hashtag manifesto

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I'm just taking a stab in the dark here, but I'm guessing the amount of time that has passed since my last actual blog posting has been upwards of two and a half years. See, I got pregnant with my first child, and throughout the glorious roller coaster ride that is pregnancy and the even more exciting adventure of parenting 101, I somehow lost my sheep er...blogging way.
Have I mentioned that my handsome little man is a mere three and half months away from turning TWO!!! I am the proverbial Sleeping Beauty, except without all that true love's kiss and evil witch business. (Well maybe, but that's a whole other post!) Anyway, I have survived the whirlwind that accompanies any major life change and on this new side I'm feeling more focused and motivated than I have in a very long time.
Speaking of focus, what was the point of this post again? Ah, yes. Manifesto! As a way of getting reacquainted I thought I'd let you know where this blog is headed. I wanted to really put it all out there for ya. But, to be frank, there really isn't a clear cut path to follow here. If you know me, then you know the words focused, intent, and unwavering are typically not associated with my name. But, that's okay because I would like to think curious, surprising, creative, and passionate suit me better anyway. So, that being said... this isn't going to be one of those blogs that ALWAYS posts about crafts, consistently delivers delicious and new recipes, talks about my copious amounts of weight loss with accompanying photographs, or even boasts of my awesome DIY home make overs. Don't get me wrong- the above mentioned are some of the exact types of blogs I read and follow. I heart them! But, it's just not me. For Pete's sake, I was the kid who couldn't pick a favorite color because they all had such great qualities! Basically, there is no specific niche here. Random is my niche! So, here on my blog you can expect to see posts about:

crafts (lurve!)

photography

music

running

cooking/baking

parenting

holidays

home DIY

daily occurrences/happenings

feelings/emotions

and anything else my little heart desires! 

And let's just talk about the name for a minute while we are at it! #hashtag housewife! We have all seen the Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake parody right?!? Hilarious!!! The ol' hashtag is a bit of a tongue and cheek joke amidst my friends and in our household. We think we are quite funny when we verbally say the word hashtag in front of random words---and if we are being honest I bet a lot of you do the same! But in all honesty, that little pound sign (as us old fogies like to call it) is actually pretty handy! So, why not I say! I liked the name! And, I hope you do too! 

So before this post gets too long winded and I've lost you forever or I become distracted by something else, I'll leave you with one final goal that I hope to see achieved throughout this whole process. I am hoping to become a better writer. One that can communicate effectively and clearly, with poignancy and a vocabulary second to none! So, I hope over time we will all be able to look back on this post and see some real growth. 

Oh yea, and I'd like to promise to try and keep it legit here. I don't want to give any of my readers some highlight reel of my life. I want to give you the good, the bad, and the ugly and all that comes in between -- in hopes that keeping it real still has its place...

Until then......

Live from the Heart of Yourself

Oh my gracious,

please tell me that I was NOT the only one bawling my eyes out during Oprah's last show today!?!

I will be the first to admit, 

I have never been an

every. single. day

can't. miss. an episode

Oprah watcher.

I have tuned in several times to see things that I felt were entertaining, informational, or striking.

I actually stumbled onto the final episode today, on accident.

It was exactly where I needed to be.

I swear I felt like she wrote that speech just for me. 

She really is a brilliant and inspirational woman.

I encourage you to go here and watch this excerpt from today's farewell episode.

Oprah is speaking about finding your calling in life.

Your platform,

your audience.

It really made me think about the kind of person that I am,

that I want to be,

how I want my audience to view me.

She says your audience may only be a few people.

That your stage may look very different from hers.

That you may or may not get paid to perform.

I imagine my stage to be my day to day life.

My audience to be all the people that I encounter.

My family,

my friends,

my unborn children,

complete strangers,

my readers,

(those both known and unknown)

These people are always watching.

The real question is what kind of mark do I want to leave on them?

I know that I want to

inspire,

teach, 

love,

and

help.
I want to exude positivity
and be a role model.
I want to be the girl that people say-
"She was just the kindest person I know!"

Sometimes, I feel myself fighting,

trying to sabotage the goodness,

trying to succumb to the masses.

I am, alas, human.

And, 

sometimes I cave.

:-(

But, thanks to people like Oprah and the farewell speech she gave today,

I will forever be inspired to continue to fight the good fight.

Dear Oprah,

I saved your last episode on my DVR,

and I am hoping that no one erases it without my permission--

EVER! 

I plan to watch it often to be reminded of the good I can do.