Long time no WIR, I know.  Now that I’ve finally managed to get on a regular schedule posting TBBB topics every Wednesday and OLJ topics every Friday, I’ve found that I’ve fallen behind on my Monday MHWL ones.  This whole blogging deal is definitely a WIP (Work In Progress) for me and I’m learning as I go.  I do feel as if the three standard posts a week are attainable.  Once I put my mind to something, I do all that I can to see it through whether I have the time or not!  Some may call this stubbornness, but I like to think of it as perseverance.  That being said, I am one stubborn gal!  I can’t help it, I come from a long line of extremely stubborn, strong-willed doers.  It’s written into my genetic makeup.  Luckily, I like being a go-getter/get-it-doner so I’m not complaining.  Hopefully next week I’ll have another WIR for you, and another one the week after that, and so on. 🙂

Goodies From Friends

As many of you know, one of my goals for the year is to catch up on my snail mail correspondence.  I’ve made great strides in that endeavor in the past few months especially, and have finally sorted through all of the packages and packets I had waiting for proper thankyou’s.  I have the sweetest, most thoughtful viewers and readers ever!  I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it – I hope you know that your letters and postcards mean the world to me, and although it is very nice when people send gifts, I’d much rather you spend your money on someone who needs it.  Whether it’s just a sweet pick-me-up for a friend or a donation to a local charity to provide a meal for someone who is hungry, those tokens are the best gift of all to everyone.  I do understand the desire to send a gift to a friend or someone you admire, however, as I am want to do the same, and I do very much appreciate the lovely things you send to me.  I’ve received all kinds of wonderful gifts from bee-themed kitchen accessories to my all time favorite European candy and teas from all over the world.  You guys spoil me!  Most of all, I love reading the notes, letters, and postcards you send me.  I’m hoping to be able to catch up (and remain so!) with my letters in the next few months and have already gotten myself on a regular reply schedule with the current mail I receive.  I share my mailbox goodies in a new monthly video on MHWL called Mail Love Monday if you’re interested.

Back To Beading

Another one of my other goals this year is to make time to return to some of the crafting pursuits I put aside after becoming engrossed in YouTube and social media three years ago.  I love all types of crafts, including card making, scrapbooking, bow making, and knitting, among others.  I know I only have time to pick up one of my old crafting loves at a time right now, so I decided to return to my love of beading.  I’ve taken a few classes over the past few weeks, including a Beading 101 class to refresh my memory and learn more professional techniques as well as a wrap bracelet class to replicate the stunning bracelets made popular by Chan Luu.  I’ve been taking these classes at Ayla’s Originals, a store which I used to enjoy visiting frequently back when Don & I lived in Evanston.  I’ve made a few pieces that I am in love with and am looking forward to taking more beading classes to expand my crafting knowledge, including a wire wrapping class !  Beading is not just a way to make my own jewelry, but also an extremely calming, meditative practice.  I’ve taken to beading on the weekends in an effort to create more personal time away from work on a weekly basis (yet another goal of mine!).  Beading is a soothing practice for me.

An Unplugged Getaway

It is very rare that I take time away from my work, whether it involves filming and editing topic videos or vlogs, posting on Twitter and Facebook, replying to comments and correspondence, or taking blog photos and writing posts.  I even usually film vlogs, post on Instagram, and answer tweets during the majority of our vacations.  In the last year I’ve realized it’s important to spend at least one long weekend getaway totally unplugged with Don.  This past weekend we took such a trip!  It’s very weird for me to not look at my computer or my phone for longer than several hours at a time.  I felt like I was forgetting something important for the entire first day of our trip.  It wasn’t until we arrived at our destination after traveling all morning that I realized what I felt I was forgetting was bringing along you guys!  You know how much I love sharing my life with you all and I have no plans to discontinue that anytime soon.  I must admit that it was nice to be free from the internet for a few days.  We spent a lot of time outside between the pool and the golf course enjoying the summer sun and beautiful views and we ate like royalty!  It was a heavenly vacation and I feel refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the summer, including a couple of weeks of dedicated work gearing up for an extended stay at our family home in Utah.  I am also planning on taking on Vlogust again this year where I will film and post vlogs every day for the entire month of August on MHWL.

There will be lots to share in the next couple months on all of the social media platforms I partake in.  I’m back and I mean business! 😉

I hope you all are enjoying your summer (or winter depending on where you live).  Stay tuned for so much more to come…