Reminder – Ann Written Notes is now House & Host!

Hey everyone!  Happy holidays!   This is just a friendly reminder that you won’t be seeing my blog posts come through Ann Written Notes anymore.  I’ve seen a few new subscribers come through and wanted to reach out and tell you all to head on over to House&Host and sign up for my new blog there!  You can also follow the House & Host Facebook page.

And again, I would be so appreciative of you sharing out House&Host with your friends and family!

Thanks again for this 2.5 year ride on Ann Written Notes.  I’m excited for 2014 and what House&Host brings!

XOXO,

Ann

Friendly Reminder!

Hey everyone!  Happy Friday.  This is just a friendly reminder that you won’t be seeing my blog posts come through Ann Written Notes anymore.  Head on over to House&Host and sign up for my new blog there!  Three new posts went live this week so don’t miss out 🙂  You can also follow the House & Host Facebook page.

And again, I would be so appreciative of you sharing out House&Host with your friends and family!

Thanks again for this 2.5 year ride on Ann Written Notes.  I’m excited for what House&Host brings!

Love,Ann

 

A New Venture: Saying Goodbye to Ann Written Notes.

Hey there!  So, you have probably noticed I have been MIA as of late.  Well, it’s not that I have been sitting around, eating bonbons wasting the days away.  I have been coming down the home stretch of my new venture, my new blog project, House & Host! And, you are the first to know so go on, check it out!

It’s been a work in progress in my head for over a year and tangibly for the last five months.  I found an amazing designer, Joy Laforme and she did an incredible job bringing my concept to life.  It’s been a super-duper creative outlet, a challenge and just so fun to see something from start to sort-of-finished (it’s never really finished, right?!).

So to that.  Goodbye Ann Written Notes.  The last 2+ years has been fun sharing my crazy stories, my love of all things beautiful, my travel adventures and a lot in between.  Thank you for being on this ride with me and I hope you will join me on this new, slightly modified, a bit more passionate, more colorful and a little more in my zone ride.

A couple of housekeeping notes:

1. Will Ann Written Notes go away?  Sadly, yes.  But, after a few tears, I am actually excited because I think House & Host will be that much better, more creative and more storytelling.  After months of brainstorming and ideating and getting my creative juices flowing, God make it clear this was the right move.  And I’ve learned a ton along the way which I am SO thankful for!
2. Will you need to subscribe to House & Host to receive the blog updates?  Yes!  You just need to go to the blog and scroll down slightly and on the right there is an email sign up box.  It takes 20 seconds.  Sign on up…first post goes live tomorrow!
3. Have you enjoyed reading Ann Written Notes?  Have I made you laugh?  Cry?  Have I inspired you?  Well, I hope I have done something to make even the tiniest impact in your life.  And to that, I have a personal favor.  I would be SO grateful if you would share out House & Host to your friends and family!

Here’s to pursuing passion, closing chapters and opening new ones.  Here’s to creating, to trying, to learning, to growing.  Here’s to taking risks.  And to finding something you are passionate about and staying tremendously interested in it.  #livelikejulia

The Fall Sweater I Will Be Living In

Perfect for work.  Perfect for hosting a cocktail party around the fireplace.  Perfect for church and brunch, paired with a light scarf.  Perfect for running errands in the city.  Dress it up or down.  I am entirely convinced I will wear this sweater 2-3 times per week (ssshh, don’t tell anyone).  The J Crew leather front merino cardigan. 

I have been eying it for a few weeks and couldn’t justify the expense.  When I go back to something more than 3 times, it’s my sign that I do actually want it and it’s not a spontaneous buy.  I have tried this sweater on so many times and every time I have loved it more than the time before (FYI I am usually a size medium and in this sweater, I am a small).  It comes in black and navy and of course, I want both but, can’t afford both so per usual, black wins.  I am saving my dollars and hopefully I will get lucky and there will be sale soon so I can snag this up.  And I think you should, too 🙂

Living Without Fear of the Future. Possible or Impossible?

One of my best friends and I start our mornings by reading from a Proverbs 31 women’s devotional.  It’s a few paragraphs and usually one bible verse that allows both of us to start our days with God and learn a little about how God wants us to live our lives.  It’s 20-30 minutes of reading, digesting, praying and ‘chatting’ over email.  It’s the time after we are awake and before the day starts to set the tone, create a foundation, a strong platform, with God and each other.

Every day is a struggle whether it be at work, with your husband/wife, your health, kids who don’t seem to listen, a dirty house, lack of time to work out and the list goes on.  We weren’t designed to be perfect (thank God), but, we can learn a little each day about how to live a Godly life in the midst of this crazy world.  That’s why this is important to us.

We can try.  One day at a time.  We will fail, certainly.  Likely a few times, ahem, every couple hours.  We will take a few steps forward and inevitably, a step back.  The important thing for me (and for my friend, Vaneesha), is that we are making progress.  It may be slow, but, slow is better than status quo.  For me, one of the things I have learned over the last couple years and recently doing this daily devotional is to not worry about tomorrow, about the future.  Clearly, if you know me, you know I am FAR from perfect on this.  However, I am thankful that God has helped me be more present.  To not worry about tomorrow, about my future and to not let worry consume my thoughts.  And this verse from Proverbs 31:25 (coincidentally…or not) is one that makes me smile.  Makes me smile at the work God is doing in my messy life.