Saying Goodbye

 

Note:  Another version of this blog post is under The Writing Cove. This was intentional to introduce the new blog to the community.  This blog will be up until further notice so that if a reader wants to read the old posts, they can.  A link to this blog will also be listed on The Writing Cove.

I want to thank everyone who has supported me and My Ambiance Life since 2012 when it began as My Blessed Life.  I am looking forward to writing in The Writing Cove for many years to come and seeing where God will take me on this part of my journey through life.

“Write what you know” has been the motto of this blog.  I often found myself dealing in the heart of controversy on this blog.  It does not matter if:

• I am teaching you how to write
• What to write
• Where to write (journaling)
• Planning your writings
• Or speaking your truth

It is in here.

Last night, as I started preparing for the start of “The Writing Cove” over on Godaddy (details later in this post), I realize that I am starting a whole new chapter for this blog.  I looked back on some of the posts I have written here on Blogger, and there were some posts where I clapped in delight, while others, I asked myself, “what the heck was I thinking when I wrote this?” (kindly add your own “h” word where heck lies, LOL).  I gave you all, my sad times, my happy times, times where I wanted to be the teacher, and lastly, where I wanted you to teach me. I have and always will claim that I do not have all the answers, but I am trying.

I have hinted to you for years how dissatisfied I was with Blogger and its limitations for growth.  This seems to be truer since they got a new interface.  I am not saying to never try Blogger, and I like Blogger, but I feel that I have outgrown it for all my blogs. In fact my newest blog, Miss Froggy Loves Traveling never saw the light of Blogger.  It is over on Godaddy.  If you are not into coding and creating pages, you can opt for Blogger or Wordpress.com, both will give you the satisfaction of a controlled environment, where all you have to do is write your content and publish.  I recommend both equally for beginners.  If you are wondering if you can intergrade affiliate marketing links in either Blogger or WordPress.com, yes you can. This is one of the series that I have in the works for the future.

The Future is now…. The Writing Cove

With every future endeavor, you need to start with a name.  This is a name that tells the reader in one sentence what the blog is about.  I played with this name several times, looked it up to make sure that no one owned this name.  There are shops in various cities throughout the world, but none with the true name for a blog.  I wanted The Writer’s Grove, it is actually the name of a book (I forgot the author’s name), and it is widely published.  I am not about to go to court over the name of a blog if he has the right to.  Then the name, “The Writer’s Coven” came to mind, and well, The Lord Steered me away from that one.  I shorten it by one letter, “The Writing Cove”.  Christian Authors, I checked it, and it is sound, and safe for me to use it, both in the biblical sense and copyright sense.

What is The Writing Cove?

The Writing Cove is exactly what the name indicates, writing.  In fact, it has the same elements that the present My Ambiance Life has without the controversial topics, you know, Politics, who is doing who in Hollywood, and “why I hate…”.  One thing I am not steering from but will be putting less of is things and Ideas involving Black people and people of color.  Why? Because I am one. I had a white Great-grandfather, but that is as far as it goes.  My father does not know that side of the family, and I am going to leave it there.

If you want to know:

• How to start a blog.
• What social media platforms are right for you and your blog (hint-you cannot be devoted to all the sites because it depends on what you want to do.
• How to journal and where to journal
• How to use a planner for your benefit
• How to start a multi-income business without all the garbage that people feed you, successfully feed you and your family, and not worry about not having a million dollars in the bank.
• To be motivated mentally and spiritually

Then you have come to the right place 

One of the reasons why I have not posted anything is all that I have mentioned above.  I have been working on it.  I want everything to be right, not perfect, only right.  I want you to feel comfortable reading at your own pace and to comment at your own time. 

Now, just like everything in life, there are some rules and regulations that need to be followed when reading my post, and they will be listed under Policies at The Writing Cove.  Some of them are:

• Play nice:  In other words, if you are a person who likes to read posts and make comments about how bad I am, pushing your company (you will get a chance to, I promise), and issuing threats, you will be dealt with either a block or the authorities.  I do not take threats lightly
• No cursing.  Please, there are ways to say things without giving God a last name or using Jesus’ name in the wrong context.  I will be the first to admit that I do curse, and I am trying to get better at not doing it.  It is hard, and the Lord knows it.
• No defaming.  Tensions are still on the rise between the supports of the Black Lives Matter movement, the police, and the president.  The same goes between the races, sexual orientation and identification, and religions.  If you do not agree with me, fine, but do not stifle what I have to say and what I put out.  Everyone has different opinions.

Gig writing and other matters…

I have often mentioned that one of my businesses is freelancing.  I am a freelance writer and freelance graphic designer.  The Writing Cove, I will have a page dedicated to solicitation of my services. This is another reason for me to switch from Blogger to WordPress.org (Godaddy).  Google, has been kind of wishy-washy about the whole thing.  While they do not mind the advertising, they want it under their terms, and that I cannot deal with any longer.  I am losing money because of this.  I keep hearing that the second wave of Covid-19 is coming, and I want to be prepared in the “doing my job” department. I want to let people know what to expect from me in the coming months.  These are some of my services:

• Blog posts.  I will write blog posts as a guest or ghost writer
• Resume Writing.  Your package will include a resume/cover letter combo or CRV.  I cannot do recommendations unless you are a family member or friend and I recommend that you do not pick a stranger for those.  You need to be known as a personal friend or colleague.
• Binder Services. Binders can be used in many different applications, from home use to business.
• Office Services.  Office, as in MS Office documents (MS Word), Spreadsheets (Excel), Presentations (PowerPoint), Email (Outlook: coming soon), Records (Access), basic graphics (Publisher), and virtual notebook creation (OneNote).
• Complex Graphic services.  All graphics (with the exception of simple graphic made in MS. Publisher or Canva), will be made with PhotoShop, Illustrator, or InDesign.

Other services include card creation (greeting, post, and business cards), Invitations (baby and wedding), memory books, and promotional items.  A complete listing will be on The Writing Cove, along with pricing.

So this is a little shorter than what I am to writing, but I want to do a proper send-off to My Ambiance Life and a proper introduction to The Writing Cove.  I will post this on both blogs, and I will have a link to My Ambiance Life in The Writing Cove, so you can read my old posts.

As Mari Kondo says, you should say thank you to those things that served you well in your life journey, and well, My Ambiance Life has served me well.  Starting off as My Blessed Life and now start a new chapter as The Writing Cove. Blogger has also served me well.

I hope you will enjoy and learn from The Writing Cove.  Now to transition over Home Prep to its new home.

New series: 56 My Ambiance Life things

Hello, long time, no see, rather no write.  I have been thinking.  They say that if you think too hard, something ugly might come up.  OK, I am the only one who said it, BUUTTT….

I just celebrated my birthday.  Yeah, that one.  July 21 is the date.  I am not one to reveal my age because I do not feel it and I do not think it.  Let’s just say that I am a Gen X, the forgotten generation.  They talk about the Baby Boomers and they talk about the Millennials, and they talk about the older folks (my parent’s age group) but they never talk about mine.  I guess that we are the people that others warn each other about.  So, if you were born between 1964-1979, you know exactly what I am talking about, but this is not that conversation.  Not here, and not on this blog.  I can explain further as I go through “56 My Ambiance Life Things on that blog, or not.  You never know until you read all 4 blogs.  Did I say 4?

So, today and for the next couple of weeks or so, I will have 56 Home Prep things on that blog, 56 My Ambiance Life things on this blog, 56 P. Lynne Designs things on that blog and 56 Miss Froggy Loves Traveling things on that blog.  Each series has no rhyme or reason except that it has to do with what each blog has in store for the reader.  In My Ambiance Life’s case, it is about writing, blogging, and inspiration to name a few. So here’s a start.

 

Today’s topic:  Writing during Covid

Today, I want to talk about being a writer during this time.  You can call your profession anything you want to help you sleep at night.  I call myself a writer.  I am not comfortable at the moment of calling myself a blogger, and the reason is I am not basically at the moment putting down my feelings.  I have 3 other blogs; one that covers home life (Home Prep), one that covers my business and crafting (P. Lynne Designs), and a new one that covers travel (Miss Froggy Loves Traveling).  I have enough content that can cover this blog (My Ambiance Life) and the other two blogs, but, as soon as I announced that I was putting the travel section into another blog, Covid-19 hit with a vengeance.  The only place I have been since that time is to my brother’s house in Dayton, which is an hour and a half from Columbus. 

Currently, if I were to go to Walt Disney World, I would have to self-quarantine for 14 days before going into the parks, since I am from the state of Ohio, which is now one of the high risks states in the country.  Yeah, idiots who refuse to wear a mask around here.  I hope you are happy about your right to not wear a mask.  Thanks to you, I cannot move freely throughout the country with one on.  You have impeded on mine.

Back to the subject….

As you can see, I am kind of sore about that, and thanks okay.  As a writer (blogger or not), you can write about your experiences with Covid.  There is plenty to write about, and you can put as much or as little details as you want.  After all, it is your article/post/novel.  You can have it fictionalized into something like the “Virus that Ate Manhattan”, or something that Robin Cook could only visualize in his mind.  Humm, I wonder if his book, Pandemic (2018) was about Covid in the future.  The virus in the book describes a “flu-like” virus invading parts of the world.  This is hitting to close to home.

How about writing about your personal experience with the virus, being “Stuck in the house and in the house bored” as the famous Tik Tok video suggests? I was thinking about trying some of the cute recipes that are on Tik Tok.  I already failed that breakfast sandwich trick.  I do plan on writing about it in my Home Prep blog and have a video on my YouTube channel.  Let me give you some other examples.

Examples for Motivational and inspirational type blog posts

First off, if you write motivational and/or inspirational type blog posts or want to start one during this pandemic (or any type of blog post for that matter), do not start on the negative side of it.  February and March 2020 was a shocker in the first place.  I cannot remember in my lifetime where I am ordered by the local or federal government to stay inside.  I also cannot remember a time where there is uncertainty throughout the country.  In fact, by the time I was born, the civil rights movement was almost over and by the time I started school, I was able to be in a classroom with children of different races.  I never experienced a time when I was told that I could not do something during my childhood unless my parents did not want me to do it. They tried to give me every opportunity to make a living, and have a better life. So, start with your own life.  Recall life before the pandemic. 

• Who are you and what is your background?   
• Where do you live?  For this, do not give out your exact location.  Notice at the beginning of this blog post, where I mentioned where my brother lives.  I said only the city and state.  Giving out your exact location can be bad for privacy. 
• What have you been doing during this time?  While you are in your home or if you are working during this time, how has it been? Have you been displaced in your job?  An example of this would be “that as a gig worker and entrepreneur, it has not been easy for me, but I have been trying to stay positive by improving on my skills and creating work for myself to do.” This is how I came up with the 56 blog posts idea for all of my blogs.”  You may have something similar or mention that you have been working remotely.  I am only mentioning things that are allowed in the United States, it may be different in your country.

Examples for “Home living” type blog posts

This is easier than the motivational and inspirational blogs.  The reason is it brings together something that most people during this time, working in the home.  I am not talking about your job, but renovating and doing little remodeling jobs around the home. 

• Have you an increase in your shopping habits? Talk about what you have bought during this time.  Haul videos and haul blog posts have become very popular during this time.  I have made a couple myself.
• Have you discovered a new way of cooking?  Food delivery has increased since we are still limited from going into a restaurant and having a sit-down meal. 

In my first “56 Home Prep things” blog post over on my Home Prep blog, I mentioned that Uber Eats has sort of becoming my BFF, and now I need to rediscovery my cookware and other things because it is eating into my budget. Yes, you can get carried away with the idea of someone bringing your food to you, and they can sit it in front of your door with you making contact.  A word of advice, have the grocery store bring you some goodies.  I gained 20 pounds in delivery prepared food and my Ipad has become my new timer, LOL.

• How have you organized and decluttered?  Talk about the space that you are trying to organize and what you want out of the space.  Come up with a plan and make it a journey. 

My craftroom, kitchen, and home office are three spaces that needed attention.  I am almost done with the kitchen and home office.  My main attention is now on the craftroom. For the craftroom, I mapped out my plan, the furniture pieces, which began before the pandemic, and now I need to order, build (most of it is from Ikea), and plop stuff in place.

• For parent eyes ONLY… how have your kids faired during the pandemic?  Does your school system have at least a partial plan for August and September?  What have you done to keep them occupied?  Are you considering permanent homeschooling your kids?  Pet Parents… how has your furbaby felt about you staying at home?  I have a niece furbaby, and I know she is wondering why everywhere she turns, I am right there.  In fact, she has hidden from me on several occasions during this time and tried to escape, LOL.  Most times, she has enjoyed my company, and I have enjoyed hers.

Tips on making writing work for other types of writing besides writing in a blog…

You do not have to write to keep others happy in this form.  If you are a novelist, this is a great time to start that novel.  Of course, if you have already written your first novel, you already know this.  This advice is for those who have always wanted to write one. 

So, what do you write about besides the pandemic around us?  You do not have to write about the pandemic as I previously mentioned.  You can go to another space in your head that speaks to your desires.  For this, there are some wonderful articles on how to start a novel.  I am not a novelist.  Sometimes I wish I were that person, or I can advise you better.

Do you like poetry?  Prose? A good non-fiction how-to book?  All of these would make a good book if you put your mind to it.

Well, it’s the end…

But not for long.  I have lots to say and not enough time to say it.  Some posts will be short and some long-winded, but never boring.  If you like this, stay tuned, there more posts to come.  If you have any comments, questions, and suggestions during this “challenge” (yes, I officially calling it that), please put it in the comments section of this blog or any of my blogs.  You may also address it to my email address, plogan721@att.net.

Until then, see you next time.

 

Erin Condren Haul

Big Haul From Walmart |Amazon Haul |Update on Water Situation and more

Dollar Tree Haul| Dealing with the world

Cute visitor is helping me with this haul|Tonic Studios Haul|die cut collection

Taking a Mental Break

I am trying to switch around my blogging schedule a little bit.  Having Motivational Mondays are great, but I feel at this time in our lives, we need motivation every day.  So, until further notice, Motivational Mondays are out, and you will never know when I am will post a motivational moment post.  That is what I am calling them.

It is important to take a mental break
Photos by Pixabay.com

Corona and #BlackLivesMatter have worn me out.  I am exhausted, not because of what is going on now, but what has been going on?  I have a question to ask, and that question is, “when does it have to be so exhausting to have my skin color?  Why do I have to be the low man on the totem pole when it comes to opportunities? 

One of the reasons I became an entrepreneur was I got sick and tired of being fired from the job that I was in.  If I was not fired, I got the crappy stuff at my job.  Yes, I wanted to change at my job, and I was one of the last ones to say how crappy a job was, so I left.  To put it mildly, I got fed up at my last job, which was a simple retail job. 

When you have feelings like that, you can do one of two things: scream or take a mental break.  I suggest that you take a mental break.  This includes taking one from all the problems of the world like Corona and the race protests.  It does not mean that you do not care anymore, please no that.  It means that you need to take care of yourself before you end up in the hospital or worse.

Taking a mental break can take anywhere from 5 minutes to several hours (sleep or running errands).

Yesterday, I did take a mental break.  I did the following:

·         The day before, I ordered a new vacuum cleaner because I needed one.  I picked it up at Walmart under order pickup at 2pm.

·         After I left there, I drove to Joann’s to get the Cricut Joy Machine and some of the accessories that came with it.  They ran out.  I instead picked up the Cricut Easy Press Mini.  Yes, I wore a mask while I was in the store.

·         I went by a Starbucks that was in the area.  They already have three locations in the area.  Why they needed a new one, I will never know.

·         I went by Michael’s because I insisted to get that Cricut Joy.

·         I went to my parent’s house because Tuesday, dad wanted me to help him with something on the computer.  I ate dinner with them.

·         I came home and attended an online bible study.  The message was timely and very fitting.

·         I made a video and edited another video.

·         I promoted some things on my social media.

·         I took some produce out of the car and started cutting them for freezing

·         I had a late online date with a guy.  Not sure how this is going to be.  It started on Instagram and ended in Google Hangouts.

These are some of the things I did yesterday that made me forget about protests, corona (except the mask thing) and that I had a curfew at 10 PM (statewide).  This does not negate this issue of race. I feel much better.  I did not get upset, and I have two new toys to play with.  I also received an Amazon order of a new water bottle, when will remind me of my water intake, new craft supplies that I was running out of.  I also received some Tajin, which when put on mangos is the best thing in life at the moment.  Where was this stuff all my life?  (the Instagram guy just buzzed me.  I hope he is not going to be a pain in my side, a girl’s got to sleep).

So how are you going through all of this?   I have some suggestions:

·         Pick your battles.  You cannot be at every protest, social media, and not take care of yourself.

·         Journal your feelings, good or bad.  Talk about how you feel in words. 

·         If you are creative, now is the time to be in your feelings and let the creative juices flow.  Publish them on your social media accounts if you dare.

·         Talk to a close friend, your spouse, parents, or your pastor.   If you do not feel comfortable doing so, and your insurance allows it, talk to a counselor.

·         Take long walks and meditate.  Learn to breathe through this time.

·         Turn to God and rely on your faith.  I know this is the hardest.  I am struggling through it myself.  Maybe this is a chance for God to speak through his people for a change.  He has seen this stuff far too long, and he says it is time to stop.

This is a short but sweet post to say that we will get through this.  We need to just peacefully protest, letting those who are in charge that:

·         We are tired

·         We are exhausted

·         We want the same things that you do

·         We want support

·         We want love

·         We want the killings to stop.

·         We do not deserve this.

Please take care of yourself.  When all else fails, including prayer, you now have my permission to scream. At least you have let the rage out, and feel better.  Or do you?