Okay…I’m warning you. This might get a little scary!

Behind the scenes of my DIY blogging life:

I can’t believe I’m going to share this but sometimes blogging isn’t as glamorous as it looks from the front side. And seriously, I have had my fair share of un-glamorous days this summer. You know what I mean, right? So if you’re here and you see that profile picture and pretty staged photos of my home…I want you to know that for every day look I like this…

Just kidding! I’m told that’s my movie-star twin, Rachel Griffiths.

{me with my girls}

there are 10 more days in a row when I really look like this while I’m working on a DIY project…

and some days when I’m editing photos, writing a post, reading blogs, catching up on my social media or doing laundry (or not) and unloading the dishwasher and not leaving the house, {maybe even enjoying a little laziness and re-energizing}, I look like this behind my laptop surrounded by cat fur, dusty end tables, a spray bottle for when the cat gets wild…oh, and my dirty lunch plate. 

{curse those hereditary dark circles! Rachel Griffiths never looks like this!}

{real friends will NOT pin the above picture! lol!}

{curse that old comfy couch that I don’t like}

YES!  This is how I show up when I visit you but remember, it’s perfect acceptable attire for showing up to any web address. Party dress, black tie not required. And when you visit my web address, I’ll embrace you and only see your beautiful smile and hear your kind words if you’re leaving a comment. Most times, I have a feeling we visit each other when we don’t look our best. And we’re still friends. 🙂

And while my dining room looks so pretty when it’s all cleaned up, especially for a photo shoot like this…

{source}

in real life while we’re working on the apartment renovation and collecting things for baby girl’s first place and boxes for a moving day AND there’s no time to clean {catching my breath} – my house is neglected! It looks like this…

“Dining Room! Dining Room?”

“Where are you? I know you’re in here!”

{Inspiration! Makes you want to get up and clean, doesn’t it?}

Or my guest bedroom in a magazine looks so pretty and cleaned like this…

{see the guest bedroom before/after here}

but a few months later:

Real life happens and a daughter takes over the room, there is little storage, a family room is emptied here to redo floors and teenagers have little regard for folding clothes and it looks like this (and I highly doubt YOU have a room that looks this bad in your home!) See if you can spot the painted/stenciled floor in this room? haha! It’s there…somewhere!

hides face in embarrassment….

why yes, that’s a pillow in an empty fish tank sitting on an old media center on the left, thank you for noticing.

When I get to feeling overwhelmed, discouraged and wonder how in the world anyone can have such a perfect life…I stop and remember, we can all make it look fabulous when we only share what we want to.

And right now this is my life. I will find the time to catch up. When the apartment renovation is completed and baby girl is moved, I will see my dining room and guest bedroom again. I can’t wait for the day when my stairs won’t look like a “build-a-cat” store.

And did I want to share these images with you? Not really…but I love reading honest real life stories. And this is the blessed one I’m living right now and I know sometimes when I’m working hard but feel like I’m running in circles and not everything is getting done and my life isn’t as perfect as I share {with the exception of today}, that…

Real life is beautiful and amazing. But it’s also dirty, messy, busy, lazy, hectic, crazy, overwhelming and you are just 1 person.

Not superwoman.

Not perfect.

But a friend just the same.

So if you’re feeling overwhelmed and under dressed, remember that you are amazing, talented, kind, generous and thoughtful and real. And if you spend a day here and there in your pajamas without makeup and if you have a cluttered neglected home until you get the time and motivation to clean, just know that I love you most those days because you’re just like me…not a fictional character but real with lots of blessings and life going on around you. And if you share those crazy days too, I won’t think less of you because it makes me realize that we share something in common…being human. This is my real life.

Thanks for being here, reading along, leaving comments, sharing your DIY, pinning, your support and encouragement and friendship, for liking me just the way I am. I may not always have time to show it, but I try and I appreciate it so much! Now, I think I’ll go get dressed. 🙂

Enjoy the weekend!

Want to join me in being real, revealing a look behind the scenes? If you write up a blog post, share the link in the comments. I’ll pop over and give you a shout of encouragement and support.