The other week held one of the most fun things I have done yet with Our Blue Abode. My dear friend, Ashleigh Kluck asked me to join her on an episode of her inspiring new podcast “Have Camper Will Travel”. What a joy it was to not only chat voice to voice - we are Instagram pals, never met! - but it was so good to have a push of creativity in a platform I had never been apart of before. I left the interview with Ashleigh so motivated & inspired to keep doing this whole Our Blue Abode thing because of her infectious, creative personality & welcoming attitude.

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For starters, Ashleigh has blown me away with this new venture she is on. Not only does she have everything going for her social media wise, she is incredibly professional & spunky all at the same time. I want to provide easy links to find all her good stuff so you won’t have any trouble at all catching up with her. Here are some before I dive into the astounding inspiration I was left with in this experience :

Her name is Ashleigh Kluck & her Podcast is called “Have Camper Will Travel”

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Website | Instagram | Podcast | Show Notes to my specific Episode

I cannot tell you how thankful I am for the opportunity to jump into that side of “sharing”. For me, sharing means writing, something near & dear to my heart. Now to actually use my vocal chords & talk about it all was a change. A very good change. The beautiful part of the whole process was how open Ashleigh was to me sharing our story & how willing she was to listen. She made my story feel important, that is a gift we should all crave to have within ourselves. I do not need to copy paste or reiterate everything that was discussed in the podcast - that is something you can read on her show notes & by listening to the episode. What I do want to chat about is the deep passion that is slowly uncovering itself BECAUSE of this opportunity.

Bare with me, I am still having a hard time dispersing between all these rushing thoughts. I have written down story maps & notes upon notes to try & understand where my brain is going - but I haven’t hit the nail on the head. Taking my own advice here though & just going for it! Putting the content out there for it to be jumbled later on.

Grazing Over All the Things

Listening to the episode back was odd for me. Does anyone else have a hard time hearing their own voice? Ashleigh has this magical tone & twang that is made for the radio! Then good ole Aby pops in there & its like a whole whopping Midwest gibberish. Not so magical if you ask me. I know I am being hard on myself - I am trying to portray how deep those insecurities lie.

Anyways, listening to it back I realized so many times that I wish I dove deeper. I wish I elaborated or finished my thoughts on certain topics. My voice would start speaking & as I listen I think to myself - yes, yes, wait now this? Finish that first, I want more! Is this something you felt too, listening back to this episode? All I did was graze over so many important & meaning topics without coming to a conclusion on any of them. I realized that I am actually quite okay with it. Mainly because, well, there is just too much goodness to share. Too much to chat about with those types of topics in just a 30 minute episode. It turned out to be everything I needed & here is why.

Do not forget to check out Ashleigh’s inspiring talents over on her Instagram or Podcast! Links below!

Her name is Ashleigh Kluck & her Podcast is called “Have Camper Will Travel”

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Website | Instagram | Podcast | Show Notes to my specific Episode

Handling a Pivoting Purpose

For months I have been racking my brain about what this whole blog & brand means to me. I shared about it starting as an Instagram to show case my home decor. Then it turned into me talking too much & having more to share so then the blog was birthed. (Kind of regret using the word ‘birthed’ but for lack of a better term - we’re keeping it). My true passion, I am finding, is more than just home decor. It has become more about finding our purpose as homemakers. Something we all are in our own way - wife or not, mother or now, homeowner or not.

That is what I want to dive into! That is what all these topics - to me - fall under. The purpose I thought I was destined to have is not panning out, so redirecting my focus has been difficult. Actually, though, it has been under my nose the entire time.

No college degree really jumped out at me. I am the kind of person to like so many things that it all interested me in some way, but nothing really blew me away. Like I always tell you, all I wanted to be was a wife & a mother. Then when the infertility made its way into our plans - that calling seemed to get quieter. Now what? I already had a license in cosmetology, something that the Lord seemed to pull me away from. How about I become a realtor? Something that was actually perfect for me - but bad timing. Again, nothing called out to me the way being a mother seemed to before.

What do you do with yourself when you need something to pursue - except Jesus cause we all need more of that in our lives - but God isn’t making it incredible clear on what direction to head? Unfortunately, the purpose of this story isn’t to give you all the answers. In addition…. I don’t have them anyways. However, I would like to share with you the little baby steps I am making & what is becoming clear to me through all of this.

My process? Two simple steps :

1. Pray about it. Hard. Often.

2. Try whatever it is God is putting before you - not sure what that is? Check what makes you passionate. If you ask for & pray for your desires, the Lord will grant them to you. Reassure they are God honoring & shedding light unto His kingdom first & foremost. If so, then charge fast & hard with that. You love it? Chances are God put that fire beneath you so start running with it.

You are not done here until you check out this fun & inspiring conversation we had.

Her name is Ashleigh Kluck & her Podcast is called “Have Camper Will Travel”

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Website | Instagram | Podcast | Show Notes to my specific Episode

Find Purpose in Homemaking

I did/have been doing these two steps for quite some time & this is what has brought me right where I am today. Always thinking my purpose was in one place - to be a wife & a mother - but needing to redirect that path showed me what I am passionate about & where my gifts are. In writing. I fear that if my struggle wasn’t with infertility, then this gusto for sharing our story & writing wouldn’t necessarily exist.

Maybe the road blocks that I have been seeing as closed tollways are more like traffic cones, protecting the ongoing construction. Still getting me to the finish line, the same ending, but putting me in a different lane. Instead of seeking a current unreachable purpose in being a mother, I am choosing to seek a purpose in something I have been granted - & that is the gift of being a homemaker.

There is a new job title under my name on those business cards now. Something I have qualified for for a while now, but something I have been taking for granted. I have such an important job that I am sure many others feel lost in as well. Something we over look or something we think is pretty mandatory or required. In fact, the art of homemaking is much much more than just household chores. At least my take on it is.

& That my friends, is the purpose for Our Blue Abode. Finding our purpose in homemaking, together.