5 Blogging Tips.

When I first started blogging about 6 months ago, I was wandering the blogosphere with absolutely NO direction. 
I was overwhelmed. 

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There are a million and a half links that could help with navigating the blogosphere, but I really only remember reading one. 


This post, by Elsie Larson at A Beautiful Mess, changed my world! 


In this post she has 5 tips for Bloggers. 
 1) Create a blog YOU would enjoy reading. 
 2) Develop regular features that are fun to write. 
 3) Your Blog is NOT your best friend.
 4) Make Friends. 
 5) Trust your instincts. 


1) Create a blog YOU would enjoy reading. 
In my case, I created a blog that was about my life because I figured I would be the only one who read it! haha. Eventually, I plan on getting into more of a niche blogosphere, but at the moment I don't care. I just want to write what I want to write. Sue me! 


2) Develop regular features that are fun to write. 
Here are some regular features I LOVE to read, they're so so fun. 
     • The Paper Mama's "Photo Challenge" 
     • Coupon Closet's "Weekly Store Deals" 
     • Casey Wiegand's "What I Wear"


3) Your Blog is NOT your best friend. 
I don't know if I agree with her completely. She says that your blog is NOT the place you should go and vent your problems. I have a problem with this because I feel like you should write what's on your heart. But then again she's Elsie Larson, and she is awesome, so you might want to listen to her. :P


4) Make Friends. 
Yes, this is the best. The mom blogosphere is FULL of supportive women who are kind and encouraging. Make an effort to be kind to another blogger today. SERIOUSLY!


5) Trust Your Instincts.
This is true in most things in life. But really if you are put into a position whether it be about advertising, sponsoring, guest posting, asking for help, DON'T HESITATE TO ASK QUESTIONS OR RUN. 
Test your fight or flight instincts. 






Until next time. 
Sincerely, 
Kylee 

Verse on my heart- Take what you need.

This is the verse that God has put on my heart today. Take what you need from this verse. 

Why Do You Blog?

Technorati did their annual "State of the Blogosphere" study for 2011. 

Here are three things I got from this article:

1. Hobby bloggers (which is what I consider myself) determine the success of their blog by "personal satisfaction". 

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2. The main reason why hobby bloggers blog is to "speak their mind in their area of interest". 

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3. And, finally, hobby bloggers have experienced positive impact in their lives by expressing and learning more about their passion areas. 

Source

**Why do you blog? Do you relate to the information above?? 

What's On My Heart.

I am disconnected from the situation, but not by much. 

Once upon a time, there were two young kids in love with the wrong people. 

One, 22, a recent college graduate married a city woman and moved her into the country. 

One, 17, married to the father of the child she had in her. 

Years passed. 

The city woman grew tired of the country side. 

The young mother grew tired of an absentee father. 

They divorced. 

But, they found their happy ever after in each other. 

Even longer into the future, 

The young mother's oldest child, marries the father of the child she had in her. 

14 years later, they divorce. 

I hate this cycle. 

I really feel like it doesn't have to be like this, but it is. 

People get divorced. Families are torn apart. And the cycle continues. Seriously, when does it end?  

*Will you be the first to BREAK the generational curse on your family??

-I will. 

FYE: A Pic for Your Entertainment

I've had baby fever for a while, and this helps me realize that I can wait. :P 

I can wait because I have a fluffy child already! 

This is Optimus, our youngest puppy. He's such a snuggler. <3

3 week review of NOT smoking.

It has been 3 weeks since I quit smoking. 

They say it takes 21 days to create a habit. 

Welp, it's been a fun 3 weeks (that's sarcasm). It's been cuh-razy! I will start off by saying I FEEL AWESOME!! I feel like I quit a million years ago. So here's the review. 

Week One: 

This week was BY FAR the hardest. There was more that happened to my body and mind than in my whole life. If you want a day-by-day blow of the week, LOOK HERE! 

Week Two: 

Cravings are at a minimum to non-existent. I really started to feel my mood shift this week. Or maybe my hubs started to have less patience with my meanie-ness. The type of stuff I was coughing up is too disgusting to describe. 

Week Three:

I didn't think about cigarettes much at all. We went to a bar, but I was MISERABLE! Let's just say I won't be going to a bar for a long while. I kept saying, "I could be one of those people who only smoke when they drink." That's not the truth and I know it. I couldn't do that. 

But overall I think I'm really a non-smoker!! It's official. 

** I also want to thank everyone who commented with encouragement and their prayers. You all have no idea how much that truly helped. Thank you. 

Evolution of My Designs 2011.

So, this past year I tried my hand at some design work. Whether it was for school, for others, my husband, or this blog, I've enjoyed it so so much.

I can't wait to show you what I can do a year from now. It can only get better from here. :)

August 2011                  

See the entire digital garage sale

September 2011

October 2011

November 2011

December 2011

Worst. Day. Ever.

I started back to school for the last time ever today. I work at the University's newspaper as the Advertising manager. I had to be at work a little early today since we've had no previous work days to prepare for tomorrow's paper. 


Within the fist 20 seconds of me being at work, I was in tears. I hadn't even got to the first drink of my coffee yet (coffee with french vanilla creamer at that!). The first thing I saw when I got to work was that my work computer had been swiped clean. My desktop, my folders, my work had been erased into oblivion. 

At this point, you may be saying, "well, Kylee, why wasn't your computer backed up in some way?". And to that I say...
No, Shit, Sherlock. Yes, I should've done that, but does that change the fact that I didn't?


Everyone saw me crying like a little girl. There were freaked out men (my boss/advisor and the other editors). I was training a new girl and she saw me sobbing like a baby. 


I just couldn't help it. I was emotional and someone stole my work life from under my nose. I felt like all of the crappy work I do for the little to no pay I receive was done in vien. I will never retrieve it. 


After I had come to terms with my loss, which I'm now referring to as "The Fire", I may have said the phrase that NO ONE SHOULD SAY WHEN HAVING A BAD DAY.  

"It couldn't get worse..."

Oh, how wrong I was.  lol...

(Part two, later the same day). 

I thought I was in the clear. I thought that the worst of my day was behind me. I'm stupid for thinking any of that. 

I went to the gym with my friends. After our pilates class, my friend, Lyssa, and I decided to do some more cardio and she needed some tennis shoes. I drove. 

About halfway to Academy, I started to notice my car acting funny. The steering and a sound I couldn't ignore. 

I had a flat tire. 

I wasn't going to let my self cry like a baby, but a couple of tears came out regardless. 

I'm so glad I was with my friend, we started to change the tire like two independent women. About when the work was done, a random mechanic helped us out. 

*Moral of the story is never assume the bad day will get better, especially after saying "it couldn't get any worse"

First Week in Review Of NOT smoking.

So 9 days ago, I quit smoking. I thought I would write out how the first week went. 

I'm not going to lie though, this has been waaaaaay easier than I thought. I honestly couldn't have done this without prayer and the grace of God. 

Day One:

This was by far the hardest day. I kept thinking, "I don't have to do this today. I could start tomorrow", which made me want a cigarette the whole day. I also about beat a woman up at Ross for being rude to a cashier. 

Day Two:

I realized today that since a lot of my friends are smokers, it's hard to be around them. I bought an electronic cigarette on an impulse and used it for the better part of the evening. 

Day Three: 

I really started to feel "released" today. Every time I had a serious craving, I prayed. AND IT WORKED! God took the craving away. 

Day Four: 

After doing more research on the electronic cigarette, I stopped using it. The whole point to not smoking was to be released from addiction. I started to feel the physical repercussions of quitting today. I think I got some form of cold. Oh, and sleep was pretty unusual too, (weird dreams). 

Day Five: 

I was sick today. Cough and sinus crap. I'm sure it was because of not smoking. At this point I stopped having serious cravings. I had one craving today and it only lasted for about 2-3 minutes. 

Day Six: 

I really think quitting has been too easy. But we had the opportunity to go to a bar, and we declined. I was not quite ready to be around it all. 

Day Seven: 

It's so nice to reach a milestone. I'm beginning to feel better physically. It's a little hard to concentrate, but I think that has something to do with how lazy I've been. I can smell better, taste things, and overall feel way better about myself. It's nice to not stink all the time. 

God is sooo good. I couldn't have done this alone. 

Jeremiah 29:11,13

I saw this on Eisy Morgan today, and I thought I just had to copy.

EMOTIONAL

• Is there anyone whose forgiveness you need to seek?
• -- My hubs comes to mind. He's been so supportive through everything I've tried to do this past year. I know that I can answer his support better this year. I'm going to work on supporting him and trusting him no matter what. 
• 
  
• Is there anyone you need to forgive?
• -- I battled with this a lot in 2011. I feel like the ghosts of my past are subdued, but they seem to creep up. So as of now, there is just one person I need to forgive. So, right now, it's worth more to let it go than to hang on to it. This year doesn't need more weight to carry around and lose. 
• 
  
• Where is the clutter in my life?
• -- The clutter is all around me. Jacob and I are working on so much at once. We're saving, going to school, finding work, living with his brother, looking for a house to live in, and trying to keep our marriage afloat. 
• 
  
• What caused me the most stress in 2011? How am I going to fix that in 2012?
• --Our living situation and our finances caused me the most stress in 2011. But we've recently changed the way we are budgeting (Jacob is now in total control, the way it should be). We are going to move to our own home this year. I can't wait!!

SPIRITUAL

• Am I closer to God today than January 1?
• -- I feel like I'm about a tiny step closer, by the end of the day I've taken a little baby step back. 
• 
  
• What‟s my spiritual growth process for 2012?
• -- Jacob and I are in need of reform in our process. 
• 
  
• Have you scheduled your times with God for January? All of 2012?
• -- Yes. 
• 
  

RELATIONAL

• Would you rate your marriage a 10? Would your spouse (you might want to ask over a nice dinner)? If it‟s not a 10 ask this question “What would it take in 2012 to make it a 10?”
• -- It's not a 10. We aren't satisfied with mediocre. We are always in "improve mode". 
• 
  
• Same question for each of your kids?
• -- I don't have kids. I want them... but don't have them... yet!
• 
  
• Have you scheduled your date nights for January?
• -- No. We haven't. Since we are saving nazis at the moment, we will have to get creative with our dates. 

PHYSICAL

• How much do I weigh? Is that OK?
• -- It's not okay. 2012 is the year for Jacob and I to get healthy. There are no excuses, it's time. 
• 
  
• Do I have a Physical Scheduled between now and March 31?
• -- No, I doubt I will do that. Sorry. 
• 
  
• What‟s my major physical focus area for 2012?
• -- Lifestyle change. Not fads. 

FINANCIAL

• Are my finances in order?
• -- We are working on it. Let's just say we're more in order than we were yesterday! :)
• 
  
• Do I have debt beyond my mortgage?
• -- haha! We're working on getting a mortgage. 
• 
  
• Am I stuck in a weird mortgage?
• -- I would give my pinky toe for a "weird" mortgage.
• 
  
• Should I make a year end sacrificial offering to my church?
• 
  

INTELLECTUAL

• What are my reading goals for 2012?
• --Textbooks, textbooks, textbooks! :D 
• 
  
• What am I most curious about? How am I going to answer that curiosity?
• -- I'm curious about cooking. I'm going to learn more about that this year. 
• 
  
• What seminars am I planning on attending this year?
• -- I would love to attend BlogHer!  But for sure I will attend a couple of research seminars.