Monthly Catch Up: August 2021
By Jessica Marie Hello and welcome to another personal journal style update from me. July was a very creative month for me. After family and friends had come to visit and we took a little staycation with them, I came back to my writing with a renewed sense of vigor and excitement. This carried over into everything, which was a fun burst of energy to move through the summer. Personal Update I have been putting a lot of thought and intentionality behind my actions. This not only stems from slow living being a newly adopted method of living for me, but also from juggling so many factors. I have my life, my brand which consists of a blog and a podcast, plus work, writing, and the homestead. None of them take too much time on their own, but they must all be attended to each day, little by little. I have been trying to go to bed just an hour or so earlier so that I can get up that much earlier. This is so that I can have a slower and more relaxed morning instead of feeling behind all day. To come to my writing after a nourishing breakfast and feel calm and prepared when I sit down to be creative. It has taken some discipline but it is getting better and I am really happy with the flow I have been able to create. Brand Update I am happily maintaining my brand. I am prepared with content as far out as I can. I am not too overwhelmed and am able to flow in this process as well. It is still growing and changing ever so slightly, but it is simply maturing into what it is supposed to be. I am enjoying this process more and more. I have completely let go of expectations and am simply doing what makes me happy. Those who enjoy it and resonate with my brand will be my people and that is good enough for me. Writing update For the short story competition, I heard back that they will not be making final decisions until September 30th. So, come fall I will let you know how that went. For the last little while I have focused solely on writing and have not needed to go back and work on backstory. However, this first draft, when it is complete, will really only be ¾ of a draft. As I have realized I need to add a few more characters’ POV’s to fully understand the story. While the characters I am writing from right now are the main characters, they are who I am using to discover and write the story. Once I have that down, then I will go back and fill in with the other characters POV’s. Right now, I have 3 separate POV’s I am working from, and I will add at least two more. I am still working on my eWorkbooks. I have been trying to find a writing schedule to work on more than one project a day without getting burnt out. I have decided that writing two projects every day on top of everything else is too much. So, I am going to be working on the secondary projects (like workbooks and short stories) on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. I am going to look into other writing competitions that I could write for/enter into. I had a great time creating and writing for the last one. It is also a great opportunity to come up with new stories and flex my writing muscles without having to undertake such a large project (like a novel, etc.). Homestead Update We have one female Guinea Hen and she has decided she is going to brood. I am very excited about this prospect! I would love nothing more than to see the mama guinea brood, hatch, and raise a bunch of baby Guinea’s. We will probably keep a couple, and if there are more than we need, we will sell the rest. During the visit of company, we had wonderful rains that watered the garden for us. However, we also fell behind on weeding. And now the garden is a bit overgrown. We plan to head out soon to all work on pulling those weeds and take stock of what is growing, how well it is or isn’t growing, and if we can begin to harvest anything yet. We have wild raspberries on the property! While out felling trees the other day we found hundreds of wild raspberry bushes that will be blooming here soon. Be prepared for hearing about raspberries here! The property also has cherry, apple, and peach trees. The little fruits are growing nicely, we will have a great harvest of these fruits come fall. Today we are trying our hand at making yogurt. Books I read in July reviews: The Dark Tide By: Dennis L. McKiernan: This was a short little book that is a typical fantasy story. In the introduction the author admits it is inspired by and a bit of an homage to LOTR. Which, after reading the first book in the series, he is not wrong. It does feel very much like a LOTR style story. From the writing, the characters, the races, and the plot. I preferred the LOTR movies to the books. I listened to LOTR on tape as reading it was difficult and not my personal style. However, this Iron Tower series I purchased in a trilogy set from a library book sale. And since each book is a quick read, I plan to finish out the stories that I have. I have recently started the next book in the series, and I am more invested now than I was in the first book. Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep By: Paula Simmons and Carol Ekarius: This is exactly what it sounds like. A step-by-step guide for raising sheep. Storey has great information for the beginner, and these books are fantastic references to keep for future. We don’t have sheep, nor have we decided to get them, but I wanted to know more about them. Their rearing and the type of care they require, so that we can make a more educated decision on which livestock to get (if any) for our homestead. I highly recommend Storey’s books for anything you may be looking into for homesteading. Nourishing Traditions By: Sally Fallon: This is more of a cookbook with important health information within it. The first hundred pages or so are about how inaccurate modern nutritional information is. This is compared with documented traditional diets and how so many of our health issues come from poor diet. Then it is broken into sauces, starters, dinners, and many other recipes. To help break dependence from unhealthy box-stores and how to create your own nutritious foods. Note: All books I purchased myself. I read and reviewed of my own accord. I was not paid, prompted, or promoted to read or review these works in any way. I do not receive any money or other stipends from these reviews. Books I am Currently Reading: The Iron Tower: Shadows of Doom by Dennis L. McKiernan High Tide in Tucson by Barbara Kingsolver Podcasts I am Binging Right Now: My Favorite Murder The Rebel Author Podcast Cheap Wine & Screaming I hope you have been having a beautiful summer, full of adventures and time taken just to look at the stars. Go with the flow, don’t be afraid to change and grow, every moment is a chance to discover something new. Much Love, Jessica Marie
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorJessica Marie Cunningham - Intentional lifestyle blogger, aspiring author, and podcast host. All things Slow Living, Books, Writing, Art, creativity, Christianity, and personal stories. Archives
March 2022
Categories
All
|