Ok, gang. So where's the summer going?
It's always fun for me to share the last 30 days with you, the bits and pieces, odds and ends that make the weeks speed by. I look at these monthly Loose Ends posts as my own personal newsletter / Instagram / FB page. Thanks for the ways you tell me each month that you get a bit of a kick out of glimpsing the ordinary, the winsome, the discoveries, the reads.
I love doing life with you ... even from afar.
JOMO ... not FOMO
Fear of Missing Out {FOMO} is SO last year. Far too many of us were a wee bit afraid {or off the charts terrified} to skip out on our favorite social media babies for fear that we'd be out of the loop, left behind, abandoned, or completely forgotten if we didn't keep up our ridiculously frantic must-be-online-at-all-times pace.
This summer? Not so much. JOMO {Joy of Missing Out} is the order of the day.
And not too soon because truth be told, quite a few of us were getting just a bit crispy around the edges even if we weren't able to come right out and admit it. And now we're celebrating the total relief of being freed up from the dailyness of being ever present online. We can't believe how much fun it is to opt out of the exhausting digital treadmill and choose to live life without being constantly tethered to a screen or tapping away at the keyboard.
I came up for air to do a little six day #MyCozySummerHome series {did you see the porch?!}, touched base mid-month with In Which I Tell You Exactly Why I'm Barely Online, and weighed in on the spiritual bounty that comes with closed doors as I penned On Discovering the Door With Your Name On It.
And you know what I'm finding? When I've occasionally bopped back on to the scene, I found that the blogging world was proceeding quite well without me, thank you very much. You guys graciously welcomed me back into the online fold ... unless you, too, were out and about, unplugged and in no hurry to rush back into the old frantic rhythms.
Do read this New York Times' article How to Make This the Summer of Missing Out.
Hint, it's not too late to lighten up. I've got a feeling that more than a few of us are going to keep on embracing this lovely, healthy loosening of the reins into the months ahead.
GetStencil.com
Thanks to Debby {have you seen her beautiful new Picture This site?}, I hooked into GetStencil.com and found it easy going for this technologically challenged soul. I wanted to create a bunch of headers for these monthly Loose Ends posts and was able to do so without getting all kinds of panic-y in the process. You get 10 freebies a month, which is more than enough for me.
Don't you just love free?
Their site says it well - 'Ridiculously simple image creation for social media marketers, bloggers and small businesses.'
And even though I still prefer my photographs unadorned and free from words and logos and such, I couldn't be happier with the results.
Stupendous Giveaways
I haven't told my husband yet, but for my upcoming 63rd birthday, I'm treating myself to soon-to-be-published books by two of my favorite bloggers ... Myquillen 'The Nester' Smith's Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff and Anne 'Modern Mrs. Darcy' Bogel's I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life.
Each of these books can be pre-ordered and when you do so, there are all kinds of truly fabulously generous free goodies that are yours for the asking.
Click here to find out about Myquillen's Free Cozy Minimalist Home Seasons + Celebrations Online Classes {$116 value!}.
And click there to check out the Free 7 Days to Get More Out of Your Reading Life class and the Free audio version of I'd Rather Be Reading {plus more!} you'll scoop up from Anne Bogel.
I'm a big fan of these beautifully creative women and am more than willing to buy their latest books sight unseen. I'm betting they're going to be THAT good!
Pre-order with me, ok?
Lydia's Story
She's our eldest granddaughter, her middle name is Joy ... and unlike her grandmother at that age, this girl's a sheer delight. Long time friends will remember her successful brain tumor surgery when she was 6 years old. She's back again with her 2 minute story about the spiritual impact of her little brother's Tyler's life and death ... and you might want to have a tissue handy. {Hint - the sound might be better on your laptop than on your phone or tablet.}
Love you, My Lydz ...
Excellent Links
Pastor - Take a Vacation for the Good of Your Church
Stephanie Dyrness Lobdell
How to Add Character to Your Home
Cami @ Tidbits
Here's How You Say No to Drama in Your Life
Henry Cloud
A Guide to Letting Go of Shame and Fear
Leo Baubata
Becoming Minimalist: Should You Donate Or Sell Your Unneeded Possessions?
Joshua Becker
Paying Attention to God in an Age of Constant Distraction
Alan Noble
I Am So Not Ready For This Madness
Let's talk about what made your July sparkle!
*
hi to
