There’s been this fun blog hop happening in the lifestyle blog circle recently, and today it’s my turn!

I was nominated by the ever-so-talented Joy of Frock Files. Joy is my real-life friend from Portland, OR. We both live in different states now (she’s in Massachusetts and I’m in Colorado) but thanks to the wonderful world wide web (wwww?), we’ve been able to stay in touch. Joy blogs about “finding the simplest route to the most beautiful life” and I am so on board with that concept. She always has the best fashion finds, recipes and DIY projects to share. And her photography is stunning! Follow her! You won’t be disappointed.

Alright, let’s get started!

Why do you write?

I am a life-long journal-er. I started keeping a journal in late elementary school and it turned out to be the best way to process all of the middle/high school bullshit drama life. When I started college out of state, Live Journal was a thing, so I started one of those to chronicle my (always safe and appropriate) college experiences. My Live Journal died with the rise of Facebook, but when I was pregnant with our first little girl, I wanted a space to record my pregnancy ups and downs for friends and family who weren’t on Facebook (WHAT? There was a time when everyone WASN’T on FACEBOOK!? Tell me it wasn’t so! And it was only six years ago??).

Now….I write to document this time in my life when my girls are little. It’s a way for me to keep in touch with all of our friends and relatives who live so far away.

Plus, life as a stay-at-home mom can be lonesome. Blogging has been a wonderful way to make mommy friends and contribute to a community that’s provided me with immeasurable amounts of inspiration. I love the constant availability of ideas from people just like you and I. My days are only boring when I want them to be 🙂

What are you working on?

If you find me without a current project, then you may want to see if pigs have suddenly grown wings. I’m ALWAYS working on SOMETHING. I have a lot of fun projects coming up!

I’ve been on a “Home” kick lately, so this month you’ll see a two big projects from me—an Autumn Refresh series with Joy of Frock Files where each of us poured new life into a previously neglected room in our home. I’m also participating in a Fall Home Tour with eight other bloggers, where we’ll showcase spaces in our homes all decked out for Fall.

My favorite project that I’m working on right now is a series of customizable and printable holiday cards that will be available in my Etsy shop starting mid-October! Stay tuned for that fun announcement.

How does your blog differ from other blogs in the genre?

This is certainly the most difficult question of the bunch. The blogging world has become so saturated with “mommy blogs” but each blog I read is inherently unique because of each author’s background and life experiences.

My wish, my goal, my ultimate HOPE of all hopes, is that my passion for modern design, creativity and quality time with loved ones are the values present in each post here on The Caterpillar Years.

I love sharing the projects that that girls and I do together. Some are unique and original, while a lot of them aren’t. But they’re still fun, and if I can inspire just one bored, stay-at-home-mom then I’ve accomplished my goal! We’re all on this giant, curvy, bumpy parenting road together—support and inspiration is what I hope you find in this little space.

What is your writing process?

I love that blogging is so personal, real and informal. When I have a topic I want to write about, I start by typing exactly what’s in my head. Stream of thought. Get everything out of my head and “down on paper”. Once I feel like it’s all written out, I edit, and edit, and edit and edit. As much as I hate to admit it, my best writing is typically my sixth or seventh draft (shh! Don’t tell my mom, to whom I insisted I could turn in first-drafts of my papers, back in high school…to my credit, my english teachers gave me high marks…). Then I add pictures and publish and hope someone finds it useful 🙂

 

Now you’ve learned a bit about me! Next Monday, hop on over to Lacy’s blog, Living on Love, to get to know more about this lovely lady. I’ve been following Lacy’s blog since I was a brand new parent. Her honest writing and way of living hooked me from the start and keeps me coming back for more. She’s earned my utmost respect as a mom of three girls, living on a farm, raising chickens (and kids), and still smiling at the end of every day.

Happy Monday everyone!