Welcome to the DIY life!

"We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives.  We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us.  We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something.  We have to learn to be content with what we are."

-Marjorie Hinckley

I've thought a lot about what I want this first post to say.  This blog is a new adventure for me.  I've blogged before.  I had a blog as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator where I posted lots of cute projects and class ideas and had a fair amount of page views.  But life moves on and things got busy and I'm not a demonstrator anymore.  And we bought a new house (well, it's an older house, but new to us) and my projects become more home-related than just paper.  I also had a blog for promoting my efforts to become a published Young Adult fiction writer.  As much as I tried, I just didn't have enough to say on the subject to keep the blog alive.

I've considered starting a DIY-type blog for several years, but I wanted to do something a little different.  Something that would really be "me."  And then it hit me.  We bought this house four years ago, the same year I turned 30.  I was really excited to turn 30 and to see what my new decade would bring.  

(This is our house just a few days after we bought it.  The ultimate "before" picture!)

I've spent the last four years not only working on fixing up our house, but on fixing up me.  We found Dave Ramsey and paid off all our debt except the house.  I joined CrossFit and lost about 30 pounds after my last baby, even though I've never considered myself athletic, but I still have so far to go and I'm terrified of sliding back downhill.  I'm still chasing the elusive dream of publication.  I started a part-time job at a law firm, with very mixed emotions about leaving my kids.  And on top of it all, we have a fix-it list three miles long.

It can be exhausting.  Overwhelming.  So many projects, so little time.  I know you've all been there.

So this blog is about the DIY life- whether the project is a bathroom, a waistline, or chasing that dream you've always wanted but have been scared to say out loud.  At the same time, it's about finding sanity and realizing that in the midst of all this improvement, the most important thing is family, friends, contentment, and spiritual balance.

Is it possible to be content while still striving to improve?  Can we seek for better things while still remembering to simplify and keep our priorities straight?  This blog is my attempt to figure it out.  I'm so glad you've visited, and I hope you'll come back often and share your thoughts.