Favorite Blogging Moments

Friends, I’m so grateful for this creative experience of blogging. It connects people who would probably not meet otherwise. It helps us discover all that we have in common, share our creative passion, and support and encourage each other. Technology has changed the way that people communicate. The opportunity to share stories with the world is wonderful, and it’s amazing the connections that come from blogging!

For example, when I was stuck on the couch battling morning sickness while pregnant with our third baby, I was reading a decorating blog that featured a story about a woman who had done an amazing renovation on her house. I started reading the featured blog because I liked her design choices, and quickly was drawn into her story about how she miscarried late in her pregnancy, which ultimately led her and her husband to decide to adopt a child from China. I found this interesting, as my cousin had just adopted a little boy from China a few months before. I read post after post on this blog, following along on the author’s journey, weeping when she lost the pregnancy and rejoicing when she adopted her sweet child. As I was reading her post about their trip to China I found it to be so similar to my cousin’s story. The author mentioned meeting another couple while waiting in line the day of the medical exams. The other couple both worked with special needs children. The couple’s little boy that they were adopting had braces on his legs, and the author wrote about how he sweetly hugged his new daddy’s neck while waiting in line at his exam. This was all so interesting to me because it reminded me so much of my cousin and her husband and their sweet little family. I read the post closely again. And then again. And I checked the date the post was written with the dates of my cousin’s recent trip to China. My cousin had been there at the same time as the author. What were the odds, I wondered, that this author who I had literally stumbled upon from reading another blog might actually be talking about meeting my cousin? In China? While adopting their children at the same time? Impossible, right? I sent my cousin a message with the link to the blog asking, as crazy as it sounded, had she met this blogger while there? And she responded excitedly YES! She remembered meeting this woman! My cousin didn’t even know this woman blogged. They had sat and talked in depth about their families and the journey that had led them to this point. They had shared a special moment as mothers adopting their precious children, and I had just happened to read about it by chance. Isn’t that beautiful! The blog post I read about the blogger’s adoption process and meeting my cousin can be found here.

My cousin’s beautiful little boy! We adore him!

Friends, the written word is a wonderful, powerful thing. It is a gift and a privilege that I am grateful for every single day. The fact that you spend part of your day reading my blog means the world to me. Recently I’ve been working hard on finishing up all the little house projects that have been lingering on my to-do list. I had a very exciting photo shoot a few days ago that I can’t wait to share with you! I really wanted our house to look nice and be a true reflection of us. The night before the photo shoot I ran a few errands to get ready for the next day and I decided to stop by Pier One Imports to buy two pillows that I’d had my eye on for literally a year. I was exhausted from staying up late so many nights sanding, staining, and varnishing the trim for our kitchen renovation. I hadn’t showered in days and I was fueled by coffee and the slight panic that ensues at the thought of so many people seeing pictures of our house that 24 hours before the photo shoot looked like this:

The kitchen may be messy, but check out that gorgeous new trim around the door frame!

Nothing like leaking plumbing to make staging for a photo shoot interesting!

As I was driving to the store and chugging coffee to fight off the exhaustion, doubts began to creep in. I’m not an interior designer. I taught elementary school before staying home with my kids. And I don’t currently make a dime from my blog. I do it for the love of creating it (and I actually have to pay money to host it). What if I was boring people with my decorating posts? What if people were tired of hearing my stories about my life? And my worst fear, what if instead of inspiring and encouraging people, people thought I was bragging and I was therefore unintentionally making them feel unhappy?

I was feeling discouraged as I unbuckled my one year old and carried him into Pier One with me. I saw the pillow I’d been eyeing for the past year, but there was only one, and I really wanted two for each end of the couch. While balancing my son on my hip, I started searching for a second matching pillow. A sales associate came over and offered to help. She said she could order the second pillow online and have it shipped to my house, but I explained that I needed it tomorrow for a photo shoot. Another sales associate that I remembered talking to the last time I was in the store came over to help. They diligently searched for a matching pillow while I desperately tried to keep my son from rearranging their entire store. Try as they might, they could not find another matching pillow, and I was so exhausted and discouraged I was tempted to just sit down in the middle of the store and cry. The sales associate who I had not met before asked if I was taking pictures of my house to sell it, and I mumbled something about being a home decor blogger. The other sales associate, who was searching the bottom shelf in hopes of finding a second pillow, turned and asked me excitedly, “Are you Whimsical Blue?”

I was so surprised! “Yes! Do you read my blog?” She smiled and replied in the sweetest, most sincere voice, “Yes, you told me about it the last time you were here! I LOVE reading it!” My heart was so happy, I would have hugged her if my personal hygiene hadn’t been so questionable. I laughed and explained that I’m not usually such a mess, but I’d been working so hard to get ready for my big photo shoot. She pulled two blue pillows off the shelf and said “These look like your style.” And she was right! We chatted and laughed while they helped me pick out the most beautiful combination of pillows for my couch. She told me how much she enjoyed my recent post about my grandparents’ barn, and how it reminded her of her family’s old barn. I left the store feeling encouraged and excited. All the doubts that had weighed on my mind were replaced with renewed confidence.

I am happy to report that the pillows added the perfect touch of whimsy and blue to my photo shoot. They also remind me that this blog is not only about all things whimsical and blue (which are fabulous and so much fun to write about), but about the personal connection that comes from sharing our stories with others. I’m so grateful for this gift of writing, for wonderful readers, and for this unique platform that allows us to encourage and inspire each other. Thank you so much, friends. You mean the world to me!

Getting ready to nap with my new whimsical blue pillow after my successful home decor photo shoot!

Have a beautiful day!

Sandy

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