It is tough for me to choose favorites... and impossible to choose one... because I value different blogs and different Instagrammers for different reasons. Each one I follow adds a little (or a lot) of something unique to my life and my interests in faith, family, home, quilting, design, and just 'being me.'
That said, there is a base of people I almost depend on for sustenance. Coincidentally, perhaps, they are also the people whose blogs, then Facebook and Instagram pages, I have followed the longest.
Not at all trying to kiss up to our hostess, but I believe The Nesting Place was the first blog I followed, so her Instagram follow was also one of my firsts, and is still one of my faves. I loved her book, The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful, and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff, which I've preordered. I enjoy her emphasis on working with the home you have to make it comfortable and inviting with no need to be picture-perfect. These Instagram challenges she creates inspire me to try new things to improve the decor and overall atmosphere in our home. Her Instagram page is here. (The links to her books link to those pages on Amazon, just to be helpful, but you can purchase them from whatever bookstore you so choose. I receive no benefit from you clicking through or buying from Amazon.)
I am pretty certain that reading something Emily shared led me to Holley Gerth. Holley's blog, emails, books, and Instagram posts have fed me deeply in the area of faith. One particular post had a huge impact. In the face of worldly, societal, and, even, family pressure, I was feeling that my role as a homeschooling, stay-at-home mom/homemaker was not valued. "Everyone else" had jobs that make money for their families, and I my contributions no longer seemed to mean as much to anyone. Her post entitled, We Don’t Have to Be Productive Today changed my life... or got it back on the rails. I had my husband read it, also. and we were able to discuss it and address the hurt I'd had, trying to live up to worldly standards and prove my worth at home by a list of daily accomplishments...and always falling short, felt a failure. Holley confirmed how I'd always felt, and that doing what God has for me to do was still more important than how others thought I might 'better' use my time...even if it was those for whom I was doing things. They may not appreciate it now, or may never, but I know, and I know that the Lord knows, what I do is important.
