I’m Amanda; wife to a handsome hubby, and mommy to two sweet kiddos!
We live in Central Oregon, where we get to witness all of God’s beautiful creation every day. We are surrounded by snowy mountains, crystal blue lakes, sunshine 300+ days a year, and more hiking trails than you can imagine! (Seriously, I don’t think I’ve even made a dent in them all!) It’s the best place in the whole world, and we’re so blessed to be living and raising a family here.
I started this blog after realizing I needed a space and an outlet to just be me. I am a stay-at-home mom to a 3 1/2 year old girl, and an almost 1 year old boy. While I absolutely positively love being home with them, after I had my daughter I found I was so wrapped up in her and being a first-time mom that I forgot some of the fun things I enjoy doing. Being creative, doing DIY projects, decorating, thrift store shopping and organizing our house were just a few of the things I had put aside while navigating this new adventure called “motherhood.” I took a little blogging “break” after finding out I was pregnant with my second baby and we were packing our house up to move but I’m ready to get back into making our new home a little more “us!”
Here are a few things you might not know about me:
- I grew up in the Bay Area, California, and moved to a small little town in Oregon when I was 13. What a shock that was! I went to a private Christian High School where my graduating class was only 6 people. SIX!!
- I have a Masters degree in teaching, and I was a substitute elementary teacher for 4 years. I love kids, and especially adore kindergarten. Someday I’ll go back and get to have my own classroom!
- I. Love. Chocolate. But, who doesn’t, right? You don’t understand. I have to have some sort of chocolatey something every day. Doesn’t matter if it’s 8am, or 10pm. It’s kind of an obsession.
- I have 2 best friends (well, technically 3, but David is already a given!). We have a fabulously wonderful relationship. Their names are spray paint, and Goodwill (or really, any thrift store!). I have found so many inexpensive ugly items that I had a vision for, and with a little bit of spray paint, BOOM. Rebirth!
- I twirled baton when I was a kid. I twirled for like, 6 years, and I got pretty good if I do say so myself! I was part of the “Foster City Twirlers,” where we performed at county fairs, marched in holiday parades, competed once or twice, and even got to perform on the field before a Giant’s baseball game! It was amazing.
- I bought my wedding dress before I got engaged. Or dated my husband. Or even met him. Yep, I bought it at a wedding show years before David and I met. Yes, I know that is crazy. You know what’s even crazier? It was bright PINK! It was almost orangey-pink, like a sunset. I had always wanted to get married on the beach in Hawaii at sunset, so, what’s more perfect for that than a bright pink dress? Don’t worry, I came to my senses and actually ended up trading it in for a white one. A stark white one. And yes, David knew about the pink dress. He still married me, despite being slightly wedding dress crazy!
So, a little bit more about the man I call my husband. We met through some friends on a blind date at the end of 2008.
On our second date, I’m pretty sure I completely talked his ear off, and said 10,000 words to his 2. But he obviously didn’t mind, because the rest is history! We got married on May 7th, 2011 in a beautiful vineyard.
David is the sweetest, most loving and caring man I’ve ever known. He has been so supportive of my craziness (and chocolate obsession!! Okay, maybe not “supportive”…) and décor/house ideas. He was also incredibly supportive when I mentioned I wanted to start a blog. He helped me get it set up, and did all the behind-the-scene-coding-type-computer stuff. It’s what he does for a living, after all! He’s a photographer as well, so he helped me learn some techniques for my own picture-taking! Basically, he’s amazing, and I love him like no other. He’s also the sweetest daddy to our little girl Jade and our little guy Landon.
It melts my heart to see him love on them. Nothing beats their excitement when he gets home at the end of the day, either. He walks in the door and Jade squeals “Daaaaadddddy!” and runs to him while Landon is bouncing with a huge grin on his face. Cutest moments ever!
Speaking of cuteness, our kiddos pretty much take the cake (though, we may be a tad biased). My spunky and sassy girl is almost 3 1/2 years old, and my sweet little man is almost a year. Boy, does time fly with these two! They are my world and I cannot imagine my life without them.
I love watching these two together. Though Jade still isn’t super excited about Landon drooling all over her and innocently taking her toys, I know they’ll be best friends in a couple of years. The way Landon watches her with a goofy grin on his face is the BEST. It melts my heart!
I’m so grateful to be living this beautiful life God gave me. There are always ups and downs, but God has continuously been my rock. I lean on Him during those hard days, or when I feel so unworthy of everything He’s blessed me with. Every day that I look at my kids and revel in my unconditional love for them, I’m learning just how much God’s unconditional love is for us. It’s so incredibly humbling!
Well, that’s us in a nutshell. We really are just dwelling in happiness!
Feel free to browse around my project gallery, and let me know you’re here by posting a comment! I will respond to all comments, as I love getting to “meet” all of you! If you never want to miss a post, you can subscribe for free to Dwelling in Happiness and receive inspiration right to your inbox by clicking HERE. You can also e-mail me if you have any comments or questions at dwellinginhappiness{at}gmail{dot}com. I look forward to sharing my passions with you, and hopefully inspiring you to do some creating and DIY projects for your home!
Family Photography credit to LoveBug Photography
So nice to “meet” you Amanda! You have a beautiful family 🙂 Love your blog style/design (I picked the same one) haha! Look forward to following you!
Kendra @ http://www.joyinourhome.com recently posted…Motivational Monday Link Party #9
So nice to “meet” you too, Kendra! Thank you!! Ha, sugar and spice is where it’s at. 🙂 I love how even though they are the same design, they are still so different! We love WordPress. Looking forward to following you too!
Hi Amanda! I just love your ‘About Me’ page!! I’m from California and visit the Bay Area quite often as it’s only a couple hours away from home. Love it! And your little girl is such a darling!!
Selene Galindo recently posted…New Living Room Curtains & Other Living Room Updates
Aw thank you, Selene!! I haven’t been down to the Bay Area in a couple years, but it’s so fun to visit!! Thanks so much for checking my “about me” page out 🙂
I love your about me page! Now I need to go re-do mine! Ha! Your blog is beautiful, and I can’t to see what is to come. Congratulations.
Alana @ ihaveafutureandahope.com recently posted…Cancer Sucks…..and that is why we walk!
Thank you, Alana! Ha, well my about me page was all done with the help of Abby from Just a Girl and Her Blog! She wrote an amazing e-book that gave great tips on writing one! Thanks for visiting, I hope you have a great rest of the week! 🙂
Hi Amanda! Love your about page! Saw you on the bloggers Pinterest link page at G’Day Saturday over Natasha in Oz. Nice to meet you!
Christy recently posted…Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad and an Introduction to Cheater Recipes
Hi Christy! Thank you, I’m so glad you came over to say hi! Nice to meet you, too! Have an awesome weekend! 🙂
Amanda, I love your blog and your family and your personality! It’s so uplifting and joyful! I noticed your verse of the day on your sidebar and just wanted to say that I really appreciate it. So nice to meet you and I look forward to reading more of your lovely blog 🙂
Rebekah @ Charming Imperfections recently posted…Garden Inspirations
Aw, thank you SO much Rebekah for your sweet comments!! I so love having new readers!! The verse of the day was my hubby’s idea, and I gotta say, I love it!! Always uplifting to read a verse while reading blog posts. 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my family and I, and for visiting!! 🙂
Jade is beautiful! It looks like you are very blessed. I have to admit I lol-ed at your baton twirling picture only because it takes me back to my own slightly awkward yet joyful childhood. If you’re interested, I’d love for you to share a post at my Tuesday link ups!
Xoxo K
http://peeledwellness.com
K recently posted…SHARE YOUR CONTENT: Tell ‘em Tuesday [1]
Thank you so much! You’re so sweet! Oh man, gotta love the awkward childhood pictures. 🙂 But at least we’ll have pictures to show our kids when they get in their awkward stages, too! Thanks for the party invite, I’ll stop by! 🙂
Hi Amanda,
Just found your blog and I am loving it.
Nice to meet you also and you really have a lovely family.
Hi Norma! Thank you SO much, you’re so sweet! It’s very nice to meet you too, and I’m so happy you found me. 🙂 So glad to have you following along!
Hi there! I came across your blog while searching for some info about Bend! Your family is adorable! My husband and I are originally from the Portland area, but neither of us have lived there in a while! I just learned that there’s a very good chance we will be moving to Bend next year, but I haven’t visited in quite a long time! Is it a great place to raise a family? We have a 1 year old and a second due this fall.
Hi Nicole! Thank you so much for your sweet words! Oh Bend is SO amazing!! We absolutely love it here, and can’t imagine raising our little family anywhere else! There’s SO much to so here, especially outdoors. And we get 300+ days of sun a year, so that’s always great too. 🙂 Congrats on your little one on the way! I’m so glad you found my little blog, I’d love to stay in touch if you move here! 🙂
Hi Amanda! I happened upon your blog while searching for laundry soap ideas. You seem to be my soul sister….on the other side of the country! I love your site, and am completely clueless of how to run my own blogspot through google, but am learning. You are a light we need amongst all the internet surfing. Thanks for doing what you do! How old is baby Jade now? My hubs and I have a 2 year-old son named Colby. Hope you can check out my site as well! God bless you from PA! – Mandi
Hi Mandi! Great name, too! 😉 So happy you stumbled on me, I love meeting new bloggers! Thank you for your sweet words, too! My little Jade is 20 months now. They grow SO FAST! I’m heading over to visit your blog right now! 🙂
Hi Amanda – Found you when your embroidery hoop wreath was featured on Just a Girl and Her Blog. I think your site looks great and I can’t wait to check out your other ideas too! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Melissa @ Cozy House Creations recently posted…Kids Hand and Footprint Art – Unique, Inexpensive…and Surprisingly UN-Messy!
Hi Melissa! Thank you so much for taking the time to say hello! I’m so happy you found me. 🙂 Can’t wait to check out your blog, too! 🙂
Love this! I look forward to getting to know you and your blog better!
I have a ginormous love for kids also, and your sweet daughter is precious.
Maggie recently posted…Simple Lacey Beautifulness
Aw thank you, Maggie!! So happy to have you following along! It’ll be quiet around here for awhile as we move and get ready to have our second baby in the spring, but I’ll be back! 🙂
Hi Amanda. Thanks for the recipe, I have a question though. I live in a semi desert country, where water is a luxury. Will your laundry soap kill my plants if I use it for watering the garden?
Hi Sarie! That’s a great question, and I’m not really sure if it’d kill your plants or not! I don’t think it’d be good for them, so to be safe, I wouldn’t use it to water your plants. 🙂
yes i want to know more about your products . i live in la veta colorado
Hi Rhonda! I’d love to talk more with you about essential oils if you’re still interested! Please e-mail me, dwellinginhappiness@gmail.com. 🙂
Where did you buy the shower curtain in the small bathroom redo? My daughter loves it!! It’s an aqua or a teal color geometric shape curtain. Thanks.
Hi Kim! I bought the shower curtain at Target, but unfortunately I haven’t seen it at target since, so I don’t know if they carry it anymore! You could possibly look at Bed Bath and Beyond or Amazon. 🙂 Hope you find one she loves!