Saturday Spotlight: Kelly from Essence of Home

Spotlight: REAL LIFE BEHIND THE BLOGGER 

Hi, everyone!  Myself and (Kris) Junk Chic Cottage wanted to do a regular feature on our blogs, something unique that hasn't been
 done before.   So we came up with an idea to 'spotlight the real life behind the blogger' in a more personal way.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland, and we thought it would be fun to bring you a closer look at the person behind the blog.

Every week on Saturday we will spotlight a blogger and have them tell us a little bit about themselves and their blogs.  You will be able to see and read about each of the bloggers on both Kris's and my blog. 

I am a HUGE fan of this blogger's style!  Kelly from Essence of Home  favors a serene, neutral palette and puts everything together so perfectly!  She usually doesn't share a lot of personal info or pictures on her blog, so this is such a treat!

Please sit back, relax, and enjoy getting to know her a little better!  Then hop over to Kris's blog to read more about Suzan from Simply Vintageous.

 Hello! My name is Kelly and I blog at The Essence of Home.

Susan was gracious enough to invite me to participate in this fun blogger spotlight. So, I'm going to show you some glimpses into my life prior to blogging and beyond.

I am a native southern girl. Born in FL and raised in GA. I am the youngest of my siblings. I have a brother and a sister. My parents are still living and they are in their 80's!

I met my husband when I was in high school, but we didn't date until after graduation. We dated for several years before getting married.

We got married in a Methodist church in 1987.

                                     Gosh, we look like kids here!

Pardon the glare in these photos. I snapped a picture of a picture. LOL!

                                We were just 22 yrs old when we got married.

Soon after we got married, my husband became a firefighter. He is now a Lieutenant and will retire soon!

 I thought I wanted to be a flight attendant, but after a couple of years in college I decided to enter the business world instead. I worked in an office as a Buyer for electronic components.

This pic shows my office all decorated for my 30th birthday. The computer on the desk shows just how old this photo is! Did you know I have a Halloween birthday?

 I remember winning a trip at my company's Christmas party to London. It was my first trip out of the country!

 I know......look at that hair! That was not a perm either. All natural baby! LOL!

We decided to start a family several years after we were married. Here I am pregnant with our first son, Cody.

I'm not sure which is bigger, my stomach or my hair!

Here is Cody now, all grown up and getting ready to head into the Marine Reserves.

I also had another son, Will. He just started middle school this year.

While I was pregnant with him, I quit my job to stay home full time. He really needed me a lot as a baby because he has PDD (Pervasive Developmental Delay). It is in the Autism spectrum. He had a lot of therapies when he was younger and gets special help at school now.

The other member of our family, is our sweet Boston Terrier, Max. He is 8 yrs old now.

 We live in this house north of Atlanta.

                                        We've lived here for 17 yrs!

My husband and I just celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary last Spring.

 I have decorated our house in a Nordic Farmhouse style. I love the simplicity and practicality of it. It's not too cluttered or fussy and everything is washable!

                Some things you may or may not already know about me:

My sister is the gal behind the blog, Savvy Southern Style. I actually introduced her to the world of blogs, but she started one before me and then got me started! LOL!

My nephew's wife is the gal behind the blog, Frugal Ain't Cheap. She is Kim's daughter in law.

Small world, huh?

Some personal things about me:

I used to take dance lessons while growing up. I did it even after I got married! I wish I was that skinny and flexible now!

I have never traveled out west or in the northern part of the country. I live a sheltered life! LOL!

I am a bit of a news junkie. I love to know what is going on in the world around me (probably because of my sheltered life). I prefer the the national news over the local news too. I also love to follow trials on TV.

I am compulsive about keeping things in order (organized). I have to have a place for everything or I feel that things are out of control.

I feel blessed to have the family that I have and the freedom to be the best mom to my kids. One will be leaving the nest soon, so it is a bittersweet time.

With my youngest child in middle school, I have more time to think about pursuing something else in my life. I am considering going into a home staging business. I need to figure out how to get started with it first. Any suggestions in that area would be more than welcome!

Thanks for having me, Susan! I hope I didn't bore your readers with all of my family pics! LOL! I always look forward to reading other blogger spotlights, so it was fun to be included in that bunch.

~ Kelly ~

Thanks, Kelly, for that glimpse into your personal life-loved the pics of your family and beautiful home!
Please visit Kelly at Essence of Home then hop over to Kris's blog to check out Suzan of Simply Vintageous! :)