Lately + ask

I've been wanting to write a post for so long now, but I just didn't know how to start. Then I read a post by Carolyn that really inspired me to write. (You should read it, too!) So...yeah.

I have a few updates, but before I begin, remember how I asked for some questions for my FAQ page? Well, I ended up getting, like, three, so if you have any questions, you can still leave a comment with them on this post or this one! Thanks. :)

Anyway, here are just some things I've been loving/doing lately...

1} Reading The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. I'm not very far in, but it's good so far!

2} I really love Christmas lights. They can make a room a lot brighter and and more magical. Sometimes if I don't want to turn on my lamp, I just plug in my Christmas lights. :D

3} Have I ever mentioned I have a Flickr? I got it this February, and I love it. You can check it out right here. :) 


4} I love my cat. 

5} Yesterday I rode this...

It was actually really fun, and it's probably my new favorite ride! I had to get almost dragged onto it, haha. I'm so glad my friend made me, otherwise I probably wouldn't have gone on it. E, if you're reading this right now, thanks. ;)

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I hope you're having a great summer!

Ask me.

Hey! So I've been wanting a few more questions to post up the faq page, and/or answer in a post or two. I know a lot of people have been doing this, but I've actually been wanting to do this for a while, so - ask away! :] Also, if I get enough questions, I may do a vlog - but I'll be recording my voice (which is something everybody else is doing and strangely, something I've been wanting to do for a while also!). No promises on that one, though. ;)

So yeah - ask as many questions as you'd like! Just keep it clean, though, please :)

See you soon!

An apology.

Since I wrote my previous post, I feel the need to apologize. I know I sounded hypocritical, like I was pointing fingers, and like I was being really mean. Really, something I'm been thinking about - it's just a blog. I don't need to get hot and bothered over a blog when there are others things in life to worry about. I don't need to express every opinion I have. Yes, it is my own blog, and I can say whatever I want, but this blog doesn't need to be all about me and my opinions. It's not worth hurting others just to let the world know what I think about something. I can keep some of my views to myself.

I'm not perfect, at all. And if I were visiting somebody's blog for the first time, my last post definitely wouldn't be something I'd want to see. So if you read my previous post, I apologize.

-Hannah

I know I've said it a thousand times..

...but really, I just need to say something. I've been thinking about this for a while now, and I don't how how to say it, but I'm just going to talk. And if anything I say doesn't make sense, I'm sorry. I've written so many 'thought-provoking' and 'be yourself' posts, and I really, sincerely hope this one will be different.

Those 'be yourself' posts I wrote were shallow. And guys, it's hard to be you in this world, where most people are copies. So I will get tripped up sometimes. But I'm going to try. I want you, you who are reading this right now, to know that I don't wear vintage clothing, I get mad at my brother, my room is not clean right now, lowercase letters bug me, I'm on the computer too much, I procrastinate, I don't listen to popular music, I detest bad grammar, I haven't read the Hunger Games (can't believe I'm saying that...) and I don't have an instagram, facebook, twitter, pinterest, or tumblr. Our house isn't magazine-worthy right now, we don't have beautiful art on the walls, I have a wall in my room dedicated to odds and ends, I'm always changing up my blog design and room, and my room's carpet is stained. And now, I'll shock you... I don't watch Downton Abbey (but my mom loves it). And I'm not the person you probably think I am. I'm sorry for being fake. Please know that from now on, I'll genuinely try.



And you know what? I honestly never loved some a lot of the blogging trends. I think that if I hadn't started blogging, and hadn't been exposed to all these trends, then someone could have asked me “Hey, do you like (some trend, fill in the blank)?” And I would have been like “Eh...not really.” So please. If you don't like lowercase letters, vintage, whatever. Then please, please don't pretend you do. There's nothing wrong with discovering new trends and finding you love them, but ask yourself if you really do love them. It sounds super cliché, but guys, this is one “cliché” that I believe is very true. I'm sorry if I sound really harsh, and believe me, I've been wanting to write this for a long time, but was afraid it would sound mean. If it does, I apologize. Truly.

Now - I won't be posting like I used to (like, when I posted normally). I might post 3-4 times a week, or maybe I won't post for a month. I'll write only when I feel like it, not just to post. I've been doing that way too much lately, and it's very stressful. So yeah, don't be offended if I don't post for a few weeks here and there. ;)

 Thanks for reading, people. I'll see you soon. :)

-Hannah

{PS} Is the text on my blog too light and hard to read? I'm beginning to think it...

Just old pictures and a few rambles.

 

just some forgotten, old pictures

blank canvas. You might have noticed I changed my tagline to "my blank canvas." For some reason, I've always loved blank canvases. They can be made into any type of art you can imagine ... kind of like my blog. It's my spot where I come to share words and pictures and what I love, so I thought 'my blank canvas' fit pretty well. ;)

 

rain. I don't think anybody understands me on this, but rainy days are my absolute favorite. The (old) pictures above with rain made me so happy. It's not that I dislike sunshine, but rain and cold is usually my preference. What about you?

sunny.

 

yet another old picture...

I love him so much. :)

SMASH. I'm not sure if some of you guys have ever heard of SMASH scrapbooks, but basically they're little scrapbooks that you can put pictures, ticket stubs, pretty stuff, and basically anything else that you can put in a scrapbook. (Can you tell I'm not very good at explaining things?) They have a bunch of different themes, and loads of accessories. I bought the pink one a while ago, and I don't regret it at all. It's so beautiful, and I might have trouble filling in some of the pages because they're just too pretty. ;)

 

some of the inside of the pink one {not my image}

friday. I love Fridays. Having a full week ahead is such an amazing feeling.

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I'll leave you with this.

my blank mind

all photos sooc

I have no idea what I want to say right now.It feels strange to be writing a blog post and posting pictures.

Part of the reason that I took my long hiatus from blogging, is because I've always been worried of what people will think of me if I post the wrong picture, or say something that doesn't make sense, or post something that isn't what other people do. Part of what I want to accomplish in blogging is just being myself, and totally unashamed of who I am.

And on days like today, whenever my mind is blank, I might just get on Blogger and pour my heart out to the computer. So sorry about how that paragraph above doesn't make that much sense. It's late and I need to go to bed right now. So thanks you for being here for me, reading every last post, following, commenting and everything. It sounds so cliche and cheesy, and this is a cliche and cheesy and sorta awkward post, but honestly, it means so much to me. Thanks so much, you guys. :)

Hannah

it's been a while

It's been such a long time since I blogged, I don't even know where to start. But I've updated a few pages and spiffed up the blog a bit, and I felt like I needed to drop in and let you that I'm still here and not dead or anything.

So yeah. Don't feel the need to comment on this post, cause it's kind of pointless. But yes, I am still here and I will be back very, very soon. :)

-hannah

Rain and deer

I know this picture looks funny. It's because I edited it. I kind of like it, though...It kind of looks like a rainbow.

I couldn't think of what to call this post, and then all of a sudden I realized I was posting about rain and deer. And I typed "reindeer" into the post title box. But then I renamed it "rain and deer"...So please ignore the corny title.

I thought I'd post about what's been going on lately. I've hand-fed a few deer and it rained. My life is boring.

My brother has this job where he gets to feed deer and care for our neighbor's house while they're gone...He goes every day. I come along every time to take pictures, and one time I got to feed deer by hand. Which I've never really done before, so it was pretty cool. ;)

And yes, it rained for the first time in...well, for the first time since last spring. Haha. Actually, it didn't just rain...There was a bunch of thunder & lightning, too. But I always just say it rained. 

This morning, Mom was planting beans and I took a picture. Yes, I know. That was random.

Mom also made pumpkin & chocolate chip muffins this morning, which I did not want to try, but when I had one, I could not believe how good they were! I should share the recipe with you guys sometime...

I love everything that comes with autumn... It is my absolute favorite season.

What's yours?

Yes, I actually did that.

I was really tired last night, writing yesterday's post, and...I wrote something twice. Oops.

Just some thoughts

I was reading today about what kind of qualities people appreciate in a blogger. Everybody wanted different things. Some said they liked funny writing. Some said they liked more writing and words. Some people liked fashion and other people liked art.

I want to please everybody, but do I take really good pictures? No. I like to write more. I like to write more. I like to write about stuff that might not interest anyone else, but that I still like to write.

What do you do when you feel like you're not exactly pleasing others? Wait it out, or just change your posts?

My faith.

I haven't posted about God or my faith for forever. I've read a lot of inspiring posts about faith, but I haven't written one. I just don't know what to say, to be honest.

I think more about this than I talk about it, but I don't want it that way.

But there's one thing. Sometimes I don't act like a Christian. A lot of the time, I don't act like a Christian. Sometimes I'm embarrassed to talk about my faith. I feel like a hypocrite sometimes because I say that I'm a Christian, but I don't read my Bible much at all. I'm just being honest - I fail a lot.

I read today about how we search for our purpose and we think it's out there waiting for us, while all along our purpose is just to serve God. Just love Him, obey Him, and well...You get it. It affected me. Enough to inspire me to write this post.

I'm not sure how to end this. I'm just saying I want to be more than someone who says they're a Christian and that they go to church. I want to be a genuine Christian. I want to serve God.

-Hannah

Actually, I changed my mind

Yes, it's true. I changed my mind.

I am still going to blog.

I'm not really sure how to say this, because if you're reading this right now, you're probably pretty shocked. If you're not in the mood to read a long post, then I'll make it short (I'm not in the mood to write a long, flowing post either!).

Thanks for staying with me, even though I'm coming back after saying I wouldn't be posting for a while. I'm so sorry I ever even told you guys that. And now I can't guarantee posts every other day, but now that I want to post, I'll try to. :)

Love,

Hannah

Time to say goodbye.

Okay, guys. I've been thinking about this for a long time now, but I just didn't want to do it. But I decided to write it now before I put it off even more.

I think it's time for me to say goodbye. It's just...I don't want blog anymore. It's so hard to get people to read your blog and post something that most people will like, yet still be you. I can't tell you how tiring inspiration, golden hour, Pinterest, the word lovely, and everybody changing their blog names to first and middle name, have gotten. I'm tired of everybody owning a DSLR, a film camera, vintage clothing, whatever. I'm not saying it's bad to own any trendy items, but if you never loved them in the first place, please don't say you do!


The word lovely (which I used to think was not so bad, but now I'm tired of it), British spellings (what's wrong with 'favorite'...?), and forgive me for saying this, but...Kinfolk. I've never read it (but I do know what it's about), and I can't say I will, because it's not my thing. Sorry guys, but I'm tired of all these trends. I've never loved many of them, and honestly, I don't want to be the only one around here who loves American Girl and dislikes the word lovely.

So someday I might return, but for now, I just won't be posting. I'm sorry, and I will miss you guys, but it'll probably be better for me this way. I'll still read blogs, just (..hopefully) not as much. ;) Thanks for sticking with me all this time and reading my blog. You're the best. :)

Love,
Hannah

Just a note...

Okay, so I'm not really sure what to say right now. I haven't posted in so long, but I don't want to promise more posts to you guys because I'm not really sure if I'll keep my promise.

I feel terrible about all of this. I used to have a million good post ideas every week, now I'm lucky if I have one idea a week. I feel like the harder I try to think of things to post about, the more the quality of my posts decreases.

So I guess I'll try to post more now, but no promises.

Thanks for staying with me, guys. :)

See you soon!

Happy {late} Fourth of July! (& Re-evaluating)

Happy late Fourth of July, guys! I hope you have fun and safe day yesterday. We did nothing, but I didn't really mind...We never really celebrate it that much anyway. :)

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Oh, and one more thing. You know how my title also mentions re-evaluating? I know you're probably groaning and thinking, "Haven't you already written several of those, Hannah?!" And you're right, I have. But this one's different. I'd really appreciate it if you'd take the time to read.

Lately I've been noticing that a lot of people in this little corner of the blogging world seem to share the same interests, like the same things, visit the same websites, etc. I mean, I/we are all so caught up in photography and taking beautiful images full of emotion, and Pinterest, all that...I sometimes forget about our other interests in the real world, outside of blogging. For example, I used to post more about American Girl, but I slowly began to notice that to others, that wasn't really that cool anymore. So I stopped.

It's hard for me to be writing this, because what I'm about to say is something that I'm not really sure I'll...do: I want to post more about American Girl/things I like. At least I'll try. But will I? Or will I just get discouraged and disappointed in myself for being so...different?

I've made up my mind to try. I'm just going to try blogging differently, focusing more on my own interests, even if they're not what everyone likes. These kinds of posts have probably gotten pretty old to you guys by now, and I don't really blame you. But please, just...Bear with me here. :]

Oh, and please just ignore any grammar mistakes in here...I'm too tired lazy to look it over and change anything. ;)

Love,
-Hannah

A few favorite pictures

Just thought I'd share a few favorite pictures, just because I haven't posted in forever. I didn't really have time last week, but now I do. So I promise you can expect more posts now. :)

The above where from when we went to Six Flags a couple weeks ago! :D

Love,

-Hannah

Webcam pictures and paintings of birds.

I couldn't think of a better or ... tackier title, so I guess I'm okay with the one I have now. And it describes my post perfectly.

So anyway, a while back I was looking at the DIY section of Under the Sycamore and I found a tutorial on how to do a simple bird painting. We had everything we needed except canvases and scrapbook paper, so we went to Hobby Lobby and got some stuff. Today I finished it and I took some pictures with the webcam.

Oh, and by the way, you should definitely check out Under the Sycamore. It's one of my favorite sites. It's put together so simply yet very prettily. :)

It (the painting) looks better in real life. Promise. :)

So yeah. Just a random update post. I don't really have anything exciting to post about except for...um...a painting. A bird painting. We've rearranged my room a little and I got a new bed...It's actually a pallet bed. Sort of like this one. We're still working on it, though. I might post pictures when it's finished. :)

Now we need to hang up my silhouette!

Two years! // Continuation of yesterday's post.

My blog actually turned two on May 11, and I was too lazy to post about it. ;) So I decided to post now, because...Well, I don't know. I just had something on my heart that I wanted to share with you guys.

So last year, the day before my blog turned one, I wrote this post. I don't really think you should read it, unless you really want a laugh/to be baffled by how horrible my writing was back then. ;) 

And I was looking at the way I wrote. I could have improved it...But I was just being myself. As I read, I thought something along the lines of "Wow, haven't I improved?" to myself as I read that, but then I realized something...I kept scrolling down, and read the last comment left by Carolyn. 

"Hannah, God made you well. Simply. You are amazing, and you needn't change who you are because your fans like it. Think about what you like, because this is YOUR blog. I'll always be a fan, and always have been.

~Carolyn"

Instead of changing the way I wrote for the better -- easier-to-understand ;) writing, yet still being myself -- I just stopped being myself and wrote differently. I guess I gradually just...floated away from writing like myself. When I read that post, though, and read that comment, I finally realized that.

I guess that I was trying too hard to make my blog/writing look professional. I wanted to impress everybody, I was worried about people thinking it was silly or boring or weird, and...Well, I think you get it. 

I don't want to write always being afraid what people think of my for being silly or weird.  I used to be afraid of what people would think of me when they read my blog. I don't listen to popular music or read popular books. What if they didn't like me for that? I couldn't post pictures of myself, or my age. What if they thought I was weird? What if they thought I was the only one doing that?

There's plenty of other bloggers like this out there. With smaller blogs where they just come to be themselves. To be honest, those are some of my favorite blogs. I enjoy going to a blog where I feel like I'm just listening to a friend chatting, rather than reading some solemn, perfect writing. You know, it's okay to have a small point-and-shoot and a simple blog design. Sometimes people take absolutely fantastic pictures with just those little cameras. Yet if you don't have such a fantastic blog design, expensive camera, and all that, you might not be considered as good to some? 

Okay, sorry if I sounded harsh. Just making my point. There's anything wrong with having a nice blog design and camera. There's plenty of super nice bloggers who have those things. I'm wasn't thinking of anyone in particular when I just wrote that, and I'm sorry if it came across that way. It just kind of feels that way sometimes.

So, I'm excited to start posting more and writing authentically. Want to join me? I'd love to hear what you have to say! :)

-Hannah