At the beginning of the year, I did a blog post about my word for 2013. I’m really glad that I chose this word- it’s been a good reminder these last few weeks to take heart and find courage.
As I was laying in bed the other day, I started to jot down notes about my word. Since I try to be open and transparent with you all, I thought I would share some of the ways I plan on being courageous this year.
Courage to believe in myself
Courage to fulfill my goals
Courage to face my health issues
Courage to be optimistic about the future
Courage to have faith during difficult times
Courage to have big dreams in all aspects of my life
Courage to believe in people
Courage to take my blog to an even higher level
Courage to believe God has a plan in everything
Many of you have shared some of you words for 2013- change, trust, hope, faith, joy, strength, patience, loving- all of those are fantastic. If you didn’t share you word earlier, I would LOVE to hear it! Or if you did share it, I would love to hear how you plan on putting your word to action.
I’m thrilled that many of you have taken on different challenges with me. Whether it be to better yourself personally, saving for the future or creating a better atmosphere for those around us. I honestly LOVE hearing about you and your journeys and the things you’re learning and how you’re growing. Thank you for sharing your lives with me. You all mean so much to me. Truly.
It’s not a secret to those around me that I like to spend money. One of my love languages is gift giving, which can include presents for holidays, unexpected gifts or buying a coffee or meal for someone I’m meeting with. None of these are bad things, but it’s also not great when these things prevent you from saving for your future.
I was talking with my sister recently and she asked if I wanted to do a money challenge with her. I hesitantly asked what exactly she was talking about. She said she had found a chart on Pinterest about a “new” way to save and by the end of the year, you would have over $1300. I was interested, for sure.
Back story: my sister has ALWAYS been good about saving money, even growing up. She lived minimally and this has helped her as she recently got married. On the other hand, if I were to get married tomorrow {don’t worry, I’m not}, I would be in trouble.
I took a look at my sister’s pin, but unfortunately, it doesn’t link to the original person who started this. Upon looking all over Google, I still wasn’t able to find the direct source. I did, however, find the less busy chart below.
Since I enjoy sharing the different aspects of my life, I thought I would share this with you. Yes, I do have a savings account and I will still be setting funds aside there. However, I love the idea of having another place for savings that involves small increments each week.
We are on the third week in 2013, so I have $6 in my savings jar. It makes me excited to see those little dollars bills adding up and knowing I’ll have accumulated more than $1300 by the end of the year.
Want to take on this challenge with me? With a new year in full gear, let’s make it a year of GOOD habits and bettering ourselves. :)
Some of you may be familiar with having a word for the new year. I have seen it in blog land in years past and wanted to take part of it this year. These past few days I’ve been pondering what I wanted my word to be. After going over a few, I finally decided on the word COURAGE.
2012 was a rough one for me. There was some ups, but a lot of downs. As we go into the new year, I will admit, I feel defeated and run down mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually….. I have been a fighter in the past, but it seems like that fighting spirit has faded away. I miss that part of me and I’m going to try to bring that back in 2013. I want to have courage to face the health issues, courage to tackle my goals & dreams, courage to walk in the path God has for me.
As we look to this new year, I’d like to encourage you to choose a word. Have one? I would LOVE to hear what it is!
Wishing you a wonderful 2013. Looking forward to sharing this new year with you all!
This year has been full of unexpected changes, new experiences, memorable moments and stepping outside my comfort zone. Since today is the last day of 2012, I thought I would look back on some of the biggest moments, both here on the blog and in my personal life. If you’re new here, this is a great time to see what my blog is all about, and see some of the biggest moments of 2012.
GETTING MORE PERSONAL…..
Back in April, I did a pretty major change here on Pretty Pink Posh and switched from a craft blog to a blog that encompasses both personal posts and crafting posts. During that time, a lot of things were changing in my life and I wanted to share those things with you. It was in these posts that I got to share my heart, experiences and struggles. It hasn’t always been easy to open up, but I’m so thankful for this opportunity to share with you in a more personal way. In fact, I’ve heard from some that they now enjoy the personal posts more than the crafty ones! Here were some of the most popular ones of 2012:
This year one of the most unexpected things was getting into a major car accident in August {update here}. Never in a million years would I have expected I would STILL be dealing with physical ailments and difficulties from it. The road has been long and left me weary, however I am so thankful for the amazing friends & family that has helped me along the way.
CRAFTY CREATIONS…..
I can’t do a year in review without posting some of my favorites creations of this year. My crafting style is constantly changing, so it’s always fun to see how it’s changed. {Click on the photos to go to the direct posts}
10 Minute Craft Dash…..
Back in August, my friend Ginny and I started the 10 Minute Craft Dash. We both knew it was a great concept and it blew us away at how receptive you all were to the challenge. Since then, Ginny had to step down from her position in the challenge to move onto new things. It was during this change that I thought long and hard about the direction I wanted to take the growing challenge. I made the decision to continue on with the challenge and have since lined up amazing assortment of sponsors through June 2013. Another new change: offering the very first DT call. I’m so excited to see where the challenge goes and getting the opportunity to work with talented designers in 2013!
WHAT’S COMING IN 2013..
As I mentioned above, I’ll continue on with the 10 Minute Craft Dash and also still be doing the monthly Featured Blogger and Random Loves posts. You can also count on new crafty projects, new posts on the things I’m learning and then of course, there will be many surprises. As the blog continues to grow, it’ll bring on new opportunities. I still have dreams for this blog– I’m hoping that some of them will come true this upcoming year!
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{I know I posted this image before, but I thought it appropriate to post it again}
I am so incredibly grateful for each and every one of you. Your support, comments, emails, kind words- they all mean so much to me. I have made countless friends through this blog and I am looking forward to making even more in the new year. If YOU know someone who would enjoy the blog, I would love for you to send them over. My favorite saying here on the blog, “The more, the merrier”. :)
I hope that you all have an incredible 2013; I’m looking forward to getting to know you better!
“Maybe if we win, she will put us on her blog.” – quotes from this post
I have a fun post to share with you all today. As my regular readers know, I’m a leader in the high school group at my church. I absolutely LOVE my students and the leadership team I’m blessed to work with. I haven’t been as active, since the accident, but I am {hopefully} on the way to becoming a regular again.
To celebrate this special season, today we changed up the normal routine in Life Groups. I’ll be talking about one specific activity that happened…..building gingerbread houses!
I was introduced to the group as the special guest judge for this activity, apparently having a craft blog qualifies me for this task. Since the other leaders know I run a challenge here on the blog, they decided to incorporate this into the gingerbread house decorating. Dozens of high school students, gingerbread houses, competitiveness and a time limit= a hilarious sight.
I forewarned them and said that I see entries from ALL over the world, so I wasn’t going to be easy on them. :) Detailed work, colors, team-work were the main themes I told them I would be judging on. And with that, they were off….
It’s true, I chose one of the guy groups as the winner. Their creativity in using the box to make it tall and the fact that added the trees for scenery was impressive. Add to that they had music playing from a phone {for ambiance}, it definitely deserved the win.
PLUG: if you’re looking for a solid, Bible believing, faith-filled Christian church and you live in Washington state, check out the Eastridge Today website. Email me if you have any questions, I’ll try to answer them or I’ll find answers for you!
It was so fun to see two different parts of my world collide in this post. If you have kiddos, they are more than welcome to play along in the 10 Minute Craft Dash! Also, remember, it’s not limited to cards/ tags- you can sew items or do other crafty items, too!
That’s a wrap for this post. Have a fabulous Christmas Eve– I’ll talk with you all soon!
Yesterday I mentioned that I compiled a list of activities you can do with your family to build memories. I tried to keep the items listed either free or fairly inexpensive. This list is great for family members of ALL ages.
Family Game Night. We always enjoy these and it’s fun to find new games to learn as a family. Click here to view some of our favorite family games.
Visit the park and bring sack lunches. This is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, check out local parks, build memories AND it helps get all the extra energy out of the kiddos. This will make nap time a piece of cake!
Check out the local zoo or aquarium. You can create a checklist of items to find, or you could create a quiz for them after your finish all the exhibits.
Fruit picking. I have MANY memories doing this as a kid with family friends. It builds memories and also you get items to take home! Creating jam, canning the items also creates memories.
Trek out to a second-hand store and see who can find the best treasure. Our family has found many designer items there in the past for super great prices.
Bake sugar cookies and have a cookie decorating party. Provide different sprinkles, frosting colors, cookie shapes….. always a memorable experience for all ages.
Roller skating or ice skating. This helps build coordination, gets the blood flowing and can introduce a new passion. You never know, someone you love could be a future Olympian!
Help at a food bank. Not only will this act bless those you serve, it will also be a great way to show your kids how to get involved in the community and think outside of their “wants”.
Stop by the police station or fire house and drop off cards. (I don’t know if handmade food items are acceptable) Explain to your kids how these people put their lives on the line for us and give them an opportunity to thank some of them.
Arrange to cook meals for those in your neighborhood/ church who are going through a hard time. We have been the recipients of this many times in the past– you have no idea how much it blesses those who receive them. (You will want to connect with the people to see if there are any allergies or favorites foods.)
Check out your local library. As a kid, my mom took all of us to the library weekly. It was here I developed a love for reading. The library is also a great resource for DVDs, magazines, newspapers and research for homework!
I hope this list inspires you and your family to create some special memories together. Do YOU have any items do to create memories? I’d love to read them!
If you know anyone who would like this list, feel free to use the social media buttons at the bottom of the post. Thanks so much for stopping by!
As I type this, my eyes are filled with tears, my heart is heavy and full of emotions and my mind still not fully grasping everything that happened in CT today. I haven’t been able to concentrate on anything– all I have been able to do is pray for those affected by this horrific event.
If you know me, you know I’m a person of action. I had a dream of starting a challenge and went for it. I have big dreams for my blog and I’m going for it. Yes, there are times I have far fetched dreams, but overall, I try to be a person who has an idea and goes for it. Today’s event brought that out in me yet again.
Working on the details….but stay tuned, YOU can help join a cause that will make a difference. I know my readers are ones with BIG hearts, so I wanted to let you in on this, even though I don’t have all the details just yet. There will be several different ways you can help out- a BIG one will be in helping to spread the word once the details go live.
In the meantime, please join me in thoughts and prayers for the families. A mere 11 days before Christmas and their world has changed forever. I cannot even begin to fathom….
We cannot take for granted a single moment with the ones we love. We are never guaranteed tomorrow, so let them how much you treasure and love them.
I love you guys. I’ll give you details as soon as I have them.
Remember the saying “time goes by faster when you get older”? I have found this to be all too true. Granted, I turned 25 this year, so I’m still on the younger side, but it’s true nonetheless. As the years are going by, I am amazed at how the days,weeks and months blend together.
I will be the first to admit that while I enjoy taking snapshots from day to day {find me on Instagram: prettypinkposh}, I’m not particularly fond of getting MY picture taken. I am overly critical and always find others look better in pictures. Their outfits are cuter, their make-up and hair more flawless, they look so skinny in comparison to me…. the reasons are endless. However, as the years go by, I’m realizing that I really need to get over this. I simply LOVE looking back on photos of special times, memories and moments of goofiness, but I’ve noticed I’m not in too many of them. I have missed out on many sweet moments for a moment of being vain. Many of these moments I won’t be able to get back- why did I REALLY care so much as to not just get a picture taken?
Since the accident, I’ve re-learned that each moment is not to be taken for granted. As we close the last part of 2012 and ring in a new year soon, I’m vowing to take more pictures and BE in more pictures. I want to be able to treasure these precious times.
As I was thinking on this subject, I realized some of you may struggle with this too. I’m going to challenge YOU to also BE in more pictures, to document special times and to set aside a moment of being vain. Do any of you struggle with this also? Will you take this on with me?
Looking forward to seeing your responses. Let’s TREASURE the moments we have, sweet friends!
Before I start on my post, thank you from the very bottom of my heart to those who have mailed cards, sent emails or tweets, called or sent a text, or left comments here. I wish I could tell you how much these things mean to me. Since I’m not able to do a lot, it’s these interactions that make me feel like I’m still part of the human race.
It’s been twelve weeks since the accident {story here}. I’ve posted little updates, but I thought I would post everything up-to-date here. Please know I’m not posting this to have a pity party, or try to get sympathy…..I’ve had numerous people ask for an update, so I figured a post would be the best way.
After the accident I was sore and really tired, but it didn’t appear like there was much physical damage. About a week later, everything set in and I was really sore and in a lot of pain. I couldn’t move my neck at all {literally} and my left shoulder was practically to my chin since things were out of place. After a couple weeks of 6x a week of chiropractor appointments and massage therapy, I was able to start moving a little more than before. Driving was something far from my mind since I was still suffering from dizziness and nausea, not to mention major anxiety over driving since I was having flashbacks.
About a month after the accident, I started to feel even better so I started driving and life was semi-normal. Granted, I was still suffering from migraines, some nausea, soreness and dizziness, but it was bearable enough to start working more hours and get back to some of my old activities. I wish I could tell you how excited I was when I was able to drive to church by myself. MAJOR rejoicing.
While I was still rejoicing over feeling more normal, I had a set-back….a major one. I was driving home from work and then I felt super dizzy, nauseous, my vision started to blur and I couldn’t think straight. I pulled off to the side of the road and called my parents to pick me up. It was so discouraging and I felt completely deflated. Was hoping it was just a one day fluke and I would be back to normal…..sadly, that wasn’t the case.
It’s been about six weeks since I last drove and I’m still suffering from periodic nausea/ dizziness/ blurred vision, migraines, not being able to fully concentrate or retain memories and a lot of back pain. Sadly, my body hasn’t really been able to heal properly since I’m not able to sleep longer than a couple hours before waking up. The feeling of being so tired and not being able to sleep= frustrating.
We are still trying to figure out WHY I passed out in the first place. We thought it could have been an allergic reaction, but after an extensive allergy test, it didn’t turn out to be that. I had three MRIs, an EKG, two blood panel tests, a test for my nerves and those didn’t bring any answers either. One doctor suggested something I might have, but this isn’t a definite answer. Still doing some research and getting other opinions.
Tomorrow I have an appointment with a doctor who came highly recommended. I’m optimistic since I’ve heard great things– praying we can get some answers. Even if some of the ailments go away, that would be amazing. It’s all of them together that make day-to-day life rough.
That’s the short version of the story. You all are the best blog followers a girl could ever ask for. Again, thank you to those who have checked in on me and been keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. It means so much. If anything changes, you can be sure I’ll give you an update! :)
I was recently having a conversation with my mom while we were working and the topic of my being shy came up. I have known from previous conversations with others that I have a tendency to come off as “snobbish, stuck up or arrogant”.{Trust me, I don’t like or aim for this.}
Apparently, with these traits, some may get the impression that one is popular. When my mom told me that some people think I am popular, I literally laughed. What?! Me?! I am far from that. I’m the girl that was homeschooled for most of her life, can be shy to a fault, has a lot of insecurities and can be downright random sometimes. How in the world could I give the impression of being popular?
When I think of someone being popular, I think of celebrities or people who have made a name for themselves in one way or another. While I havepreviously wanted to be popular, I have since brushed that thought aside. With popularity comes a lot of pressures and responsibility thatI’m not sure I would be able to handle. I had a brush with it before and well, it’s just not as glamorous as it is made out to be.
All of this sparked a thought….. what does popularity really mean? What classifies someone as being popular? I’m curious to hear what you all think on this issue and anything related to the issue of popularity.
