well…i got up today with a plan in my head.
i would go running, take a nice hot relaxing bath at the craft house
and then make Vlog answering some of your questions.
i did go for my run but then the school called and said Scott was throwing up.
so…i am stuck at home still in my stinky running clothes and i will be writing and not vlogging today.
you guys ask great questions.
let's see….
1. Did you ever convert the attic in the craft house?
nope.
we just never had the energy and the money at the same time. :)
who knows what will happen though….we may still do it.
i have dreams for it. Maybe a store? Maybe more work space? Maybe more bunk space? Maybe a little apartment? My running buddies suggested making it a full gym so we could workout together all year long.
and i am LOVING that idea.
2. Are you on Pinterest?
ummm….i am.
but it's the only place online that i am private….i have a fake name.
i just like having all the ideas i like in one place but not sharing what i love with everyone.
that may seem weird but… it's what i am doing and i like it that way.
3. which is your favorite camera and lens?
i have a canon 50D and the 24-70 f/2.8 Canon lens.
and that is all.
i own one lens. :)
it works for my needs…i dream of the 70 – 200 and the 35mm….and a 5D camera body.
but for now and the past two years….just that.
nothing else.
so that is what is in my camera bag.
and by camera bag i mean my purse. HA!
4. How do you edit your photos?
i upload my photos into LightRoom and i use their settings to edit.
i usually bump up the exposure…the vibrance….the fill light….sharpen and that's it.
5. what settings do you use on your camera?
i almost always shoot in AV mode. i shoot at an ISO of 200 and at 2.8 or 3.5. does that help?
someome asked about my settings for indoor shots in the evening…well i just try not to shoot indoors in the evening. because i think those pictures are always bad. So i have no settings to share for that.
i love wendy&tyler from blue lily and they have helped me immensely with understanding my camera. they have workshops where YOU can learn about your camera too. you should go.
and Ashley from Under the Sycamore has an AWESOME online class that you can learn about photography…her next course is coming up soon.
i have never felt great at explaining cameras or putting it into words but both of those blogs do it well!
6. Will you come to Washington?
yes. :)
i would love to do that sometime….
also i was worried it was going to be raining for my run this morning and your quote went through my head Leann "once you're wet, you're wet" and had decided i was going anyway. thankfully… it stopped before i ran.
7. where are the glasses from in the post with the happy things to look at? And the afgans?
i found that pic of the glasses on pinterest….and it linked to martha stewart…who else? but the link was not for the pic…but i think it probably came from her site.
and the afgans linked to flikr….just plain old flikr.
that is the downside of pinterest…messed up links and not getting a real source.
8. does having a GOOD dlsr camera make that much difference?
well…
i think i wouldn't want to go without my dslr. But getting a dlsr won't make you take good pictures. there is a lot more that goes into getting good photos than the camera. instagram is great example of that. it's figuring out the lighting, composition and your angle. and that is where having a nice dslr camera comes in…and makes the shot clear and crisp. where a point and shoot may have a grainier shot? possibly.
if you just want snapshots to keep your memories then a point and shoot is fine.
if you have an interest in photography…any desire to learn more….i think you need a dslr.
9. Can i get a top ten book list of your favorite books?
this is a funny question mommyjulia.
because i don't know that i have read ten books in the last ten years!
but i will share again what i have read the past few months…
i read 7 and then Interrupted….loved.
Now i am reading "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" and this book is making me think in ways i never have!!! it's challenging me. it's making me do hard things. it's so good.
i love the book Crazy Love.
i loved Calm My Anxious Heart….good for a mom.
Long Way Gone was a book to prepare for africa and it was so good.
i don't read very much….i get so distracted and i don't make time for it.
i definitely don't read fiction.
IF i am reading a book it's going to be about something that i want to learn about…change in myself…get a new direction.
and thankfully i got glasses so at least i don't fall asleep as soon as i start reading.
10. can i have your pattern for the apron? can you tell me how make all the stuff you make at craft weekend? can you do tutorials on all those things that the craft weekenders paid for? (i am paraphrasing here)
nope…sorry. :)
that would not be fair to all those Craft Weekend girls at all.
but i will be selling these things in my shop someday.
and i can't wait for you girls to get your hands on them… everything takes time.
i have five kids and i am running a business so things take a long time to get done.
i wish i could snap my fingers and have my shop filled and everything done…but i just cant.
i am grateful you are patient.
11. tell us about Lauren….you never do…she is ignored….why don't you talk about her…WHY?!?
(again…paraphrasing)
lauren is 17…almost 18. She requested quite a few years ago for me to not blog about her.
so i don't.
i love her. she is crazy smart. she works on the weekends. she is an awesome volleyball player. she wants to be a doctor.
maybe someday i will be able to talk more about what it's been like raising our first teenager but for now she doesn't want me to talk about her here.
and that is that.
12. Kirsten J asked all these at once: do you make lists? yes…very messy lists Do you ever ask for help? yes. a lot. YOU HAVE TO or you will drown. Do you ever future trip? i don't what that is…dreaming about the future? not much i guess. Will Lauren go away to college? yes she will. we don't where yet but she will. Did you ever have a penpal? YES! i used to write letters constantly. when craig got home from one year of college he had TONS of letters from me. i had two from him. ha ha haaa. also my sister got letters from me constantly. My grandpa and i wrote too. i always signed my letters to him Love, Megan the GREAT!! i would tell him my grades and about my boyfriends and my dance recitals and he would send me money for good grades and call me out on my bad ones. my 101 year great aunt and i wrote for my entire marriage until she passed away this year. i love writing letters. Do you ever just veg out in front of the tv? Reality tv? Or talk shows? NCIS? i do occasionally veg with tv… Parenthood of course, Office, Modern Family, Grey's Anatomy and Saturday Night Live. NO reality tv. i can't take it. NO singing shows…or dancing shows…or dating shows. it makes me want to poke my eyes out. i did like Amazing Race and Survivor…in the beginning…but not anymore. AND i miss Oprah…really really miss her show. What blogs do you read regularly? Julie, Ashley, Kimberlee, Shauna, Jess, Megan, Leslie, amy, shannon, sarah, lisa and michelle just to name a few….i have over 50 more in my reader. :)
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i wish there were some pictures to go along with this post.
how about some george?
yes…i did just take 15 minutes and made a george collage in picmonkey.
don't judge.
just enjoy….it's easy….
there over 100 comments on that post so it will take me awhile to get through them all.
hope you made it through all those answers.
ok…i am going to make all the appointments i have been putting off forever since i am stuck at home.
you know what i mean…. dentist, eye doctor, exterminator, ob/gyn, sewing machine guy, specialist and anything else i can think of.
the part i hate more than making the appointment….GOING to the appointments!
wish me luck.
kristy - I’m in BSF right now. But I have to say that Beth Moore studies have changed my life. My favorites were James, Living Beyond Yourself, Breaking Free, and To Live Is Christ (life of Paul) is also a good one.
Tfab@new.rr.com - Meg, it’s Tara from wisconsin. Can u please tell me where your bracelet is from? The one that I loved with the bible verse on it? I wanted to ask for that for Christmas from John and te kids.
meg - 1,000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Beautiful and life changing.
ira lee - i want a birthday party like that!!!! who cares if im 33! lol looks like a blast. grown ups should have parties like that too!
Sallie - Meg – Your blog so makes me smile and I love how you share your family with us! So many good Bible studies have been recommended and I can second a few of them; anything Kelly Minter has been great for our small group. Beth Moore’s studies are always thought provoking. Working through her James study right now. Absolutely love Lysa TerKeurst and her studies. Lysa’s ‘Made to Crave’ study changed my life and health habits! Just finished her ‘Unglued’ study and got to see her in Western KY, last weekend! Our group loves Priscilla Shirer as well, God brought her study ‘Life Interrupted’ to our small group @ just the right time last year! Have in line for this year, 7 by Jen Hatmaker, Stuck & Anything by Jennie Allen and Nehemiah by Kelly Minter. cbd.com and Amazon carry almost all of these DVD studies and books! I always compare to see who has best price! Enjoy and have a blessed Thanksgiving! Looking forward to Craft Weekend’s 2013 hoping to get to ‘meet’ you! :p)
liz - hi meg- pretty faithful reader of your blog, but don’t comment much. sorry:) LOVE your writing & photography!
anyway- i’ve been really wanting to check out this book:
A Woman’s Wisdom: How the Book of Proverbs Speaks to Everything
By Lydia Brownback
it was recommended by Elyse Fitzpatrick. and i’ve really gleaned a lot of wisdom from anything Elyse has written, esp her books Give them Grace and Women Counseling Women.
(i think you might really like Elyse’s books as well!)
Candy - Stuck by Jennie Allen, it is amazing. I have never been so impacted by a bible study. It is life changing. Seriously.
Sue Groff - Our Women’s Bible study just finished Beth Moore’s “James”. WONDERFUL!!!
lisa - She is beautiful. Happy Birthday to your sweet girl!
amy - Beth Moore’s James is great, I have the disk to the study if you would like to have them. {Love her}
I am almost finished reading Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst, & really like it.
My next one is going to Make Over by Jen Hatmaker, I hear it is really good.
Can’t wait to hear which one you decide to do.
Amy
Linda - Priscilla Shirer is awesome. Our Bible study group did that earlier this year. HIGHLY recommended.
Linda - Just finished Breaking Free by Beth Moore, unbelievable!
Ashley - I agree. It’s what I’m reading right now, too.
Kate - It’s not a Bible Study – but I am ready Cold Tangerines and I am in love. so, so good.
Christina - Love about Sean…such a sweet picture of part of their relationship. 🙂
I have started a book twice, and am now going to finish it…Reordered Love, Reordered Lives. It is good…I just get distracted and
Like right now, I forgot where I was going with that sentence. I’m going to finish the book. From what I’ve read, it’s highly recommended.
Two friends have told me to read When Life and Beliefs Collide by Carolyn Custis James, which I did read many years ago. It seems like Someone is hinting to me…so I will likely be reading that one again, too.
I need to get to running too. I haven’t been in months, so…you should feel pretty good about ten days! ha! 🙂
Tiffany - Great Idea For the PARTY!!!
I’m looking for a NEW Bible Study too.
I am leaning towards Beth Moore.
I always get so much out if hers.
I truly enjoyed “Esther”.
Excited about giveaways next week. : D
Carol S. - Fun party!!! Looks fab. And just my two cents, but NO APOLOGIES for ads and recommendations, you wouldn’t promote something you didn’t like and you are an inspiration to many. I started a blog this year just to keep family up to date on our move to TN…and OMG as much as I would love to post more often, it takes time and work. I keep saying if I could blog my thoughts an pictures while carpooling I’d blog way more often. God bless you and your family Meg.
Amy - Closer Than Your Skin, by Susan D. Hill. You feel like you are getting first-hand insight from someone who knows. Comforting and encouraging and thought provoking. you don’t want to put it down.
Danielle Thompson - RADICAL It is currently changing my life!
Angela - I second “Grace for the Good Girl” by Emily Freeman. I’m also a big fan of anything Lysa Terkeurst or Angela Thomas. And on the plane back home from Craft Weekend I finished “Hope for the Weary Mom”. I’m currently reading “A Confident Heart” by Renee Swope.
Looks like the birthday party was a FUN time!
Kayla - I am in the middle of Discerning the Voice Of God, by Priscilla Shirer right now and loving it! Happy Birthday, Talby….I think it is awesome that big brother helped entertain at the party….lots cheaper than a clown!
Julie - I suggest the Book of Mormon. You won’t find a more powerful Christ-centered book. It changed my life for sure.
Erin - Ah, I love reading that you had been doing BSF! But understand the schedule thing.
One that is always in the recommended reading list at the end of the year is Praying the Attributes of God, by Rosemary Jensen. I really have wanted to get that book for a personal study time each summer. I always get in the summer rut between BSF years. But it has caught my attention several times because it is more geared to an individual study time.
Can’t wait to see what you land on!
Weza - Im currently onto my third Beth Moore study for this year. They are life changing, full of wisdom, bible based and meaty. So so good.
The Esther study is very very good. You can get all the videos online and then do your daily study which takes about 30mins. Trust me you will love it!
PS Im happy to show you live kangaroos here in Aussie (post from a while ago) we have this great little park down the road where wild ones hang out with their babies. Its spectacular.
Jenny B. - I don’t have a book to recommend, but I really enjoy the daily devotional magazine, Journey. You can buy copies at Lifeway stores, or order an individual subscription here: http://www.lifeway.com/Journey-Magazine/c/N-1z140ew
Dori - I’m hosting a women’s small group this semester, and we’re reading Grace for the Good Girl by Emily P Freeman. It is amazing. Emily’s blog is awesome, too! http://www.chattingatthesky.com/the-books/grace-for-the-good-girl
Karen Gerstenberger - I have loved “Believing God” by Beth Moore.
Lisa M. - “Not a Fan”. My husband’s small group just finished it and loved it.
Erica - Out of your list, I’ve only done the “CrazyLove” study… but oh, what a good one.. not just good… life changing… (for me, anyway)
Ashley - That last photo is the best…she looks so genuinely happy. Good stuff friend. Good stuff!
Tanya - I really liked Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst.
I didn’t think I’d be able to relate but I could and it spoke to me.
Good one.
casey - radical!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OR radical together.
casey - yes! we just did the multiply webcast at our church! great!
becky - Looks like she had a ball. I’ve read seven. I’ve started the Donald Miller book. Both were good. Seven was humbling. Convicting. I’m not great at studies. I’ve been working on Beth Moore’s James study. I hate homework. Personally my favorite read is my kid’s Jesus Calling. Simple and speaks right to my heart.
Janna - Anything my Nancy Leigh DeMoss–like “Choosing Gratitude” but she has a lot of great ones. And I just read “The Fruitful Wife” by Hayley DiMarco (sp?) all about the fruits of the spirit–it was awesome!
Tiffany - Looks like a fun time for Miss Talby! Happy Birthday to her!
Sarah H. - I would recommend the Good Morning Girls studies. They are online studies that you can do by yourself or join an online group. I am in a facebook group of girls and we all study and share (or not) what we are learning. There are weekly videos to watch about the study (we just finished the book of Colossians) I loved really getting into the Word. We are getting ready to start a 2 week study preparing for Advent. Check them out! http://www.goodmorninggirls.org
Jenn - Oh that song… I love that song… Home is wherever I’m with you… Love it. Rock on sister.
blu - “anonymous” by Alicia Britt Chole
“…Jesus appears to have walked unstressed and unhurried. His peaceful pace seems to imply that he measured himself not by where he was going and how fast he could get there but by whom he was following and how closely they walked together.” {page 33}
so. good.
katie - have you ever read “The Hiding Place” by Corrie Ten Boom? it is my all-time favorite book. it is an auto-biography, but it is beautifully written in a way that will challenge your faith and stir your heart to be thankful in any circumstance.
julia - I love the LifeChanges series by NavPress. I did Romans last year and it was amazing.
Amy K. - THANK YOU for asking the bible studey question of your many readers!! It is awesome to have so many suggestions in one place.
Also, the pictures of Talby’s party make me feel 11 again – that tired, waterlogged, hungry feeling and how GREAT pizza and cake tastes when you feel that way!
Patty - Kelly Minter’s Nehemiah study was great. I downloaded the video through lifeway (they were only 2.99 each week) and thought it was one of the most transforming studies I have done it quite a while. Both the homework and videos were terrific. I loved reading all the suggestions in the comments and making a list for myself, too.
Alison Vaclav - “Hosting the Presence” by Bill Johnson is awesome.
http://www.amazon.com/Hosting-Presence-Unveiling-Heavens-Agenda/dp/0768441293
April R - Elisabeth Elliot – anything by her 🙂 although ‘Passion and Purity’ is a favorite.
Hell’s Best Kept Secret by Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron.
Totally sweet bday for Miss 11 and how cool to find a way to swim in November! I have a December baby and she’ll be 11 this year, wonder if she’d like a pool party…
Bethany Faucett - Try reading Spiritual Warfare for Women by Leighann McCoy. It has opened my eyes and is amazing!
cassie o - “this momentary marriage” by john piper
alicia @ la famille - right now i’m doing beth moore’s patriarch study by myself and you can download all the videos at lifeway.com/women. you just have to go buy the book. i love her studies. you can do any of her studies that way now…online. you do have to pay for the video download each week. it’s like 5 bucks.
have a fun weekend!!
Lisa - Talby just seems like a really sweet, down-to -earth girl. Happy Bday Talby!
Karen - “Choosing Gratitude” by Nancy Leigh DeMoss – book has a 30 day gratitude challenge/devotional at the end – fairly quick read but well worth doing – very convicting/challenging! and if you’ve never listened to her podcasts “Revive our Hearts” I would recommend them as well – I often listen to that while I’m running – feel like I excercised body & spirit!
Candice - Check out “Sacrilege” by Hugh Halter. It’s not very long, but very thought provoking. Really makes you want to dig in to Jesus, be like him, and love others like he did/does.
Shiloh - Just finished “Not a Fan” by Kyle Idelman and loved it.
Mandy - David Platt and Francis Chan recently wrote a book together called, “Multiply” about disciple-making. I haven’t read it yet, but I heard them speak about it…AWESOME!
Nicole Franks - Beautiful Outlaw! It isn’t a study, but an amazing book about our beautiful Savior. A fresh perspective, and I was so challenged, and more in love with Jesus after the read!! Highly recommend =)
jen - just finished the lineage of grace. loved it
Amy@littleforalittlewhile - What a fun party! Love that she let brother and sister come along, sweet kids you have Meg. Also, those mismatched ones on the cake made me smile. So awesome.
Holly - My girlfriends and I have done Kelly Minter’s bible study books, each one is about 6 weeks. They are about Ruth, No Other Gods and Nehemiah. Jennifer Rothchilds Me, Myself and Lies is good too. Beth Moore’s are AMAZING, even if you do it without the DVD lessons.
Good luck!
Sometimes we just do the SOAP method of a particular book of the bible when we need a break from a person’s book study.
Juliana Whisman - I agree with Gina…anything Beth Moore! I really loved her Fruits of the Spirit one.
Love seeing how you guys celebrate your kids’ birthdays! Simple but so incredibly fun!!
Jen Boyd - We are currently doing “Not a Fan” by Kyle Idleman with our Church. Love it! Quite thought provoking.
Lia - Looks like a fun birthday party! I like the balloons – fun colors! I’ve been following along with the She Reads Truth plans for the last few weeks: http://shereadstruth.com
Speaking of running…I better get out of this house and go on one. So important for my mental health. Plus, I’m supposed to be training for a 12k on Dec. 1st. Yikes.
Stephanie - As someone who picks out Bible studies all the time, I recommend Stuck by Jennie Allen. It’s good to do with a few friends, it doesn’t cost much, and I had the most positive feedback from the group as a whole when we did it. Seriously, in all of the studies we’ve done at my church, usually I have 50-60% positive feedback at the time; with Stuck, I’ve had about 80% positive feedback, which I continue to get months later (I’ve never had such lingering results). http://jennieallen.com/projects/stuck
angela - Happy Birthday to your Talby! Love the pics! She is adorable!
There is a new book (or new to me) called *Not a Fan* that i want to do as a bible study…check it out!
Jennifer - Knowing God by JI Packer is so so good–different from those you have listed though. and i’ve heard feminine appeal by carolyn mahaney is great. let us know what you pick! 🙂
Gina - Happy Birthday Talby!! Anything by Beth Moore is awesome!! I have done a few of her Bible studies with a group of friends so we all pitch in to buy the DVDs and workbooks. My favorite study of hers so far was Daniel. I did it about 5 years ago and would love to do it again. I learned so much!! Have a good weekend!
Lorraine R. - Crazy Love was amazing, 7 was also amazing but in a totally different way than Crazy Love….next on my list are Radical and Interrupted!!!
Amy - Happy Birthday to your girl 🙂 Looks like a great party!
I suggest Romans. GREAT stuff 🙂
shar y - Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer. Just finished this study and it is awesome! Teaches how to listen for God’s voice and ways to find His voice that you never think of. You would really like!
Kristina - Although I haven’t gotten into it quite yet, everyone is suggesting “She Reads Truth”. It’s something you can do via Instagram which I looooooooooooooooove.