Carrie Talbott Carrie Talbott

Jesus Follower | Word Stringer | Avocado Eater

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  • Faith,  Grief,  Neighbors

    A Neighborhood Divided: Years of Friends, Months of Loss, Weeks of Grief

    September 24, 2021 /

    When we moved out of Baja and back to Cali, I wasn’t what you’d call… excited. Besides the whole experience feeling anti-climactic (we already lived in SoCal once), track houses aren’t really my jam. Apparently, the neighborhood cookie-cutter fairy put all of our floor plans on a blueprint and the creativity stopped after five. Five similar shapes, five coordinating paint schemes, and that was it.  Match-y match-y ain’t my style. Plus, I didn’t see a whole lot of ministry taking place between getting the mail and pulling in trashcans. I don’t mean to sound like a whiner. I’m truly grateful for Model #3 to call home and know millions around…

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    Carrie Talbott

    You May Also Like

    Mexican Manna: Do You Know What You Need?

    April 11, 2020

    Morning Has Broken Me: Why Early Peace & Quiet Usually Wins the Daily Struggle Over Sleeping In

    April 12, 2024

    10 Años of Blessings… and Mud

    February 27, 2016
  • Entertainment,  Humility,  Music

    Yellow Lights, Red Flags: Warning Signs That Help Keep Our Noisy Lives in Check

    August 20, 2021 /

    I ran a big fat yellow light this week. Actually, if you must know, it looked a tad orange. How a human brain can go back and forth that many times in a matter of 1.8 seconds is beyond me, but there I was: Slow down. Punch it.  I’m good. This isn’t good.  Cops? No cops.  I got this. I don’t got this.  Gahhh! Don’t judge. I’m guessing you’ve been in an orange light situation at some point, yes?  Those split-second decisions don’t exactly give me time to wrangle my best drawl, sing Jesus Take the Wheel and then wait for Him to move. Most of the time I’m relying…

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    Carrie Talbott

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    Simple Family Thanksgiving Ideas: Goodies & Gifts to Keep it Basic This Year

    November 14, 2020

    Fun Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

    May 1, 2020

    Helpful Thanksgiving Goodies: Reducing Family Stress & Increasing Peace with New Games, Decor & Gifts

    November 1, 2024
  • Insider Scoop,  Writing

    New News – Welcome to the Inside Scoop!

    June 18, 2021 /

    Since most lists have at least three points, here are mine: Uno, thank you for opening this new post. Whether you’re stretching your way to getting out of bed, busy making breakfast, lounging with your café, hustlin’ on a treadmill, waiting in a line, watching TV you’re not really into, or winding down before you zonk out, I am grateful you clicked here.  B, a writer friend reminded me that my email list has only been used for alerting you about new blog posts and that you might want to hear about other insider things going on with me. I’m not sure I’m that interesting, but I’m ready to change…

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    Carrie Talbott
  • Family-friendly Movies flicks films
    Entertainment,  Movies,  Parenting

    15 Favorite Family-Friendly Flicks to Watch at Home With the Kids This Weekend

    May 28, 2021 /

    There are tons of great animated movies that we adults can love right alongside the littles, but this is a list of our family’s favorite real-life flicks when our kids were in elementary and middle school. Depending on your strict meter, most of these are for ages 8/10 and up, and they’re all rated G or PG. Even when I got a movie recommendation from a friend, I still jumped on a review site to double-check how appropriate it was for our kids. My favorite is pluggedin.com from Focus on the Family, but crosswalk.com, movieguide.org and kids-in-mind.com are also great. In alphabetical order, so no one gets their feelings hurt……

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    Carrie Talbott

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    3 Things I Learned About Myself While Saving Money in Vegas Last Week

    March 1, 2024

    Simple Family Thanksgiving Ideas: Goodies & Gifts to Keep it Basic This Year

    November 14, 2020

    Helpful Thanksgiving Goodies: Reducing Family Stress & Increasing Peace with New Games, Decor & Gifts

    November 1, 2024
  • Clutter,  Humility,  Organizing,  Photos

    Quickly Saving Drowning Memories, One Wet Photo at a Time

    April 30, 2021 /

    Last November my teenagers bought me AirPods for my birthday. Spending so much of their own money to get me pieces of fancy technology made me feel loved. But I’m not a fancy girl. I have an old phone, our TV feels ridiculously large, I don’t own a watch (much less a smart one), and if it were up to me, Alexa would be kicked to the curb.  But I have a husband who loves that stuff and two teens who work and volunteer in tech. So of course they all want me to jump on the bandwagon, and AirPods were one way to get me there. On a sunny…

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    Carrie Talbott

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    Spring Decluttering with an Organizing Pro: 20 Items You Can Quickly Donate or Toss This Weekend

    May 13, 2022

    4 New Tips & Tricks I Learned from My First Out-of-State Decluttering & Organizing Job in Seattle This Week

    June 22, 2024

    Fantastic Fall Fling: How to Get Rid of Excess Items Before the Holidays!

    October 13, 2023
  • Perfect Piano Practice Perfection
    Courage,  Music,  Parenting

    When Daily Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect

    March 19, 2021 /

    Lesson #1 Around ten years old I got ushered to a piano bench by a concert pianist. She seemed kind, I was cluelessly optimistic, and my parents paid good money for the woman to deal with me for two years. If you don’t know my family, my father also earned the title of a concert pianist. So it would seem logical for the two of us to meet weekly in the formal living room for 30 minutes so he could enlighten me with everything he knew on our own piano. But my parents were well aware that teaching his [athletic, stubborn, distractable] daughter himself wouldn’t be the best idea. Instead,…

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    Carrie Talbott

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    Dear Stay-At-Home Mom: I Figured Out Your Problem

    October 1, 2016

    Carols In The Closet

    February 20, 2016

    Mental Fitness: Decluttering Your Mind Today so You Can Organize Your Thoughts Tomorrow

    August 2, 2024
  • Courage,  Faith,  Humility

    When it’s Finally Time to Launch Your Business Idea. Small Starts are Better Than No Starts, Right?

    February 27, 2021 /

    Well? Are they? If you answered with a resounding, “Heck yeah! Go for it!” then you might not deal with issues of insecurity, perfectionism or strong aversions to failure. I always looked in awe at our neighbors in Baja who thought up an idea for a business, gathered a few supplies, and opened the following month. Or week! It made no sense to my cautious brain how you could be prepared that fast with a game plan toward success and a plan B to pivot if needed. But that’s coming from someone who cringes at the thought of failure, or being completely wrong, or launching something that isn’t ready. And…

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    Carrie Talbott

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    Mental Fitness: Decluttering Your Mind Today so You Can Organize Your Thoughts Tomorrow

    August 2, 2024

    Two Cops & a Black Eye: Our Up Close & Personal Encounter with Physical Abuse

    February 4, 2022

    Carols In The Closet

    February 20, 2016
  • Trailer Life Baja Mexico Missionary
    Faith,  Missionary Shenanigans

    Home Sweet Trailer in Baja: Abraham’s Forever Faith in My Face

    February 6, 2021 /

    I am no longer a journaler.  Journaler? That’s a weird word. I engaged my pens decades ago, especially when the subject matter revolved around boys, but then I tapered.  Since then I’ve started and stopped more than start-stop technology in city traffic, but I just can’t get into it. So now I use them as notebooks, and I’m totally fine with that. No more guilt. For years I couldn’t figure out why I didn’t want to journal anymore until I realized the list involved reasons I didn’t want to admit. Mix together slight perfectionism and the constant inner critic of an Enneagram one, with a full schedule and a woman…

    Read More
    Carrie Talbott

    You May Also Like

    10 Años of Blessings… and Mud

    February 27, 2016

    Two Cops & a Black Eye: Our Up Close & Personal Encounter with Physical Abuse

    February 4, 2022

    Mexican Manna: Do You Know What You Need?

    April 11, 2020
  • Courage,  Humility,  Missionary Secrets

    Corner Office Syndrome as a Boss: When it’s Always Lonely at the Top of the Business or Ministry

    January 10, 2021 /

    A few years ago I reported the results of a missionary survey I did and was surprised by their answers. (Especially when they matched mine.) With global loneliness at an all-time high, I thought I’d take a closer look into the phenomenon where some people might not look. The old cliché, “It’s lonely at the top” rings loud and true… 92% of missionaries I interviewed said yes to this question: Do you ever suffer from Corner Office Syndrome? (Knowing a ton of people but not having any real friends.) “Totally. I have lots of friends on Facebook, but nobody checks on me; I always have to reach out. It’s hard…

    Read More
    Carrie Talbott

    You May Also Like

    Perfect Piano Practice Perfection

    When Daily Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect

    March 19, 2021

    Dear Stay-At-Home Mom: I Figured Out Your Problem

    October 1, 2016

    Carols In The Closet

    February 20, 2016
  • Books,  Christmas,  Entertainment,  Gifts,  Reading

    All I Want for Christmas This Year is a Book. And Star Wars Baby Yoda.

    December 12, 2020 /

    If Christmas prep has you clicking your orders more than shopping in stores, this post is for you.  Check out these popular, high-ranking books for everyone on your mostly-always-nice list. Or buy them for yourself and call it a day. Merry Christmas to you! (Happy Reminder: when you purchase from my links, Amazon throws me a modest kickback, but it costs you nothing. Gracias and Merry Everything!) This is the Way: Star Wars: The Mandalorian Even though I’ve never been a die-hard Star Wars fan, this new series got me ploppin’ on the couch and cuddlin’ up with my guys every Friday night for the newest episode. And who doesn’t…

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    Carrie Talbott

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    New Media to Buy for Yourself and Give Away: 4 Books and 2 Songs by My Talented Author Friends

    March 17, 2023

    If You Give a Woman a Kiss: Chocolate and Laura Numeroff to the Rescue

    February 13, 2016

    Father’s Day Gift Guide for the Young & Old: Cool, Trendy, & Fun Ideas Your Dads & Grandpas Will Love

    May 20, 2023
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Welcome!

You’re here! And I’m Carrie. From full-time camp kid to unconventional missionary for 12 años in a 3rd-world country, I’m now a profesh organizer and writer who loves plants and guac. Life is short, so I’m smiling while I have all my teeth, but I still have issues. Always remember… when life hands you lemons, give them back. You deserve avocados.

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