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Welcome (Back) to The Lovely!
For years, I took great pride in writing and sending The Lovely every week.  And then, out of nowhere, I lost my writing mojo.  Blame it on the pandemic.  Blame it on creative fatigue.  Blame it on a general malaise that settled in my head and took longer than I'd like to admit to shake off.  Whatever the reason, the writing was not happening.  So I didn't write.
 
It felt a little bit like when you're at a party, going through the motions, wanting to be excited, but inside you can tell something is off.  The best thing you can do is sneak away to a quiet bathroom and shut the door and just sit in silence to figure out what's going on inside your heart.  After a few minutes of pause and reflection (and maybe a good cry), you feel better.  You're ready to rejoin the party, right where you left off.  
 
That was me.  I needed a moment alone to think and process, and now I'm here, ready to rejoin the scene.  In hind sight I am proud of myself for knowing when to push pause, and even more proud of myself for knowing it would be okay.  Neither of these reactions come naturally to me, but I trusted that when I was ready to pick up writing again, this space would be ready and waiting to welcome me back to the party.
 
All this is to say, yours truly is going to be returning regularly to your inbox.
 
I am excited to bring The Lovely back to the surface, with a few snazzy updates.  Let's briefly fly through them together, shall we?
 
Blog posts are primary for me, and The Lovely will contain links to any new blog posts from the week, making it a cinch to click and read with ease!
 
I am also very active on social media, but maybe you're not?  That's ok.  I know it's not easy to keep up with all the platforms and posts and scrolling.  To help with some of the algorithm-based challenges, The Lovely will now contain a few recaps from my social media feed in a section cleverly titled, “Social Gathering.”  (Get it?)
 
In fun shopping news, The Lovely will also bring you clickable links where you can purchase products that I share through my affiliate links.  These links allow you to purchase a product that I recommend while providing me with a small commission for each purchase, which I like to think of as a tip for steering you towards a product I hope you will enjoy.  I am grateful for any purchase you make as they allow me to continue my creative work.
 
That about sums it up.  Now that we are all back together at the party, I hope you like what you see here, and I hope you come back for more!  

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“Light the candles.  Use the good dishes.  Go to some trouble.  Nothing communicates belonging more than when we create space for those we love.”
 
“Don't keep your cookbooks in pristine condition….Write in them, scribble your thoughts, share your ideas, chronicle well, and leave behind a trail of nostalgia for those that will treasure them down the road.”

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