Etsy - Writing Challenge, Day 3

I mentioned a few days ago that I wasn't sure if I was going to keep my Etsy shop or not....

I've thought about it a good bit since then, and I've decided that I will.  For now, at least.  It's just easier if someone wants to pay with a card rather than cash, and I can send receipts through it too, even if they're purchasing something in person as most do.  I don't get many orders that require shipping, but it makes that simpler too.

The first ever baby blanket I made for a friend's little boy last year.

I don't do a lot of sales throughout the year unless it's a random blanket here and there for a gift someone wants to buy.  It gets a little discouraging, but on the other hand, it's a nice break after I bust my butt to make tons of stuff leading up to Christmas.  The past couple years I've made so many messy bun hats and criss cross hats.  But having that little flurry of activity has been a nice little way to help me recover from gift-buying during the holiday season.

Messy bun hat

Messy bun hat

 (Though I wouldn't argue if you browsed my shop. ;) )

I've gone through and taken inventory of what I have that is still on my shop, so what is listed available on there actually is available (pay attention to whether it says they're already made or made to order though).  I have some stuff in stock, but the rest I'll be making to order for now.  I might make some more stuff up as we get into fall, but I always end up stuck with a bunch on hand because people who order want specific things, so I probably won't do too many pre-made items.  I'm likely going to end up tossing some stuff into a yard sale sometime soon just to get it out of my spare bedroom!

Baby blanket made at a friend's request earlier this year.

So, the shop is primed for fall/winter/holidays.  One more thing off my to do list!  If you're interested in anything there, please let me know!

Can't Wait For Fall! - Writing Challenge, Day 1

I can't help it.  I love summer, but I think as I get older, fall is becoming one of my favorite seasons.

Football games, the Jubilee, county fairs, the Mountain State Forest Festival, my birthday (as well as both my brothers' and my mom's birthdays)....  I used to take all that stuff for granted, but I've really felt more connected to it all in recent years, and this year, I'm pretty giddy leading up to it.

I can't wait to watch the trees change (I love the different colors in fall, hate the ugly bare trees after they actually drop the leaves!).  I can't wait to walk down the street to watch high school football games (our house is perfectly positioned to be far enough away from all the parking traffic but close enough to walk there). 

I can't wait to go back to the Jackson's Mill Jubilee in Weston on Labor Day weekend.  Last year was the first time they'd had it in a few years, and Darryl and I went and met up with my grandpa and uncle there and took it all in.  It was a little like re-living my childhood when I would go every year with Grandma, Grandpa, Dad, and my uncle.  I can't wait to go back and see how much more they'll have grown it this year.  It's full of cool stuff, and hopefully the word will be out and even more artisans will be there than last year. 

We always go to the Barbour County Fair at least one evening.  Demolition Derby night is what Darryl is excited for this year.  We might take in some of the Randolph County Fair this year too; I've only ever been to it one time for the rodeo, so I'm looking into what else might be fun to go to.  Let me know if you have any suggestions!

The Mountain State Forest Festival happens right in our downtown.  Literally, all around where we work.  It's hell trying to park in your normal parking or get to your usual stops throughout the week on a lot of days.  A lot of weird people come out of the woodwork, as with any festival I think.  But that aside, it's a fun time, brings tons of people into the town (always good for that part of town), and it only happens one week a year.  I think every year since I've worked at the agency I'm at, we've been given Forest Festival Friday off.  It's not a guaranteed day off, but there's literally just too much going on around us (picture kiddie rides set up in the street directly in front of us and school is out that Friday...), so our boss shows some mercy and allows us time to enjoy the festivities....or get out of town, as some don't want to be around for the biggest weekend of the festival! 

I've been getting into the habit since I moved back home to go to the Queen's Coronation on Friday, go to the Fireman's Parade that night, the Grand Feature Parade on Saturday, try to at least catch part of the marching band competition Saturday evening, and take in some of the exhibits and other festivities. 

Darryl likes to walk around the carnival one night to see what all is there and to get a basket of fresh cut fries.  And there are certain food vendors I try to take in each year - such as Backporch BBQ and Gil's Pit Beef, two of my favorites.  Pretty sure I had something from each of them twice last year, but I have to limit myself since festival food is so dang expensive.  Last year I got a bunch of food ready at the house and had it warming in crockpots before we went to the Grand Feature Parade, and a few family members met us back at home to hang out for a while and cool off and have some food afterward.  I'll probably do that again this year and try to let the other people invited know a little more ahead of time so we can potentially have a few more over.  It had the potential to be really fun, but we had so much food left over!

I'm also looking forward to the weather just cooling off in general.  I don't like cold cold weather, but I just don't deal well at all with hot weather.  I like a happy medium.  The closest I get without it being rainy all season (I'm looking at you, spring) is fall, so that's something to look forward to!

What things do you look forward to for the remainder of the year?

Writing Challenge

Do you ever feel like you're just stuck in a rut? 

As I wrote a little bit about last night, there are so many things I've been wanting to do or get back into doing for forever...  I'm not sure saying that I'm stuck in a rut is really the right terminology for it, but in relation to some things, it's close.  I'm doing plenty of other things and feel accomplished with 95% of the things going on in my life right now, but it's just difficult to find the time to fit in everything I want to do.  Sometimes when I find the time to do things that I've been wanting to do, I'm so burnt out by everything else that I just don't have the motivation, mentally and sometimes physically, to get into anything else.

One of those things (there are many) is writing.  I've always loved it.  It's always been my release and the thing that helped me work through things.  I don't really feel like that's the reason I need to do it these days, though.  I'm pretty happy with my life and don't feel like I need to "work through" anything, which is honestly such a blessing and maybe part of the reason why I've been for the most part okay with the fact that writing has been absent in recent years.  I want to do it because I enjoy it, but I don't feel like I need to do it, which are two completely different reasons.

It can be difficult to get back into something when you haven't been in the habit of doing it for so long.  That's why I'm challenging myself...and you, if you want to participate.  Officially starting tomorrow, I'm going to start writing once a day, every day, for a month.  What happens after that can be decided then, but maybe by then I'll have an old habit back.

It doesn't have to be anything long.  It doesn't have to be something you think other people would consider important.  Just something to stretch the creative muscles again and something that's meaningful to you. 

No pressure.  I do take into account how my words and actions will affect other people because I want to be a good person, but I've had to let go of what other people's conceptions of me are and quit worrying about it like I used to.  It's made life much more peaceful and less stressful. 

That's what I want this challenge to reflect.  Be yourself.

Starting tomorrow, for the next 30 days, I'll try to put up one post a day.  If you embark on this little journey with me, post a link back to your post (whether it's a blog, Facebook, Twitter, whatever your platform is), on whatever the most recent post is here.  If you want to be even more adventurous, use the hashtag #alittlesliceofmylife if you're posting your writings on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (those are the main forms of social media I use).  I'll check them each day to see what you've shared.

Happy writing!  I'll see you tomorrow!

Back to Normal

Hey all!

I have been hard at work the last couple of weeks drafting new blog posts and coming up with some ongoing series of posts. I've really felt the need to write lately, and I'm finally enthused and have some things I'm working on that I can easily write about!

Most of our big projects for the house are done for now, and I have some more time to dedicate to stuff I want to do rather than only the stuff I need to do (and some of the stuff I had previously only wanted has majorly turned into stuff that is now needed - you'll see in an upcoming post, one that will probably turn into a series.)

I hope all of you are doing well, and I hope you enjoy what I have to say! I'm looking forward to getting back into this and a lot of other things I've been back-burnering for the past couple years.

Have a great day, and happy reading!

Writing Ideas

I was going through old blog drafts the other day and found this one.  Remember how I did those blog prompts last year?  Here's some more. :)

1. What inspires you at work? At home? At school?
2. Share a website you spend way too much time on, and why.
3. Talk about a special cause and why it's important to you.
4. Share tips on anything that has worked great for you (on studying, finances, fashion, etc.)
5. Project you would do if you had the money/time or still want to do? (community project, music project, art project, etc.)
6. Best *insert CMS* plug-ins that you've tried and loved
7. What are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
8. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
9. The hardest lesson you've had to learn.
10. Your favorite recipe
11. Books/Movies that changed your life or stood out to you.
12. Share an anecdote from your childhood
13. Guilty pleasures: Music/Movies/TV shows/Books
14. Offline vs. Online relationships according to your own experiences
15. Memorable movie/book characters
16. Share a funny/inspiring/educational video that you've come across recently
17. Do you have any family traditions?  If so, what are they?  If not, what would you like to have?
18. Your best/worst job(s)
19. Best *insert browser* add-ons and why
20. Your Ideal Vacation
21. If you could create an internet application, what would it be?
22. What have you been listening to lately?
23. What you aspired to be when you were a child; has it changed?
24. Book vs. the Movie and your thoughts
25. Create a music mix for your visitors
26. How do you relax? Why does it help?
27. Why do you blog/paint/*insert hobby*? What got you started?
28. Hidden talents
29. Dream Job(s) and why
30. Your personal style and favorite stores
31. What are you favorite blogs of the moment?
32. Your definition of success
33. Room/House tour; show us your digs!
34. What do you frequently spend money on? Why?
35. What's your earliest memory?
36. Design/Craft tutorial
37. Favorite art/photography/design portfolios
38. Future goals and how you plan to attain them
39. Tell us a secret
40. Your ideal partner/friend/boss?

Dead Files and Fiverr

Anyone ever watch "The Dead Files"? I'm watching it on the Travel channel right now. It's interesting and creepy, and I love it. You should check it out!

Okay, that's my update for the day. I'm heading back to writing and updating my Fiverr gigs (I already got one last night - I was paid $5 to review 2 of my pets on rightpet.com. Orion and Harry both have reviews there now!). I'm still available for proofreading/editing gigs if anyone is interested! Username is JordanPrice.

Writing and KITTENS!!

Hola!

I'm still here, just working and writing my life away!  (The working part doesn't thrill me, but the writing part does!)

I've made a ton of progress on my book, and I'm definitely going to publish it.  Right now, I'm just working on fleshing out some scenes that were already written and expanding upon some of the character relationships.  I know what these relationships are supposed to be like and how they developed, but in re-reading through the book from start to finish, I've realized that the relationships haven't been explained or developed as fully as they should be, so I'm writing more scenes between certain characters so that events that happen toward the end of the book and in the next book don't just jump out at you out of nowhere.  As I was reading, trying to imagine myself reading it for the first time, I ended up going "Whoa, wait, where did that come from?  I mean, I know where it came from, but I didn't back that up at all earlier."  So I'm fixing those things, and then sending it off to a very small, diverse group of trusted friends to read, edit, and give suggestions.  After all of that is fixed and loose ends are neatly tied up, I have a very good book blogger friend who has agreed to read and review it for me. :D  I'm working on covers, but as my graphic design skills aren't excellent, I may resort to asking someone else I know to design the cover for the book.  Once all of that is stowed away, I can publish it as a Kindle book.  If all goes well, I may even make it paperback and publish it for Nook as well.

All of this is in the works, but the fact that I actually have a plan for it for the first time ever and I'm this close to finishing it has me really excited and ready to just go for it.  I want to publish it now, but I have to keep reminding myself that to make it the best version it can be, I need to take the time to make sure everything is done properly.

Eeeeeeeek!  There.  Some of my excitement is out.  Hehe.

Another thing that I'm looking into as I'm writing this is the possibility of editing/proofreading things for people and getting paid to do it.  I recently read about a site called Fiverr where you can promote certain business skills and get paid to do things, like graphic design (not for me!), proofreading, editing, researching topics...even things like painting pictures, singing, voice-overs, or creating company logos.  I read about this in a book by Gerry Marrs called "How to Make $800 Per Month: Starting Tonight!  A "no-hype" realistic plan you can implement...".  Yeah, sounds crazy, but it was only $0.99.  Plus, I also bought his book "How to Write, Edit, and Self-Publish Your First eBook: Make Money Writing Instant International Bestsellers!" first, and it turned out to be pretty good and an informative read for what I want to do.  So, for $0.99, I figured why not?  It was an interesting read as well, and I won't lose anything by signing up for this site if no one is interested in having me edit/proofread their stuff, but if I can make a little bit of money that can towards paying off my student loans, especially if it's by doing something that I actually enjoy, I'm all in.

I'll leave you all with this picture of my cat, who has finally decided that snuggling with me isn't such a bad thing and ended up curling up on the couch with me last night while I wrote and binged on watching House.

ALSO:  We have kittens at the house!  One of the skittish, wild cats from outside went from looking like she'd swallowed a basketball yesterday morning to being slim and fit yesterday afternoon, and when Grandpa and I went looking for the kittens, we found them.  Here.  In the oldest, dirtiest box she could find, apparently.  The boxes haven't been refurbished in forever because the two cats that are left outside almost never use them, but the second of the two is much nicer than this.  So excuse the nasty bedding, but mama cat chose it, not us!  If she lets me near her babies without fussing or trying to move them, I might try to change out the bedding for some cleaner newspaper.  But for now, this is what they've got, and the babies really don't seem to mind.  They have more important things to think about - like sleeping and snuggling and hissing at anything they sense nearby that isn't their mom.  The one at the bottom of the picture was hissing at me the whole time I had the box open and was taking this picture.  Sooooooo scary.  lol

So, that's what I've been up to lately.  What have you all been doing?  Comment below with your thoughts on Fiverr, writing, exciting things (or not exciting things - I just like reading comments and knowing that someone out there is interested in and getting something from my writing! lol)...

Writing Ideas, Day 3

Talk about a special cause and why it's important to you.

My special cause... hmmm. It's been so long since I've legitimately had time to do anything for any of the causes that I believe in... But one of the ones I used to advocate every year was world hunger.

Every year in February, through high school and my freshmen or sophomore year of college, I participated in the 30 Hour Famine through World Vision with my best friend's church.

We went to everyone we knew and asked them to sponsor us by donating their choice of money per each hour we spent doing the famine (30). Some people would do under a dollar/per hour; some would do more.

The point was that all that money would go to World Vision to help with world hunger, so every bit was important, no matter how small or large the donation.

For anyone who hasn't heard of the Famine, it goes like this:

We started fasting around noonish, I think. It was definitely around lunchtime, on a Friday. We had our last big meal just before that, and for the next 30 hours, we had nothing but water and fruit juices (gotta keep that blood sugar normal). After school, we met up at the United Methodist Church in our hometown, and we stayed there for the remainder of the 30 hours.

We played games, had dedications and bible lessons related to what we were fasting for, and we prayed. It was a really powerful experience that made you realize just how lucky you really were to have what you have.

The wheelbarrow race.  I obviously kinda failed on the way back because Nate's legs were too heavy for me.

In our part of the world, most of us have so much more than we realize, and we usually take that for granted every day. Things we might not normally think about, like the fact that we can just turn on a tap, and BOOM, clean water comes out - right inside the comfort of our own home. And then, let's back up a step. Not only do we have clean water, but we have the plumbing to get it to our homes and still preserve that cleanliness. No going to the community well (if one is even available) and carrying water back home for us. Then there's our homes in and of themselves. Even the smallest, quaintest homes in America could probably seem like mansions compared to those seen in most third world countries.

Those are just a few of the things I remember talking about.

Also, we usually did some kind of community service project. One year we made blankets for a local charity. That may have actually been the last year I participated...

At the end of our 30 hours, we had a great home-cooked meal. The church ladies came in and spent the last few hours of our fast making homemade chicken noodle soup, ham and cheese or turkey and cheese sandwiches, and cookies. By that point we were all starting to drag a little and were getting a bit cranky. It took a lot more effort to remain enthusiastic about the activities we were participating in because all we wanted to do was lay around. The smell of homemade soup wafting in from the kitchen (which was next to the room we spent most of our time in) didn't help matters much, as it only made us hungrier and more impatient.

The five seniors. :)

 But boy was it worth it when that 30 hours was up and we finally got to have our last prayer and eat! Everything was delicious and tasted even better than usual because we hadn't eaten anything in more than a day.

I loved this cause and how we approached our part in it. It's something I have a lot of great memories attached to and that I miss dearly.

I would definitely recommend it to any young person who wants to make a difference and to learn a little more about themselves. Every time I participated I had some kind of epiphany about myself and understood myself a bit better.

There's just something about the experience of making a difference in the world with your friends and God that can't be beaten.

Writing Ideas, Day Two

Share a website you spend way too much on, and why.

Hmm.  Honestly, lately I haven't been online much. Not stumbling from website to website online anyway.  

I'm living with my grandfather at the moment, and since he still chooses to live in the stone ages of technology and has no wifi, I'm limited to what I can comfortably do from my phone.

That usually consists of Facebook, Instagram, and reading blogs.  Sometimes YouTube if I have good enough service and the mood strikes me.

The most common out of these?  Facebook.

The most interesting?  Blogger.

Specifically one blog in particular recently (The College Prepster), just because I've followed this girl's blog for a while now, and since I've recently gotten back into writing/reading blogs when I can, her journey has been inspiring me even more than lately.  She's in a state of change at the moment like me - in a different point in her life, but it's still change.

Another that I always enjoy catching up on is a good friend's.  In Omnia Paratus follows her life with her horses, her outdoorsy adventures, and her journey since college.  We both have busy schedules (hers is admittedly much busier than mine), so catching up happens less often than liked, and I enjoy reading her blog.  She's a great writer.

Also, one I imagine I will be frequenting more often now is The Narrative of a Life.  It is written by another close friend of mine, also a very good writer.  (She's been writing fiction since she was a kid, but this is her first foray into the blogosphere.)  I'm looking forward to what she has in store for us.

So there you have it - what I've been reading lately, and hopefully some new reading ideas for you all, too!

Writing Ideas, Day One

So, I've decided that since my life basically consists of going to class, studying, going to band, and then going to work right now...I need to find some things to write about.  Because my need to write is back with a vengeance, and I'm literally writing all the time now...just not always stuff that's right for the blog.

With that said, I've been looking up things to write about, and I think I'm going to try some topics that I found listed here.

I probably won't do every single topic, because there are a couple that just don't really apply to me, but I'm going to try to do two or three each week, if time allows it.

Here's the first one...

What inspires you at work? At home? At school?

Work

At work, basically what inspires me is the need to do well and to excel.  I don't believe in doing something halfway if I'm capable of giving 100% or more.  I don't see the point in half-assing something.  I want to be proud of the work I do, even if it's something as trivial as doing food service, as I am right now.  

That really applies to everything else in my life as well.  It comes down to pride in what I do.

Home

I'm a tad OCD.  So, my home usually shows that.  Unless I'm constantly busy and don't have time to clean, everything is always in it's place.  Lately, that hasn't been the case, because most days, I'm literally at home to sleep at night, get ready in the morning, and then I'm out the rest of the day, and things just end up where they land.  It makes it a big job on my freer days to clean up, but that's just how the cookie crumbles, I guess.

School

I always try to please everyone.  That rolls over into the rest of my life too, and sometimes it's not a good thing.  But with school, I want to impress my teachers, my peers, and myself.  I have had semesters when I was overwhelmed with things, sometimes school-related, sometimes not, and those points in my school career don't really demonstrate who I really am.  They demonstrate the average or below-average version of myself that I really don't like and strive to be better than.

And, as with everything, it also comes down to pride in my work.  

When I don't do well at something that I know I'm capable of doing better at, I tend to get really down on myself, and it turns into this horrible downward spiral until I'm feeling so bad about myself that I just can't function.  These downward spirals don't happen often, but when they do, it's awful.  And they're not always obvious to anyone but myself.  I've become pretty good at hiding it over the years.  But then there are times that I get so depressed that anyone can see it, and those are the worst.  

But then I realize how stupid I'm being.  At which point, I pick myself up, I reorganize my mind, I take a little me-time to kind of wipe the mental slate clean...and then I get back to work.  

I guess it's a good thing that my inspirations are mainly my pride and my need to please.  Without them, I would have much lower expectations of myself and wouldn't achieve nearly as much as I have.  Without them, I wouldn't have such a big reason to reanimate myself when things get too hard and I shut down mentally and emotionally.  They give me a reason to pull myself out of whatever funk I may be in and give me something to focus on until I can be okay again.