The Deletion of Pinterest

While I have been MIA in the blogging, handmade, and pinterest world, I have been busy with homework (I am taking a course towards my doctorate degree), traveling for work, and doing things that I have not been able to do in a long while because of lack of time.  Therefore, I have lost contact with what is going on out there in the blogosphere.

I was surfing through my Facebook page today and noticed a post by Chrissy of Hoot Designs and what I read made me really nervous. What I read was a post about Pinterest infringing on copyright laws among other things. Wait. What?! For reals. All the legal lingo is broken down here in this detailed and informative post by DDK Portraits.

So...with that said, off I go to delete my Pinterest. After one last look around.

what discourages me from blogging

I have taken a couple of months off of intense blogging and now that I come back to it, I find that the biggest reason I can't motivate myself to blog is that I feel like I have missed out on so much.

Sure, I have missed reading blogs and commenting and having a relationship with others in the blogosphere. But what really intimidates me like no tomorrow is the vast array of talent that is out there. Talent in making your blog look like a million bucks. The newest most amazing fonts, with fun backgrounds, professional photos, and the list goes on. The pretty sponsor ads are also intimidating because I see how many awesome people are out there that I internally am competing with.

I keep asking myself why it bothers me so much. Why do I let competition with blogging get to me? I don't allow competition to be a major force in my life anywhere else? It is really quite odd.

I used to be able to write without a care. Okay maybe that isn't true. I did care about what I was writing but it seems that now I overly care and am always wondering, "no that is boring. who wants to read about that?" Truth is that the topic could be something really rad and I just won't write about it because I don't have fun pictures to show with gorgeous matching font and wit.

Perhaps what I am feeling is a bit silly? I assure you these feelings are real. I had a super fun photo for this post and of course I can't get it to work. I need computer lessons. I need confidence in blogging lessons. I need...to get a life.

W is for

There are 2 big W's that are constantly on my mind these days. Weight Watchers and Weddings.
I started Weight Watchers a couple of weeks back and so far am really happy with the program. I am infusing it into my life and finding that eating healthier makes me feel better, happier, and  I am down 5 lbs. but am a ways from my goal weight. I have made mini-goals along the way to my "real" goal weight so that I can celebrate on my journey.

Weddings. My wedding. We are in planning mode and this is where I need your help. Do you know of any handmade wedding blogs?

Etsy Showcase: Curiously Wrought

I have not done an Etsy Showcase post in quite awhile however while I was scouring pins on Pinterest I found this woman's work to be unique and different.

Little Ohio 9x9, $65

Wolverine Michigan Love 9x9, $65

California Love, $75

Eleanor Mathis, shop owner of Curiously Wrought describes the process of her nail and string art. 
"Each piece is custom designed from the state, to the colors, to the placement of the heart or team logo over a town that is special to you! Once it is designed, the wood is hand cut and painted or stained, each nail carefully hammered in, and the string is hand strung to create a unique 3-D map of the place you love." 


How cool is that? 

changes

Hiya Luv is going through some changes. I am going through some changes. I am still trying to decide where I want my blog to go. If I even want it to go anywhere or if I want it to just be a humble little abode on the net.

I used to have big dreams for my blog. I used to want to have a shop that was bustling and a blog that was just as much my career as was my shop. Then my new job came along and I am in love with it. Ever since then I have really put all my eggs into that basket. I still get joy out of my blog but honestly I have been concentrating more on home and the other job than the blog and shop.

For now the blog will be an outlet for fun. It will not have a set focus like it once did on crafting. It will be about anything...I will not pressure myself to write consistently or often. I will not pressure myself to have the best pictures, fun tutorials, new material that others haven't written yet, or stress about not writing for a week or two or maybe even three or four. I will do what I want.

I am re-evaluating my own expectations. I am reevaluating my own commitments. There will be changes in 2012. I just can't do it all and it is not fair to try to do things halfway...

Thanks for sticking around on my journey friends. :)

It's true...

I signed up for Weight Watcher's today. And I am freaking out that I have to give up on the abundance of sugar that I eat. And change my ways. It really is a good thing. I just need to take it in stride. I want to change my lifestyle. I want to take big steps to eat healthier and be healthier. I have been wanting to do this for awhile and now is a great time to start.

Now if I could just get D to do it with me...it is so hard to cook for me and then for him...but for now I will make do....

Without my iPhone...

The past couple of days Dave and I have been in the middle of the mountains in rural Pennyslvania visiting my grandma. We had a great time relaxing by the fire, eating amazing home cooked meals, and besides wi-fi being completely cut off from the world via cell phone. When we arrived at my grandma's I turned off my phone and didn't look at it for a couple of days.

I am glued to my phone. I am constantly entertained by it as the iPhone has my "life" on it. I typically use my iPhone now more than my laptop. I play games, pay bills, tweet, read blogs, etc. on my phone. As I hadn't paid any attention to it in 2 days, I did not feel a sense of urgency if I did not have it on me.

As we were leaving my grandma's today we were rushing. We had just learned that the rain we had been expecting to fall in the late afternoon/evening hours had turned into a wintery mix and was to arrive around noon. It was 10am and the rain had arrived. As we rushed around the house gathering our belongings, grabbed leftovers that my grandma had packed us, I didn't think about looking for my phone.

On the way home the rain was quite a wintery mix with the temperatures dropping. Polo sat on my lap like a good boy and I held on to him and tried not to be nervous about the weather as we drove around the twists and turns of the mountains. Dave drove but I could tell he was nervous driving my little Honda Civic through the mountains. (He is always super nervous driving with Polo in the car anyhow and the weather didn't help at all.)

When we got close to home Dave mentioned that since we now had cell phone reception that I should call my grandma and let her know we were almost home. I could not find my purse anywhere.

Scatter brained.

Sinking stomach.

I had left my wallet, purse, and iPhone at my grandma's 3.5 hours away. I was tempted to turn around and drive back however was talked out of it by Dave due to the weather.

Mad at myself I keep asking, "How do I forget something so important? Why am I always so scattered?"

I don't have an answer. I don't know how to fix my scatter brain. That bothers me.

I am meeting up with my grandma tomorrow half way for lunch. I feel so bad about my mistake.

Without my iPhone I realize how much I depend on it for so many things. It is kind of peaceful not to have it. I have been reading on my kindle, I blogged!, wrapped gifts for Dave's family, cleaned the house!, and am eager to sew. I haven't been eager to sew in weeks.

So iPhone, I love you so...but I have a totally new perspective.