It's Launch Day!

I can't believe this day is here!! It feels like Christmas morning as I quietly but quickly sneak down the stairs to peak at all the glorious presents under the tree. Well, except for the fact that I've been meticulously working on wrapping those presents for months now, and they aren't for me, they're for YOU! WELCOME to the new website! 

Gosh, in order for me to properly introduce you to the new site, I feel like I need to rewind a bit. This is going to be a bit of a longer post, so bear with me. There's a little surprise for you if you get all the way to the end, and I think you'll really appreciate the back story.

When I started blogging in June of last year, I never thought I'd love blogging so much, the community of creative people I've found online, let alone incorporate a shop into the mix.

When I attended the Influence Conference, I came home and just sat in the silence for a good long while. I didn't feel comfortable blogging. I had ideas, but nothing felt right or authentic to me. I felt like I was brand new to this blogging thing, yet quickly getting sucked into the race of chasing perfection, comparing my blog to all the others I was seeing out there. I felt like in order to grow I had to follow a certain protocol and keep up. NONE of the things I've seen on other blogs are wrong or bad in anyway, but I just didn't feel right entering into it. It felt like I could get swept up really quickly without knowing my direction or purpose, and I just had this weird feeling about that.

The Influence Conference wrecked me. Like, in a way I could not have believed. I was shocked. I knew these ladies were gospel-centered, but holy cow, I didn't really know. I expected to go and get practical help for blogging and business with a faith based approach. What I got was buckets and buckets of sound, grace-filled truth deeply rooted in wisdom. I took loads of notes that I am STILL processing (the conference was back in September, y'all) so needless to say, I had a heavy heart and a lot to process through. 

I didn't know what the direction of my blog was. I was so new, just learning and getting to know people (still am). But I felt purposeless. I did eventually start blogging again, all the while still praying about where God wanted me to take this online space. 

Now cut to December.

I drive past a line of beautiful trees leading up to my neighborhood almost daily, and even in the winter when those trees are barren of their leaves, it still feels special. I get a lot of great ideas on this road. It's a road that lasts about 3 minutes to drive, yet the Lord speaks to me when I drive it. Crazy, I know. 

I was driving this road and all of the sudden a flood of ideas came crashing to my mind. I had been taking note of some fun things I wanted to incorporate into my life more. Things like: calligraphy, painting, reading, writing, recipe developing, etc. I never knew how any of these things connected until that drive. I came home and mocked up a plan and for the first time, had crystal clarity on the new direction. 

So here it is! A new website reflecting the brand I've been working on for months. I wanted to create a brand that intentionally captured who I am as an individual, while simultaneously incorporating a whole community of women around the world who share in a common thread. I deeply desire to grow a place where we live simpler and slower. Where the kitchen + home are places of rest and adventure, the table is sacred, and relationships are foremost. This is my core and the purpose behind all that I produce. From the blog, to my social media, the life I live, and the shop (coming soon!), I want these ideals to be present.

So, I had to create a new space. It's like redecorating and organizing your home before a baby arrives. It may not have been bad before, but something about a new life entering the home makes it that much more urgent to make a change. A nesting mom knows that she needs to create a space more purposeful, more simple, more comforting and secure for her growing family to thrive. So, welcome to our new online "home." Re-organized and designed to provide you with more purposeful content in your journey as a home cook, wife and mom. Let's cook with more joy and less fuss, okay? Hang with me here and we'll do it together.

Now, I need to talk to you about two little housekeeping things:

1) If you've been reading in the past, I hope you'll stick around and be a part of the new community  already forming here. I have some new thoughts for the direction of the blog but before I share more, I want to hear from YOU! What did you love to read on my blog in the past? What do you want to hear more of? Click through to the survey below and enter your name to win this lovely #natasharedshop print!

Giveaway winner will be announced next Monday March 9!

Giveaway winner will be announced next Monday March 9!

2) I know there are many of you who have followed along with the blog via Blog Lovin', email subscription, etc. To continue reading through those platforms, simply click the "follow along on Blog Lovin'" button on the right side of my blog page. You can also subscribe to receive new posts right in your inbox by entering your email in the sidebar form.

I hope you love the new site! Can't wait to hear what you think :)

xo