A life inspired

Sometimes life is hard, sometimes it can seem like everything and everyone is against you. Sometimes it can seem like everyone else has it easy or gets "all the breaks", and you just can't seem to get ahead. Sometimes you just run out of coffee right when you need it most. The kids aren't cooperating, this isn't where you thought you'd be in life....the list goes on. I get that. At times I've been there to some degree or another. Especially the coffee one. Okay, only slightly kidding on that one...I try to NEVER run out of coffee. As women it is so easy to compare, to feel as if we don't measure up. 

I was sitting here this morning thinking about a variety of things. How to make money from home, why does everyone always want a lot of money to help you make money from home (lol), re-vamping my blog so that it's more "attractive" to people. Which got me to thinking, "wait, why do I have to change "me" in order to attract people". "Why can't people see that I'm just an everyday gal who wants to inspire and encourage people in a down to earth, hey this is who I am way". Which then led me to think, "sure, maybe I could change a few things, but I want to be authentic, I want to be real, I want my personality to shine through". I looked at my blog header and thought, "I'm sure someone would think that looks unprofessional and childish", but then I thought "well, I like it, so who cares what other people think". I get that sometimes we have to care, BUT if we lose ourselves in the process, is it worth it? This applies to every area of our lives. Please don't lose yourselves in the journey. Don't look back and go, "wait, who am I, is this really the real me?" I've asked myself that question a few times, and sometimes I haven't liked the answer. 

I've wavered about blogging, "what do I have to say now that everyone is grown up", "do I just stop because I don't seem to have the time", "do I need to pick a niche and stick with it". Those thoughts limit me. But the truth is I love to encourage people, to inspire people, to know people. I love to share my heart, recipes I find and make, and whatever else pops in my head. I long to get creative juices flowing. So I've decided to keep at it. To share what comes to my heart, or to my kitchen. To encourage you, inspire you, to invite you into my world. Maybe it'll be through a book I'm reading, maybe it'll be through a project or a recipe or a struggle, or a breakthrough (like finally breaking a certain weight I wanted to get past...even if it was only by 0.2 pounds...lol).  It probably won't be through my totally on point trendily decorated house...I can't remember last time I bought something for it and there is certainly not a theme, unless hodge podge is a theme. But I love our home and I love being inspired by ideas to continue to make it ours and a place my family feels peace in. It might not be through perfectly staged food photos, because, well, as much as I'd love to take a lot of time, my family wants to eat....NOW! But I will be authentic, and real. In fact I'll just share a few pics below. 

( I like a clean house but it won't win any awards. Yes, that is a dining room table, covered in stuff. No, nothing really matches,, and there's a rowing machine just sitting there, a gas fireplace waiting to be hooked up when the next part of the house is done.....but it's home! And it's ours)

Music and quotes are two things that inspire me. Two quotes that have spoke to me lately and that I'll leave you with (for now) are these:


"The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can."  --Neil Gaiman



"Be silly. Be fun. Be different. Be crazy. Be you, because life is too short to be anything but happy"


YES! I love those. I'm 48. We've raised two daughters who, yay, turned out awesome. The youngest is graduating in a few months. Our train of life went off the planned track a few years ago, and we've found ourselves building a new track as we go along. So life has been good, life has been beautiful, life has thrown curve balls, and sometimes, yes sometimes, sucked, but through it all, life is still good, God is always good, and joy and rest and contentment and love for life is still found in the midst of every adventure we find ourselves on. I want to live the rest of my 50+ years (yep I want to live to be over 100) to be lived with grace, joy, rest, contentment, no matter what circumstances life finds me in. Can it be done? I believe so. Will you come with me. 



With Joy Unquenchable,