I have a lovely neighbour called Heidi. We have share many interests, sewing and decorating being the greatest, and have so much in common it is almost scary.
Well Heidi has been sailing along life up until now with out a computer or the internet! Recently that changed when she bought a beautiful little Apple, and got connected. I was very interested to see just how she would resist the crafty blog world. She made the comment though that she was a little hesitant to start reading because they all seemed to present this perfect life.
It got me thinking.
What impression do we create? Is it truthful, does it matter? I know that this topic has been discussed on many a post before. Everyone has their own approach to just what type of image their blog creates. Some blogs are the warts and all kind (and I love them for that), some look like they have been created by Martha.
So I just wanted to set the record straight on me, my life and my blog.
I love lovely things and I get inspired by a lovely image and all it's detail. I love the feeling you get when you see a picture with beautiful colours and I love reading the story behind a creation.
It is these things that makes me tick. I love to keep my photos clean and free from clutter. I will openly admit I shift my angle and move things out the way to get the best effect. But that's not to say there are no crumbs or clutter in my house (oh if you could only see through my screen right now), or my life for that matter. There are plenty of times when I feel totally out of control. The past month of no posting might hint at that. I haven't really posted about this. Not because it might imply a less-than-perfect life but because, for me, that is not what my blog is about. I just don't want to overload my dear readers with the not-so-beautiful parts of life and I know everyone has there own stresses to deal with. When I am struggling to see the joy or find time in the day to put dinner on the table I know I just need to focus on the basics.
There are some beautiful blogs that I read though that express that 'caught in a whirlwind' feeling so poetically or write about the self-doubt we mothers suffer and the ups and downs of life. I find great solace in these posts to know that I am not alone.
For me, my blog is about my creations and the joys in my life. It is as much for me as it is for you. And isn't is often during these the more chaotic times in our life that we use the lovely blogs that have been created as a little escape. Which almost brings me full circle...blogging really can be an opportunity to look for the beautiful moments of my days and record them. So to kick start me posting again I am going to keep the next few posts simple, images of happy things that make me smile.
But before I go down the track of lovely images and just to prove my life is not prefect (and neither is all I make) here is a photo of the Croquembouche I made for dessert the night of Ella's birthday. The toffee wouldn't set, the choux was soggy and the pastry cream a little floury.
And look at the messy kitchen in the background! As a neighbour popping in, Heidi knows that it looks like that often! And taking Heidi's comment on board I would never want to leave a reader with the sense that there is any unattainable perfection going on in this house becuase there are plenty of cracks. It's just a matter of self-preservation that I just try not to stare at them.
Sunday, 2 August 2009
This One is for Heidi
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8 comments:
I definitely filter what goes onto my blog & whilst i don't deliberately do it to deceive people I figure it isn't any different to shoving mess into a cupboard when visitors come around- & believe me I DO do that!
christie's comment just made me smile. on sunday my mum and her friend called by for a coffee so the evening before i set about baking a cake to offer them...disaster...the whole thing had to be chucked after it burned on all the edges and sank in it's uncooked middle! i then decided to get up early to make biscuits and tried to straighten the sitting room so at least one room looked clean! so my domestic goddess front is by my own admission not the full picture! i think you've put it into words perfectly in your post...i know there probably are bloggers out there who are the whole package but i honestly don't know how they do it?! and it doesn't worry me. so much better to spend time crafting than dusting! and i find it inspiring to read snippets of real life issues as well as look at lovingly styled images. hope that heidi is reassured by our comments : ) Xx
A work colleague of mine recently had her first baby, I guess she's a good 10 years younger than me? she's an accountant, very organised and professional. Her family are from Indonesia and came for the first 6 weeks and only two weeks ago left and she was all alone. She was feeling so low, so lonely, so alone. I took almost an hour writing a long email (so that she could look at it again and again) telling her all the ups and downs of my experience of motherhood. She sounded so forlone I wanted her to know she's not alone. I only ever saw her on work days, when I am usually very chirpy, happy and full of all the great things the girls have done. She called me after getting the email and said that it made such a difference, knowing their experience is "normal".
You're so right in all you said, I certainly seem to judge myself against others, without realising that everyone is "normal" deep down. I love looking at your posts for the loveliness of the photos and the things you create - so I appreciate that but also knowing that you too have those moments, as we all do.
PS So sorry about the choux pastry!
I think that it is lovely to share what happy moments we have going on in our live because at times I can be guilty of focussing on the negatives. I love looking at happy faces and fun times but I also know all of our lives are full of ups and downs and sharing more of your ups is lovely to see. Looking at the good in our lives and others allows us to appreciate who we are and what we have. Very serious comment next time, I'll have to tell a joke!(lol) Smiles Catherine
I love reading your blog, and I know life is not always perfect. I too have been blogging for the past year. About honesty. I wanted to track my recovery from losing mum to cancer and its great to look back a see the growth and gain from what I have learnt. Im continuing now as we never stop learning. Keep writing about what you love, it helps people and thats whats important! X
Tam, I love this post. Your life does seem shiny and happy in this blog - and I know that it is most of the time. I'm glad that you are comfortable enough in this space to share with us that things don't always go to plan. Just makes you and your blog more enjoyable knowing that you're just like the rest of us. Trying to do our best, putting our best foot forward, and being ok on the occasions when it all turns to crap. J x
Thanks for your honesty - you do portray a perfect life on your blog but I've got to say that that is what I love about it. Realistically every Mum knows that we all have a million things to do and that nobody's life is perfect but for me, looking at blogs is an escape from all that. I don't want to see pics with a huge pile of washing waiting to be folded lying in the background - it just reminds me that I had one waiting for me!
Melinda
I don't think anybody seiously believes that it's all perfect in everybody's life... geesh you should see my kitchen now! But it's nice to see 'nice' things... and there's nothing wrong with moving the pile of laundry off the table to take a pretty picture!
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