Is This Thing Still Working?

Hey everyone!

I'm back after a nice, long blogging hiatus. I needed to take a break in the worst way. I love blogging, but I needed some space. I was putting way too much pressure on myself to churn out good blog posts and it started becoming unenjoyable. Thus the break.

But I have missed it a lot.

This blog started out as a way to inform our family of all of the updates that we have done (and will do) on our house. I have to say, this little blog is still that, but it has also evolved into so much more. It is my online journal of sorts.

For many, many years I have kept a journal. I have a dozen hand-written journals stashed away in our bedroom. They are a treasured possession. They allow me to look back on what my life was and shed a whole new light on what my life has become. I love to see how I have changed and they help to spotlight those things that I still need to work on.

Over the past, meh, six years or so, I have stopped keeping a handwritten journal and have turned to blogging. In college I kept a blog that was just a smattering of my thoughts, design ideas, an overall mishmash of things. It was also the blog I kept as a newlywed. Then, when we bought this house, I shut that one down and started this blog as a way to chronicle our life as homeowners.

But now this blog has become so much more. It's a way to keep our family informed about our house projects, Daniel, and our day to day life. It also has become very cathartic for me. I love using my blog as a way to focus on the things that God has blessed us with on a daily basis. It allows me to keep things in the right perspective. After all Proverbs 15:15 says, "...a happy heart has a continual feast." This is my way of keeping my heart happy, so to speak.

I have a hard time seeing small blessings at times: A breath of fresh air. A much needed rain shower. Daniel's smile. Curled up, sleeping dogs. All of these things are beautiful and God created--but sometimes I miss them as I focus on the more (or less, depending on how you view it) important things. So, this blog has been a way for me to stay grounded. I'm so thankful for that.

So I plan on continuing to blog, not only to update family, but because it has been such a blessing to me.

I'm excited to get back into it again. Over the next few days I would like to update you on how things are going in our little house. Daniel is eight months old---and that has me completely freaking out and getting excited as I think about plans for his first birthday party! Our house has probably changed a bit (or a lot, for some of you) and I want to show you some current how-it-looks pictures. And, well, I have been changing a lot myself. God has been challenging me in ways I never thought possible and I can't wait to share some of the things I'm learning!

But first, what do you think of the new blog look? I came up with it all by myself. I have been teaching myself how to code a blog and use GIMP. It has come with a steep learning curve, but I have enjoyed learning these new skills. I thought it was about time I learned, as I wasn't really satisfied with any of the looks that pre-made templates offer.

So, look around and let me know what you think! Feedback is always appreciated. And keep looking around for more updates. I'm still working on things. :) See y'all Thursday!