April Asks the Internet: Episode I

So today is Wednesday, and I'm supposed to be talking about homemaking, right? Well, that's what I'm going to do, only instead of giving advice, I'm going to ask for it. It seems very likely that within a month or two, we will be making our home somewhere else. Yup--Randy got a job offer in Illinois. We have until Friday to make a final decision, but things seem to be headed toward, "Yes, we'll take it." It's exciting, because it's a really good opportunity, and I think it will be fun in some ways to pick out a new place together and really make our home together. Randy bought our house before we met, so it's something we've never done together. But it's sad at the same time. My whole family is here, and save for nine months I spent at college in St. Louis, I've never lived outside of Kansas City. Plus, we just joined our church, and we have made some wonderful friendships there that I will really miss. But this is just part of life sometimes, right?

So, my question for you, dear readers, is what advice would you give someone getting ready to move to an entirely different state? I'll take practical advice on moving, advice on how to cope with the emotional aspects--anything you've got. I know there are a few of you out there who have done this before, so I'm counting on you to comment! :)

Ready...go!

Purpose Driven Blogging

Don't worry...I'm not going all Rick Warren on you.



Ahem...anyway...would you like to know the quickest way to make sure you don't blog regularly? Tell people you're going to start blogging regularly. :) Oh, I had the best of intentions last week to write all kinds of things, but it just didn't happen for one reason or another. You forgive me, right?

Well...the good news is that in that time I've had the opportunity to really examine why I blog, and what it is I want to write about. It's pretty easy (and somewhat therapeutic, honestly) for me to sit down and just write about everything I'm doing and feeling and thinking. But we've addressed that, and besides--I really can't imagine it's terribly interesting to the rest of the world. It would also be easy for me to rant and rave about all the things I see wrong in the world. I think there's a time for that, but I don't think it's really the best use of my time or my voice. There's nothing I really consider myself an expert at, so I don't feel like I can make this a food blog, or a theology blog, or anything like that. But I do enjoy blogging, and I would like to do it with some purpose. The title of my blog is "Becoming April." And I think that's appropriate. I am certainly not the person I was five years ago, or even one year ago. I haven't gotten to where some of you are, but as time goes on, I hope that I do continue to grow and mature. In recognizing that I'm not where I used to be, and that I am growing as a person, I realize that, although I certainly don't have it all together, perhaps there is someone out there who is a step behind me in my journey. If anything I say can be helpful or encouraging to that person, then that's why I want to blog. I want this to be a place of encouragement, and I want to invite others to grow along with me.

In arriving at these conclusions, I think I've settled on a general posting schedule that will work for me. I'd like to post a minimum of three times a week--Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Mondays (except today) will be of a devotional or theological nature. My goal in this is to encourage, and perhaps occasionally to challenge our thinking. Wednesday's focus will be on homemaking. As I've said, I'm no expert, but I've managed to figure a few things out, and hopefully that will continue. I may post more recipes (don't worry, Bethany--I'm working on my formatting! lol), homekeeping tips, or just encouragement for those of us who are homemakers. Obviously I love staying home, and I think it is best in most instances. But I also understand that that isn't the reality for everyone, and so I want to be inclusive in this, and post things that will be helpful for anyone who is the keeper of their home, whether they do it full time or part time. Fridays, I will be sharing links to some of the things I've read throughout the week. I may get a sudden itch to post something random on a Tuesday or Thursday as well, but for now I'm just going to commit to three posts per week.

Now let's see if I will actually keep this up... :)

Hy-Vee Hot Deals

I don't normally post grocery deals here...in fact, I'm pretty sure this is the first time. But I thought my Kansas City readers (all...one...of you...) might find this helpful. Hy-Vee is having a pretty decent sale this weekend, and if you shop on Saturday or Sunday, you will supposedly receive a free coupon book, good through next week. Or so says their website...we shall see. Anyway, here are some pretty good deals I saw in their ad that we will be taking advantage of:

Hunt's Tomato Sauce--$0.39/8 oz.
Hass Avocadoes--$0.98/each (That's about what I pay at ALDI, but I don't have to wait for these ones to ripen!)
Russet Potatoes--$0.79/5 lb. bag
Yellow onions--$0.99/3 lb. bag (w/coupon from ad)

Also, Sunfresh has the Smart Chicken legs or thighs on sale for $1.48/lb. We're going to be eating a lot of chicken next month!

Have you found any great deals in your area lately?

Read any good books lately?

This was not a planned post, but I know of a few other bloggers who have posted their reading list for 2010, and I thought it might be fun to share here what we're all reading. Some of these are books I've already read and would like to own, some of them are books we've gone through as a church and I'd like to take a closer look at them, and some of them are books I just really want to read (and can't find at the libray). I would love to hear if anyone has read any of these books and what you think of them! Do you have any books you're dying to read this year?

What Our Mothers Didn't Tell Us: Why Happiness Eludes the Modern Woman by Danielle Crittendon

Smart Bread Machine Recipes: Healthy, Whole Grain, and Delicious by Sandra Woodruff

What On Earth Is the Church For by Dave Devenish

Secrets of the Secret Place: Keys to Igniting Your Personal Time With God by Bob Sorge (along with the Study Guide)

What the Bible Says About Healthy Living by Rex Russell

The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict by Ken Sande

Learning Evangelism From Jesus by Jerram Barrs

The Legacy of Biblical Womanhood by Susan Hunt and Barbara Thompson

The True Woman: The Beauty and Strength of a Godly Woman by Susan Hunt

Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck

The Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition

Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon

Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan

Damsels in Distress: Biblical Solutions for Problems Women Face by Martha Peace

Attitudes of a Transformed Heart by Martha Peace

Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney

The Six O'Clock Scramble: Quick, Healthy, Delicious Dinner Recipes for Busy Families by Aviva Goldfarb

Can I Freeze It?: How to Use the Most Versatile Appliance in Your Kitchen by Susie Theodorou

More-With-Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre

The Simpler The Better: Sensational Home Cooking in 3 Easy Steps by Leslie Resvin

Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk With God by Voddie Baucham

From Pantry to Table: Creative Cooking from the Well-Stocked Kitchen by Marlene Spieler

Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church Becomes Like the World by John MacArthur

Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist's Journey With the New Calvinists by Collin Hansen

Wow...I have a lot of reading to do!!!

Still here!

I am not dead, just so you know. :) I have taken an unplanned, but much needed, break from blogging. It was mostly due to holiday busy-ness, and then illness, but I've given myself a few more days just to have some focus in my home and develop some clarity of thought. I actually have several things that I am eager to write about, and will be starting tomorrow. See you then!

Just for fun

1999 vs. 2009

What a difference a decade makes

How old were you?
17

Where did you go to school?
William Chrisman High School (Go bears!)

Where did you work?
Mr. Steak

Where did you live?
With my parents

Where did you hang out?
Church, friends' houses, school (I was in some extra-curricular stuff so I was there a lot)

How was your hair?
Short and flippy

Did you wear glasses?
Sometimes, but mostly contacts

Who was your best friend(s)?
Lyndsey, Brook, Emily

Who was your crush?
Oh, there were plenty.

How many tattoos did you have?
None

How many piercings did you have?
Two holes in each ear

What car did you drive?
Chevy Corsica

What was your worst fear?
Failure, being alone

Had your heart been broken?
Oh, kind of. Looking back it wasn't so bad, but I was a melodramatic teenager.

Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter?
I think I had a couple of boyfriends that year

**HA HA HA!!! LETS SEE WHAT YOU ARE NOW !!!!!**

How old are you?
27

Where do you work?
At my house

Where do you live?
5 minutes from my parents

Where do you hang out
At my house, at friends' houses

Do you wear glasses?
Well I certainly do this week, seeing as I have pinkeye in both eyes, but I usually wear contacts.

How is your hair?
Long and curly.

Who are your best friends?
Carrie, Denise, Anjanette

Still talk to any of your old friends?
Yes, but not that often

Who is your current interest?
Randy

How many tattoos?
None

How many piercings do you have
Still just the two holes in each ear (though I did have a small nose piercing at one time!)

What kind of car do you drive?
An orange Kia Spectra5.

What is your biggest fear?
Still failure. Not that worried about being alone now.

Has your heart been broken since then?
A few times. I'm cool now though.

Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter
Happily married for almost 2 years!

Keeping it simple

I love facebook. It allows me to keep in touch with people who don't live near to me, or those who I don't often see. I've been able to share a lot of neat and interesting things with people, and I've been able to learn new things from them as well. Plus, it's just a lot of fun to write silly things on your friends' walls. With all of these things I love about facebook, it may seem surprising that I've decided to close down my account at the end of the year. But I definitely have my reasons.

1) It totally feeds my own self-centeredness. Do I really think people are that interested in what I'm cooking for dinner? Do I really need to brag about the latest thing I bought or gift I was given? Do my opinions really need to be heard by that many people? No, but I share all these things anyway. I wouldn't quite call myself a facebook addict, but it does find a way to creep out of my computer and into the rest of my life. Suddenly, things that are simply events to be enjoyed now have the need to be cleverly crafted into a facebook post. I can't let anything quasi-interesting happen without feeling the need to post it. And as cheesy as it sounds, I do feel so much better about myself when the comments start rolling in (and, conversely, I feel a little down when I post something that is SO interesting, but no one comments). I don't think that's really healthy.

2) Because so many other people besides myself feel the need to post everything they're thinking and feeling and doing on facebook, it changes how I look at people (and how people look at me, I'm sure). I'm all for honesty, but just like I'm learning through this blog, not everything was meant to be shared. I've had friends share about their bodily functions, their sex lives, and their innermost thoughts and feelings. Some of these things I just don't want to hear about, and some of them lose their meaning when they are shared with the whole world. I am still learning this lesson personally, and it's a lesson I'm glad I'm learning sooner rather than later.

3) It can become a breeding ground for drama. When we're sitting behind a computer screen, it becomes so much easier to say things we would never say out loud to a person's face. Obviously, blogging can be that way too, but for whatever reason, it seems easier on facebook. Perhaps because you know more people are likely to read it, or perhaps because a status update is so much quicker and easier than a blog post. A lot of the unnecessary drama I've seen takes place in the form of passive-aggressive behavior. (i.e. "April cannot believe how two-faced SOME people can be! Ugh!) I've never written a post quite like that, but I've seen plenty of them, and have been on the receiving end of a couple. I've also seen one little comment, or the lack of a comment on someone's post, become twisted into something it was never meant to be. I don't necessarily blame facebook itself, but it seems to encourage pettiness for whatever reason. You start to think, "Was that post about me? Why didn't she comment on what I said? She must be ignoring me!" Again, it goes back to the whole narcissism thing. When you have your own little world at your disposal, it becomes easy to feel like it all revolves around you.

4) It really can be a colossal time waster. I'm sure there are people out there who only check theirs every once in a while, and use it responsibly. But for me, it is so easy to waste time following everyone's posts, and commenting, and joining groups, and taking quizzes, and uploading pictures, and, and, and.....Is it really that important? I've concluded that it's not. Like I said, it may be fine for some people. But for me, I've decided that it's not a good use of my time. The blog is a little different, because I can set aside a certain amount of time to write my post, check other blogs, and be done with it. But with Facebook, there is so much information constantly streaming in, it's hard not to get caught up in it, checking all the time to see what's new with everyone.

5) It has given me justification for being a gossip. I've been able to tell myself, "Well, so-and-so put that out there on facebook, so if they didn't want me talking about it, they just shouldn't have said anything." But is it ever really okay to talk and complain about people behind their backs? I can't count how many times I've said to Randy, "Guess what so-and-so just posted on facebook. I can't believe she said that. She's such a (fill in the blank)." Again, that's really my problem, and not facebook's, but if we are to flee from temptation, and facebook gives me temptation to be less than charitable toward others, then I really don't think I'm losing out on anything by shutting it down.

6) It is a distraction from my relationship with God. I shared recently on my blog that I don't really need to be pouring out my heart here all the time, when I could be praying and looking to scripture for guidance. The same goes for facebook. It's much easier, when I'm dealing with something, to vent about it on facebook, rather than to pray about it. Any distraction from that that I can cut out is okay by me.

People may or may not understand or agree with my decision, but that's okay. I feel really good about shutting it down. Sure, I will miss it a bit--after all, it's fun! But I look forward to what God could teach me in the time that I would have spent on facebook. I look forward to fostering real friendships with people, instead of settling for an electronic "hello." Is there anything in your life like this that you have felt you have had to give up? I'd love to hear how other people have dealt with these issues.