Tag: WordPress

The Writing Robe

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I changed my WordPress theme again. My daughter was surprised to see a dark background, but it’s intriguing. What really snagged my interest is what it does to the photos. At first glance they look aged, similar to the old black and white, but hover your mouse, or finger over one and it refills with color.

It was cool in the house this morning, and I was thrilled to slide on my writing robe. Oh, I have lots of robes, but this one has been worn for years and well loved. It’s heavier than the other ones, but doesn’t weigh you down. The cooler temperatures in Texas are disappearing, so this was a treat.

I get most of my writing done in the morning while wearing this robe. Neighbors see me step outside to feed the birds, or walk to the mailbox to retrieve yesterday’s mail in pajama pants, house shoes, a t-shirt and the robe. A stranger may think I’m a meth head, but in my minds eye, I look like a Writer. Before they painted the house next-door, the builder came over and asked that I move my truck. It was a considerate ask, but I remember being disappointed that I had to put on real clothes and give up the robe.

You see, once it’s removed, I don’t put it back on that day.

It’s the same look every morning in the cooler months, but I recently realized I don’t have a writing robe for summer. I have a spa-like robe to use when stepping out of the shower, but it’s not a writing robe.

I began thinking of what feels good to wear in the warmer months, and I have this one jacket I could wear all day. It was designed by Honest Cotton for a friend of mine named Jordan, so it’s rightfully called, The Jordan Jacket. I bought mine last year while visiting with her, and it’s navy in color.

The Honest Cotton website shows they make a robe. I see two designed similarly, but different weights, so one’s for Fall, and the other for Spring. I wonder what it feels like to slip it on and if Jordan has one in her shop?

Let’s find out, shall we?

The Cotton Robe

To be continued…

PS. I’m not alone in my love for Robes. My friend LA, over at ‘Waking Up on the Wrong Side of 50‘, shares her love for robes that you can read by clicking here.

The Draft Folder

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I’m being drawn toward the draft folder, so I’ve dedicated the month of December to cleaning out drafts. If you see a random post that doesn’t quite go with the flow, you’ll know Barb finished a draft. 🙂

A full draft folder used to feel overwhelming. There are no stacks of paper piled up on my desk because it feels like clutter, but the draft folder felt like stacks of paper, so once it piled up, it was sorted through.

Some were trashed, but most were published. There were posts sitting in there for years, but that’s when the old rule that works in all areas of my life came into play. “If it hasn’t been used in a year, it’s probably not gonna be used.” December is a good month to declutter.

Think of drafts as stories waiting for their Writer to return. There are six drafts in my draft folder, but if you’re reading this, it went down to five.

What’s waiting for you in your draft folder?

Protect Your Happy

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Sitting in the corner of the room at my desk, I raised my weary head and asked, “Is it time for chocolate cold brew yet?” She said, “Heck yeah!”, and disappeared into the kitchen. My attitude was instantly uplifted.

Stumptowm Chocolate Cold Brew

This new email platform for work is eating my breakfast, lunch and dinner, but you know what? I’m gonna win.

There’s no other option for me personally.

I don’t even think about defeat, or worry that it’s too much to absorb and learn. Every hour or so, I leave my corner and walk around the house to clear my mind and refocus. Sometimes I read something positive to reinforce my outlook. It’s important what you take in because that is what you’re going to hand out to people around you.

I posted this meme on Facebook this week and it had mixed views. Some have been taking in sadness for so long, it’s rubbed off on them and become a part of who they are.

You have to be careful with sad if you want to remain happy. I’ve followed some pretty sad Bloggers in the past, and I had to unfollow them. I can make a note of their Blogsite to check on them down the road, but I cannot read sad throughout the day and remain true to who I am. Barb is happy and wants to stay that way.

There was a saying used years ago that stuck with me. “Fake it till you make it.” No matter how I was feeling, if someone asked, “How are you?”, I’d respond, “I’m doing great!” It took years of saying ‘great’, to actually believe life is great, but every time I said it out loud, it became more ingrained until it became my first choice.

I respond in the same manner today, but I usually receive a skeptical look, or that ‘you must be crazy’ look. It’s like it’s unusual to be in a good place. If they continue to prod deeper about my upbeat attitude, I confuse them even more when I say, “Because, I’m happy.”

A friend once told me, “It’s okay to grieve and you’ll feel sad, but don’t unpack your bag and set up camp.”

Once you find your happy be willing to fiercely protect it from outside influences. Sad can overtake happy, quickly and easily. Protect your happy.

A Faithful Following

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I read a post in my Reader this morning by Mama’s Empty Nest. She doesn’t know this, but she inspires me. She’s been Blogging for 10 years, but doesn’t have a huge amount of followers. (2,000ish) To me, that’s inspiring.

I’ve been Blogging for 6 years, but didn’t get serious about it until 2019. That was the year my views doubled. Today, it’s not about the likes, even though they are nice to see, it’s about the reader. It took years to come to that realization and some days I still struggle with it.

I was thinking of the Fearless Warrior program I joined in July. I’m already fearless because of my trust in God. I trust Him with my life, and He instilled a warrior in me, but there’s one thing in this life I won’t fight. Algorithms.

If you love your Blog, the best thing to do is suit up and show up and give God something to use. Mama’s Empty Nest inspires me by just showing up. She enjoys the simplicity in life and we share the same big God.

Think of your Blog as your own corner of the world.

Once you publish a post, you may see the same readers give you likes and the same writers make comments, but my darling…that is called a faithful following.

Thank you for suiting up and showing up. ~ Barb

Live Like That

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I’m going through my Blog posts one by one.

I’ve been wanting to take time to do this for a while, and then I read a post over at Renards World, and he recommended it. His post entitled, 5 Reasons to Explore Your Archives is excellent. He suggested an app to assist, but I prefer to do it by hand.

The main reason I wanted to do this is because I knew there were a lot of missing photos. It’s not pretty to look at a post with a photo missing. It leaves a big gap in the post, and an ‘X’, similar to a broken link. The irony is, I did this to the posts myself without realizing it. When you clean up your media, every photo deleted is also removed from the post, but it leaves it’s an ‘X’ where the photo once was.

This morning, I came across this post from January 2016. The title of the post reminded me of a song entitled, Live Like That. I’ve noticed some interesting things reading each post, and haven’t deleted hardly any.

I’m not rewriting them either.

Those early posts from 2014 through 2016, are a part of who I am today. There is one common theme in every post I’ve read, and it’s God. Re-reading them confirmed how I choose to live this life.

I want to continue to live like that.

Let’s Get Real

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Thank you for requesting a handwritten note. (You know who you are) They’ve all been mailed.

I don’t know one of the people very well that requested a note, so I just sat down and shared my morning. Each word written was like she was sitting at the table with me. I hope she can sense it as she reads it.

Or, she’ll think it’s quite odd. 🙂

Either way, I feel quite accomplished with making the offer and following through in a timely manner. A good part of life entails doing your part and watching where that leads.

I received a handwritten note from my friend Paula. Just like her, it’s beautiful inside and out.

notecard

Yesterday, I found a card from a friend written a couple of years ago. I’d forgotten how close we once were and reached out to her on Facebook to reconnect. She responded to my message and it was clear, we’re still traveling different paths.

There’s nothing wrong with that. She’s going her way and I’m going mine, but there was no connection. This is the year for community. WordPress is the only online community I’m active in at the moment. The rest is all real.

Flaws and All

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I’ve been pondering the idea of posting a Blog everyday the month of December. I know Bloggers who post everyday and they have it all planned.

I don’t plan my posts. They form from a piece of inspiration I spotted within my day and grow from there. I ponder that little nugget until it has words swirling around it and then find a quiet moment to let them fall to the page.

December is a busy month. A lot of writers take the month off completely. There’s something I’ve learned from taking a break from something I love. When I leave, it ends.

There’s a struggle in the re-starting.

There’s no growth in the not doing.

growth

I asked a friend what she thought about me Blogging everyday this month and she reminded me how busy people are in December. That’s a valid point, but I don’t write for the the masses. This Blog has evolved into a haven of sorts. Readers know it’s going to be peaceful and calm.

Writing isn’t a task for me, or on my to-do list for the day.  It’s a gift and an honor to be used by God in this way. Flaws and all.