Falling in Love with Fall + House Thoughts
I’m totally obsessed with Fall and Spring. They’re my absolute favorite. The weather is PERFECT, and the colors that come out are seriously breathtaking.
Fall is when I also become completely smitten with Utah all over again. If you live here and haven’t driven the canyons to check out the leaves around this time of year… shame on you ๐
Okay, really, you’re just missing out. The trees look like they’re on fire, and everywhere you turn there’s a different shade of red, yellow, orange or lime green.
Lately I’ve been REALLY into nature, and the beauty of it. Cason says that I’ve always been, but haven’t fully embraced it until these past few years.
With the move from our old house to this new one, I’ve felt a lot of disconnect with my surroundings… and yes, especially when it comes to blogging about it. So I think finding beauty in nature is a way for me to ‘ground’ myself and feel at peace.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE this new house, the neighborhood is a dream and all the people we’ve met have been SO friendly and kind!… but my old house just had a certain kind of personality that I feel like I miss a LOT. There was always a story to tell, something to fix, an area to make more functional… and this new house is, well… new. Things are already so pretty and polished. I don’t feel like it needs me as much.
does this sound crazy?
Truth be told though, that’s what I wanted and was looking for when we moved. I was tired of DIY’ing every thing, and I felt like the only reason I did it anymore, was for “THE BLOG”. Having to be creative and DIY-up something new all the time, was exhausting and super time consuming. I was ready to just enjoy all of our hard work and put down the tools, paint and plans for a while.
I definitely thought I would have more time to do this in our old house, but suddenly we were in a spot where moving felt “right”, and so we were off!
I wanted a house that I could just finesse with a little “makeup and hairspray”, and not a house that needed a full “face lift and hair extensions” (ha!)… and that’s what I got! – but in an effort to find a happy middle ground between DIY’ing the day away, feeling pressure to create something new for a silly blog post, and finding somewhere to live that already was “finished”… I think that I drifted too far away from doing anything AT ALL. And now, I don’t quite know WHAT I want to do anymore. GAH!
*siiigh*
this is turning into a therapy session… I’m almost done. ha!
I found this quote the other day and I instantly fell in love with it.
I think I’ve spent too long worrying about trying to make my new house feel like my old house, that I haven’t thought enough about how I can build something totally new and exciting, here!
Maybe that means taking a risk, pulling one of those crazy ideas out of my “you’re never really going to try that” file drawer, and DOING it… falling in love with it, and making a connection to this new space, like I did with the last (?)
Maybe I’ll paint a wall black or purple or something… just to shake things up and get my groove back. LOL
Jacki says
You, my dear, are so wonderful! I understand you're feelings and pray that you find some type of project that gets your mojo back. From what I saw a few weeks back, you have many projects and opportunities to 'shake it up' at home…. you are creative, a decorator, and a mommy. Give yourself some time; you truly did 'just' move in and your inner desire to create/transform will take shape. Maybe start small? Anything you do is wonderful! Love from Central Wisco!
Genny says
I so understand every word of your post! While I try to embrace each season, Fall is by far my favorite. I find myself just staring at our maple trees trying to "take in" their beauty. We live in the Midwest and our Falls are sometimes cut short by rain. Our trees can look full and beautiful one day and the next, all the leaves have fallen. We too have 3 girls and I so enjoy the photos you take. It's so fun to dress them up! As far as your home goes, we've been through the same thing — tired of DIY'ing and wanting new and not so much to do. We've been on both sides and it's hard to adjust after you've done so much yourself. It is welcoming though to just enjoy and not have so much to do. Our last move was an out of state when our girls were little. We tried to bring some of that house to this one too. We have found that making memories is the best way to make your new home a little bit like your last. Love the quote — I will be thinking of that today!
Jenn says
I think you're headed in the right direction. I found myself doing the same thing years ago, and always trying to do something just so I had a post to put up. But I wasn't really enjoying everything that I was doing because I was doing it more for the blog than anything else. I love your blog, but as these days get crazier and our country/world get crazier, I think listening to what you're feeling will become more important than ever. Conference weekend was a real eye opener for me. ๐ Just listen and you'll know what you should be doing.
Unknown says
The very first thing I ever copied from your "old" house was your white shelves in the kitchen. I loved the look of them and loved even more how you changed out the decor at every opportunity you could. Those simple "look what I did" decor posts have been and are my still favorite (I even have a Pinterest board dedicated to all your posts with those shelves). So quit fretting over large scale projects cause we love your posts whether you are re-tiling an entire bathroom or finger painting a toilet paper roll. Sheesh girl. You've got major talent and we just like to know you are happy sharing it.
Lindsey says
Thank you for sharing this – I've been feeling very much the same way these last few months! Hard to find a balance sometimes, and I've been very guilty to both doing too much and doing nothing. Glad to know I'm not alone! And for the record, in my attempt to DIY my way to happiness earlier this year I painted a wall black and an entire room eggplant purple. Two of the best decisions I've ever made! ๐
Mary says
You'll find a way and it will open a new door for you.
Mary
from Virginia