Good morning, my friends. 🙂 Thanks for heading over this way today to check out who this weekend’s featured blogger is. 🙂 It’s actually the LAST one of 2017! What a fun year it’s been getting to know 48 amazing, diverse bloggers from all around the world. I hope to have just as many next year to share with you as well!
It’s always a treat for me to share a blogger that I know in real life, and today’s is one of them! Elenie is actually my college sorority pledge sister. She is so beautiful and has a personality to match. I’ve been following her blog and social media for years as she has essentially flipped their entire home and wow… just wow. She and her husband are a dream team and mega talented! She blogs about more than just her home, so dig around her content and get to know who she is. She’s a good one!
Q: In three sentences or less, briefly tell us a little bit about who you are.
A: I’m Elenie (pronounced like Melanie, without the “M”) and I have been married to my handsome husband, Ben for going on 7 years. We live just outside Birmingham in sweet home Alabama with our precious son Cooper Joseph (5), and our chubby pugs Paisley and Porter. We are expecting baby #2 in May 2018, and are over the moon, especially big brother Coop!
Q: What first attracted you to the idea of starting a blog, and what are your favorite things to write about?
A: I started my blog way back in 2008, when I was still single and living with 3 friends in Tuscaloosa (Roll Tide!). Ben and I had just begun dating and I mostly wrote about what my friends and I were up to. Those posts were so carefree 😉 Here we are almost 10 years later and I am so thankful to have a journal to look back on through our engagement, wedding planning, pregnancy, our home renovation, and on and on. That is what drew me in to blogging and keeps me coming back – to have all of our milestone moments, as well as day to day life recorded in one place. It’s priceless to me.
Q: As I was going back through your site to prep for this interview, I got SO sucked into all of your content about pregnancy. Congratulations on baby #2! You’re so detailed on your blog about your decision to have another baby and how this pregnancy is going. When are you due? How has your pregnancy been so far?
A: Thank you, I have loved documenting both of our pregnancies! We are due May 2018 – so I am 16 weeks along. So far this pregnancy has been very different from my pregnancy with Cooper. Fatigue, extreme nausea, breakouts and sensitive skin, all of which I hadn’t experienced to this degree before. It was a tough couple of months early on, but we made it and I would do it again a thousand times over. My mom says my symptoms this time around are similar to the symptoms she had with me. Maybe pink is on the horizon. My husband would be absolutely thrilled!
Q: I think a lot of people could relate to your thoughts about being unsure about having a second baby, considering what you shared about some health issues after having your son. When and how did you and your husband finally find peace and excitement to try for another baby?
A: My issues after Cooper’s was born were tough. He was healthy as could be, praise the Lord. I don’t know that I necessarily understood the magnitude of how bad things actually got in the days after his birth; I was pretty out of it. Ben did know. It shook him up, and once we were able to really have a conversation about what all transpired, it shook me too. The what-ifs began to set in. However, you cannot be afraid to live your life, or follow your dreams for fear of what-if. We both started feeling that tug to try again. I had a rock star group of doctors (still do) and we have had many conversations over the years regarding what a second delivery would look like for me. We educated ourselves, listened, talked, prayed and feel confident with our decision. There is no reason the next delivery can’t go smoothly, and we are taking necessary precautions to ensure that it does. Please keep us in your prayers!
Q: You’ve done quite a few beautiful projects around your home! Have you always had an interest and an eye for interior design?
A: I have! I was always rearranging my bedroom even when I was little. I love to decorate, and I love when family and friends ask me to help pick out paint colors or shop for pieces for their home.
Q: Do you and your husband do all of the home improvements yourselves?
A: Mostly yes, and we just completed our biggest project yet – a whole house makeover. My husband is Superman! I haven’t dreamed up anything yet that he hasn’t been able to do. He is patient with my crazy ideas, and we both love the feeling of taking something and making it better than how we found it. It’s a fun hobby we both enjoy and it makes for great quality time together as well.
Q: What’s been your favorite project you’ve completed in your home so far?
A: Our fireplace makeover was a biggy – it changed the whole feel of the family room. Plus it involved #shiplap, which is always a win!
Q: Where should new readers start on your site?
About us | Our latest pregnancy update | Our completed home tour renovation
A: Where can we connect with you on social media?
Instagram (@eleniewcounts) & Pinterest
And just for fun…
- Books or magazines? Bookworm here!
- Mani/pedi or massage? Mani/pedi. Nothing like fresh nails and toes!
- Pizza or pasta? Pasta, please.
- Comedy or drama? Comedy.
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Thank you so much, Elenie!
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Is this your first time to Whimsical September? Welcome!
Hello! I’m Erica, the blogger behind Whimsical September. I created the “The Saturday Sit-Down” series in January 2017 as a way to give back to the blogging community and link readers with new bloggers whom they may share similar interests with. Click here to discover more bloggers that have been featured on “The Saturday Sit-Down”. I promise you – there’s some GREAT ones!
Want to be featured in this series?
I have openings starting in the spring of 2018 and would love to feature you! Please fill out the form below and I’ll be in touch with you. It’s totally free and a fun way to bring new sets of eyes to your blog. <3
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Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to three little girls (ages 7, 4, and 1) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo