Blog Sugar

Where do I even begin sharing about Blog sugar? There is so much to say about it and yet I cannot find the words. Can I just start by saying that God met us there? I know that sounds chessy but it is 100% true.

Blog Sugar is a faith based blogging conference where about 150 bloggers came together to learn, to mingle and be inspired. The mastermind behind Blog Sugar is Rachel over at No. 17, she made it very clear in this post that this was not her event but belonged to God. This proved to be true as we listened to some of the speakers and watched a video about an organization that I plan to share with you all soon. Rachel, along with the other organzizers Andrea and Jen, did an amazing job of planning and following the plan for this event. It was beautiful and fun and inspiring and so much more.

What I took away personally from Blog Sugar?

• Even when I am discouraged over numbers or sales, you all chose to follow me. You choose to listen to me. You have so many options of what blogs to follow and you chose me. For that I am so thankful to you and so inspired to blog more often and more intentionally.
• I am not one dimensional so why should my blog be? You should be seeing all aspects of my life not just the pretty stuff I create.
• It is okay to let somethings slide. Laundry, cough. If I want to run a business and have a happy family, I need to realize that I cannot do it all.
• I need to make sure that I am honoring God in my business, my blog, how I handle customers and even how I deal with competition.

A few of my favorite quotes of the night?

• Look at your goals and what works best for your family and do it all for that. -Maggie at GussySews
• It's not always easy, it's not always fun but it's ALWAYS worth it.- Julie at Joy's Hope
• It doesn't matter the why, it's happening! -Jeanett at LifeReArranged

I left Blog Sugar feeling inspired and lifted up. I feel like this blog has a purpose. It is not my blog but HIS. I will still post about my day to day life. What it is to be a mommy. About what I wore. I will still share the little things. As Julie pointed out, sometimes that is what will light up someones day. BUT I will also be posting about what it means to be a follower of Christ and where my walk has/is taking me.

Now that I have shared all about what I learned I can't figure out where to place the pictures from the night. So let's just add them here.

On top of all that I learned, I got to come together with friends from all over. Some friends I had already met in real life and hang out with regularly. Others I was meeting (in person) for the first time. Regardless, there is something about blog and twitter friends that I cannot explain to people who aren't a part of it. Our friendships are real. Many of them I hold more dearly than some of the friends I see everyday. I love this world I am a part of!

 {April, me and Monick}

 {Me, Monick, Alissa, Kimmie and Lindsey}

 {Nicole, Me, Maggie and Monick}

 {Nicole and I being real with ya!}

 {Me and Ruthanne}

 {Me, Nicole, Julie, Heather, Erin and Alissa}

{The girls from my Blog Sugar Table- Top: Me, Lindsay, Casey, Monick, April Bottom- Nicole and Ashley}

Seriously an amazing group of woman and an amazing event. I linked everyone to their blogs because you are going to want to follow them!

Influential Women: Fellowship

When recently asked what the most important/influential piece in my walk had been, the answer came easily. Fellowship and uplifting individuals. Don't get me wrong, without prayer and all the fundamentals, I would be lost, literally. However, when it came to establishing my faith, I could not have got where I am without time with friends in fellowship. When I first came to know God, I fell away time and time again. What made it stick this time? I believe it had a lot to do with people around me lifting me, praying WITH me and keeping me accountable. From the beginning of my steadfast walk with the Lord, I have been lifted up by someone y'all might already know, if you don't, get to know her :)


Hi Yo!
Nicole from OliveBlue, here!
Kristen asked me to stop by and leave a few words on fellowship. I jumped at the chance to post on her blog, I mean common, she is just amazing. Love me some RockABow.

Kristen and I have known each other for about 7 years now. My husband was in their wedding and they got married the weekend before we did. We even bought the same wedding dress! Not meaning to, of course, and don't worry it was rectified with little to no hair pulling! Her husband was one of my husband's first friends he made when his family moved to the area. Which leads me to the topic of fellowship. I define fellowship as surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals, who enjoy each others company.

Kristen and I have become really great friends, we are both full-fledged Christians, Mommys, handmade business owners, and obsessive about fabric. Like minded, I think so! I value Kristen in my life. I run to her for advise, a shoulder, when I have good news, a funny story or just need to hang out. I want to be around her because she builds me up, she encourages me, she speaks truth to me and we have SO MUCH FUN together. This is true fellowship.

While we were at a conference back in April we happened to come across a group of ladies that we instantly connected with. We spent the whole weekend together, eating, laughing, learning, laughing, telling stories, eating, eating, staying up SUPER late and genuinely enjoying one another. We all value the same things in life, and we all have handmade businesses. We have all stayed in contact and are even planning a craft retreat together. Another example of true fellowship and networking.

I want you to think about how you present yourself to those you meet? Are you a friend who gives as much as you get from your friends? Do you treat others how you would like to be treated? We won't always run into people we agree with or enjoy being around, but in the end you can only control YOU. It's still worth it to put yourself out there and meet other, like-minded people. I want to encourage you to leave comments on blogs, talk to someone on twitter, go to a conference, make connections. If you don't have a crafty bone in your body, find a mommy group to fellowship with, or serve at church to meet other people.

Wherever you are in life, it's important to have friends that know YOU and encourage you. It's just as important for you to be that friend to someone else.

Without friends like Nicole, I don't know if I would be standing as firmly as I am now. If you don't already have them, I encourage you to find some friends who will lift you up and hold you accountable. It had been so detrimental to me.

I also encourage you to go check out Nicole's blog