As I am quickly approaching 100 blog posts, I took the time yesterday to pause and think about why I’m blogging, what my limits are, and where I want to go with it. It was a nice little break to reevaluate my priorities.
I actually started this blog in early 2010. One of my best friends, Whit, has the most awesome scrapbook you’ve ever seen in your entire life. She is so talented and crafty anyway, but when it comes to scrapbooking, she takes it to a whole new level. She has a scrapbook of her and her husband that goes back to when they first started dating. It is so sweet. I loved the idea of a scrapbook like that, but unfortunately, I am nowhere near that talented. I do like to write, though. Well, actually let me rephrase that: writing is fairly easy to me. Not that I’m a good writer, because I’m not, but I find it easy to put words on paper. So I thought blogging would be the next best thing to scrapbooking. I signed up on blogger, decorated my page a little, and wrote one post, the entire year.
Fast forward to late April 2011. I totally forgot about the blog and happened to stumble on it one day. I laughed at that first post. It was about adjusting to living with Ben. It brought back sweet memories of that first year together. It reminded me of things I had already forgotten.
I decided to give blogging another try, so I deleted that first post (wish I hadn’t now) and started from scratch. And now here I am, almost 100 posts later.
I want to focus my direction, my priorities, and my limits.
So, here’s why I’m blogging:
1. Record. This is my online scrapbook, if you will. I write about my life adjusting to marriage and parenthood. My goal, with every post, is to look back on it 10 years from now and laugh. Or learn. Or remember. And always smile.
2. Share. When I first discovered blogs a couple of years ago, I thought I hit the jackpot. I found blogs that shared recipes, DIY crafts, home improvement, devotionals, and lots of other goodies. They gave me tons of wonderful ideas. And then later, I found blogs about marriage and motherhood. And they talked about things that I was feeling and dealing with, and I realized that I wasn’t alone. So I share what I like and I share what I feel. Maybe it will help someone. Maybe someone will help me. Maybe someone will learn from my mistakes. Maybe someone will tell me how to get rid of my deflated tummy.
3. Gain. As much as I like to share, gaining is one of the biggest perks of blogging. And I’m not talking about money, fame, or prestige, because I have none of those things. I’m talking about the comments you leave or the email you send or the links you provide. I wanted a recipe for canned tomato sauce and someone sent it. I wanted advice for cutting back on spending, and several people responded with a wealth of information. The encouragement, advice, and support is priceless, and I’m so very thankful for it.
4. Witness. I’m a child of God, first and foremost. And as a child of God, the most important responsibility I have is to lead others to Him. It seems I’ve often failed at this, but blogging is providing me with a unique platform to share His love, grace, and mercy. I never know who is going to stumble on this little ole’ blog and who might need to hear about an awesome fella named Jesus.
5. Community. When I started blogging, I had no idea about the ‘blogging community’. But this has been one of the biggest blessings and most awesome perks of blogging. The friendships I’ve made, the inspiration I’ve gained, and the people I’ve met have made this such a fun adventure. There are some pretty incredible people in this world, and I’m pretty fortunate to have met them through blogging.
And here are my limits for blogging:
1. Priorities. Blogging will never be a priority for me. It’s something I like to do for fun, and the minute it becomes anything more than fun for me is the minute I’ll quit.
2. Time. Again, blogging is something fun for me. Right now, it doesn’t take up much time. I do it in my spare time, usually right before bed while Ben is showering or getting ready for bed, or I’ll do it during lunch. The minute it starts to take cut in on family time, I’ll stop and reevaluate.
3. Be myself. If my writing is being influenced by anything other than myself, it’s time to hang up the keyboard.
And finally, where I want to go:
I started this blog as an online scrapbook, with stories about my life as a wife and as a momma. That is the basis for this blog, and I will always keep it that way. As I’ve continued to write, though, the ole’ blog has evolved a little to include a couple of my favorite recipes and even a little craft stuff along the way. I started a Thifty Life series, too, to include- get this- stuff to make your life thrifty. I like food, food, saving money, food, cheap crafts, food, cheap stuff, and food. I like to write about these things. I don’t know what this means. I’m an overeating cheapskate?
So, as I’m nearing 100 posts, I’m not really sure what direction I’m going. I’m going to keep writing about my life as a wife and mom, guts and all. And I know I’ll sprinkle in some recipes, and some other things I enjoy along the way. What do you think? What would you like to see?
And finally, thank you for reading my little ole’ blog. It’s not much, but I want to thank you for taking the time to read, to comment, to email and to share your words of encouragement and inspiration. You have been such a blessing to this awkward girl. Y’all are legit!
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As a tiny, tiny, peewee-size thank you, I hope you’ll enter my second giveaway, to win some of your own edited photos. Deadline is Saturday night at 11:59 p.m.
Have a blessed Wednesday 🙂
