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Well hello there. Chances are, if you are reading this, you are in a similar phase of life as me. They call it middle age but I prefer to call it the middle phase of life because I am not that old.

But to be honest, I am here for this phase. I love that I am finally at an age where I don’t worry so much about what people think. I know what I like, what I don’t like, what I want, and what matters. I don’t need anyone to validate it for me. I don’t need thousands of friends, rather just a few that I can really count on. I prefer quiet nights in with my family rather than loud and crazy nights out. (Although, I do love a nice night out where I don’t have to cook. And if they serve a lemon drop martini, I’m so there.)

Mostly, I am glad to finally be at an age where I can truly embrace me.

If you can relate to that, then welcome. I am so glad you are here.

I hope that through this blog I can share tips and tricks for decorating your home, managing your family life with recipes and cleaning hacks, share some of the styling and makeup tips I pick up from the cool kids and test out so you don’t have to, and be a sounding board to share what it really means to embrace this phase of life, the good and the bad.

But who the heck am I? In order for you to be able to really trust some lady on the internet, I think it best if I properly introduce myself.

My name is Lauren Vellenga from New York. I am a 40 something year old homebody, who also happens to be a blue collar wife and mom to 3 teenagers plus an 8 year old (who acts like a teenager more and more everyday).

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I met my husband Chris back in 1988. I know, that makes me sound really old but trust me, I really am only early 40 something.

We actually meet in kindergarten. Truth is, he doesn’t even remember me from back then. There are pictures to prove it though, but I would have to dig deep to find them.

We grew up in the same small community together, and while I wouldn’t say it was love at first sight, it did seem to be providence that we eventually started dating. It took until 2002, following our first year of college, but once we realized how we felt, we fell hard and fast for each other.

We had very similar dreams and aspirations so together, we helped push each other through the phase of life where you feel like you have to figure out your whole future, even though you graduated high school like 2 seconds ago.

We both stayed local for college, which made dating easy. I was in school with a very clear direction but Chris wasn’t as sure what he wanted to do.

And then one day, in 2003, he decided to start his own business. I always knew he would be successful at whatever he put his mind to and he hit the ground running. He decided to take the leap fully that spring and officially left the halls of college to pursue his dream.

While figuring out the logistics of business ownership, he asked if I could help keep his books. I had no idea what that meant. But, even then I was willing to do whatever I could to help him. So in between my own college classes as I worked my way to become a Radiologic Technologist, I went to the library and borrowed a book on how to keep financial records for a small business (which I quickly learned is the fancy way of saying keep the books).

And we set forth on a path neither of us could have ever imagined.

I did eventually graduate from college in 2004 and set out in my own professional career, all while Chris continued to put in the discipline, time, and sweat it took to get his business off the ground.

We were engaged in the summer of 2004, married in the fall of 2005, and it’s been smooth sailing ever since.

Hahaha! Ok, not exactly.

In 2006 we bought our first house, without ever stepping foot on the inside. But we loved the location and when it came up for sale, we bought it. Ah, to be young and fearless.

It needed a ton of work (as you can see above), but that was our first taste of building and renovating, and it turns out we were pretty good at it…and we really enjoyed doing it.

This is what it looked like when we were done.

We was meant to be a quick flip, turn into a 12 year stay (thank you economy). We continued to make small improvements to the house while working at our respective careers, and in the meantime, welcomed 4 beautiful babies.

By the time our last baby arrived in 2016, Chris’ business was booming. He was busy and successful. But as you know, with any business success comes grueling hours and time away from home. And maintaining a balanced home life and raising 4 young children proved to be a challenge. So after the birth our last, we decided my job at the hospital didn’t need me as much as our family did and so I left my career to become a full time homemaker and stay at home mom (although I did still keep doing his books cause now I knew what it meant and how to do it).

I know for some people, this idea seems archaic and old fashioned. But for me, it was living out my purpose in the best way possible. To know that I would always be able to play the most integral role in my children’s life, was a dream come to true. I counted it as one of the most noble professions I could ever do and embraced the change with joy.

In 2018, after much dreaming, planning, and saving, we decided we wanted to sell our home and build our dream house on a part of Chris’ childhood dairy farm. So we sold our house, moved into a rental, and set forth on that dream.

Chris was the general contractor and doer of all things and I got to be the designer. It was incredible to plan out every square inch of the house and make it all work for our family. Each detail chosen with care and purpose.

We had our house up and ready in record time (just under 6 months) and, in April of 2019, we moved in. We have been doing lots of projects since moving in including Chris digging a pond this last spring.

It’s hard to believe that we have been in this home for almost 6 years. In that time, our little kids have grown into big kids. In fact, our oldest is preparing to graduate high school this spring and she is waist deep in college mail. Our second born is a sophomore in high school and just started driving. He is all about cars, sports, and friends. Our third, just joined the teenage club last fall and is really beginning to exercise those teenage eye muscles. And our little guy, the surprise we never thought we needed, is living his best 8 year old life with all his older siblings doting on him.

As for me, I am still a full time homemaker and stay at home mom. The thing no one tells you is that kids schedules get busier when they start to help making them but havens started driving yet.

And while there are days I miss the sound of squeaky voices and little feet, I am loving this stage of our kids becoming young adults. I love the in depth conversations, silly banter, shopping trips, and late night movies.

Growing up never stops and it’s never easy. As our kids continue age, so do Chris and I. But this season has allowed me to really focus on making our house a home and intentionally pouring into our kids, my husband, and myself.

So welcome to the journey. Perhaps you still have little ones, or maybe your kids have been grown for some time. I hope to share some inspiration, tips, tricks, and even some laughs as I share my journey through this phase of life called middle age.