Here's Where I'm Coming From

Do I think that I know everything when it comes to fashion, cooking, finding and summarizing the best books, raising girls, and walking with God?

Absolutely not.

Let's consider this my general blog disclaimer, shall we?  Here's where I am coming from creating this blog and bloggin' away:

By no means am I on the cutting edge of fashion.  In fact, most of the outfits I show you are probably on their way out of style according to the trendsetters.  What I try to show are ways I have begun to mix and match my clothes in a way that is more interesting and flattering than what I used to do which was wearing pieces separately, more matchy-matchy; without much thought.  I find it fun to go through my closet and create new combinations.  I try to shop mostly at thrift stores like Plato's Closet lately, because I don't spend the clothing budget for the year in one shot, as I could in other settings.  My hope is simply to get you to see what I put together for myself to give you inspiration if you need it.  Lots of you already dress way cuter than me and you don't need it ... but that's that.

How about recipes?  Are these all my own originals?  No.

I won't steal recipes and post them as mine, nor am I simply going to share links to recipes that I like.  You can find plenty of those yourself on Pinterest, etc.  What I would like to show are relatively simple recipes that people have liked that I have made before and that are either a family recipe or a modification of a published recipe that I have made and loved.

It's also to give some of us ideas when we are in a rut.  All households have their own ruts.  So that is that.

And books?  Here is the most important thing about this section of the blog that you need to know.  There is NO WAY I can do justice to any of the books I write about in my brief "highlights for me" posts.  What I share is subjective because it is simply what stood out to me while reading the book.  There is so much more content in each of these books that I will never get in to, which is why I will encourage you in every entry to get the book for yourself and read it.

Another thing about this section is that it will primarily consist of non-fiction, Christian section books.  Some are almost self-help.  I know you might think I'm pathetic for picking books like that, but here's why I've been drawn to them:  I have issues.  We all do and we have all had things to go through and lessons to learn about ourselves, weaknesses to work on overcoming, and surprising revelations about these things that have come at the right time from different sources.  For me, I have sensed areas about myself that needed to change and by the grace of God heard about a book on the radio or from a friend, and read it and learned a lot from it that I was able to apply at that time to start the change process.  The lessons I remember from some of these books are still with me, and they are things I find myself sharing with friends often.

If that is the case I might as well share the source of these pearls of wisdom with you all, so that you could benefit as I did from them if that is where you are at.

Raising kids?  I am relatively new at this.  Actually, I'm constantly a beginner in one sense.  Right now my 2 girls are ages 3 and 1.  I am not new to mothering a 1 year-old, but I am new to mothering a 3 year-old, and next year I will be new to mothering a 4 year-old. . . you get the picture.

What you will find in the mommy section are cute stories about what the girls did or said, stories about when I messed something up, difficulties I had or am still having, and reflections on how it is going.  So in no sense is this section a how-to.  Hardly!  Read a few of the stories in that tab and you will see.

Walking with God?  One of my main goals of blogging is to be an encouragement to you who might read.  The section on the blog is titled "Inspiration", which is a global term to encompass posts having to do with encouragement, reflection on something related to the Christian life that I am experiencing or learning, or just general ideas about enjoying God and his blessings.  I categorized a post on our self-guided bike tour in the city in this section because the reverence I feel towards the great magnitude and beauty of a great city translates into my appreciation of the opportunity to be there and enjoy it, appreciation of my spouse, and how we can become even closer in a solid marriage to reflect the power of God to keep a marriage strong and deeply loving.

You know what?  This section is honestly scarier than all the others to post in because I wonder to myself, "What do I know about steering people toward a deeper faith in God?"  "I don't have the right to tell people how to think", etc.  But, know what?  Those are not excuses.  If you don't like what I have to say in this section for any reason, (maybe it's not where you're at, maybe you think I'm being too touchy-feely or preachy, whatever it is), then that is okay.  I still love you and hope we can still be friends.

So that is that.

I am a 31 year-old girl who loves Jesus, has a family, and loves her life most of the time.  I have learned a few things along the way but am still learning so much more.  I hope that satisfies your curiosity as to why Amy thinks she should have a blog.  I find it fun to archive life, keep my ideas as they come along, and have a small platform of occasional encouragement even if it only benefits one person.

There you go.