What IS Little Branches?

I realize that a lot of y'all are new to our little handmade business, so I thought I'd spend the week re-introducing myself!! You can read the intro here. And you can read 10 random facts about me here. 

Today, I'm answering the question ::

I've struggled for quite some time with being who I think I'm "supposed" to be. Please tell me I'm not the only one.

Before i had the littles, I was a designer at a large architecture firm in downtown Dallas. I loved my job, loved the work, loved the people i worked with & loved all of the beauty that I was exposed to while working there. With that said, I struggled with what the design of my home was "supposed" to be since - you know - I was a "designer". Shouldn't it be modern, classic & clean? I was exposed to ALL different designs at work;  the latest & the greatest was always sitting on my desk in some shape or form. This all made for a confused design aesthetic at my home. I was trying to be something that i wasn't... I'm not talking about being a designer. I'm saying I had a hard time appreciating everything but being comfortable with making choices for myself.

When I quit my "grown up" job & stayed at home, I had a picture all lined out for myself of what a "stay at home" mom looked like:: involved, organized, good at time management. In my mind, my home would always smell good, the toys would be neatly lined up in matching baskets with tags, I'd always wear makeup & have something yummy on my stove when the hubbs got home for dinner. 

Can you say it with me:: "How's that working out for ya?"

Y'all. I'm flawed. In a big way. I'm messy. Scattered. Disorganized. I'm actually a pretty decent cook, but I'm a piler & i don't ever put away laundry. Like, ever.

  I could get totally stuck on this. Some days i do. Actually, for years i did. 

Then when the hubbs ran for office, I decided I needed to fit into this "politician's wife" mold. To be honest, I felt a little like I was banging my head against a wall when I just didn't. I was so discouraged because I felt like I kept falling short of what i thought the Lord wanted me to be.

But the Lord gently reminded me that He made me in His own image. He reminded me that He blessed me with the strengths that I do have & allowed my weaknesses because His power is made perfect through them.

He didn't want me to be anything but what He created me to be. Messy and disorganized? Maybe. But maybe I needed to start looking at myself from His perspective. 

  I will never be politically minded like my husband. I just won't. There are things that are dear to me but I won't ever run for office. I do not wear suits. {I wore ripped up jeans & my Zooey Deschanel look alike glasses out to dinner with some of our constituents}. I love the people I have met but i will never know all the issues and you will never see my name on a campaign sign... well, my first name anyway. And I do not need to do or be any of that in order to support the husband that the Lord blessed me with.  That is the key here.

i am a creative. Whatever that means to you, it means a lot of different things to me. Recently it went from meaning "I am a hot mess" to "I am a child of God who is blessed with creativity" {and happens to be a hot mess once in a while}. What a revelation!

Out of that revelation,  Little Branches was born. It was out of an earnest desire to be exactly who the Lord created me to be; to use the talents & gifts He has bestowed on me. I wanted to reach out & bless someone else with the work from my hands, because of His hands. What I have long thought of as a hindrance, has now become something I am incredibly proud of.

It is also such a blessing to contribute a little extra to the financial load in our household! If you wonder if it's 'godly' to be a business woman {of any kind}, just read Proverbs 31. She's a role model for the modern day business woman.

Are you in business? Are you thinking about starting a business... or a career?? I'd love to hear about your journey!!!