Okay, y'all. So I'm officially trying to make this blog workout. Flex the ol' blog muscle, if you will. ...or maybe not? That sounds super weird. Okay, anyway, I'm going to get serious about this blog and I'm going to try to make it work for me while I work for you!
I want to share my thoughts, ideas, tips, tricks, recipes, patterns, you name it! I want this to be a place for you to come and interact and be a real community: friends and neighbors just doing our thang! No? That didn't work, did it? But anyway, a place where you can come and relax and hopefully get some good information and inspiration, or at least a little laugh!
So let me introduce myself (again).
I'm Elise, I live on a cattle ranch in Southern Missouri, with my husband and our beautiful son. We run a cow/calf pair operation and both work full-time "in town". We have a passion for the outdoors and leaving it just the way we found it, if not better. We love to fish and are blessed to live in such a great area for it! We're surrounded by water and try to get to the river at least once a month for some serious trout fishing fun! (There just aren't many things better than a day spent on the river with family!) I have a quiet passion for crochet and crafting, and I'm trying to make this a bigger part of my day-to-day! It's something I truly enjoy more than I ever dreamed I would, and I have decided to go all-in and make this fantasy a reality! (FYI, the adorable hat I'm wearing is a pattern by the wonderful, Jessica from The Hook Nook; check her out!)
I struggled to find a good hobby for years, (see <basically> all of my previous blog posts, ha) and I finally did when I YouTube'd "learn to crochet" and watched every video it provided! It's super amazing to see a ball of yarn turn into a beanie, or a dish rag (check out this link... Alexis and her blog, Persia Lou, are super duper amazing and I made her Color Block Washcloth pattern for a friend's housewarming; see a picture below), or a gorgeous shawl, and I can't wait to share this art with you! I hope you learn something either about yourself or your skill each time you visit my blog!
That being said, WELCOME, FRIENDS!!! I appreciate you stopping by and I hope to see you again very soon! :)
I'm standing here telling you, screaming it from the highest mountain, that you are enough!!!
I think, no matter how amazing our lives may look from the outside, that we all struggle from time-to-time with feeling like we're enough.
You can have the world's cleanest 4'x4' area for your Instagram pictures (I'm talking surgery suite clean and stark white!) and still have a toddler clearing your coffee table, emptying the entertainment center, and slinging his spaghetti across the kitchen by the forkful! You can put on a big smile and crisp new capris and run your errands in full makeup with your hair just perfect, and still spend 95% of your time in last week's yoga pants, no bra, and a messy bun (and not a cute one). We're always trying to make sure we LOOK like we have it all together for other people, but really, we're struggling to keep our heads above water. Guess what? You are enough. Bird's nest bun, sagging boobs, and chugging twice reheated coffee... You. Are. Enough.
"It is what it is, but it will be what you make it." This is my favorite quote by one of my favorite women, Pat Head Summitt. She didn't care what anybody thought about her. She just wanted to play a great game, because that was her job. Winning was not her job. Winning was a perk. Her job was to make sure her team was there, ready, and willing to lay it all on the line. And her team did that more than any other team in the history of sports. Coach Summitt knew she was enough.
Do you give your all? Do you try your best? Do you do everything you can, everyday? You won't win them all, sure, but if you can be happy with your efforts then you're doing it right! You are enough!
There will always be someone who doesn't see what you do. Doesn't appreciate that 4'x4' space in the midst of the chaos. Doesn't see that you're spending your time doing for others and that's why your hair is in a knot. Doesn't care that there is a hot meal every night, only that it's been smeared on every surface in the kitchen by the toddler. All too often, this person will be one of the closest to you. The one who should be on your side and supportive is the one who sees every flaw, but don't you ever forget that you are enough.
Chances are high that this one person doesn't feel like they're enough, either. Which brings me to my main point... not only are YOU enough, but I am enough, they are enough. Take it upon yourself to uplift others. One of the best ways to feel better is to make someone else feel better. Smile. Laugh. Encourage. We're all ENOUGH!
