What did you do before HBD?
I spent several years in direct/social selling leadership with Stella & Dot. I realized after Maddie was born that I both needed and wanted a place to channel my brainpower and energy (and that we needed a new roof on our house!). Working and earning part-time from home while remaining hands-on with and present for the kids was a perfect solution for me. Before the kiddos arrived, I worked in biotech doing clinical trials in cancer therapy, and later rolled that experience into a consulting gig for a few years with the babes at home. It was a career I loved and would likely still be doing had Ben not won my heart in the first millisecond. One look at him was all it took to make my maternity leave a permanent one.
What’s your best advice for someone who wants to try business as a blogger?
Trust yourself. There is a lot of risk involved in venturing out on your own. But a woman's intuition is the best guide I know. When making decisions, weigh your options, but don't dwell too long on them. The lessons learned in trying new things with confidence are far more valuable than what you gain by playing it safe. Ask yourself, "How does choosing this make me feel?" If a move feels smart and exciting and scary, it's the right one to make. If it just feels scary, explore other avenues. Your gut always knows.
What are we having for dinner?
HA! Funny, but true. This is by far the question I get most often; typically several times a day. Trust me on this: When I know, you'll know. Which typically means I don't know.
What’s your design style?
Choosing an overarching design style is helpful if you're working with an interior designer, but I find it crazy hard to do, because I truthfully like a little bit of everything. I'm most drawn to the contrast of black and white, neutrals with minimal pops of color, clean lines, and elevated comfort. When it comes to the feeling I seek out in my home, I always say, "I'm a little bit country, little bit rock and roll." In today's design style terms, I'd call it Modern Farmhouse with a Touch of Glam.
What paint colors do you have in your home?
It strikes me as funny, but almost every time we have guests in our home, someone asks for my paint colors. Same when people see photos of our interior. It was pretty simple - we grabbed a few samples, put splotches on different walls, looked at them throughout the day to get different takes in different light, and chose our favorites. We settled on Sherwin-Williams Colonnade Gray (SW 7641) on the walls, and our millwork is Sherwin-Williams Snowbound (SW 7004).
Who/what/where/when/why/how about your site?
Content: All written by me (unless otherwise noted). Would love to grow a team, but only when the time is right. When I actually AM a chicken with my head cut off, instead of merely acting as one.
Photos: I get a lot of images (legally) from beautiful sites online. Otherwise, I'm trying my hand at phone photography. There is a lot to learn and the curve is steep, but if I'm lucky enough to have you follow me, I want to show you the real deal as often as possible. It's part of the process, too, I think - looking back at my first blog photos a couple of years down the road and laughing that I thought THAT was a share-worthy photo! But alas, we all start somewhere. Also, I'll almost always have my camera handy - no excuses!
Tech: Wordpress.org. Bluehost. Microsoft 365 behind the scenes saving my life (and making it complicated all at the same time, but I attribute that to user error). I'm giving FloDesk a whirl. 17th Avenue provided a backdrop that made my site look beautiful. For now, I wing the rest of it and ask Google a lot of questions. It's important to mention that I do quite a bit of trial and error, poking around and wondering what will happen if I publish this or edit that. A good dose of luck is involved. Regardless, it's fun learning something new.
