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Happy Independence Day, America: May We Continue to Make Progress
As we are sitting in the midst of the craziest year on record in the lives of most of us, I think today is an important day to reflect upon the nature of progress. Progress comes forth through conflict, in one way or another. Whether it is personal progress that arises from some internal conflict or the progress of our entire species that is born from major conflicts in the world, we need this conflict to push us forward. Without it, we would simply remain exactly where we are as we are. And that is not necessarily a good thing. Change and progress are necessary for the survival of the…
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The Fab 40’s are Festival Ready
Happy Monday, y’all! I am back from a long over due break. Over the last two weeks, I have found myself on a crazy roller coaster of emotions which resulted from a whole bunch of nonsense going on in a very private part of my life. I think the emotional roller coaster derailed some time about three weeks ago and I tried to keep riding that broken contraption for about a week before I finally realized that I must disembark from this busted ride and do some necessary repairs! Most of the repairs have been completed with a few counseling sessions, lots of time spent in quiet contemplation, and hours…
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Tropical Style & Your Own Twist Link Up #21
It is time once again for Your Own Twist with my dear friend Monica of Jersey Girl, Texan Heart. This monthly collaboration allows us to showcase our own interpretations of a chosen style theme. We share the theme with you ahead of time in case you are interested in joining us. You can see the upcoming themes below if you would like to create your own post around the theme and share it with us in the link party at the end of the post. You are also welcome to link any fashion or style post even if you did not follow the theme. Next month’s theme will be Christmas in July.…
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Tribute to Texas & Link Up On the Edge #196
I hate when I run out of words. My own words. It happens sometimes, I know. But it is still super frustrating. Rather than allow it to totally piss me off, however, I decided to turn outside of my brain and share some words that have already been written. Not by me. Let me explain. A long, long time ago, my favorite place on earth was Texas. I used to travel there frequently for work and I absolutely loved everything about it. It also held a very special place in my heart as my father always spoke of Texas as his favorite place on earth as well. I never got…
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How to Style a Kimono 2 Ways &#SpreadTheKindness Link Up #169
My well of inspiration is running dry these days spent in lockdown mode. Since I draw my inspiration and motivation from human connections and my experiences in the world, it was only a matter of time before I ran out of things to say and topics to discuss that I haven’t already discussed a million times over. I have been digging through my old journals and finding lots of gems in there that have inspired a few pieces of writing, the most recent being Sunday’s post, Sunday Sillies: The Diarrhea Song. As much as I enjoy potty humor, it is not always appropriate and it can get tiresome very quickly.…
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Inspired by Fine Whatever: Would You, Could You? Double Denim & Ruana
Why yes, I can, Rena, my friend! I would, I could, and I absolutely should…wear double denim with a ruana. Except I call it a kimono. But who really knows what the proper term is for these lovely toppers we wear anyway? In fact, I was so bewildered by all the different topper styles that I dedicated an entire blog post to The Great Topper Confusion. Kimonos, ruanas, ponchos, and shawls. I love them all the same no matter what they are called. Now that I have made my love for topper pieces quite clear, shall we discuss double denim. Oh, hold on, I dedicated an entire post to The…
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Inspired by SpyGirl: All the Prints
This was by far my most challenging inspired outfit ever. That sounds kind of weird, doesn’t it? I mean, if it is an inspired outfit, it shouldn’t be a challenge, for the inspiration was already there. So let me explain. My very dear friend, Anne M. Bray of SpyGirl and other blogs, has been an inspiration to me in countless ways over the past few years. She is one of the funniest women I have ever met. In life. Ever. In my 45 years on earth. We get bantering on and on in blog comments, Facebook comments, and emails and I am always in stitches by the end of the…
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Use Your Power to Empower & Link Up On the Edge #157
I have said this 100 times, maybe 1,000 times, maybe more. Experience is knowledge. Knowledge is power. And when we have those things, we have an obligation to share what we know in a helpful way. What good is having experience and knowledge and power and hoarding it away in secrecy? What good is hiding our talents and our expertise from the world and from those who could benefit from it? What good is living on this earth if we are not going help each other through the whole messy ride? What good is being a human if we aren’t being, well, human? Humankind. That is an interesting term, isn’t…
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Sunshine Blogger Award Part 3 & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #134
A few weeks ago, Shugunna of Nzuri N’ Simplicity nominated me for my third Sunshine Blogger Award. Earlier in the year, I was nominated for this peer blogging award by Rama of Chez Rama and by Jess of Elegantly Dressed & Stylish. You can read those posts here and here. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this award, the Sunshine Blogger award is a peer recognition award given by bloggers to other bloggers for their work that inspires positivity and joy. It recognizes creativity in the world of blogging for those who spread sunshine throughout the community. So it is always an honor for another blogger to…
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Date Night in Baldwinsville, New York & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #133
Jeff and I haven’t had a date night since our anniversary in January. And the stars seemed to align perfectly when I received an email from Bandsintown early last week informing me that Yonder Mountain String Band was playing in Baldwinsville, New York, on Saturday night. The in-laws were in town so we didn’t need to scramble for a babysitter and everything was super easy from a planning perspective. That, in and of itself, is a blessing. So we grabbed hold of the opportunity and headed out Saturday afternoon for the one and a half hour drive south for dinner and a concert. Neither of us have ever been to…