New Year? WHY NOT IMPULSIVELY ROLL OUT A NEW BLOG DESIGN?!
Just kidding… this whole rebranding and web design process has been a LONG time in the making.
We’re changing our blog name from Sawdust and Embryos to Reality Daydream.
So if you’re wondering if you have come to the right place… you have! Nobody hacked my website, and I’m not punking you. It’s me Beth! Same ridiculous sarcastic ME! And the content will remain the same awesome nothingness that you’ve come to know and love.
I know this might be weird for some of you… like I went and got plastic surgery and look like a totally different person now. But it’s ME.
Now that you’re no longer confused, let’s talk about WHY I felt the need to make this change.
- First off, while infertility will always be a defining part of my ‘life story’, it’s no longer relevant to 99% of my blog content. It’s not that I’m shrugging it off and not recognizing it is a valuable part of what made me who I am, or affirming the fact that I had to fight hard for the family that I have. It was a chapter. A chapter that’s over. Thus… having Embryos in my blog title is confusing to people that haven’t been following for a good long time.
- That leads me to the fact that I’M TIRED OF EXPLAINING MY BLOG NAME. If it needs an explanation, it’s not good branding. I like the fact that was edgy and obnoxious… because who forgets a name like ‘Sawdust and Embryos’? Nobody. That’s who. And I loved it for a time. But once again, it was a chapter in my blogging career that’s run it’s course.
- Finally, I wanted a title that is without a niche. I don’t want to be pigeon-holed as a ‘DIY blogger’ because I have Sawdust in my title. I want to just blog about my life (which often does involve DIY, but yeah)… but the bottom line is, it’s our lives. Just us.
And the ironic thing is, I’m learning that most of you keep coming back for the ‘real life’ posts, rather than the tutorials that I spend so much time creating. Haha! There’s always more engagement, commenting, and dialogue when I just write about our lives… complete with piles of laundry and chubby cheeks.
And when I recently checked out my ‘Top 9’ posts on my Instagram in 2015, it reaffirmed that for me.
Why Reality Daydream?
…well I’ll tell you.
I’ve had countless people tell me that they think of our blog as their online Reality TV Show.
Real life.
Unfiltered.
I love that. The good, the bad, and the ugly. (of course that doesn’t mean I won’t move the dirty underwear out of the ‘money shot’ of one of my DIY posts… you get the point).
The ‘Daydream’ part of the title refers to the fact that MY DAYDREAM HAS BECOME MY LIFE. We’re blessed beyond measure. Of course the road has been bumpy, and we’ve had to work for it. But each day I wake up I’m so privileged to be healthy, have a warm home filled with love and laughter, and a beautiful family that makes our house a home. We’re not financially well-off by any means, but we don’t struggle to put food on the table, and I have the profound privilege of raising our girls at home… while still being able to feed my creative outlet of being crafty, building, painting, designing, etc! IT JUST DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER FOR ME.
To give you a little background on why this ‘ordinary’ life is so exceptional… I’ve struggled with depression all of my adult life. I’m not ashamed of it. It just is what it is. There have been countless times where I wondered if I could ever really be happy. Like filled with joy kind of happy. Ironically, my middle name is joy… and I’ve had to be intentional about creating a life that is FULL, and jam-packed with tangible love. Beauty that is both seen and unseen.
Image by MOLLY LONG PHOTOGRAPHY!
I’ve learned that the biggest trigger to my depression isn’t situations… it’s being idle. I need to keep myself busy. I need to feel and see that my life is purposeful. I need to know that I’m helping people. I need to physically have something that I accomplished every once in awhile.
And that’s where, I would say… blogging has saved me in a way.
Source: Megallancole
Obviously there are days where I have to CHOOSE to be happy. Nick and I argue like an old married couple, the girls throw tantrums like the best of ‘em, and Cypress has blowouts… the laundry piles up, we eat frozen pizza more than I care to admit, and the kitchen looks like a hydrogen bomb went off more often than not. Nick and I don’t have college degrees… and in high school both of our parents had serious doubts about how we would turn out.
A moment of silence for our high-school selves.
But we just keep chugging along… being intentional about making this life the best possible one we could have lived.
AND FINALLY… can we talk about the new logo/header for Reality Daydream? I’ve always loved hand-lettering, and specifically the amazing work of Dawn from Designing Dawn. I reached out to her to see if she could take on my project, and she was incredible.
And it was such a fun process. I just sent her some examples of hand-lettering that I liked for various reasons, as well as a few fonts I loved so she had an idea what was going on in my head… and then she just DELIVERED.
I mean… she is a TRUE ARTIST in every form of the word. I feel so honored to have her work as my logo and header of my blog.
And huuuuuge shoutout to Sarah for doing all the back-end dirty work and making everything line up and look cohesive and such. Slow clap.
As you might expect with a big URL switch like this, certain parts of the website might be wonky or not working correctly at first. If you notice something that’s off, please let me know! You can still email me at sawdustandembryos@gmail.com, and be sure to let me know if you’re seeing the error on a desktop, tablet, or mobile… as well as what browser you’re using (ie Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Etc)
I’m so grateful to you loyal readers who keep up with our lives and encourage us along the way. I hope that little things you see here will make your day brighter, or inspire an idea for your home or family. It’s your comments, feedback, and the dialogue we share that makes this blog so rewarding for me. So THANK YOU for coming back for more each week!
Image by MOLLY LONG PHOTOGRAPHY!
We’ll just be here at Reality Daydream, sharing our ups and downs with you! I’ve got a reeeeally fun post I’m working on for Monday, so stay tuned! Happy weekend!
Hi, I don’t ever speak up or post comments; I’m the silent observer in the corner…I wanted to tell you though that I had followed your story for years, especially around the time of your infertility journey. Your story helped me get past my problems. Almost as if by seeing someone else having success in their journey made my failures seem smaller in the big picture of life. Not insignificant by any means but easier to accept that not everyone is ment to have success. I know it wasn’t all glitter and unicorns but knowing that if it was ment to be, it would BE. I realize many may have reacted differently but I’m an odd duck. Sorry, I’m not explaining myself very well. I just wanted to reach out and say Thank you. THANK YOU for sharing your life over the years. I found sawdust and embryos at the right time back then and you made a difference.
This is the nicest comment I’ve ever gotten. Thanks for making my day. I hope you got your miracle(s) too. <3
I am glad you post your struggles on your blog. It is something no ones want to talk about and they want to brush under a rug like it never happens. I went into a deep depression when i lost my mother and father-in-law within 4 months of each other. We had taken care of them for about 5yrs after they got sick. I did learn one thing that i have to do the work along with meds or it does not work for me.
I am maintenance mechanic at night and a woodworker during the day. I am working at being a full time wood worker. I have been watching you flower staining techniques which I am starting to learn. I am working on a few twisted end tables and thinking about putting this design on top of them. I am always looking at different ways of changing my furniture builds. I have watched all your videos on the beautiful flowers you have made with staining techniques. I will e-mail some questions to you when i get to this point.
You have inspired me to move forward with my woodworking. I will email my website info when it is up.
I’m new here and I’m in love! Can we be besties? I feel like we would be the best besties. lol
Lol Jess! WELCOME! 😉
Ok, cool. Thanks for sharing your story.
I love everything about this! The logo, the name, and the reasons behind it.
Thank you Nicole <3 <3
Love the new name! Love your blog! Always dreaming of what I can do in the my new house. So glad to have met you a couple years ago my Iowa friend!
Awwww thanks Jenny! I didn’t realize you had a new house! I’m sure it’s fun seeing all the possibility and making it your own! 🙂
Still building it!! I know so much more (I hope) about design than I did when we built this one 20 yrs ago. No more pecan stained wood and white walls for me!
Thank you for sharing about your depression. I suddenly this Christmas started having panic attacks and anxiety attacks (which is NOT me), and am being treated for depression. It has been a personal struggle for me to a) recognize this and b) allow myself to be treated for it. Praise God for the love and support of my husband, my family, and his family (who strongly encouraged me to seek medical help – in essence helping me to give myself permission to get the help I need(ed). Thank you. I can’t tell you how much it means to see that I am not alone in my walk (and I am never alone – my Lord God walks with me, and in the last 2 weeks, has carried me), and that I am ok, and will continue to be ok, that my husband will have his happy and creative wife back again, and my beautiful children will have their fun-loving, silly mommy here at home every day with them. Depression and anxiety do not define me, nor will i let them control me. So thank you. THANK YOU.
It’s scary when it comes on so suddenly huh?! I’m so glad that you’re able to recognize it and allow yourself to be helped (with both love from your family and good ol’ medication… LOL!). Get it girl!! 😉
Thank you for sharing openly about your depression. I have also struggled with depression my entire adult life. My postpartum periods have been particularly rough. After my son was born last February (yep…our youngest kids are close in age!), I couldn’t pull out of my depression. After 4 months of counseling and things worsening, I finally “caved” and started anti-depressants for the first time. It has been life altering for me. I wish I had gone on medication years ago. My kids finally have the mom they need and my husband has the wife he deserves. Not enough people are willing to share openly about being depressed and I feel that it leads to isolation among those who experience the condition. When someone like you (a successful, funny, lovable, talented, and creative wife and mom) shares your struggles it helps people like me and reminds us that we are not alone. Depression is a part of who we are, but, as you so clearly exhibit, it does not define us. Thank you for being a voice for those who struggle with depression and for shedding light on a condition that many fail to understand.
Hey! Yay for February babies! Cypress JUST started walking… she’s a late bloomer. 🙂 Is your little guy walking or crawling?
YES to anti-depressants. There have been times (in my 20’s) where life was good and I was ‘just sure’ I didn’t need my anti-depressants anymore… but going off them was the worst thing ever. Being depressed and feeling hopeless (especially when you don’t know why) is just horrible. I’m glad you found the power of drugs! LOL! That sounds terrible! …but seriously 🙂
Caleb has been crawling since he was 7 months…but not much on the walking front yet. He did take 3 steps yesterday, but had no interest in repeating it today. 🙂 Whatevs. I’m in no hurry! Hard to believe that first birthday is coming up so soon. :/
I am terrified about going off of my antidepressants. I don’t want to, but we have decided that I should at least try to get off of them before trying for kiddo #3. If you don’t mind me asking, were you on them during your pregnancies (feel free not to answer, obviously)? Your girls turned out healthy, so that would give me some hope if I can’t get off the medication. There was a 4 day stretch where circumstances caused me to miss taking my medication and it was awful. It was just like you said…back to being very sad and feeling utterly weighed down by what should be considered “normal life.”
I must say Beth, you are doing life right. Being a full time mommy is the most important job on the planet. Your girls will always appreciate having you at home with them and being at home for them. God has blessed you and Nick with these precious gifts. I love your new blog title and the artful presentation. I don’t always comment but I always read every post. May God bless your family in 2016. Vikki in VA
Awww thank you Vikki! There are definitely some unglamorous days where I DON’T feel like I’m doing life right. But ultimately I know I’m doing what’s best for my family. Thanks for your sweet words.
Love it all…especially the reality part! You are so real and I can appreciate that! Even though I am 60 years old I can so relate to some parts of your life. Depression to this day haunts me and being creative has helped me so much especially now that our kids are grown and our grandchildren live in Germany. I still fight the depression battles but staying active and positive are key! Thank you Bethany for being so real and for dreaming!
Creativity for the win! 😉 Thanks for sharing Karla!
You’re my inspiration to get off my rear and get it done. #jealous Love the black and white logo and your tab bar staying up at the top, perfect. Nice job.
Hehe THANKS Jaime! Are you planning to rebrand too? Or just a new site design?!
You go girl!!!! A new year, and excellent change! I love your blog and your tutorials and all the things that you craft and build. Go for the roses Reality Daydream!!!
Thank you! We’re so excited!
I don’t care what you call your blog, I just love being a part of your life! You are an amazing woman with a lovely family. I feel blessed to be given a glimpse into your world. So glad you are bringing us strangers along for the ride and adventure!
You’re so sweet. We love sharing our lives… and are so humbled that people keep coming back for more!
I love this! And I love following your family. And I LOVE that neither of you have college degrees! This really resonates with me as neither hubby or I do and we have worked our butts off to provide a life of joy and a living for our girls. Pretty sure a lot of people in our life have doubted us for it but we’re killing it ( you know, most days.) So congrats on the new theme! I’ll keep coming back no matter what the name is 🙂
YES! My siblings are all very educated and successful… most of them with Master’s degrees or their PHD, so I feel like there has been a lot of pressure to ‘live up’. But I just don’t feel like it. I’d rather do what makes me happy. And I’m glad that you are too! 😉
I love the new name and completely understand why you would want to change it (heck, sometimes just explaining “blog” to people is hard enough!). I love the new name, it’s very fitting. I was nodding along in agreement with the whole post, but then again I’m also a DIY blogger with a vauge-ish name, three young kids, and lots and lots of messes and craziness…and I wouldn’t change a thing! Hoping the rebrand goes smoothly, and Cypress is SO stinking cute with her chubby cheeks and head full of hair. With three boys I’m pretty much die when I see a baby with a cute little ponytail!
Haha… you’re so right about how hard explaining the concept of a ‘blog’ is. When I was a little girl, I certainly didn’t dream of growing up to be a ‘Blogger’… but it’s been such an amazing ride for me, and I’m sure it has for you too! I’ve been LOVING following along on your new home build! So exciting!
Hey there girl – love the name! Perfect for you guys! I am glad that your perfect life is really imperfect like the rest of us! And I can’t believe your parents had an doubts about either of you. You guys seem like you have it all together all the time! Wow, maybe you should have gone into acting instead of woodworking and blogging! You know, I follow several blogs, and yours has the best tutorials around, the most sarcastic comments and the cutest kids ever! You will always have a faithful fan with me. (No matter if you change your blog name to suit every stage in your lives) Love you guys!
Renee… this is the nicest comment I’ve ever received! Huge virtual hug to you!
Thanks Beth! Meant every word of it! Big squeeze to you and the girls as well! Nick might run the other way though!!!
Congratulations! When I first met you, your two beautiful kiddos were there, and you had one on the way, so I was a tad confused by the “embryos” part 🙂 But I loved this blog then, and I know I will continue to love it now. Great new brand! But the same ol’ you! Hearts.
Awwww Suzy… you’re so sweet! We miss you around here!
I love this! Tough to make big changes knowing that some are sure to throw a fuss but good for you. And ps that third photo is awesome!!
Haha, right!? I want to live life in the FRONT SEAT! 😉
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this! I hope this rebrand goes seemlessly for you. You’ll also realize once this is done who your true readership is and I think you are beginning to see that! Keep busy, stay awesome and stay true!
Exactly! Thank you Marci!!
Love it! Congrats on the switch.
Thank you Amy!!
WOOHOO!!! Looks amazing! As someone with a blog name that also requires explanation… I’m right there with you. So excited for you guys and the new site!!!
Hehe… you explain yours really well on your blog though. And people don’t forget it! 😉
Thank you for sharing with us! Iowa girls unite!!
I love the everyday life stuff from you because it keeps you in my life….I LOVE that. I also ADORE your tutorials…you have seriously helped wake up my creative side!!! This is an exciting change!!!
Awwww Terri. I miss you! <3 DO you ever come back to Waverly? Or drive through Marshalltown area? Would love to have coffee sometime!
Love the new name and styling. Look forward to reading what you get up up this year.
great idea for the name change! love your refreshing open attitude but you can be sure that those tutorials are very much appreciated!
Haha, good Rosy! I’m glad!! 🙂
Great name! I follow along in Bloglovin… will there be a new link to do that, or will it redirect?
Stephanie, we’re working on that. It should happen automatically. Please let me know if you don’t get Monday’s post, K?
will do!
Awesome new look! To me, it doesn’t matter what you call your blog–I’m still a fan.
You are SO SWEET Mary! Thank you! <3