 When I think of The Pink Chateau, I think of a home that is happy, decorated for the season, and full of projects. It’s a place where memories are made. It smells like fresh bread and home-cooked meals. It is organized, full of color, music, laughter, and happy children.
A home is more than just walls and flooring. It is a reflection of us. It is the backdrop to kids coming home from school, family parties, birthdays, holidays, children playing, and traditions. It’s a place where our kids learn values and about God and Jesus Christ. It’s a place of learning and creativity. Ideal Right? I have hesitated in doing this blog because I would never want my readers to think that this ideal setting is what my home is like ALL of the time or that I think I have all of the answers. The truth is I don’t, but these ideals are what I aspire for my home to look and feel like. As my own family is growing, I am realizing how important my little Chateau is to me and my family. A home doesn’t just happen. It takes great effort, planning, and is a conscious choice. What do I want my Chateau to look and feel like and how do I accomplish it? These questions have played through my mind over the years since I became a mom and even before as I watched my own parents create a beautiful childhood and home for me. I am still in this process of figuring out the answers to those questions and I think those answers will continue to change as our kids grow and our family changes. However, the most important thing that we can do is to start now, whatever our family looks like, and try to imagine what our Pink Chateau is for us. Whether you live in a studio apartment or a massive home, have no children or many, you can still answer the questions, “What do I want my Chateau look like and feel like and how do I accomplish it?” My hope is that I can share my love for family, home, and design in a way that will inspire you to do the projects that you thought you couldn’t, be the fun parent that you’d like to be, and create a home that reflects you and your family and is full of happy memories.
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 It has been over a year since I have looked at my website or created flower arrangements. I am amazed at how quickly life can change. Last year, I had the opportunity of going to four designer conventions in Las Vegas, High Point, and the Hamptons with Joanie Design. This publicity led to a large order of from Homegoods and an increase in orders from my website. My entire garage and basement were filled with flowers, boxes, and completed flower arrangements. I can’t even tell you how fun it was to open each box of new flowers. The energy that came from creating these arrangement was a blast! During this time my husband had been commuting back and forth from Salt Lake to Boise for work and I was expecting my 4th child. It was a little crazy! We finally decided that it was a great job and it was time to move. So two weeks after I finished my flower order, my garage was filled yet again. This time, it was filled with moving boxes and we were headed to Boise. Never in my life did I think I would end up here, but I have been surprised at how beautiful it is. Everyone is friendly and it is growing on me. Between moving and Christmas, I put my shop on hold. I thought that I would start it back up after Whitney was born and we were settled in our new house. My little Whitney Suzanne arrived in early February during one of the coldest winters in Boise, but she brought such a happy and calming spirit to our home. I have thought about getting back to my business many times. Each time I thought about what I should do next, my mind felt clouded and I haven’t been able to move forward. My mind is usually racing with ideas, but I think this pause in inspiration for my business is God pulling me in a different direction than I had expected. There are moments for everything in life. Although I hope to do more with homes and design someday, I am realizing that right now my time, energy, and focus has to be on my kids and my home more than my business. This idea is challenging at times. Life with four kids ages six and under is not for the faint of heart, that is for sure! I had to laugh when I decided to bring all four kids into Costco for the first time after Whitney was born. That was a mistake I try not to repeat! I had my 2 year old Michael sitting in the front on one side of the cart with Whitney on the other side in her car seat carrier. At 5’4”, it is always hard for me to see over, I feel like I'm gonna hit somebody! And then, of course, Halle who is 6, and Capri who is 5, were hanging off the sides. Did I mention that I found the MOST gorgeous Petunias in hanging pots that I couldn’t leave behind? So... I had two pots hanging on the sides of the cart and one pot inside the basket so there was hardly room for the food! You could just see the expressions on people’s faces silently saying, “you poor thing.” Some even commented, “it looks like you have your hands full!” I smiled bravely thinking, "Yes, I do! Thank you for stating the obvious". In reality, I do have my hands full. I have my down moments and I wonder, “what were we thinking having four kids so close together?” But there are also those hilarious times when my kid says, “That’s what me talkin’ bout”. Or the sweet moments like when my little Capri has said, “you're the best Mom. When I grow up, I want to be mommy just like you.” It’s times like those that make it all worth it. They help me to know that I am doing the right thing and that raising these cute kids is the most important thing I could be doing right now. My ideas and plans have shifted for this season of my life and my hope is that through my blog posts, that maybe yours will too. What if we all focused more of our creative energy, talents, and time on the little ones that we love so much and on creating our own Pink Chateau? For now, I am going to put the buying and selling aspect of my business on hold and focus on my home and my kids. But, that doesn’t mean I don’t get to create or do fun things. This is exactly what I am hoping to share. How can we make our homes a beautiful place where our families can thrive? How can we make it FUN? What traditions, memories, and activities do we want to do with our kids? At the end of the day, isn’t this the most important thing that we can be doing? So, I am calling this Re-branding, but really it's just sharing more of what my real life is all about! I hope you join me in this adventure. Here we go... |
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