Mimisdbest

This is the only content I have for now.
Sad content.
But, I want to “keep it real”
and friends, my pain seems to be getting worse.

Women who have been through this horrible experience keep telling me that I will eventually learn to move forward with the pain. That I will eventually find a “new normal” and that someday the pain won’t be so agonizing.

I can’t wait!

YAY!

I showered today.
I even washed my hair!
And that could very well be all I do today…

That’s grief.

Some days it lets me function regularly and other days I can barely get off the couch.

I embrace the good days.
I let myself be sad on the bad days.

I’m praying for less of those.

I’m praying that through my struggle I would see that this was His plan for Wesley all along.

His plan for me.

2020 has been heavy.

Heavy for me.

Heavy for our family.

Heavy for the entire world!

So, if you too are having a tough year,
if you too have lost a spouse, a family member, a friend or anyone you love, just know that you’re not alone.

Not alone in your sorrow and grief.

God is with us.

Even when we don’t see Him.

Even when you don’t feel Him.

He’s with us and wants us to draw close to Him.

He’s close to our broken hearts
and our crushed spirits.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit                                                                         Psalm 34:18

                       Wesley Knoblock 

                                  01/03/1973 – 02/18/20

Many of you have asked me what exactly happened to my husband Wesley. I haven’t replied to most questions because honestly, it’s painful to have to relive the moment over and over again. From now on I will be directing people to this blog post. I hope you understand.

My husband, the love of my life, passed away a month ago today (02/18/20).

Unexpectedly.

He was in a minor car accident on 2/01/20 which resulted in 3 broken ribs, a subdural hematoma, and a fractured fibula. That fracture, something so minor, is what took his life.

Long story short, and only short because I am unable to type it all out without bawling…

The fractured fibula resulted in DVT. The blood clot eventually (17 days later) traveled to his lungs and then to his heart and stopped it.

The day he passed away was a pretty normal day. We were running errands. Then we came home, he went to the bathroom, I heard a loud thunk and a moan.

I ran to the bathroom. He had collapsed on the ground. He was conscious but struggling to breathe. I held his hand asked him to squeeze if he couldn’t breathe.

He squeezed hard.

I called 911 in a panic. He looked scared. I ran next door to see if our neighbor who’s a nurse was home but he wasn’t home. I yelled for help. Our other neighbor heard me. She and her mom ran inside our apartment and took over the 911 call.

I feared that my husband was dying.

When the ambulance took him I had hope. He was conscious and following instructions. When he got to the hospital though, he struggled. The ICU doctor said to me

“He’s very, very sick. He could die.”

I’ll never forget how cold she sounded when she said this. My entire family was there. He was responsive but hooked up to a machine. I wanted to make sure he knew we were all there so I asked my brother to make sure to tell him we were all there.

At some point, the nurse said “I don’t like what his heart is doing” and suddenly about 15 people came running into his room and started prepping the defibrillator.

“Code Blue” I hear over the loudspeaker.

They get a heartbeat.

And then they rush him to Interventional Radiology.

We (my family and a few close friends) wait in the family room.

3O minutes or so later we hear over the loudspeaker “Code Blue.”

Ugh! I knew it was for him.

About an hour later the doctor comes back in with a social worker. It was just like in the movies.

“I’m sorry Mrs. Knoblock.”

We all knew what that meant.

We were all in tears.

Our friends, our pastor, my family!

This is not how we planned it!

We planned to live to 90. We were so good to our bodies. Him more so than I. We ate right. Exercised. Kept a mainly holistic lifestyle.

He had already been through so much with his health, so we made all the changes to live a quality life. When our friends would tell us to enjoy life because we are all going to die anyway we often said:

“Sure we are all going to die, but HOW do you want to die?”

Neither one of us wanted a long dreadful, cancerous sickly, difficult death.

And in a sense, he really didn’t have to die. I believe his death could have been prevented. He had left the hospital 3 days prior. Something happened, they missed something. I really think they missed something BIG!

He was a “walking miracle” as his doctor once said.

He survived a massive heart attack in 2010 that should have killed him.

It didn’t.

He survived a massive brain bleed in 2014 that should have killed him.

It didn’t.

He was a fighter.

I know he must have fought hard.

I wonder what he was thinking as he was dying.

I hope he knew I was there.

I wish I could have been right next to him as he took his last breath.

I was able to see him on the bed one last time. Never did I think I would have to say goodbye to my husband’s lifeless body. I hugged him. I told him I was sorry that he had passed the way he did.

My days have been long since his passing.

Most of them are a blur.

I’ve cried myself to sleep and woken up in tears. My body and soul hurt. And slowly it kills me that I am starting to get used to life without him.

Wesley believed in Jesus. And I know he’s rejoicing in Heaven. That is the only thing that keeps me going. That I know I will see him again someday.

1 Thessalonians 4:17

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

English Standard Version

I’m noticing a growing trend:

People (like me) making Posh Swag.

I started making Posh inspired swag in 2017 for the Posh n Sips I hosted. My PFF’s loved my swag so much and soon they began encouraging me to start selling it, so I did.

Now, it seems that a whole lot of us are making it.

The more swag the better! No need to hate on other makers – something I’ve personally dealt with as a maker (but we’re not going to get into that DRAMA).

So, if you too want to start making swag, here are some things you should know before you jump in.

First of all, I want you to know that I say Posh-inspired because I (or anyone that isn’t Poshmark) cannot make Posh swag using the Poshmark logo, or the actual word Poshmark for profit. Poshmark and its logo are trademarked and, therefore, illegal to sell. So, to avoid any trouble, or having your items taken down, DO NOT use those in your swag.

Second, it is very unbecoming to copy (um…dare I say steal) the intellectual property of fellow creators, and people will notice if you do. So, DO NOT! copy fellow creators, even though our work may not be copyrighted or trademarked. Really, nobody likes a biter.

Want to create? Then get those juices flowing and create new, fresh ideas for our fellow Poshers. Be original and people will be lining up for your swag!

Third, get the word out! Send your swag off to people hosting Posh N Sips, host a Posh N Sip and giveaway your own swag. We Poshers love swag!

Fourth, consider the costs that come with swag-making. Truthfully, Swag making hasn’t brought me much money, but it brings me great joy.

The costs that you can expect are:

• Software
• Cutting Machine(s)
• Vinyl
• Transfer Tape
• Heat Press
• Clothing and other items to put your images on

These are the main expenses that you can count on, but there may be more.

Fifth, have fun, experiment and sell!

It’s really fun getting the creative juices flowing and seeing your ideas come to life! I look forward to the days I dedicate to creating.

Fun fact: Swag was originally an acronymn for “Stuff (or that other word) We Ain’t Got” – Hey! You brought some SWAG! Where’d you get it?

In this world of social media, it’s so easy to become a narcissist. If you’re not careful, your ego will get the best of you and you will become a Social Media Narcissist.

And it can sneak up on you quickly.

When I first started my IG, I wanted to grow it badly. I caught myself on the cusp of becoming narcissistic, but before letting myself get in that mode, I decided I wanted organic growth – the best growth, in my opinion. I’ve been asked by some of my peers what I’ve done to grow so “quickly” (I only have 12k followers)  and the honest answer is…

…if three years is quick, then the best way is by being patient. Seriously.

In this post I will share some tools, that I have used over the last year to grow on social media and some tools that I’ve learned not to use.

When I really started paying attention to my following, I often wondered why I would have 100 followers one day and the next day I would have 80. Like WTH!

I thought it was me.

I thought I was saying all the wrong things. I thought that maybe I was being offensive without really knowing, but then I slowly started to notice the same people were following me every few days. I recognized their names or their pictures and thought, “Wait didn’t he just follow me a few days ago?”

So then I found out about something referred to as the “Follow/Un-follow Method.”

Now, if you use this method, you should stop reading. I’ll probably offend you…

What is the “F/UF Method?” It’s when someone follows a bunch of people and as soon as the people follow back, they will unfollow (explained best here).

Think of that guy or girl you meet, make out with (or maybe more), and then they never call you. It’s that kinda sleaze.  It screams desperation. And, at some point or another:

1) People will catch on to your sleaze

and/or

2) Instagram will “punish” you. Suddenly your engagement will drop and although you could have 1,000,000 followers, your social media impact/presence will be non-existent.

So, the best advice I can give you to help you increase your followers is this:

Be patient and do it organically.

Some other little tips that helped me grow my following (little things add up, you know) are: enjoy the fruits of your Social Media labor; follow those who inspire you; follow those who make you smile; follow that ex-boyfriend you want to secretly stalk (Lol. JK. Ok, maybe); follow whoever you want to follow, but don’t use people for a follow back.

Most importantly,

DON’T BE DESPERATE.

While patience is the best tool, some other tools to help you speed it up are:

• Pick a niche:
  • Think about what your niche is. Who is your audience? Are you a foodie? Are you a mommy? Are you a fashion blogger? Are you a re-seller like me?
  • Once you decide what your niche is then make sure your posts are mainly about that niche. Don’t get me wrong, a post about something other than your niche here or there isn’t bad, but you don’t want to confuse your audience of followers about who you are and what you do.
• USE Hashtags
  • Use hashtags related with that niche. Remember, IG gives you 30 hashtags to use on your posts. Use all 30! Why not? Hashtags will help with your engagement. Just be sure to not use the same hashtags all the time so IG doesn’t think you’re a bot. *** AND DON’T USE BOTS FOR ANYTHING!!!***
  • I use an app called PLANN to save my separate groups of hashtags. If you use the same hashtags for each post, IG will likely consider it spammy and it could hurt your chances of showing up at the top of the hashtags, so switch them up. Use them every other post or every third post, just not every post.
• Make friends with IGers with LARGE followings.
  • Comment on their photos, reply to their stories, etc. Most IGers with big followings are very nice – they’re mainly people like you and me (this is especially true for those in the Poshmark Niche). In my experience, they are always willing to help and offer advice.
• Show your personality. Show your face! 
  • You see, when you come off as a real person. People will relate to you better. I like to follow users who show me a little of their real-world (this speaks to the non-niche posts)
  • As much as I like to see clean work spaces, coffee cups next to a computer or a funny meme, I also like to see that I follow a real person. Show me a picture of your beautiful or handsome face! Tell me with your posts who I’m really following!
• Use all of the Instagram Tools
  • Use stories
  • Make surveys
  • Post to IG TV
  • Post something daily! This I learned from Jade’s (fashionwithouttrashin) notes from the Girl Boss Rally. Her notes are available here  *I def learned a lot more than just that.
• Make your account public and make it a business account
  • No you don’t really need to have a business for this, but when your account is a business account, you will unlock all these new awesome tools that IG gives you.
  • The most useful tool from it is the Insights. The insights will tell you how well or how bad your posts are doing. This way you’ll know what your audience likes and know what to give them more of.

And when it comes to un-following…

…think WWMKD – What Would Marie Kondo Do?

Un-follow those accounts that don’t bring you joy.

Oh, and un-follow those F/UF sleaze balls! How can you tell who they are? There’s an app for that!

In conclusion:

Remember, your worth is not in the number of followers you have.  Trust the process and grow organically.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that this girl loves to put on a Posh Party!

I really enjoy them, and they are so much fun to host!

I attended my first Posh N Sip in 2016.  At that moment, I really to host one, but I was too shy and I didn’t know many people. So, I asked veteran Posh N Sip host, Jill (@Jill555) to help. She did, although she lives about an hour away north of me!

The party was a success and so much fun! I got to know so many local PFF’s. Since that first party, I have been hooked.

Hey, Mimi, what does it take to host a Posh N Sip, you ask?

Well, not much. First thing’s first: Posh only requires that you have a compliant closet (which you already should have) & that you follow the community guidelines. Next, fill out an application and once you’re approved for your party, Posh will send you a box of goodies for your party! This box usually consists of personalized photo props, stickers, cards for your swag bags, and host gift(s). I recommend that you add your own swag for your bags (it adds a personal touch, in my opinion), but that isn’t a requirement..

How I do it:

1.  I get a date in mind, and I find a friend or two who are willing to help me put this party on. It is always a good thing to have co-host to help you with spreading the word, and to help you with any costs that you may have, such as giveaways & swag (I like to personalize swag with the help of my Cricut).
2. I find a restaurant for my Posh N Sip – I prefer small, local restaurants, because: A) I love to support small-local businesses, and B) they’re more willing and able to accommodate large groups at no additional charge.
3. Once I have the date, reservation and co-hosts set, I create an Eventbrite (example of one of my Evenbrites here). Evenbrites are super helpful with helping keep track of how many guests to expect. In my experience, I can usually count on half of the RSVP’s to show. My biggest turn-out has been 25 guests.
4. I spread the word for the party all over social media & on my closet (tip: direct share to local Poshers by searching Poshers in your zip code).
5. Show up & have fun with your guests! It can be a super chill, casual event or you can have something more formal with speakers and all.

What I love most about Posh N Sips is community. I have never made so many friends in my adult life as I have through Poshmark. It’s so much fun hanging out with likeminded people who understand your passion for the app and your love of fashion.

I encourage you to take the step and host your first Posh N Sip! Need some help? additional pointers? Reach out! I love to help!

Happy New Year!

It has been a few weeks since I last blogged. The Holidays kept me super busy.

They went by way too fast though. I love the holidays, specially Christmas!

But now that they have come and gone. It is time to get back into the groove of things and get to working. On my stores, blog & IG.

What are your goals for 2019?

Mine are basically the same as all of us sellers.

1. To be more profitable

2. To be wise with my spending

3. To take the main stage at Poshfest (I was a round table host in 2018)

4. To embrace my creativity

Let me know what yours are. I’d love to hear!

—— Watch for next post. I’ll be blogging about Posh N Sip’s ——-

Now that you have started your Poshmark closet, you will notice what things work and what things don’t. There is SOO much information out there regarding Poshmark and some information isn’t even correct information. So, make sure you are following the advice of credible people – one way to tell is by taking a look at their closets. The first red-flag for me is when I see non-compliant items in their closets. You can’t listen to someone that doesn’t play by the rules.

One of the most important things for me and my listings is to have correct measurements for my items. When I first started this journey, I didn’t realize how important measurements were (see the picture below – one of my first listings). I could have put measurements, described the fit and given the blend. I probably even could have sold it for a few more dollars and made more money with a better description.

Now, my descriptions are more detailed with better pictures. I almost guarantee that this is the reason why I make more money with my sales now.  Descriptions and pictures can really make all the difference. The picture below shows how my descriptions have evolved.

I created this sheet to help keep me organized as I’m measuring. Usually, I photograph first, take measurements second, and then post and all I need is this sheet in front of me. So really, I can post anywhere at any time if I have the sheet with me and my pictures already saved to my phone.

I hope you find this sheet helpful. Let me know in comments if you find it useful.