. How did the brogue juttis come about? It goes with the whole brand concept of merging the old with the new and the traditional with the contemporary. They are essentially juttis which have been worn in India for years, but we wanted to add another modern turn by using the brogue design but still use Indian fabrics like Ikat to create a completely new style.

Brogue Juttis

Is this your most popular style? Yes, it is one of our more popular designs.

What would you say inspires the design team? Anything and everything! Inspiration lies in something as simple as a whimsical looking tea set or a colour combination spotted on a window on the streets of Bombay. It could literally be anything.

What new prints and styles should we look out for this yer? Playful is a key direction for us in 2016 with an emphasis on boho chic with interesting, unexpected elements.

For the young designers and brand entrepreneurs what is the best piece of advice that you would like to share with them? Stay true to what you believe in in terms of your design aesthetic. Don’t blindly follow trends.

Wisdom from a true fashion guru. Thanks Fizzy G! If you’d like to order a pair, they do have international shipping. Cheers to mixing fits for Indian inspired looks!

❤

Houston’s Henna Plug!

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She’s young and about her business! Meet Saundarya, aka Houston’s Henna Plug. From traditional Indian weddings to casual henna for men and women, black henna, colored henna, white henna… she does it all. Saundarya is the best around town, super talented with an eye for detail, as you’ll see with her beautifully intricate henna designs. She even used to make her own henna. How cool is that?! “Henna,” sometimes referred to as mehndi, “is a plant,” Saundarya explained to me as she was doing my henna. “It comes from the dried up leaf of the plant. I haven’t made henna in a long time so I don’t remember all the ingredients.” Now, she uses a premium, all organic henna. Check out how she got started, what inspires her and more in our chat below.

Having fun while Saundarya creates
Juttis
The plug!
Finished product *love eyes*

That’s awesome you used to make henna. How did you get into henna as not only an art, but also business? As a kid I always doodled in my notebook and made designs. One day my mom came home with a henna cone, “Here, you should try this.” So I tried it… and it came out really bad so I was like, “I’m just going to throw this away. I’m not gonna use it anymore.” Then one day, a few years later, I picked it back up and thought I should give it another shot. That was in high school. I kept practicing this time and that’s when I started getting better. I started practicing on myself, my friends, family. I realized I was really good and henna was starting to get extremely popular. Since I do this, I thought, “I can easily get my foot in the door.” I started January 2015, I still have a lot of progressing to do.

How did you start getting clients? I just started showcasing my work. When I started, I had no website, no promotions, just Instagram and word of mouth. That’s still all I have. People would see my work, the quality and reach out.

Do you have a lot of American clients or mostly Indian? Mostly other cultures. With Indians, we get it for Holidays, weddings, special occasions. If you go to an Indian person’s house with henna, they’ll say, “Did you go to a wedding recently?” No, I just always have my henna done (lol). With them, it’s like why would you get henna for no reason? Americans do it for fun, like something cute to get done on my birthday or some see it as a temporary tattoo. It’s not a cultural thing or embracing the culture, and it’s not spiritual to Americans like it can be [symbolic] for Indians, for example, henna night on weddings.

What is the cultural meaning behind henna? I don’t know exactly where it started. I think it originated in Hindu culture, and then grew to Middle Eastern culture. After India and Pakistan separated, the Muslims went to Pakistan then Saudi Arabia and that’s when it started spreading. It started off as part of the [Hindu] wedding celebration. It’s more of a traditional thing, cultural not religious. There’s symbolic meaning, but not spiritual like opening a third eye.

Someone once told me henna represents love. I do get that, but I think it’s an old Indian superstition, like if your henna comes out really dark, it means your mother-in-law is going to love you a lot.

Can you talk about the different kinds of henna? Nothing is actual henna except red. Red is the only traditional, organic color. Black is ink. Black henna lasts five or six days tops so I tend not to promote it. I always warn people ahead of time. Red henna lasts 2 weeks. White henna is actually body paint without the gel. Without the gel, it’s not going to wash off; well it’s not supposed to wash off. White henna is something you do for people that want it for that day. Now, they’ve started making different color hennas, its just paint without gel. You can have any color if you’re willing to only have it for a day or two. That’s why I feel red is always the best option, it won’t react to the skin, cause irritation, discomfort.

Do you apply all of them the same way? What’s your favorite to work with? My preference is definitely red, they don’t go on the same. I actually have black with me, let me show you. *She shows me how the black henna is applied.* See, I have to press against your skin. It’s blobby, it’s literally like ink. The red comes out in a straight line naturally. Oh, and with black, there are no mess-ups. I have to be really attentive with black; it’s not like red henna.

How do you come up with your designs?

Usually people come with a preset design. I usually take the design as inspiration and work with it. I’m not a fan of using someone else’s work. Show me something you like, I’ll look at it, work with it and twist it to my style, what I think will be cute. Everything I show people, everything on my Instagram, I want them to know this is where my mind is. Unless someone requests something specific, like I really want this exact design, then I’ll do it. I wont argue with my client.

You started talking about how you freestyle designs. Can you talk more about how you freestyle, the craft of henna? It took a while. I had to build my experience. The more designs in my mind, the better I am. When I first started freestyling, it was bad. Well not bad, it just wasn’t where I am now. Now, I’ve developed a flow. I can do a full sleeve. Most established henna artists have set designs, no options. I’d like to stand apart from this trend. It shouldn’t be up to the henna artist what you’re going to have on your arm. If you want me to freestyle, I should have a flow. To be able to freestyle successfully, your expertise has to be at a certain level.

What makes your style unique and different than what others are doing? I have a very neat hand and you are going to be happy. That’s one reason I always tell people [why I’m the plug!]. People will come to me and tell me I have changed their whole henna experience. They went to a salon and that’s the worst place to go. You would assume that’s your best option, but it’s not because it’s not their forte. When people come to me, they know they’ll get what they want. It’s a different quality and expertise that I offer. I wont leave something on a client’s hands that I don’t approve of. With some others, they’ll think oh, they’re American, they won’t notice. But people notice. I always want a good impression so I put my all into it. I appreciate the word of mouth and always want a positive outcome. I know my potential and what I can produce.

I don’t like leaving people unhappy so if I don’t like something, if it’s not aligned properly, I’ll erase your whole hand and start over. If you’re paying for it, you should be happy. I want you to be satisfied. If someone goes home and isn’t happy, the stain isn’t dark enough or something, I’ll say lets meet up tomorrow. There’s no excuse for me to not make sure that happens. I don’t want any dissatisfaction at all. It’s not about the money or the sales. My mom told me if I’m doing this as a business, it’s about the people.

That’s a great word from your mom. Do you have any tips or tricks to make henna last longer? A stain is usually at its darkest 24-48 hours after you apply it. I usually tell clients if you want your henna to be its darkest, leave it on the entire day and through the night. It’ll start to flake off, but really take it off the next day. The longer you let it stay, the longer the oil sets in your skin. It’ll flake in your bed though if you do sleep with it.

What should we be looking out for from you? It has to be my year. I won’t accept anything less. This will be my year of establishing clients that come to me on a regular basis. I don’t want you to consider another artist because I want you to know I’m the best. This summer will be fun; hopefully I’ll be doing group henna parties. It’s a great season to get henna, for pool parties, the beach, vacation.

What motivates you? I finally found my niche. I’m 23. I’ve spent the past few years not completing my bachelors, kind of bouncing around trying to find myself. I’ve finally found something where I am content. I can take this and run with it, make this a business. Everything else I’ve done, it’s been, “I don’t know if I like this.” With henna, it’s never been a question. I can do this day in, day out and I will never get bored of it, never get tired of it.

What does creating with purpose mean to you? When I see people happy, it makes me happy. I know what it is to be down. Every person whose henna I do, regardless of how small or big it is, I have the opportunity to shine a little bit of happiness.

How legit is Saundarya y’all!? Since I spoke with her, she’s already hit one of her goals for the year, partnering with a salon. You can find her on Saturdays in the Galleria at Momentum Hair Designs. Any other time during the week, hit her up and she’ll meet you for your henna needs. Henna party for the summer anyone? Don’t forget to follow her on Instagram, @houston.henna.

With love,

Carin

@motilaine

3 Scoops Please. The Best Gelato in Houston!

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She’s super sweet, makes delicious gelato and is a boss lady entrepreneur! How could you not love Jasmine? I met Jasmine at Whole Foods while she was doing a tasting of her products. Her mouth watering unique flavors stood out to me, malai kulfi, bourbon caramel, curry coconut milk… they might sound a little odd for gelato but they are absolutely delicious! I had a chance to sit down with Jasmine and chat about how she started Sweet Cup Gelato.

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How did Sweet Cup Gelato start? Sweet Cup started on a honeymoon trip to Italy. I really fell in love with gelato. I had no clue what gelato was. I’ve always been an ice cream girl. I grew up on Blue Bell. My dad got me into ice cream so when I had this product, I thought it was a frozen custard or some kind of pudding. I instantly fell in love. I love the fact that the Italians put so much passion in, not just gelato, but the desserts, their food, their life. I was really inspired by that one trip.

When I came back, I decided to make gelato as a hobby at home on the weekends. It became something that grew into a bigger passion, I wasn’t trying to start a business or looking for something to do differently, it was just for fun. I started taking it to friends’ houses for dinner parties and people would joke, “you should start your own gelato shop”. The wheels started churning and I had an AHA moment. That would be pretty fun, I love doing and eating and making gelato. I decided to quit my job and really fully go into this. It wasn’t an overnight decision, a yearlong process.

I took classes on dairy science and took my advanced training in Italy. I was really serious about this so either I did something about it or I didn’t. I saw an abandoned Marble Slab and that was my sign; I had to start Sweet Cup. I love the Montrose area. My husband and I put our savings, everything we had, and we started Sweet Cup.

When you went abroad to study in Italy, did your husband go with you? Umm, no.

How did that work out? As entrepreneurs, business owners, we have to make sacrifices, sometimes give something up. That’s a huge step he supported you in. When I went to Italy, it wasn’t strictly for starting a business; it was more for me to understand gelato, for fun, more for me. I took time off, time away to do it. And I thought if something comes out of it great, if not, I have something I will always treasure and be happy with.

After I came back, we sat down and made a list of pros and cons and all the possibilities that could go wrong with doing this. The cons of a lot of things were related to us being a local startup and neither of us had restaurant or food experience, only me making gelato and desserts at the house and having a passion for it. He’s an engineer, so he doesn’t know much about this industry. It’s such a specialty industry that the banks pegged us at 90% failure rate the first year. They are very wary of investing in startups that are so specialized in the food industry and on top of that, we had no prior experience. I only had my certifications and classes and gelato examples as proof, but nothing to back me. That was the biggest risk of both of our lives.

The banks rejected us many times and the SBA didn’t even support us. Actually, one guy at the SBA, really old man looked like he was from the 1900s, told me, “young lady, I feel like this is an industry more male dominated, more Italian.” He didn’t say because I was a woman straight up. This kind of set me back, to see that they didn’t even support me or give me valuable advice to walk away with so I was kind of on my own.

Then I thought that added more fuel to the fire. Instead of taking all those rejections and going home and crying, I said you know what, I’m going to do something about it, screw it, I’m gonna go open that gelato shop and give it my all. At the end of the year if no one comes in, no one likes it, I know I tried my best.

After all those rejections, people saying we couldn’t do it, I decided to do it, not for them, but for myself. And I thought I’m gonna do it, what do I have to lose anyway?

How did you come up with the name, “Sweet Cup”? Sweet Cup came from my dad. Any general statement he would say, “go get me a sweet cup” of ice cream, it wasn’t gelato.

What were you doing before? I worked at the San Antonio Express News. I’m from Sab Antonio, TX born and raised. I’ve never been in the restaurant business so this was something that was scary but interesting and intriguing.

How was the transition? It was tough. I’m going to be honest, very tough.

What made it tough? It wasn’t making the gelato because I love doing that. That’s fun to me to create a flavor. The toughest part was everything about running a shop, a retail location. Not about brooming, mopping and sweeping. When you run a shop, you set your ego at the door. People come here because they want to experience a sweet cup of joy. To get away from outside world and have that moment. The toughest part is running a business of your passion. Transitioning to a business aspect is a whole new level you have to worry about. As you grow, you need support. Good help is hard to find. It’s all about the growing pains in a business

The first year, we couldn’t afford to hire anybody. It was me manning the front, my husband helping me out in the back on the evenings and weekends and me running in between production manning the store. That was really really tough. More than 100 hours a week, 3-4 hours of sleep. Settling the business was really difficult. We didn’t advertise or network, we didn’t put ourselves out there. That might be my biggest regret. And I think I did it because I wasn’t sure if people would like it, if people would like malai kulfi in gelato form. 

What is the most rewarding part of having Sweet Cup Gelato now? When you create with your own hands and hard work, giving that cup of gelato or sorbet, and seeing a reaction from your customer… that’s the best part. Creating something and people enjoying it. Like, I can just roll over and die right now. People will tell me, “Oh this takes me back to my childhood.” I feel proud.

Biggest challenge? Constantly maintaining something that’s breaking down.

How do you come up with the flavors? A lot of these flavors are nostalgic for me. Like butter pecan, that’s something I grew up on with my dad. Malai kulfi is a favorite, but I personally don’t like the texture, it’s a little too icy for me. I’ll do something to represent my heritage, mom is Persian. Tres leches cake because I grew up in San Antonio… stuff that reminds me of home and how I grew up, being a Texan. My background, husband’s background, all the cultural influences and different cultures in Texas play a big part in how I come up with flavors too. Olive black pepper reminds me of Italy. Curry Coconut milk reminds me of my husband (he’s Indian) and represents Houston’s diversity and culture. I just love to play around with things. I like to do things with a different twist, out of the box. That’s always been me, I’ve never been a vanilla girl.

Do you have a fav? Honestly, it’s hard to say, I don’t have a favorite. I would love to have one, but each one is very personal to me. I do a lot of experimentation; I’m always trying my best to evolve.

What motivates you? Gelato. Maybe this sounds corny, but I feel like I have a purpose, a mission to make a good product and for people to enjoy it. When families come and they’re so happy to introduce others to this place, when I see people get so excited about the product and appreciate what I’m doing that they get to know me as a person. That gives me drive. A purpose that I’ve never had with any job in my life.

Wow, such a sweet (pun intended :)) story! If you live in Houston or maybe just visiting the city, make sure you stop in for a delicious sweet cup and tell Jasmine hi! ❤

#createwithpurpose

10 Dating Rules for 2016

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Hey y’all! I just wrote a post on our Xconvo discussion about the dating game in 2016… such a fun discussion! You can imagine how lively it got 🙂 What are your expectations, deal breakers, social media, who should pay on the date, etc. We’re dropping the full video next week Thursday 2.25.16, but check out our vlog on the rules we came up with in the meantime!

(If you don’t know about Xconvos, you’re missing out! It’s a web-based series of real discussions on various social topics from a black Millennial perspective. We are changing the conversation through these solution focused discussions. I think you’ll enjoy them, check em out!)

Now, for le dating game.. here are the first five rules we came up with:
 
1.    Self evaluate: know yourself, know your worth. Are you secure in who you are? Know your expectations, needs and limits in a relationship and from your significant other. We all want a perfect relationship, but perfect is relative. Everything you expect in your significant other should also be attributes you have.

2.    Come complete, she/he will not complete you. A husband/wife will complete you, but also won’t complete you. Understand that you have value as an individual. Don’t enter a relationship to fill a void or just because you’re lonely. Dating is much deeper than that. Yes, you may temporarily feel love and companionship, but if you’re in a relationship and looking for every bit of your happiness and fulfillment in the other person, you may lose it quicker than you found it.

3.    Do your stalking due diligence. Social media is your best friend… sometimes lol (Check out the Xconvos dropping later this week for a different perspective on this!)

4.    Whoever initiates the date, expect to pay. Yep, ladies too. If you ask a guy out on a date, you should expect to pay. Not saying that you will pay, but you should go with the expectation of paying. “It’s 2016, ladies gotta step up.” I’m hearing this a lot these days. Question for y’all, should ladies be asking men out on dates? I’m not a fan haha, but maybe I’m a bit more traditional in a few ways. Ladies, am I wrong? If you have asked a man out before, how’d it go?

5.    Don’t waste time! Pretty self-explanatory. Ain’t nobody got time for games. #dontwastehistime #dontwastehertime

Go read the rest of the rules on the Alibi X blog, The Digital Conscious! I think number 10 is my favorite. Let me know what you think! Anything you would add?

Hope you enjoy 🙂

❤

The One New Year Resolution Everyone Should Make

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We are fourteen days into the new year! People always joke that most people don’t make it through January without breaking their resolutions. I was thinking about this and thought of one resolution that would make it easier on us, and one that I believe will help us accomplish every goal we’ve set for ourselves. If you have only one resolution or commitment this year, make it to be closer to God. This means to spend intentional time with God daily in prayer and in His word and to seek him in everything. Honestly, if we’re doing this, everything else that we want to happen, will happen. It may not look how we want it to look or happen when we want it to happen, but if God is leading, we’ll be at peace. He will give us strength, discipline, self control and everything else we need to do that which is set before us. God wants to do life with us! 

If you wrote a list of resolutions for this year, did you seek God about them? If you didn’t write a list, take a minute to think about some thing(s) you want to give up or things you want to start doing differently or just something new in general. It takes forty days to form a habit. The Israelites were in the wilderness for forty years. Moses was with God forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai. After fasting forty days and nights, Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. What’s the theme here? Do you ever notice recurring themes in your life? Understand what is required of you to see it change.

And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. Exodus 34:28

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him… But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:1-3

And the LORD’S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed. Numbers 32:13

These are amazing examples for us. There’s something about the “wilderness” (i.e. a barrenness in your life), God’s word, prayer and fasting. God’s word needs to be put into action. Maybe fasting is something else you want to try this year. Giving up something to focus your attention on prayer… maybe it’s food or drink (check out the Daniel Fast, Daniel 1:10, 10:2-3), sexual intimacy (for the unmarried folks), social media or something else you desire greatly. Make a sacrifice and commit that time to God to really seek him and see how your life will change.

The easiest way to “success” is to seek God. Put and keep God first and He will take care of everything else for you. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things (see vs 25-31) shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33.

Two weeks in, to a year of growth and blessings, happy new year y’all!

❤ Carin