Elysa Rae

Make your own rules this holiday season! When November hits, there always seems to be a conversation or should I say, debate, among the masses on when to put up the Christmas tree. The unofficial "official" start of the holiday season lies somewhere within this month. Some like the tree up on November 1st, others the day after Thanksgiving, while some wait until December. If the tree debate wasn't controversial enough, in recent years we’ve also started to see an expansion of when holiday decor starts showing up in stores.

There's always a debate that starts in November- when do you put up your Christmas tree? There are a lot of opinions on this, but mine is simple- make your own holiday rules! Read more about my call for holiday rebellion in this month's musing.

It’s the magic of October. As Anne Shirley once said, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” The month of October and the autumn season are my favorite of the year. The air gets cooler (or there is the promise of cooler air, ha), the leaves put on an amazing show of color, and it’s a countdown to my favorite holiday, Halloween!

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." One of my favorite lines from one of my favorite books about my favorite season. This month I wrote about the magic of October- please have a read!

Music of my heart For as long as I can remember music has been a huge part of my life. Some of my earliest memories come from songs, dances, and performances I did as a small child. One distinct memory I have is acting out scenes from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ as a toddler, no more than three or four. I sang “follow the yellow brick road” skipping through the living room while the movie played.

Music is my mood booster, my soul's balm, my therapy session, and time machine.

This month I'm sharing my love of music! Have a read, if you please.

Up North is where I want to be When August rolls around, I always find myself wishing to be Up North. For Michiganders, the line that separates North and Up North is contested. As a born Ohioan and newly formed Michigander, I don’t have a strong opinion on where this border lies. Everyone could make a separate argument for their opinion, and I would probably agree with all of them.

There's just something about August that makes me want to spend some time Up North- a bit of nature and nostalgia to ease the stress of everyday life.

Have a read, if you please!

History has its eyes on you When this musing goes live on July 5th, it will be one day after the 249th anniversary of American Independence. There are two areas of history that I have always been intrigued by- the American Revolution and World War II. While I have studied history over the years, even finishing a minor in the subject post-grad, I do not call myself a historian.

History is one of my favorite subjects. I consider myself more of a student of history rather than a historian. Now more than ever, we all need to be students of history. I hope you'll have a read this 4th of July weekend!

For the love of the Tigers My love for the city of Detroit is deeply intertwined with my fandom of Tigers baseball. There couldn’t be one without the other. Fifteen years ago, I made a trip to Detroit to take my brother to a Tigers game for his birthday, and found myself enthralled with the spirit of the city, the team, and a player named Miguel Cabrera.

EXTRA! EXTRA! An extra musing this month for your reading pleasure!

Earlier this month, I wrote about my love for the city of Detroit- this time, I'm writing about the first thing I ever loved about Detroit: Tigers baseball.

There’s no place like Detroit If you would have told me 15 years ago that the trip I was about to take to Detroit for a Tigers baseball game with my brother would quickly turn into a 15-year love affair, I never would have believed you. But that is exactly what happened. That warm, sunny, summer day in 2010 changed everything. I was just along for the ride to celebrate my brother’s birthday and keep my promise of taking him to a Tigers game in Detroit after he went to a baseball game in Cleveland with me the year before.

Detroit. Day-Twah. The Motor City. The D. The 313. My home.

Let’s get whimsical: finding whimsy in the everyday I hope you read (or sang) the title of this post to the tune of “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John. If you didn’t before, I hope you are now! And if you have no idea what I’m talking about, have a listen and watch the music video here. (Enjoy the glistening man candy… you’re welcome). So. Things are not all that great right now.

I've been trying to find ways to add a bit of whimsy to my days. With all the awfulness going on in the world, I've found it actually cheers me up a bit! Enjoy getting whimsical with this month's musing.

I keep overthinking about one thing and decided I needed to find something or someone else to think about instead to redirect my thoughts.

My brain immediately: Pedro Pascal!

And it’s working?

This morning it worked and why was my first thought then “This is the way” 😂

Ok brain. We got this.

Introducing a monthly reading recap! 🎉 On the last Saturday of each month I’ll post:

✨What I read
✨What I’m currently reading
✨What’s up next on my TBR pile

Have you read any of the listed books? Or are they on your TBR pile? 📚

Being the things I loved most about my grandma In full transparency, I wasn’t sure if I should write and publish something about my grandma. I wasn’t sure if she would want me to. I wasn’t sure if the people who also knew her would want me to. But I’m a big believer in signs and all the signs pointed to writing this, so I am! I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to share- I had thoughts of writing a eulogy I never gave, the lessons I learned from her, and finally, after reading the below quote I understood what I should write about: …

For this month's musing I am sharing memories of my grandma! She will always be one of my favorite people. Please have a read.

Adds to “how to fight fascism” to-do list. ✍️

Rebellions are built on hope.

I saw it!! 😍

A Writer All Along: Embracing My Journey When I look back on my writing journey, my memory likes to trick me into thinking there was a period of time when I didn’t write. But this is just simply not true. The kind of writing I’ve accomplished in my life has definitely varied throughout the years though.  As a young person, I thoroughly enjoyed my English classes in school that were filled with reading books and story writing.

A Writer All Along: Embracing My Journey

When I look back on my writing journey, my memory likes to trick me into thinking there was a period of time when I didn’t write. But this is just simply not true. The kind of writing I’ve accomplished in my life has definitely varied throughout the years…

Black History Month may be ending today, but that shouldn’t stop you from reading books by black authors year round 👀

Here are 31 books written by Black women that you can pick up in March 🧵

#blackbooksky #booksky

Slava Ukraini.
Heroiam Slava.
Always.
Always.
🇺🇦 🌻

El Capitan displays a massive American flag upside down—the traditional signal of distress or extreme emergency.

After some thoughtful consideration, I’m putting myself on a writing schedule 😅 and announcing that there will be new musings the first Saturday of every month on elysarae.com. 🎉

I know I haven’t done home improvements in awhile when I think “oh this should be easy!” 👀 guess what dear readers… it is NOT easy 😅

Winter: A Season of Rest It’s snowing again in Detroit. A sign that we are still in the midst of winter. Fortunately though we are now halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox, which means spring is on the way! I also feel like I am somewhere between winter and spring, and I’m not just talking about where we are seasonally this time of year.

I'm happy to announce the first musing is up to read on elysarae.com!

I launched my writing website today! It’s been years in the making, but still a bit bare with content (for now).

Check it out- elysarae.com 🩵

saaaaaaame!

Gross.

#GulfofMexico #IStandWithDenali #forever

Thank YOU Detroit Lions!!! 🩵