Showing posts with label Wrap-up post. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wrap-up post. Show all posts

Monday, March 30, 2020

My March // Blog Update


March has been a whirlwind, ok more like a hurricane of events. But through it all, I know that God is making a way for us. And that promise is what I choose to cling to.

I'm trying out a new monthly wrap up style with some highlights and some things that filled my March, hope you like it!

~Wisdom teeth surgery~
I got my 3 wisdom teeth removed on March 2nd. Guys, I won't lie and tell you I was totally not scared, because I was terrified. Waiting in the waiting room was pretty much torture.
But, I did it y'all. I didn't pass out. I didn't run out. I didn't have a panic attack in public. I made it. And it was over fast. I wanna thank those of my online friends who encouraged me through this. Trust me, it helped a ton! Recovery was fairly smooth as well. Basically I survived off of mashed potatoes + crushed ice + smoothies for a few days. Watched lots of movies (Sue Thomas!!), and had my sisters do my animal chores! First two nights were pretty rough, but by day seven my stitches had come out. Thankfully, I didn't need any big pain killers. I'm just glad I'm on the other side of it all...

~Soap making~
We made soap a lot this month! A total of 6 batches (I think?) I completed a huge order that is now curing for it's 4-6 weeks. I love the soap making process! Making soap with my mom is so fun! And a little stressful if you realize halfway through that you don't have enough ingredients to finish... but hey, we made it work eventually. Cutting the soap the next day (we let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours so it doesn't overheat and scorch) is my favorite part! I get to be surprised at how the swirls and designs turned out!


~Beta reading~
I have another beta reading project! And why is this so cool? She reached out to me because I was recommended from my last beta reading gig! Word of mouth is so important and I'm just beaming to know that people find my beta reading to be helpful for them. Also, I find that beta reading helps me with my own writing. :)

~Nature walks~
Spring is here and I've been taking advantage of going outside more! I love nature walks, exploring the woods. I feel at home there. It takes me back to a time when we were younger and would traipse around up in the woods, playing games, playing shows, etc. Plus, I love finding the first blooms of spring to photograph.

~Walks~
We've been walking more since out gym is closed. We went 6 miles in 2 hours. That was our longest walk so far. Usually we only do 2 or 3 miles, or just down to the mailbox.


~Organizing~
I took this opportunity to do some organizing of our kitchen/pantry. idk why, but I kinda find it enjoyable.

~Going through family history antiques~
A spontaneous search through old antiques resulted in a walk down memory lane with nan and pop about family history. If you didn't know this about me, you know it now: I love antiques! I love thinking one the stories behind it all. The smell of old books, the pretty penmanship that is almost unreadable, the old coins and clocks, everything has a charm to it that I'm drawn to. And you'll never believe it, but on March 21st we found a old deed that was written on March 21st 1908!!! To the very date, on the very day, that was a little more than 100 years ago!





~Photo shoots~
So, since I have a couple projects underway, I needed my dearest lil sis to be my model. We had a lot of fun dressing her up and going outside to do a photoshoot! It was cool out, but I love photo shoots so didn't mind much.

~Texts~
Heres a couple that stood out to me... XD



 ^^ Sometimes I reply with pictures and those who know me know that this picture means "I'm doing really good because I'm looking through books!"


^^ When life is as crazy as my hair...



^^ Those emojis describe my emotions while watching that movie to a T! lol


~Bookmail~
I LOVE book mail! I was so excited to receive four books in the mail this month!

~Planting seedlings!~
Can't wait to have a full garden again!


~Building horse fencing~ 
Since my dads been off work for the most part, we decided to tackle the project of building horse fencing! As exhausting as it is, I kinda like the teamwork aspect of things. We pounded the posts in two full days, and then yesterday we put a little over half of the slats up (I ran the nail gun until I got a blister). Today, we'll finish it!

~I let my sister cut my hair!~
Sorry, not details yet. I'm going to be doing a blog post about it! Stay tuned for a cool video (if I can figure out how to upload one to the blog...)

~Goals for April~
I have a couple goals for April: survive Camp Nano, groom/ride Rosie, workout more consistently, and start gardening!

::Blog Update::
We haven't done a update in awhile. I have a few announcements and also I'm just checking in with y'all.

Since May 2019, I have posted twice a week. Mondays and Wednesdays. I'm pretty proud of myself for keeping it up, but unfortunately, I'm going to need to back down to just posting once a week again. Life has been keeping me on my toes and it's been hard to keep up with post ideas. I really want this blog to have quality posts. So, I've decided to post every Wednesday again.

Another thing I wanted to touch on is your input. What are some posts y'all would like to see? Do you have specific questions you've been wondering about me or my blog? Are you interested in more devotional style posts, more poems, more tags, more life updates, more about my small business, more about cover design, more about my writing, tutorials, day in the life posts, etc?

It's important to me to create blog content that my readers will find encouraging, helpful, and fun. So to help me customize it for y'all, comment with some post suggestions!

Lastly, I may be doing some blog changes to the layout, design, and "look" to Showers of Blessings, so if you notice things slowly looking different, then that's why.

What's up? Comment below!

Many Blessings,
Brooklyne Elysse

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The First Month of 2020 in Review



~January 2020 in review/highlight~

➳Winds of Faith drove down for a convention ➳We went zip lining!!!➳Took lots of notes➳Ate hotel waffles➳Yummy food➳Sang songs➳Food for thought➳A bit overwhelmed➳Thankful for friends➳A couple awkward encounters➳Long food lines➳Outreach project nerves➳Rode in a school bus (rare occasion for a homeschool graduate, lol)➳laughed, cried➳cupcake + best sandwich EVER➳Scrambled for a writing contest➳Played with a adorable baby➳Free stuff➳Funny face swap➳Hilarious pics, we are a hoot➳Walking around the city and going in circles... long story➳Heart hurt for the homeless➳Memories of same place, last year➳Road trip home➳


^^ Mama and I <33


^^ The cupcake had to have a photoshoot, lol


^^ As you can see, since we don't have "real" whip cream at our house, I really go all out!

~~~

➳Cover design➳Watched Little Women in theater!!!➳Soap packaging➳Soap sales➳Winds of Faith Co. giveaway➳Sister took a picture of a dandelion (in January!) ➳Grocery shopping➳Menu planning➳Putting together a office chair➳Early morning trips to the gym (5 comes early when you stay up late...)➳Cutting soap bars➳Super fun plans➳Excited texts➳Spontaneous four wheeler rides➳Got a couple pictures off of my old phone➳Lunch date w/ big sis➳Deepish convos➳City traffic as a backseat driver is just as scary if not more-so than actually driving➳But the three of us sisters survived!➳


^^ Watching Little Women 


^^ Cover Design


^^ Peppermint Charcoal Cleanse


^^ New packaging feature 

~~~

➳Making Runzas (a Nebraska/Kansas thing) with friends from church➳Nerf gun war, lets not forget to mention it "went down" during Runza making, lol➳Magic tricks gone wrong➳Playing cards➳A makeup challenge, lol➳The concept was the same as brother-does-makeup-challenge➳Yup, haven't laughed that hard in a while *winks*➳


^^ Runzas 


^^ My daddy is da best! 


^^ Text convo that I had to save XD Sometimes I'm weird and answer with gifs.

~~~

➳Sudden freezing weather and snow➳But-- frozen hot chocolate drinks anyway!➳Hand-lettering on a baptismal certificate➳Workout videos @ home➳Babysitting on Tuesdays➳Fun crafts and rambunctious kids➳FaceTiming ➳Pen pal letters <3➳Hanging with a friend for a whole day--so much fun!➳Making no-bake cookies, pumpkin bread, pizza➳Discovering a awesome movie series called Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye and we are loving it so far! The music in it is awesome!➳


^^ Snowing actual snowflake shapes! (I get excited over random things!)

~~~

➳Living➳Laughing➳Loving➳Learning➳

I'm always trying new wrap-up post formats, how did you like this one? 
What was one thing that was exciting for you this month?

Many Blessings
Brooklyne Elysse 


Monday, September 30, 2019

Wrapping Up My September


September has come and gone. And with it, the heat of Summer has turned to a Autumn. As much as I love summer, Fall has it's own charm that I also get excited about. Like... sweater weather, people! And crisp mornings, cozy blankets, good books, and all the Fall colors that I love! 

If I were to sum up my September in one word, it would be: busy. For not having a full time job, or even classes to keep up with, I am a very busy person. Seems like my to-do list is never ending. 

Anyway, lets talk about my month, shall we?




~Church work bee~FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE DRINKS~Soap making (Moon Child)~Mud Run with family and church friends~Foggy Mornings~Black and White Pictures~Designed a few book covers~Mowed the lawn~Went to the fair~Had a apple cider slushy and a taco salad!~Morning walks~Split wood with dad and big sis~Fall clothes~Painting~Birthday celebrations~Participated in a horse parade~Made more soap (Warm Cinnamon Spice and Charcoal Peppermint Cleanse)~Made scrunchies!~Printed off my WIPs so I wouldn't be devastated if my computer crashed...~Visited the library and couldn't help but smile when I walked in the doors~Road Trip with the Fam~Funny car selfies~Stayed on a houseboat for three nights~Washed our hair and shaved our legs in the lake (I'm telling ya, it was one of my highlights!)~Hammock on top of the boat~Waterfall wannabes~More soap making, getting ready for fall (Pumpkin Patch and Apple Pie!)~Made bath salts~Went to my younger cousins cross country meet: I'm so proud of her!~Looked at old pictures~Sent out the 100th Post Flash Fiction Contest prizes! So excited for both Molly and Faith to get them in the mail!~Sent a friend a b-day gift XD~Packaged bath salts~Designed NEW packaging for my bath salts and my soap!!~Quote of the month: "What if I fall? Oh, my darling, what if you fly?"~Bonfires~Chili dogs~Spontaneously drawing~Nan's Sugar Cookies!~Playing volleyball~Went to a festival and got a buckeye sundae~Fun texting convos with a friend about a certain show we like~Taking some bookish pictures~Morning jog/walks~Mowing the lawn again~Living~Laughing~Loving~And Learning!


Ok, me falling off the couch because my sissy tickled me was pretty funny... for her. Maybe not so much for me?
~~~
Mom showed this to me from Facebook: 
"WHY I HATED MATH: 
In class: 
5 + 5 = 10
Homework:
734 + 555 - 432 / 69 = 12.42
Test:
With 2 sheep flying, one yellow and the other headed right, how much does a pound of asphalt cost, given that the cow is 10 years old?"

^^Now THAT made me laugh! XD 
~~~


Golden Cornfields ready for harvest~Morning sunrises that are always so pretty but never the same~

I love my Mom: you are so special to me. We are a great team, and I am blessed to be your daughter
I love my Dad: you are such a cool dad, thanks for working so hard to provide for us. You're the best.
I love my big sis: you will always have my back and I yours. We sisters stick together through thick and thin. 
I love my lil' sis: You always make me laugh. I love spending time with you and know I can trust you with all my secrets. 


Hmm, I'm learning a lot~And a lot~But it's hard to put into words~I'm learning how to run a small business~How to better manage my time (because, y'all, I need help in this area!)~How to smile more and worry less~How to put my phone down and live in the moment (why is this so hard for the generation we live in?)~I read slower than I think I do~Lets just say I brought 4 books on vacation and only read 7 chapters~Sad, I know!~I'm learning that Gods plans are higher than my own~That time flies~That it's ok to be you and not someone else~That there is no rush to get it all figured out because God's Will is the only timetable that matters.

Mini Photo Dump:


^^ My new labels! I'm building my brand!


^^ Morning walk and I'm matching... XD


^^ Mom's new fall wreath!


^^ Sabbath hand lettering...


^^ Our houseboat!


^^ My Painting!


^^ Our nicely split firewood!


^^ My new shirt I got at the fair!

How was your September? Anything new with you? Are you excited about Fall? What are you looking forward too this week? Comment below! 

Also, I'm loving my new blog look! Do you like it????







Wednesday, July 31, 2019

July Wrap-Up Post


July has come and gone, and its left me in the dust wondering what just few by. Yes, that's exactly how I feel! So many things happened this month. A few awesome things, and a few awful things. But isn't that life?

So lets wrap up July!


✭Forth of July party✭Fireworks✭Flag cake (Yum!)✭Family and friends from church✭Patriotic music✭Went jet skiing✭Horse lessons✭Putting up our pool✭Super hot out!✭Good food✭Movie marathon✭Stacking 500 square bales in the hayloft #girlpower✭Writing✭Camp Nano✭Meeting new friends in camp cabin✭word sprinting✭went to a OC "picnic" aka a camp cabin activity where you bring one or two of your original characters to a literary picnic (my sisters laugh, but I think it's fun!)✭Frozen hot chocolate drink while writing!! ✭Bought a lot of veggies at a auction to process✭Make salsa✭Made cucumber salad✭Froze zucchini, onions, and yellow squash✭Found a four leaf clover (check that off of my summer bucket list)✭Also made lemon blueberry zucchini bread which was AMAZING!✭Swimming with lil sis✭Taking pictures of flowers, butterflies, hummingbirds, and dragonflies✭Practicing songs for VBS✭Helped take senior pictures✭Sunset drive for ice cream✭Painting pottery with friends✭Hayfields✭Storm clouds✭Homemade lemonade✭A foggy morning✭Book mail! I bought The Old River Road by Hailey Rose!✭VBS✭My first time helping with song service and games✭July 23 was the hardest day of 2019✭Workouts✭A day at the fair✭Getting excited about a new opportunity God opened up✭Also, can we all just take a moment to throw some *confetti* because: I won Camp Nano! This morning, I finished my goal of 30 hours✭30 hours is a long time! But I got a lot done!✭Honestly, a big chunk of July was really hard because my dog, Bella Baby passed away. She had been with us for 17 years, and I don't remember a time without her. She was my baby and followed me around everywhere. She was my best friend, she knew all my secrets and was always there for me when I needed her✭So yes, its very tough✭Prayers would be appreciated✭Anyway, I'm still Living✭Laughing✭Loving✭and Learning✭


✩At tongue twisters✩At VBS kids✩At inside jokes✩etc✩

Speaking of tongue twisters... here's a glimpse into my writing life: 
~~~
Me: my WIPs are like tongue twisters for my brain.
Me: I need a break.
Me: but I need Camp Nano hours.
Also Me: I guess I'll try my hand at flash fiction...
*1000 words later* * and still going* *already starts to plan plot, characters, etc*
Me: ok, now I have a brand new WIP. Great. Just great.
#sendhelp #writerswouldknow
~~~
Also, this made me laugh: 



✮My family✮My friends✮My animals✮All the summertime things✮


⭑Wow. Not really sure what to say in this part, because I've learned a lot this month, sort of⭑I've learned to keep persevering even when it's tough⭑That 30 hours is a big Nano goal⭑that God's got this⭑That life is hard⭑Crying is ok⭑But the empty feeling is not⭑Don't harden your heart when the going gets tough, let Jesus heal you⭑God works in mysterious ways⭑His plans are always good⭑There is a time and a season for everything⭑Keep going⭑Prioritize your daily goals⭑Make time for the people who matter in your life⭑Social media isn't everything⭑Show up for the here and now⭑Don't keep looking at the future, shine where your at⭑You are never alone⭑

~Mini Photo Dump~ 


^^ Ice cream and a good book, what more could I ask for? 


^^ Rosie with a new braid!


^^ My VBS "Staff" shirt! :)


^^ Pottery I painted! 


^^ Workout pic


^^ A hummingbird!!!


^^ Lemonade at the fair!



~Goals~

July goal recap: 

~Participate in Camp Nano! Check!
~Continue blogging twice a week. Yes! 
~Ride Rose. Sort of, I groomed her a few times and got on her a couple...
~Help pull off the fourth of July party at our house... Yes! It was a success!
~Eat Forth of July cake! Yes! And it was amazing! 
~Do some continuing education research. Nope, that will have to be a goal for next month.
~Garden. Not really. 

August goals: 

~Blog twice a week.
~Plan a surprise for my 100th post! (It's already in the works!)
~Ride Rosie.
~Garden.
~Write 5,000 words.
~Edit some of my WIPs.
~Read one book.
~Do something on my summer bucket list!

First off, how is it I'm already making goals for AUGUST?? How? Why is summer flying by so fast? So tell me, how are you spending these summer months?
 And if it's not summer where you live, how are you spending these winter months?
 Do ya'll still like my wrap up posts or do you want me to try something different for a wrap up? How was your July? I'll see ya in the comments!