Back in business, folks

A friend of mine wrote to me today and asked why I had stopped blogging.  It dawned on me then that I hadn't written in a very long time.  I was certainly aware of my unannounced hiatus but it really hit me this morning that I was letting people down who read this blog.  I have friends, family, and readers who have contributed so much love to my blogging experience and I was very ready to throw in the towel.  I had decided about a week ago that my laziness might as well be a hiatus and I might as well just return after the holidays.  The thing is, I've been feeling very uninspired.  About three months ago when From Scratch was in the design phase, I wrote another blog which chronicled my life in my relationship....and then my relationship ended.  So, the inspiration for From Scratch derived from the idea that my life was starting over.  Remember that age old saying, "don't put your eggs in one basket?" Yeah, don't.  I did and it totally sucked.  The point is, I was motivated to start From Scratch because I literally had to press the abort mission button on my old blog and restart.  I essentially changed my identity.  I was so inspired to write openly and honestly and then I realized I wanted privacy...just for a little.  I got rid of Facebook and just lived my life.  It felt good and I don't necessarily feel like putting myself back on the grid and sharing all of my deepest darkest thoughts and opinions about life in general, but still.  I do however feel like putting time into something I love...which is this blog.

So for those of you that do read...hang tight.

A little greeting :)

Hey folks, chances are you’re either new to my blog or entered hairbowsandsmiles.com into your search bar and ended up here.  Are you confused?  I would be too, but let me explain.  After some recent changes in my life, Hair Bows and Smiles was no longer a direction I wanted to take with my writing.  Over my blogging journey I have done a lot of thinking regarding where I wanted to go on this experience and where I wanted to take the blog.  Ultimately it led me here.  While I am incredibly sad to see that part of my journey end, life happens, things change and I need to move on and forward and so we are going to do it together as one big happy blog family. I have always been so grateful for the support you have all provided me and I hope you choose to continue on this journey with me!

The inspiration for From Scratch was pretty simple.  To me, the best things in life are made from scratch.  They are molded and customized and with a lot love, time and care, they flourish.  When I began baking a few years ago, I remember thinking “why would anyone ever bake out of the box when making things from scratch is so simple and rewarding?!” and since then “from scratch” has become a way of life.

I’ve been an avid blog reader for many years and truly respect the women (and men) out there that do it.  They are my idols.  A little while ago I stumbled on the blog Momastery and even though I am not a momma, Glennon Melton stole my heart.  She just gets it.  What started as reading her blog turned into reading her book (Carry on, Warrior) and since then I have added her mantra in life to my very own.  She’s great and I truly urge you, no matter what walk of life, to pick that book up and read her blog.  What I love about Glennon and her writing is that she’s honest.  She tells it like it is and it’s refreshing.  When I sat down to think about what I wanted this blog to be, I thought “channel Glennon, she’d want you to write honestly and unforgivably because you have a story to tell.”  And so that is what I want to do and I’m going to do it without any reservations. 

I’m so happy to have you here, please stay a while J

Midweek Confessions!

I'm a pretty avid reader of the blog E, Myself, and I and each week she decides to do confessions on her blog.  Well each week she encourages readers to join in and I figured, why not?!  Here goes nothing:

This just seems like a fitting picture...

1.  I signed up for kickboxing classes and I went for the first time yesterday.  During the warm up the trainer made us do mountain climbers and after the third time down, I went to get up and fell over.  The trainer caught me and I chocked it up to bad balance, but the truth is my legs gave out because I'm out of shape.

2.  I've been trying to do better about my road rage but today I yelled at a woman so bad in the DMV inspection line that my little brother looked embarrassed.

3.  I threw a hissy-fit the morning of my 21st birthday.  So much for turning 21.

4.  Sometimes when I am in a food store and I see a bunch of things stacked up really high I get the urge to karate chop the pile and knock everything down.

5.  I really hate my hair cut.  A couple of weeks ago I had it cut short and it really is a cute cut and my hairdresser is fantastic but it's just not for me.  I miss being able to throw my hair up in a bun and God, can we talk about how annoying side bangs are?!

6.  I found this book in a local library last week and I couldn't stop laughing.  I think this is something I'd buy someday as a parent to provide myself and my husband some comic relief.

A Beautiful Mess, the photo editor app

I know I'm pretty behind on this adorable little app, but I downloaded it when it first came out and honestly, wasn't terribly impressed.  Last night I sat down to play with it a bit more since it had a recent update and I came to the conclusion that I was wrong about this app all along.  I think where I went wrong the first time around was that I didn't give it enough attention.  I didn't take the time to play around and combine different things to make a cute picture.  I'm a huuuggge fan of their recent update and had a good time last night playing around on the app.  Here's what I came up with:

Go to the app store to download the app "A Beautiful Mess" or keep up with the creators on their blog, A Beautiful Mess.

Happy weekend everyone!

Woo hoo! It's Friday!

I love the dynamic of the weekend and the good vibes it brings.  Despite being on my summer vacation and the fact that I work from home, I feel like my favorite summer moments happen on the weekends.  It's when I unplug from the blog and step away from any and all work that I have.  On top of that, I feel like it's a good opportunity to spend time with both my family and Tim's since everyone is around!

I have a pretty busy week ahead of me so I am looking forward to taking the weekend to relax and prepare for a week of meetings and one very, very important interview.

For now, here are a few things I'm loving right now...

1.  This blog.

2.  These shoes from Target, which I bought today...along with like 4 dresses....oops.

 

3.  The idea that Fall clothes are on the horizon.  They were all over Target in a "Fall Preview" section and I was so excited.

4.  This perfect little guide from specialsections.suntimes.com:

5.  Birchbox...I can't wait to get mine!

6.  This article on public relations and how to have better objectives

That's it for now!  Have a lovely weekend and come back soon :)

Why I blog

About two years ago I stumbled upon the blog Tulips and Flight Suits, written by Mary (who is just lovely by the way) and I was hooked.  I loved the idea of having something personal to update and having a space on the internet that felt private, like a tiny community.  From there I found more and more blogs that I loved to read and soon enough I had a daily reading list.  When I made the decision to start Hair Bows and Smiles it was one that was not easily made.  A lot of hard work goes into writing a blog like this as well as a lot of decision making from how transparent you want to be to the content of the blog.  Regardless, Hair Bows and Smile was underway and I began seeking opportunities to grow the blog every day.  I thought about the reasons that I fell in love with the idea of blogs in the first place and it went back to that idea of community.  It was then that I began reaching out to the women on the blogosphere that I admired most.  At first, I thought I wouldn't get a single response, but I did, the emails were (mostly) returned and I remembered why I loved blogging in the first place....that sense of community.  Even though all of us are at different stages of life our blogs bring us together.  We are connected by what we do and with that our community is formed.

This week on Hair Bows and Smiles I am so excited to feature a guest post by Claire from Eat Well. Party Hard.  Claire and I are old college friends and while I am still completing my undergrad, Claire is off doing amazing things.  I've loved reading her blog and was so excited to welcome her onto Hair Bows and Smiles. Since we are trying to be health conscious on our end, I've asked Claire to develop a healthier recipe to put up on my little section of the Internet.  I'm so excited!  It's amazing to include Claire in the blogging community that I hold so close to my heart and I hope you all will welcome her with open arms!  Make sure to come back daily, but especially Thursday to give a big, exciting welcome to Claire!

What I'm reading

Or rather, what I read...

As you all know, Hair Bows and Smiles is brand new to the blog scene.  After avidly reading sites like Love Taza and Tulips and Flight suits I felt inspired to create my own.  The idea was simple, I wanted to write about life and all things Ashley.  So far the experience has been great but I don't want the growth of the blog to simply plateau.  I want to continue to strengthen what I am writing and doing on this blog so that you, my readers, will keep coming back and continuing to tell your friends about the site!

So that brings me to the book I just finished, Blog, Inc.  Perhaps some of you know the author, Joy Cho, who is over at Oh, Joy!.  Regardless if you do or don't, the book was phenomenal!

I was nervous that the book would only discuss ways to start a blog and thus not include all the important information about the aftermath of creating a blog, but I was wrong!  Joy chronicles every aspect of blogging, from gaining followers to adding advertisements.  I am so glad I picked this book up because I already know it will serve as my little encyclopedia for the rest of my blogging career.

If any of you visiting are bloggers yourself, I seriously suggest getting this book as fast as you can.  It was excellent.

Happy Monday! I'm having a crisis...

It's snowing or raining outside..I'm actually not at all positive which one it actually is.  I'm in class and writing on this blog which should tell you all that I am bored to death.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about life considering so much is changing.  This weekend, while my boyfriend and I were lounging around, he very candidly asked me if I still wanted to do public relations as my career.  We were watching the new show "The Taste" and I had been discussing with him how much I loved to cook and really thought I could go on the show.  Well, I suppose at some point I made the comment that I could go on that show and then I wouldn't have to sit in a cubicle every day for the rest of my life, I could just do what I love.  So he asked...and I don't blame him for asking.  What scared me in that moment was the fact that I didn't know the answer.  Instead I got quiet and mumbled a very quiet "I don't know."  

To be completely honest with all of you, I didn't have the best semester this past fall.  Classes were rough for me and I struggled, even within my major. It was upsetting and frustrating and I left for Christmas break feeling very sad.  Like someone had burst my PR bubble.  When I came back for the Spring I was offered an amazing internship at a small PR firm in the city, a mentorship program with the Vice President of TBS, and I had a wonderful conversation with my adviser in which she assured me that I was good at what I do.

Well...I should feel better right?  I should want to do this again, right?  Wrong. So terribly wrong.  I am literally having a quarter life crisis and I have no idea what to do about it.

I have been taking the time, upon realizing I was having a quarter life crisis, to think about what I really want to get out of life.  What are my dreams?  What do I see myself doing?  While not everything fits into a picture perfect, step-by-step, scenario, it is what I want in my life and I am going to try my hardest to accomplish it.

1.  I will continue my education with public relations and graduate from my University
2.  I will search for a job as a wedding planner and obtain any extra necessary documentation to do so
3.  I want to eventually open either my own wedding planning company or a bakery
4.  I want to have the opportunity to stay home with my children when that is the case
5.  I want to have a successful blog in my lifetime

That's what I want as a career.  A compilation or variation of all of that.  So no, it's not exactly public relations, but it's my dream.  My degree will help me achieve all of it.

Do bloggers really need to pick a theme?

Everything I read about blogging in preparation for this journey tells me to stick to a specific theme with my writing.  If you like to cook, write about that.  If you are a mom, chronicle your families journey through life.  If you design, detail your ideas for readers.  What I am finding an issue for me is that I have a lot of interests...a lot of blog themes, if you will.  I love to cook and do often.  I can't wait to marry my boyfriend and eventually start our family.  I working for a fashion and beauty public relations firm so I am sure I will have my fair share of input on that topic as well.  I keep trying to find one word to describe this blog and everything I hope for it to be down the road, but I just can't do it.  What I can determine now is that this blog will be a meeting place of ideas.  For me and for you, my readers. Oh I so hope someone's reading.  

The thing is that for years I have admired other peoples writing, humor and zest for life.  I often found myself thinking that I could do the same thing.  When I tried the first time I found that my voice wasn't there, perhaps I wasn't investing the time in my blog that it deserved.  But I'm older now, a lot wiser, and perhaps in need of a therapeutic escape on the weekdays and weekends that allows me to talk openly about what life throws my way.  I think this will be fun and I hope that someone stays around long enough to enjoy it with me.

Happy Monday!  Hopefully most of you are off for the holiday!  Any thoughts on blogging and what has helped you?  I'd love the input :)