So...I Won Mrs. Meyer's Homemaker Hunt!

Well people, I've been lying to you for almost 3 months! Everyone has been asking if I knew who won the Mrs. Meyer's Homemaker Hunt contest, and for legal reasons I had to tell you no, but the truth is IT WAS ME! I WON!!!

This is a little bit what winning feels like.

If you have no clue what I'm even talking about you should read this and this, but I know A LOT of you want to know the full details so here they are.

Disclaimer: This is a really long post so I give you permission to skip over the parts that don't interest you.

The Backstory

Last Fall, the Mrs. Meyer's company hosted The Hunt for the first ever Mrs. Meyer's Homemaker. The winner would be awarded $75,000, a trip to New York and an opportunity to collaborate with the Mrs. Meyer's brand. I really love homemaking, and who wouldn't love $75k, so of course I entered this contest.

Sidenote: A HUGE thanks to my friend, Courtney. She's the one who told our friend group about this contest, and without her I totally would have missed it. Courtney -- you rock!

The first stage of the contest was to submit a 15 sec instagram video, showcasing a DIY. I created two videos and submitted them into a pool of over 2,000 applicants! On December 10th I got an email saying I had made it to the second round -- I couldn't believe it. 

The second stage of the contest included 15 finalists and a video essay. The objective was to show a DIY, explain what inspires you and what Mrs. Meyer's Home Grown Inspiration means to you. All of this in 90 seconds or less. This video would be judged and then voted on by the general public, and the cumulative score would decide who the one Home Maker would be. Andrew and I worked together to create a video we hoped would knock the judges socks off! A lot of you probably watched my video -- thank you!

The Voting Period

Take my word for it -- being in a contest takes you through ALL the emotions. You start off extremely optimistic. You think about what it would be like if you won, your friends are telling you that you are totally going to win, and you feel pretty darn good about yourself. Then you start to question it. What if my video isn't at all what they wanted? What if my craft stinks? What if I stink? What if I just made a crap video and now everyone in the world can see it? 

Altogether, the voting period lasted 30 days and it was the longest 30 days of my life. During that time, I was eating/sleeping/breathing instagram and FB -- trying to come up with creative ways to engage and grow my audience. Andrew even made a really fun "Vote for Sallie" video.

Then the 30 Days were over. 

Voting ended on February 15th, so keep in mind I've been in this thing for 3 months at this point.
I had been told that the winner would be notified sometime by phone on February 16th.

The Day I Got the Call

The day of the call I was surprisingly calm, but also very nervous. I had resolved to be happy no matter the outcome, but of course I really wanted to win.

I got up and went to work as usual, then around 10AM the phone rang. It was from Chicago and I knew that this was THE call.

I picked up the phone, and who is on the line but MRS. MEYER HERSELF! Thelma A. Meyer, the namesake of the Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day company had called to tell me that I had won! I cried. I don't even remember what I said to her, but I remember dropping to my knees and just crying.

All this work, all these votes, all the lost hours of sleep, and I won!

My co-workers heard the news and we celebrated, and then it was off to tell Andrew. He works in the same building as I do, so I walked to his office, barged in without knocking, looked at him and said "I won." He jumped up and hugged me, and we cried as the office went completely nuts! Our co-workers totally ran around the office 7 times in celebration of the win!

After that, I made calls to my friends and family, but then I had to keep it hush hush. Andrew and I went out to eat that night, but mostly we just sat and stared at each other saying "I can't believe we won."

The Biggest Thank You in the World!

Yes I made the video and made a DIY, but there is no way I can take full credit for winning this contest. Almost everyday since the hunt ended, I've run into someone who's said "I voted for you everyday!" You guys have no idea how appreciative I am. You took something that was important to me, and made it important to you.

To all of you who voted, supported, encouraged, texted, prayed, and did who knows what else for me during this contest....thank you. Seriously, thank you. You have played a major part in this journey, and if I hadn't had all the support I don't think I would have made it. I hope that in the next few weeks I can hug your necks and say thank you in person!

What's Next?

Now I get to collaborate with the Mrs. Meyer's team for a full year! Andrew and I already took a trip to New York (I'll share that story later) to shoot a few videos and print ads. You can see my ad in the June issue of Elle, In Style, Real Simple, and Sweet Paul Magazine!

I have been able to start blogging full time now and I am hoping this opens up doors for me to be able to make a full time career doing what I love.

I really don't know what will happen with this blog. I feel like it could be something big. All I know is, God gave me a gift, a talent, and a desire and he has made so much more of this than I have ever dreamed.

Proverbs 18:16 "A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men."

Happy Homemaking!

Sallie