Do you ever get tired of hearing "oh you're so lucky" or "everything just works out for you" or how about "things just fall in your lap"? Or my two favourites (insert sarcasm here) "nothing but the best for you" and "must be nice"....like seriously, I am BEYOND sick of it! So if you don't want to hear my rant or you think I might be talking about you, you should move along now because here it comes and it ain't gonna be pretty!

First of all my husband and I are genuinely good people, we are hard workers, we love our friends and family and would do anything for them and trust me when I say, we do A LOT. And we do a lot for no other reason than we want to do it, we like spending time with family, we have always taught our kids that family comes first, making memories is important and just being part of each others lives. We love to help people when we can and if you need us, call us and we will be there. The same goes for friends, we love our friends, we have friends who are like family and we love spending time with them too. We host many get togethers in our home and at our trailer up north, some just for family, some family and friends and other times just our friends. We also host relatives in our home and trailer for weekends or weeks or overnights, etc., anyone is welcome and if you really know us, you know that to be true. We always want our houseguests to have a great time and feel at home and for the most part (and most people) always do.

We don't do these things for "show", we don't do them because we expect anything in return (because that rarely happens but we're used to it and ok with it now), our home isn't a mansion or anything fancy, but it's ours. We have spent the past three and a half years making it a "home", one thrifty DIY at a time. People who come always say it's cozy and inviting which is exactly the way we want our guests to feel, it's how we feel when we walk through the door. Is there anything wrong with that?? Because in my opinion, there is nothing worse then going to someones home and not feeling welcome. At our place you can drop by for a coffee, an evening or a weekend, it doesn't matter how short or how long, just let us know, you're always welcome. We have a "our door is always open" kinda policy, it's how we roll. Same goes for our trailer in the summer, we would love to have you.

And if you are just following along now you may not know I had an AMAZING job that I worked in for 22 years. Then I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2008. Unfortunately for me, I could no longer do the job or the commute and it was very much a personal struggle for me to give up said job and go onto LTD (long term disability). Aren't I "LUCKY?"!! It has affected every aspect of my life, including my mental health. I've also had many other serious health issues these past 10 years, some I am still dealing with to this day. I am not one to complain, I don't post about it or talk about it everyday because that's not who I am and I don't let my health issues define me. But that doesn't mean they aren't very real and it certainly doesn't mean that nearly every god damn day isn't a struggle for me. But hey, life goes on, i decided a long time ago to play the hand that was dealt me and get on with life because things could always be worse.

For those of you who like to say "i'm so lucky", you're right, I am! I'm so lucky that my husband is so supportive of me and my crazy dreams. He is also a very hard worker, he has a good job and works countless hours every week, he is very successful because his hard work and dedication has paid off, it certainly hasn't 'fallen in our lap". We have built a good life for ourselves, we've worked hard for it and nothing has ever been handed to us nor would we expect it to be.

I started Our Uncluttered House on Facebook and Instagram in January and my blog came along a few weeks later. This has been a dream of mine for quite some time and I finally decided that 2018 was gonna be MY year. And let me tell you, if you want to be successful at it, it takes hard work and dedication, both of which I have and use daily. The difference is, this is something I can do from my couch, I can do it on good days and not do it on bad days, I can schedule my posts so if i'm having a bad week, you guys don't see it or know about it. Why would you need to? And yes i've had a couple of "HUGE to me" wins on this journey and yes it is "nice" and yes I am "lucky" that my hard work and perseverance is starting to pay off. I have never ever expected something for nothing and it's how we've raised our kids as well. We aren't perfect, but we've worked hard for every damn thing we have, none of it has been handed to us. To us, hard work goes hand in hand with success.

I have met so many amazing people on this journey, women who have become friends, women who genuinely support me, want to help and celebrate my successes. It's funny when a message from an online friend can touch your heart so deeply and some of your closest friends and family never have a kind word to share.

It's very sad when the people you think would be the most supportive of your journey really don't support you at all. . My husband tells me to let it go, stop doing so much for others because it isn't appreciated, stop caring so much about what certain people think or say and I know he's right. Some days it doesn't bother me at all and other days it bothers me a lot, i'm only human right? And hey, who doesn't like to be supported by their friends and family no whatever what they are doing.

Kindness is such a simple thing and is appreciated more than we all know. A kind word or a gesture can make all the difference in someones day. Be supportive of your friends and family, no matter what they are doing, reach out to them every now and then, don't let it always be a one way street. What may be a trivial thing to you, may be a milestone to someone else so celebrate the people in your life, friends, family, neighbours, treat everyone how you would like to be treated. It sounds so simple because at the end of the day, it truly is.

End of rant!

Michele xo