Did anyone else miss that October ended? I can't say that I'm disappointed, but this year is going by a little too fast for me. However, I'm so excited to share that there are some great things happening this month!! One of them is the shop's FIRST BIRTHDAY! This truly is a big deal, because this means that I've stuck it out for a year and despite wanting to give up and not really seeing much "growth" initially (I didn't put as much effort as I could have either)..we made it and it's been a seriously awesome feeling. So this month I will be doing a few things to celebrate and one of them will be two giveaways! One will be hosted here on the blog and the other on my instagram feed (@ablueswallow). So if you're following along and seeing the crazy day-to-day stuff, then be on the look out for some awesome things your way!
Also, my favorite part of this month and in to the holiday season is here... Handmade Holiday! This is my heart and I'm so glad that I've had a much better response than I expected it to be. So from November 4th - December 20th on Mondays and Thursdays you will have the opportunity to read about another handmade business! What they do, who they are, and seriously some of the AMAZING product that they sell! I hope that this not only brings them new business, but also allows you to see their heart and why they do what they do so well. I hope you share these features with others, because that's the whole reason for them!
So life is picking up and I need to pull out my calendar and burn the midnight oil... hopefully you've got a cup of coffee and are enjoying it with me. It's been an amazing ride these last few months, and I really can't wait for what this upcoming year brings for the shop and especially for me. I've grown so much lately and I am so grateful for you. It's been difficult at times, and especially in keeping things in perspective and not "trying to be" anything other than myself. Yesterday when I was sharing my heart with my pastor, he really said something that convicted me and encouraged me at the same time...
"Be who you are... you're here because of who you are."
The past year has been a lot of transition for my family and for me. From moving several times, to my husband becoming a full-time youth pastor (which means I became a pastor's wife...no previous experience), to learning parenthood 101, and on top of that juggling my heart's passion (A Blue Swallow) versus my day job. I've had really tough moments of feeling like I'm not this person or that person and maybe my social media face isn't "up to par." Maybe I'm not "real enough" or I'm sharing too much about my shop and need another account on instagram... Honestly as much as I like social media, I can't keep up with all these accounts (call me old, I just like to consolidate..). And after he said that, it sat with me and still is. I am many things, but most importantly I am a reflection of Christ's love. He has given me the dreams and passions and goals that allow me to connect with you! As insecure as I can be, I don't want those insecurities to overshadow what I really am about - nor do I want them to be a catalyst of unintentionally creating a facade of who I want you to think I am. Because truthfully, I can't keep up and I've cried when people have stopped "following me" on social media sites or when I said something and it came off wrong... But I don't want to feel like I'm having to keep up with anyone other than who I am and who I should be. The best acceptance you will ever have is self-acceptance.
So as Autumn is a season of change, I hope to stick to a change in my attitude towards staying genuine to who I know I need to be and be okay with that...because A Blue Swallow is bigger than me, it always was and that's what I love about it.
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