I thought I would share a behind the scenes peek of some of the harvest pictures I took in the garden over the summer. You know what? Most days the harvests were gathered in all sorts of colanders and containers, then brought inside to process. Most days I did not take the time to arrange the harvests beautifully and take pictures first.

That’s the nice thing about having a blog though, it inspires me to slow down just a bit, and take the time to create a beautiful picture to share with you all.

The other side of that is people can easily get a skewed idea of what our life really looks like.

I tell people that blogs have a way of making things look glamorous sometimes. I tell them that our life is not glamorous. I mention shoveling out goat houses, hauling firewood out in the cold, and things of that nature, but still… when someone comes here to see this blog, they are seeing beauty.

Beautiful flowers… beautiful nature… beautiful garden harvests.

I share beautiful pictures with you, and words from my heart, because I want this space to be a blessing for those who visit here. I want to share inspiration. I want to share beauty.

That doesn’t mean that every part of every day is filled with beauty, though.

The thing with sharing online, is that people are often seeing a small part of the days being shared. I don’t show you pictures of the dirty dishes, or the messes in the house I didn’t get to while I was focusing on harvesting in the garden.

You don’t see the early morning hours to finish up extra work, or the days of physical labor it took to get to the end result of that one beautiful picture.

There’s nothing wrong with sharing pictures of the messes, it’s just not what I feel inspired to share here. I would rather show you a flower blooming in the garden than a sink full of dirty dishes.

Sometimes people read my blog and tell me my life seems so peaceful. I find that funny when I spent the week running from one place to another, feeling like I could barely get anywhere on time, or when days prior I was woken up by a shriek because a skunk was stuck underneath the house. (Yes, skunks can scream. Believe me when I say it’s a sound you will always remember.)

When I sit down to write here, it helps me process my thoughts. Writing does calm me and brings me peace. Depending on the day, if you met me in person though, I might come across as more flustered than peaceful at times.

I’ve said before that my life can be messy and chaotic, beautiful and blessed all at the same time… and it’s true.

In a single moment I can feel completely overwhelmed by all the many, many tasks that need doing… tired deep down in my bones… full of gratitude for the people I love… joy bubbling out of me while watching bees in the garden…

Every day is different, and while there are some parts that are more consistent, like animal chores, homeschool, and meals… there are other parts that change with the seasons or with what needs doing that day.

One day you might find me replacing some siding on the house alongside Jeff, working on orders for hours, or pounding t-posts to put up more fencing. When something needs fixing, we fix it. (Usually Jeff.) When something needs doing, we do it.

We don’t have employees, or hired hands around here… we do the work that needs doing, the physical labor, the growing of food, the cooking. It’s a life that we find fulfilling in a deep way, but it’s not a life that is easy. Not easy, and sometimes not comfortable, working in all different temperatures and weather.

When people act like they would like to swap places with me, I imagine that perspective would be quite different if they were following me around in real life rather than just seeing the beautiful pictures I’m sharing online. (Would they want to end the day exhausted and covered in dirt and straw? Perhaps yes. Perhaps no.)

In real life, we are balancing caring for our family, home, and little homestead, while also making a living from home. In real life, we are living in an old house that needs a lot of work. In real life, our family of three works together to make healthy meals on a budget during a time when prices have gone up a lot. In real life, we often wish we had ten of us, or another person living here to pitch in and help out with the load.

I’m telling you all this, not to complain, but to be honest. I know it’s easy to see people’s sparkling clean houses (that’s not me) and manicured everything online, and feel like you must not be doing something right because your life doesn’t look like that, or to think that things must be much easier for that person than for you.

I’m not a fan of all of the comparison. I believe each path is completely unique. We all have struggles, and they can vary in all kinds of ways. We are the only one who knows what doing our best looks like each day.

I’m writing this because I don’t want to create a space here where people visit and come away feeling less than. I don’t want someone to see a beautiful picture and feel inferior somehow, I want them to see a beautiful picture and feel inspired!

I know I cannot control the reaction of others when they see my pictures and read my words, but I can share what my intention is when I’m sharing in this space.

When it comes to writing and sharing here, I’ve never had the intention of: Look at this! Look what I can do! I’ve had the intention of: This is what our family is learning to do… We’d love for you to join us… Let’s inspire each other and learn new skills together.

In this space, I want to encourage one another and lift each other’s spirits. I’m not really interested in competition- who does what best or knows more about what, but rather learning from one another’s experiences, and helping each other for the good of all.

I want to create a supportive community here. I want to keep sharing beautiful pictures here. Just remember: behind every beautiful picture is a real life- full of plenty of mess, chaos, and blessings. We are all in this together, friends!