Saturday, August 24, 2013

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! :)

44 comments:

  1. Beautiful home and you decorate so lovely. Thanks so much for sharing.
    Mary

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  2. Kelly,
    Ohhhhhh it was so nice to find out more about you. I feel connected to you on so many levels. I love your decorating style it is similar to mine and my husband is a fire chief and in the fire service like your husband. My grand dog is a Boston Terrier that is 8 years old too like your Ben. I love your kitchen pictures absolutely gorgeous. I think you would do really well as a home stager. I say go for it!!! Thank you for letting us see the personal side of your life. Susan and I are having so much fun setting up these features and learning about the bloggers we love so much. Thank you.
    Kris

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  3. Hi Kelly!!!
    It's so nice to meet you!!!
    What a family - What a home - have to come by your blog and visit because I have a feeling I'm going to leave smiling and saying " what a blog !!! "
    Hugs from Montreal
    Suzan
    Simply Vintageous by Suzan

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  4. Just letting everyone know there's no link to Kelly's blog - ( it would make it easier I think for people to visit - we bloggers can be lazy lol )
    I'm going to google it and go over right now!
    XOXO

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    1. Hi, Suzan! I had included a link to Kelly's blog at the beginning and the end of this post...is anyone else having trouble linking to it?
      Thanks!
      Susan

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  5. Your house is absolutely beautiful! So simple and charming...

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  6. I loved reading Kelly's story and am headed over there now to leave more comments.

    I LOVE this feature you and Kris are doing. It is so fun to learn more about each blogger.

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  7. Kelly's home is so beautiful! She is one of my favorite bloggers and it was so fun getting to know more about her!

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  8. Oh How I love this. Kelly has a beautiful home and a beautiful family. I loved the trip down memory lane with her wedding photos and the baby bump picture is precious!

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  9. Gosh, Susan! It is so much fun being a part of this feature. Thanks again for including me! Everyone's comments have been so sweet. Feels strange to have my old wedding picture so prominently displayed today! LOL! I'm going over to check out the other blogger being featured on Kris's blog now.

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  10. Kelly, it's our pleasure! Thanks for sharing more personal info than you're used to-lol!
    Susan

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  11. Oh, how sweet! I love Kelly and her blog and how nice to get to know more about her and to 'see' her! :)
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  12. I just love Kelly's blog. It was fun to see the wedding pics and that baby bump is adorable! I think I had the same denim jacket way back when too. :) This was a lot of fun to read!

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  13. I luv this series and the chance to 'meet and get to know' the face behind the blog.
    LUV, luv you decorating style... calm and relaxing. But then you know that :-)
    Happy weekend.
    Hugs, Gee
    PS... must talk to you re styling tips for curly hair. After my treatments last Fall, my hair came back a mess of curls. I am at a loss on how to style!!!

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  14. So fun to read more about Kelly, and see those great pictures as a bride!! She has a lovely blog that I enjoy visiting!!
    Mary Alice

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  15. So fun to look back at these old photos and to remember things. Great post, sis!

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  16. i just love kelly's home! i think staging homes would be a great fit for her:)

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  17. Kelly's home looks so serene and peaceful.
    I've enjoyed the tour.

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  18. I learned something new about Aunt Kelly :) And I love the hair, as mine are straighter than spaghetti... Her house is absolutely beautiful

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  19. I have followed Kelly since she started her blog, and it was fun reading more about her here. Thanks for spotlighting her!

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  20. I follow Kelly's blog regularly, and enjoyed reading her story. I can relate to the big hair -- I had that once upon a time, too. This is a great idea for a regular feature. I'll be back!

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  21. I love Kelly and her house. She has a great personality and is so caring. Her house is gorgeous and she is a great decorator. One of my fav bloggers!
    Brenda

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  22. what a nice feature....and I pay dearly for hair like that! lol
    I included a link to your blog in my post today. :-)
    Debbi
    http://www.yankeeburrowcreations.com/2013/08/new-finds-from-treasure-cove.html

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  23. I've been following Kelly for a while now and I love her style of decorating.
    ~Cindy

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  24. You were married two years before us....and I had similar 80's hair LOL! You have a beautiful family Kelly! Yes you should be a stager your home is gorgeous and you have amazing style and taste!
    xx
    Anne

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  25. What a great profile. Beautiful woman,beautiful family, beautiful home. I am really loving this series. It's funny all the connections we find in blogland! xo Diana

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  26. I've been following Kelly from our Rate My Space days and was so happy she started a blog! Love her beautiful home and loved learning more about her. Great feature Susan!

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  27. Hey Kelly...loved reading "your story"....love your home and blog....and if you need some advice on the "home staging" business...I'm your gal...I took the extensive course of re-design and home staging to get my "credentials"....loved it!...Thanks Susan for another great feature!!!

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  28. Thanks for sharing more about Kelly, Susan. Kelly is a great blogging friend and it was interesting to learn that she wants to be a home stager (sorry no tips there lol) and loves national news. I enjoy this series.

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  29. What a fun spotlight. I was not familiar with Kelly. I will be hopping over. Love her warm and cozy decorating style!
    hugs,
    Jann

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  30. I love Kelly!!! Always have since her very first blog post!! She is so genuine!

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  31. I love Kelly!!! Always have since her very first blog post!! She is so genuine!

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  32. I love Kelly!!! Always have since her very first blog post!! She is so genuine!

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  33. Lovely home... thanks for sharing... Patricia Ann

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  34. I am so very happy for your feature and enjoyed learning more about you and your life. I had the same hair in that time period. I think many did. Mine was not natural but it looked just like that. Your home is just so beautiful and I love all your details. I have told you that before. Congrats again!!!

    Cynthia

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  35. Kelly,
    I love your Nordic farmhouse style, and how fun to learn you're Kim's sister.
    Susan,
    Fyi, I didn't have any trouble linking to Kelly's blog. This series of bio posts is great. Thanks for sharing!
    Best, Rita

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  36. This is such a fantastic post, Susan and Kelly! Kelly, I loved learning more about you and finally putting a face behind the person writing and sharing pics! You are SO cute and you have a beautiful family! And your home is gorgeous...you definitely should get into the home staging business.

    Thanks, Susan...I am working away on my post!

    XO,
    Jane

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  37. What a fun post. It was good to get to know you. Thanks for sharing all the pictures of your gorgeous home. I have a picture almost identical to your side view of your first pregnancy. Seems like so long ago.

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  38. Well, I just adore Kelly and her home. You picked a wonderful person to spotlight. xo Laura

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  39. I've loved Kelly's style from the beginning, and, she's a real sweetheart. Great feature.

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  40. This is a great idea Susan! It's nice to get to know a little bit more about some of our favorite bloggers! I've been following Kelly's blog since she started and love her style! She has a beautiful family. Wow! What a lucky gal winning a trip to London!

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  41. What a beautiful home. You are certainly a decorator. Beautiful family. Enjoyed your blog very much.

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