Thoughts On… {Self Care}

| Allison

I think the self-care movement is, at its foundation, a socially-acceptable excuse for selfishness.Β 

Yet I’m all for self-care! See, it’s just the self-care movement that makes me sad. And today I’m going to try to explain why a way that’s hopefully helpful and productive, not just a bunch of complaining – since that’s not good #selfcare however you look at it. πŸ˜‰

If you read this post and disagree – which, let’s be real, is gonna happen a lot – please still feel free to leave a comment below! I really want to hear from you. *nods* Either way, I hope this post makes you think, because we need more of that.

Okay. *deep breath* Here’s my take on self care as a Christian teen.

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Sunbeams & Hay Bales

| Allison

Hello, dears!

Yay, I finally get to share some of my favorite recent photos! Our cousins from Canada stayed at our house over New Years and we had many lovely adventures with them that will have to last us until we see them again. πŸ™‚

If kids (and sometimes) adults come over to our house and want to go outside, there’s a high chance we’ll take you to 1) the hay barn (basically an enormous, extremely dusty playground), or 2) one of the streams (which can provide hours of entertainment as well). As a bonus, they both make for some pretty fun pictures!

Enjoy this collection of sunbeams and hay bales and warm winter adventures!

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Adventures in Christmasing, 2019

| Allison

Hello, dears!

My, it feels like a while since my last post. I like the new schedule. πŸ˜› I’m also quite happy to be back and showing you guys some of the MANY photos I took over the past holidays.

We’re gonna cover weird cats, cute dogs, cute little humans, a pretty moon… actually most of these photos don’t look Christmasy at all; I just happened to take them at one of our four Christmas celebrations. πŸ˜‰ Enjoy this collection of random bits of joy!

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Farewell, 2019 {My Year in Review}

| Allison

Hello, dears!

It’s time for my annual huge New Year’s post! πŸ˜€ Today I’m gonna be reviewing the biggest events of my 2019; a short list of favorite books and music; blog stats; and, of course, my goals and resolutions! I love looking back on these posts. Every time, my past self looks a little strange, God’s grace clearly abounds and overflows, and the memories bring me back to times I hope I never forget.

Although there weren’t as many dramatic highs and lows as last year, 2019 was a good year for me, and I grew a lot (not physically πŸ˜‰ ). God led me through several things that stretched me out of my comfort zone and made me depend completely on him because I obviously couldn’t do it myself. And he was faithful. He always is, and yet somehow I still doubt that again and again. *sigh* What a merciful Lord we have, don’t we?

Anyway. Let’s get into the post before the intro gets any longer. XD Right this way, please!

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My 2020 Bullet Journal Setup {Plan with Me}

| Allison

Hello, dears!

I hope you had a wondermous Christmas! I’m scheduling this post because I’ll probably be at one of our many Christmas celebrations with family when you read this. Ahh, it’s going to be great! But anyway…

Yayyy, I’ve looked forward to this post for so long! The other day I finally pulled out my new bullet journal and set it up for use in 2020. πŸ™‚ I did my best to keep the layouts simple, functional, and easy to use, while also making it pleasing to the eye with a pretty purple and gold aesthetic. I can’t wait to show you how it turned out!

Ready for some bujo inspiration? Let’s go!

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The Carpenter's Son {A Christmas Short Story}

| Allison

Hello, dears!

I think by now it’s kind of a tradition for me to post a little Christmas retelling around the 25th, right? πŸ˜‰ (You can read my previous stories here and here.) This time I wrote a short story from Joseph’s point of view. Joseph seems to get overlooked, despite the difficult and important role he played in Jesus’ birth and life, so I wanted to highlight him for once.

Of course, although this is based on one of the greatest true stories in history, I added a lot of details from my imagination, using bits I learned from the sermon last Sunday, the story of Joseph in Matthew 1 + Jesus’ birth in Luke 2, and just general knowledge I have collected from past Christmas story research. πŸ™‚

I hope you enjoy this little story about the incredible miracle:

“Thou who art God beyond all praising, all for love’s sake becamest man; stooping so low, but sinners raising heavenwards by thine eternal plan.”

– “Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendor
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Explore with Me 003 | "Tongues in Trees" {Tiny Stories in B&W}

| Allison

Hello, dears!

Today I have a collection of small stories for you – stories in photos, that is. Usually I look for pretty colors or beautiful lighting when taking pictures, but sometimes in winter there’s not a lot of either – especially in the scrubby, ugly part of the woods I was wandering through a while ago. So I switched gears and started looking for interesting textures, specifically things that would look nice in black and white, where colors and lighting wouldn’t matter so much.

Once I started looking for details, I was nearly overwhelmed by all the interesting and pretty things I found everywhere. Hopefully this episode encourages you to enjoy the beauty of nature even when it’s not usually considered beautiful. I’m going to add just short captions to the photos so you can enjoy the stories yourself without too much distraction. πŸ™‚ Enjoy!

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How to Make Your Own Stamps & Stickers

| Allison

Hello, dears!

I recently discovered how easy it is to make your own stamps and use them to decorate all sorts of things – wrapping paper, envelopes, stickers, etc. I decided to make a tutorial for you guys so you can enjoy it too!Β This is a great craft to do with younger kids. I used it as an art lesson for my elementary-aged class just a couple weeks ago and they had a lot of fun creating their own designs! πŸ˜€

At the end of the post, I’ll give you guys a little inspiration on how to use the stamps for holiday wrapping and gifts in particular, but stamps are fun any time of the year. πŸ™‚ Let’s do it!

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Adventures in Christmas Tree-ing

| Allison

Hello, dears!

I’m finally making the annual “Getting Our Christmas Tree” post! This year the experience was… heh, interesting. We kept having troubles with the tree and the decorations and… yeah. This will be a Christmas to remember! :’D At this point it’s a wonder the poor thing is still living (sort of) to tell the tale!

Speaking of which, I should get started with the post now. Once upon a time, there lived an average, unsuspecting evergreen on Christmas tree farm…

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