STRANGE TIMES. Life for everyone is getting a little bit weird, scary, and unsettling, but I’ve tried to remain as “calm” as I can. Job security for myself and others feels uncertain and I’m finding myself worrying about losing all that I’ve worked so hard for… which in full disclosure threw me into what felt like a panic attack today. All things considered.. I guess I’m doing pretty good if… Keep Reading
I finally did it! I mentioned a long time ago that I wanted to transition away from the name Tattooed Martha. That name felt like it was part of an old life and didn’t really encompass where I want to take the blog. I had several name ideas, but nothing really felt quite right so I held off on making any switches. Then this past fall we were having a… Keep Reading
The last three weeks in a nutshell: I officiated my 2nd wedding, turned the ripe age of thirty-one, went hiking through caves, started horseback riding lessons again, came down with a cold, and bought a new(er) car… oh and I’m kicking butt at work! 😉 It felt good to write all of that because I’m constantly feeling like I’m failing. But when I actually step back and look at my… Keep Reading
Photo by Raelyn Ramey Photography I kept feeling like somehow summer passed me by this year, but after writing this post and going through the hundreds of photos I took over the last 3 months, I realize I’ve just been incredibly busy! I actually feel like I really made the most of the free time I did have in between house projects and work. The one thing I was disappointed… Keep Reading
While it may sometimes seem like I’ve fallen off of the face of the Earth, I’m very much alive, kicking, and moving things along as best as I can. April and May seemed to blur together with a 70/30 split between work and family. Chris’s brother, Andrew, moved to Texas at the end of April so we made sure to get a lot of quality time in. Taco nights are… Keep Reading
I’m thinking that I need to up the Daily Life posts to two or three times a month because things have been changing quickly around here! We’re about a month into living in the new house now and I can honestly say that it truly feels like home (and as you see above, Punk feels the same). We had our first family dinner here on Sunday and it was really… Keep Reading
I had a whole list of posts that were supposed to get edited and scheduled for this past week, but after my closing on the 14th was delayed to the next day, and the next, and the next and a few blizzards in between, any idea of a schedule or To Do list kind of flew out the window. That’s okay though because…. I FINALLY BOUGHT A HOUSE!
Today is a really special day for me.. not because I’m overly patriotic and love celebrating President’s Day, but it’s because on this day 3 years ago I decided to get really honest with myself and with others. I had come to the realization that one chapter of my life was ending, but I had no idea what was ahead. I didn’t know where I’d be living in the next… Keep Reading
After a few whirlwind days in Paris we were ready for the next city in our Europe trip, Avignon. I chose this city because of the fairy-tale like architecture and it wasn’t overly populated with tourists. To get there we had to take the train, which was the fastest and most affordable, but a holy nightmare when you’re lugging two giant bags and have to quickly scramble off and onto… Keep Reading
Goodness gracious.. how is it still January?! By this point I thought I would be writing, “I can’t believe it’s March!” but something about this month has just stretched on for an unnecessarily long time. Perhaps sliding my car into a ditch twice, the white knuckle drives home in the snow, and/or that I’m just two weeks away from hopefully/maybe/possibly/ CLOSING ON MY FIRST HOME! I’m waiting to hear back… Keep Reading
If you’re new here, you might be wondering why I’m sharing this sludge-like looking monstrosity and that’s because this is Friday Failures! I like to feature my messes and mistakes as much as I love to share delicious and appetizing posts as well. With the large amount of snow we’ve recently received here in the Midwest I thought this would be the perfect time to share this. I originally tried… Keep Reading
We’re a week into 2019 and things are already off to a great start. We took off this past weekend to get out of town and spend some time at a cabin with family and friends. It was a nice way to blow off some steam after a hectic holiday season and there were plenty of good meals, good laughs, and good times shared. The real highlight of the weekend… Keep Reading
Like a lot of people I’ve always dreamed of going to Europe, but it seems to be (at least in American culture) that we talk a lot about the things we would like to do, see, and experience, but put it off to when it’s more “convenient” or until retirement age. I found myself making these same rationalizations, so I made a deal with myself at 27 that I would… Keep Reading
Alright it’s the beginning of the end (of the year that is) and I’m ready to end it strong! I don’t know if it’s just the right culmination of stress, anger, energy, and determination, but I have this fire to make things happen right now. I’ve been creating more regular content, reviving my newsletter, and writing out some concrete plans on how to navigate from the life I’m currently living… Keep Reading
Hello November! Last month was full of travels, straight back to a full work schedule, and house shopping. If you followed along on Instagram you saw that I celebrated my 30th birthday in Paris, traveled through to the south of France, and then across Italy. It was my first trip abroad and we packed in A LOT over the course of 3 weeks. Friends and family keep asking me about… Keep Reading
I know the official start of fall isn’t for a few weeks, but in my mind it has already started and I’ll be the first to say BYEEEEE SUMMER! Don’t get me wrong, summer has it’s moments, but when you have a vacation planned for the fall, humidity is not your friend, and you’re basically a vampire and fry up like bacon anytime the sun hits your skin.. you kind… Keep Reading
Summer seems like a season where you get to kick back, work very little, and live a playful, stress-free life. My summer seems to have missed that memo and has been quite the opposite. I’m at one of those annoyingly frustrating, emotionally exhausting plateaus in my life. I don’t want to say it’s a downhill point because I’m generally happy, grateful, and optimistic for a lot of things in my… Keep Reading
This year’s garden doesn’t have the jump start that last year’s did, but it’s slowly getting there so I thought I would share a few photos of the new layout and what I’ll be growing this year. Despite the slow pace, I’m still enjoying it every bit as much as I did last year and it’s a constant reminder that patience and determination produces great things. We started with moving… Keep Reading
I’ve been trying to spend as much time outdoors when the weather allows and Chris surprised me with a little nature date a few weeks ago. We checked out a state park we had never been to before and took Bella The Basset along for the adventure. We walked some trails and then ventured down to the Middle River Ford where you can drive across. I know that’s probably pretty… Keep Reading
I wanted to start the week out with a Daily Life post, not only to catch everyone up on the last several weeks, but to use this to hold myself accountable. I’ve been struggling with finding motivation and energy to focus on creative work, leaving me feeling even more burned out at my fulltime job. I want to get back to one of the very basic reasons of why I… Keep Reading
I think I could probably survive on fine meats, cheeses, and cheap wine for the rest of my life. I also seem to be forever short on time so this is my go-to when I get off work. Along with being a habitual snacker, I’m also a bit of a knife lover. I carry one with me always for protection, cutting boxes open, and slicing up fruit, cheese, and anything… Keep Reading
I think we’ve officially hit the point in winter where we are all ready for it to be over! When you can stay home and snuggle up with your favorite fat cat and a cup of tea it’s not too bad, but the reality is that I’m commuting in it every single day which makes for some white knuckle driving and me saying a lot of, “Oh shit oh shit… Keep Reading
I suppose it’s a little ironic that by the time I finally get around to having the courage and time to edit/publish a post about marriage, love, and divorce it happens to fall on Valentines Day. Happy Valentines Day.. let’s talk about love and heartache. I want to begin by explaining that most of what I’m sharing here was personal writing never meant to be read by others. It was… Keep Reading
Well Hello 2018 and all the lovely optimism that comes with you.. and all the frustration of changing “17” into “18” every time I write the date. My new year started out with celebrating my mother’s 60th birthday, which is odd to say because I still view her as a beautiful and young soul. And I promise I’m not trying to get daughter brownie points or anything. She’s truly an… Keep Reading