I promised myself before the year got away from me that I would get in your heads. In the best way. With a giveaway and a simple 11 question survey.

Because I wanna know who you are and why you return, and I want to thank you for every like, +1, retweet, email, and comment that you've sent along!

Sorry, for the survey, it's desktop-friendly only. No mobile use for this one.

You rock! Now let's give you a prize!

You're on your honor here. Did you complete all of the survey? Then let's get to the giving away. This contest ends on Sunday, EST at midnight.

Thank you bunches!!

xoxo, MJ

a Rafflecopter giveaway

“I believe that sometimes we’re not fully aware of the little pieces of heaven all around us. And sometimes we overlook our own capacity to be one of those pieces. ”

— April 25, 2012

My daughter learned how to tie her shoes in one afternoon.

One Saturday morning, her father sat with her on the couch, with an inspiring new pair of brightly-colored sneakers, and patiently went through the bunny ears, the pull throughs, and the try-agains. By dinner, she'd mastered the skill and was gleaming with pride at her independence.

We sent her off to school on Monday with her velcro (uniform) sneakers on, knowing that although she had a new trick up her sleeve with her fine motor mastery, she didn't have to go to the trouble of putting it right to use. I figured the opportunity to tie her shoes would come with soccer practice and upcoming playdates; no need to rush right into it.

She came home from school with a particular bounce to her step to tell me that she'd practiced her tying. I quickly glanced down at her feet, wondering if she'd traded up with a friend ready to volunteer their pair of tie sneakers. But, when I looked down, the same white velcro runners that she'd left the house with were still on her excited feet.

"What do you mean you practiced tying?"

She gave me that wry smirk, the one she does when she knows that she's got me right where she wants me.

"I tied Ben's shoes today for him, Mom."

"But you just learned how to tie yours yesterday."

"Yeah, well, Ben said he'd always wanted to learn how to tie his shoes, and I told him I'd show him."

We learn . . . in order to teach. We learn to . . . give away our knowledge

Maybe in the hopes of fulfilling someone else's big or small dream.

First, we have to invest in ourselves and know that the time we are taking to prepare, to reflect, to make the bunny loops, and to try again is all necessary for good teaching.

Begin by investing in you.

2015 will be a year full of goodness. I look forward to learning and to teaching whatever I learn. We have a bright new space to do all of this in! I'm investing in you. :) New series, new projects, new collaborations, new books, and even a new shop are on the horizon for the next 12 months. It's going to be pretty fabulous.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Before you go, check out a new feature on Pars Caeli. I'm pretty pumped about it. Follow that yellow button to THE TOP. Here you'll find an easy-to-navigate lounge of seasonal features, popular projects, and the best of the rest. It's built for you - to honor your time - and to get you what you need on those days when the luxury of blog reading is not yours.

Happy 2015!

xoxo, MJ

On April 3, 2012, I typed these words and set them up for publishing:

A blog is born. Do blogs hatch or are they birthed? I'm not really sure, but I can tell you that this one has definitely been a lengthy labor. And, just like childbirth, I'm going to go ahead and forget all the painful, ungodly details and plow on through to the happy moments.

Welcome to Pars Caeli (pars kilee), a piece of Heaven. This web home will soon be filled with designs and ideas that inspire me and my family. I imagine that you're pretty inspirational, too, so I look forward to learning about all the amazing ideas and projects you have to share.

As I read through my "first words," I'm so grateful to feel like Pars Caeli has grown to become an inspirational space for readers and, mostly, for me. It's been an active scrapbook and a motivator and a fourth child - well, maybe more like a pet.

And, today, we're going to party and celebrate as Pars Caeli turns TWO! And I want to spread the love so I've teamed up with the talented designers of Caravan Shoppe to bring you a giveaway. It's my first full-on rafflecopter giveaway so bear with me. :)

The entry possibilities are below and the contest runs until Sunday midnight EST. Winner will be announced on Monday right here! The best part is even if you don't win, Caravan Shoppe has an incredible selection of free, yes, free goodies that you'll want to print onto cards or great paper. Go check out their Daschund cards and amazing chalkboard prints!!

Big thanks for their love and support on this one. :)

Have a bright weekend, friends! Thanks to YOU for reading, playing, and praying along over these past two years.

xoxo, MJ

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's a beautiful Thursday, and we're here at the close (for now) of one of my favorite series yet. Sniff.

I find the art of blogging such an interesting and diverse experience. I have encountered some of the most creative individuals through my work on this blog, and I have been captivated by their stories - not only through the posts that they share but through their journey to writing, designing, photographing, and curating their interests, products, and passions.

I hope you've enjoyed meeting the artist, the budding photographer, the stylist, and the writer in this series because I have definitely loved sharing them with you.

And since the whole series launched to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Pars Caeli, I would be remiss to not give you a window into my story...

 

 

I've been a blog reader for about eight years, and I think I needed this extended time to digest the "what" of blogs and the variety of ways posts add to the creative content, easily accessible to all. Community building is a big part of who I am, and I fell in love quickly with the authors and artists who freely shared their amazing experiences and gave away their recipes, their project instructions, and their advice.

I have followed the development of the Alt Summit brand from the beginning, and when they announced that online classes would be available, I signed up for the first one! I took it as a sign that I needed to do some research on blogging, if nothing else.

Of course, in that class was a spirited chatter named Paige who had recently started her blog. She contacted me after the class to see if I'd like to do a guest post on her site. I was happily terrified and decided if I was to be a guest, I needed to have a home from which to come.

And the webhome, Pars Caeli was born.

Well, it's fair to say that in the early days of blogging, I didn't really have a goal for this space other than to have fun with it and connect with other creatives. I remember spending hours and hours on a post I created about our favorite read aloud stories. I was so proud of myself for getting it all together that I made a bold move and sent an email to Gabrielle Blair of DesignMom.com, a blog hero of mine, writing that I thought she may be interested in our books (what was I thinking?). My small Blogger site was just a month old at the time, and, shockingly, Gabby came over to visit! She even commented.

At one month in, I'd already had one of my design/mom/writing idols visit. I was star struck!! I seriously didn't know if I needed to do any more on the blog. Do I just close up shop?

That made me realize that I probably needed to have some kinda plan for Pars Caeli, more than getting really cool people to visit.

But you better believe that's still part of the thrill. Heck, I got you here, didn't I?!

I'm happier when I do so. I'm more creative and responsive in my professional life as a graphic designer and social media specialist when I blog.

I also love that Pars Caeli keeps me accountable to finish only dreamed-of projects and find the time for the adventures with my kids that were concepts before the blog.

It's the challenge. It's the community of readers who spend their precious time reading and commenting on my musings. It's the oddity, too. I've always thrived on having something a little quirky about me, and I think a blog fits into the vibe quite well.

I may lose readers for the utter mundane nature of this response but - washing dishes. The window above our kitchen sink overlooks our backyard and taking in the natural environment while I complete a routine task gets my gears pumping.

I find conversations inspire my posts. Sometimes these are tweets back and forth, but more likely it's a chat with a neighbor or a friend that will prompt me to respond.

Also, I stink at working from a desk, always have (even the really pretty ones). So most of my blogging happens laying down on my family room floor and pecking away at my laptop. There's something about the blood flow and the remembrance of playing on the floor as a child that brings it all full circle for me.

Unexpected content. I love surprises. A fresh perspective. Large gorgeous photos (I'm a sucker for eye candy). Clean and coherent web design. Great storytelling that makes me want to connect further.

Yes, I would sleep more. I'd have to develop another hobby. Hmmm, cup stacking and learning to play the guitar are still on my list.

At this point if I walked away, I'd feel disconnected. When I took a month off of blogging over Christmas, I began to feel like a piece of me wasn't getting exercise. I can definitely fill my time with other activities, but blogging stretches me, pushes me to learn. Don't we all need a little of that in our life?

I've got great big dreams for Pars Caeli. This space has become one of humor, laughter, design, reflection, and friendship, and I'm in the works of amping that up even more. I have projects and artwork I want you to discover. I have stories that need to be told, and I want to hear yours.

I have some great collaborations coming up in the next months that I'm excited to share, and my first trip to NYC for AltNYC that I'm going to blog all about.

I'm also completely committed to keeping that initial embrace of the unexpected for Pars Caeli. You just never know when the Holy Spirit is going to present something amazing in your path. Count me in as ready to welcome new growth, new life.

Big, big thanks to all of you who have visited once, twice, and with every post. Thank you for taking the time to read, look, and digest the life of Pars Caeli. In blog years, this site is middle-aged... and so I leave you with an excerpt of Robert Browning's poem Rabbi Ben Ezra. (Side note: let's read more poetry, okay? It's mind expanding.)

xoxo, MJ

It's the fresh waft in the air, the undeniably new and dazzling color palette, and the treasured foods and decor that only come around this time of year.

I adore fall. I mean, I love summer, and spring brings such goodness, and there's nothing quite like a bright winter snow. But...

I am an autumn girl.

For a handful of years, I lived in wondrously warm, sunny climates that offered no change of seasons. And though I loved the ocean and swimming pools all year round, I felt incomplete without the shift into cooler temperatures, falling leaves, and apple orchards.

Pars Caeli went through a bit of a seasonal change this weekend. I've deepened the rainbow to reflect our new tones, added some new social media accents to keep you looking and following, highlighted some of my popular posts, and there are many more great additions to come...

When I began the Summer Edition of this blog, I wrote down all the fun experiences we wanted to have for the summer. Well, here we are again, and this post wouldn't be complete without a Fall Adventure List.

I'll be watermarking posts (thanks, Paige!) to make it more convenient for your to share ideas with your friends (or strangers, why not share the love?).

We waved our last goodbyes to summer with a dinner/splash party at our house. 8 kiddos under the age of 10 were fed, entertained, and sweaty (with no minor or major meltdowns) so I consider it a success.

How are you prepping for fall? Any ideas I could add to my list?

XOXO, MJ

Oh, my gosh, hello! How are you? Come on in, please. Make yourself at home. I'm M.J., and this is my web home, Pars Caeli (pars kiley). I'm kind of delighted that you've come over.

Have you ever started something just to inspire yourself? Get your creative juices going? Well, welcome to why this blog was born (are blogs birthed or hatched?)
So glad we caught up with each other! I'm a mom of three, wife, educator, and designer living in the Midwest. I have another full-time gig and for right now this blog is purely my hobby. I'm an avid blog reader, and I find the blogging community to be incredibly supportive and without (unhealthy) competition.

So I've jumped into the great big worldwide web to offer my voice and opinion. I find inspiration all over the place, and I really want to share it all with you!

These are my people, the inhabitants of Pars Caeli. When my hubby and I moved into our home ten years ago, right after our wedding, we titled our happy abode Pars Caeli, piece of Heaven.

And now we have three little people who vividly illustrate this story.

M: age 7
C: now five
L: "I'm two."

I started this blog to inspire. I started this blog to inspire myself.

It's working.

I believe that sometimes we're not fully aware of the little pieces of Heaven all around us.
And sometimes we overlook our own capacity to be one of those pieces. 

Maybe you might find some of the musings, ideas, and projects in my home inspiring.

I hope that you'll feel comfortable to leave a happy comment because I'm pretty sure you're inspiring, too.

XOXO, MJ

PS. I'm fully embracing this lovely quote I found from a wonderful shop on Etsy. Won't you join me in this quest?