A Trip Down Memory Lane

I hope that you all had a wonderful Memorial Day. I certainly enjoyed the three day weekend with my friends and family. I am so ready for Summer!!

I started my blog about two and half years ago, when my son was a little over a year old. I honestly can't believe that it has been that long already. I have learned so much during that time and I definitely feel that I have grown, not just as a writer, but in many different ways. I thought that it would be fun to go back and take a look through all of my posts that I have written since day one and share a few of my favorites. It was neat to see how my interests have changed and what stayed the same.

So in no particular order, here are my favorite posts.....

The Story of Hope

Two Pink Lines

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A Note of Encouragement 

Advice I Need to Take Myself

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Something Fun 

A Year of Pinterest Projects


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On Being Real

The One Goal I Didn't Want People to Know 


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The Important Stuff

The Simple Life


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A Freebie for You

How to Get Unstuck


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My First Big Project

A Monthly Devotional

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My Favorite Series

Creating Your Nest


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A Writing Challenge

31 Days of Home Projects

 

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My Favorite Link Up

What I Learned This Season

I hope that you enjoy these posts as much as I enjoyed putting them together!! 

Many Blessings,

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My Unexpected Role as a Compassion Mom

Two weeks ago, as I was celebrating Mother's Day with my family, I realized how having the responsibility of being a sponsor to a child, is a lot like being a mother. I never thought of it that way before, because I have never even met him before, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized just how much I loved this little boy and cared for him.

His name is Puguh and he is about to celebrate his birthday and turn 14!

I have been blessed with the opportunity to sponsor Puguh since he was 6 years old. I can't believe it has been 8 years already. He has grown from a child to a teenager and I have had the privilege to watch each year, as he has learned new things, struggled through hard times, and grown to know His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We write letters back and forth and send pictures. I receive updates from local counselors on how he and other students are doing in that area. I pray for him continually and I send money once a month to help with any supplies, food, and clothing that he needs. I love ready the letters he sends and, oh, how amazed I am, that he is taking the time to pray for me and my family as well.

He has been such a blessing to me and my family, and yet I have never even met him. I am guessing that he might say something similar about me, considering I am the one who is sponsoring him. Just a few months ago, a huge earthquake hit the coast of Indonesia. Upon reading about this tragedy, my heart sank. I immediately wanted to know if Puguh and his family were ok. The thought of losing him really broke my heart, and I began to cry as I thought about him and all of the others affected. Thankfully both he ands family are all ok. That was the moment when I realized just how much this boy means to me! What I thought was just doing something good for God, 8 years ago, has been so much more than I could ever imagine.

Compassion Sunday was three weeks ago, on May 7th. I did not get the opportunity to share my story that day, but I knew it was not too late to share. My husband and I, along with my son, Greyson, are praying about sponsoring another child as a family. I know that there are so many children out there, that need someone like you and me to help care, pray for, and love them, in a very unique and unexpected way, kind of like a mom.

Would you pray and consider sponsoring a child today? It is very simple and it can be life changing! Follow the link below for more information on how to get started today.

Many Blessings,

Exciting News for What's to Come

Today I wanted to share with you all a few things that I am working on and hopefully will be ready by June! I have not really been writing a whole lot because I have been focused these other great ideas. The first one that I am super excited about and I hoping that you love just as much as I do is The Simple Life Newsletter. This is a quarterly newsletter that will be released at the beginning of each new season with the first edition coming this Summer.

There is so much in here that I can't wait for you to see; encouraging words, recipes, decor tips, seasonal favorites, art prints, and so much more! This newsletter is for anyone. You don't have to be a subscriber to receive it (although it helps because you won't ever miss an issue). Just be sure to check in on the first day of Summer to grab your copy.

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The next thing I want to share with you is a few changes that I am making to my blog. If you haven't already noticed, my homepage is a little different. I am slowly rearranging and adding things. Hopefully, all will be complete within the next month or so. Here is what to look for.......

1. New "About Me" section. I am updating this portion and I hope that you will take few minutes to read a little about myself and what is important to me.

2. I am working on adding photos of my home so that you can take a virtual tour of my home and hopefully find ideas and inspiration. I will post photos each room and provide a list for where I purchased most of my items. I have also been working on starting a small side business as a home decorator, so these photos will also show others, who are interested, the work I have done and give them an idea of my style.

3. I have created a book list tab. I will be constantly updating this as I continue to finish more books. I don't get a chance to read that often, so if a book makes it to this list, then it means it is worth the read.

4. Finally, I have the "Creations" folder, otherwise known as 'Freebies". This is a collection of all of my printable artwork and other documents that you have full access to, if you would like to download something. This constantly gets updated as well, so be sure to check back often for anything you may have missed!

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Finally, I have been working on a fun little challenge that will take place on Instagram. I love Instagram so much. I can't even begin to explain all of the reasons why! I have been trying to think of something different to do, that allows many people to get involved. I know that the home decor community is so big and continues to grow every day, so I created the home decor photo challenge that will take place for the month of June. I am currently looking for a few hosts to do this with me. Any one can play along, you just follow each prompt for that day, when you post your home decor photo, and use the hashtag #homedecorphotochallenge. I am super excited for this. I hope you will join in the fun!

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Don't forget to subscribe so you can receive this month's subscriber freebie and all the other goodies from the previous months. These exclusives are only available to my subscribers so be sure to sign up today!

Many Blessings,