annual round-up

I’m a little late to the “2016 round-up” game, but I want to dive in before the first week of the New Year is over, take a look back on the previous…

When I think of all the people I’ve met, the places I’ve seen, and the blessings I’ve had, this year did not feel real at all. As soon as the clock ticked…

I’m thankful for the sweet smell of coffee wafting through the house when I wake up in the morning, sunlight streaming through the windows in my bedroom and softly snoring pugs beside…

Before writing this post, I fondly read over the previous “Years in Review” from 2011, 2012, and 2013, and I’m astounded by how much has happened in the relatively short time I’ve…

Every year, at the beginning or end of the year, I look back on all the emails I’ve saved from readers and all the tweets I’ve favorited from followers, and feel flush…

In American culture, the number 13 is considered unlucky. But in Chinese culture, 13 is a very lucky number. When the numbers are spoken in Mandarin or Cantonese, they sound like the…

Once upon a time, before I became “too busy,” I used to keep a daily journal. I actually cheated a little and used Keel’s Simple Diary, because at the end of a…

You may have noticed a lack of consistent posting these past couple of months… and that’s because I was barely balancing the demands of working, blogging, renovating, road tripping, wedding planning, wedding…

Do I say thank you enough? Every time I get a new comment, every time I get a nice email or a tweet or a post from a follower, it makes me…

Looking back on these last 12 months, I’m astounded by how far my site has come along. On September 9 of this year, Garden Betty celebrated its first anniversary. We’re well past…