Return to the Edge

May 2, 2016 / 18 Comments

So it has been a nice long while since I last posted…like months. I found myself in quite the funk with deployment blues, then the reintegration process after my husband returned home from Afghanistan, then getting back into the normal Army wife routine, then searching for my motivation, endlessly searching. Truth be told, I still am not feeling all that motivated, but I figured I might as well just start writing something to get myself going or I may remain stagnant forever. And forever stagnant is not good. Not good at all.

While I was taking a break, I did a lot of thinking and brainstorming about where I want to be going with my blog. At first, I wanted to create a forum where I could inspire other women through clothing choices as well as my words. I wanted the focus, however, to be more on my words. But I got lazy, overwhelmed, anxious, rushed…and my posts became very short, sporadic outfit posts. I was disappointed in myself so I decided a break was due. Then I felt guilty for taking a break. Then I realized that I needed to cut myself some slack because I would not have taken such a long break if my mind and body weren’t indicating that I do so. But now I do need to get back to it. However, I’m still not sure the direction in which I want to take this thing. So let me first start with what I do know.

1. I know that I am passionate about inspiring people through words of encouragement, empowerment, and love.

2. I know that I am passionate about clothing and expressing myself creatively through the way I assemble a complete outfit.

3. I know that I have a lot of clothes. Too many, in fact. That goes for shoes and other accessories as well.

4. I know that I have a giant antique chest filled with old journals and many of these journals contain quotes that have inspired me over the years.

5. I know that I love to help people. I love to help them feel better about themselves. And the perfect outfit combined with just the right words can often do this.

6. I know there has to be way to combine all of this into my little spot on the internet.

7. I know that I am going to give my best effort at doing this and I know that I may change my mind throughout the process and that is okay. It will be a work in progress.

So please bear with me through my journey to find my niche in this big, crazy world. I will gladly accept and consider any advice others may have to offer. And hopefully, we can all help each other along the way.

My plans as of today are this:

I want to start publishing 3 blog posts per week. Some outfit posts, some inspirational posts (pulling quotes from my immense collection of journals). I also want to try to keep my posts short and sweet as getting too wordy starts to stress me out (and I can get too wordy very quickly). This will be an exercise in discipline for me while at the same time being a creative outlet WITHOUT causing me anxiety. And hopefully it will offer inspiration to others as well.

Also, a very good friend and I have decided to try our hands at creating an online clothing and accessory resale boutique with items that we think are super adorable and on trend (pulling items from my vast personal wardrobe collection). This is one of our contributions to keeping the world green! We also have a giant end goal in mind of one day establishing a brick and mortar resale boutique where women can come to shop in a relaxing, friendly, helpful environment. We will provide retail and talk therapy all in one visit!

When I push the publish button on this post, I hereby declare that I have taken my first step towards creating something that will inspire others and something of which I can be proud. I can’t wait to see what this “something” turns out to be!

Thank you all so much for being a part of my journey. I really do appreciate it and I hope you get a little something great in return.

Returning to the edge,

Shelbee

Stay tuned for outfits and inspirations! Also, you can check out my daily outfit of the day posts on Instagram.

I will leave you with a few of my recent spring outfits…still waiting for consistent warm weather!

Still on the edge,

Shelbee

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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18 Comments

  • Jill

    May 3, 2016 at 3:16 am Reply

    Hi Shelbee! Welcome back! I am glad you are joining Adrienne and me for the pearls post. I did not realize you are an Army wife. I was a Navy brat growing up so I could relate to what you talked about regarding the reintegration process. We had that at my house every time my dad would return from a WestPac cruise (back when they were 9 months long). My brother has been on a few deployments to Afghanistan himself. Take your time getting back into the swing of blogging! You have a lot going on. Thanks to your husband for his service and thank YOU for your service too–I have forever felt like military wives and children should get a great big pat on the back too. It is a very hard thing to send your loved one on a long tour of duty or into combat and keep the home fires burning. I salute you and your husband!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      May 3, 2016 at 10:48 am Reply

      Jill, thank you so much for the kind and supportive words. It means so much to me. I started blogging during the deployment for something to keep busy and then it became overwhelming (it was my first deployment so I guess I didn’t anticipate exactly how things would go)! But I feel stronger and more empowered because of it. And a big thank you to you and your family for all of your years of service. It is a tough life, but an extremely rewarding one, for sure! xoxo Shelbee

  • Kirsten Wick

    May 3, 2016 at 9:16 pm Reply

    It’s great to see you back!!! Take one step at a time because it sounds you had a lot on your plate with your husband’s deployment and all. This is never easy. My hubs was in the German army for 13 years but I was lucky (he left the army 15 years ago) that I didn’t have to go through this. Lots of love, Kirsten x

    http://www.thelifbissue.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      May 4, 2016 at 10:56 am Reply

      Thank you so much, Kirsten! This life definitely has its ups and downs, for sure! But I wouldn’t change it for anything…I don’t know what it is about these military men that come along and steal our hearts and turn our lives all around. 🙂 I really appreciate all the support I receive from my family and friends and the online blogging community. You ladies are always so inspiring and motivational. Thank you for that!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Claire

    May 8, 2016 at 6:05 am Reply

    Welcome back! Aww great looks, I especially like the last one, I need some of these black lace up shoes 🙂

    Thanks for sharing at Creative Mondays

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      May 8, 2016 at 2:48 pm Reply

      Claire, thanks so much! I got these lace-ups at Payless and they are actually quite comfortable. I also just bought a pair of blush colored ones from DSW (with reward dollars so I only paid $5 out of pocket!) I wasn’t going to jump on the lace-up bandwagon, but then I simply could not resist! They are so cute!

      Have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Jessica Jannenga

    May 9, 2016 at 3:44 pm Reply

    I understand. It can be difficult sometimes. I started my blog as a diversion from pain ( fromEDS) and also as a creative outlet. I think we often ( idont want to speak for others) but find that we can put too much pressure on ourselves to do things, just so.. life often has obstacles or things out of our control and I have felt that lack of motivation at times. My husband will offer advice on taking a break, do a post less that week… etc. So maybe instead of all or nothing, we take a needed break and do what we can. I have to do this sometimes as well.
    I like the idea of your resale boutique, a good way to sell some gently used clothing , and doing it with a friend sounds fun. I love your casual looks and the lace up shoes with the pink scarf and patterned top, my fav. The light jeans in the first pic look great too! I am looking for some white converse, as I like some casual looks too!
    take care,
    Jess xx
    http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish
    thank you for linkig up with TH tuesday

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      May 9, 2016 at 7:59 pm Reply

      Jess, thanks so much for the kind and encouraging words. I also am familiar with the struggle that can occur from “invisible” pain. So many do not understand what it is like to live in chronic pain. I am fortunate to have found relief for both my chronic physical pain and the mental pain I experienced for a long time. I started blogging as a creative outlet and as a means to reach people with an understanding heart. Hopefully, I can accomplish this.

      I am so excited to start our boutique, although I am a little scared. But I am going to face the fear and try it anyway!

      I love my white eyelet Converse for spring and summer. And they are comfortable without socks because they have the elastic back. I bought them last summer, so I’m sure they still have similar ones available this year! I often get overwhelmed shopping for Converse because they have so many choices! I’m sure you will find the perfect pair for you!

      I also love your style. It is the way I envision myself dressing if I did not have small children! Thank you for always inspiring me!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

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Shelbee on the Edge