7 Months of This Here Blog

I wasn't planning on doing an end of the year sort of post, but I decided to just say a few things, since I started this blog this year in May (wow I thought I started in like September). Since then, I've slowly gone from only photography posts to expanding to other things. I like that I can document my photography/things I experience, books I read and what I think of them, and DIYs that I do. So far posting once a week has worked really well and I've been able to keep that up consistently?? I'm really glad I started a this blog for non-doll related stuff as an expansion from my doll blog.

to save this post from being picture-less, a photo from DisneyWorld

As for stats, I've gotten seven followers that I know of (not a lot, but it doesn't really matter to me how many followers I have). I've published 31 posts. My most viewed post was "Birds, Flowers, Textures...". My top five countries are the US, Russia, Canada, Ukraine, and Australia. I've gotten some really nice comments and feedback from you guys. My top commenter is Sassafras! :) The biggest referrer to my blog is Ella Marie's bog February Fairy.

I'm quite happy with my blog, really, but as for the next year, I would love to post a larger variety of things. Once winter is over and spring begins the birdies will arrive and I can once again start up monthly bird sightings. I'd like to dedicate a day to redoing my blog design and change the name to something else.

What kind of posts would you like to see me do in the coming year? Any ideas for what I should rename the blog?

Happy New Year!

PS I just had a post idea! Inspiration is great XD

The Christmas Season // Photography

I hope you had a merry Christmas! Here a just a couple of pictures of my Christmas day.

Recent Reads 2 // Words and Such

It's been a little over a month since I first did a "Recent Reads" post and I feel like I've been doing a lot of reading lately. Thus, here we have the second edition of what I've been reading! I seem to be in a inspirational/autobiography/Christian phase. I'm not sure what that genre is called... I'm enjoying it, but if you have any ideas of novels, tell me in the comments!

(all images from Google Images)

Stomping out the Darkness by Neil T. Anderson and Dave Park

Written for teens, this book was about who you are in Christ as a born-again Christian. It offers a lot of help on how to become more Christ-like. One small thing I didn't especially like was that the authors switched off writing and would have to articulate who was talking in parenthesis. Other than that, I liked this book and recommend it.

 

 Keep it Shut by Karen Ehman

I got this book from the library. It had ideas about what to say in certain situations and how not to engage in gossip, flattery, etc. It was supported by Bible verses to encourage you to speak Godly and honoring words in real life, and on the internet.

Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung

This was an interesting, thought-provoking book about God's will. Although I don't necessarily believe all the theories the author presents about God's will (such as, God doesn't care if you move or take a new job as long as you pray about it and make a good decision) there were parts that were really thought-provoking.

Start Here: Doing Hard Things Right Where You Are by Alex & Brett Harris

I'm glad I finally bought and read this sequel! It had lots of stories of what teens have done in their communities, and tips on how to stay connected with God and grow your relationship with him even when you are super busy doing a "hard thing".

image from Christianbook.com

Listening with My Heart  by Heather Whitestone

This book is about the woman who is Miss America 1995. I really liked this book! The first half of the book (which I favored) was about her growing up in a hearing world, the challenge of learning orally as a deaf person, how hard she worked to achieve her dream, and how she found her relationship with Christ. The second half was about the good things and the bad things about her year as Miss America. Although the timeline for her story jumped around a bit, I was able to understand it and saw why she was telling the story out of sequence. Overall, I learned a lot from this book. I really want to read Heavenly Crowns next.

I think I'll wrap up this post! Do you like to hear about what I'm reading? Are you excited for Christmas?

Merry Christmas!

Winter Thus Far // Photography

Hello! I have to say I'm pleased that I'm able to maintain my schedule plan on this here blog. I set a reasonable goal (one post per week) that I've been able to meet. On that note, today I'm posting some more photography that I've taken over the past few weeks. December is such a wonderful time for photography, with Christmas lights, ice, and snow, nearly everything becomes picture-worthy.

Merry Christmas!

Magic Kingdom // Travels

Another post featuring photos from my trip to Florida! While I was there, I visited Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. It was so much fun!

The castle is so beautiful!

This is in Hollywood Studios!

This is a model of the new Star Wars land!