I apologize to any of you who are getting this blog post twice! It was supposed to post today...but instead posted briefly on Monday. I still can't figure out why...pre-blogging can come back to bite you sometimes I guess.
Today I want you to know that my apartment is a mess. I have far too much school work stacked up this week. Next to my key board, as I type, there is a plate of old strawberries that I just can't quite muster the energy to take to the kitchen. It's been there a week...just rotting away. Yikes right?
My "work space" is shared with my husband and just barely fits us both. There are boxes and far too many books stacked against the walls...mixed in with old stuffed animals and binders we can't quite bring ourselves to get rid of. We are not rich...but rather focusing on getting me through school, starting some business dreams and trying to pay down our debts. Therefore, we live simply.
When I say simply, I mean that we have a nice apartment, but nothing that would be featured in a magazine or worthy of a blog. Yet, it's ours and it's warm and I've done the best I can to make it feel inviting and lovely with hand me downs and used items. We're grateful for it...always keeping in mind that people around the world live with far less. We spend a lot of time doing normal things with our week. We try and serve the people around us. We try to live a life of faith and focus on things that truly matter.
However, sometimes I like to get away and look at pretty blogs with pretty pictures. Not because I want to compare myself to an unattainable perfection (though I've fallen into that trap) or obsess over what I need to do better. But simply because I like looking at pretty things and putting ideas away in drawers for later...when we do have a house, or tent, or loft or treehouse or wherever we end up once our time has run out at this apartment.
There is a lot of debate going around the web right now regarding blogs and perfectionism. I read a lot of thoughts about how much you should share regarding vulnerability and if it's becoming "drab" to style your photos and put your best foot forward on social networking sites. I think I can see the points on both sides of the spectrum and fall somewhere in the middle of the debate. I've certainly had my troubles coming to this conclusion though...as I started to become a little jaded with the blogging world myself and almost bowed out completely (I'm SO glad I didn't).
Have you ever gone to a movie and left depressed because it was SO realistic? Maybe it was an important topic and one worth considering and learning from...but perhaps that day you just needed to laugh or watch a superhero fly through the sky..rather than walk away melancholy at the pain you just witnessed on screen.
I feel that way about blogs. Sometimes I crave honesty, real story and heart. So I'll seek that out. Sometimes I just want to be inspired by visual loveliness...and so I seek that out. Most days, I desire both...so I don't think we need to choose between the two. I think they compliment each other.
I recently started cleaning houses...and while cleaning other people's toilets is not glamourous I have witnessed a diverse amount of interiors and styles of living all beautiful in their own right. Unfortunately, I could not take pictures (I'd get in trouble for that) but below is a collection of interiors that really inspire my creativity and give me ideas.
Because sometimes...you just want to look at pretty things...and continue to ignore the rotting strawberries on your desk ;)
(left to right):Where Your Heart Is (Decor8 Interiors Flickr) and Making it Lovely
Country Living Photo By Lucas Allen
( left to right) Marie Claire and Country Living Photo By Lucas Allen
(left to right) Candadian House & Home and Mundo Flo (Decor8 Flickr Styling)
Enjoy the day....
