FROM WHENCE I CAME
I'm a city-girl. A southern, city-girl. From the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area to be exact. Yes, it's southern... we ARE below the Mason Dixon Line!
I am now a country-girl. A northern, country-girl... a Yankee... living in Central Pennsylvania, or Podunk as I lovingly refer to it at times. It took several years... a bit of a culture shock, really... but this is now HOME. And there's no place I'd rather be!
THIS BLOG
My creative wheels have been spinning for as long as I can remember. From giving Barbie a new wardrobe to my first attempts at writing a story. I remember arguing with my mother to let me stay home so I could pound away at my grandmother's old typewriter. When scrapbooking came around, I was on board. One day I wanted a handmade blanket just like my friends, so I bought a "teach yourself" book on crochet. I am mostly "self taught" with the help of a few classes here and there and some favorite shows on cable TV! If it interested me, I just dove right in... and I have the books, magazines, fabric, thread, yarn, paper, glue, and paint [did I forget anything?] to prove it!
My hopes for The Old Park Homestead are to bring you real-life, everyday, tips, tricks and homemade happenings... creating a home, raising a family, financial journeys, yummy recipes, going cheaply green, crafty ideas, recycling|reusing|rejoicing, gardening and blooms, inspiration, motivation, ups, downs, and everything in between!
HOW I GOT HERE
In my "responsible adult life", I spent 13 years in the Information Technology [IT] industry. But one day realized the money and the job were not enough to get me up in the mornings. I was a volunteer firefighter and EMT and decided to pursue it as a full time career. It was an amazing, AMAZING time in my life... an accomplishment that I am immensely proud of! I retired a few years after meeting my husband and moving to Podunk.
Since then, I have worked for a major University Hospital system and a local flower shop. Yep, a flower shop! That was the first baby step I took to leaving the corporate race and following my creative dreams. I learned so much from the flower shop... creative elements, the design process, how to run a small business... it was one of the best things I ever could have done!
In the summer of 2011, a friend introduced me to the amazing Thirty-One opportunity. I signed on a few months later!
Life had been nagging at me for some time to [finally] step out on my own and follow my dreams. I was being drawn home... to a simpler life, to take care of my family, our house, and having my life be my work. So, I took time away from the flower shop to concentrate on my Thirty-One business and The Old Park Homestead.
MI VIDA LOCA
I am lucky enough to be married to the handsome, handy, and hard working Mr. Homestead and we have a wonderful blended family... HJ, Mr. Homestead's son, and Aaron, Mr. Homestead's nephew.
Add water and stir!
THIS BLOG
My creative wheels have been spinning for as long as I can remember. From giving Barbie a new wardrobe to my first attempts at writing a story. I remember arguing with my mother to let me stay home so I could pound away at my grandmother's old typewriter. When scrapbooking came around, I was on board. One day I wanted a handmade blanket just like my friends, so I bought a "teach yourself" book on crochet. I am mostly "self taught" with the help of a few classes here and there and some favorite shows on cable TV! If it interested me, I just dove right in... and I have the books, magazines, fabric, thread, yarn, paper, glue, and paint [did I forget anything?] to prove it!
My hopes for The Old Park Homestead are to bring you real-life, everyday, tips, tricks and homemade happenings... creating a home, raising a family, financial journeys, yummy recipes, going cheaply green, crafty ideas, recycling|reusing|rejoicing, gardening and blooms, inspiration, motivation, ups, downs, and everything in between!
HOW I GOT HERE
In my "responsible adult life", I spent 13 years in the Information Technology [IT] industry. But one day realized the money and the job were not enough to get me up in the mornings. I was a volunteer firefighter and EMT and decided to pursue it as a full time career. It was an amazing, AMAZING time in my life... an accomplishment that I am immensely proud of! I retired a few years after meeting my husband and moving to Podunk.
Since then, I have worked for a major University Hospital system and a local flower shop. Yep, a flower shop! That was the first baby step I took to leaving the corporate race and following my creative dreams. I learned so much from the flower shop... creative elements, the design process, how to run a small business... it was one of the best things I ever could have done!
In the summer of 2011, a friend introduced me to the amazing Thirty-One opportunity. I signed on a few months later!
Life had been nagging at me for some time to [finally] step out on my own and follow my dreams. I was being drawn home... to a simpler life, to take care of my family, our house, and having my life be my work. So, I took time away from the flower shop to concentrate on my Thirty-One business and The Old Park Homestead.
MI VIDA LOCA
I am lucky enough to be married to the handsome, handy, and hard working Mr. Homestead and we have a wonderful blended family... HJ, Mr. Homestead's son, and Aaron, Mr. Homestead's nephew.
Add water and stir!
Our family has been rescued by four amazing dogs... Bailey, the Redbone; Maggie Moo, the black Golden Retriever/German Shepherd mix; her [yellow] sister, Gracie Mae; and Mr. Bigs, the Golden Retriever. Each one has their own personality and story to tell. We can't imagine The Homestead without them.
Thank you for stopping by! I look forward to getting to know you.
Please email me if you have any questions. If you'd like more personal and timely interaction, please visit my Facebook page and leave me a note. Oh, the fun we'll have...
