Tag: writing

Yelly Writes

Challenging myself

Yelly

I’ve been telling myself that I need to blog more often, more regularly.  That I need to add more content to my blog.

I have this amazing knack of biting off more than I can chew on a regular basis because I have this (almost masochistic) need to push myself and stretch my boundaries.  There are days when I am exhilarated by the challenges I put myself through (I was probably a circus animal of some sort in a previous life because I seem to enjoy jumping through hoops of various heights and sizes); but there are days when I just get completely overwhelmed and I wonder why I started the whole exercise!  I usually bang my head of a figurative wall and ask myself what I was thinking!

But blogging is important to me, and I really miss blogging regularly (sometimes mindlessly, and let me tell you, my verbal diarrhea is sometimes not the most pleasant!).  I’ve been moaning that I haven’t been blogging much.  So, in the interest of developing my writing (an erstwhile goal), I am challenging myself to do BOTH Blogging 101 and Photo 101.  I wanted to join NaBloPoMo but I was afraid I’d miss the prompts!  I have, yet again, challenged myself to do the impossible.  A blog entry AND a photo post every day for a month!  Ha!  But, come to think of it, I already do Fat Mum Slim‘s photo a day challenge and manage to post a photo a day on Instagram most days.  This is just doing that, on a far bigger scale.  I spend so much time online anyway that I think it’s just spending a bit more time on my WordPress tab than being nosy on Facebook and reading posts on Twitter (also a “being nosy” exercise).

So here goes everything!

This month's challenge

Yelly Writes

So many posts…

Yelly

I’ve had quite the active weekend and I’ve got about a gazillion blog post ideas as a result (mostly food related, but hey!)!!!

I need to make time to write these posts!  I need to make time…or find time…or something!  Can someone find me a real-life working time turner?  Like the one that Hermione Granger in Prisoner of Azkaban had pretty please?

While I can always download the app for WordPress my experience with it hasn’t been very positive.  When I used it, the posts don’t necessarily come out with the same margin settings and I seem to have these horribly LOOOOOOOOONG settings that stretch on forever — making me look like I don’t know how to make paragraphs!  I’m sure there’s a simple explanation and there are probably basic app-related settings which I may have missed, but I’m not necessarily encouraged to use it again!

Here’s to hoping that I can somehow find a magic spell to allow me to “make” time!

Fingers and toesies crossed!

Yelly Writes

Struggling

Yelly

I am struggling to blog these days.

While I would love nothing more than to blog about food, the books I’ve read (I’ve managed to finish reading Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You!  Hurray me!), the places Alan and I have been to eat, the musicals I’ve seen, it feels a bit self-indulgent.  My father is still very ill and I feel that any enjoyment I feel about my life here is not allowed.  He would say otherwise of course, because he has always said that I should live my life, that I should live the life I dreamed.  But I cannot help but feel selfish.

I will write properly because to write about them would be honouring my father’s wishes.  But right now I will allow myself to worry about him.  Tomorrow is Sunday and Skype day.  I will be able to chat with them and see all of them.

There are days when my grip on my faith is loosed by doubt.  Why is my Abba still ill?  Why is God letting him go through all this pain?  But then I am reminded that these are questions that I mustn’t really ask.  Because the God I believe in does not want His children to suffer.  The God I believe in will turn a bad situation into a good one.  The God I believe in is the God that heals.  The God I believe in is a God who will take His children in His arms and comfort them.  I know that I cannot understand my God’s wisdom because that is beyond my understanding.  I must trust in His plan.

In His perfect time and according to His perfect plan.

That is what I must hold on to.

Yelly Writes

The irony of it all!

Yelly

After my post on the 12th of August (Breaking the silence), I did anything but!  I haven’t written anything for over a month!

I’ve been quite good at journalling (actually writing in the journal that I lug around everyday)  and writing my random thoughts down via an iPhone app called Day One.  But I’ve been neglecting my blog, and that is the understatement of the century.

I’m going to go away for a while and I’m going to have a rethink about the blog.  I might rework and tweak a few things.  I keep looking at the blog and I keep thinking something needs to be done to it!

Watch this space folks!

Yelly Writes

Breaking the silence!

Yelly

My excuse:  I’ve been busy.

Life has a way of interrupting writing.  Which I find really annoying!  I must find time to write because when I don’t vent, I become grouchy and grumpy and ornery!

I tell myself it’s all the writing muses’ faults.  They have abandoned me again.  But that’s not entirely true.  If I really want to write about things (ANYTHING!), I should make time to write down my thoughts.  Even my exercise in journal writing has ground to a halt because I don’t make time.

I have been busy in the kitchen though.  I’ve been making bread completely by hand!  I’ve discovered that kneading the dough helps my carpal tunnel syndrome.  I’ve made pan de sal several times now and now I know that the perfect cooking time is 11.5 minutes!   At least in my oven, it’s 11.5 minutes.  I’ve also found the perfect blondies recipe.  I’ve made it about 4 times now and each time it’s been a success…and have managed to add a few tweaks to the recipe enough that I can now call the recipe my own.

I’ve set myself a challenge for the next few weekends.  I am going to

  • make profiteroles
  • make puff pastry
  • make a roulade

I also need to start using my Goldilocks Cakebook.  Goldilocks is an iconic chain of bakeries in the Philippines and I want to try the recipes so I can bring a little bit of the Philippines to my little corner of England.

I’ve got most of everything under a semblance of control.  Now all I have to do is discipline myself to write regularly!  Big ask, you say?  Not really.  I just need to push myself to write.  Because the excuse that I can’t find the words isn’t quite true.  I talk enough for 2 people, so all I just have to do is to close my mouth and let my fingers do the talking for a little bit!

Here’s to hoping the next entry isn’t too far away!

Yelly Writes

The Wall

Yelly

I have hit the proverbial writing wall.

I’ve got so many things I want to write about, I’ve take so many pictures that I want to post and I’ve started writing the blog entries, but I can’t seem to finish anything!  In my head I know exactly what I want to write about, I know exactly what elements are part of the entry but as I sit in front of my PC and look at that blinking cursor, I freeze.  The words just won’t come!

I think the writing muses have gone away somewhere.  I’m thinking they’ve gone to somewhere warm and sunny.  I feel a bit put out that they didn’t invite me on their spring break!  I really wish they would come back.  I really want to start writing again.

Yelly Writes

Thank you!

Yelly

I must say that I am quite pleased whenever someone comes to visit the blog.

I know it’ll sound cheesy when I say this: but I am always challenged to write better when people come to visit.  It’s all about the quality of the posts, really.  It’s all about content.  And every time someone likes a post, or starts following the blog, it reminds me that I have a responsibility to the people who follow the blog: to write better, to post better photos and to share something relevant.

I started the blog because I wanted to embrace the fact that I am all about the food.  But I’m beginning to realise that whilst food might be the centre of my writing universe, it’s not the be-all-and-end-all of my writing world.  I started with a tag line on the blog that said “There is no love more sincerer than the love of food.”  I took my food posts from a previous blog and brought them over to this blog.  But I soon realised that concentrating on food did not allow me to express all my thoughts.  Sure, it’s good to have a niche blog, but  I have opinions and I have thoughts that I most certainly love sharing–mostly, selfishly, so that I can validation; that I can say that I’m not the only one with these thoughts.  It’s good to get validation and it’s even better when someone you don’t know in some other part of the world says, “Yeah, I think that too!”

If you’ve dropped by the blog, if you’ve liked a post, if you’ve clicked that button to follow the blog, let me just say “Thank you!” for without y’all to spur me on, I don’t think I’d put my thoughts out there!

This is my second thank you post, but I feel the need to say it over and over again.  You all make my heart sing (insert Dido’s Thank You song here)! 🙂

Thank you!

Yelly Writes

Writing Pit Stop

Yelly

I think the one solution to my writing woes is to write when inspiration strikes me.  I’ve got so many entries floating around in my head that I think the only way to stop these writing ideas from floating away is to just stop for a moment and type out my thoughts.

This is going to have to be quick because I need to really start working on a handover document!

NR11 came to visit my blog and I found this link to Hugo and Adele’s website.  In a nutshell, Hugo and Adele sell party supplies but I was drawn to how adorable their cupcake baking cups were.  I’m all about the cute stuff as, after all, I am a girly girl!  If you like lovely pastel coloured party supplies, I think you may just have to wander around their site.   Thank you NR11 for sharing this wonderful bit of information!

Here’s a teaser of some of the lovelies that they have.  This is isn’t an advertising scheme mind!  I just thought sharing this would be helpful to someone else too!

Yelly Writes

Thank you!

Yelly

I thought it would be good to start October with a note of thanks.

Thanks to everyone who has come to check the blog out and a special thanks to everyone who has followed the blog.  You all inspire me to write and get out of the writing slump that I am currently experiencing.

Yelly Reads

Book du jour!

Yelly

Someone has very kindly given me the book I so wanted (see post on 25 September!).

It has now been added to my Kindle and I cannot wait to get stuck in!

Apart from that new development, there is nothing new.  I’ve still got so much to write about but as usual, I am plagued with inertia and the lack of initiative to find the time to write about things.  Not good, I know.  I will get over this writing hump though.  I really will!