Happy to be back!

The sun is shining, and that seems like a good reason to finally start this journey of writing and growing and sharing life with you all (again). But first, a quick recap on the last few dozen months!

For years now, Salt Creek Mercantile has been a true love of mine.  Filling its walls with beautiful handmade wares and books and candles and delicious soaps and handwoven baskets and so many other things, all with the hope of providing a happy place full of natural light and soothing aromas for people to come and shop, has been an absolute breath to my life. The goal has always been to curate handmade items for the home that help you savor living a slower, more wholesome and intentional life, and that make daily tasks feel a little more special.  Sweeping up crumbs more times a day that I care to count is infinitely more enjoyable when doing it with a wooden, handwoven broom that's pretty enough to hang on the wall, like art, when I'm all done. Items that help you slow down, take a breath, and nestle in while you just think, relax, daydream, plan, rest, and find joy in being home.

But, the title of this post is Happy to be back, so, where was I?

Years ago when our daughters were just babies and toddlers, I used to blog regularly in my free moments to share all about our simple, beautiful life. It was so much fun, and I had a great time letting my inner class clown shine during my storytelling. Dry humor and sarcasm is really where I shine.  But, as I'll continue on to explain, life got busier, I opened the store, and my priorities became a bit skewed.

After opening Salt Creek in 2018, a competitive side came out in me that I hadn't possessed before, and the consistent need to try and impress my new and growing customer base began to consume me and the slower, simpler existence I had prior.  I began caring more about making sure people approved of me than enjoying the lifestyle I was promoting through the store, and with that came unrealistic expectations I placed on myself to constantly be doing more, being better, then doing more again. 

Let's just say, the burnout that came from this was real and it caused me to be consistently stressed out from 2018 through the beginning of 2022.  I was letting pressure that I placed on myself keep me from being the mom, wife and person I had been before, and I really missed her.

One right move I made during this time was hiring the help of some amazing women.  I wasn't always quick to let go of the reins, take off the hats, and let them show off their amazing skills, but once I did, the business became infinitely better off, and the tension I was feeling began to ease.  By Spring of 2022, the store (and the bakery I decided to open at the peak of my stress in 2021. Different story for another time) was in the safe and capable hands of an amazing team who loved it as much as me.  I cautiously scaled back my workload, learned to let go and trust, and by Fall of 2022, I was feeling more than ready to get back to the slow, intentional lifestyle I had been trying to promote through work, but that I had been personally missing out on for so long.  

And now, here I sit on my porch, on a beautiful sunny Monday in April, happily writing to you. For the most part, you can expect stories of life on our little farm, lots of recipes, animal antics, small comforts of home, decorating ideas, news from the mercantile, travel, and as stated before, odd humor.  Truly, lots of weird jokes.  Whatever it may be, I hope it gives you reason to slow down, settle in, and brings you a bit of joy to read.

Happy to have you! 

-A