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Home Office Tour: my Writing Space

8/19/2024

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Welcome to my workspace!! I spend a lot of time here cranking out novels, studying writing, and mastering copywriting. Today, I’m getting into a new course for my online MFA grad course in Creative Writing. Here’s what I love about this one… pic.twitter.com/g86uI9Q1ru

— Love makeda (@lovemakeda) May 22, 2024
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mini Van Life in our Day "Camper"

8/18/2024

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This is that #momlife that #vanlife that what’s going on with my leg life □□□

I should have been writing but the boys wanted to hang out at the beach (Lake Michigan) so we did that.

That means I’ll be up late to finish writing my thesis novel submission. #writerslife pic.twitter.com/sthGdYKTlF

— Love makeda (@lovemakeda) August 18, 2024
I spend a lot of time in my minivan...
WAITING.

Mostly because my greatest concern is being late and having my children waiting outside for me. In the cold. In the heat. In Chicago. Alone. 

So I leave early and wait. Since I work remotely, I'm able to get work done in the car. 

I've been watching #vanlife videos.
And slowly but surely, I'm building a comfortable place to wait. Stay tuned. 
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We Finally Did Disney!!

9/17/2023

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Night 1: Checking into Art of Disney's Animation Resort at 2 am with my firstborn son.

Living the Dream

I've wanted to go to Disney World since I was a little girl, but you know, life. 

Then, I wanted to take my firstborn son to Disney World when he was four, but you know, life. 

Finally, four sons later, we did Disney and loved every minute.

I was giddy. Absolutely enamored by decades of Disney Animation sketched on the walls of our resort. My husband thought the Cars suite might have been too over the top, but that's what made it perfect. After years of wanting to do Disney, I wanted it full throttle. 
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Day 1: Pushing empty double stroller wondering if maybe we didn't need it.

Rollin' with the Homies

The trip was a bit different than I imagined since the Enchanted Castle was no longer my must do experience. 

I was concerned that my eldest sons might be too old to have fun at Disney, but they weren't.  In short, Tron did not disappoint. And since we were all able to get on the rides, we had a blast together. 

The biggest challenge was tackling three parks in four days. Spoiler alert: we tapped out early on the third day.

If I had a do over, I wouldn't go more than two full days in the parks. Take the third day to rest, and hit the last park or two after a chill day. 
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My 8 year old staying out of the sun.
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Day 1: Sweating bullets at Disney’s Magic Kingdom

Get a Double Stroller

We went to Magic Kingdom on the first day. It was AMAZING. Well, it was hot, but it was also amazing.

We traveled with six and eight year old boys and the BEST decision I made was to rent a double stroller from Kingdom Strollers. I thought my boys might be too big for a stroller, but the mommy blogs all said girl get a stroller. So glad I listened. 

On day one, we pushed the empty stroller around for a few hours, but by the afternoon the eight year old quit walking. And by the end of the day, the six year old joined him in the stroller. 

On day two and day three, their default position was sitting in the stroller with the canopy down to block out the sun. 

Kingdom Strollers delivered and picked up the stroller from our resort. (Art of Animation. BTW: the Cars family suite was perfect for our family of six. It even had two bathrooms.)

​I preferred the double stroller from Kingdom Strollers because it was larger and had a better sun visor than the Disney rental strollers.  

We were also able to keep the boys in the stroller as we made our way through hordes of people after the fireworks each night.
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Day 3: Animal Kingdom. My 8 year old was ready to go to the pool to escape the heat. We had to leave the park before 5pm.
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Day 3: Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Hair up. Smile on.

Beat the Heat

Did I mention it was hot? It was ninety degrees or higher the entire week and felt like the sun was angry at us. 

It kind of was because we all left with sunburn. Real sunburn with cracked peeling skin for days. Note to self: dark skin needs sun block too. 

But I digress. I found the secret to staying cool when out in the HOT Florida sun. Wear Dry-Fit or moisture wick material. Athletic clothing like yoga tops and shorts were a life saver.

​On day one, I was sweating bullets, but on day two, I abandoned makeup, twisted up my boho locs, and wore yoga sets under a sun dress. I even dressed the younger boys in Dry-Fit. Life changing. 

Still, it was soooo hot. And the boys needed a break from our three day, eight hour treks through Disney World Parks, so I had to say goodbye to my favorite park early.

Maybe next time, we'll do Animal Kingdom on Day one so mommy can enjoy her favorite park.

All in all, it was a great experience. The entire family had a blast and all of them, including my 20 year old, want to return as a family again. My heart is full.  
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Meet My Favorite DIY Protective Style: Boho Locs

9/17/2023

 
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Boho Beach Locs in Hot Fudge (22") - 4th install

I’ve been wearing this protective style since my husband’s birthday in May.

I wore the same Boho Locs to Disney World in June. And I wore them for my birthday in July.

Come August and September, I am still loving my Boho Locs. I have reinstalled the same package 5 times on my own.

The hair has been loved so many times that it is pliable and bends to my will. Minor downside: most of the curls have dropped, but after 5 reinstalls that was expected.

Guess what I didn't see coming?
I never imagined that I would love this protective style enough to commit to wearing faux Boho Locs until my next birthday in July 2024.

    Join me on my year long quest to protect my natural hair with Boho Locs.

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Get on the Bike!!

6/25/2021

 
{Affiliate links included for your convenience}
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And by the way...

That gorgeous nail color is another Orly beauty called "Kaleidoscope Eyes."

Can I pencil it in?

Most days, I’m this close to my spin cycle. She’s the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night. Still, I haven’t used this spin bike in almost a year. 

Time to commit. Now or never. Bite the bullet. And all those other hype things we say to ourselves for motivation.

​The spin bike is back on my priority list, so pray for me... LOL!!

Update: After many failed attempts, the spin bike is still unused.

BUT I picked up walking 30 minutes a day. 
Progress!!
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Gems of Wisdom

3/21/2021

 
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Priceless

There are a million reasons why I love this bible study from Priscilla Shirer. ​One day, I'll show you my battle tested workbook, held together by tape and an oversized binder clip. 
But today, I just want to share one of the "benefits and blessings bestowed upon us as redeemed children of God" on pages 178 to 179 that Priscilla Shirer shared with us. These priceless gems beg to be shared.

Love makeda: Inside my Ko-fi Shop

3/1/2021

 
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Hello Insider Info & Sneak Peeks

Behind the Scenes

Sometimes a song is in my head when I’m writing. Not always, but definitely when a character breaks free from the daily nuances and slips away for time with God.
"Mary's Song" by Tasha Cobbs Leonard infused the beauty of God the Holy Spirit into episode 5 of pure, Brown Skin Bride.
Read full post at my virtual Ko-fi Shop.
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Happy New Year

1/2/2021

 
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God is Love.

Excited about deepening my connection with God in 2021.
​Join me 🤗

“Jehovah Nissi - In the valley, you fight the physical. On the mountain, you fight the spiritual—and only your connection to God can fight the spiritual and win.”
~Tony Evans in
The Power of God’s Names
​My favorite thing about books by Tony Evans and Priscilla Shirer is that they’re more than books. I’ve been reading this one for about three years. With all my notes in the margins, it’s become more of a journal. 🤣

On 10/25/18, I scribbled a note to myself on page 84. One word with two exclamation marks. WRITE!!

A year later on 9/13/20, I had three books, the Suds series:
• Suds
• milkbath &
• pure, Brown Skin Bride.

And even though I came into this post waving God as my banner, Jehovah Nissi, God has just reminded me that he is also, Jehovah Jireh, my provider.

This year, my prayer is that we deepen our relationship with God. Let’s stop treating him like a good friend that we chat with once in a blue moon.

Let’s be so intentional about growing in Christ that He becomes like a morning cup of coffee. “I’m sorry. I can’t function until I’ve had my time with God.”
​
⭐️Happy 2021 ⭐️

Diary of a Self Publisher

12/20/2020

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I'm wearing my Publisher hat today and I am so pleased with how well my baby girls—the Love stories—are coming together. 
Witnessing Suds grow first hand from a few fun blog posts for my friends into a complete series of Love stories has been amazing. I am so excited to share the Suds series with you!!
Suds & milkbath are being released as a duet because once you read Suds, you will clamor for milkbath. 
Double Released Date: 1/5/2021. ​​

    Don't Miss a Post!!

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Given by Nandi Taylor

12/5/2020

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GIVEN is the Goodreads
book of the month 

Y'all!!
I. Love. This. Story.
GIVEN by Nandi Taylor
Fact: I love brown skin leads in love stories.

Fact: I love Fantasy reads.
​

Fact: I love when words link beautifully to paint a picture of an unimaginable place. Amazing writing.
Little known fact: I like reading in accents. I spent most of this story toggling between African, English, and Caribbean accents. And when we visited Suli's or hung out with DeeDee, I was all the way in my rock island, St. Thomian gurl accent. "Wha it is yo wan, Yenni?"

Might as well do housekeeping now:
~Fantasy read with lots of spell casting and runelore. Mothers and Fathers and Byen.

~There isn't any 'real' profanity. Though I suspect if you're Creshen, you wouldn't want to be called an 'ass boil.' Oh and there was a part at the end when someone said the sugar honey ice tea word, but he only said it like twice. Otherwise, this book is clean as a whistle.

~There is a super sensual scene that leads to sex minus the details. So, I wouldn't even label this as mature. Just really sensual. And who knew smelling could be so deep?

I'll have to start getting offended when people say I smell good.
Finger in the air. "I'll have you know that I am a married woman."
Ha!! All jokes people. Please, don't take me seriously.

Deep sigh.
Did I mention that I love this story?
The first time I read about Weysh, the dragon, pulling his internal trigger to switch between man and dragon-form I was hooked. I don't want to give any spoilers though.

My favorite character was Harth. He had me dying laughing. Sylvie was just the cutest. I like how strong and empowered the women are in this story. And Yenni—I can call her Yenni because we're friends now—carried herself with so much pride and confidence, disregarding anyone else's opinion of her. We could all use a healthy dose of that.

Finally, let me tell you about Weysh—the man-dragon. I felt his pain the entire story. I wanted to shake Yenni and scream, "You are his Given."

I just love everything about Yenni and Weysh. Insert heart eyes here. 😍

I need to see this book on the big screen. Work your magic Wattpad because I enjoy going to the movies and saying, "Oh my gosh, that part was soooo better in the book."
​
There is a sequel, HIDDEN, but it's only available in draft form. It's a little harder to read because it hasn't yet been reworked to flow seamlessly with the Wattpad books edition of GIVEN. I'm still reading it though!! #hooked

Find out more about GIVEN by Nandi Taylor on Goodreads. 
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