Inaugural Post

Here we go!  I've been wanting to start this blog for some time now to keep my family and friends up to date with my life and home, my projects and ideas.  First of all, I have to give full credit to my family for creating me.  My parents are amazing people - they found the secret to success through happiness and all I have to do is just do what they do.  They taught me that all you need to be happy is a hot spouse, a humble home and a fast car - everything else will fall into place.  Okay, I'm kidding.  But really, I grew up celebrating the birthday of Will's '74 yellow Corvette (Happy 36th Birthday, kid), and my mom made a cake topped with candles.  every. year.  In fact, they may even be singing happy birthday to her as I type this.

The story of my childhood is a little too long and probably not that entertaining.  All you have to know is that my dad was (is) a hippie, and my mom is (and always has been) a sweet, innocent young girl that fell in love with him.  They taught me love, manners, independence, hard work, and a great sense of humor.  My parents are the ultimate DIY'ers - and I know I love it so much because of them.  My mom spent her nights creating wreaths for friends' weddings (before doing it yourself was cool), she was painting walls and changing decor and colors before the previous paint even dried.  And in between waiting for coats of paint to dry she would be in the kitchen baking.  My favorite part of my mother - she is a stubborn independent woman with a sweet voice.  Mom insisted on going to college to get her degree so she could work when dad insisted she raise the kids.  Mom won.  Dad always supported her decisions in the end.  Dad taught me that you change your oil at home, and that if something is broken, you fix it.  And you fix it right.  If you don't know how to fix it, consult Bob Vila.

You can imagine that growing up with such amazing parents, I have very high standards when it comes to life.  I didn't take life too seriously until I entered college.  This is when I faced everything with full force.  I overload to a point where it makes me sick, but I make it through.  In the past 10 years my best four-legged friend entered my life, I graduated from college, worked at my first job for 4 1/2 years, bought my first house, lived through some major renovations, met that stud muffin you see in my profile picture, discovered a new career, and met another man that would steal my heart (and at only 8 lbs - he rules the roost). 

This blog will be mostly about DIY and family, maybe some cooking and tips, trying to live healthy in a plastic-ridden world, a little a lot about my pups and manfriend, more about the awesome people in my life and a little bit of everything else. All in all, simplicity is my secret to a happy life - as my BFF said it on a sign she DIY'd for me, "live simply." Let's see where this simple life takes us!

Mary