NaBloPoMo Wrap-Up

Amazingly enough, I have made it. NaBloPoMo triumph, for the first time in three years.

Unfortunately November 30 falls on Cyber Monday this year, and I've been consumed today with starting my Christmas shopping and decluttering/decorating my house instead of blogging. I was going to conclude the month with a "Things I Learned" post, but I'm just not feeling it. And I could put up a traditional Monday gratitude post...but I just did a 100-item gratitude list less than a week ago.

So...the anticlimactic ending to my month of blogging is, I'm afraid, one of those cheater "I did it" posts, without much substance. I'm going to add a lovely coffee photo, because it doesn't really fit with any of my Italy posts and doesn't merit a post all its own, but it needs to be shared:

 

On the day we left Naples, we checked out of our B&B too early to get breakfast there, so we grabbed coffee and pastries at the train station. I learned that gianduia basically means Nutella (chocolate + hazelnut) and is *delicious* as a cappuccino flavor. Yes please.

I have no idea who out there is enjoying my Italy posts and who is just wishing I would shut up about it already...but I was kidding myself to think 31 posts would suffice. I haven't even gotten to Florence yet, and we spent the most time there!

So the pace is about to slow up quite a bit with the usual December craziness, but I hope to finish up the Italy travelogue in the next month. Still to come: the typical Florence highlights (Galleria degli Uffizi, the Duomo, the Accademia, Piazzale Michelangelo, Palazzo Vecchio) and a wine and food tour in the Chianti region--plus lots more gorgeous churches and some reflections on that. Thanks for reading along--and if you're sick to death of Italy, check back in January :)

Fall Photos - Happy Sunday

After a super long day of church and meetings, I don't have it in me to come up with another Naples post--and unfortunately I didn't discipline myself to work ahead at the end of last week. But I don't want to lose my NaBloPoMo momentum, so here are some recent photos to make you smile :)

 

Gratitude tomorrow and then we'll get back to Italy on Tuesday! 

NaBloPoMo: 31 Days of Italy Reboot

Here we go again...

The sad fact remains that I cannot seem to sustain consistent blog posting without some sort of externally imposed structure/deadline. Well, it is what it is, and we'll go with it.

I still have lots and lots to say about Italy, and since it didn't work out for me to get it all out during October's 31 Days, I'm trying for a NaBloPoMo reboot. I don't expect this month to be all Italy all the time, though; I'll mix it up with some of the standard gratitude posts and whatever else strikes my fancy.

As always--thanks for reading!

November Cuteness

Steve: "Ready for bed?"
Amy: "Hang on, I gotta throw a couple of pictures up on my blog and call it a night."
Steve: [chuckling] "You get credit for that?"
Amy: "Oh, it totally counts. Halfway through the month and I haven't even done it once yet."

 

NaBloPoMo 2014

It's that time of year again...you know, the month when I kill myself trying to come up with new content every day and operate under the delusion that this frenetic writing pace will magically translate into more regular/frequent posting in the months that follow.

But hey, it's fun while it lasts and it's better than nothing.

In other words: National Blog Posting Month (aka NaBloPoMo)!

I've got all kinds of stuff on deck for the next few weeks: several more installments of the "Treasures" series; fall recipes; parenting reflections; Scripture meditations...even another book giveaway--plus of course the usual gratitude lists and adorable photos of my boys :)

So I hope you'll make time to visit a little more often these next few weeks--I'm looking forward to settling into a neglected but needed writing groove.

The End

I so hate to end NaBloPoMo on an anticlimactic note...alas, it's eight minutes to midnight and I've spent most of the day cuddling an extremely pathetic two-year-old. Jude is miserable, and nothing but Mama would do. So my house is a mess, but I let him nap on my chest this morning and tried to soak in the moment, knowing soon he will be much too big for that and I'll miss having a snugglebug.

As usual, my drafts folder and idea list is bulging with things I didn't get to this month. As usual, I really need to cut back on the blogging time these next few weeks and use my online time for shopping and creating photo calendars and such instead. But! As usual, I have been reminded of how I *need* to be writing. And I want to keep at it. So I'll be back here and there over the next month, and hope to settle into a better routine in January. I'm still working on the love story series--thanks for your patience :)

Long Day

Normally when I do NaBloPoMo, I write several posts ahead of time so that I don't have to worry about blogging in the midst of Thanksgiving celebrations. This year I wasn't quite so on the ball. And reality is, today has been a long day, and I don't have it in me to crank out a post tonight. In fact, if I am going to stay up any later, it would be much more beneficial to use the time processing my thoughts in my private journal, rather than crafting a public post for you all. So...happy Thanksgiving, and I'll see you tomorrow with a big ol' gratitude list.

Oh, P.S., a funny from today. I actually used the phrase "might could" today--meaning, I believe that I am officially a southerner. I never, ever thought I would see the day that those words would come out of my mouth, but they did. As in, "We might could put these over here." Yeah. What?!

Obligatory Check-In Post

Well, for about the fifth month in a row, I meant to participate in 10 on 10, and completely forgot. This would have been a perfect day to do it, too--absolutely gorgeous, a walk to the park, a trip to an apple orchard...alas.

It's been a long day, I'm exhausted, and rather than stay up writing a blog post, I'm headed to bed so that I can be well-rested for worship and fellowship tomorrow. Looking forward to the next installment of Acts.

Here's hoping this is the only "posting to say I'm not posting, just to keep up the streak" post this month :)

A Post a Day

I've done it every year since 2006--only failing once, in '09--and here we are for 2012 already:

NaBloPoMo!

My rate of blog posting has been steadily dropping all year, and for no good reason. It's not for lack of ideas; my drafts folder is overflowing with one-line prompts, half-written posts, nearly-finished material and more. And it's not for lack of time; I find that generally speaking, you make time for what you really want to do. No, it's any number of other lame issues, chief among them probably laziness and lack of discipline.

The truth is, I'm not healthy when I'm not writing. I'm pretty sure this blog is a decent barometer of my spiritual and emotional health--when I'm posting a fair amount, I'm in a good place, and when it's quiet here, I'm probably not thriving in real life, either.

So I sat down over the weekend and started organizing a list of post ideas. I have WAY more than I can possibly use this month! I'm excited to get going, hoping to get back into my groove over the next 30 days. I'm quite sure I won't sustain the momentum through December, since I've explained how the weeks following Thanksgiving get consumed by online shopping--but I'm hoping to crank out some interesting content this month, take a little break, and then jump back in after the first of the year with all the material I didn't get to use during NaBloPoMo.

Without further ado...here's to a month of blogging!

Quick Check-In

I made it over halfway through NaBloPoMo before getting to the "it's the end of the day and I'm tired and I haven't written a blog post yet but I don't want to lose the challenge" post :) That's allowed once, right?

I've got several posts in the works, including...
~why homebirth?
~why hire a doula?
~two fabulous stocking stuffer ideas
~revisiting a couple of old posts on anger
~reflections on various passages of Scripture and their connections to parenting

...but for tonight, I don't have the mental energy to bring any of them to completion. Instead I'll leave you with questions--what's your favorite type of post I write? What would you like to see me write about during the rest of the month?

NaBloPoMo 2011!

NaBloPoMo, here I am...and just in the nick of time :)

I've participated in National Blog Posting Month every year since its inception in 2006, and pulled off the challenge successfully every year but one. I haven't won a prize yet...maybe this will be my year?

I think every November 1, I offer the same cliches: my blog has been lackluster lately, this will give me a good jump start, breathe some new life into the blog, etc, etc. Let's be honest, that hasn't ever happened in any kind of sustained way; in fact, typically I find myself posting even less every December after the 30 posts in 30 days marathon wears me out. So I'm not going to make any silly promises this year. But if nothing else--here's hoping you'll get a steady diet of new content for the next few weeks.

I might be crazy--attempting this with a four-year-old and a one-year-old is going to be a lot harder than with a three-year-old and a brand-newborn--but I'm signing up to give it a shot. With any luck, you'll finally see some of the drafts that have been rolling around in my head for months. If nothing else, you'll get some new recipes and some cute photos of my kiddos :)

Here we go...who's with me?

I Did It!

Whew! November is over already and I actually managed to accomplish my NaBloPoMo goal. Life has indeed been crazy this month, but I'm glad I took the challenge--it's been fun to breathe some new life into my blog. And hopefully (though I'm afraid I say this every year) the momentum will continue. I have plenty of other ideas for posts and my drafts folder is still overflowing!

Thanks for reading--through the flurry of posting every November and through the lean times when I barely manage to put up a gratitude post every week. I am honored that you give me your time and consider what I have to say!

Home Sweet Home...and Christmas Music

No pictures today...we're recovering from a long road trip after a full week with family and friends in Ohio. Plenty of unpacking to do and sleep to be had, so I'm merely popping in to say good night. I've made it this far, I'm not about to blow NaBloPoMo now!

One quick conversation-starter before I sign off for the evening: What's your favorite Christmas music? I generally wait until after Thanksgiving to start listening to Christmas music, so I always look forward to the drive home from Thanksgiving when I finally break out all my holiday albums. One of my very favorites is Savior: Celebrating the Mystery of God Become Man. I also really enjoy David Phelps' Joy, Joy--and we loved discovering Straight No Chaser's Holiday Spirits last winter. And Mariah Carey's Merry Christmas is a classic, too.

This year I am planning to buy Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God: The True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ. Half our church is obsessed with him, and I loved the two songs from that album that were performed at our Christmas celebration last year.

So I'm curious to hear--what Christmas albums do you wear out every December?

Ack!

Day 5 and I almost lost the challenge already. OY. I think NaBloPoMo is going to be a little more difficult this year than I anticipated...

As the mother of a newborn, I highly, highly value my sleep--so this brief little check-in is the best I can do today. There's no way I'm staying up to write a thoughtful blog post; I'm going to bed!

Back tomorrow with some links, and planning to put up pictures every Sunday this month :)

NaBloPoMo 2010!

I had a baby less than two weeks ago and I'm actually thinking of participating in NaBloPoMo. Am I crazy?

Maybe...but I'm going to give it a shot. I've done it every year since 2006, and I need to redeem last year's failure. Also, I want to win a prize.

My drafts folder is filled with half-baked post ideas, and I need some motivation to write. Plus I figure, with a new baby, I should have plenty of cute pictures to post if nothing else :)

So here's to NaBloPoMo and a more lively blog over the next 30 days!

NaBloPoMo FAIL

I hate failure.

For the first time in the four years I have been doing NaBloPoMo...I didn't make the goal of posting at least once every day for the month of November :(

I realized at about 2:30 this morning that I hadn't put up a blog post in the insanity that was yesterday. Sad! I was so hoping that this would be my year to win one of the awesome prizes. The last three years, I've accomplished the goal, but not been selected for a prize. So probably, this year I'll be randomly selected and then be disqualified for not having posted every day. Argh! On the bright side, I haven't yet seen this year's prize list--when I first looked it up before NaBloPoMo started, it only contained one or two things that did not appeal to me. Now I'll just avoid looking so as not to torture myself.

I still plan on posting every remaining day in November. I've got a lot of ideas floating around in my head, both my own and ones you suggested. Yesterday was just so crazy that I did not have any time to post, unless I'd gotten on the computer at 10:45 when I got home--and at that point, the only things on my mind were bed, and my poor toddler with a horrible, barking cough.

What I *shouldn't* be sad about is the fact that real life took me away from the computer. Too often it is the other way around--the computer is a huge distraction from the people and tasks that are present right in front of me. So in reality, it's a GOOD thing that I was so busy living and loving right here and now that I wasn't thinking about the world of blogs! That's not "distraction"--that's called "right priorities." A helpful reminder, I guess--that NaBloPoMo should serve me and my family, not rule my life.

And the main reason I wasn't on the computer yesterday is because I was spending time with one of my dearest friends: the lovely Pamela Terry!

Pam and I went to college together, and she is now singing with the U.S. Army Field Band & Soldiers' Chorus--who were on tour in Nashville this week! After Thursday night's concert, Steve and I brought her home with us, and she and I stayed up until after 1:00 AM talking. Pam spent a few hours with Elijah and me in the morning, then we took her back downtown to catch her bus. I'm so glad we got to see her for a quick visit...even if the conductor did cut her solo at the last minute (boo).

After we dropped Pam off, Elijah and I went to Centennial Park to enjoy the beautiful weather. We fed the geese (which he got a huge kick out of...WHY didn't I take my camera?!) and he ran off a bunch of energy before we came home and crashed. I woke up from a long, much-needed nap with barely enough time to scramble and get things around to pick up four other ladies and go to a baby shower.

So it was a fun, full day--NaBloPoMo failure or not. And I know that whether I like it or not, it's good for my proud, perfectionist self to fail sometimes and learn humility :)

NaBloPoMo 2009

Hard to believe it's that time of year again: National Blog Posting Month!

This will be my fourth (also hard to believe) year participating in the challenge. It's pretty simple: post on your blog every day for a month. Keep it up for all of November, and you have a chance to win some awesome prizes! I'm hoping this will be my year.

So, get ready for a flurry of posting starting this week. I've got a list of ideas and I'm hoping I'll be hit with plenty of inspiration along the way. In the meantime, I'll throw out a question for my readers: What's something you'd enjoy reading about here at Lavender *Sparkles*? I can't promise I'll take the bait, but I'd love to hear what you're interested in hearing from me.

Let me know if you're joining in--it's a lot of fun (mostly) and a great way to discipline yourself to write more.

It's Coming...

November is just around the corner, and if you're a longtime reader of Lavender *Sparkles*, you know what that means:

NaBloPoMo!

I'll have an official kickoff post coming on the 1st...just wanted to give a little heads-up for anyone who might be interested in joining me this year.

Stay Tuned

I really am not going back to only posting Thankful Thursdays, honest! I've just been buried this week (and not using my time wisely) as I try to catch up after two weeks of being out of town--plus fitting two appointments, a meeting and some Christmas shopping into that mix! I still have plenty to say, so stay tuned and thanks for your patience. I do have to admit it was nice to not blog for a few days after finishing NaBloPoMo! (But I'm so bummed I didn't win any prizes.)

NaBloPoMo Grand Finale

My 30th post in 30 days is pretty anticlimactic...nothing interesting or profound to say, just a quick hello and thanks for reading the last month. It has felt good to get back into the groove of blogging, and I've got plenty more ideas I didn't even get to, so I hope to continue posting more frequently. I think I forgot to mention it in my Ultimate Thankful Thursday list, but I'm so thankful for all of you who give me a few minutes of your time each day or week and for those of you who take the extra time to comment or email me.

For now, it's an hour past my normal bedtime, I have to adjust to getting up early again after two weeks of a more nocturnal schedule, and the mountain of catching up/unpacking/laundry that awaits me tomorrow is overwhelming!

Whew. Made it!