You don’t like yourself? Good.
Got your resolutions ready? Got your “one word”? Made a list of all the things you don’t like about yourself? Got new resolve about all the bad habits you need to stop doing?
And you finally feel serious about reality; you’re going to quit being so embarrassed?
Because you’ve grown sick and tired of being this way and it’s hard smiling when you don’t like yourself.
And that’s good, because…? READ MORE…
I started blogging back in 2009 as an outlet for myself, as my husband was undergoing chemotherapy and my mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness. I certainly didn’t intend for anyone to find my blog and a few months in I quickly learned just how fast things online could be shared. My blog went from an average of twenty page views to six thousand in a single day! It was shocking for me to realize that there were real people out there going through many of the same things who needed to also find comfort and someone they felt they could relate to. As my life changed over the years, so has my blog. Now I use my blog to share about our adventures in homeschooling, life with four children, family-friendly recipes (many of which are allergen friendly), our love of being crafty and family travel. Today I’m going to give a crash course in the apologetics of premature Christmas decorating.
After all, the Early Bird puts up the tree, right? Since Halloween wrapped and many went straight for the red and green, I have read some strong Facebook opinions. There are those who decked the halls on November 1, not thinking twice about what other people thought. Good on you, Christmas lovers. I’ve also seen many striving to maintain the sanctity of Thanksgiving. Stockings and garlands are for the day after the bird, and not a minute sooner. I can see this point, too.
I am typically a Grinch when it comes to most things, but last year I joined the early bandwagon. If you happen to stop by and peek in our windows, you’ll see I’m still on it. The bunch spent Monday afternoon decking the halls and jamming to Christmas pop from the ’80s, ’90s, and today. Does that make you angry?
by Brenda Embry, Miss November 2017
Traveling by motorcycle has become one of our favorite ways to explore Arkansas. We love the fresh air, sunshine (hopefully!), back roads and small towns we find. One of our favorite destinations is a small cafe in the backwoods of the Ozark National Forest.
by Brenda Embery, Miss November 2017
Becoming a beekeeper was not a fly-by-night decision. My dad had been a beekeeper and had been toying with the idea of getting hives again. I had been reading and going to classes about becoming a beekeeper but didn’t feel I was ready to take the plunge. After my mother unexpectedly passed away, I decided it was a good time to elicit his help to get me started and hopefully begin a healing process for both of us. Here’s a glimpse into a beekeepers world.
Oh my stars. The amazing grace of autumn is truly astounding. Here we are ankle deep in autumn, and I can’t get over the trees. I’m a new mother showing off pictures of her baby. I’m me showing off pictures of Lucy and Annabelle. Nothing whatsoever wrong with either scenario. Just a disclosure of what’s to come.
Pictures of trees.
And so here I go with a few of the pictures I took yesterday.
Filtered only by the grace of God.
Amazing grace for sure.
I sometimes enjoy participating in Instagram or Facebook challenges when you post a certain number of pictures with a given theme for a certain amount of time. Right now, I’m trying to do two: the #SweetNovember campaign and the #GratefulNovember campaign. Let me tell you, posting two prompts a day is fun and stressful!
A recent seven-day challenge I completed (well, sorta) proved something about myself that I’m not sure I like.
One of my favorite things to do all year long is to gather items for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. Now that I’ve been doing it for several years, I’ve kinda put a stipulation on myself that I cant spend more than $1 on anything. It really is amazing when you look and wait for the “deals” what you can find. I kinda know what to keep my eyes out for, but every year there are some fun surprises that I come across that are just too good to turn down.
Before I go too much further and you have no idea what I’m talking about, let me share some information with you.
by Brenda Embry, Miss November 2017
Gardening, for me, is a state of mind. To connect with nature, to create beauty, and to provide food for birds, bees and butterflies, gives me great satisfaction. Pollinators, in particular, have a rough time when their habitat is limited. Restoring the landscape with native perennials or nectar-rich annuals can hopefully bring a balance to their uncertain future.
by Sarah Shotts
Last December we had a YouTube chat about how overwhelmed I was feeling and how I was shifting my online presence from a biz to a hobby. Part of that included temporarily archiving my blog.
Since then I’ve also been diagnosed with hypothyroidism (thanks to my super sleuth sister who also has it and tracked down an amazing doctor to treat us.)
Suddenly I realized why I wasn’t able to handle the amount of projects I had previously.
My body wasn’t working properly.
