Peanut Butter and Jelly Speeches: Can You Spare Some Advice?

I sat at a crossroads this weekend.

My mind has been spinning

churning,

questioning myself,

praying,

weighing,

critiquing.

And so I ask for your help,

for it is you who knows.

You come here and visit me

an often one-sided conversation

unless you very sweetly leave a comment.

I do try to visit you at your blogs,

especially if you comment a few times

making me remember to get over to you.

(My ability to remember is fast waning.) 

Your comments have been so amazing!

Thank you.

I feel so privileged

and a bit scared.

I remember my first speech class at college.

I thought I would faint.

My mouth was so dry,

my eyes wet with the tears that were ready to spill out,

and then the guy ahead of me got up and did his speech.

We were to do one of our first speeches explaining how to do something.

He did his,

with a perfectly straight and serious face,

on "How to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

I don't think I'd laughed that hard 

since my nervous feet had hit the college campus grounds.

He made us all roar,

and I don't think I ever thanked him for making speech class achievable to me.

Thank you, Chad.

Life is full of daunting challenges

that are actually small steps taken with courage...

often helped along by a dose of laughter. 

Blogging has been AMAZING to me. 

I have met sooo many incredible people

learned so much

been motivated to do so many projects that have sat waiting for me 

to get the gumption to do them.

You have motivated me.

(Of course, I don't know that my Farmer likes the sudden

onslaught of crafting fares that have crept into the kitchen

and office,

and basement.

Yes, dear Farmer,

I am going to clean them up

just as soon as I finish here.

I promise,

or at least,

I promise to remove most of them).

I have had so many house projects that needed to be done

and they are getting done now.

This is one of the first times in my life that I am making things just especially for my house,

besides when we moved in and HAD to.

Before now, everything I made was to sell

or for gifts;

and that's great too.

But I feel like I'm at a crossroads.

What are my goals in blogging.

Do you have goals?

Yes, I absolutely LOVE to write.

I love that I can share stories and pictures on here for family

and friends who I don't get to see.

My sister started a blog a year before I did,

and I loved her blog because I felt so much more apart of her daily life.

That's a TREASURE when you live 4 hours away.

My little sister got married in May

and I knew that blogging would make her still feel apart of my kids lives

even though she is clear across the country now.

So I have all these reasons for blogging in my mind.

And I wonder.

Am I putting too many categories together?

Do I need to be more organized?

I see many of you have personal blogs

and then your main blog.

Here comes some blatant honesty.

I would like to get where I can do some advertising

(things that I, in good conscience, could advertise,) 

and make just a little bit of money by blogging.

Honestly, I don't want a lot.

I just think maybe if I try so I can help bring in a little extra income,

pay the groceries for one week,

okay, even if it's just a gallon of milk,

to make it worth my time.

I've been reading Blogging With Amy's blog

and it motivates me to want to feel like I'm contributing to our household,

but I don't want to get too wrapped up.

I'm a wife and a mom first of all

and a Christian most.

But even the Proverbs 31 woman brought a nice income to her husband.

She was wise with the use of her time.

Regardless, I love blogging.

It is my relief, helps me laugh at things,

or focus things more clearly when the dust has settled.

It is my written coffee at the end of the day

when the kids have gone to sleep.

And when I need to get away and peer into somebody else's life

your blogs are my printed chocolate.

Oh, there are days when I am completely empty on what to write,

but that is usually immediately followed by a day where 5 subject matters

demand center stage.

I am so thankful for you,

my reader.

I am surprised that you come here so often,

Sue and Michaele;

you have been here and commented on me

and encouraged me almost from the beginning,

and I love both of your blogs.

Your goats milk soap that I won in your giveaway, Michaele,

is AMAZING!

(If anybody wants some wonderful goats milk soap,

she has a great selection and makes it herself!)

I know many of you read my blog

and tell me personally.

I blush because I think it's really kind of you

and that you take the time to do so is,

well,

really neat.

I don't expect everyone I know to read this.

Really.  I know you all have lives!

You probably wonder how I have time to write.

(I wonder that too, sometimes).

Anyhow, the fact is,

I get most of my views on this blog from my craft/painting posts.

I do get people asking me about some of my healthy writings as well.

Should I make a separate blog just for my craft/painting stuff?

Or should I just leave things as they are?

Would you rather just visit for the crafts

and if you want to know the workings of my brain drop in over here?

Or am I jumping the gun?

I do have other goals in my life:

I've wanted to write kids' books since I could pick up a crayon.

I have just not pursued it at this point because

well,

I'm too busy at this moment trying to get these house projects done first.

I know I need to make time

because there are only so many somedays to a lifetime.

So, dear reader,

wonderful blogging friends,

take out your typing scalpels

and let it rip.

I want your opinion,

(Please, don't feel like you need to butter me up;

really, I'm on a diet,

and I know if you are here,

you are taking the time to show you care).

Am I too wordy,

too long of posts?

Too often?

Too much variety: narrow it down to certain areas?

Split off my personal blog from the painting? 

Can you give me any suggestions? 

Truth is valuable to me.

It is the heat that makes the bread rise.

Most of all,

I want blogging to not be a waste of time,

not yours,

not mine.

I want to feel like I am offering something.

I want you to come here

and feel like I have given you something for taking the time to stop

whatever it is you were going to do,

just to listen to my speech...

even if my speeches are often not so grandiose.

After all, sometimes the best speeches aren't the most knowledgeable;

sometimes the most helpful speeches come in the form of
"How to make a peanut and butter jelly sandwich."

(If you prefer to post anonymously, I have changed my settings so that you may do so for this post.)

  Thank you!