About Anna. July 2, 2023.

I started this blog a few years ago I was in a very different place and trying to find my bearings in the new season life had brought. Now, the kids are all grown, I am nearly 52 and live back in the little city my husband and I first met in. Not only that we are walking distance from the school where we actually first met. My peak is now past, but aging doesn’t fill me with fear as I am determined to give it my best effort. Changes have been made to adapt to life’s new reality, but it’s okay. Truthfully, I feel much more at peace in many ways now than I ever did.

Shifting Gears

The biggest change for this blog was coming back around full circle to the romantic at heart I am. Looking back at the first few years of this adventure and wondering what in the world I was thinking of when starting a business and blog. I find myself tempted to erase a lot of posts and scrub them away. Why? Maybe a misplaced sense of shame as I was cobbling my way along to try and fit in with the online world after being a stay-at-home-mom for two decades. But I have decided to leave the posts because they are a record of the journey that God has brought me on. And by God’s grace He continues to lead me.

Oddly enough at 51 I feel much more confident and surer of my path. As a life romantic and aspiring writer my true inner voice is finally coming out. I still remember that day in the garden last year hearing God as He put on my heart that I needed to get back to who I really was, and my writing needed to reflect that. So, I did the only thing I could do and embraced my inner romantic spirit and put it to pen. This was a genuine relief as I had gone to college to be a writer and was still trying to find my unique voice all the while stuffing my authentic voice down. That doesn’t make much sense, does it? I thank the Lord to be past that.

And where I am going now

And since that day in the garden my anglophile spirit returned in all its glory. This, I also have the cottage trend to thank. I am embracing cottage-themed living with all the trimmings down to linen dresses and rustic looking food. Why? Because of the freedom it offers. The cottage life is an absence of perfection with a focus on the simple like hanging my clothes to dry outside. Cottages also have gardens that don’t look manicured within an inch of their life. And so, my gardening hobby has taken a sharp turn and is playing a much bigger role in my blog, especially my love of roses. The decor used in cottages is older and more hodge podge. Life is more natural, and the pace is slower. It all fits me like a glove.

Creating beauty of any kind in the home is a process that takes times and careful thought which is why I selected Ecclesiastes 3:11 for this journal. God never hurries and has perfect timing- something that is important to remember in creating thoughtful beauty.

“He has made everything beautiful in His time.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11

I invite those who would like to join me on the journey to do so and follow my blog. My hope is to encourage and inspire. This won’t be everyone, but “the race of Joseph” will recognize their own and come alongside together.

Thank you for stopping by! Best, Anna

*about Anna