Honey, I'm Home

Hello Friends!  Man its been a long time since i posted... If anyone even noticed! Its ok.  We can be honest with each other.  Although I missed posting, its been a nice break.  I really didn't feel bad at all and even felt relieved that there was no expectation to post. But recently I've been thinking about getting back online and seeing what happens.  I've had ideas and thought maybe you'd want to hear about them!  And by you, i mean the 5 people i know read this from time to time [wink, wink]

First, I thought I'd share with you some of the things I have been up to.

FALL ADVENTURE DAY

My roommate and I try and get away from the city every fall, just for the day.  We rent or borrow a car and then drive upstate. This year we stopped off at Mohonk Mountain Preserve and did a little hiking.  We also were lucky enough to find the old abandoned house that we found on our first Fall Adventure day in 2009.  

PHOTOGRAPHY FUN

I hadn't made my photography a huge priority over the last two years but when one of my closest friends, Kristina, from Big Apple Mami, asked me to take their family portraits, I jumped at the chance.  She has the best little family!

MY LITTLE SHOP

I have an etsy shop, City Girl Creations 98.  One of my favorite things to do is to find new things to create and even to try things on my own.  My latest adventures have been these coffee cozies as well as slouch hats.  I've also tried my hand at fun kids hats. Those pictures will come later, but they are super cute.  Keep an eye out at my shop for sales, discount codes and new creations.  Some of the things I create haven't made it to etsy but you can see some of those items on Facebook Page or my Instagram Page. Feel free to email me or message me for custom orders!

That's what I have been up to.  More exciting things will come later.  I even have a review and giveaway happening later this week!  

Have a lovely week!

List 10 random facts

In an effort to write more creatively or openly, I am using an idea from Brooke from Covered in Grace, 30 Days of Blogging Prompts who got the idea from @ Lashes & Beard.

So today I thought I'd start with the first one, day 1, "List 10 random facts about yourself."  I don't plan to go in order so just beware :)

So here it goes.

1) I was born in Landstuhl, Germany.  I was an Army Brat! 

2) I have a fairly small family and my parents are still married. I have one brother who is married with 2 kids (16 and 14).

3) I love the experience of coffee.  I love the taste but the experience of a good cup makes me so happy.

4) I have watched Pitch Perfect almost a dozen times over the last month... and I could watch it a dozen more.

5) I am an Apple Girl.  I have 2 Macbook Pros (1 is mine and the other is for work), an iPod mini, iphone, and an ipad.  

6) I can't have a meal without having something sweet afterward.

7) I am amazed at how messy I can be yet I am well known for being able to organize things sufficiently. (when its not my own life)

8) I have a problem with always seeing both sides of a situation. It always leads me to not know which side I land on.

9) I am a romantic at heart and a true softy when it comes to people reaching their dreams... no matter how small they are.

10) I can't stand the sounds people make when they drink or eat. It makes me crazy.

Just a little about me!

9 Days of Healthy Giveaways: Day 8

Welcome back! This giveaway is wrapping up tomorrow, but there's still plenty of time to enter most of the day's giveaways still! 

You don't want to miss out, so go HERE to enter Day 4-7! And thanks so much for helping spread the word! :)

Today's giveaway is something near and dear to my heart....

COFFEE!!!

(yes, I'm slightly addicted and have no problem admitting it!) :)

Courtney, from Baxtron{Life} is here today giving away a really fun coffee product I'd never even heard of! 

Upgraded Coffee is actually good for you! 

Here are a few reasons why (from their website):

1. It is carefully produced and tested with our proprietary process to target the lowest toxin content vs. normal coffee, so you get all the benefits of coffee without the negative health effects.
2. The beans are harvested from a family-owned estate in Guatemala at high altitude, where the best coffee grows.
3. The estate is Passive Organic and the family that owns it does not allow chemicals (herbicides, pesticides, etc.) It is not economical for Central American boutique coffee estates to become certified organic.
4. They are hand picked by experienced coffee harvesters – skilled people who know how to pick only perfectly ripe berries.
5. Most coffee beans are processed by either leaving them in the sun and elements to wither and spoil as they dry, or by pressing them and letting them ferment (spoil) to remove the outer layer of the bean.  Both of these techniques are known to produce significant levels of mycotoxins as they enhance flavor. Upgraded Coffee beans are processed right after picking using a process that avoids any chance of fermentation.  This more expensive process is safer because it dramatically reduces harmful molds or bacteria from impacting your health.
6. The beans are roasted in small batches by the #1 ranked roaster in United States under the strictest conditions.  Roasting the beans enhances their antioxidant capacity and flavor to provide you with a healthier, tastier cup of coffee.

Sounds good, right? 1 lucky ready will get to try these coffee beans and I'll admit, I'm a wee bit jealous! :) 

Courtney is also kick-starting a Coffee House Tour next month that you don't want to miss 

"Courtney is a Seattle native on a mission to find the best Coffee in NYC!

Learn everything you ever wanted to know about coffee plus things you may not have known.  Rediscover an unadulterated love of coffee purified by the critique of a true Seattle coffee snob.  Interviews, Giveaways, Coffee of the Month club & More!!" 

I'll definitely be tuning in to hear of all her finds next month! :)

Good luck today and don't forget to enter the other giveaways too!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MY MORNING ROUTINE & Writing Prompts

I've mentioned lately that I want to start writing more.  I love to write. Whether its blogging or creative writing, I really do love it.  I have way more blocks than I do releases but I still love it.  Last week, someone commented on the use of writing prompts and then later that week I saw Brooke from Covered In Grace post on using writing prompts.  After following a few links, I landed on Mama Kat's Writer's workshop.  So far i am finding it simple enough.  I get prompts emailed to me each week.

Last week's topics were:
1.) What’s for dinner Mom? Describe a meal your Mom cooked that you dreaded eating growing up.
2.) Share your favorite Summer Olympic Moment so far.
3.) Your morning routine.
4.) What’s your Summer Fashion? Share a favorite outfit you’re loving this Summer.
5.) Do you have a sweet tooth? List your top five favorite candies!

So I decided that I'd start doing this more.  I am not sure I'll have a specific day that I will do this but I hope to do it once a week. 

MY MORNING ROUTINE

Boring, right?  Yeah well lets see if I can turn what could possibly be a boring post into a fun one.  Not really holding out much help, but we'll see. :) At least you'll get to know me a little better.

A little back story:  My only paid job is a part time one. I work for a church here in New York.  Trinity Grace Church Upper West Side.  I work in the offices on Tuesdays and Thursday.   I also work on Sunday evenings during the service.  On Monday, Wednesday & Friday I work a little more independently.  It originally was supposed to be a time that I worked on my photography and writing but lately for a while it has been more about my blog and crafting.  It doesn't bring in money so I should probably adjust my schedule...

Anyway, my morning routine...  I am struggling with telling you what it is vs. what I want it to be.  On my non-office days, it typically consists of me fighting with the alarm.  I tend to stay up way too late on the nights before non work days so getting up is often a chore.  

Then I spend some time with the Lord reading other people's blogs.  It always is a way to help me wake up. I am not much of a morning person.  I need time to process and wake up.  So often I will check email or check out people's blogs.  Sometimes I obsess over numbers. 

If I am good, I make a schedule for the day. This helps me stay on task.  But often I'll get through half my morning before I get around to it.  

Even the mornings I go into the office, much of this is my routine.  Even the blog vortex that i can often get sucked into inevitably causes me to be late to work. On those mornings, I spend time on the train reading my bible.  By then I am awake enough that i retain some of the info.  At least most days that is true. I am reading through the New Testament. I am really loving discovering the Word all over again!.

Oh and in case you wondered.... Coffee is a huge part of my morning.  These days its iced coffee because its too warm in our apartment for hot coffee, although I do miss it!  We started a Thursday Morning Women's prayer time this week and the hostess  had hot coffee.  I kinda wanted to just hold the mug for a few hours and tell it how much I loved it and missed it.  Yeah, I'm weird but if you didn't know that already then you should know that. It will make things less awkward down the road.

So that's my normal morning routine.  Its not that exciting but I hope I didn't bore you too much.  What is your morning routine?

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{Post Sponsored by This Lovely}

Getting Caught Up - Living in the Blogging Community

Me and my little blog have been hanging out here for about a year.  I quit my 9-5 a year ago this week to pursue other things, like my writing and photography.  Blogging was such a scary thing for me but I did it and I've truly loved it.  But to be honest, I never really ventured outside of my friends and family.... not really. I really didn't know how.  My knowledge was uber limited.  I started following real-life friends, Kristina (CityCorporatetoSuburbMama) and Courtney (BaxtronLife) and their blogs.  I watched how they'd network, write, etc and was in awe. They hadn't been around as long as I had but they already had so many faithful followers.  I started looking at some of the blogs they were following and began to dream of how I could move forward with my tiny little, eclectic blog.  I am not married and I don't have kids, so this, I felt, limited me in what I could do.  LIES! But I did notice Baby blogs are all the rage.  So where is my niche?  Then I began to realize, the great thing about the blogging world is that we can let our personalities shine.  Whether we are wives, moms, singles, christians, cooks, bakers, photographers, fashionistas or DIYers, we all have a voice that is our own.  We all bring something different to the table. On top of that, we all seem to support each other and our voices.  We celebrate victories, challenges, milestones, etc.  The blogging community is like nothing else!

I have learned so much from the blogging world.  Recipes used to come from 2 sites and now they come from 100s.  DIY projects I always dreamt about, i am seeing lived out in your blogs.  I've been inspired by your photography and your knowledge to learn and teach.

The one thing I have been repeatedly amazed by is how quickly people gain followers.  I notice most of the blogs I follow are less then a year but have anywhere from 100-4000 followers.  I often ask myself how they do it.  I am an introvert and apparently even in the blogging world, where introverts typically thrive :)  I am amazed at how they can network and still maintain their personal integrity.  I often get bogged down in self-imposed expectations that I forget what voice I have, what my true personality is and who I want to be.  These ladies seem to avoid that.  They do what they do seemingly flawlessly.  Its something to aspire to!

So, I am still trying to figure out what my voice is and where I want to go with it.  Daily, there are things I would love to chat about but putting that out there for the world to see is so scary.  Especially when some of those things are so close to people I am close to.  Sometimes, I mask my rants and ravings in the world of fiction writing to protect the innocent.

So all this to say, I am still learning.

I don't quit understand the whole sponsor thing.  How does it work? 

What's proper etiquette? 

Where do you find the time to get it all done?  I don't have a family and I can't seem to find the time... 

How do you mothers/wives do it?  

What is your motivation? 

What wakes you up in the morning? 

Why do you do what you do?  

Where did you learn the tricks of blogging, give-a-ways, meet-ups? 

How does one get involved in that?  

How do you get your name out there? 

What are your boundaries with that? 

I have lots of questions!  

I am curious! 

I want to learn! 

I would love nothing more then to sit down with you over a cup of coffee and talk about how you did it!  

I know that this blog, like so many others will go unseen. But in the hopes that you stop by and you want to share some blogging wisdom with me, I am ready and open to listen and take it all in.

If you want to get to know me and some of what I do visit these posts:

Educating Me

Challenge 1, Day 1: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad with Brussels Sprouts

Love To Create

I'll Just Be Honest

Created to Sell

Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies

God's Box - Still Trusting

Uneven

Upside Down

About Me

Day 44: Creating the Creator

I flippen love to create things... or rather recreate.  Since i left my day job, i have been finding more and more projects to work on.  About 75% of them won't bring me income at this point but i sure do love to do it.  From baking bread to cooking dinners to knitting washclothes to taking pictures to writing.  I get a weird high from doing this all day.

The only problem with this is, well, it doesn't bring in the money in which i need to survive.  So been trying lately to concentrate my efforts.  Struggling to concentrate but trying.... Below are just a few of the things i have worked on over the last 6 weeks.... I just pray for the day when i can earn a living just creating and thinking up ideas.

Rural India

Brewing Iced Coffee

Washcloth

Dish Scrubbies

Placemat or Lapmat for Laptop

Braided Egg Bread