A fresh start

Welcome to my new blog.  I am looking forward to a fresh start.  My name is Ashley, and I am challenged in the area of homemaking.  I work full time 40-50 hours outside the home, but would love to be able to call my house a true home.  Sure I can follow a recipe but it NEVER turns out as good as my mom or whoever shared the recipe with me does it.  I can sort of sew, but again, something little always happens and it never seems just right.  I have absolutely NO sense of decorating skills and I am horrible at keeping a home tidy.  Please never show up unannounced or I will forever be embarrassed at the state of my home.

This blog is to document my journey from homemaking challenged to homemaking genius.  Ok, that may be a stretch so I will settle for decent homemaker.  I am getting a fresh start at homemaking as we are moving this Friday.  I am hoping to make this new apartment a true home for us as my hubby and I would like to spend AT LEAST the next two years there, and NOT have to move again.

I have a few goals for me as a homemaker:

1) JUST DO IT!  - Things will not be perfect, but something is better than nothing.
I am a perfectionist.  I want things to be just so, and I consistently fall into the trap of "If I can't do it perfect (or up to my "standards") then why bother.

2) I will be kind to myself.
Sometimes I'm my own worst enemy.  I think so negatively that I can't even motivate myself to do something.  I would like to stop doing this.

3) I will not overload/overwhelm myself all at once.
It is going to take time, and I need to allow myself to time to grow and develop into a better homemaker. It isn't going to happen overnight and I will most likely fall a few times.  I need to allow myself to be OK with that, and work slowly towards the end goal.  I am always the hare not the tortoise.  I need to remember that SLOW and STEADY wins the race.

The hopeful end result is me staying sane, while creating a wonderful home environment for my amazing family, and being able to bless them through my homemaking.