Do you want to increase traffic to your blog, but are out of creative ideas to write about?
I just signed up for the A to Z Challenge for the month of April. I'm number 703 so there are a ton of bloggers involved with this. The challenge is to post each day (except Sunday) about something starting with the letter of that day. It sounds like a great challenge and I think it's a great way to increase followers.
Let me know if you sign up and I will make sure to follow you if I already don't!
Have a fantastic day! Peace.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
...
"...with silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair." -Bob Dylan
"Someone told me there's a girl out there with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair." -Led Zeppelin
"If you're going to San Fransisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair." -Scott McKenzie
"Someone told me there's a girl out there with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair." -Led Zeppelin
"If you're going to San Fransisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair." -Scott McKenzie
Some pictures are not mine so, yeah not claiming ownership or anything. They're just pretty.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
"“If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” — Vincent van Gogh
A few months ago, when I first started my writing career I was very apprehensive about letting people see and read my work.What if people didn't like it? What if I made a mistake and people would point and laugh? What if someone left me a nasty comment criticizing my work? etc. Sometimes the greatest enemy is yourself. I had to get to the point where I just said "Who cares what people think!?" I've wanted this for a long time, I'm not perfect, I will make mistakes, but I want this so I'm willing to put myself out there taking the good with the bad.
I love this quote by my favorite painter because it challenges you to push forward and overcome that internal voice of hindrance that keeps us from accomplishing our dreams. I'm going to stretch it and even say to ignore the external voices. The people that make you feel like you or your work isn't "good enough". There's always going to be people that would rather tear you down then build you up. Today and everyday you are worth it, your work is worth it, continue to put forth effort and challenge yourself to learn from your mistakes!
Here are two of my articles. One is an example of my "best work" and the other is my least favorite. Both allowed me to learn and grow as a writer.
Game of Thrones
Fun Activities to do with your kids
Van Gogh's "A Starry Night"
A few months ago, when I first started my writing career I was very apprehensive about letting people see and read my work.What if people didn't like it? What if I made a mistake and people would point and laugh? What if someone left me a nasty comment criticizing my work? etc. Sometimes the greatest enemy is yourself. I had to get to the point where I just said "Who cares what people think!?" I've wanted this for a long time, I'm not perfect, I will make mistakes, but I want this so I'm willing to put myself out there taking the good with the bad.
I love this quote by my favorite painter because it challenges you to push forward and overcome that internal voice of hindrance that keeps us from accomplishing our dreams. I'm going to stretch it and even say to ignore the external voices. The people that make you feel like you or your work isn't "good enough". There's always going to be people that would rather tear you down then build you up. Today and everyday you are worth it, your work is worth it, continue to put forth effort and challenge yourself to learn from your mistakes!
Here are two of my articles. One is an example of my "best work" and the other is my least favorite. Both allowed me to learn and grow as a writer.
Game of Thrones
Fun Activities to do with your kids
Friday, March 4, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Explaining Blog Title
Please Note: This post is probably the most in-depth post I will make here. I want this place to be fun and light-lighthearted, but before we get there I thought it would be a good idea to explain why I chose, "With Flowers In Your Hair" for my blog title and what the quote means to me on the right sidebar...So here goes...
After The Storm-Mumford and Sons
Because death is just so full and man so small.
Well I'm scared of what's behind and what's before.
And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.
His name was David Hanni. He was always there after school when I got home to ask me how my day was. He was 51 years old and the bravest person I'll ever know. Most of all, he was my dad. He passed away this last summer on my daughters fourth birthday.
The last time I saw him my family and mum were visiting him at the hospital. It was a beautiful warm summer's day which caused us to migrate quickly to the courtyard which was filled with blooming flowers and sunshine. I'll never forget the light of pride that graced his face as he watched my girls run barefoot in the grass amongst the flowers.
For anyone that has lost a parent, nothing can prepare you for the amount of heartbreak and grief that follows. I stand firm in my faith and my father's faith and I can rest in the peace because I know where he is and that he is out of pain. Yet, the grief can linger and creep up when you least expect it. I've had to pull over on the side of the road at times just to let it pass.
I discovered this song by Mumford and Sons soon after my dad's passing and to say it was therapeutic is an understatement. The lyrics resonated right to my soul and what I was going through at the time. Then as I thought more on the song, it became a really wise life lesson in general.
Here I'll dissect the last two lines:
1.Get over your hill: A "hill" can be anything you need to overcome in your life. Not just surviving, but getting over it requires overcoming. We all have our own personal "hills" and seasons in life...some are bigger than others. It's important to not only keep climbing and fighting, but to do it in a matter of grace and beauty.
2.See what you find there: Sometimes it's another hill (Which in my case it was. Soon after losing my dad our family went through a different kind of devastation). Other times it's a beautiful view. It's different for everyone and maybe you will only know and be able to relish it in. The important thing here is to keep going, to not give up, because there is a promise of beauty at the end.
3.With grace in your heart: Probably the most challenging line of all. How many people can say they came through hard times unscathed with their spirits in tact? We're human, it's addicting to start to victimize and feel sorry for ourselves. This line encourages me not to. To instead forge on, to learn and grow and focus on the beauty and positive in a situation. However, I'm not "Sally Sunshine" this part is hard and requires conscious effort, but it's something I strive for, a goal of sorts.
4.and flowers in your hair: This vision leads me to my hippie roots. It evokes a sense of peace and belonging. It serves as reminder to not spend time on negative energy and to continue to find the beauty in life, because that is what is worth fighting for.
This part of the song mirrors so well what I learned from my dad and the way he lived his life. He was a kidney dialysis patient and suffered most of his life, yet he was never one to complain or feel sorry for himself. He was the one that would crack the joke and get everyone laughing. To me that is beauty. To go through life with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.
Whole song:
After The Storm-Mumford and Sons
Because death is just so full and man so small.
Well I'm scared of what's behind and what's before.
And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.
His name was David Hanni. He was always there after school when I got home to ask me how my day was. He was 51 years old and the bravest person I'll ever know. Most of all, he was my dad. He passed away this last summer on my daughters fourth birthday.
The last time I saw him my family and mum were visiting him at the hospital. It was a beautiful warm summer's day which caused us to migrate quickly to the courtyard which was filled with blooming flowers and sunshine. I'll never forget the light of pride that graced his face as he watched my girls run barefoot in the grass amongst the flowers.
For anyone that has lost a parent, nothing can prepare you for the amount of heartbreak and grief that follows. I stand firm in my faith and my father's faith and I can rest in the peace because I know where he is and that he is out of pain. Yet, the grief can linger and creep up when you least expect it. I've had to pull over on the side of the road at times just to let it pass.
I discovered this song by Mumford and Sons soon after my dad's passing and to say it was therapeutic is an understatement. The lyrics resonated right to my soul and what I was going through at the time. Then as I thought more on the song, it became a really wise life lesson in general.
Here I'll dissect the last two lines:
1.Get over your hill: A "hill" can be anything you need to overcome in your life. Not just surviving, but getting over it requires overcoming. We all have our own personal "hills" and seasons in life...some are bigger than others. It's important to not only keep climbing and fighting, but to do it in a matter of grace and beauty.
2.See what you find there: Sometimes it's another hill (Which in my case it was. Soon after losing my dad our family went through a different kind of devastation). Other times it's a beautiful view. It's different for everyone and maybe you will only know and be able to relish it in. The important thing here is to keep going, to not give up, because there is a promise of beauty at the end.
3.With grace in your heart: Probably the most challenging line of all. How many people can say they came through hard times unscathed with their spirits in tact? We're human, it's addicting to start to victimize and feel sorry for ourselves. This line encourages me not to. To instead forge on, to learn and grow and focus on the beauty and positive in a situation. However, I'm not "Sally Sunshine" this part is hard and requires conscious effort, but it's something I strive for, a goal of sorts.
4.and flowers in your hair: This vision leads me to my hippie roots. It evokes a sense of peace and belonging. It serves as reminder to not spend time on negative energy and to continue to find the beauty in life, because that is what is worth fighting for.
This part of the song mirrors so well what I learned from my dad and the way he lived his life. He was a kidney dialysis patient and suffered most of his life, yet he was never one to complain or feel sorry for himself. He was the one that would crack the joke and get everyone laughing. To me that is beauty. To go through life with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.
Whole song:
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Testing this out
After our Y!CN chat meeting yesterday I've realized it's essential for me to have a blog to promote my writings. So here is my blog where I will promote my writings. I hope to use it to share fun things I find interesting, so follow me and we will have fun!
If you currently have a blog, link it here and I will follow you too.
My writings
I write mainly on the two concepts that interest me most: Green Living and Parenting. I'm also quite obsessed with HBO's new show premiering in April "A Game of Thrones". I've written a couple articles for Demand Studios, but the majority of my content can be found here at Yahoo! Associated Content Bethy B
"The Beast" aka First Novel
Sean Connery said: “You write your first draft with your heart and you re-write with your head. The first key to writing is to write, not to think.”
This is where I am on my first novel. I'm in the first stages of going back and editing what I first wrote with my heart. It is a continued process that is taking quite some time, but I have a goal of looking for publishers by the end of the year. *hopes*
ETA: My book is not titled "The Beast" that's just my name for the massive pile of paper filled with scribbles that I have to attack everyday ;)
Have a great day and be inspired by the world around you!
If you currently have a blog, link it here and I will follow you too.
My writings
I write mainly on the two concepts that interest me most: Green Living and Parenting. I'm also quite obsessed with HBO's new show premiering in April "A Game of Thrones". I've written a couple articles for Demand Studios, but the majority of my content can be found here at Yahoo! Associated Content Bethy B
"The Beast" aka First Novel
Sean Connery said: “You write your first draft with your heart and you re-write with your head. The first key to writing is to write, not to think.”
This is where I am on my first novel. I'm in the first stages of going back and editing what I first wrote with my heart. It is a continued process that is taking quite some time, but I have a goal of looking for publishers by the end of the year. *hopes*
ETA: My book is not titled "The Beast" that's just my name for the massive pile of paper filled with scribbles that I have to attack everyday ;)
Have a great day and be inspired by the world around you!
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