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blogging plans and a reader survey

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Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. –1 Thessalonians 2:8

It may sound strange, but when I read those words in my Bible study this week I thought about this blog. Sometimes blogging feels like such a solitary activity, a lot of work for little return, at low points even a waste of time. Sometimes it is hard to open up and be vulnerable. It can be scary to share life. But that is what I’ve decided to do, and for me it is worth it.

It’s worth it because of the connections I’ve made; I consider many of you real friends. It’s worth it because sometimes when you talk about the hard things, you help another person who must face a similar situation. It’s worth it because of the mutual support and encouragement and inspiration we bring to each other in spaces like this.

What I’m meaning to say is that those of you who keep reading: you have become very dear to me.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about and behind-the-scenes work on my blog lately. It’s a big part of my life, and since I’ve decided to keep it that way and I have the support of my family, I want to do the best job I can with it. I don’t know if you’ll notice any huge changes (yet) but I want to get to know you better for sure.

It will mean so much to me if you take a few minutes to fill out the reader survey below. The results will help me immensely to improve my content and direction here. I will also be thrilled if you leave a comment – especially if you never have before. Connecting with people is my favorite!

Thank you so much, friends.

Update: the survey is now closed. Thank you to all who participated!

August 21, 2014
project life 2014 : weeks 31 – 32

Time for another Project Life update!

Here we have the usual two week spread ranging from July 28 to August 10, in my usual neutral style with no inserts.

On the left side I documented our date night, the start of Meredith’s swim lessons, and her sickness. Filler and journaling cards are from the Midnight edition.

On the right side we have a few everyday photos, the start of my half marathon training, and a QR code with a link to a video of Liam swinging that I thought was hilarious.

Here is a good tutorial for making these QR code cards. I put it together myself in Photoshop Elements without a template.

(And also, I am under no illusion that QR codes will stand the test of time. But they are fun while they last and I still have the video uploaded and accessible, so if the codes go defunct maybe this will at least remind me to look it up.)

I say this all the time but I still love this project! I also am happy with the style and format that I’ve settled into and don’t have any plans to switch it up at the moment. Of course I will evaluate again near the end of the year but right now I’m pretty satisfied. :)

August 20, 2014
on contentment
Contentment is one of those things that you never really master, is it? It seems to come and go. Right now I’m searching for it.

There has been a lot written on the internet about fighting comparison. Sure I deal with that from time to time: wanting my life to look a little more like hers, wishing my blog was as successful as that one or that I had the resources to pull off that project.

I’m searching my heart, though, and I think that I’m being truthful when I say that I don’t really play the comparison game too much. I know that we all have different struggles and we are all coming from totally different places and we all have different strengths. I actually love who I am and I love my life.

Sometimes I do fight off discontentment within myself, though. This is so silly, but usually it’s because there are things I want to spend money on that we can’t afford. For example, here are some specific things that if we had the extra funds, I would purchase:
- a real camera
- new workout clothes and shoes
- yoga mat + carrier
- weekly swim lessons for Meredith
- a good blender/food processor
- supplies to do a small reno on our kitchen & half bathroom and several other smaller DIY projects for the house
But the truth is that this is the most expensive time of life for us right now. We have two kids in daycare full time. We have a mortgage, student loans, and two car payments. We have good jobs with good benefits (which I am SO grateful for!!) but we aren’t raking it in. We are constantly trying to save money here and there, but in the end there isn’t a whole lot of saving going on. It is frustrating.

Over the weekend David and I went to tour Costco to see if it would make sense for us to join. We decided that if we had more freezer space it totally would. We have an extra fridge + freezer in our garage but the outlets don’t work there and never have, along with all the outlets in the bathrooms, so we were thinking that it would be worth it to hire an electrician. As we were pulling up at home later we saw some big tree branches down in our yard and realized that we also really need to get our trees trimmed.

“That’s another thing that costs money,” I said. “Everything costs money!”

“What do you mean?” David prodded.

“The electrician, the trees, a camera, and everything else I want.”

“Maybe we just need to work on not wanting so much,” David suggested gently.

I knew he was right. How do you do that, though? I’m not asking rhetorically. I really don’t know.

For me it seems to come and go in cycles. I try to focus on what I have and stay busy and eventually I get to a place where I feel fine the way things are. Prayer helps. So does going outside.

How do you fight for contentment?
August 19, 2014
liam at seven months

He:

>Still has the bump on his head from his vacuum-assisted birth attempt. I’m wondering if it’ll ever go away at this point.

>Was in the 95th percentile for weight at his last checkup.

>Dropped a bottle per day in favor of baby food.

>Is eating mostly jarred baby food, when he eats solids, since we had a bunch given to us and that’s what they have at daycare.

>Has no teeth, and doesn’t seem to be actively teething yet.

>Is in an awkward stage for bathing where he doesn’t fit his infant tub but he’s not stable enough to go in the big tub with Meredith.

>Still sucks his thumb often, and likes to have something else in his fist at the same time, like my hair or David’s headphones.

>Is Meredith’s best friend (according to her).

I:

>Am up to at least two cups of coffee a day.

>Have completed two weeks of half marathon training and think my hospital employee gym is the best thing ever. It’s totally free for us, the equipment is really nice, and there is a weekly yoga class at the perfect time for me.

>Do look forward to some cooler weather so I can start running outside again, though.

>Just finished my epic summer novel and am moving on to some YA.

>Went to my first quilt guild meeting over the weekend and was totally awed and inspired. Trying to convince myself that I am fine using my ancient sewing machine with no walking foot and that the dozens of puckers and mistakes on my quilt don’t matter.

>Keep pinching myself that I work at such a great place. It’s so low stress and close and I have an amazing boss and coworkers.

>Love being a mom to little ones and of course don’t ever want them to grow up, but all this back-to-school stuff lately has me looking forward to that phase of life. I just try to enjoy every stage because they are all awesome for one reason or another and I wouldn’t want my children to be any age other than what they are right now.

For reference:

0 months
1 month
2 months
3 months
4 months
5 months
6 months

Meredith at 7 months

August 18, 2014
link roundup / 9

Today I’m sharing some stuff I found around the internet. Enjoy!

>I’ve read a lot of lists with iPhone tips, but I still learned several new things from this one.

>I’m a big fan of Book Riot, and they recently started a YouTube channel which I am really enjoying. I especially love the videos by Amanda – check out this one about how to read multiple books at once.

>What it means to be raw with God.

>Do you collect books, so that your shelves are like a time capsule of memories? Or do you want them to reflect who you are today? (Good thoughts here.)

>Interested in frugal natural living? You gotta check out Hello Natural.

>Love this free downloadable art print template.

August 16, 2014