Happy Goal Setting Day! {Part 1!}

I have said it before, and I will say it every year- New Year's Eve is my favorite holiday. Not because of the champagne and the parties, no. The truth is, over the years there has been more than one holiday get together where I was secretly thinking the entire time about how I couldn't wait to get away and curl up with my fresh new journal page and juicy new colored pens to ring in the new year with my beautiful, shiny new lists...

That's right- New Year's Resolutions!!! I love them. I usually way overreach and keep about half. Or less. But I actually do try. I have put a lot of thought into them over the years, and I really do take the time to review periodically throughout the year of said resolutions. So for those unscientific reasons, I consider myself something of an expert. Also, it has become tradition for me and my college best friend to debate the merits of having "vague" goals, such as "work out more" over specific and measurable goals, such as "work out daily," every year for the past 10 years. So, here's to year 11 of her husband and I ganging up to drive her insane with our vagueness! (Our argument is that we can look back and feel that we did a good job "being better" at something, without actually measuring it. It's a failing argument that won't sell any self- help books, but I'm sticking to my guns.)

She will be happy to know that I am going to try to be more specific this year. Mainly because I am going to try to stay accountable here on the blog. (Maybe one vague goal could be "try to stay accountable on the blog...")

Sometimes I even like to take a sacred day and pour over all of my old journals and resolution lists and think about how far I have come. (Yes, it's that serious for me.)

On a less neurotic and more serious note, I believe it really is good to look back. Some goals and dreams and plans that I had did not come to fruition that year. Or the next. Some took time, and a lot of it. Some things are an ongoing journey in my life. I am also able to identify patterns in my life and work on them in a more productive way.

For example, when I looked back one time over several past years of journals, I noticed that every year I would write, "Be more organized." Now, those who know me know that organization isn't exactly something that I struggle with. I'm pretty stinkin' attentive to detail and organization. Even when I am messy and neurotic, I am organized. What I was really dealing with was perfectionism. I was good, but I wanted to be way better. I wanted to not just be organized, but perfect. I wanted to have it together. The real goal needed to be to let go of perfectionism and use my gift of organization that I already had to live a more full life. (That's still vague, I know.)

So, anyway- it's good to remember where you've been. Not just to track progress on goals, but to keep you humble and compassionate. Looking back at goal lists always winds up leading to reading through those old journals. Oh yikes. The years between 17 and 27 were good years for me to keep a record. They do, indeed, remind me of where I have been. I have been depressed, and in bad relationships, and floundering. I have made terrible choices over and over. I have been a hot mess. And He has pulled me up. Set my feet on more solid ground. It's good to revisit those years from time to time. It reminds me not to be so frustrated with those who have not yet done the hard, painful work of healing and self-awareness. Those who have not yet allowed Him to change their choices, and patterns and neuroses. :) It's easy to lose sight of your past when you feel like you are doing well. It's also easy to forget that you didn't do it on your own by making awesome New Year's Resolutions. He has shown me grace and given me a hope and a future.

So....my goals will be announced in Part Two.:)

Five things that I let go of this Christmas...



This Christmas was kind of a whirlwind for me. The beginning of December held our annual Foster Care Christmas Party, which I had been planning various parts of since the end of August. So, after that, it hit me that I was having Christmas in my personal life as well this month. (Shocker!) This was the first time in a long time that I went kind of "commercial" and did way more shopping and spending money than I did crafting. It was a very un-homemade Christmas for me, which kind of bums me out. But it was a good one- this was the first time I had family here for the holidays since I moved out to Ohio 10 years ago, so that was special for me! 

I tend to stress out over things like upcoming events, having company over, getting things done on time, and making sure everyone is recognized and appreciated at Christmas. I've been working on letting things go, and embracing the "good enough." It's hard, and I want things to go according to plan, but I am finding that I allow myself more time to enjoy the things that I've worked on and planned if I eventually throw my hands up and say, "That's as good as it's gonna get!" I attribute this largely to reading the book, Confessions of a Slacker Wife, by Muffy Mead-Ferro. It was hilarious! I picked it up as a light read, but it ended up being really life-changing for me. I highly recommend it! One habit I am really trying to form after reading this is the art of just letting things be good enough. Instead of making adorable and time consuming appetizers and party favors that everyone will compliment- just order a pizza so that you can actually spend time with people instead of time trying to impress people. I'm telling you- this book is a much needed kick in the pants. 

So, here are some things that I let go of this Christmas. Some things I would actually prefer to not let go of next year, like sending Christmas cards (I think handwritten stuff is kind of a dying art), but no regrets. I was happier for not over exerting myself! 

1. Perfection

This one is pretty self explanatory. There were a lot of things that weren't perfect this Christmas, but I didn't want to waste too much energy trying to bend them to my will! On Christmas morning, we had family over for brunch. My kitchen was fairly clean, and I set myself up for success by making a meal that was pretty much make-ahead/crockpot style, so that I could enjoy time with my family opening gifts and actually eating the food I prepared. But my kitchen floor was gross and needed to be mopped so badly. BUT...hubby had meat smoking out back for dinner that day, it snowed, and our back door is in our kitchen. Which meant quite a few muddy tracks all day, no way around it. So why mop in the morning? I didn't want guests to see my dirty floors, but it was pretty counterproductive to mop. So I didn't because there was no point. (My former self would have mopped every single time it got dirty that day and would have spent Christmas mopping and being cranky at my husband for tracking mud in the house.) 

2. Control

So, I don't know if everyone in my life would agree that I gave up control....but I worked on it....so that's something, right? The thing is, I am good at planning and executing that plan. So, it's hard when things don't go according to plan, or when there doesn't seem to be a plan. I don't like flying by the seat of my pants, and I don't like when things are kind of up in the air until the day of. I like writing things down on my calendar and planning ahead. But, life happens, and well......people happen. I'm learning to deal with that. And trying to be flexible when last minute plans come into play, or people are like, "Hey, what are you doing tonight?" Or when the beautiful Pinterest craft you are making for gifts takes longer than you thought and doesn't turn out quite like the picture. Not that that happened. :) 

3. Expectations 

I have ideas of what I want the holidays to be like. I think it takes a while to adjust your expectations as an adult for what holidays and events in your own home will look like once you are a grown up. Yikes. I think it will be more fun when we have kids, and can start our own traditions. In the meantime it's like you are always basing your holiday on what everyone with kids is planning to do. Which is fine, it's just hard to let go of that desire to have things be special at your house, too. This year, I wanted to make freezer meals ahead of time so that we would be set for the week of Christmas. I wanted to have all my shopping and crafting done, and send out my boxes in time for people to receive gifts by Christmas morning. I wanted to bake and write out cards for my small group and mailman and landlord. Instead of baking, I actually just set my butter out to soften. For a week. Instead of prepping healthy freezer meals, we spent way too much ordering take out. Instead of mailing things ahead of time....well, those boxes are still in my foyer. I think adjusting expectations rolls up the control and perfection issues with it. 

 

                          

4. Saying Yes...

I don't have a huge issue with saying no. I am actually pretty good at it. I have struggled with depression before and part of the self care that I make a habit now is not filling my plate too incredibly full. It's just good mental maintenance. So, whereas I am okay at saying no to activities and events, and trying not to fill up my life too much, I can sometimes say yes to too much when it comes to my to do list. I already told you about all the things that I wanted to do during Christmas that I didn't get to- I do the same thing to myself when it comes to what I want to accomplish on any given day off. I fill my list with things I'd like to get done, and then I feel let down when I only get to one or two of them. It's still about expectations and perfection, I guess! So, this Christmas season, I tried to focus on saying yes to a reasonable amount of accomplishments, people, events, and Christmas items. I said no to sending Christmas cards, keeping my house sparkly clean, and piling too many obligatory events on our plates. I said no to stressing myself out, and decided that actually wanted to enjoy my time off of work! 

5. Saying No...

So what did I do throughout December? I have a pretty long list of what didn't get accomplished, and I kind of have a pet peeve about letting everything go to heck in the name of mental health. Maybe it's true sometimes, but it can also feel like a cop-out. Some things you can't get out of, and shouldn't try. And I do like things to be nice, and pretty and creative, and Pinterest-y. :)  So, I also did some "letting go of saying no." I took some time to evaluate and prioritize to see what I should say yes to this year. Here's what made the "yes" list:

• I didn't do Christmas cards for family and friends, but some of our church ladies and I took the time to write cards for girls in juvenile detention. I think they probably needed it more. And it was actually pretty tempting to say no, because we were asked kind of last minute, but it was the right decision. And we had a lot of fun getting together and doing it! Last year we made cards, and made a craft night out of it. This year, I decided we should forgo the extra work, and focus on our messages to the girls, and just spend the extra time praying over them instead of cleaning up glitter. Maybe next year we'll do more sparkle!
• I went to a Strip Church outreach for the first time on the Saturday before Christmas and  prayed for ladies going out to local strip clubs to brings gifts and share with the girls working that they are valuable and loved. Honestly? I needed to get a lot of other stuff done, along with the rest of the world that day. But that made me realize how lame commercialism is. I think things like this are what Jesus called "choosing the better part" when He was talking to Martha. It's all just....stuff. People are more important.
•  I was really present with my family and my husband's family. I am a behind the scenes kind of person. I like planning, and executing, and meeting needs. I like refilling the bowls and platters at parties. I don't actually care for the parties that much. But, like I said before, to be able to really spend time with others, you have to set yourself up for success. I didn't want to spend my time making the perfect dish or whatever. I wanted to sit, eat, enjoy, and interact. Big step for me. 
• I cleaned out my shed. Yep, that's lame, I know...but we got amazing and unusual weather the Sunday before Christmas and it really needed to be done. So, I put aside my shopping, wrapping, and crafting to get some fresh air and do some outdoor work. Which is pretty out of character for me! So that was me, living on the edge, throwing caution to the wind and doing yard work instead of Christmas crafts...Woohoo! In all seriousness, it feels good to me to be able to be flexible with stuff like that.

So, that kind of sums up my holidays....not super interesting, but I feel more relaxed at the end of them than I usually do! I'm planning to keep working toward letting the unimportant things go and focusing on what counts in the new year. But, also planning to get an earlier jump on those Christmas cards next year! How about you? What things keep you sane and on track during the holidays?

Elizabeth Bennett and the Virtuous Woman {Proverbs 31:10}

There's that scene in Pride and Prejudice where Lizzy, Darcy, and the Bingley siblings are in the drawing room talking about what things would qualify a woman as being "accomplished." I love it, because after the (ridiculous) list of attributes is finished, Lizzy says to Mr. Darcy, "I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any."

This is how I feel after reading the Proverbs 31 list of virtuous attributes! Indeed, her price, value, worth, scarcity, would be far above rubies. I rather wonder now at my knowing any.

So, as we dig into these women of the Bible that define the modern day pursuit of "Biblical Womanhood," we may as well begin by defining the word that is so highly expected of us.

Virtuous- conforming to moral and ethical principles; morally excellent; upright

 

So.....a "goody-two shoes?" (Whatever that actually means...it's kind of a weird phrase.) Someone who is the "right" kind of girl, or a "good girl?"

 

Does it mean someone who never does anything bad, or pretty much has this good, Christian girl thing down pat? Someone who paints tables and is well versed in reading and writing? (The accomplished woman from Jane Austen's novels?)

 

My knee jerk reaction is to conjure up images of the sweetest little pastor's wife you ever did see when I think of the words "moral" and "upright."

 

But when really meditating on what would make someone moral and ethical, I think more along the lines of ethics in business, good politics, poverty alleviation, and awareness of the exploitation of vulnerable groups. I think of ways that I believe Christians should conduct themselves. I don't know about you, but for me that means having good character. It means doing what you say you will do, and not trying to "pull one over" or "step on" anybody to get ahead. It means business deals being on the up and up. It means blowing the whistle if you see corruption in your work place. It means not tolerating the exploitation of workers at home or abroad, where it is in your power to do something. It means being trustworthy. It means striving to be a Christian who doesn't make people want to vomit because of your general hypocrisy. It means being transparent. It means being a person that reflects the attractiveness of Jesus.

 

And this can be hard work. Because people know when other people are being real. Are you morally upright, or do you act that way on Sunday morning? Are you open about your struggles and your victories, or are you striving to be seen as the "good church girl," or as "wife material?" Are you living it or acting it?

 

What are the things in your life that you believe would qualify you as being a virtuous woman? Is it how often you attend church? Is it how busy you are "for God?" Or is it deeper than that?

 

Honestly, it is super easy to become a good church person. It becomes routine. You (and I) become lazy. Are we doing a bunch of bad things? Nah. Am I generally a moral person? Yes, I would say so. But am I daily striving to become a woman of virtue? Well.....occasionally. But mostly I rely on the fact that I am not doing bad or socially unacceptable things. I am fairly emotionally healthy, I go to work, I do a good job there, I don't steal, I don't do drugs or drink excessively. I have never killed anyone. You know, basic "my good outweighs my bad" type stuff.

 

However, we know that we are called to more. God calls all of our self-achieved righteousness "filthy rags!" So, that morally good rut that we are in all too often.....well, it has to go.

 

The virtue of Jesus was counter-cultural. It was radical and based in grace. It was not the things He did, but Who He was. That's what we need, too. We not only need to be covered in His righteousness, but to also examine the lives we live. Is it the day in, day out, churchy routine? Or are we radically changing our lives and actions to align with the virtues and principles that Jesus taught? Things like caring for the sick and poor and weak? Things like giving and alleviating and bringing hope?

 

This virtue calls for us to lay down our lives--our comfortable, church-going, seemingly good and morally upright lives--and then take it further, examining what we think and believe and asking, "Is this virtuous? Is this moral and ethical? Is this excellent and upright?"

 

Truly virtuous people are rare. Their price is far above rubies. I rather wonder now at my knowing any.

 

I am striving to be more aware of real virtue in my life. It has little to do with whether or not I am a good homemaker, or a good cook. I do not need to be great "wife material," for many are called to singleness. I do not need to be incredibly resourceful, or talented. Yes, God gives many of these things as gifts, but they do not create virtue. Virtue is so much more. It is living what you say you believe about who Jesus is. It is going against the grain and really living out your faith. It is choosing the ethical thing even when it is not the popular thing. It is hard work. It is sacrifice. And it has great value. 



Prepping for my week: {freezer meals}

I've been trying to prep and freeze meals for a week or two ahead of time in an attempt to streamline my cooking in the evenings. Actually, in an attempt to streamline my life. Our evenings suck and go by super fast. I hate filling them with cooking and cleaning it up- it's exhausting.

So, a few weeks ago I tried out freezer cooking for pretty much a whole weekend, to see how it helped me out. And...It. Was. Awesome.

I mean, I pretty much ate up my whole weekend shopping and prepping and cooking, but it was an investment of about two weeks worth of meals so I was happy. I forgot to take pictures that weekend, but I am planning to do it regularly now (maybe not so much at once, actually) and I will document as I go. Below are the links and my thoughts about the recipes that I used...plus a pic or two of a new recipe that I tried and threw in the freezer this afternoon for Thanksgiving week in all of it's busyness.

1. Beef with Broccoli

2. Orange Teriyaki Chicken

3. Chicken Parmesan

4. Lasagna Casserole

5. Pecan Stuffed Chicken Breasts

6. Mashed Potatoes

7. Guacamole (with this tutorial as a guide on how to freeze avocadoes)

8. Egg Rolls

9. Candied Carrots

10. White and Brown Rice

11. Chicken Fajitas

12. Red Beef Chili

13. White Chicken Chili

14. Garlic Bread

(The ones without links are recipes from my head!)

This list lasted me about two weeks, and cost about $95 for all of the ingredients and disposable pans.

This next one is a recipe that I made for the freezer this week. I had gotten all of the items I needed for it on sale and with coupons, so the whole thing probably cost under $5! I didn't follow the recipe to a "T," but used it more as a guide for putting together the ingredients that I had on hand.

Baked Cheesy Pasta with Ham and Broccoli


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I'm linking up at:
Just Us 4, Craft-O-Maniac


Meeting the Proverbs 31 Woman: {and her bad reputation}

So, this blog is called The Modern Girl's Guide to Proverbs 31. Here's a little bit about why I chose the name.

I was raised with a certain standard for women. Actually, more like a box. A box that women could never step outside of. I remember doing a career choice research paper for English in my Christian school- you picked a certain career path and wrote about how to get there, what the work would be like, etc. I chose to write about becoming a journalist. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but writing appealed to me. I clearly remember being stared at incredulously when I handed in my topic. My teacher/principal/pastor of the church said to me, "A journalist? Well, just until you become a wife and a mother, right?" You see, there were only a few viable life choices for women: wife (preferably a pastor's wife), mother, or (if God were to go buck wild and call you to be in the workplace, or by some unfortunate accident He never sent you The One), a Christian schoolteacher or church secretary. This message was reinforced when I went to Bible college, where the only majors for women were Religious Education and Secretarial Science. (And possibly music of some sort? But not leading worship, of course...)

In all of these pursuits, there was one goal: Biblical Womanhood. Of which, the dear Proverbs 31 Woman was the gold standard. This lovely woman cooked everything from scratch so that hubs had a hot meal when he came in from working hard as a pastor all day. She raised and homeschooled six children, and she served by teaching Sunday School in their local synagogue. She hosted ladies' Bible study every Wednesday morning at her house. She dressed modestly and sang in the choir......right?

Except she didn't.

She, um......worked. Like a lot.

The day I read her story for myself and really realized that she was not what I had been told, I felt as though she and I had a little secret. From then on, when this ideal for women was presented in such a pious way through Proverbs, I chuckled to myself. Little did they know- this woman was investing in property! She had hired help with those kids! She and I had an inside joke. We were outside of the box.
I don't bring this up to bash churches, or stay at home moms, or homeschooling. (To be fair, the church I grew up in didn't even believe in homeschooling, a rarity among hyper-conservative churches. They believed in everyone's children attending their school for reasons I won't bother getting into today.) So if you are someone who stays at home or believes in homeschooling, I have no intention of offending. I'm not even saying it's outside of the realm of possibility for my life. I can think of a variety of circumstances that could lead me in that direction.

BUT....

When you are presented with those things as the absolute only option for your life...that's not ok! When you are taught to believe that this is all that GOD has laid out for women, in general, in His Word and that any deviation from that would lead you outside of His will...that's destructive. (And that's the nicest way I can put it. It's more than destructive, actually. It's abusive.)

So, back to our Proverbs 31 lady....she gets a bad rap. I mean, she is actually very cool. It's not fair that she is held up to women and used to create a standard of "Biblical womanhood." She didn't ask for that. A lot of women just hear the words "Proverbs 31 woman," and want to run for cover, because they know where that conversation is headed. Straight down the path of "here is what you should be." So, the name of my blog is probably off-putting to many, because they assume they know what it will be about. That's how I would feel.

I'd like to try to change her reputation a little bit. I'd like to write about her in a way that makes you realize we might actually like her. She is even a pretty decent role model, if you're looking for one.

Oh, and one more thing? She not real. Yep, that's right. Don't forget that Proverbs 31 was a hypothetical woman written by another woman....a mother, to be more accurate. A mother who was giving her son a breakdown of what makes an ideal wife. So while I am not downplaying the importance of this being included in Scripture.....do you know a lot of women who live up to a laundry list of ideals laid out by their mother in law? Chew on that for a little while. I like what the woman has to say, but.....I'm just sayin'. :) It's worth considering.

I'm going to talk a lot more about her, along with a lot of other great ladies in the Bible. I'm not going to focus on just the ones that are typically used to create a box for women in churches (the Proverbs 31 woman, Mary the Mother of Christ, or 1 Peter 3 where we call our husbands "lord"). I'm not going to focus on the ones that are typically used to break us out of that mold, either (Deborah, Miriam, Anna the prophetess). Instead, I like the approach of looking at the Bible as a whole, and appreciating that there are all kinds of women. We have unfortunately turned being Christian and female into this monumental thing of achieving the highest standard. What if there are no "sides" and we're totally missing the point? So I don't want to pick and choose the women that back up my arguments for how I think women should be. There are so many varieties of women in my own life, I could never just pick one, and say, "There- her. That is what God wants women to be." And I don't know any woman who would welcome that kind of pressure! So why do we do that with the women whose stories are laid out in Scripture? As far as I can tell, there was only one Gold Standard in the Bible, and He tended to blow the culture's expectations wide open. So....I think I want to be a woman just like Him. Not some other woman that was just doing her best and would be mortified that her life has been used for millennia to beat up other women.

It's going to get controversial, because it always does when you talk about gender. That's not limited to Christianity by any means. But I'm good with that. I can't wait to dive in to our gold standard women and talk about how awesome they are....just not awesome enough to worship.

What are your initial thoughts? Do we worship certain women in the Bible? Do some of them make us nervous because they are a little out-of-pocket?

In the land of women...

You know how some girls don't get along with other women? They claim that they don't like the drama, or that they just relate better to men, or that they've just never had a lot of female friends?

Yeah...I'm not one of those girls.

Instead I find that I draw strength from female relationships. I love them! I wish I had more and more time for them. It's not that I find women drama free or that I can always relate. I wouldn't say I have always had a ton of gal pals or anything like that. I'm not always surrounded by friends, and I wasn't incredibly popular as a teen. A few might even be surprised to hear how much I value my relationships with other women! In fact, so often I find myself thinking it's more trouble than it's worth to try to get to know other ladies, especially on a more intimate level. A level that goes deeper, goes beyond the superficial chit chat.

But, I am reminded often of the strength found in a community of women. I have been blessed to always have had a best friend, through every stage of life. I have been surrounded by women my entire life, and my family is very matriarchal. There is something special about the wisdom of womanhood and I am honored to be female. While I fight hard for equality of gender, I also find value in the differences between men and women. I celebrate what makes us women.

This week has reinforced my thankfulness for the community of women that I find myself a part of. From friends, co-workers, bosses, sisters, mothers, aunts, mentors and community leaders...they have made me who I am and will shape who I am becoming.

This weekend, I was blessed to be able to spend time with two young ladies that I have worked with in the past, and continue to have the opportunity to be involved with as they become women and mothers. I am grateful to be able to help bear their burdens and share their joys.

I was also able to be a part of a training introducing me to how Strip Church works, and got to meet a new group of ladies that I will get the opportunity to pray and minister with as we reach out to other women.

When I am tired and stressed....when I feel like I can't relate to the females in my life.....when I feel out of place...when I feel like I am not the "right" kind of woman....He sends women into my life that inspire and uplift me. Whether it is my boss modeling the kind of businesswoman I strive to be, or a new friend teaching a training on getting into a strip club to share the love of Christ, or my best friend sharing her recent birth story and telling me there is nothing to be afraid of when it is my turn, they all make up a beautiful network of encouragement.

I am thankful for the frustrating, comforting, empowering relationships of women. I value the strength I draw from them, and look forward to teaching my someday daughters to do the same.

It's something that I want to get better at--cultivating relationships with other women, that is. As I get older it's harder to do. It's harder to make time, to reach across different life stages, to really invest yourself in people outside of your family. But to me, it's necessary. These are the relationships that guide us. I think of how in other people groups, other cultures, other times, the women all cooked together and worked together. They delivered the babies and they raised children together. As thankful as I am to be in a culture of freedom and independence and choice, I know I don't want to lose that special bond that women can share. This is what I think about when I hear the verse about the older women teaching the younger ones. Let's not interpret that as older women keeping younger ladies in the church "in line," or criticizing them, but instead of building relationships. Of passing on a torch of sacred female wisdom.

So, if you are older, reach out to the younger women. This is meant for you, regardless of your age. Like I said, I spent my weekend bonding with younger ladies.....and I'm definitely not ready to think of myself as one of the "older women" in the church! But I do have something to share with girls who are in a stage of life that I was in only a few years ago. And if you are young, seek out those older women! It's so awesome to be able to find a mentor that you can lean on, and someone who can tell you the truth about yourself. It sharpens and matures you. These are invaluable relationships to have.

If you are someone who does not usually gravitate toward genuine relationships with other women, consider giving it more of a chance. You don't have to shy away from female friendships even if you don't think you can relate to a lot of women. I get that. Maybe you don't have kids, or don't even want them. Maybe you are very career minded but most of the ladies you know are stay at home moms. That can be tough....but seek out a friendship that you could be compatible with. You don't have to do a bunch of activities that are traditionally defined as feminine. I sometimes cringe when the ladies' groups at churches constantly include crafts. Not everyone likes that stuff, and may feel way out of place if that's all that's offered for ladies to bond over! (But that's a post for another day...) If that's not you, don't worry about it. Find a friendship that fits for you. The point is to draw and give strength and support, not to feel judged or misfit.

What about you? Do you typically revel in relationships with other women, or do you shy away?

back to the land of blogging {in which I take a new direction}

So.....it's been a while, yeah? Almost one year, to be exact.

I've been mulling over what I want to write for a while now. Almost one year, to be exact...

I've been thinking and reading other blogs, and considering what I want to be writing about. I've been thinking about my passion, and my education, and my goals. I've been thinking about where I go from here. In my life, not just my blog.

I love domestic things. I love reading blogs about couponing, and creating home management binders, and saving money, and sticking to a cleaning schedule, and cooking things.

I also love working, and feminism, and social justice, and discussions about poverty and politics and health and psychology.

And I really love theology and talking about who Jesus was and is, and how He operates. I love the controversial conversation that's happening in regard to the American church and Western Christianity.

And......good luck finding all of those things in one place. Which is ok, except for the fact that they all seem to be SO separated from each other! I can find a jillion blogs on home management. And I LOVE them. But a lot of times we don't speak the same language. I don't have kids, I'm not a homeschooler, I work full time, and I don't have nearly enough time to clean my house. And I can find great blogs on feminism and religion and theology and social justice. But I also want to talk about baking and organizing and I don't want to skip over those things. So, yeah, I get it....all blogs and books and articles can't be about all things and all interests.

BUT.

How about when all those genres aren't really respecting each other? What about when you have to choose between domesticity and theology? That's pretty uncool.

So, I guess this is my space to blend my  interests. Because I get it- I get both "sides," of things.....I just don't like that there are sides. I'd rather have some solidarity.

I thought about changing the name of my blog, but I love it. I think our Proverbs 31 gal does blend a whole lot of things together- Jesus, feminism, business, working moms, domesticity, organization, money management. I like that about her. So I think she can stay. :)