Sunday, August 28, 2011

New Season = New Design and New Schedule!

Today I'm heading back to school for the fall semester of my senior year at college. (Classes start on Wednesday!) In the meantime, there's lots of "new" going on around here!

New Design

As many of you have already noticed, I've changed the blog design to fit the upcoming season. I was browsing the Scrappin' Blogs website, and I came across this template in their Autumn/Fall Layouts. It's called "Festival of Fall Template 1." I fell in love after I tried it out, so I didn't have to browse long! And how fitting to celebrate a new seasons with a "Festival of Fall!"

Some of you may recognize the main picture from our hiking trip during Camp Humility 2011. This was a picture my mom took at Prairie Creek State Park in California. I believe it was either part of or near to the short Revelation Trail.

What I love about the template combined with the picture is the contrast. In the Seasons of Humility (click HERE to read the poem that inspired my blog title), fall is a time of letting go. It's the beginning of a new cycle of humility, as it's a time when we realize that we have to humbly let go of having to have our own way and timing, and trust that God's plans are best and right. The template shows the autumn leaves, beautiful and yet still sad in their dying state. But the main picture shows the redwoods - constant, firm, and lasting - just like God's love and Presence.

New Schedule

Along with the new blog design, I have a new schedule for the fall, one that will hopefully keep me posting regularly, but also not too stressful to maintain (since I'll be back at college). Here's the plan:
  • Mondays for the Military - I'd like to keep this feature going for now. My hope is that it encourages those who are in the military or are part of a military family, and that it inspires all of us to live a sacrificial and loving life. I have some book reviews, author interviews, and giveaways scheduled for the rest of September. Hopefully there will be more to come!
  • Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and/or Thursdays - These days will mostly include book reviews and college news, but be prepared for anything in-between, as well!
  • Moved by a Movie (Fridays) - I love contemplating movies and finding something meaningful and inspiring to take away from my time watching them. Sometimes these posts will be like a movie review (discussing the whole movie) and sometimes I'll just take one aspect of the movie and expound on that. Mostly, though, these posts will be more devotional than review. I hope these posts will encourage you and help you to critically think about the movies you love and what they have to share. (My semi-recent posts, It Will Be All Right (Emma) and The Polar Express: A Journey of Faith are a couple of examples of what this feature will be like to some degree.)
Don't worry! I also have a couple of events up my sleeve...
  • October: "Heartsong Presents" Tribute - A week of reviews, interviews, discussions, and giveaways pertaining to the "Heartsong Presents" books. This line will be discontinued soon, so this is our chance to celebrate the great books in this series and thank the authors!
  • December: "Love Finds You" Blog Party - This is another celebration of a special line of books from Summerside Press. More themed author interviews, giveaways, and fun awaits - just in time for Christmas merriment!
Final Thoughts

Of course, these plans are subject to change off and on, but I hope you like the overall schedule! I like to think of the weekly schedule as the season of M&Ms - "Mondays for the Military" and "Moved by a Movie" posts, that is! ;) I think I'm going to include my "Moved by a Movie" posts on my Movie Reviews page, but I'll denote them by adding an "MM" after the link.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions!

8 comments:

Casey said...

Sounds fun Amber! Safe travels today, okay? I will admit to be ever so slightly excited that you are ever so slight closer. ;-) Your schedule sounds fun, but I am oh so sad that Heartsong presents is going away. :( I haven't really heard alot about this so am anxious to learn why.

Talk soon I'm sure!

Amber Holcomb said...

Casey,

Glad you think so! And thank you for your kindness and friendship. :) I'm back in Oregon now, and even though it's hard to think of being away from home for a while, it is exciting to know that we'll get to see each other again soon!! Woot!

It is sad about "Heartsong Presents." :( There was a post a while back on the BB blog about this, if you want to check it out (if you haven't already):

http://theborrowedbook.blogspot.com/2011/07/goodbye-to-old-friend.html

And yes, I'm sure we'll talk again soon! :)

~Amber

Michelle said...

Love the new look around here, Amber! Your blog is lovely, as always. : )

It sounds like you have great things in store, and I'm looking forward it!

Sweetest blessings to you, as you begin your last year in college. Enjoy this time!

Take care,
Michelle

Amber Holcomb said...

Michelle,

Aww, thank you! :D

I appreciate the encouraging words, and I hope the coming months bring a lot of fun for everyone here! :)

~Amber

Tales of Whimsy said...

I love fall so I'm loving your new look. Friday's sounds fun!

Amber Holcomb said...

Juju,

Oh, I love fall, too! Such a beautiful time of year. :) I'm glad you like the new look, and I hope you enjoy Fridays (and any other day) around here this new season!

~Amber

Unknown said...

Amber, good idea for the Heartsong feature! I'm so sad that they're discontinuing the line, and hopefully, there will be another publisher (besides Love Inspired) to step up to publish these shorter novels.

Your new decor is beautiful, too! Wish we had pretty leaves like that where I live. :o)

Amber Holcomb said...

Christy,

Aw, thank you! When Sandra Robbins posted about the end of the Heartsong line a while back on the BB, I thought it might be good to feature the line and to look back on the great books Barbour published through it. :) It would be neat to have another publisher publish these shorter (but sweet!) novels!

And thank you for the kind words about the new decor! :) I love fall colors!

~Amber