Southern Girl Moves to the Midwest

I'm just a southern girl living in Kansas.
Never thought I would be saying those words.
Never thought I would move out of the South.
But GOD had other plans.

If you told me a year ago I would be moving again. I would of laughed in your face. See the reason why is because a year ago in May I got offered a great job and moved to Georgia. I finally thought this is it! Little did I know a few days after my year anniversary of living there I would get the news I was moving. I went into shock. I am going to be brutally honest. At first I was mad. I had plans. To stay here in Georgia not to move cross country. But in the midst of it all God softened my heart and thoughts about it. I got excited and was ready.

Our roadtrip alone here was an adventure in the least. I'll have to share more on that in another post. My first week here was a blur so many boxes were unpacked. There is still a TON to go through. Moving is not easy and let me just tell you. I have lost things and I went out to buy it and found it later that night. It's funny how things like that happen and all I can do is laugh to myself. 

I finally realized I am not in the south anymore when I went to a restraunt. the waitress came and asked for our drink order here is how the conversation went...

Waitress: Hi, what can I get you guys to drink?
Me: Hmm. Sweet tea will be good.
Waitress: Oh, well, we dont have that, but we do have unsweet and sweeteners.
Me: Uh..Uh..
Mom: Honey, we aren't in the South anymore

Thats when I was hit in the face that I am now in the Midwest. It's the little things like sweet tea. OR accents. I'm amazed. I sit there and just stare and listen to their NO accent voices. They probably think what's wrong with this girl? She keeps staring at me. NO, really it's so crazy how they have no accent it's so clear and crisp. 

It is still so unreal to me how I live in Kansas. God is good through it all. He knew I would come here  for a purpose. 

That's all for now.

Elle

My New Love~ Calligraphy

Ok, has anyone else seen the most beautiful hand writings over the Instagram world or even Pinterest and wish you could write like that? I thought the same thing then I decided I was going to do it. So, I have some tips I'm going to give you that I did when I first started learning.

1.) Look at blogs that interest is calligraphy or brush lettering. Some of my favorites are:

• Pieces Calligraphy~ She focuses a lot on brush lettering. She has a lot of great tips on different ways to learn it and what supplies are the best!
• Dawn Nicole Designs~ She has pratice worksheets you can print out for FREE! I would save it to my computer and print out when I wanted to practice.
• Amanda Arneill~ She has online courses that would be very helpful if you want to learn as much as you can!
• The Postmans Knock~ She focuses more on what kind of nibs, pen holders and ink to get as a beginner. She also goes in detail of each item. 
• Lyssa Arts~ She gives tips on how to do thin strokes and thick down strokes and how to perfect them. She has a lot of great different tips that you don't want to miss out on!

2.) Follow some Instagram Accounts. I love seeing the daily artwork being put up by some of my favorites. Some even put videos which are more fun since you get to see the progress of making it.

• CampClem
• ByDawnNicole
• ItsKatesHandwriting
• Wildflowerartstudio
• OneartsyMama
• LetteringHisLove
• ThePostMansKnock

3.) PRACTICE, PRACTICE
I printed out worksheets and did them over and over till I got comfortable and then moved on to writing words and phrases.

4.) Order you a calligraphy/hand letterng kit. I got mine from Wildflower Art Studio. It came with pens, chalk, chalkboard, pencil, eraser, and practice pages and some cardstock and some other goodies! For the price it was so worth it! Go check it out!

5.) Last and not least, I never stop practicing. Every night {almost} I write a phrase or word. I will practice some letters I'm not that comfortable with. I do whatever can to make progress.

Here are some of my favorites I have done:

What are some tips you used to learn calligraphy?

Have a great week!

xo,

Lettie Lane

Anchored

Anchors back in the pirate days were used for when they reached the body of water they were looking for. They would have a specific destination in mind and go for it and when they have reached it they would drop the anchor and do their duty they came for.  The anchor was used for the specific reason, to stay in place, to not move.
In life I believe all of us are looking for our place to "drop our anchor". We make plans as to when we will hit different milestones in life. We go for those plans, but don't always get to "drop the anchor." All my life I made plans. Ever since I was a little girl I knew where I wanted to go and when it was going to happen. Little did I know that God is the captain of my ship and He gets to decide when my anchor drops.

God has guided me to so many different places and seasons and I'm so grateful for all of them. I wouldn't be who I am today without them. If you're in a season in life where none of your plans happening. Don't give up. Lean on Him through this time and know that God is guiding your ship in the direction it needs to go. You will find out soon that His plans are greater than yours. It will be so great that your head will spin! {See Amos 9:13-15}

Just remember God is Able. If he can take care of the planets, stars and all the animals He is Able to do whatever it is in your life. He's got your back. He is your number one cheerleader, best friend and Daddy. He has an everlasting love and has new mercies every morning.

Have a wonderful week!

xo,

Lettie Lane

My Nightly Ritual to a Good Nights Sleep

Not long ago I had insomina for a total of 4 DAYS. If you have never suffered from insominia let me tell you it's terrible. It took me a really long time to get back to my normal sleep pattern. After moving I finally got back to normal! I do think a lot of lack of sleep for people can be stress. Which is probably what caused mine. Now since I have to get up by 6:30 AM every morning for work I do a couple things to get relaxed before bed.

• First I get to bed at a decent time. A little after 10:30 is probably the lastest I'll go to sleep. Getting the sleep I need is essential for me to feel good the next day.

• I wash my face/ take a shower. Doing this process gets me to wind down and feel fresh before bed. {To know more about the products I use to wash my face here is a post}

• Lotion up! I love lotion. If I don't put lotion on before bed it just feels weird. I have been using a new lotion by Melaleuca I absouletly love it. I only used it because I ran out of mine and I borrowed my mom's. I ended up ordering some of it. 

• Lastly, I use essential oil. I put Stress Away by Young Living on my wrists and back of neck. The smell is so relaxing.

What are some ways you get relaxed before bed to get a good nights sleep?

xo, 

Lettie Lane

The Move

WOW! What a  crazy month! God really has been doing some awesome things in my life lately. In the last month since I have updated on the blog I have accepted a NEW JOB and MOVED! It is stil hard for me to believe sometimes, but God is good! As some of ya'll know, but the ones that don't I will tell you for the last 8 YEARS I have worked in retail. I started when I was 16 years old. Originally, I was just getting it for high school, but I ended up staying a lot longer than planned. Not to say in the 8 years I have looked for other opportunities, but nothing came through. For a while now I planned on moving to GA. I applied for a job while I was visiting and was instantly called in.By the following week I was offered the job! When God works He works fast!

So after accepting the job I literally had less than a week to move! Thank goodness my parents were able to help me pack if it wasn't for them I don't know what I would have done! While packing I realized how much stuff I really had. Well, too much {haha}. I'm in a new season, but it is sooo good to have a change in life. To do something different to do what God has planned for me. At first it was really scary thinking of moving and starting a new life, but after prayer and support from family I realized I needed to do this.

So, my advice is if you feel like you need to change something in your life first PRAY and LISTEN.
That is so important. Don't rush into it wait and be patient and listen to what God wants. Ask for close friends and family opinions.

I hope I will be posting more on the blog! *fingers crossed*
I'm really bad about posting regularly I've been trying to get better!
I have some new makeup products I'm going to be sharing on upcoming posts; can't wait to share!
I hope you're having a great week!

xo,
Lettie Lane

The Best Hand Scrub to Help Dry Skin

I have really dry skin, well extremely dry skin. I was told when I was little I have eczema, it was so bad. I tried so many lotions it wasn't even funny, but all they would do is burn and make it worse. I had to get a prescription lotion from the doctor for a few years, but for the last few years I have used Eucerin lotion. Since I have gotten older it has gotten better, but in the winter months it gets bad again. When I went to Alabama a couple weeks ago and went to the local festival I met a local vendor that was selling scrubs. I have to tell you it is the best scrub I have ever tried!

The vendor is White Picket Scents. I got the blood orange scent and my mom got grapefruit which they both smell absolutely AMAZING! If you are ever in Alabama you should check out her stuff, it's worth it!

Have a great Monday! 

xo,

Lettie Lane

Catching Up

Wow, this last month got by me quick. I thought since I haven't posted in awhile I would catch you up. This time of year I do a lot of traveling to see family. Since I have been on the go so much I haven't been able to sit down and write a blog post.

My last trip I went to Alabama it was so good to get away from work and the craziness. We went to the local festival. When we walked in it looked like a little town it kinda reminded me of the town in Ghost Whisperer. If you have ever watched that show you know exactly what I'm talking about!  There were vendors that were selling different products from hand painted signs, clothes, antiques, candles and etc. My mom and I stopped at one vendor that was selling candles and body scrubs and bath salts. They smelled amazing! I'll share soon on another post of my review on the products! While walking around we could smell kettle corn so we stopped and got a bag, it was delicious! They also had different groups singing, a petting zoo, and play area for kids.  {Unfortunately , I didn't take any pictures!}
The day I left we ate at the egg and I. It was delicious! I got some yummy french toast, fruit, bacon and coffee! If you have never ate there  you should definitely check it out!

This time of year is my favorite time since I get to get away for several days to a week just to wind down and really relax. Another trip in a couple more weeks, can't wait! 

xo,

Lettie Lane