ALY ALLEN | THE BLOG

so i havent been around for awhile. i know. there was a time, for about six months, where i blogged 3 times a week and had posts planned, written and scheduled a few weeks in advance. i was trying to "grow my blog" but, quite frankly, it didn't work and i got burnt out. that's just the honest truth right there. the thing is, lately i haven't had time and i haven't felt inspired to share anything. not at the exact moment i'm sitting at the computer anyway. i do miss it though. the few of you who were reading and feeling encouraged by whatever i shared... that was worth it, right? because sometimes it can be discouraging and it can feel downright defeating, like a waste of energy. putting your whole heart out there for 72 people to read and go on with their day. you wonder if it's really futile after awhile. if your time could be better or more wisely spent.  everyone likes to say that you should write whether 20 or 20,000 people are reading, bu...

so i have something super fun for us today! do you all know Hayley, from The Tiny Twig ? i'm sure you do, but if not, you have to hop over and check out her blog . she's the one who wrote " The No Brainer Wardrobe " last year that basically went viral? yeah, her.  so, because she's pretty much the expert, she has released a new eBook called " The No Brainer Blog: casting your vision, defining your voice, and refining your space " and you guys, it's good . it's the all-encompassing handbook, the only thing you'll need to figure out how to make your blog work for you.  just a few months ago i was wondering if i could really make this thing work. blogging, i mean. i figured there was probably an x-factor, you know? i knew there was a lot of work involved, but mostly just luck. well, her eBook [combined with the mentorship group i've been participating in] has gotten me thinking: i can do this . if you need some extra conf...

sometimes i over-analyze things. actually, most of the time i over-analyze things. it can be anything, really. a trip to the grocery store, our monthly budget, a quick remark someone makes to me, a message i believe God wants me to share, how certain events will unfold and what the absolute best way would be to go about them, what people must think of me, and the list goes on. i think and i think and i think. i'm always inside my head. my husband will ask me what i'm thinking about, and honestly? one million things. it would take me a whole day to adequately answer him. in the car, i'm thinking. at home doing my daily mom duties, i'm thinking. always always processing. this is how i get myself into trouble with believing lies. there's a lot going on in my head so if i'm not super careful, lies slip in just as easily as anything else. always analyzing and processing and thinking... must be my  INFP   [introverted, intuitive, feeling, perceiving] personality...

i've written about it before , and so have many other bloggers, but i sort of feel like it should be re-addressed every so often just to reassure people: i don't do it all. notevenclose . a darling blog-friend commented the other day on instagram how i'm her hero. i laughed out loud when i read it, and some of you who know me in real life are laughing right now too. because i know myself and i am no one to aspire to, as far as having it all together or being a supermom or being some amazing example of productivity or wonderfulness. i think i should do a "day in the life" post soon, just so you can see how crazy life is over here. not organized, not really planned out, not glamorous by any means. because here's what i don't ever want. i don't ever want anyone to read this blog or read my tweets or look at my photos on instagram or look through my shop and feel less-than or intimidated or envious or not good enough in some particular area ....

so i haven't blogged in awhile. and i have some reasons why. i've been busy with real life. you know, trying to keep the laundry pile to a minimum, trying to keep food in the pantry and get dinner on the table at a decent hour. trying to keep a teething baby happy who [if her big sister isn't around to entertain her] only wants to be held, and only while i'm standing . makes it hard to type that way. lately when i've had a free moment i've been designing or drawing or doodling. or just sitting in peace and quiet. the baby hasn't been sleeping through the night. she's been teething and really hating life, which means i'm awake throughout the night and can barely function in the morning. sort of a vicious cycle of sleep deprivation and just surviving the day. there's been a lot going on though. a lot that i've wanted to write about but haven't had the time or energy. but also? there's a lot of been scared to write about, if i...

i never thought i would be someone who wrote a blog [that people actually read]. i never thought i would go to a conference [about blogging] and force myself to meet perfect strangers. i never thought i would "put myself out there" like this. i never thought i'd pursue friendship with people just because i liked their blog or something that they wrote inspired me. it just didn't seem like something i'd ever do. completely opposite of me, actually. the first friend that i ever "met" through the blog-world was leslie . totally out of character for me, i actually emailed her in response to a beautiful post she'd written that had ministered to me big time . i don't know why i was shocked when she emailed me back with a long and thorough response, completely speaking into my life. it was as if God had given her the very words. in fact, i'm sure He did. we've kept in touch throughout the year. even had coffee a few weeks ago. [sou...

[i don't...] i don't floss i don't bathe my daughter every day  she's pretty clean, i have to say i don't brush her teeth everyday   mostly because it is such a battle every time  i don't vacuum. ever. luckily my hubby does it  i don't get out much.   most days i stay at home and maybe run some errands,  but rarely do i have play dates scheduled or friends coming to visit.  you could call me a loner. i don't like talking on the phone , especially just to chat  i d on't keep up with friends. new or old, i am terrible at staying in touch, calling, emailing, etc.  i don't take my prenatal vitamins everyday.   at first they made me sick, and now i just forget since i'm not in the habit  i don't finish almost every book i start.  even if it's a really good one  and even when i start with the best of intentions of finishing i don't...

[edited/enhanced & reposted, because i think it's really important & leslie's post reminded me of it] okay, so obviously it's fun to get comments on your blog posts... but even more fun than that is being able to reply directly back to the person who left the comment. with blogger, you can enable your email address on your profile so that when you comment on someone's blog, they can actually email you back a direct reply ! if you don't know how to enable your email, i'll show you how: first log in to blogger.com .  you'll see your "dashboard"  click on one of your photos either in the top right or top left: once you're at your profile, click on  "edit profile" then click on  "show my email address" that enables your email on comments so that the blog owner can reply to you :) it also puts this link on your profile [pictured below] it doesn't really "show" yo...

I thought I would write out my first impressions of the weekend. Or maybe, more accurately, my  lasting impressions. I met a few friends for the very first time, and a few that I'd met before and communicated with a lot through the past nine months or so. I hope they don't mind that I'm talking about them behind their backs and they don't even know it! Oops! What I learned about: Mindy She came out here, by herself, from Kansas. Are you kidding me? And then took a taxi from her hotel to meet us in Balboa Island for breakfast. You guys, she was so sweet. Like beyond sweet. Totally real, totally charming, totally warm. You felt like her best friend after like 30 minutes. Not afraid to just be herself, she was encouraging and fun. I felt so happy getting to meet her [since I wasn't expecting to]. And her kids have the coolest names: Wilder & Story? Are you kidding me? April She was immediately engaging. She wanted to chat and joke and get to know you. J...