Somehow, I am not exactly sure how though, we are almost at the halfway mark of this year. Is it just me or do the years go by more quickly as you get older? I find myself grasping at time, wishing I could make this sweet season stand still for just a few minutes longer.
We are heading into the summer months (honestly my least favorite months in Georgia) and I am excited to bring the Summer Writing Intensive back! Here are a few of the things I’ve been loving + learning lately from the last month!
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Trade Coffee
I had a Trade Coffee subscription for years and I honestly don’t even know why I canceled it. I think I went on a bit of a Starbucks bender and paused my membership. Anyway, I was gifted a subscription after a speaking event recently and remembered why I love this company so much.
This subscription is perfect for coffee lovers who like to try new types of coffee and sample from across the country. I’m currently brewing Bark at the Moon by Drink Coffee, Do Stuff out of Lake Tahoe, CA.
If you want to try out trade, here’s a free bag of coffee on me!
My Prayer Journal
As I’ve started reading the Bible with my girlfriends, I’ve recovered a newfound love for my prayer journal. I order prayer journals for my entire family every year but this is the first time since the pandemic that I am using the prayer journal every single day. It is making my heart feel so full to know I am not just talking about prayer but engaging in it every single morning.
Paul tells us to pray without ceasing and I’m not quite there yet. However, I am proud that I’ve gotten more dedicated to prayer over the last few months.
Robot Vacuums
I swore I would never let robots into my house the second I saw the Jetsons but I caved. I caved and I am so glad I did. We were visiting friends last weekend and they had a Eufy vacuum scooting all over the floors. I imagined the amount of time I’d get back if I didn’t have to vacuum every 5 seconds and ordered one immediately. This is the one I ordered– they were running a sale at the time (and they still are). Friends, the vacuum was and is totally worth it. Novi has taken to the vacuum as her new pet and we “tuck it in” every night after it does its job.
Canyon Bread
I am almost 3-months into my gluten-free journey and I feel amazing. I wrote all about my progress and the reason for the change here. I’ve become a sampler of gluten-free things, looking for the best substitutes because, let’s be real, a girl has to have her bagels. Canyon wins in all areas when it comes to bread + bagels. They’re on the pricier side but the taste is worth it and I’m seeing them pop up in more and more grocery stores as time goes on.
When I started gluten-free, my therapist recommended that I have some of my favorite “comfort foods” on hand at all times. She said there would be a day when I was tired and wanted to cave on the journey or think to myself, “I miss __________.” That would be the day to pull the comfort food out of the freezer. My comfort foods are chicken nuggets and bagels. And she was absolutely right— these bagels scratch every itch I have and keep me going on this journey.
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
Oof— this is a biggie for me these days and I hate to have to be learning the lesson. I am chronically bad at delegation and even worse when I delegate and have a bad experience doing so. But I am also in a season of life where I can’t afford to just keep doing “all the things.” I need to become better at delegation, for better or worse.
So, in the spirit of delegating and collaborating, there’s a new position open on the More Love Letters website. If you’re a rockstar with social media, please check it out!
Coming up on 10 years of self-employed this June.
Wait what?! I can’t even believe this. I’ve been working as a freelancer/self-employed for 10+ years come this June. I really want to fill the blog with lessons I’ve learned over the last DECADE. But right now I am really just overwhelmed by the faithfulness of God- he has been providing for 10 years and I never want to get over that!
If you have questions about being self-employed, I’d love for you to leave them in the comments! I will be writing about them throughout the summer!
Powering down is the biggest form of self-care.
Amen, amen. I recently wrote about my unplugged journey and invited anyone who wants to join to come with me. But yesterday was one of those days when I was in a major funk. Novi goes to school a few days a week so I really try to squeeze the juice from those hours. But yesterday I just couldn’t. I was tired. I was in a funk. I honestly think I had too much caffeine. And I ended up going for a walk before picking her up from school. In an effort to come back to the center, I turned my phone off at 2 pm and didn’t go back to it until that evening. And I realized just how much unplugging has become a necessary form of self-care for me.
I finished reading a book.
I curled up in bed for a little while.
I turned on classical music and poured a glass of wine.
I finally finished Novi’s thank you cards from her birthday party.
I enjoyed dinner with my family.
Those few hours of being unplugged were what my heart and soul needed to power through the rest of this week. I’ve been going hard but that’s no excuse to not slow down when I need to.
Notion
Any other Notion junkies in the house?! I’m dedicating a lot of this month to organizing my life on Notion and I’m loving it. I want a Notion page for every single thing (if I am being honest). I’m currently writing in Notion at this very moment. And I am creating a massive content calendar here as well. This is something I’ve wanted to do for so long so it feels really good to be slowly but surely checking it off the list.
I’d love to hear from you:
In moving my blog to a newer platform, I sadly had to let go of the thousands of comments and conversations that came from readers over the last 10+ years. This grieves me deeply but I know there will new conversations, fresh words of wisdom, and opportunities to create close community once again. I’d love to hear from you in the comments section. I’ll be reading + replying on a regular basis.
I also resisted the robot vacuum for a long time – so glad I caved when I got married! It’s been a huge help
Right?! I am floored by how much it manages to pick up! And it goes under the beds- hallelujah! It’s the little things!
Love this! Long time follower -I found your blog at the very beginning! 🙂 I really want to be self employed (esp w/ writing and sharing on a blog), but get so stuck in my head about not being good enough, and having too many things I want to write about (lifestyle, food, mental health, local eats and drinks, and the list goes on and on) and then get stuck doing none of them, and watching everyone else doing what they want and living life, being self-employed, etc.) Ugh. I’m defeated. (this has been in my mind for at least 5+ years and I’ve never made a move) 🙁
I am trying to figure out a writing rhythm. Words are on my heart but I can’t quite figure out how many days to sit in the writing chair. So right now…it’s zero.
HAHA when I saw notions junkie I immediately clicked thinking I would find new sewing tools. Thanks for the smile! Have a great day!
Recently started my gluten-free journey – will you share the link to where you wrote about yours?
Hi Michele! Yes, you can find it here:
https://www.hannahbrenchercreative.com/blog/healthjourney
"Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should." This one hit me hard! Love all your simple day to day helpful hints; it’s taught me how to focus on the moment and not let myself get overwhelmed with all the things on my calendar, but rather be present in them! And I always need that reminder that I don’t have to do everything…even though I really want to! 🙂
I feel ya big time!! I am not the best at delegation but there is always room to learn!!
Thinking about trying something like everlywell to figure out if I have specific food sensitivities. Do you think something like that would have been an easier way to find out you had difficulty with gluten?
Hi Susanna! I did Everlywell at one point and I didn’t really understand the results, to be honest. It didn’t lead me to make any big health changes. Have you tried a Whole30 before? It’s a great elimination diet that can tell you a lot about your body!
The years DO feel like they move more quickly as we age. When you’re 3, one year is a whole THIRD of your life. When you’re 30 it’s only 1/30th. It’s crazy to think about!
It’s wild!!!
I have recently become obsessed with notion! Do you have any favorite templates that you use or do you just use their standard ones?
I’ve been making mine as I go to fit my unique needs but I am going to be sharing some templates in the future that I’ve developed!!!
Hey! I am Simran, from India. Been reading ur stuff for years now, and am a writer myself. Always wondered what self employment looks like for you? Do folks hire you? How did you develop?
It’s a combination of a lot of things! I write books, speak, and create online courses– which is where the bulk of my income comes from. But I also do some freelance gigs with a few companies! I started out working for us doing ghostwriting + content creation and it built from there. The one constant has always been my blog!