Our Living Room

She came, my beloved sister-in-law, and worked her magic. I can't believe how big my house looks in the pictures! (It is really not that big in person) I am also surprised at what you can't see - like the little finger prints all over the windows, the ever reappearing layer of dust and my floors, although they look very clean, were actually very dirty - vacuumed but not washed. I was able to vacuum while on my knees, and with the help of my little man Tate, who is ALWAYS up for a good vacuum, but I did not have it in me to mop. Good to know for the future. There are a few unfinished projects left that I wasn't able to get to due to the surgery, like the pillows on the sofa, only half of them are done (so just ignore the white inserts on the sofas) and a couple of other small details. I will get to then sooner or later though! For now here is our living room.

Time To Call In The Professionals

I have been asked by people if I could send them photos of my home - this was the beginning of this blog. I thought it would be easier for everyone if I had a place to send them so they coul get what they want.

I always have great expectations, I clean and arrange, tweak a little more, I pick up the camera and start snapping, I can see in my head how fabulous the picture is going to be, I go to my computer to download the pictures and......they look too fuzzy or too dark or too light or too something. I never feel like they do any justice, so in the end I consult the professional in the family, my sister-in-law, Shannon Wight. She is extremely talented. She can make a bowl of chips look like art, I've seen her do it! She is coming this weekend to take pictures for me and I am so excited! I had foot surgery last Thursday though and I am still pretty immobile, but if I have to crawl around on my hands and knees I will have this house ready for the shoot, at least maybe some rooms and I will have to save the rest for another time.

My Reason

Image from Dreamy Whites

Ever since I can remember I have wanted to be a interior designer and a writer (well along with being a famous movie star or a Mini Pop - who didn't?) When other girls were playing house - I was organizing it, while other young ladies were spending their babysitting money on clothes and make-up - I was buying paint and accessories for my bedroom, while other young adults were going on dates - I was sewing white slip covers and pillows for a hand-me-down sofa I would use in my first apartment.

It can be intimidating to post these kinds of things on your blog. Whether it is something I have created or something I have written, putting it out there for the world to see and judge is like sending your little baby out into the world and stepping back to see what happens. Maybe people don't care or maybe its not as good as I think it is, and so I talk myself out of it - out of posting things on my blog, out of pursuing a career in Interior Design or writing. It is that way with anything I suppose, you will never appeal to everyone and that is o.k. My husband owns a landscaping company - he goes into someone's space and creates an oasis for them to enjoy. I am proud of what he does. He is so very talented. He is the one who pointed out to me that isn't what I like to do the same thing that he does, only on the inside. What could be more wonderful that helping people create an environment that is happy and beautiful and that they can enjoy and be grateful for.

I am also discovering that it is o.k. to be a mom and also have other area's of interest where I spend time developing myself and in fact this helps me to be a better mom, friend ect. I have been "mom" for so long now that I can forget about being Shelli. Wife and mother will always be my first and best accomplishments, but there is even more I have to offer. As we fill ourselves back up with something we are passionate about, we will have more to give. So long as our priorities are in order and the most important things are being taken care of, I believe we have a responsibility to work with our talents and do something! I am always so grateful that other people are willing to share their creations and thoughts on their blogs! I have come to realize that it is a matter of confidence. So I will no longer be afraid to put myself out there, to use the talents I have been given, to develop them further, and to stop doubting, and if someone doesn't like it, that's o.k. too! I don't now exactly where this adventure will take me, but I am not delaying it anymore. A dear friend told me not so long ago that she thinks I naturally spread beauty wherever I go. Although this statement is more of a testament to her generous good nature and the ability to see the best in others - On top of being a wife and a mother to 5 incredible children -  I cannot think of a better way to spend this life!