Etcetera #11

| Allison

Hello, dears!

Yikes. I haven’t done an “etcetera” post in three months – my computer is about to burst with random photos! I went through these again and again and eventually couldn’t bear to narrow them down anymore, so prepare for the biggest photo dump I’ve posted on here in a while. O.o This may require a cup of hot something or a snack, if you’re that kind of person. 😉

Anyway, I’m rather excited about this mish-mashed collection of cute pups, jelly beans, self portraits, foggy photography, tangled plants, adventures, and aesthetic pictures. 🙂 I’ll keep my captions to a minimum so you can just scroll and enjoy.

(Also happy Valentine’s day; I almost forgot. XD) Let’s do this!

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Winter Palette {a Collection of Photos}

| Allison

Hello, dears!

I’ve been taking lots of winter walks lately and getting pictures which are… kinda blah. Heh. It’s hard to find much variety and color in winter landscapes, you know? I think of blue and white as winter colors, but without snow, the palette is more like brown and gray. However, today I decided to try and embrace that, partially inspired by this lovely post, and pick out some of those photos to edit in a wintery, understated way.

Did they turn out aesthetic or just… brown? XD I don’t know, you’ll have to see what you think of my attempt! Read on for some interesting bits of winter I’ve collected for you. 🙂

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Notebook Therapy Reviews + Journaling

| Allison

Hello, dears!

Yayyy, I’m so excited for my second Notebook Therapy review post! After my first one, they contacted me and asked if I wanted to review more things and I was like… YES PLEASE. They sent me these journals, a pencil case, and a new tote bag for free in exchange for this review, but of course I’ll give you guys my honest opinions on what I review however much I pay. *nods*

If you like aesthetic stationery supplies, bunnies, or the color blue, follow me! 😀

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Thoughts On… {Self Care}

| Allison

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

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. 😉

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. 🙂

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. 😛 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. 😉 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! 😀 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 😉 ). 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. 🙂 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? 😉 (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. 🙂

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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