And so as the new year starts fresh, I feel compelled to share a few of my favorite moments of Yes! from last year in no particular order:
10. Having this adorable illustration custom made for me by a friend's dad. Isn't it lovely? I just adore it. This picture has made my book blog feel like a home to me.
9. Receiving these amazing baking supplies in the mail from Kohl's to make Christmas cookies was a total Yes! moment. You have to understand that the spatulas I had were broken, cut, and the tops would always fall off the handle when you mixed anything. I also was thrilled to throw about my endless miss matched measuring cups and spoons and replace them with these lovely Bobby Flay measuring utensils that stack so nicely.
However, hands down what I loved the most about the package I received was the custom cookbook they printed using the recipes we shared on the Kohl's Facebook page. I felt like I was cooking with newly found friends.
And my children loved using copious amounts of icing to decorate the cookies.
8. Finding a moment of Yes! also included reconnecting with friends from college. I started this Sisterhood of the Traveling book club with three dear friends of mine. With time and many miles separating us, we have found a way to bond over books. We are each reading a book of our choice and then mailing it along, making notes in the books to share the experience as we go along. I was inspired to do this after reading a blog post from Annie, owner of The Bookshelf in Thomasville, GA. I have just finished my second book. For my first book, I read The Tilted World: A Novel
7. My husband and I went to see Jim Gaffigan live and received a signed copy of his book Food: A Love Story
6. I was brave and learned to knit so I could make a Bad Kitty costume for my oldest. She has read the Bad Kitty's Very Bad Boxed Set (#1)
5. A librarian friend of mine completely surprised me by sending a signed copy of The Giver (Giver Quartet)
4. We fell in love with the magnetic personality of Michelle Nelson-Schmidt when we met her at the Decatur Book Festival. Just tonight, Little J came running into my bedroom because she found the Whatif Monster ears Michelle had given her. Check out her website and the fabulous books she has created. She inspires my daughter to write. Seeing her inspired is most certainly a Yes moment for me.
3. I had this amazing moment of Yes when I gathered the courage and purchased the 2015 Writer's Market: The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published
2. I can't even. Really. I can't even tell you how all I did was just smile when I met Kate DiCamillo. I had all of these great things that I wanted to tell her inside my head. My mouth didn't work. Instead, I just stood there and smiled. Thankfully, my daughter insisted to take this snapshot. Meeting her really is what prompted my Yes moment number 3. If you ever get the chance, go and listen to her speak. She is inspiring. She is courageous. And she has grit. Right now we are reading The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread
1. And for my final moment of Yes, I wanted to share this amazingly thoughtful gift a dear friend made for me to celebrate the journey writing this blog has become in self-discovery, in discovery about my relationship with my girls, and in discovery of the world that surrounds us all. Thank-you dear friend. And thank-you dear readers for being here along with me on my journey. I value each and every person who takes the time to read my blog.
FTC Required Disclosure:
This site is an affiliate, if you make a purchase using the
Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Books, Babies, and Bows (at
no cost to you!). Thank you for your support!
I received the cooking products as a gift as part of a
Kohl's Yes2You Preview Group. All opinions expressed in this post are my
own.
Ooh! I love the ornament your friend made you. And the traveling book club is such a neat idea!
ReplyDeleteThanks E.S....I will be honest, I started to cry when I got the ornament!
DeleteThe book club has been fun. We have our own little Facebook group to discuss the books.
What a fabulous post Jenny! Everybody should do something like this to reflect back. My theme for this year is "joy" - focusing on joy, finding joy, appreciating joy, doing joyful things, sharing joy and bringing joy to others. Joy!! Thanks for sharing in the Kid Lit Blog Hop and have a wonderful year! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Renee. I adore that you will be focusing of Joy this year. What a great word to choose. I have never thought to choose a theme for a year. Here's to joy!
Delete“To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.”
― Mark Twain
May you divide that joy and make joy plentiful!
Nice!! Here's to JOY!! :-D
DeleteWow Jenny, this was such a Yes post for me. You have really inspired me in your life and writing journey. I love your blog banner too. Thank you so much for joining our blog hop, I hope that we see more Yes posts this year.
ReplyDeleteYou are too kind. I hardly think I would inspire. ;-)
DeleteAnd thanks for the compliments about my blog banner. I was lucky enough to have someone who is fantastically talented that took my idea and made it possible.
I am just a reader, but I have always enjoyed stopping by to read your journey as a writer.
This is a wonderful list...definitely one worth celebrating! I love the darling illustration for your website. Here's to a fabulous 2015!
ReplyDelete