Before I was old enough to remember, at one of my mom's sorority meetings, she cut images of jewelry, home decor, children's toys, etc. out of magazines and pasted the images onto a poster board. Years later, she pulled out the poster board and realized that she had unintentionally purchased several of the items. 

I thought that I could use Pinterest (the modern version of cutting and pasting magazines) to create my "poster board" then sporadically blog about it. Instead of making one "poster board", I decided to choose a couple of different themes. I am going to call my "poster board" series "A Girl Can Dream". 

I was beyond excited about my new series. I thought that I was going to create a fabulous post about how I would design my future home. I couldn't wait to get on Pinterest and search home decor! My Pinterest search went well. I found almost 200 images that I absolutely loved, but as I began blogging, I became angry. To be honest, I began hating the images that I had selected. None of the images correlated - the colors didn't match, the styles were dramatically different, I had antique mixed with modern, etc. I was so confused about how I had loved all of the images but couldn't figure out how to combine them to create an imaginary home.

In the midst of my frustration, I caught myself thinking, "Which couch would mom want?" "Which shower would Brandon like?" "Which nursery would Kelsey think was cute?" "Which table would Mimi think was more practical?". After reevaluating my thoughts, I slowly began to realize what a home is. A home isn't about an oversized walk-in closet, a fancy theatre room, a gorgeous swimming pool, or an amazing shower. A home has nothing to do with the style of furniture, the color of the walls, or the type of flooring. A house is a home because of the people.

My first light bulb moment led me to my second light bulb moment! I was stunned that I was so unsatisfied with my imaginary home. All of the pictures had looked so glamorous! This reminded me of the conversation that I often have with Kristen about social media. People's lives online can appear much different than they really are. We are all guilty of taking 10 photos but only posting the best one after editing it and using a filter to change its coloring. Most of us also only post pictures when we are out and about, dressed up and having fun with friends. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love social media, but what we see online, isn't necessarily reality. As we look at images of gorgeous homes, beautiful children, happy couples, etc., we must remember that nobody posts pictures of their home when it's a disaster, of their children when they're crying, or of themselves when they're fighting with their significant other. As you look at breathtaking images on websites such as Pinterest, don't forget what is most important - like what really makes a house a home. 

Now that I am finished sharing my light bulb moments, I would like to say "welcome" to my future home!

RELAX + HANGOUT.

LET'S EAT.

NURSERY RHYMES SUNG HERE.

BECAUSE THEY DON'T STAY BABIES FOREVER.

HIS SPACE + HER SPACE.

WASH, DRY, FOLD, REPEAT.

THE MUD STOPS HERE.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS.

JUST BECAUSE.

Click here for more Pins from my future home!