Last week my lovely blog designer Marina installed my new blog header. A few of you with keen eyes noticed the new tagline. It is a change that has been coming for a while, it just took me a while to embrace it.
When I started this little blog over two years ago, I was in an entirely different phase of life. I had the peace of living in a house that was completely finished, two small, brilliantly napping children, and a much less hectic schedule.
But like the tides, and like the seasons, everything inevitably changes. I am not that girl anymore. As much as I love, support and adore everything handmade, as much as I long to have big daily blocks of time to sew and paint and make, I rarely have that luxury or opportunity.
Lately the only things that I seem to be making with my hands are a meal or braids in my little one's hair. (I'll be honest. Sometimes that meal I make? It might be a bowl of cereal. For dinner.)
My hands seem to be spending all of their time cleaning, helping, folding, driving, and happily snuggling my sweet, busy, noisy family.
something handmade. everyday.
could only stay if I expanded and changed the definiton of handmade. I thought about that. Even started a post on that exact theme, but to be honest, it made me sad. There are far too many times when life and it's accompanying chaos make me want to hole up in my craft room for days. Just me, some coffee, fabric and my iPod. There will be a time for that again. But that time is not now.
So what is a girl to do? I was chatting with a friend over this exact dichotomy... who I am, vs. who I want to be... what I want this blog to be. It suddenly became so very clear. I was a "craft blogger". I loved being a craft blogger. I missed being a craft blogger.
But now I was becoming something wholly different. Something that I discovered through this blog. Through this little craft blog.
"Who are you? What do you want your blog to represent?"
These words came out without a thought. As if they weren't even mine.
I want this blog to
do good and glorify God.
That's it.
That is what I want my blog to be. That is what I want my life to be.
Looking for ways to do good. Striving to glorify God.
Yes, I will still share crafts, sometimes be a bit sarcastic, and oftentimes I will ramble on randomly. I will still swoon over my boyfriend Dave Matthews, take pictures, go shopping, and make things with brown sugar and butter.
But I will try my best to see everything through the lens of goodness.
I am so thankful for each of you who have shared your stories with me. Comforted me. Cheered for me. Laughed with me. Cried with me. Encouraged me. For all of you that I have been blessed to meet. For those that I hope to one day meet. I am immensely grateful for this blog. For this journey. For the journey that continues.
Doing my best to embrace the journey. The season. Excitedly anticipating what is coming next.
GO you! This is so superb. So awesome. And it's an encouragement for me~I also want to glorify God in my writing and point people to Him. He is the reason we are here!
ReplyDeleteI love this post! I have been dealing with these same exact feeling you describe here and have been praying for God's direction in my blog, the hobbies that I seem to have no time for anymore, and just about my purpose in general, during these years when my three kids are so little and so needy. Thank you!
ReplyDeletejust lovely!
ReplyDeleteI'm excited for you!
ReplyDeleteDo something good everyday...
It involves so much... living for him, sharing your love for him, and doing something good so easily can involve crafting when you're able.
I have been praying and thinking about my blog, my business and my family and where he's directing me/us. And it's always so comforting to find others seeking his direction as well.
It's a worthy change! You're awesome. I like your blog. Always will. Thanks for your candidness. (its a word if i say it is.) :)
ReplyDeleteThat is wonderful! I love the thought of doing something good everyday. What a great goal!
ReplyDeletexox
Jen
I love this post! I've been following your blog for a few months and it's been nothing short of inspiring. I love it. God bless you and your lovely family! ♥
ReplyDeleteI love your sentiments today, Julie. Thanks for sharing your heart behind your blog. It gives us a lens through which to experience it, and I believe that matters. I will be looking for you at the Mariners Boutique this year! (I'm 1/2 of the Tidbit duo. Maybe you knew that) ;)
ReplyDeleteLove you. The end.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBut I also love Dave Matthews. The end, end.
ReplyDeleteI am a new reader.... and what a perfect post to come upon! Our God is so good and when we stop to abide with Him... He blesses us! Your blog is clearly in His blessing and I look forward to reading more!
ReplyDeletethanks, sweet Julie, for sharing your thoughts and dreams. i'm right there with you - loving what i do, but realizing that my people, not my craft, need to be my priority. praying for the Lord's guidance & wisdom as to what that all looks like. and for the strength to let things go if He asks.
ReplyDeleteI love this.
ReplyDelete"That is what I want my life to be. Looking for ways to do good. Striving to glorify God."
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspirational line. That is EXACTLY what I want my life to be too. You put it so beautifully. Thank you. For all you do.
Love this. God has been speaking to me about taking good care of things: my husband, my children, my business, myself. Let us all strive to do good things everyday and to glorify God. Take good care, Linley
ReplyDeletei've loved all the content you have had here . . . craft or no craft! it's definitely about blessing our creator!
ReplyDeletebtw . . . 1 of my boys had cereal for dinner & the other ramen noodles. (and those noodles were more than i wanted to fix too!)
Love this post!! I am excited for you! <333
ReplyDeleteAmen and Amen! Even though I may have happened upon your blog for your mad crafting skills, I stay because you love Jesus, sarcasm, pretty fabric, turquoise, and Dave Matthews...in no particular order.
ReplyDeleteI adore you and your adoration for Christ, my sweet friend! And I love, love, love that I can call you friend and mean it. There will be a Snugglefest, even if it is 2015. XOXO
ReplyDeleteyou are wonderfully wonderful. i haven't blogged in a week. this move is sucking the life out of me, the very marrow from my bones. i am a loser. a loser that will meet you one fine day. oh, and marcus emailed me is cell phone number. yup!
ReplyDeletewhat a great motto! i might add that to the bottom of emails to remind myself of the same thing each day.
ReplyDeleteIn.spir.ing.
ReplyDeleteI loved this post. So honest. Thanks for sharing your heart...and encouraging me today.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful..thats all I can say!
ReplyDeleteWonderful:)
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful! That's exactly why I love your blog!
ReplyDeleteThere is a wind of change blowing I think...
ReplyDeleteI follow a handful of blogs regularly..yours and one other are the newest to me. Almost all of the women behind my faves...including myself...have come to a cross roads with the blog and who we "are" lately.
Authentic and real...rocks :)
Stay true..it's the best way to be!
I am excited to see what your new journey and blog holds and I will continue to follow! It's a wonderful message. Goal. Life's work. Be strong and let God lead you in whatever direction he sees fit. :) Best wishes!
ReplyDeleteMeghan
you know i love you for exactly what you are...you.I enjoy each and every post and look forward to them:)
ReplyDeletethankyou for making my life a little brighter.
siobhan
God is good! All the time!
ReplyDeleteDitto on the Dave Matthew's. ;)
Nicole
You are my favorite of all of the craft bloggers. I love your love for God!!! It makes me happy!
ReplyDeleteLove it! And Love your blog! xo
ReplyDeleteAnd God will use you!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see how!
Hopefully we can talk sometime soon! <3
Life is crazy busy with growing kids. I used to scrapbook all the time and I LOVED it. Just today, I came to realization that it is unrealistic of me to even start to believe that I can keep up with three kids' scrapbooks. It would wear me out and end up being a huge burden. Sooo . . . I decided to buy a ton of those leather photo albums and just start putting my photos in them. (unscrapped, unembellished, un-cute) But I love it becuase they are in an album and now I will have time to make more memories with my kids instead of trying to scrapbook all the memories. Whew!! I think I need to blog about this.
ReplyDeleteAnyway . . . I like reading your blog when it is about your daily life more than I do when it is about crafts anyway. :) You ARE glorifying God through your blog.
OK Julie. I was standing in my (ugly) kitchen today having a complete full blown sobbing meltdown from all the responsibilities that come with being a stay at home mom of 3 kids and how I have been working on ONE stupid quilt since MARCH! and I actually though to myself, "How does Julie do it. How on EARTH does she have time to craft and sew and cook and take care of a house and 3 kids. She's not human."(I seriously did think that last part, I'm not making it up). Thankfully, now I know you are a normal, human, super, busy mommy of 3 girls who probably has meltdowns in her (not ugly) kitchen. I feel so much better now :o)
ReplyDeleteLove, Love, Love these words. Perfect.
ReplyDeleteUm, bawling.
ReplyDeletelove this. lotsly.
ReplyDeleteAmen! I follow a lot of "craft blogs" and although I love to make list of all the cute things I want to make, YOUR blog has been much more than that! I go to it for encouragement! It's so refreshing and I'm so happy for what you just wrote!
ReplyDeletep.s
ReplyDeletewhat's wrong with cereal for dinner? ;)
I think your change is great! And incredibly inspiring.
ReplyDeleteInteresting timing for your post . . .
ReplyDeleteI found your blog a few weeks ago because it was linked to as a "craft blog." I stayed because it was a blog that encouraged me in my faith and most definitely glorified God!
So thankful to have found you . . . I'll be sticking around!
i love this. and you.
ReplyDeletemy heart feels like this, too. especially after finishing that class.
there's just so much of His love to spread. so many candles to light.
I like the lens of goodness! It's the one I like to look through first, and my camera follows a close second ;)
ReplyDeleteI do admire your craftiness and wish I had that knack, but I even more admire the words that you share, those are crafts from the heart. :)
amen
ReplyDelete...and as I have told you before, your blog has done me so much good on a very regular basis....glorifying God and keeping things real for me....many many thanks, you have absolutely no idea how many times you have encouraged little me. On keeping things real: cereal for dinner is a VERY REAL option at our house!!!
ReplyDeletejulie you said it so well. this same thing has been on my mind for about a month.
ReplyDeletethank you for sharing...and i love how honest and open you were about it!
with the girls getting bigger, my days are getting busier with them...my craft time is so small if there at all. and i am just ready to relax after bedtime...so i understand where you are coming from.
i love your blog and dave too!
Amen Sister! Our lives, in EVERYTHING we do, should glorify God. That doesn't always happen because we're human and we get stressed out, grumpy, mad, etc... but I completely agree with you about using your blog to glorify God and do good for His kingdom!
ReplyDeleteBut to be honest with you, I've been a reader since the beginning of the year and read most of your posts and you DO glorify God. There was the post about the young gal who dedicated her birthday (and gifts) to help build wells in Africa. Or the family who adopted a little boy from Haiti and you asked for prayers for them. And then there was the post about your husband and the harvest concert just a month ago. Even in your posts about cooking or cleaning or just being a Mom, you are glorifying God! Keep up the good work for our King; I love reading!
Kind Regards,
Nicole
Preach it, girl! Micah 6:8. I always LOVE your blog. Crafts or no crafts.
ReplyDeleteJulie, I am SO in that same season with you (3 young kids, school-church-activity driving schedule). Your words really resonate with me and are an encouragement to remember the important things in this season. :)
ReplyDeleteOh Julie, for this is why I love you so. This is exactly what your blog is. It is why I come so often and sometimes feel embarrissed because in my head and heart you feel like a "real" friend I know in person. You are someone I trust and come for comfort and upliftment. You strive to live a good life and it shows in every. single. post. Even admist the hard and the bad you are looking for the good. You make me want to be better. And you are just the type of person I want to "be around" and so I come to your blog. I read about your life. And I love you for who you are. Thank you for that. I love your new title. It is so interesting how life takes us. What he has in store for different times in our lives. What he has us to do and learn. How he teaches us what or who we are. I am grateful you started this craft blog...and even more grateful it has turned into what it has. You are blessing to me daily. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI like the change :). I think it perfectly reflects the way your blog has been moving over the last 6 months to a year ... and honestly, we can't all create everyday, but we can all be good with by HIS grace.
ReplyDeleteThank you for being a real testimony ... you and your blog sure make my heart smile!!
P.S. I'm eating some 'brown sugar & butter' Sweet Chex Mix. It is SO good, but it is also pure evil ... wait til' I see the scale in a few days. ((Shudder)) Until then I will munch on in ignorant bliss :D.
Julie, you are awesome.
ReplyDeletetaidye original
Really. We need to talk more. I could ditto exactly what you wrote. I'm overwhelmed. No time. Feeling like I can't do it all. Maybe I need to stop and re-consider what it is that I want exactly. What is most important to me...
ReplyDeleteYou are so wise to embrace this beautiful busy time in your life for what it is, a blessing! We sometimes forget just how fleeting these moments are. Bravo in rolling with the changes of life and sharing your love for God. We're right there with ya!
ReplyDeleteChristene from Whipperberry.com
Love this. Love your heart.
ReplyDeleteLOVE this post Julie! Miss hearing from you!
ReplyDeleteLove it & Love you.
ReplyDeleteAmen, sister! Your blog is such a joy to visit - I look forward to clicking over despite my current blog slump. Thanks for making me smile!
ReplyDeleteThank you for creating such an inspiring and uplifting place! I always enjoy your posts -- I really appreciate your testimony of God!
ReplyDeleteI love Joy's Hope. And everytime I read the title, I think of Joy. And that ALONE, is glorifying God on a daily basis. Whether or not Julie's words accomplish the task, the title does. I love this little comfortable corner of blogland. It makes my heart happy everytime I visit. Hello to sweet Joy and every Jae in the family...you ALL bring something good to my home.
ReplyDelete