Shaina from Shady Lane Blog Guest Post {Everyday is worth Celebrating}

I'm off to South Padre Island for the week to soak up some vitamin D and relax! I have some amazing women guest posting for me through Thursday of this week. First up is Shaina from Shady Lane Blog. She is writing about something I feel is so important to keep in mind... celebrating everyday. I'll let Shaina take it from here...

__________________________________________________

Hello everyone!  My name is Shaina and I blog over at shadylaneblog.com.  I am so glad to be here today to share a little bit with you about what makes me tick.  I feel that will all the stresses and hardships that life throws at us, it’s easy to get bogged down.  But each day is a gift and something worth celebrating.  

And that is what I try to do on my blog: share inspiration and real life ways to celebrate the everyday.  Mostly because I need the reminders too.  

So today I wanted to share with you 5 practical ways to celebrate the everyday that you can start doing right now.

1. Keep your camera close.

Looking back on my life I realize how important this truly is…taking pictures turns everyday life into art.  Maybe you take a picture of your morning cup of coffee, or the shoes you wore to work, or the tulip that just bloomed.  Intentionally taking pictures of your life will help you to slow down and savor the moments.  And then you can have those memories captured in an image forever.  I used to always have a disposable camera with me growing up…so I have lots of pictures of my friends and moody teenager sky pictures and road trips in my first car.  And then the digital age hit, so I had a little red 5 megapixel point and shoot that lived in my purse.  Classic.  Now I usually have my big DSLR with me, but if not, I use my phone.  Instagram has become my best friend.  It’s easy to use, had lots of fun effects and there is just something magical about the collection of little square images. Taking pictures makes me happy, and having them adds to the joy for days to come. 

2. Indulging in the things you love.

I absolutely love a white chocolate mocha with salted caramel and rice milk.  And when I say love I mean I’m obsessed with.  So I use it as a celebration.  Once a week I plan on getting one, and I look forward to it all week.  It is something really little, and maybe mundane, but because it brings me joy, it’s a very important part of my everyday life. 

3. Be with your loved ones. 

My husband drives garbage truck, which is a weird schedule and his days start at 3am.  So most days I wake up alone in bed a few hours later.  Because of this, we’ve formed a routine where we talk on the phone every morning when I wake up.  Sometimes just a few minutes to say good morning, but most days this is when we have our heart to heart conversations.  It takes me back to the days when we were dating and had a long distance relationship.  Everything was on the phone, and that’s just become a way we like to communicate.  I look forward to our talks every morning and cherish starting my day being reminded of the love we share.  No matter who our loved ones are, or how we can be together, make it a priority.  Every day is better when it’s shared with someone you love. 

4. Live a life worth blogging. 

And I think that everyone’s life is worth blogging…you just need to live in that mindset.  It will make you grateful for what you have, help you see things in a different light, and be open to sharing the things that are celebratory in your life.  Tip number 1 really comes in handy here, because then you’ll have pictures to share too.  My blog has become a mini-reel of all the ways I celebrate the everyday, and has itself become part of the celebration.  And on days that are hard I love to look back and revel in the good things I took the time to notice. 

5. Write every day. 

I am a writer and poet.  I started writing in earnest when I was 15 years old, and I have notebooks full of my words and poetry.  These are so precious to me.  Sometimes I go back and read what I’ve written, but mostly I just love knowing that my heart and soul are housed on those pages on my shelf.  In April I started something new…morning pages.  One of my favorite bloggers wrote about this and encouraged others to try, so I did and its become a habit.   I wake up, call Chris and talk and then write in my journal.  I’ve written about my dreams, or about what I’m doing that day, or my goals for my blog, or the things that drive me crazy.  But I write…put pen to paper just like I did when I was 15.  It’s a part of who I am and something I would miss if I didn’t do it every day.  Maybe you could collect quotes you love, or just write one sentence about how you feel, but try it: write every day.  You’ll be glad you did. 

I would love for you to join me in celebrating the everyday.  Share your thought in a comment on this post, come read some more guest posts on the topic on my blog, or like my blog on Facebook and follow me on twitter. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for having me, Kristen! 

__________________________________________________

Thanks for sharing your five tips to stay grounded & enjoy life! 

May Photo's

Whew. I did it. I took 31 photos in 31 days. Well, I actually took a hell of a lot more than that, but only 31 of them were for the photo challenge. I am surely addicted to these photo challenges. I blame Chantelle @ Fat Mum Slim. She shared on her blog that in May, over 1 million instagrammers used the hashtag #photoadaymay. Craziness, right??? 

If you are on Instagram, comment on this post with your username. I'd love to follow all of my reader's! My Instagram username is "fromkristenwithlove". Add me! Let's update one another obsessively on what we're eating, drinking, watching, playing, reading, etc via pictures. I love to internet stalk, and Instagram really simplifies it! :) (I'm kidding, sort of) 

Here are my May photos... in order from 1-31.

Are you ready for June's challenge?? It kicked off yesterday! Here's the list! You don't have to be on Instagram to do the challenge. You can upload your pictures to any social media website you want! Twitter & Instagrammer's use the hashtag #photoadayjune :) 

A little quote about the challenges from Chantelle... 

"If you haven't joined us in the photo a day challenge yet, then please consider it. It makes you stop each day and think about what's around you. It makes me feel inspired even of the craziest of days. That's what I love about it. I love that I feel creative, if only 2 minutes of my day."

On another note, I'm off to South Padre Island, TX tomorrow for a little fun in the sun with C, a friend of mine from work, & her man. I have a few guest posts from fabulous ladies lined up, so look forward to those next week. Hint: One is about the infamous 50 shades of Grey book series turned into a movie!

Nail Polish Organization

This was how I stored my nail polishes up until today. Pure chaos. Not only was it an eye sore every time I went to paint my nails, but it made it difficult to find the color I was looking for. I had an idea bouncing around in my head to paint the tops of each bottle the coordinating color. I finally got a hold of some white circle labels last week and set out to do this project today. It took about 30 minutes and the end result was worth.every.minute. 

How do you organize your nail polish?

Linking up here:

Modge Podge Clip Board {DIY}

**I am looking for a few bloggers to guest post on my blog next week. If you are interested, e-mail me at fromkristenwithlove@yahoo.com!**

I am elated at how great this DIY project turned out. I pinned this project onto my Pinterest craft board months ago... went out that same week & bought the supplies... & then put them in my office closet & totally forgot about the project altogether. Oops. Oh, & that was the longest run-on sentence of my life.

Modge Podge Clip Board 

You can find the tutorial here. It's super easy. Total, it took about 15 minutes including dry time. I got the clipboard from the dollar store & had the scrapbook paper, ribbon, and modge podge on hand. This would be perfect as a gift for a teacher, or to make for yourself. You can add the detail of an initial like I did to give it a personalized touch. 

I got excited while I was on a roll with the modge podge & decided to do another project I've been wanting to do. I had an old container of Oatmeal in the pantry. I cleaned out the inside and modge podged scrapbook paper around it. And I also did the same thing on a small nut jar. Insta- toilet paper holder & matching counter container.