One day, several years into our marriage, my husband exclaimed in exasperation, “I never knew you were so stubborn!”
What? Half Finnish and half Irish (with a touch of English that my dad was reluctant to acknowledge – because that part of the family was “stuffy”) and the thought that I might be a wee bit stubborn had never crossed his mind? Of course I’d long since realized that his German, Irish, whatever-else-ish self was terribly stubborn.
Two stubborn people. We’ve had our ups and downs to be sure. But our stubbornness, and the Lord’s work to restore what was broken within each of us, is what keeps us walking side-by-side through whatever new thing (good and not so good) comes our way.
“What,” you may say, “does that have to do with the title, Survey Results and my IT’S STILL SUMMER Coastal Mantel?”
It’s my stubborn resistance to pulling out the Fall decor as I cling tightly to the last remnants of Summer. It is not even the middle of August yet y’all! And this is the South where our Summer is only half over!
So while I tell you about the results of my first ever survey I’ll regale you with pictures of my Coastal Summer Mantel, dedicated to my mother-in-law who loved the Sea and who’s lovely painting of a lighthouse was the inspiration.
My first survey was so enlightening. I put it together during a time of self-doubt, wondering if I should keep struggling with writing the book I’ve been plugging away at for so long, or give up on this writing journey completely. You can read about that struggle here in The Day I Began Chasing Lions. It was quite tempting to give it all up and enjoy a quiet life at home, puttering in my garden and moving chotchkes from one place to another, while watching Hallmark movies and eating bon-bons.
Well, maybe not so tempting after all, but writing is HARD y’all!
With this survey I got a glimpse into who my audience is and what you want most from Old Things New:
- 85% of you are female – YES I have some men here 🙂
- 96% are in the 40+ age range (the younger ones are surely old souls)
- 81% have completed higher education (Whew! My own “some college” status hasn’t scared you away)
- 75% have some religious affiliation, while 2% do not (where are the other 23%?)
- The tops things you want to see here are Home Decorating Tips (57.45%) and Christian Inspiration (54.25%). This question allowed you to choose multiple categories and some of the other top categories were Decorating on a Budget, Seasonal Decorating (you’ll have to wait for Fall), Furniture painting, DIY, and Personal Stories. Mr. OTN was pleased to hear that some of you want to see us doing more projects together 🙂
- Most of you would like to see me post more often and none of you want me to post less (big sigh of relief).
In the space allowed for comments I was absolutely delighted to hear additional feedback and y’all have warmed my heart with the love you’ve poured out on me. I wasn’t asking for affirmation but I certainly received it. How can I not keep writing?
Based on the results of this survey this is what I’ve decided to do:
My current plan is to post twice a week (except for when I take blogging breaks). You can expect Tuesdays to be something home related, such as house tours, seasonal decorating, vignettes, etc., and Fridays will be inspirational types of posts (Freedom Friday, personal stories, etc.) This way I can meet the needs of those who want one or the other, and also meet the needs of those who like both.
Note: If you are here strictly for home decorating, you might still want to pop in on Fridays because I don’t think I’m all that preachy and you might find something there that you’ll find helpful (wink-wink).
Another blogger friend has put in a special request for this upcoming Tuesday’s post, so I hope you’ll come back to see what I’ve been doing in my home.
Hint: It involves a whole lotta’ paint!
Again, I want to say a HUGE thank you for taking the time to answer the questions in my survey.
Blessings y’all,
I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:
SundaysAtHome, TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays
Monday:
IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, Dwellings, ProjectInspired, InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, CelebrateYourStory, What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking, MomentsOfHope, Glimpses, SittingAmongFriends
Tuesday:
TalkOfTheTown, HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, CoastalCharm, CedarHillFarmhouse, TuesdaysAtOurHome, TheWinthropChronicles, Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky, Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story
Wednesday:
SavvySouthernStyle, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, Coffee for Your Heart, MessyMarriage, ThreeWordWednesday, WriterWednesday
Thursday:
ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, ADelightsomeLife, KatherinesCorner, Thought Provoking Thursday, SincerelyPaulas, ThoughtfulThursday, Tune-inThursday
Friday:
FrenchCountryCottage, TheCharmOfHome, TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday, ShabbyliciousFriday, Sweet Inspiration, Faith’nFriends, Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays, Dance With Jesus FreshMarketFriday
Saturday:
FunkyJunkInteriors, OneMoreTimeEvents, SaturdaySparks, TheInspirationGallery, Make My Saturday Sweet
Patti, you are so gifted at decorating at making a home! I love how you’ve adapted to life in the south and agree with you that it’s still summer! Now about your preaching, you do it in a way that is welcoming and accepting….that’s how I like it. Keep going girl!
Your words mean the world to me Stacey! You are a dear and I love you! Hugs 🙂
Can I just say…..”Yeah, …..What Stacey just said….” Lol, I’m up for whatever you throw at us, Miz Patti! And it’s still Summer here in the Midwest, in spite of all the rain we’ve been having. Thanks for sharing the results of the survey, and I’m not the least surprised at what you learned. Muah my friend.
OH yeah, and I can just imagine you watching Hallmark movies and eating Bon-Bons, with curlers in your hair and your feet propped up….whatever!
Hahaha! Maybe for one day. Or two. Any more than that and I’d go stir crazy!
Ahhh, you are the best sweet friend. The BEST! I could hear your voice loud in clear in the survey comments 😉
Beautiful mantel and decor. Yes, we do so enjoy reading your blog. Keep up the awesome writing!
Ahhh, thank you so much Danice. This makes me so happy. 🙂
Just found your site. Thanks for the inspiration to step into what has been on the back burner for far too long. Now, if I can just think of the perfect blog name.
That’s great that you are ready to step into the blogging world Carla! As for a blog name, I have a suggestion for you. In writing my book I wanted a good name for a coffee shop and when I Googled “Good names for coffee shops” you wouldn’t believe how many great names popped up. I’ll bet you could find something for your blog too, by typing in the theme of what you’ll be writing about. Google is my friend. Blessings in your new adventure!
I definitely have my fair share of stubbornness too. Sigh. Sometimes it comes in handy, but often times it’s just a nuisance to those around me. ha. Thanks for sharing your survey results. It’s always interesting to find out our fellow readers!
You stubborn Lisa? LOL! It can be a positive trait in many ways as I’m sure you know. 😉
I just found your site, and I absolutely love your mantel! I am not ready for fall yet either, especially since I live in Wisconsin with short summers and long winters. I’m going to hold on stubbornly to summer no matter what everyone else is doing. What a beautiful lighthouse painting that is!
Hi Shelley. I’m so glad you found my website. Thank you for the compliment on my mantel and the painting. My mother-in-law painted it when she was 17-years-old and it is something I treasure. As for stubbornly holding on to summer, you go girlfriend! Let’s enjoy it as much as we can for as long as we can. I do hope you’ll come visit me again.
I missed the survey but have to say, I love to see home decorating but ANYTHING is good with me! I LOOOOVE that cloche! I also love how you filled it! have a beautiful day!
You truly do have a gift in making your home beautiful. I look forward to reading all that you post. Blessings!
That is a beautiful compliment Barbie. I appreciate you so much. You my friend, have a gift for spreading beauty from your heart <3
Hi Patti, love your coastal mantle! A bit of stubbornness is not too bad. 🙂 I don’t decorate for fall until Sept. However, because of my scheduled surgery Friday I may pull it out Weds. It would be nice to have something new to enjoy while recovering. 🙂 Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
I found your blog through the Bouquet of Talent link party where yours was one of the most visited links. Congratulations! I’ll be back!
Love your coastal mantle Patti and I enjoy all you share…you are one gifted lady!
Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
Blessings,
Cindy
That is such a huge compliment coming from you Cindy. Thank you so very much.
So pretty Patti! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!
Thank you Sherry. I always love coming over to your party.