An International Giveaway Just For You!

I've mentioned before that one of my favorite things about blogging is connecting with other bloggers. I love that you can easily go from complete strangers to people who support one another every day. I have quite a few of those friends, but today, I'm thinking of Kristin Thompson of The Blush Blonde.

Kristin is a strong, intelligent woman who fights through the challenges in her life in order to pursue her goals. She blogs about beauty, skincare, and what it's like living with a chronic illness. I might also mention that Kristin spells her name the right way. 😉😋

Why am I talking about Kristin today? Because this week, she is celebrating her 4 year blogging anniversary, and to celebrate, she is having an awesome international giveaway, which I am co-hosting.

So, if you love pretty things and free things, this is for you! Keep scrolling so you can enter, and be sure to hop over to The Blush Blonde and wish Kristin a happy 4 years of blogging!

Giveaway Time!

To celebrate The Blush Blonde’s 4th Blogiversary we are bringing you a giveaway made for summer.  This giveaway includes a straw handbag, pool floatie, beauty products specially picked for the warm weather, and a gift card to Nordstrom!  Here are all of the goodies you have a chance to win:

Mar Y Sol Tybee Tote- This summery Mar Y Sol handbag is detailed with bright contrast stripes and a strand of pom-poms.

BIGMOUTH INC. Shell Pool Float- If you can't be a mermaid, at least you can lounge like one in this giant pink shell floatie.

$45.00 Nordstrom Gift Card- This is included to buy any other summer essentials you might need!

Sephora Favorites Safe Sun on the Fly- A five-piece set of Sephora’s favorite sun care products in convenient travel sizes, featuring sunscreen, moisturizer, lip treatment, and CC cream with SPF—plus a waterproof, reusable bag that’s perfect for your summer adventures.

Products from Physicians Formula- Butter Bronzer Murumuru Butter Bronzer, Murumuru Butter Blush, Bronze Booster Highlight & Contour Palette, and #InstaReady™ Multi-Finish Eyeshadow

Fine Print: 
This is open internationally, pending shipping laws/restrictions. You must be 18 or older, or have a parents permission to enter. This giveaway is open for exactly one week. Winner must respond within 48-hours or a new winner will be chosen. Your form of entry will be double-checked.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Good luck in the giveaway!

More Hustle for the Right Reasons (Mug-spiration Monday)

Good morning, all! Got your coffee? Or tea? Or *shudder* morning cup of water? Good.

You wanna know what I've had on my mind for the past few days? I've been thinking about how I whine and complain and get all stressed out because I haven't achieved my blog dreams yet, when there are two MAJOR factors I am forgetting to include.

Factor numero uno: God has a perfect timing for everything. Not some things. Not the easy things. All things. If it hasn't happened yet, then it's not time yet. *note: some things are never going to happen because He has other plans, but that's a whole other post subject ;)

Factor numero dos: If I am really honest with myself, I haven't given it my all. I've worked hard, and I am proud of that, but there is sooooo much more I could be doing, and so much time I waste that could be spent on blogging and #allthebloggythings.

REAL Hustle is Purposeful Hustle

"Hustling" is a popular thing right now. If you search Pinterest you can find umpti-bazillion (that's a number, right?) pins that read something along the lines of "5 Side-Hustles to Make More Money" or, "Why I Hustle To Grow My Blog".

Hustling just means working hard and smart. And I want to "hustle" too. But Hustling also has to have a greater purpose in order to really succeed. My purpose for my blog is not to make money and work from home (as much as I long for that, dream of that, and am working towards that). Rather, my purpose is to share the gospel, share the truths of God's word, and share encouragement with the world- particularly women.

If I for one second think that I can gloss over my purpose and still have a meaningful career that will succeed, I have lost sight of what matters.

My dreams of working as a full-time blogger only matter and only work if I put my ultimate purpose first, and my dreams regarding that purpose second.

I want to hustle hard, hustle smart, and hustle with purpose. I want to work harder than I've been working- being willing to skip out on some relaxing or fun things in order to get to a point where I have more freedom to do those relaxing or fun things because I've reached my goals. I have to say no to some good things now, in order to reach the great things I am aiming for!

And I want all of that hustle to be focused in the right place. It is absolutely possible to work towards a money-making blog, while still putting God and His truths first. I can focus on my ultimate purpose- making sure I stay true to that- and still work hard towards being a full-time blogger. Those two things are not mutually exclusive. And for that I am very thankful!

So first of all, don't lose sight of your primary purpose. And secondly, if you are working towards something, put in the work. Have you really done your best? Really? Or are there things you could have done better, or put more time and effort into?

Happy Mug-spiration Monday, friends!


And before you leave, make sure you enter the Giveaway (below) I am a part of, put on by Brittany of Grace Love Life! There are some awesome prizes to win.

Grace, Love, Life's First Blogiversary Giveaway

In honor of Grace, Love, Life's first blogiversary I have teamed up with a few other amazing bloggers to give away an amazing prize package! We are giving away books, a journal, a coffee mug, and more! If you want to enter, all you have to do is fill out the entry form below. You can complete as many or as few of the tasks as you would like but the more that you enter the better your chances of winning will be! The giveaway will end on Friday, September 23 and the winner will be announced the following week. Please enter fairly. This giveaway is only open to USA entries only because I have to be able to afford to ship this to the winner.

 

Grace, Love, Life - Craftivity Designs - Life.Love.Bittersweet Journey

The Peculiar Treasure - The Accidental Country Girl - Avallon's Voice

Here's what's Included:

1. Green and Gold Tote Bag
2. 'Keep Calm and Pray On' Coffee Mug
3. Love Never Fails Journal with stickers and pens
4. Two Home Decor Prints from Craftivity Designs
5. Coloring Book with Colored Pencils
6. Black Raspberry Vanilla Candle from The Peculiar Treasure
7. My Letters to Amy by Kimberley Schumacher
8. Girl Talk by Jen Hatmaker
9. Idol's of the Heart by Elyse Fitzpatrick

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blogging is Not My Hobby (And a BIG Giveaway)

Every morning is almost exactly the same. I walk into the kitchen, get my coffee, grab my snuggie (yep, you read right), and flop into my recliner. After taking the first couple of magical sips of coffee-goodness, I open up my laptop and go straight to my blog. It doesn't really matter how early it is (usually 6am), I still want to do bloggy things as soon as possible.

I don't always go straight into writing a post. Often, I'll go into my blogging Facebook groups and check up on anything new. I check my emails. I schedule my pins on Pinterest. I moderate my blog comments.

It's all pretty routine, but it is a whole lot of work. But a lot of people don't realize that.

Misconceptions

As a blogger who is working towards a full-time blogging career, I am frequently asked how someone can make money blogging. It's a fair question. And I don't mind answering- actually, I enjoy it.

But sometimes when I've just described my blogging plans and dreams, I tend to wonder if the listener is thinking something along the lines of: "That's not a real career" or "You really think you can do that?". And if they are thinking that, I can kind of understand it. Blogging is different than most career paths and because our revenue streams come from multiple places, it can be confusing to the non-blogger.

But it is important to me that people understand both the hard work that goes into blogging, and the fact that blogging isn't just a little hobby. It's a passion that I am so excited about.

Fire

I recently had someone tell me that they can see me light up when I talk about blogging. And that is so true! I come alive, talk a whole lot faster, and pretty much can't shut up about it once you get me started.

I love what blogging is for me: a creative outlet, a ministry, a way to use my degree, and a way to be in community. Blogging let's me speak boldly about the things God is teaching me. It allows me to encourage others to do the right thing, or to stand tall during trials. Blogging allows me to "meet" new people and develop friendships. Blogging pushes me to be a better, more disciplined version of myself.

Blogging is not my hobby. Blogging is a passion that I intend to follow and utilize for God's glory. Blogging ignites something in me that I didn't know existed.

So if you don't understand my blogging goals, I get it. But please, oh please, don't stand there looking at me like I'll never make it. Just because it's a hard path doesn't mean it won't be amazing!

THE GIVEAWAY

Now that I've gotten that little tangent out of the way, I'm excited to announce a giveaway that I am participating in. Please make sure you enter, as there are some awesome prizes!

For this giveaway, I have teamed up with some awesome bloggers and creatives to bring to you an AMAZING giveaway bundle full of things that all bloggers and creatives love (and need!) in celebration of Coffee With Summer’s 2nd Blogiversary! All you have to do to enter to win all of these goodies is to complete as many tasks as you would like to! The more tasks you complete, the more chances you have of winning! The giveaway runs from July 26th - August 3rd and the winner will be notified and announced on the Rafflecopter form by Saturday, August 6th. All entries will be verified before choosing a winner. Enter fairly! (Giveaway is only valid in USA and AUS).

Coffee With Summer - Just Bee Blog - Sobremesa Stories - A Tiny Traveler - Life As A Larsen - Coming Up Roses  - Inspiration Indulgence - The Peculiar Treasure - Nested Nomad - Life With Kristie - Flip Flops & Furs  - A Problem Like Maria - Green Tea And Cotton - Blog By Tracy - Stay Gold Autumn - Just A Simple Home - Grace Love Life

What’s in the giveaway:

• The Happiness Planner
• Huge black tote bag
• Big Magic book 
• 365 Blog Topic Ideas Book 
• Phone Tripod With Remote
• French Press Coffee Maker 
• Macaroon Note Card Set 
• Pink “Like A Boss” Pencil Case 
• Black “Dreams Take Hustle” Pencil Case 
• Pencil pack 
• Oops eraser 
• Sticky Notes 
• Candle 
• Jumbo Gold Paper Clips 
• 2 Prints - “You Can Really Do Whatever You Want” & “You Are Capable" (not pictured)
• "Hello Lovely" mug from A Tiny Traveler Creative (not pictured)
• Coffee With Summer Venti Blog Sponsorship Spot 

a Rafflecopter giveaway