Happy Thursday friends! Today I am so excited to share with you a cute addition to the shop! This adorable hello 2018 altered planner/calendar is now available for purchase! (You can find it HERE!)
Ever since I was a young girl, I have always had an obsession with journaling and making things that I own pretty. I love to fill my planners with colorful, unique, whimsical, and pretty ribbons, sweet paraphernalia, and writing that speaks to my heart and that encourages me.
This hello 2018 altered planner/calendar starts in August 2017 and goes through December 2018.
At the beginning of this small agenda there is a 2-page spread for each month and then there are several pages for each week of the month.
This planner is the perfect size and also weight- it will easily fit into your purse so that you can carry it with you where ever you go. If you are a college student looking for a planner this is the perfect size as it will give you a unique product for school without being to heavy.
Over the years I have shared a couple of my personal altered planners here on the blog (you can see my altered planner from 2015 HERE and my altered planner for 2016 HERE) and last year I started adding altered planners to the shop. If you are interested in a custom altered planner you can order one HERE. I also shared a couple of weeks ago on the blog about a pineapple altered calendar that was available in the shop.
This planner turned out so sweet y'all and I loved the combination of the purples, ivory tones, and browns. I love the rustic and feminine look look that is timeless.
If you are interested in purchasing this hello 2018 planner you can find it HERE. If you are interested in looking at other altered calendars that are available in the shop you can find them in the altered planner/calendar section HERE!
Happy Thursday friends! I hope that you have a wonderful day as this week draws to a close!!
Happy Tuesday y'all! I hope that everyone is having a wonderful start to the week! Today's travel post is a bit different- I am looking for some suggestions and ideas for an upcoming writing and blogging trip that I am taking in the early fall with one of my dearest friends!
You may remember that I shared back in April that one of my dearest friends and I are taking a trip from Boston to Prince Edward Island (and back) in the fall. We are taking a few days to drive up to Prince Edward Island, where we will be spending a few days before taking a couple of days to travel back.
In the next few weeks I would love to have suggestions for a few of the places that we will be spending time in. Today I was wondering if y'all had any recommendations or suggestions of what to do, places to see, or places to eat at in Camden, Maine.
Anyone have any ideas or recommendations? We would love tips for places to see along the way, eat (extra points for places that have gluten free menus!), and stay! Our time will be brief (obviously) but any tips and suggestions would be welcome y'all!
If you are a business that would like to collaborate on this project you can contact me with a proposal by sending an email HERE, or find out more about working with me on a travel collaboration HERE.
Thanks so much y'all! I can't wait to hear every one's fabulous ideas!
I shared a couple of months ago that for a while now I have had a dream of sharing some Monday inspiration and encouragement on the blog. Life is hard and I know full well that in the difficult times it can be hard to find inspiration, so a couple of months ago I shared my first post (which you can find HERE and all of the Monday inspiration posts HERE) and I plan to routinely share with y'all different things that I have found to be really inspiring and encouraging from all different genres and hope that it will encourage and inspire you for your week!
It is hard to believe that it has been almost a month since my last Monday Inspiration and Encouragement Post. This past month has been busy, full, and seems to have flown by. It is a month that I will treasure though as I have learned a ton and grown in so many ways. Here are just a few things that have encouraged and inspired me the last several weeks and I hope that they inspire you and make you smile!
{first} I shared before how I was researching for a project and upcoming trip to Alaska. I was so glad to know that I am not the only one who dreams of going there. If you missed my post, Why You Should Dream About Visiting Alaska, you can find it HERE. I hope to be able to share more posts with y'all in the future from that writing assignment.
{second} Okay, I have shared this so many times, but it needed to be shared again because I am still loving the sound and music. If you haven't checked out Hope Social Club do so. Absolutely love the sound and music. If y'all haven't heard of them check them out HERE. Go listen and let me know what your favorite song is!
{third} I shared a couple of months ago that for a special upcoming project (that I can't wait to share more about in the future) that I have been reading a lot of books from World War II and about the holocaust. So much of it is so difficult and yet, I am passionate about keeping this area of history alive so that it never happens again.
The book above, The Emperor of Lies, has been absolutely horrific and inspiring. The book is research for the project I just referenced and it is rough to read. The book focuses on Mordechai Chaim Rumkowski, who was the leader of the Lodz Ghetto. His actions are extremely controversial and frankly are a constant evaluation (in my opinion) of what would you do in the worst case scenario. The book is fantastically researched and written and truly makes you think. You can find it on Amazon HERE.
{fourth} Did y'all see the trailer for season 2 for The Crown? UM. Yea. My little British loving heart is happy.
{fifth} I have mentioned this book so many times here on the blog, but every summer I re-read Evidence Not Seen. I come away always so inspired and challenged. This year I did so again. My copy is worn with notes in the margins and tear stains at some places I have cried through. "I realized how little I knew of what makes a true missionary statesman; of a faith that never staggers at the promise of God, no matter how incredible to the natural man its fulfillment seems; of a trust in the Unchanging One, who keeps the heart at rest and unperturbed in a changing world; of a burning love that counts not life dear unto itself, but is expendable for God; and a vision that is never dimmed... " Many years ago on the blog I shared more about this book which you can read about HERE or you can purchase the book on Amazon by clicking HERE.
{sixth} I shared this in my health update post yesterday but this song from Elevation worship is so beautiful and has been on repeat recently. Have y'all heard it?
I hope that you are inspired and encouraged by these six things on this Monday! What about you? What is inspiring you recently?
"The Light Shines in the Darkness..."
Happy Sunday dear friends! I remain so grateful for all of your prayers in this health journey. I do not take it for granted that I know that so many of you are covering me in prayer each and every day. As I go to sleep each night I lay in bed and often have tears of humble gratitude to think of how far the Lord has brought me these last several years, which is truly a testament to all of your prayers.
This past week I spent some time reading through all of the Notes from the Porch updates. To be honest it took me several hours as I often had to stop and weep at all that the Lord has done.
It is amazing to think back to August 2013, a short and long four years ago and to see the prayer requests that I was mentioning at that time. At the time they seemed overwhelming, scary, and life felt completely out of control health wise. Things had stabilized a bit with my trip out to California and I was able to walk again, but the road in front of me looked long and scary with no clear direction. A year later, shortly after I began with my new medical team, in August 2014 I needed desperate prayers as I had been re-infected with a tick bite and at the time was so weak that it was truly a dire situation. At the time my weakened digestive track couldn't handle oral meds and we asked for prayers fervently for grace and strength to meet each moment as we didn't know if we were looking at a hospital stay.
Two years ago, in August 2015 I was celebrating ending month #2 of treatment round #1. That summer was brutal. Each day held numerous shots, therapies, meds, supplements, etc. It was painful. It was rough. I spent more time being sick then I remember doing anything else and to be frank there were countless tears. I look back on the summer of 2015 (from the beginning of May that held me in a herx that kept me in bed with severe vertigo and dizziness for 28 days unable to move) to the end of September and tears still come to my eyes. It was probably the most difficult time in this journey for many reasons. And finally when I think of last year, when treatment round #3 didn't go as planned and an 8-week delay kept us from moving forward as I would have liked, I am humbled.
As I look back on these last four years so specifically and read through all of the "notes from the porch" updates I am gently humbled and reminded of how far God has brought me. Of all of the healing that has taken place. Of the gentle ways that He has carried me in the dark and painful times and the loving ways He has met me in the hard and frightening corners.
Just yesterday as I was spending time praying I was gently reminded of the way that the Lord never abandons us. My dear friend and kindred spirit Ali gently reminded me yesterday as I became fearful and worried over a new med I started yesterday and another "impossible" health situation I feel overwhelmed by... "The Lord has not brought you this far to abandon or leave you." I wept as I needed that gentle reminder in the midst of some very difficult and painful weeks.
I have been thinking a lot about the Israelites and the way that at the end of their wandering in the desert years there were tons of encouraging and important times that they were reminded to remember all that God had done. I admit that I often have read this passage and thought- well of course they are going to remember the Lord, because why wouldn't they - He brought them out of captivity and then out of wandering in the desert for 40 years. Who wouldn't remember that... and yet... admittedly I am the one who is so like the Israelites. Instead of quickly running to the Lord and remembering all of the miracles that He has done over my entire life, but especially over these past five years I quickly run to fear and doubt. I lack courage but instead look at things with fear and questioning. And I am stopped short by this and gently reminded that the Lord, the same One who has carried me through all of these painful years before will continue to do so in the future. He is a God who delights in the impossible.
On Tuesday I once again saw this as I shared on Instagram that I had a phone conversation with my main medical team doctor. Each of these conversations are important, but this one held some some specific weight to it as the "start" of treatment round #5 two weeks ago led to some some serious and difficult reactions. As I shared on IG, in "sick world" you learn more than you want to know, including the limits to certain medications that are available for certain issues. I was faced with this situation, a bit unsure and fearful of what the doctors would suggest and yet gently holding on to the truth that the Lord is not bound by medicine limits or delays or reactions that can frustrate or confuse me or bring me to tears. I am so grateful to all of y'all who prayed for this appointment. Truly the Lord promises that if we need wisdom He will give it to us and He did.
In answer to our prayers my main medical team has come up with a medication substitute for the med that I reacted to that I will start in two weeks. We are beyond grateful for their wisdom and expertise.
I shared this above picture on IG and shared that this picture holds significant importance to me as several years ago I was to sick to even walk out to this road not far from our camp. Over the last several years of healing I have not only walked out to the road but am consistently walking it and beyond. Y'all know how much I love being out in nature and hiking and to see that slowly becoming a reality is amazing.
In the midst of dealing with a continued infection and pain this week I have been gently met with such grace and amazing news. We learned on Tuesday during the phone appointment that a MAJOR area that Lyme had affected in my body has healed, and this was news that we were not expecting for at least another year and a half. I also received bloodwork showing that that the environmental illness that I mentioned years ago has completely healed. This news was HUGE as again we didn't expect this to happen for at least a couple of years. Finally, this week received unexpected news at my eye appointment as I learned that the issues that Lyme has caused with my eyes (including a stigmatism, dry eyes, eye floaters, minor double vision, etc.) have all healed. My eye doctor and I both cried. Truly the Lord is healing.
Thank you dear friends. Thank you for loving me well in this journey, for your messages of love, your financial gifts, your text messages, your phone calls, your support and prayers that have continued to carry me in this journey. How do you say thank you to so many of you who have continuously loved and showed up in the small and the big moments- showing God's love and light in the darkness of this journey. My heart can only beg the Lord to bless you as you have blessed me so abundantly.
As I head back into treatment round #5 with a new plan and new meds I am excited to see how the Lord will meet and what He is going to do. I said yesterday to a dear friend that I can't wait to see what God will do with some "seemingly" impossible prayer requests that I am praying. Things that seem big to me but I know are small in comparison to God.
In closing I have been so encouraged by this song that my dear friend Jen sent to me this week. It has been pretty much on repeat. I wanted to share it here and pray that it encourages your heart today as it has encouraged me...
"Greater is the one who's in us,
Greater is the one who calls our name,
He will never fail
Stronger is the one who fights for us
He will never fail...
For Your love endures forever...
Open up our eyes, surround us with Your light,
Your love endures forever...
We are not alone,
We are not alone,
Our God is fighting for us always..."
Happy Saturday friends! Today I am so excited to share with you a fun and cute addition to the shop!
This adorable dog people rule altered journal is now available for purchase! (You can find it HERE!)
Ever since I was a young girl, I have always had an obsession with journaling and making things that I own pretty. Each of my personal journals are stuffed with colorful, unique, whimsical, and pretty ribbons, sweet paraphernalia, and writing that speaks to my heart and that encourages me.
Since I was a young girl I have kept hundreds of journals (no exaggeration!). Each of them is filled with different colors and paraphernalia. It makes me giggle to think back on what I felt was "important" to keep at the time and makes me grateful for a fun way to keep precious memories alive.
As I have worked to expand the items that are available in the shop I have loved finding unique and fun journals to add.
When I saw this journal I immediately fell in love with the cuteness of it.
So when I saw this journal I knew immediately that I had to create an altered version for the shop. Y'all know how much I love dogs and this journal just brought a smile to my face. This dog people rule altered journal is approximately 5 and 1/2 by 4 and holds 216 lined sheets. The journal has been altered with colorful and lovely matching embellishments.
If you are interested in purchasing the dog people rule altered journal you can find it HERE. If you are interested in looking at other altered journals that are available in the shop you can find them in the altered journals section HERE.
Happy Saturday friends! I hope that you have a wonderful day with friends and family!!
Happy Tuesday friends! I hope that you are having a wonderful day!
Happy Tuesday friends! Today I am so excited to share a bit more about my experiences with shopping and exploring the Zulily website. To be honest I had never spent much time on Zulily before. Years ago I ordered one item off the website and then never did return to try shopping again. My experience at the time was good, but for some reason whenever I go to do some online bargain shopping, I never think immediately of Zulily. Honestly, after these last few days of looking around the website that will forever change in the future!
One of the things that surprised me the most as I browsed the Zulily website was all of the different products that were offered from such a wide variety of brands. There were tons of different brands in all of the categories- from fashion brands to house products to crafting supplies. I am confident that if you are searching for some specific things for any area of your life you could easily find what you are looking for on Zulily at a discounted rate. Each day there are thousands of new items added at 6am and this provides a fun (daily) browsing opportunity!
One my favorite items was this adorable navy dress from ModCloth. This dress originally retails for $99.99 but is available on Zulily for $37.99! I love that it is the perfect dress for the rest of the summer and is the perfect transition piece to fall and would even be perfect for some upcoming holiday parties. You can find it HERE!
It has NEVER been a secret on this blog how much I love the company Joules. So imagine my delight and surprise when I found that Zulily carries many different Joules products at a HUGE discounted rate. These rain boots are some of my favorites (remember my red pair that I love?!?)! But there tare tons of other Joules boots and products too that are available for a huge discount. You can find these rain boots HERE.
Another favorite thing that I found that I loved on the Zulily website was this cute flirty dress from ModCloth. It reminds me of the dress that Kate Middleton wore the day after her wedding as she and Prince William were walking around the palace gardens. It is so cute and I love the Indigo color! I plan on ordering this dress and taking it with me for my upcoming trip to Prince Edward Island! You can find it HERE.
Two things that I ordered from the website were these scrapbook paper collections. The price was unbelievable and they will be so helpful for orders and items for the shop. You can find the BoBunny Garden Party Collection Pack HERE and the Echo Park Paper Co Fall and Family Scrapbook Paper Pads HERE. If you love scrapbooking or just have a love affair for pretty paper like I do, then Zulily has tons of crafting options to check out!
There are so many different items on Zulily that I loved and I created a board with lots of different items and some of my favorites. You can check out my board HERE! Keep checking back as I will continue to update my board with new pieces and items that I find that I love as Zulily is constantly making new items available!
What about y'all? Any favorite items from Zulily that you love?
A huge thank you to Mavenx for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
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