Just write from the heart.

That’s what I heard God whisper to me as I sat down to write this. You see, I used to be a writer a long, long time ago. I was a copywriter. Writing jaunty banter and coming up with the perfect headline was what I did best.

That was 12 years ago.

12 years ago, I had my first baby and decided to quit my job to stay home and raise her. Then 2 more babies quickly followed, and by the time I woke up from the fog I had 3 kids under the age of four. Then, something else happened. About 2 months after my son was born, I started suffering from postpartum depression. It was this all consuming gray cloud that just engulfed me and wouldn’t let go. I had zero creativity. zero motivation. zero joy. I went on meds, and slowly recovered. I will write more about my ppd struggle in this blog. Because depression is hard. It’s hard when people don’t know what you’re going through. It’s hard when you don’t even know what you’re going through yourself. So more on that to come…

But I also want to encourage YOU. I want this blog to be a source of encouragement and motivation. To INSPIRE others to get out of that rut. Because, believe me, I know what it feels like to be stuck in a rut.

So here at The Harper House you will find lots of:

DESIGN & DIY

Did I mention that my hubby (Craig) and I renovate and flip houses? We do! We’ve been doing this for about 10 years part time, but this past spring Craig quit his office job and is now doing flips and managing our rental properties full time. Thank the Lord I married someone who has unlimited diy skills! I love doing flips because it lets me flex my design muscles and implement so many ideas I have running around in my head (thanks to Pinterest!) We just closed on our next fixer upper – take a look at it here and here.

I also love to create moodboards (aka E-design), and will soon offer these to YOU for only $50! As soon as I figure out the logistics and techy stuff behind this blog biz, I’ll get them up and running. I may even offer some FREE custom moodboards – so stay tuned!

FRUGAL LIVING

The only way Craig and I are able to be self-employed house addicts, is due to our frugal lifestyle and debt free living. This was not an over night occurrence, but happened over years of saving and also giving up our plans to build our dream home. Read this post for more details. I hope to offer tips and advice on how you too can fulfill your long term goals by getting out of debt. I am a research nut, and am always on the lookout for the best possible price on anything. And I can’t wait to pass along all these good deals to you!

FAITH & FAMILY

I am a Christian trying to raise my kiddos in a crazy world where entitlement and self-centered “me” attitudes abound. I don’t have everything figured out, so I’d love to hear ideas on how to create contentment and nurture compassion with these littles. The fact that basically every middle-schooler in our town has an i-phone makes me cringe (much to her dismay, my middle-schooler is one of the minority.) Am I crazy to think that an i-phone is not necessary for tween survival?

So that about sums it up! Lots of design eye candy with some frugal living, faith and family talk.

So please come in, look around, and stay awhile. At The Harper House, you’ll find inspiration for your HEART and HOME.