Summer Sabbatical

Well, I've been mulling this for a while, and I just need a break. I've got four precious children and an incredible man who deserve more of my attention than I'm currently giving.

I don't know about you guys, but this whole internet thing can really take over your life if you're not careful... and it can all be for good stuff-- Facebook to keep up with friends (good), homeschool groups online to keep up with schooling objectives and get wise advice when you need it (good), and blogs, glorious blogs to constantly stretch and challenge you, and to learn so very much about our world (also good). But it can eat away at life. REAL life. Life with family, celebrating birthdays and ordinary days. Life with friends, encouraging one another, enjoying jokes and sharing delicious meals. Life with children, teaching and training about God as we tickle and giggle and play family hide & go seek. Life.

I'm not quitting; I enjoy blogging too much for that. It not only gives me an outlet to process and share what I'm learning and taking in, but it also sharpens and challenges me in so many oh-so-wonderful ways.

That said, I just need a break. I'll be back. Maybe at the end of the summer or so. But until then, feel free to look around... through the archives and such, in the right-hand sidebar. Especially the "Show & Tells"-- you'll find so many links worth reading there.

I'll look forward to enjoying many more good discussions with you all about family, marriage, the Bible, and womanhood. Blessings to you and I hope you have a delightful rest of the summer, full of family, friends, and an ever-richer relationship with Christ Jesus our Lord.


[ETA: You can always e-mail me @ MakingHome@pobox.com]

Show & Tell: Everything AND the Kitchen Sink

I'm gonna quit apologizing for the length of these posts and just revel in it. Confession time: Hello, my name is Jessica, and I am a link junkie. I LOVE passing on good links and it really lights my fire to see a bunch of out clicks on my sitemeter. So, here we go again. Show & Tell #50 gazillion. ;-)

WOMANHOOD:

• Candid Words from a Would-Be Mother
• Celebrating Womanhood- Ideas for delighting in the gift of being a woman
• 20-something reasons to live at home- as a single Christian woman
  
• JUDGED-- Mary Grace shares her thoughts as a foster mom who *gasp* has used food stamps for her foster son... and the reactions she gets. This one may get you to noticing that big log in your own eyes (ask me how I know!).
• How feminism tore one daughter from her mother
  
• Older Women Wanted-- Mary Pride's request for moms with know-how to stick around and help younger moms rather than retiring to an empty nest

MOTHERHOOD

• Loving Our Kids: Merry hits the nail on the head and gives a simple (but not easy) challenge
  
• Days Gone By- a brief but eloquent "musing" on children growing older
  
• Nursing at 13 months- We moms end up feeling bad or guilty for all kinds of things, don't we? (Even good things like breastfeeding our children!)
  
• Raising Godly Children-- encouragement from Scripture with practical application
  
• Encouragement for tired moms to PRESS ON!- It's a long interview with Janet Parshall, but well worth reading/listening to!
• Thoughts on sheltering and wisdom- more by my empty-nesting friend, Chloe
  

MORE ON ABORTION:

• Pill users beware!- Did ya know oral contraceptives may cause abortions?
  
• Gender selection abortions
  
• Obama: Babies as punishment
  
• Infanticide Procedure, step by horrible step: Doctors describe performing partial birth abortions-- Oh, this is not for the faint of heart... but God, help us to read this sort of truth and act, doing all we can on behalf of the unborn.
• Baby survives abortion, expected to live "normal" life-- (hat tip: Dust & Clay)

ON CHINA:

• Rights Activists IGNORE China's One-Child Policy- "My body, my choice", you'll hear from feminist activists the world over... except when it comes to the horrors that happen in China every day because of their "overpopulation" policy.
• China's aftershocks-- the earthquake served to highlight ethical problems inherent in the system
• "My dear baby, if you can survive, please remember Mom loves you."

CHEW ON THIS:

• Amish Friendship Bread- From what this says, your friends will thank you. So, should I make up the "starter" batch?
• Homemade White Bread-- for some reason, this looks absolutely delicious to me (and a friend of mine says that it IS!) So I'm linking for you-- but also for me, to motivate me to make it!!! :-)
• Starvation claiming Ethiopia's smallest- Will you consider giving (you can give through adoption agencies and orphanages) and helping provide food for these children?
• What People Eat Around the World- a visual index of food around the world
  

BLOGGING:

• CUT DOWN YOUR BLOG READING by learning how to use a "feed reader". DG takes you step by step, so even non-techies can use this!
  
• A solution for those of you wanting a new blog design! BLOGS FOR A CAUSE - Nikki does blog designs and donates part of the proceeds to charities-- Woohoo!

SPIRITUAL GROWTH:

• Spiritual Gifts-- a six-part sermon series by Mark Driscoll. Probably the most comprehensive and yet comprehensible handling of the spiritual gifts that I've come across. (The link is to Adrian Warnock's blog, who linked all 6 of the sermons in one post-- so you can get them all from there.) Here is a written summary of the sermons.
  
• How to Waste Your Theological Education-- tips for seminarians and other aspiring theologians... a good gut-check for what you're doing with that "education"
• Sovereignty of God & life transitions- I could echo every one of Mrs. Elliot's words.
• Living with all of the Body: thoughts on age-segregated vs. age-integrated church experiences
• Voddie Baucham talks about "The Family-Integrated Church"
  

FOR THE LOVE OF BOOKS:

• Sorting books-- deciding which to keep and which to pitch
• Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers: This series looks GREAT for teaching basic doctrine to young children!
• Librivox: Listen to public-domain books in audiobook format for FREE! (Especially helpful for homeschoolers-- you could listen to a classic work while doing other things around the home. Also available as a free podcast.)
  
• Puritan Library: Challenging Puritan works in e-book format in their entirety online.
  

ON PORNOGRAPHY:

• "Dear Person that Googled 'Porn' and Got Me"- I've been shocked to see how many people google porn and end up here at Making Home. Prodigal Jon gives an excellent response to that anonymous reader.
• Women Against Pornography
  
• Hugh Hefner's Wasted Life-- boy, this one is sad. Sad, sad, sad.

FOR A LAUGH:

• Engrish.com-- a daily serving of Engrish/Chinglish-- this is what happens to the English language when put on shirts, signs, store windows, and more in China. Having lived in China for a year, I find this particularly hilarious... but you might too. :-) [Note: very occasionally there are off-color items featured... but most of the time, it is both tame and hysterical.]
• What does "crunchy" look like?
  

OH--AND ABOUT THAT KITCHEN SINK:

• In case you are a young wife/mother/person who has NOT heard about this, it may be helpful. Flylady is a great online resource for cleaning or keeping your house clean. [Now, I should admit: I do not actually use Flylady. I am a Flylady failure... but that is partly because I was not motivated to keep it up when I DID use it, partly because I've lived in more places than I can count in the last few years and have just had to do whatever I could to "make it", and partly because I'm more of a clean-as-you-go and clean-as-the-Spirit-hits-you sort of gal. ;-) But many, MANY of my friends find it helpful. So maybe you will too. Plus I had to include a link that had something to do with the kitchen sink, OK?!?]

Meme for May

OK, this "Meme" is long... but I was tagged by mrscjallen (also by Janel, in a similar meme, so I'll just count this one as that), and it's one I've not seen, so I decided to do it and share a little more about myself here. Here goes... and I'll share some recent pictures, while I'm at it.

Favorite person (outside family)? Without a doubt, my dear friend and mentor Angie. She's had the honesty to let me see her imperfection, and has had the guts to show me and teach me from her strengths as well. I owe so much of who I am today to my precious friend.

Favorite food? Carbs. Can I say that? Fluffy white bread, soft buttery tortillas, Cheesecake and quiche crusts.... OK, if I can't say carbs, then I'll say good authentic tacos. There's nothing like a good crunchy taco shell filled with spicy ground beef, tomatoes, sharp cheddar and monterey jack cheese, authentic guacamole, and a little salsa. YUM! I could drool right now.

Quirks about me? What's not quirky about me? I'm a Christian woman but I love movies like Spinal Tap and Monty Python. I'm only 28, but I'm married with four kids. Heck, I've got four kids and still would like to have more--that's quirky, right? I now wear skirts about 75% of the time, and yet I love my pink Converse and if my hair was long enough I'd wear braided pigtails at least once a week. I live overseas and yet I'm still an obnoxious Texan at heart. I am a homemaker (essentially, my "job" is to love and serve others) and yet I struggle with selfishness and laziness, among other less lovely qualities. I feel like I'm nothing but quirks.

How would the person who loves you most describe you in ten words or less? (Ask them.) OK, I asked him: Beautiful, sexy, intelligent, hilarious, fun, nurturing, wonderful wife, excellent mama.

Any regrets in life? Yup, some of them I won't go into here. But my biggest regret, in all honesty, is that I wish I would have saved every bit of physical affection for my husband. If I could change anything about my life, I would've made my first kiss be with Doug on our wedding day.

Favorite Charity/Cause? Well, I volunteered at a crisis pregnancy center, and that's the best cause I can think of-- working to save the lives of the unborn by helping those in crisis situations that often feel like there's no way out. Giving them hope, giving them information, and giving them help.

Favorite Blog recently? Hmmm.... Renee at Steppin' Heavenward always inspires me to love my kids more and delight in God's gifts.

Something you can't get enough of? Time with Doug. We spend a lot of time together... but I'm always up for more. We've had seasons of him working away from home and seasons where we worked from home together, and now we live overseas and he keeps a quirky schedule, but we still have time together nearly every evening from about 7:30 on. Nevertheless, I love, love, love spending time with him and would always welcome more of it.

Worst job you've ever had? I think (unless my mom can remind me of something I'm forgetting) that I've always had pretty good jobs... I worked at Six Flags (fun!), worked as a pharmacy technician for awhile (interesting!), worked with developmentally disabled adults while in college (rewarding!), worked at a peanut brittle factory (yum!), helped run a political office in Washington D.C. (what a blast!)... and now I'm a wife and mom. I've really been blessed to have good jobs, I think. And now I've got the best job of all.

What job would you pay NOT to have? I don't really know what this question is asking. Can I skip it? Oh, my husband just explained it to me. I definitely would not like to manufacture creamed corn for a living. Or scrape gum off of the bottom of desktops.

If you could be a fly on the wall, where? Off the top of my head? In the Clinton's home on a night when they're just both home alone together. I've never figured out their marriage... on the one hand, it does look like a marriage of political convenience, but on the other hand, I think he loves her brilliance and I think she really does love him. I'd love to just see how their personal dynamics are when it's just the two of them. I enjoy watching the dynamics of different marriage relationships anyway, but theirs in particular has always fascinated me.

Favorite Bible verse right now? Ephesians 5:15-16:

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Guilty pleasure? frozen Reese's peanut butter cups. (But truthfully, I don't feel guilty at all when I eat them-- they are so stinkin good.)

Got any confessions? We're looking into adoption. Maybe Ethiopia, maybe Ghana, maybe a sibling group, but we really wanna. (I just turned my confession into a poem.)

If you HAD to spend $1,000 on YOURSELF, how would you spend it? About $200-300 on books, and then the rest on massages, once a month (or maybe slightly more frequently) until the money ran out. I do LOVE a good massage.

Favorite thing about your house? The layout. It's perfect for our family and for our lifestyle right now. We host groups here a lot and even though our apartment is pretty small, we have a circular walkway that goes from our living room, through our balcony, into the kitchen, into the entryway, and back into the living room... so it flows well for having meals with groups. :) Plus, the enclosed balcony (as noted) is right off of the kitchen and the living room so I can let the kids play out there while I'm working in the kitchen, or nursing Silas or doing something in the living room... it works out so well!

Least favorite thing about your house? No yard for the kids to play in. Boys just really need to run, so it's off to the park for us.

One thing you are bad at? Remembering details.

One thing you're good at? Trying new things/taking risks.

If you could change something about your circumstances, what? I'd have a good friend here in real life to talk to. I'm starting to connect more deeply with one lady, but it has been slow going. I really miss having really good friends that I can connect with face-to-face.

Who would you like to meet someday? Ruth.

What makes you feel sexy? Music. Only certain kinds/songs, mind you. "Wild Horses" by Rolling Stones, "Forever" by Ben Harper, "Glycerine" by Bush, "Crash Into Me" by Dave Matthews Band, "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton, "Fix You" or "Kingdom Come" by Coldplay, "One" by U2. Songs like that.

Who is your real life hero? Randy Alcorn. He's a man who lives his convictions, not only in his writings and speaking, but also in his paycheck, and in the stances he takes on issues. He has put his money where his mouth is and has made his life about the things of God. I really, really respect him.

What is the hardest part of your job? Being consistent for these little lives that are being shaped every day by my choices, my words, and my actions. It's a huge responsibility, even while being a huge blessing.

When are you most relaxed? When Doug and I are sitting on the couch together, talking or watching something, while he rubs my feet. What a man.

What stresses you out? Dumb little details about life. I really can handle big life crises, but (like Bush said, I think, in one of their songs in the early 90's), it's the little things that kill.

What can you not live without? Books. I'm constantly reading and picking up new books... having new things to learn, new subjects to understand, and new issues to grapple with really lights my fire.

Do you agree or disagree with the recent article that reported that blogs are authored by narcissists? I don't know... to answer this question truthfully, I'd have to read the article, and it wasn't linked. But generally, yes and no. Yes, in that we're all kind of self-occupied and talk about the things that interest us (whatever that may be)... and no, in that I think people blog for all kinds of reasons.

Why do you blog? In hopes that something I've experienced or learned can help someone else... kind of my way of being involved in the Titus 2 passing-along of information and encouragement, even though I'm an ocean away from most people who read this blog... and also because I love to write and this gives me an outlet for my thoughts.

I actually started blogging almost two years ago because I was constantly having book ideas, and I'd write about a chapter and then get sidetracked and never finish them. So, finally I decided to just write my "chapters" here, online. I hope that what I write ultimately draws people closer to Christ, encourages them toward love for their families, and gives them more of a desire to discover what plans and purposes God has for each of us as individuals.

OK, so according to the rules, I tag:

TWO NEW-ISH BLOGGERS:

• Catherine R @ Viva La Homegirl- I've enjoyed getting to know her lately
• Shannon @ Seeking to Glorify- A real life friend of mine.
  

BLOGGY FRIENDS:

• Tamara @ Woman of Noble Character- Another friend. One of those that I miss visiting with, face to face.
• Jo-Lynne @ Musings of a Housewife (she's always up for a meme!) -- Oh, snap! She already did it. Well, go read her answers for yourself.
  

BLOGGERS YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW BETTER:

• Mary @ Home Steeped Home
  
• Terry @ Ornaments of Grace

And YOU-- if you'd like to participate, go ahead! And leave a link here! :)

Show & Tell: My Post-Partum Link Party

Because I've been in my post-partum stay-close-to-home mode (translate that to: "I've been spending a lot of time reading on the computer while feeding and snuggling with my son"), I've got a lot of links for you this time. (And, unashamedly, as a proud mom, I'm showing off a few recent pictures of my kiddos.) Enjoy!

FEATURED ARTICLE

• KNOWING GOD'S WILL- Randy Alcorn gives excellent advice about discerning the will of God-- that it's often more about who we're becoming than what we're doing.

CONCEIVING & HAVING BABIES

• Eighty-five cent pregnancy tests - SERIOUSLY! 85 CENTS!!! If you're trying or hoping or think you'll need them, this price is incredible! They also have a good price on ovulation tests, if you're so inclined.
  
• Mars Hill's summary of birth control options: Mark Driscoll's sermon on this issue is worth listening to... but this summary also includes lots of great reading material and links (at the bottom of the page) worth perusing if you're reading up about or making decisions about family size, sex, abortion, and birth control.
• Jobs will wait; babies won't.
• Doug Wilson has written a very interesting (and I think, very balanced) article about Birth Control
  
• Martin Luther King's niece, Alveda, speaks about abortion. She writes, "King once said, 'The Negro cannot win as long as he is willing to sacrifice the lives of his children for comfort and safety.' How can the “Dream” survive if we murder the children? Every aborted baby is like a slave in the womb of his or her mother. The mother decides his or her fate."
• The Haze Continues to Lift: Catherine's thoughts on having had an abortion 10 years ago
  
• Planned Parenthood's slogan says "Every child a wanted child". Although their approach is entirely wrong, the slogan is something we can all agree on- every child is wanted (if not by the bio mom, there are hundreds of adoptive parents waiting in line).
  
• Ted Turner calls for a two-child-per-family limit.
  
• Having more than two children is selfish and sinful?
  
• Three Kids? You Showoffs! Big families are now a growing status symbol among the very rich. This article (though it is seemingly written in support of larger families) contributes to the problem by perpetuating the idea that it must be expensive to raise children.
• The "What Ifs" of Adoption
• Breastfeeding videos: These links can show you what a good latch on looks like, and help you hear and identify problems in latching on/breastfeeding. What a great resource for nursing moms!
• In whose best interest is this, exactly? Stories from a foster-to-adoptive mom about visits with biological parents during the waiting period until the adoption is finalized. (Very insightful and worth the read!)
  

MARRIAGE

• Complementarian Singles: How Can I Prepare For Marriage? A great article about God-honoring singleness as you wait
  
• Be content when he is home; Be content when he is not. A great word on contentment for wives whose husbands travel or work a lot. (Be sure to check out her reading list at the bottom of her site-- GREAT recommendations!)
• How a Wife Should Respond to Her Husband: Bethany shares helpful notes for wives from a marriage conference
  
• When Blending Families, Mix Well. Terry shares from her own experiences about blending a family in a way that honors God, strengthens the marriage, and solidifies the family unit.
• Why it Kills to Keep Up with the Joneses
• Shacking Up- why couples who live together fare worse once married (this is an insightful interview with Mike McManus, a man I met almost ten years ago, who runs "Marriage Savers"-- a non-profit organization focused on marriage).
  

RAISING & EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN

• Why do parents need to be united in their parenting?
  
• Third-culture kids: This is what you end up with when you live overseas-- children who don't really identify fully with their "first" culture, or their "second" culture-- so they end up forming their own. John Piper put out a list of great ideas about how to relate to and serve "TCK's".
• Raising Missions-Minded Children
• How long should a homeschool day be?
• Good old-fashioned homeschooling: Why having too many options can actually harm the homeschooled family... and why a return to simple home schooling may be in order when we feel overwhelmed or stressed.
  
• Finding support as a homeschool mom
• Washington Post: The real cost of government-run schools- it is shocking how much money is spent per child with such a poor outcome in government schools. No business would be able to continue running if they had such lousy returns on the investment.
  
• Ever considered: What if public schools were abolished? A fascinating (and I think, realistic) view of what would happen in our society if government no longer meddled with the education of America's children.

FOOD

• Bakeshop Blueberry Muffins
• How to Make Cinnamon Sugar (and chocolate cinnamon!)
• List of all label "aliases" for MSG- for those of you who are allergic or try to avoid it
  

BLOGGING/WRITING

• Five tips from C.S. Lewis about pithy, worthwhile writing (and talking).
• Twelve ways to improve your blog
  

MISCELLANEOUS

• Heterosexual Roommates: Now that homosexuality is so rampant on college campuses, dating couples and boy/girl casual friends are asking, "so why can't we be roommates?" So now it's "pick your own roommate", male or female, on some college campuses.
• Divided We Stand: What do religious conservatives do without a political candidate "of their own"? We're about to find out.
• Is it OK to Look? The truth about pornography
• CPS investigates because family has "too many kids", and- *gasp* -their kids "do dishes"- Folks, the government's intrusion into our lives as citizens are getting more and more absurd.
  
• Olympics-- Shut Up and Compete: Randy Alcorn weighs in with thoughts about the upcoming Beijing Olympics, in light of human rights violations and the persecuted church.
• Feminism Run Amok on the Soccer Field
• Did Jesus Spend Saturday Night (before Resurrection Sunday) in Hell? John Piper says "no."
• The "Poison" of Computer Gaming-- [Are you all noticing more and more families being negatively affected by this? I sure am! I'd love to hear from you if you have thoughts about video/online games and what our response as Christian families should be!]
• Why I Left Greenpeace: from one of the founders- this is a great example of what can happen when our zeal trumps our love for truth
  
• How to help your grieving friend: practical ideas from a hurting mom
• Listeners' Bible: Free mp3 downloads of John, Philippians, and Ephesians
• Barak Obama: A wolf in sheep's clothing, says Voddie Baucham-- a candid examination of Obama's record on abortion
  

GOOD FOR A LAUGH

• Tim Hawkins: GPS for life

I've received lots of "thank you"s over the months for these show & tell posts, so full of links and reading material. But then I know these are overwhelming for some of you. I have to confess, I love seeing all the "out-clicks" on my sitemeter after posting one of these posts... it's so neat for me to see these great articles all being read and (hopefully) useful for you. It is a passion of mine to point people in the direction of good information/resources that will help women and families to honor God more.

Please feel free to e-mail me if there are particular topics you'd like to see more links about, or if there are articles you find that might be worth including in my show & tell posts in the future! Additionally, if there are things I could do to make these links more useful for you, let me know!

Thanks-- and happy reading!

Show & Tell: Fun Finds for April

***Just wanted to share some exciting (for me) news: my letter to Maranatha has been published at the Gender Blog put out by the Council for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood. (This feels like silly self-promotion, but I'm so thrilled and feel so honored and I wanted to share it with all of you!) ***

Get ready for some fun links-- these should give you lots of interesting reading, so here we go!

INTERESTING VIDEOS:

• Mt. Sinai, Moses & the Exodus: This video is absolutely incredible; it's in 10 parts and takes about an hour and a half to complete. Full of interesting, on-the-ground archaeological and geographical research into the biblical account of the exodus based on the biblical text, the evidence unfolds before your very eyes. Ethan & I had so much fun watching this video after having read through the exodus account over the last few weeks in school.
  
• Butterfly Emerging from Chrysalis: I was explaining this to the boys a couple weeks ago and realized that there was probably a video on the internet that would show the whole thing. Bada-bing, bada-boom- I found this... a time-lapsed video that shows it in high-speed (and then you can click to watch the slow, real-time version). The internet has its drawbacks, but stuff like this is so incredible!
• Dinosaurs in computer animation: Based on bone structure and placement, animal "norms" and other research, Discovery channel put out these interesting videos that show what dinosaurs may have looked like in their original environment. Interesting stuff.

ABORTIONS, BIRTH CONTROL, AND BABIES:

• Even feminists are saying it: Wanna have a baby? Now's the time.
• John Piper has put out a new statement about the biblicality of birth control.
• Royal college warning about abortion: it can lead to mental illness
• Baby supposed to only live a few hours is perfectly healthy: makes you wonder how often this has happened before, when parents have opted to abort, doesn't it?!?
• The abortion industry's #1 provider-- Planned Parenthood: your tax dollars at work.
• Natural labor induction techniques: the most complete list I found, FYI.
• Post-partum dressing tips: great and feminine ideas from Emma about hiding the post-baby "pooch"
  

RELATIONSHIPS:

• I love you, but you love meat: not only an interesting commentary on veganism, but also an interesting commentary for all of us to consider about how personal idiosyncracies or preferences might keep otherwise compatible men & women from marrying and starting a family together.
• 83 Years of Marriage: what a neat story! Maybe we'll make it to 83 years-- there's at least a chance- we were married at 21! :)
• Holding Out: Boundless wrote a great article about young Christian singles who seem to be waiting for greener pastures... I'd love to hear from you guys on this-- do you think this is an accurate assessment of how things are going among Christian singles/college students?
• Either Serve God Wholeheartedly OR Get Married?
• An honest commentary about the "appeal" of abstinence education as it's been done by churches and Christian families in recent decades

THOUGHTS ON FAITH:

• 6 Aspects of Humility: Desiring God blog reminds us of what it means to be humble
• Brother Yun's Thoughts on the Western Church: See America's churches through the eyes of a Chinese house church pastor
• Obeying the Word of God: Terry reminds us to focus on obeying the basics of Scripture.
• The Unwasted Life: Tamara writes about intentional living-- living for God's glory-- living in light of eternity... good stuff.
  

WOMANHOOD:

• Girls: Rod Dreher shares his thoughts about the natural differences between the sexes.
• Is a Woman Just an Egg-Factory? Around the world, this is happening more and more.
• Bratz at the Beach: Crunchy Con shares some great thoughts about how the culture is affecting teenage and college-aged girls and their aims & dreams. It's disappointing and insightful all at once.
• Buying Clothes: the frustration of being a normal woman in a sex-driven, cleavage-baring, nothing-off-limits world-- do you ever find yourself wondering, "where can I get some normal clothes???"
  

ON POLITICS:

• An Open Letter to the Religious Right: WOW. I found myself nodding along to so much of this... especially-- ESPECIALLY-- the part about Ann Coulter.
• Mike Huckabee's take on the Obama/pastor/race issue
• Why Mike Huckabee's candidacy mattered
• Missing Mike Huckabee already
  

MISCELLANEOUS USEFUL or INTERESTING LINKS:

• Questions You Should Never Ask ANYONE- my friend Bethany compiled a great list of rude questions people ask when they oughtta just bite their tongue (I've been asked some of these!)!
  
• Stages of Responsibility: I found this to be helpful for ideas and to evaluate the reasonableness of asking kids to do various things around the house. It's a listing of chores and home responsibilities based on children's ages and skill levels
• On My Sewing Machine: Shannon might just inspire you to pull out the fabric & thread!
• Depressed in the Lap of Luxury: Why "having it all" does NOT equal happiness
  
• "How I Feed My Family of EIGHT on $300 a month"-- need grocery-savings tips? I think this woman's series of articles is a great place to start!
• Battling Sexual Sin
• Why I Don't Read Your Blog - I found myself nodding to a lot of these-- I've had to cut back on my blog reading anyhow (it's just overwhelming, and I easily fall into what Joe Carter described himself as-- a complete media junkie), but this list describes some of the reasons why I choose not to read certain blogs (ETA: Additionally, I found this list helpful in identifying problem areas that I need to avoid when blogging.)
  
• Jonah: Too Horrifying for Kids? - an honest appraisal of the dumbing down and p.c.-ing of Bible stories
• Designed for Sex: an incredibly good article about what sex is for and what we lose when we lose sight of God's plan for intimacy
  

GOOD FOR A LAUGH:

• This is something I've always been bothered by: the phrase "Hedge of Protection"-- and Tim Hawkins' comments about it cracked me up!
  

Oops!

Just wanted you to know, I made a mistake last night and accidentally published an article that's in the middle of a series I'm writing (#3 of 5 of a series called "Being 'Sexy' For Your Husband"). I woke up this morning to find comments to a post I didn't think I'd yet published on Making Home. OOPS!

We'll start the series soon- I've just realized my own ways (namely, that once I start a series, I'm really bad about finishing it as time goes along.) ... so I'm pre-writing the entire thing before I publish a single one. Anyway-- my mistake! If you read it and commented, we WILL get to that post and your comments WILL be attached, but I believe I'll start out with post #1 in the series rather than post #3. ;-)

Anyway, thanks for your patience with me. :)

Redesign Your Blog #3: DEALING WITH PESKY HTML

First: PLEASE forgive me for not having continued this series until now. If I told you about my month of January, you would understand why I haven't blogged very much, but suffice it to say I have had a very busy and exhausting month.

Click to read PART ONE and PART TWO of the "Redesign Your Blog" series! This third and final post will deal with the html aspects of blog redesign, and will be fairly simple, as I'll try to just address the html issues you guys have asked about. At the end of the post, I've included a final list of all the links I've found helpful in doing my own blog redesigns.

***As I warned you before, please save your existing template in a word doc before you begin fiddling with it. Then you can play around all you want to and rest assured that if you mess it all up (which happens sometimes for us non-experts), you can go back to "normal" without any problems!***

BLOG BACKGROUND
In the last post (part two), we talked about some options for selecting a background design, or using a solid color for your background. Here is a great link that will show you how to use a background design and implement it into your blog design. It tells you specifically how to insert the saved graphic file into your template... If you'll scroll down, you'll see a headline that says "How to make an image repeat across the whole page (like wallpaper)"-- this section contains the exact instructions I followed to get this lovely brown graphic as a background on mine, so I know it works, at least in blogger format. Here's another how-to about backgrounds.

BLOG SIGNATURE
In the last post (part two), we also discussed how to design a nice little signature to wrap up each post you write. Blogging Basics 101 has a great post about how to add your blog signature into your html. This blog gives information about blogger, wordpress, and typepad, so check it out! It's very helpful and she tells you precisely how and where (in your html) to insert the file so that it will automatically show up on each post you write.

GENERAL TIPS ABOUT HTML
* Have fun trying out new colors using the html 6-digit color codes. Use the color thesaurus I've mentioned or your design program to select colors, and then play around with them-- there's a whole section of your html that controls the colors on your blog (background color, text colors, sidebar widget colors, etc.). You can play with these to your heart's content, and come up with some interesting combinations that will make your blog stand out. I think it's best and easiest to read a blog that has dark text with a white background... but you can play with yours and see what you like. The great thing about doing it yourself is that you don't have to stay committed to anything. If you don't like it, change it-- no harm, no foul!
* The more you play around (even in small ways) with your html, the more familiar you'll become with it. You'll start to notice patterns: how the lines end, how new sections are added in, what a widget portion of html looks like, etc. So keep looking at it, and as you increase your blog's visual appeal, you'll be adding to your own understanding of html. I've found this to be true, and I'll bet it will hold true for you too.

BLOG REDESIGN: HELPFUL LINKS

• 13 Steps to a Beautiful Blog Redesign: Be sure not to miss an important step
  
• Online Color Thesaurus: great for finding new colors and having the html color code provided for you
• STEP-BY-STEP: How to Build Your Own Graphics
• How to Add a Picture to Your Blogger (Beta) Header
• Why Doesn't My Header Fit My Blog? Helpful tips for when you've designed your own header and are trying to get it to "work" with your design
  
• 13 Sites for Beautiful Background Designs & Patterns
• Squidfingers: My favorite online spot for free and beautiful background designs (mine's on page 11)
• What is a favicon and how do I add one to my blog? This is actually one that I haven't done yet-- this is my next html project to learn and tackle! :)
  
• How do I add a button to my sidebar?
  
• How do I make a picture with a link?
  

Finally, if there's something you want to know that I didn't answer here, you can always google it (of course), or check out Blogging Basics 101-- she has some great posts about design, html, graphics, and more. Hope this helps you put some finishing touches on the blog redesign you're doing... while this may not be comprehensive, I wanted to make it as simple and user-friendly (in non-expert language) as I could while still giving you the basics for a good redesign. I hope I've done that. If you have any big questions or see a huge gaping hole of something I didn't discuss, let me know- it may just be an oversight. (I've had the flu for over a week, had sick kids for 2 weeks before that, and just got a wisdom tooth pulled last night, so my body and mind aren't exactly working like normal!)

Blessings and Happy Blog Redesigning!

Redesign Your Blog #2: Design the Photos/Graphics

OK! So, after dreaming, you've found your potential pictures... you've picked out a background or two that you like... and you're ready to get into action with the design.

If you're already settled on the design you want to run with, GREAT! If you still have two or three general ideas, that's OK too. If this is your first time, you may really want to select one design scheme and go with that full force. Don't overwhelm yourself by trying too many options.

FIRST UP: THE HEADER
After looking at a variety of blogs, you've likely settled on a general "look" that's appealing to you. The first thing that people see when they come to your blog is your header. It's simple to change your header... here's the basics on how-to change your header. And here is an excellent, excellent, excellent video tutorial of how to change your header (just click on the square that says "customize your blogger header")! The more time consuming part is actually designing the thing. So, here we go...

[PLEASE NOTE: BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING, SAVE YOUR TEMPLATE HTML IN A WORD DOC! This is to protect you from yourself. And to protect me from your frustration if something goes awry. Go into your "template" tab... click on "Edit HTML", and then click the little box to the top right of the template that says "Expand HTML widgets". Now, click on the html text, hit ctrl-A to select all, then copy and paste the entire html code into a word document. Do it. Do it now. Don't come crying to me if you skip this step. This step will absolve you (and me) from any and all mistakes you may make along the way, and it allows you to toy around with your html without stress! :) Another EVEN BETTER option would be to create (through your dashboard) a second blog, on which to practice all of your html magic. That way, if you mess it up, who cares? If you nail it, then you'll know it before the whole world sees it! If you want to "live with" a look for a few days or so to make sure you like it, you CAN! And no one EVER HAS TO KNOW! (You can make it a private blog!) Just title it "YOUR BLOG NAME TRIAL" or some such thing. And then practice your html skills to your heart's content-- all without risking a thing on your real blog!]

DECIDE ON YOUR COLORS!
You need to find out color codes for all the colors you want to use in your design. While it may sound difficult, it's really easy to do. Go into photoshop or corel and use the eyedropper tool to find colors that you REALLY like, that are prominent or featured in your header. Another way to browse colors is by name, using this online color thesaurus. You can just type in a color name, and it will give you various options, listing their 6-digit hex/color code to the side-- VERY handy! Remember, you are looking for colors to use for your background colors, font colors, bullets on the sidebar, link colors, etc., so browse with a purpose!

Click on various colors that you're interested in until you find the perfect one... then double click on it and a box should either pop up, or the color box in the color selector will change, and there will be a place that tells you what the color code is. It will be a six-digit code (can be numbers, letters, or both). Write down the colors you like. For example, "DARK BROWN FOR HEADER BACKGROUND: ******, BLUE FOR DATES: ******, TURQUOISE FOR LINKS: ******". Hold onto that page-- you're going to need it for what comes next.

DESIGN YOUR HEADER
PICK YOUR STYLE!
---Perhaps you like a plain, solid colored header with simple lettering. No problem... use the color codes for the colors that you chose, and go into your template layout and click "edit html" and scroll down your template to the line that is like what I show below, and plug in the color code (e.g., I'll use #4c3920 for the lovely brown color I have behind my header) like this:

#header-wrapper {
background: #4c3920

Play around with your font color in the same way. Look at the code and find this section:

<Variable name="pageHeaderColor" description="Blog Title Color" type="color" default="#ffffee" value="#000000">

And then play around with the colors until they suit your fancy.

---Perhaps, though, you would like to have your entire header be a photo. So you need to determine the size that your header needs to be, and then create a new photoshop or corel canvas with those pixel dimensions. You're probably going to need to crop and/or resize your picture to fit the right size. Do that. And then click on the text tool to put in your blog title and any other words you want on your header. Play with the colors and fonts and size of your blog title, and then complete your image by saving it as a .jpg or .gif creation.

--- Or, perhaps you want your header to look something like mine-- a photo or graphic design with some color and text thrown into the mix. You're going to need to play around with your design in photoshop or corel. If you need tutorials on how to use those programs, you can find them online... just do a google search. Toy with the colors... move the photo graphic around, play with borders and strokes around the edges to make it look more professional, and then add your text at the end. When I was contemplating this most recent design, I did two test headers... here's the one that didn't make the cut:
For this one, I found the right size, paint-bucketed in the background blue color, copied and pasted the robin's egg nest picture (with the border that I had already added in and saved to the original) into the graphic, moved it over to the right, did a text tool for the title, did a different text box for the description below it (with a contrasting font), and finally, added the brown border around the edges. You could use the same basic steps to create your own custom header.

If you're wanting to create your own graphics, a tutorial like this may give you the information you need to get going in designing your own flowers or similar designs.

Play around with your header design until you do something you LOVE. Once you do that, save it. Eventually, even if you've started out with several design schemes, you'll find yourself leaning towards one particular design. Make your decision, and save your work in as high a resolution/quality as you can. I'll tell ya how to use it next time (or you can scroll up and watch that easy video tutorial I mentioned!).

NEXT UP: YOUR BACKGROUND DESIGN

The next thing will be changing your background "skin" or color. If you want to do a different background color, that's easy... go into the html and at the very top of the "Variable Definitions" section of your html, you'll find a line that starts with "Variable name"... and ends in "Main Background Color". You'll want to go to the next line of html and that's where you can change the colors in your background. Again, you can just play around with various colors until you are satisfied with how it looks.

FOR BACKGROUND DESIGNS
I've already mentioned "squidfinger" as a GREAT place to get unique background "skins"... HERE'S a great list of background design websites that you may like to browse for more options. You can also do a google search for "free blog backgrounds" and find other options as well. You'll need to download whatever background you want to use (sometimes that will be a .zip file and you'll need to un-zip it in order to access the actual design).

Once you've found one or two background designs that you think you might like to use, open them up in your photo viewing program, and put it right beside your header... this way, you can make sure the colors "gel" and fit together nicely. Make sure you're not creating an orange and green plaidish nightmare that will horrify any blog reader that comes your way (Of course, we would never do that... but I'm just saying, ya know, just in case...). Once you have found your dream background skin, save it! In the next post, I'll tell you how to use it!

DESIGN ANY BULLETS OR SIDEBAR GRAPHICS

You'll want to go ahead and color-coordinate any other graphics on your website as well. For example, some people use photoshop-created graphics for their titles on each sidebar widget. (I'm not that fancy, but some people are.) As for me, the "fancy" thing I do is to use custom-designed bullets for each list item on my sidebar. To do that, I created a blank canvas that was the right size for a bullet/arrow point, and then I used the background skin design and "cut out" the bullet arrow that I wanted to use, toying with the size and length until I got what I wanted.

Think if you might want any such graphics, and go ahead and create them now.

CREATING A BLOG "SIGNATURE"
At the end of each post I write, I have a cute little "Jess" to sign off the post. One reason I have this is because it's graphically pleasing and makes me happy. :) But a more important reason that I have it is to break up the blog page... so that it is evident when each post stops and starts. Particularly if you have a very text-rich blog (not many pictures), having an automatic signature at the bottom of each post gives a good "signal" to blog browsers to look for the next post title.

Here's how I create a blog signature graphic:
I select the canvas size that I want (mine's 100 x 70), and then paint-bucket in whatever the background for my text is going to be (which, for me is always white, because I prefer simple dark lettering on a white background). For you, though, you may have a royal blue background with white lettering. You'll want your signature to blend into the background, so use the paint bucket tool to make the background for your signature the royal blue. (If you wanted it to be a different color, you could do that, adding fancy borders and graphics and all kinds of stuff, really.) Then use the text box to create the signature "look" you're going for. I've seen some people that have very large and scrolly signatures, some that have graphics that intertwine with their name for a signature, and many (like me) who just have a basic, small signature at the end of each post. Do yours however you like (remembering to use color-coordinated colors that you chose at the onset of this post), and then save it. I'll show you how to insert it into your html so that it shows up at the end of every post in my next post in this series.

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW...
OK, I may have confused some of you more than helping you-- but I hope that for most of you, this helps give you some direction in the actual designing of your blog redesign. Now that you have the information, get to it-- go do your designing, and in a few days or so, I'll come back and give the low-down on how to get all of these fancy designs into your html code and get them up and running!

Overwhelmed? Just start small. Do a new header. All the rest can come with time... but if you really want a new look, a new header is where you'll want to start. Don't worry- I didn't do all of these things for my first blog redesign either--- I've just added a little bit at a time! You can do the same thing.

Any questions? Ask away! Just remember the basic "rules of the game":
(1) I only really know about Blogger. And even my knowledge in that is limited.
(2) I am NOT an expert. But I will help you how and if I can.

CLICK HERE to read the final post in the "Redesign Your Blog" series.

Redesign Your Blog #1: DREAM

After my recent blog redesign, which yielded this lovely brown design that is so much warmer and more relaxed than the previous red design, I've received a lot of comments and e-mails asking me for details about how to do a blog redesign. I've received enough questions that I decided I'm going to do an entire series about it. I hope it's helpful for you bloggers who, like me, aren't html experts or computer techs, but simply want to have a nice, personally-pleasing design that suits your blogging purposes and intentions.

Let me preface this whole series by saying these things:

1. I am by NO means an expert. But if I have learned one thing by watching good "managers" and "governors", it is this: you don't have to be an expert about every little thing if you consult and can rely on experts who DO know what they're talking about. And the internet gives us the opportunity to connect with people who DO know about html, backgrounds, color codes, and all the rest. So throughout this series, I'll be referring you out, to tutorials, to tips, and to great resources-- all of which can help YOU redesign YOUR blog, if you are so inclined.
2. This is written from one perspective: that of a non-tech-minded Blogger blogger (me). If you use Wordpress or some other blogging platform, you may be able to adapt these general principles, and many of the resources may still be helpful for you. But I can't answer questions or give advice about those other platforms, and frankly, even answering questions about the Blogger platform will be limited to my own experiences and whatever information a quick google search can provide.
3. If you don't want to do any of this, you can always pay someone else to do it! There are advantages and disadvantages to this... but if you aren't in the mood or mode to fiddle with your own blog, then by ALL means, you can pay someone else to do it for you, usually costing anywhere from $50- $200, depending on what you want the designer to do. And there will be good results, I'm sure.
   

OK, onto the fun stuff. First up, here's what this blog looked like, prior to my recent redesign:This one lasted about 6 months... maybe a little longer. The one prior to that was the one I started out with-- pretty much a basic Blogger design in a fun green color. So I started out blogging with a standard Blogger-offered blog design, slowly implemented a few changes, and then went to a whole new redesign in May or so. I have slowly learned a little bit here and there about redesigning a blog, from a NON-expert point of view, and I think the best place to start is with DREAMING.

DREAM ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT!
To have a satisfactory outcome, I start with considering what I want. There are many things to consider (colors, theme, header, general "feel", usefulness of the layout, how many columns, etc.).

STEP #1 - Look at your current design.
Ask yourself: what works and what doesn't work about my current blog design? What are you tired of? In other words, what one or two things, if unfixed, are really going to continue to bug you? Perhaps it's the color (as it was in my case... I was tired of the over-energized red.). Perhaps it's that your design looks boring. Perhaps it's hard to read because of the font or layout of your blog. Figure out what bugs you, and determine to fix that/those things.

Remember to acknowledge, also, what you like about your blog. In my case, I liked the two-column layout. It's simple... text on one side, links and everything else on the sidebar. I liked the size of the header-- it is commanding without taking up the whole screen. I also like having a designed header rather than just the words in print that come standard with Blogger. So, figure out what you like, and try not to change those things.

STEP #2- Look at other blogs that you like.
You won't want to copy their "design"... in terms of exactly replicating their colors or "feel"... but you WILL want to think about what you like about different blogs you visit. Are links more simple to find and click on because they are in a different color? Do they have a combination of many colors and leave you feeling energized, or does the simplicity of the colors they use relax you? Does their blog design match the themes and subjects that they write about?

What is it exactly that you like about other blogs? A cute or fun header? Graphics and bold design, or simple pictures and backgrounds? A fancy signature at the end of each post? A layout that allows for more links and extras on the sidebar? Perhaps blogs you like to read have a more "down home" feel, or a more streamlined, academic look. Figure out what you like, and that's what you'll want to consider including in YOUR redesign.

STEP #3- Look at Blogger blog designs.
Look at the basic options Blogger offers to see if any of their "schemes" or "designs" suits your needs. It doesn't have to fit, colorwise... we're going to talk about how to change all of that. And even the sizes of columns can be played with. I'm talking basics... for example, do you like the order of the columns (some have links on the left, some on the right)... do you like the simplicity of the layout, that kind of thing.

Choose a blog design that will be easily adaptable. For example, don't choose one that has a big butterfly on the bottom right corner. Choose lines and formatting that suit your taste but that will also be easily personalized to your specific design requirements. My blog design is all based on the same basic layout I've used from the very beginning, called "Son of Moto"... it used to be thin and green, then I made it wider with reds, and now it's browns and simple. It's a good basic layout, and I'm happy with it... I just adjust it for my purposes.

STEP #4- Think about the colors, background, and/or theme you'll want to use.
If you're looking for a particular graphic or photo, go to a photo warehouse (I like inmagine.com) and browse for the kind of picture(s) you want to use.... if you're doing a teapot theme, for instance, search for teapots, tea, teacups, tea time, etc. If you're looking for something with a house in it, search for that.

You'll also want to consider if you'd like to have a background design. Go to a place like Squidfinger (you can also do a google search for blogger backgrounds, or blog background designs, etc., to find more design sites that offer these for free); each potential design will give you a basic tile of what the background would look like... I used a design from squidfinger, and completely love it. It's a simple way to distinguish your blog from others. I'll tell you how to use these in another post... but for now, just browse and maybe bookmark your favorite options.

Spend time thinking about what color combination you'd like to have. If, like me, you're not a naturally-inclined interior designer with aesthetically amazing color combinations oozing out of your brain, you'll want to look around you- browse magazines and websites to find color combinations that please you. Mine this time is a simple brown/cream/white theme. Last time, it was red and black with a touch of yellow, for an Asian feel. Think about what you're going for... perhaps a field of lavendar flowers? A nest with robin's eggs in it? A well-worn couch with a stack of books on it? A leather covered journal with a quill pen laid across it? Think of a theme that will match where you are in life, or that you'll simply like, and then coordinate your colors around that theme.

Don't limit yourself to one idea, but I wouldn't seriously pursue and try to work with more than two or three color combinations or theme ideas.

OK, SO I'VE SPENT TIME DREAMING, WHAT NOW?
Once you've DREAMED, determining what you want to get rid of, and what you want to keep from your current blog design, browsed other blogs to get ideas, looked at blogger templates to find a good, basic template, and decided on a basic theme or color scheme that you want to center on, even having selected a few possible pictures or graphics to include in your design, then you're ready for the next step-- getting into the nitty-gritty of DESIGN: designing your header and any other graphics you'll use on your blog (signatures, bullets, banners, etc.). That's next-up in this series of posts. Click here to read Redesign Your Blog, Part 2.

Then we'll talk about DEALING WITH HTML-- how to get your ideas to work... backgrounds, headers, widgets, etc. Click here to read Redesign Your Blog, Part 3. I hope this will be a helpful series for you as you consider redesigning your blog. If you're considering doing this, and have any specific questions or issues you'd like me to address, leave me a comment! I'd be glad to try to help you through any issues you're encountering (as long as you realize that I really am no expert!). ;)

Out With the Old, In With the New...

It was time for a new look... that red design was really grating on me... it's one of those colors I can only live with for a season, which is about how long it lasted.

SO, what do you guys think of my new digs?

I'm proud to say that I did it all by myself. I still am trying to change out my blog signature (the "Jess" at the end of the post)... for some reason, it won't switch over to the lovely brown one I created. I'll get it eventually... I'm no html expert, so it takes me a little longer, but I do eventually figure these things out. :)

This design seems much more warm and homey to me... and much more ME (I'm definitely a daisy girl... that was the flower of our wedding, and it's still a favorite for me- so sweet and pure and simple.) So what say you? Do YOU like the new blog design?

Thank You: Making Home Awards & Honors

Here are some awards and nominations I've been honored to receive for Making Home: