Can I tell you that I am absolutely loving the Home Stories Series here on mercyINK? It really gets to the heart of what this blog is all about! I hope you will hop back and read Allyson‘s and Dana‘s stories if you missed them.
Today, please welcome Paula from A Hopeful Future!
Tell us a little about yourself and your family/work/life. Well, I’m a 22 year old wifey and mommy. My hubby and I got married when we were both 18 after knowing each other for only 5 weeks! I know it sounds crazy, but we have no regrets about it, it was right for us :) We’ve been married now for 3 and a half years. Just shy of 2 years into our marriage God blessed us with a sweet baby boy! He is now almost 2 years old, and we’re expecting a little girl due this month!
I feel very blessed to be a stay at home wife and mama. It can get boring at times, but Little Man and I stay busy and have lots of fun.
Where do you blog? What do you blog about? I blog at www.hopefulfuture.blogspot.com I mainly write about marriage, parenting, faith …Whatever I’m learning about in life is what you will most often find on my blog! I’ve written a lot about overcoming a hard childhood and looking to the future with hope instead of fear (hence the name of my blog!)
What does the word “Home” mean to you? The definition of “home” is something that has changed a lot of times for me. There were a few years of my life that I never felt fully “at home” anywhere. When I got married that changed, and now, I would define home not as a place, but people. Home is where my family is. We have lived several places as young newlyweds, but they have all quickly become “home” because we are there together. Home is wherever my hubby is by my side and our babies are in our arms.
Tell us about some of the places you’ve lived in the past? I grew up in the suburbs of Houston, TX. When I was a teenager my dad died, my mom remarried and we moved around a LOT with her new husband. I’ve lived in an RV, and in a tent (basically homeless) for awhile. I then lived in the Philippines (by myself) in a room of an orphanage where I worked. Everything was crazy and up and down during those years. No place was really home. Hubby and I got married and we started out living with his gramma back in the suburbs of Houston. We knew that wouldn’t be where we would stay for life, but it was during that season that “together” became home to me rather than a specific building or place. We’ve stayed in the suburbs of Houston and we both love it here. Most of my hubby’s family is close by and I love raising my kids with their grandparents and great grandparents right down the road! The culture of family is just wonderful.
Where do you call home now? We live in a 3rd story 2 bedroom apartment in the suburbs of Houston. – I’m 9 months pregnant so you can imagine how fun those stairs are at this point!
What are some things you do to create home for your family? We smile, we laugh, we play. I try to take time to play and laugh with my son more than I scold and stress over cleaning and polishing. Our home is very “lived in” but I don’t think it could be called it messy or dirty. I keep our home clean and comfortable, but I’m not going to get mad when my son spills his cheerios on the carpet or gets goldfish crumbs everywhere after I vacuum. That’s just life and our home will be cleaner (in theory) in a few years when the kids are older. I actually just hung a sign in our house that says “please excuse the mess, the children are making memories”. I love having it there as it reminds me to keep things in perspective when I’m tempted to get mad about messes or worry about having the perfectly clean home when I should be more concerned with living in the moment with my kids. I have the sign hanging above Little Man’s art wall in our dining room. He loves the art wall and always points out the things he’s painted/colored on it while we eat dinner!
If walls could talk, yours would say…. “All these photos are heavy!!!” Haha, I have pictures hung everywhere I can. I love photos and memories and seeing the smiling faces of those I love all over my house.
What (or who) inspires you? My mother in law. She is an AMAZING woman. Her children adore her! She is so easy to talk to and gives wonderful advice. I hope I can be the type of woman and mother to my kids that she is to hers! My hubby still goes to her for advice and talks to her about everything, she listens and gives advice but never oversteps her “bounds” now that he’s a grown man and has his own family. She’s just incredible!!!
What is your favorite space in your home and why? The master bedroom. I do my best to keep the kid’s stuff out of our room and make it “our space” (except when we have a newborn). I’ve decorated it with romantic things, and it is just a pretty space to relax and be with the man I love away from the responsibilities of life.
What are some of your favorite things in your home? My family! Okay, you said things…hmm, I would have to say the photos. We have around 50 pictures displayed in our living room alone. I’m rather obsessed ;) Another favorite can be found in my room next to “my side of the bed.” I have a couple ribbons hanging with all the letters and cards hubby has given me pinned to them. I love waking up seeing them. Always makes me smile!
My last “favorite thing” would be the 3 year anniversary present I made for my hubby. It’s a sentimental decoration and I love how it looks and what it means! I wrote about it here :)
If money were no object, what one purchase would you make for your home? If money were no object I would purchase a house! I would love to be out of an apartment in a house with a yard for the kiddos to play in etc. One day!!!
On a smaller scale, I would love to get a really pretty bedding set for the master bedroom. I have my eye on some styles I like, but we don’t really have the money for it right now.
How would you describe your style (in regards to home decorating) (modern, country, comfortable, etc)? Comfort comes first, but I’m slowly working on decorating as our budget allows. As I said earlier we mainly have pictures everywhere in different collages, I have several quotes hanging on the walls too.
Our dining room has a special wall to display the Little Man’s most recent artwork creations :) It’s comfy and “homey”. I don’t want people to walk into my house and feel uncomfortable because it is decorated so fancily that it doesn’t look like any one lives there. If you come over I will have vacuumed and cleaned the bathroom etc. but you will also find toys out that my son’s playing with and our shoes in a pile by the front door. That’s the reality of our home :) we live here.
Where do you go for home decorating inspiration? I really love hobby lobby. I could spend hundreds of dollars in that store!! I have a few boards on pinterest that show decorative things that I’d like to do when we have a more permanent home of our own.
http://pinterest.com/hopefulfuture/do-this-someday/
http://pinterest.com/hopefulfuture/words-for-my-house/
Thank you so much, Paula! This interview blesses me so very much. I think we can all learn so much from Paula’s outlook in the midst of such a trying past.
If you would like to be featured in this series, shoot me an email: laurenATmercyinkblogDOTcom
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Great interview! I’m loving this series!
Paula, I love that you were married so young; it’s unusual these days, isn’t it? Hubs and I met and married within a few months when we were 19. Going on 13 years and 3 kids; love him more every day!!
Totally agree with your meaning of home, too! Congrats on the upcoming arrival!
thanks for your sweet comment to Paula, Jennifer! I know she’ll appreciate that!
Thanks Jennifer! awww I love that you guys met & married young and are still together! that’s always encouraging to see/hear about :) It definitely is rare these days, most of my friends are 10 years older than me!!!
thanks so much for reading and sharing a bit of your story!!!
<3 paula