bring joy

blogging: 13 things I wish I’d known sooner

blogging

Though you might not admit it to your parents or friends, you want to make money from it. You want to be “big.” You may want a book deal someday. Fabulous.

I thought since I’ve been around for awhile, & I’m really one of those late bloomers, someone who it’s taken five years to finally *get* blogging,

Blogging is the wild west of the business world (one of the many). It’s uncharted territory, & the fact is, all of us are DIYing it. We’re writing the rules as we go along. And that’s exciting.

Awhile back, a friend discovered I had a blog.

“It’s really nice,” she said.

I chuckled. I don’t like talking about my blog with others. I’m a little sheepish–it’s as if we’re talking about my journal or something.

“No really, it looks professional,” she continued.

Ha! I’d hope so. After five...

why frozen is often better + cauliflower chickpea curry

frugal life, grain-free, main dish

I received an email the other day, regarding this post, about cutting our grocery bill & getting out of debt a year sooner. Essentially, my cra-crazy idea was to drastically cut the grocery budget & pretty much live on rice & beans.

When people say that–“we’re living on rice & beans”–I have serious doubts they’re only eating rice & beans. Because as much as I love rice & beans (I share two of my fave recipes in my free ebook, SIMPLE), man cannot live on rice & beans alone. I mean, is it possible? Yes. Just like it’s possible to lose weight eating only green smoothies & lettuce. You can do it. But if given the choice, would you? Probably not.

So back to the email. Denille writes:

“So it is April 2014 tomorrow, how did you do at the end of your journey? Did you make your goal?...

{MM} thin mint & dark chocolate ice cream bars, bluebonnets, & books

marvelous mondays, dessert & bread, ice cream

I’ve had a sore throat & fever (not strep, just a stubborn viral thing going on).

Joseph & I didn’t go out to a movie, like I’d hoped, but we did finally get around to watching Frozen. We loved it (who didn’t?).

And yesterday, we went out for a walk.

And took pictures of the bluebonnets, which are everywhere in Texas now.

I try to stay away from that place. Not just because it’s massively overwhelming for my brain (so, so many books–it’s dizzying) but also because, if I have any money at all, I must spend it on books. I have no choice. (Hi, my name is Janae & I’m addicted to buying books.)

Joseph wasn’t with me, but I did call him when I wanted to buy a book.

“Honey, I want to get this book. It’s pretty fantastic–The Best American Essays of the Century. The best essays. How can...