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Honestly, where did 2017 go?!? Like I can't even catch my breath! And feel like I am in a constant state of panic over all the things that I didn't accomplish this year. Anyone else?!? I started this year all starry eyed and ready to take on the world then felt like I got hit by a truck month after month. It's all good though, because I believe we have to break down to rebirth ourselves and our missions in life. Which is why this monthly recap may sound a little cryptic, but it'll also give you some insight into where I've been recently and where I'm going. OH AND… there's a big favor I'm going to ask you guys for in the end, filling out my reader survey! Thanks so much in advance for your time and reading each month!
So without further ado, here's a look back at the things I loved in November:
Working Through Personal Issues
Probably needed to take my own advice on this one – but I shared 7 Ways To Stop Letting Your Personal Issues Impact Your Work last month, which is funny because last month I went into a tailspin over some personal issues. I did make some big changes in stepping back from relationships that no longer serve me or bring me down. It's SO important to know that just because a relationship worked for you for a while, it doesn't mean it's meant to be in your life forever. It's okay to move on to other things. Which leads me too…
[clickToTweet tweet=”Just because a relationship worked in your life for a while, it doesn't mean it's meant to be in your life forever. ” quote=”Just because a relationship worked in your life for a while, it doesn't mean it's meant to be in your life forever. “]
Self Care
The holidays and end of year always bring a certain amount of sadness for me. Whether it's looking at all the things I set out to do and didn't accomplish, or just reflecting on how things have changed, I always feel a little melancholy. It's important for me to build in the time to take care of myself, which is why I shared 6 ways I practice self care during chaotic times of the year.
For me, that meant a lot of awkward conversations, stepping back, and simply not engaging. Remember, self care isn't all puppies, bubble baths and chocolates, it's doing the deep inner work to make sure you're living your best life and not just people pleasing.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Self care isn't all bubble baths & chocolates, it's deep inner work to make sure you're living your best life.” quote=”Self care isn't all bubble baths & chocolates, it's deep inner work to make sure you're living your best life.”]
Taylor Swift's New Album: Reputation
UGH! The emotional rollercoaster that this was!! So before the actual album launched, I was feeling all “Excuse Me, But Can The Old Taylor Come To The Phone?” – Then I listened to the album straight through and literally became obsessed with it. Ask the hubs, it was on a loop 24/7 for about two weeks in our house. And then I started to think some of my personal issues were actually being amplified by the album —eeek!
Back story: I'm one of those people that takes on my favorite character in a TV show, or the persona of an album I'm listening to… Let's just say things got weird when we binged Dexter, but that's another story ?.
Anyway, I started to feel my inner mean girl (yes, I have an inner mean girl, and honestly I think we all do) come out while listening to it in combination with the things that were happening in my life. I decided to stop listening to the album and immediately started feeling better.
So I do think this is her greatest album of all time? Actually, I do. There are more tracks on this album that I've loved than any of her others. It's art. But, I'm just going to stick to this modified track list so I don't give into the dark side:
New Years Day *makes me cry every time
This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
Call It What You Want
End Game
Dress
Don't Blame Me
>>> Buy Reputation Here <<<
Ingrid Goes West
It should be noted that I love anything with Aubrey Plaza, she's literally the funniest person to me and this movie hit close to home. Basically Aubrey Plaza plays a crazy AF girl who moves to California to stalk out and befriend an Instagram influencer she's obsessed with… and honestly they just nailed so much of the crazy Instagram world that it's worth watching for a reality check of how ridiculous that world is on it's own.
>>> Rent it here <<<
Sharing A Bit Of Our Honeymoon
A lot of you know, that I had this magical idea that I'd take two weeks off for our honeymoon and come back to the blog feeling recharged and reconnected — well that definitely didn't happen! Instead I felt even more burnt out. Which is why it's taking me some time to share all the exciting details (I actually won't be getting to it until the new year!) In the mean time, check out my recommendations of where to stay in Maui and where NOT to stay in Kauai!
Getting Crafty
I shared this super simple DIY cheap and easy holiday tablescape! I love that it's under $15 and can be made in under 15 minutes! It's so pretty and timeless IMO.
Final Room In Our Home Tour
Y'all have no idea how good it feels to finally have our house done! It's been about 8 months of running back and forth to stores to get thing just right and I couldn't be happy with how all the rooms came out! Last month our shared our minimalist meets industrial style bedroom! We started off with just our amazing mattress from Nest Bedding (c/o) and then built the room from there! It was a fun merger of two very different, yet similar styles. I hope you guys got some inspo ideas for your own homes!
Bed Frame | Bed | Sheets | Duvet Cover | Wood Tray | Mugs: Her’s & His | Banana Leaf Pillows | Pink Geometric Pillows
Stepping Back From Sponsorships
While I do love connecting with brands for sponsored posts, I also love keeping TCM a sacred space that's focused on you guys. For most bloggers, November and December is where they make their biggest money each year, and it's actually where I'll be making my least. Why? Because I turned down over 800 pitches that came into my inbox last month. I just couldn't do it. The pitches were either all off or the brands weren't focused on building a relationship and just wanted to be in a gift guide. I love truly collaborating with brands and showcasing stuff that I actually believe in or use first hand (and I still have a few sponsored posts coming out this month from brands who fit that description). But I decided to delete basically every email that came in last month because the thought of going through each one was beyond overwhelming. It also led me to…
Re-evaluating Where Things Are Going
I am going to be talking about this more in the new year so I apologize in advance for the cryptic nature of this update! I started to really reflect on the things I like about the blog and the things that seem to have gone awry this last year and realized I made some of the biggest blogging mistakes I've shared in the past. As a result of some big revelations I laid the foundation for some big projects to better serve you guys. I want to make sure I'm on the right track though so if you could take 2 minutes and fill out this reader survey I would be SO grateful! If you're on mobile and having issues viewing the form below, click here to do the survey!
