blog shmog

Five years ago I began a blog.

I have loved this journey. And I have learned some things along the way.

I have learned that I don't need to blog everyday, but I can if I want to.

I have learned that blogs are like the frosting on a cupcake. There is much unseen and a whole lot of unwanted left over after the toddler licks the icing off the top.

I have learned to be true to myself and to never blog to impress.

I have learned that I am stronger than I thought I was.

I have learned that life is oh so beautiful.

I have learned to write, truly write, on matters of the heart. I have learned what those things are, those things that matter most.

I have learned that each blog is as unique as the people who write them, and that one should not try to duplicate another's style.

I have learned that my life is very ordinary, but worth documenting.

I have learned that I blog best late at night or early in the morning, when children are sleeping!

I have learned that comparison is poison to the soul.

I have learned to use a camera. And my children have learned to ignore it when needs be and to smile when I ask.

I have learned that I cannot force a post. Sometimes I sit and type and words spill over like a waterfall. Other times I go for days with thoughts floating through my mind, all kinds of random flying in and out and all around, knowing what I want to say but not how to put it all together - I put my bucket into the well and it comes up dry. Eventually I get there though, I always do - but I cannot force it.

I have learned that no matter what I put out there, once I push publish I no longer have control. It is for any and all, and how they interpret it is something only they can tell.

I have been giddy with excitement, I have been overcome with gratitude, I have sat here with tears streaming down my face.

This blog is my journal. It is my scrapbook of the ordinary events that make up my life.

It is like an open window I get to look through with different eyes. And God's grace is blinding, the abundance over-whelming.

With every picture I take and every post I write, I am writing my autobiography. I hope I can blog forever and ever.

~ Beacon Hill Park April 13, 2013 ~

Liebster Blog Award

This morning when I opened my e-mail I found a message from a lady named Theresa. She writes a blog Called Party of Four. She had just awarded me the Liebster Blog Award. To be honest I had no idea what this was, so I looked it up on the internet of course. Here is what I found out: Liebster is a German word meaning dearest or beloved, and the award is given to Bloggers with less than 200 followers, to promote and encourage new friendships among the blogging community.

If you receive the award you are to:

1. Post the award on your blog.
2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
3. Reveal your picks for the award and let them know.
4. Enjoy the support from fellow bloggers.
5. Have fun, and pass it along.

I am more than honored that someone awarded my blog. I want to thank Theresa for that. I am always excited to connect with people I otherwise would not have had the opportunity to get to know. I spent the afternoon reading Theresa's blog, and she is one of those people that I just know I would love if we ever met in person. 

And now for my picks: 

1. My sister-in-law Shannon Wight. This girl can make anything and everything, and it all turns out perfectly lovely. She is a crafter, a crocheter, a photographer, a creator of all things incredible. She is one of the most talented people I have ever met. I feel so very blessed to be able have her in my family. She is always inspiring me to get up and do something! 
2. Megan from Nestled. She is just cute. I love seeing her painted nails, the new shoes she won in some contest, and her beautiful home that looks so welcoming. She reminds me to take myself a little less serious, and enjoy being a girl. I am always happy to take a peek into her world. 
3. Jaimie from At Home. I first came across Jaimie's blog when I was looking for 'fresh eggs' signs on the internet for my pantry, and I have been reading it ever since. I love the easy, beachy, beautiful way she makes every house she is in a home. And she just so happens to live on Vancouver Island, only a couple of hours away. She hasn't been blogging much lately - I think it might be due to a new addition to her family! 
4. Michelle from Miss Stitch a Wish. I have recently come in contact with her. She is every bit as bubbly, happy, creative and talented as she is beautiful. She is a do-it-yourself kind of girl. 
5. A couple of years ago I was reconnected through blogging with someone I knew only very briefly when I was a young adult. She has fast become a very cherished friend, and were it not for the fact that her blog is private I would want to add her to the list. I admire her honesty. She inspires me. Every time I think about her I am grateful for blogging and how it brought us together. Maybe someday she will go public. (It sounds so scandalous when you put it that way!)

embracing unfamiliar {part 2}

Over the past few years of blogging I have come across many, many blogs. Some I follow for a bit, while others I will follow for many more years to come.
I begin to feel like I know these ladies, and that if we ever met we would be friends for sure.

Some think it weird to read the blogs of those you don't know. I believe it can be used to view other ways of life, other peoples passion of Christianity, and it can open our eyes to the abundant blessings we have, even (and maybe most especially) the strength and purpose that can be gained through trials. There are many people out there doing such great things to make this world a better place by big and grand offerings of time and sacrifice, and I find myself wishing I could do the same. While others remind me that I am already doing a great work - that of raising a new generation, and that it can be fun and enjoyable, as simple and mundane as it can sometimes appear. They remind me of just how blessed I am, all without ever knowing they do so. Some I have much in common with, others are very different. The point - I can gain inspiration and a renewal of determination from each one, no matter how diverse we are.

I have a hope that someday I as an individual and all women as a whole will be able to join together, stop judging, and start loving each other for all we have to offer.

There is something I can learn from every person I meet. And to those whom I think I have something to give, often end up teaching me the most of all.

We are different. That is the way it is suppose to be.

We are so very powerful. We can bless the lives of others in a way that only our female hearts were created to do. But, we can also do great damage. I have done more than my share and have had to learn many lessons the hard way.
But....
I have also come very far. I can continue to learn and grow, and that is what I need to focus on.

Amanda from Soule Mama - When I read her I feel something. She inspires me to do better and be better. She challenges me to return to simpler ideals. I find myself wishing for a life much different than the one I set out to build when I began my family over a decade ago. Return to the basics, stop and smell the roses and expand your talents - these are the lessons I learn from her.

Sara from August Fields - She teaches me to relax and laugh. To love with an open heart. To enjoy this life with 5 kids however crazy it may become. To remember that each one of these mini's is the best blessing I could ever be given.

Sarah from Clover Lane - I learn to stick to my guns and do what I know is right, even if it goes against pop culture, AND not to feel badly about it. She teaches me that you can be friends with your kids while maintaining the position of leader and exemplar. She is honest with her short comings which in turn makes me love her more. She will not apologize for her beliefs or her standards. She is like a big sister showing me the way.

Edie from Life in Grace - Sometimes I laugh. Sometimes I cry. She exudes passion and determination. She is fun and happy. She reminds me to never give up, to live my life and give it everything I have.

Shannan from Flower Patch Farm Girl - She is just cool. She is one of those people who doesn't have to try. Yet she is humble and honest and so very refreshing. She pulls me back to the age of innocence I sometimes feel that my children and I have so long ago left behind. She shows me just how big a heart can get, and teaches me that charity is not an act, but a way of living, a condition of the heart and mind.

For these women, in different parts of the world, of different beliefs, different ages and backgrounds, destinations and orientation, for each of you who teach me to be happy in the skin I'm in, for every time you make me laugh, or I leave with my chest ripped wide open and my heart soft and vulnerable, I thank you.

No matter how different one may appear, no matter how little we may seem to have in common, the choice is always mine between humility or pride, between acceptance or exclusion. I can extend the hand of friendship at all times, even if it means that sometimes and most painfully no hand is unfolded in return. I can forgive myself when I have hurt and do all I can to change. And I can offer this to all people  I come in contact with, in the hopes that I will learn to become a stronger yet softer person as I continue to embrace the unfamiliar.

Bergen's new blog

After seeing his sisters working so hard on their new blogs, Bergen asked if I would help him with his. His was easy to do - as is the usual nature with boys - they are so easy to please! 

Changes

I have been wanting to freshen up our family blog for some time now, but I have put it off because I wasn't sure what I actually wanted to do. Do I merge the 3 blogs into 1? Or just the family blog and the school blog? Do I change my URL? Will People be able to find me? Will this cause to much frustration? And most importantly - What should our new name be? I have been changing it back and forth between different options for days now. How do you capsulate your life in 1 small sentence? And of course I want it to be catchy and original and mean something to me, without being cheesy. This is way harder than it seems (or it could just be me). So apart from "the McCullough family", how do I do this? I have thought of names such as:
a place for 7
life in 7's
pieces of 7
and then there were 7
through the eyes of 5
life through 7
the simple life with 7
in the steps of 7
life completely
life in 7 steps
one plus one = 7
life of 7
a slice of 7

Obvious theme. 7 is my favorite number (that and 5) I have never had a favorite number. In fact I used to think it was quite strange that anyone did. It is just a number after all. Since having 5 kids and becoming a family of 7 nothing has ever felt so perfectly completely happy for us. So now instead of 1 favorite number, I have 2. When I see these numbers I think of my children, my family and my life. This was my starting place. I think I finally found the right name for us. I also think I will be merging the family blog and our school blog into 1.
And just for fun - How would you sum up your life with 1 simple phrase?

New blogs

Emma's new blog

Noelle's new blog

I've just about hit blogger burnout. The girls have revamped their blogs this week, and they turned out pretty cute (they aren't done yet. we are still working on them).  I am feeling very done. Blogging my own 3 and their 2 has been more than I can keep up with. It is such a fabulously fun way for them to journal though. They learn computer skills and typing, spelling and grammar, and photography as well. So we carry on and hope that the day is not too far off that they will be able to do the bulk of it by themselves. For now all I hear is, "How do you spell....", and "How do I do...." every 2 minutes. But they are loving it and learning too!