{friday mixing bowl} the holy grail for bloggers, happiness for mama hearts, red bubbles, yellow puppies, and more

NEW STOCK(2)

Happy Easter! What a special Friday and week <3 I have been working on edits, deadlines for clients, and getting my husband back from a 2-week work trip, but through the busyness, there’s this extra layer of hope. Love it!

<< currently >>

loving…

IMG_4356

…SPRING! My foodie heart is so happy that the seasons are changing. Soon my Instagram followers will be inundated with gratuitous farmer’s market pictures #sorrynotsorry. But in the meantime, I am starting to re-introduce spring greens and lots of bright flavors in my kitchen. And it smells and tastes phenomenal!

reading…

51lMpwJ5gQL._SX332_BO1204203200_

this one! If you’re a mama or have a young mama you love, this book is incredibly encouraging. My pen got such a workout underlining everything I took to heart, which was about 1/2 the book 🙂 Do yourself a favor and get a headstart on Mother’s Day!

happy…

IMG_4342

…because I finally got to spend a morning with Christen! We talked writing for a glorious, kidless stretch at my favorite coffee shop and then got lunch with my kids. So, so good for my heart to see this lovely!

digging…

IMG_4365

…the Random Olive Instagram feed! I am drooling over this girl’s brush lettering skills and amazing tutorials! I even bought the water brush she uses so I can experiment since the brush I was using to practice this week…notsomuch. We shall see if, in time and with lots of practice, my letters will be half as cute as hers!

working on…

IMG_4381

…edits! If you saw my Facebook post this week on my author page, I was totally talking about myself and the many red Microsoft Word bubbles in my latest manuscript. This is the very end of the email I got back with my edits from my critique partner. Do you see those Xs she used to try to defuse her cute and snarky little warning? But seriously, I’m grateful to have a wonderful critique group and welcome the beating and red pen slashes because we couldn’t make magic without each other!

celebrating…

IMG_4347

…this yellow pup! Did you see it was National Puppy Day or something this week? I’m convinced social media makes up these arbitrary “holidays” but that doesn’t stop me from celebrating! Sampson is my late night co-worker, foot warmer, and gentle giant/playground for my kids. He turns 6 next week (on the same day our son turns 1)! Want to take a nap with him? You can borrow him, as long as you give him back!

<< link love >>

bunny-cupcakes-02
image via The Pioneer Woman Food & Friends
  • Love love love these adorable bunny cupcakes! Perfect for your Easter activity if you are Pinteresty and talented like that!
  • Okay, y’all. This is the holy grail of free stock photos! I’m only sharing it here because I love you. If you blog, like to create memes, or whatever, these are all licensed under Creative Commons, which makes things easy!
  • Excellent encouragement here to look after your “other half” — the part of you that often gets buried underneath the busy and the necessity. And this applies to everyone with a heartbeat! I wish everyone would take this advice.
  • Bookmarking this post from Janet Grant because of the sheer terror in my life every time I’m asked what my book is about. It’s so terrifying and awkward, y’all — and I do it FOR A LIVING for other people’s books!
  • I just discovered The Nectar Collective, a resource for all things online marketing, blogging, and small business. If any of those things interest you, I highly recommend subscribing to her newsletter because her free online library has allll the great info!

<< coming up >>

  • I joined Jeff Goins’ 7-day challenge for better blogging practices — and got stuck on the first day, the blogging manifesto. I’m still trying to articulate that but hope to have it ready to roll in the next week!
  • On Tuesday, I’m up at The Writer’s Alley, and I will be sharing an awesome Instagram “hack” for writers and bloggers!

Hope everyone has a great Holy Weekend — in which you get a good nap!

 

 

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Jaime Jo Wright says:

    Love this. It’s like a grab bag post of happy.