So, what do you think?

I had fun with this redesign. It seemed fitting that a new season of our lives, a new locale, and a new year would bring forth a new blog design. It feels so good to have it done and be able to share it with you all.

Whenever I redesign the look of this space it always gets me thinking about why I blog and what I want this space to be. It’s always been hard for me to answer those questions. There are so many reasons why I blog and at different times in life there have been different reasons. And there are so many different things that this space has been for me and that I want it to be in the future. I find it hard to describe those reasons, hard to put into words what bethstedman.com has been, is, and will be for me.

Sometimes when someone asks, I feel a little bit like I’m trying to explain the rules of grammar to a non-native English speaker – “I don’t really know why, but it just sounds right this way”. That’s a bit how I feel about blogging right now. I can’t really explain why, but it is just right. It fits. It’s part of me.

At various times I’ve tried to make this space something that didn’t fit. For example, I would feel guilty about the time I spent blogging and so I would try to make money from the blog, but it didn’t fit (and as you can see the ads are gone). I’m sloooooowly starting to realize something – you shouldn’t feel guilty for what you are. You shouldn’t feel bad for doing something that you have to do, something engrained into the fabric of who you are, something that brings you joy, something that you almost can’t help but do. Dancers don’t feel bad for dancing. Cooks don’t feel bad for cooking. Runners don’t feel bad for running. Mommy’s don’t feel bad for cuddling with their baby.

Me? Well, I write. I have to write. I always have in one form or another. I started my first journal at seven. In junior high i started writing poetry. In high school I would write sermons for fun. I enjoyed writing papers for school and must admit I even wrote one or two of my husbands school papers for him because it was fun and easy for me and tedious for him. But, I don’t just write, I blog. I had always written, but it wasn’t until I started blogging that something really clicked. It stirred something in me. It fit. Suddenly I could do more than just write, I could put something out into the world that others could read, and connect with, and respond to. I was a writer always, but I didn’t really have a voice until I found a platform.

Those of you who have only just stumbled upon this blog, those of you who have been reading my meanderings for years, those of you who have silently stalked, and those of you who have become friends, you have given me my voice. Thank you!

Rejoicing in the journey,
Bethany Stedman

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My first blogging experience was on xanga. The year was 2002. I had recently moved back home after a year at Vanguard University in California. My friend and roommate from Vanguard, Kerry, talked me into starting it as a way to stay in touch with her and other friends from Vanguard since they were all using xanga. I remember being sort of skeptical about it, thinking I wouldn’t know what to write and why would anyone want to read what I’d share. But Kerry convinced me and I decided to give it a try. The first few entries I was so unsure what to write I just shared quotes I liked at the time. This is the first one I shared,
“Becoming a Person means that the individual moves toward being, knowingly and acceptingly, the process which he inwardly and actually is. He moves away from being what he is not, from being a facade. He is not trying to be more than he is, with the attendant feelings of insecurity or bombastic defensiveness. He is not trying to be less than he is, with the attendant feelings of guilt or self-depreciation. He is increasingly listening to the deepest recesses of his psychological and emotional being, and finds himself increasingly willing to be, with greater accuracy and depth, that self which he most truly is.” – Carl Rogers
Little did I know at the time the role that blogging would play in my own Becoming.

After those first few posts of quotes I tried sharing more about what I was doing and experiences I was having, but I knew relatively quickly that wasn’t for me. Although I would continue to occasionally share those types of daily details they would never be the central focus of my blogging experience.

It was so interesting to skim back through those early posts and watch as I struggled to find my blogging voice. What was it that I wanted to document and share? I experimented… I shared quotes, I shared details of my day, I shared questions I was asking, I shared poems I was writing, I shared my meandering wonderings. I blogged my questions, my doubts, my realizations and epiphanies. The writing is mostly stream of consciousness with little to no editing or formatting. But, slowly little by little that blog helped me to find my voice and my love for blogging.

Discovering blogging was like discovering a whole new way of processing for me. I’d always loved writing and always kept journals, but for some reason hand written journals were always rather uninspiring for me. I was never able to find my voice through them.

I often process the question, “why do I blog?” and I’ve written a little about some of that processing before, but I think I’m starting to figure out little by little the reasons I blog and why I fell in love with it nine years ago and have stuck with it till today.

I blog partly as a way to process through things I’m thinking about, but if that was the only reason to blog then a private journal would meet that need perfectly, and for me journals never came close. For me blogging is only partly about processing, it’s more largely about putting out into the world something that I myself would like to find and read. I write about my own personal processes, struggles, experiences, and hopes, but I write it not just for myself, I write it in the hope that someone else who’s going through the same thing, whose had the same thoughts, whose made the same desperate pleas or celebrated the same victories will find it, breath a sigh of relief and say “I’m not the only one.”

Sometimes as I learn about something new I write to solidify my learning and teach it to others. Sometimes as I wrestle with a question I write to process my question and get advice and input from others. Sometimes as I have a new realization about myself I write to know myself better and so that others can know me better too. Sometimes I write for myself, sometimes I write for the self I was, and the self I will be. Sometimes I write for others, for those who are where I was, who are where I am or will be where I am going.

I write partly for the joy of writing but the joy of writing was never enough to keep me writing consistently. I think I like blogging for much the same reason that I enjoy public speaking. It not only enables me to process and develop myself it also gives me a platform for sharing my voice with the world (even if it’s only ever a small portion of the world). Blogging feeds the side of me that wanted to be a writer, the side of me that wanted to be a poet, the side of me that wanted to be an actress, and the side of me that wanted to be a pastor. Through blogging I can be a little bit of all those things and also nothing more than a struggling mommy. I can be me and something more than me as well.

I can’t imagine my life without blogging as a creative outlet and I will always owe Kerry a great doubt for introducing me to the world of the blogosphere. Thank you, friend!

Happy nine year anniversary to me! I feel very curious where the next nine years of blogging will take me. I wonder where I’ll be and who I’ll be then.

I’ll close with another quote that I shared on those early blogs:
“The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice.
‘Who are you?’ said the Caterpillar.
This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, ‘I — I hardly know, sir, just at present — at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.’”

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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So, today is dedicated to a little “whatever”. This is my random processing about a whole lot of things…

HEALTH

Yesterday I realized that the baby and I have been sick in one form or another (from Roseola, to food poisoning, to viruses, to bad head colds) all but about 6 days this month (and those days were pretty spread out). Literally it has been one thing after another. Usually this is a pretty good sign to me that I haven’t been listening to my body and that there are some emotional/spiritual issues I also haven’t been dealing with. Guess I should start listening…

RETURNING TO PRAGUE

We have now been back in Prague for 2 weeks – most of that time we’ve been sick. Not exactly the best way to return to a foreign country or ease our way through the culture shock. Thankfully we are finally starting to get back on Prague time and get Thaddeus to take naps and go to bed at almost normal hours… almost being the key word there. This has by far been the hardest it has ever been for me to come back to Prague. I miss the states. I miss English. I miss my family. I miss Bryan’s family. I miss all the conveniences of being in a familiar place.

FRIENDS

I’ve missed our friends here. They are what make coming back worth it. But, because we’ve been sick we haven’t seen very many people yet. Those we have seen have been so sweet though. One friend even made us a big batch of soup, which was WONDERFUL. What a blessing to not have to cook our first few days back. Then last Thursday we went over to dinner at some of our closest friends and it was just so nice to be with them and just relax with them. We need friends on this journey and I’m glad that I have the one’s I do.

MOTHERING

Lately I have sort of really hated being a mom. I mean most days this week I just feel like I’m not cut out for this. I can’t do it. It’s too much. It’s too overwhelming. It’s too constant. It’s the worst on days when Thad doesn’t sleep (which is often lately). I feel like I can’t even sit down and have a glass of water without being pulled on or screamed at. Bryan has been a lifesaver and so sweet through it all. He’s taken Thad for a little bit each day so that I can rest and get better. But, he can only do so much – he has to work too. Even with all Bryan’s help there have been multiple moments lately where I have SERIOUSLY wished that I never had a child. I know – I’m a terrible mom for even thinking these things. Like I said, I wasn’t cut out for this. I am not a natural born mama. It’s just not me.

ANIMALS

This is random, but I’ve realized more and more something else that just isn’t “me” – owning pets. I am just not an animal person. I mean I wish I was. I admire people who are. But, I’m not. I just don’t get the whole animal thing.

BLOGGING

I’ve been doing a lot of processing about the blog lately. I’ve been really struggling with what direction I want to take my blog and what type of place I want it to be. I’m realizing more and more than I’m actually not really “a blogger”. I mean I love blogging and have for years, I love writing and I do enjoy the people I meet through it. But, I’m not good at marketing my blog, I’m not consistent with my blogging, I don’t want to write in a specific theme or with a specific focus. I don’t want to spend hours upon hours a day working on my blog to make it into a business. I am realizing that I am not that kind of blogger. But, I also know that I’m not really just a personal blogger who just writes about her kids and she did that day. So, where does that put me? I’m not really sure. I guess I’m still trying to figure it out.

TWO FOR TUESDAYS BLOG HOP

Many of you who are regulars here may have noticed that I haven’t participated in/hosted Two for Tuesdays the past two weeks. I’ve been meaning to give an update on that and just keep forgetting – sorry. So, basically after much discussion and thought I’ve decided that the requirements for hosting are just too much of a commitment for me at this time. I just didn’t feel like I could do the event justice. In general I’ve been trying to weed through what aspects of blogging are really important and necessary for me and which aren’t – I have felt a little bit like blogging has started to interfere with my mothering and I don’t want that to happen. So, Two for Tuesdays was the thing that contributed most to my stress level and thus it was the thing to go. I do still love what the group is doing with it though and really like the other hosts who are involved. I do still plan on participating as a contributor whenever possible and I hope that you all will too. If you want to continue participating visit any of the hosts sites, for example, Alex at A Moderate Life.

FUTURE

I’ve felt very confused lately about the future. It looks so unclear. For so long even though the future was unclear it didn’t really bother me, I felt like I at least knew that I was where God wanted me and we would figure out the next step as it came at us. But, lately I want a plan, I want some stability. I am not 100% sure that we are where God wants us. I don’t know where He wants us to be. I feel less convinced than ever of my ability to discern that and more confused about where we should be and what we should be doing.

MARRIAGE

If you haven’t guessed from all that I’ve written already, Love and Marriage Month wasn’t exactly love and marriage month for us in real life. It was a difficult season, not an easy celebratory one. We loved each other well, and we aren’t fighting or anything, but it just feels like there’s a lot that’s been thrown at us both internally and externally lately. We’ve held hands and faced it all together, but it hasn’t left much time for turning towards each other. That’s been sad for me.

Well, that’s my random update for now. So, how are you all doing??

Rejoicing in the journey-
Bethany Stedman

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So, here’s how this fun award works:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.
2. Share seven things about yourself.
3. Pass this award along to ten bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason!

I thought this sounded like a lot of fun. So, here are seven random things you may or may not know about me.

1. My husband and I got married in Italy. It was in a little town about equal distances from Florence and Sienna. It was beautiful and we had tiramisu for desert instead of a traditional wedding cake.
2. I do not like cats. Maybe it’s the fact that I have a mild allergy to them. Maybe it’s the fact that the cat my sister had when we were growing up was SERIOUSLY evil. I don’t know, but I just don’t like them. Sorry if this offends those of you who do love cats – you are all entitled to your own opinion. But, my opinion is that I would be very happy if I never saw another cat again.
3. I have a degree in history from Seattle Pacific University. I’ve never used it. I am terrible with dates and names and quickly forget all those details that make a good historian, but I love stories and all of the big picture stories in history fascinated me. Plus I love to read and write so this writing intensive major was an easy choice for me.
4. One of my favorite restaurants in the world is Sansei in Hawaii. My parents, husband and I went there just last week and I remembered once again why I love this place. I could happily eat there almost every night.
5. I can’t drink wine. I’ve tried all different kinds, but they all either give me a headache or a stuffy nose or both. I know it’s terribly sad. But, I console myself with a good gin and tonic, or a great Czech beer.
6. Nine months ago, I gave birth at my parent’s house to my beautiful little boy, Thaddeus. You can read my whole birth story here.
7. I love being barefoot and wish I could go barefoot every day. Sadly, I live in a climate that doesn’t accommodate that love.

Here are 10 great blogs that I’m nominating for this award:

• Eats Well With Others – I only discovered Joanne’s wonderful blog about a month ago and I love it. She continually makes me laugh with her random witty banter. Her pictures make me duel and her recipes are delicious. She deserves all kinds of awards – The Versatile Blogger award and many others as well.
• A Cook’s Library – Karen’s site has become a fast favorite. She lives in London and writes about seasonal, local, sustainable food. Her posts are thoughtful intelligent and one of them has even made me cry. I love her take on food and she continually inspires me.
• PhD in Parenting – I found this blog maybe a month or two ago and it’s another one I’m really enjoying. The author lives in Germany and writes about attachment parenting and other social and parental issues.
• Sorta Crunchy – I’ve been reading this blog just a little longer then the two above. The blogs mission statement is “to be a place of discussion and dialogue at the intersection of faith and a life more natural.” Megan writes thoughtfully about faith and family life and I feel I have learned so much from her beautiful site.
• Forging Fromage – This is a project of my blogger friend, Heather at girlichef. It’s a blog dedicated to home cheesemaking adventures and a must read for all cheese lovers out there. There is a beautiful variety of cheeses represented and there’s always fun new recipes and challenges to check out.
• How to Cook Like Your Grandmother – I love the idea of this site – cooking more like our grandmothers (or great-grandmothers) would surely improve much of our food habits and overall health. This blog is filled with lots of helpful how-to posts as well as great recipes and info about real food.
• Real Food in the City – I can’t help but like this blog because not only does this author share my love for real food she also shares me name! I only found this blog a few weeks ago and haven’t fully dived into it yet, but what I’ve seen so far I am really loving.
• The Coconut Mama – This is another blog that I haven’t fully explored yet and only recently discovered, but am really enjoying. Tiffany writes about real food and her cooking exploits often inspire me.
• Code Name: Mama – This site is awesome. I’ve found such great information about natural parenting here. I really enjoy the positive attitude of the articles and the encouraging stories that she shares. I also love that she hosts a carnival about a natural parenting topic almost every month of the year.
• Inspired to Action – Kat’s blog has all kinds of practical advice for parents and I’ve found it so inspiring and encouraging. She is particularly interested in raising children who are capable of changing the world.

Ok, that’s my list of bloggers I have recently discovered and am currently enjoying. Check them out for some great reading!

Thanks again to Christy for this fun award!

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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July

My husband and I will be traveling in the states for the whole month of July, which means that things may be a little out of the ordinary here on my blog. So, I wanted to give you all a heads up so you know what’s going to be happening.

I value this space and the community that is just beginning to develop around it. I want to continue building that community and make this a valuable and helpful space for all of you who visit me here. I don’t want my traveling to disrupt this space too drastically (as it has in the past). So, I will continue to post regularly while I travel.

But, I also wants to spend my long July days twirlying with my niece (isn’t she cute!), playing hid-n-go seek with my nephews, giggling with my beautiful sisters, eating ice cream with my cousins, sharing stories with my friends, going on long walks with my husband, cuddling with my baby, and generally soaking in the sunshine and beauty that is summer. To balance these two desires I’ve decided to enlist some help, plan ahead and let a few things go.

I’ve asked some dear, beautiful friends to write some guest posts for all of you to enjoy. So, expect to see a few guest posts around here in the coming weeks. Each of the people who will be writing guest posts mean so much to me and I’m really so excited to share them with you. I can’t wait to read what they will write, and feel so blessed that they have agreed to share a little bit of themselves here on my blog.

I have also been doing a lot of writing ahead of time, so that I won’t have to write as much while traveling. Because of this I can tell you I have some fun posts coming your way. I have a series about Traveling with a 9 Month Old that will start this week, recipes like macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup, Fish Burgers, and Olive Oil Cake, posts about How to Tell a Good Bed Time Story and a little about My Education. I hope you enjoy these and many other posts that I have planned for the coming weeks.

Even though guest bloggers and good planning will lighten the load for me I know that I still won’t have as much time to devote to you all. So, I want you to know up front that it might take me a little longer than normal to moderate comments, or respond to them. It might take me a little longer than normal to respond to your emails as well. I might not comment on all of your wonderful blogs quite as often. And I may not participate in all of the blog carnivals that I normal try to engage with. Don’t worry though I will definitely still be doing Two for Tuesday!

So, that’s July.

August

I’m supper excited about what I have planned for August here on the blog…

August 18^th will be my husband and my 5^th wedding anniversary. I know it’s not really that long, but it sort of feels like the first really significant anniversary we’ve had. I love being married to my husband and I can’t wait to celebrate with him. So, I’m expanding our celebration to include this site by naming August my own personal Love and Marriage Month.

I plan on all of the posts in August having to do with Love and Marriage. I plan on sharing my husband and my story with you – how we met, got engaged and what our wedding was like. My Admiration Monday posts will be about couple’s who I admire and have learned from. I’ll feature guest posts about marriage and love (speaking of which, if you are interested in writing a guest post on this subject please contact me, I’d love to talk with you about it). And maybe also write a bit about wedding planning. But, don’t worry there will still be lots of recipes too – maybe a wedding cake recipe, or a post about foods that can be aphrodisiacs, or a romantic dinner menu, who knows what I’ll come up with once inspiration strikes.

Oh, I’m so excited! I want to go start writing posts for August right now! Focus, Bethany, focus. First things, first!

Well, that’s what the summer will look like around here. I hope you enjoy your summer as much as I know I will! And I hope that you continue to visit regularly. You all are a blessing and encouragement to me!

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

Photos by Beth Stedman

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Two for Tuesdays is becoming a blog hop! THIS WEEK!

What is a blog hop?

Basically a blog hop is a blog carnival on steroids.

With a blog carnival one blogger will play host and post a bunch of links to other blogs. Sometimes they will have these links sent to them through email and then post them. But, with applications like Linky Tools it’s easiest for them to just place some simple code on their web site and allow anyone who wants to participate to add their link to the post using the application.

A blog hop, on the other hand, allows more than one blog to host a carnival at the same time. It is a great application created by Linky Tools and makes it so that any URL link added on one of the “hosting” sites will show up on all the other “hosting” sites.

And Why should I participate?

For bloggers, this is a GREAT way to get more exposure and increase your audience! A blog hop means that if you add your link to one site it will show up on multiple sites, which can only mean good things for you! Traffic isn’t the only reason why bloggers should participate in blog carnivals/hops though, carnivals are a great way to meet new bloggers and make new connections. So, jump in, post your links, meet some new friends and build your audience!

For readers, giving people the opportunity to add their link from multiple places means more links over all and a larger list of links for you! That means more information, more recipes, more help, more encouragement, more of all that you are looking for when you read blogs! So, even if you don’t have a blog, carnivals are great for you too and you should definitely seek them out and read, read, read! Plus, most carnivals and blog hops (ours included) will encourage you to add your own opinions, or recipes in the comment section, so you can actively participate even if you don’t have a blog.

So, now that  you know the general info on what a blog hop is, let me tell you about our blog hop:

Two for Tuesdays

Alex at A Moderate life is the visionary behind this wonderful carnival idea. It’s a real food blog hop, meaning that contributors are asked to post about real food. Alex named it Two for Tuesdays with the hope that people would post two recipes in their blog (how great is that two recipes for the price of one!). But, Alex and all of us Two for Tuesdayers want this to stay open, so to quote Alex, “you can post two recipes, two links, a recipe with a variation or ANY real food or wholesome food information.”

Allow me introduce my fellow Two for Tuesday Hosts:

Alex at A Moderate Life
Heather at girlichef
Michelle at Health Food Lover

I encourage you to visit all of their beautiful blogs, say hello and subscribe to their feeds – you won’t regret it!

Here’s How to Participate in Two for Tuesdays:

1. Write a post about anything having to do with real food. If you want to include a recipe (or two) that’s GREAT, but you definitely don’t have to. Write about what you are passionate about, what you are learning, what you are trying, or ANYTHING having to do with real, wholesome, traditional food.
2. Include a badge (see below) and/or a link back to that particular weeks Two for Tuesdays post hosted on my site (or any of my fellow hosts Two for Tuesday’s post).

   <a href=”http://bethstedman.com/2010/06/14/two-for-tuesday-blog-hop/” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://bethstedman.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/twofortuesdays.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”BethStedman.com Two for Tuesdays”></a>

3. Go to any of the four hosting blogs on Tuesday and put up your link. It’s super easy – I promise! Just follow the directions given by Mr. Linky. NOTE: the linky application for each week will stay up till the following Tuesday, so if you aren’t able to link up on Tuesday don’t worry you can always add your link later in the week!
4. After adding your link leave a comment on one (or all four of our sites). This ensures that we won’t miss your entry and that even more people will be sure to check out your post.

That’s it! After that you can just hop around and read all the other great posts and enjoy Two for Tuesdays to the fullest!

BONUS: In the spirit of comradely, if you are a blogger and you love the exposure that blog carnivals provide and the new friends you meet through them, here are some other blog carnivals focused on food that also happen on Tuesday. I like sharing, so after you’ve added your link to our blog hop, jump over to any of these sites and add your link there as well!

Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free
Tempt my Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

I truly hope you ALL participate in Two for Tuesdays THIS WEEK! I can’t wait to see all the great links that come in!

Rejoicing in the journey -
Beth Stedman

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First, why put ads on my site?

I’ll be honest, I really struggled with whether or not to put ads on my site. I have had this site since 2007 and I’ve never put ads up until now. I sometimes thought about it, because we could definitely use the money, but I always decided against it. Blogging was my hobby and I didn’t want the pressure to make money from it to kill the joy I received from doing it. I also thought to myself, “I won’t really be able to make money from it; I can’t really BE a blogger. I’m not good enough, so why stress myself out trying? Why not just leave it as it is and just enjoy writing when I want to?” I feared I would fail if I tried to make a little income from it, and usually when I fear failure I decide not to try at all.

I also feared that people would be annoyed by the ads, judge me for it, and value my site less because of it. Well, I realize now that this fear was sort of silly – most bloggers have ads up. As a reader of literally hundreds of blogs I personally don’t mind ads at all especially when they are content appropriate to the site. So, if other readers are anything like me, putting up ads shouldn’t be a problem for them. So, that fear wasn’t too hard to get over.

Here’s what it came down to for me though…

A few weeks ago I wrote a whole post about valuing myself and my work. In many ways adding advertisements and affiliate programs to the site has been a way for me to value my own contribution to the world and the work that I do. I put in a lot of time blogging and it’s not wrong for me to want to make some money from it (sometimes I still feel like it is, though, what is that? Why do I feel guilty for wanting to help support my family by doing something I love?)

Anyway, it took me a while to process through all of that and come to a place where I was ready to try to make a little income through my writing. So, this is me trying. So, here’s a bit about what I desire for these ads to be…

My Current Ad Philosophy:

I want my ads to add value for my readers. I want to post ads for good, quality products that I think my readers will need, want, or already be looking for.

I will personally select what ads go up on my site. That means no randomly generated Google ads. If you see an ad up on the site it means that I personally looked at the company and I like what they are selling.

I want my ads to look ascetically pleasing and to not distract from the content of the site or annoy my readers. This means no pop up ads and I will probably at least limit my use of banners and flash ads.

My current ads:

First off, all of the ads currently on my site are affiliate links. That means that if you click on them and then end up buying something from them I’ll get a small commission. Ok, so let’s talk about each of the current ads individually:

Real Food Nutrition & Health:
This is a text book written for home schooling families that outlines health and nutrition from a clearly real food perspective. It was written by Kristen at Food Renegade. Many of you may have noticed that I have been participating in “Fight Back Friday’s” over at Food Renegade. I love Kristen’s site and I am super excited to promote this book. I just got my copy of it and plan on starting it tonight. I will definitely write a full review of the book once I finish it. I personally am really excited about this because I was homeschooled and would have LOVED to have this for a text book. I also am seriously considering homeschooling my son (and any other future children I may have) so I’m excited that to have this as a resource down the road.

Story-Formed Calendar:
This is NOT a paid ad and as of this time I receive NO commission for this link. I put this up because I love it and it supports a very dear friend of mine. My friend and mentor, Tara, makes these calendars. They are calendars centered on the Christian church calendar. It’s filled with beautiful pictures taken by Tara and other photographers I know (this year’s calendar even has one of my own pictures in it). I love the idea of centering our lives in God’s story and time. Click on the link and learn more about this wonderful tool for worship and daily life.

Nurtured Family:

This boutique sells products for mom’s and babies – things like cloth diapers, nursing bras, baby carriers and other such items. I’ll be honest I only recently learned about this store and I haven’t bought anything from them yet (we have a bit of a no spending rule in place at the moment). But, I have looked through the site quite a bit and there are definitely tons of things I’d love to have from this beautiful boutique. I feel good about supporting this store and advertising them on my site.

Mountain Rose Herbs:

This on-line store carries organic herbs, essential oils and teas. They have been in business since 1987 and they have a great reputation. They guarantee that they “will never sell or stock products that are more than a few months from harvest (except for seasonal items)” so you are certain that the products you buy from them will be fresh and high quality. There were also the “first U.S. supplier of Fair Trade Certified medicinal herbs” and they have extensive policies about recycling and re-using. In fact they are a “Zero Waste” company – meaning that “any perceived materials which might be regarded as waste are either recycled, re-used, composted, reclaimed, or brought back into the production cycle”. I am really excited to support this beautiful company and their wonderful products.

Amazon:

I have an affiliate account with Amazon so pretty much anytime that I link to Amazon from my site it is an affiliate link. This means that if you buy something from Amazon after getting there from my link then I will receive a very small, but very appreciated commission.

Best for Babes:

This isn’t a paid ad – it’s something that I believe in and want to support and promote. Check it out!
Alright, that’s it for now. There may be other one’s up in the near future – just know that they will always be personally approved by me. If you ever have a question or concern about an ad on the site please contact me and let me know.

I am also very interested in selling ad space on my site (of course only for companies that fit with my values and the topics addressed on this site). So, if you have a company that you would like to advertise on bethstedman.com please contact me. I’d love to discuss options with you.

Finally, I’d like to ask all of you, my readers and friends, what do you think? Do you have any feedback on the ads I have right now and on how I have placed them on the site? Do you have any feedback in general about including ads or not including ads? Do you have any suggestions about additional ways for me to make an income from this site so that I can continue to spend a good deal of time bringing you what I hope is value-adding, quality content? I truly value your opinions and would love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment or contact me directly.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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What would you like to know about me? Anything specific you’d like me to cover in this series?

If you have something that you’d like to know about me please leave a comment or contact me and let me know. I’d LOVE to hear suggestions for what I should include in this series. Thanks!

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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The RSS Option:

For those few of you out there who aren’t familiar with RSS already (hi, mom!) here’s a brief explanation. Basically, it’s just a format for keeping track of web content that is ever changed and updated. Instead of ‘bookmarking’ a site and having to go back and visit it regularly in order to see new content you can use an RSS Feed Reader, subscribe to a web sites RSS feed and then all you have to do is check your Feed Reader and all of the updated content from your favorite web sites will be right there, available for your viewing pleasure. Problogger has a great and really easy to understand description of RSS that I encourage you to read if you aren’t familiar with this tool already.

Personally, I think RSS is the easiest and cleanest way to keep track of your favorite blogs. All you have to do is set up an RSS Feed Reader, for example ‘Google Reader’ which is what I use. Google Reader provides a help section to get you started, but you can also just start subscribing to sites and playing around with it until you figure it out.

The Email Option:

If RSS is intimidating for you or just sounds like too much work to set up then there’s always the email option. Just click the email button on the right, put in your email address, and you’ll start receiving blog updates right in your email. It’s as easy as that.

The Bookmark Option:

I have a little confession to make, I only started using an RSS reader myself a little over a year ago, I know I tend to be a little behind the times. My husband teases me about it, but the truth is I don’t really like change, even when I know that the new thing is going to be so much better. I knew that RSS was the way to go, I knew it would save me time and effort, I knew that once I got used to it I would probably LOVE it (and I did). But, I can be pretty stubborn and set in my ways and I just didn’t want to learn a new way of doing things. So, I held off for quite a long time. Now that I’ve made the switch, though, I can’t imagine ever going back.

So, if you are like I used to be I’d encourage you to let go of the old and embrace the new, you might be really glad you did. But, there’s no pressure here and if bookmarking is what works for you then by all means continue!

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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I really like the new feel – clean, simple, and a little bit elegant. I feel like that’s exactly what I need during my current season of life where most days my home is a disaster, I have spit up and baby drool all over me and my hair is a tangled mess thrown up in a haphazard bun. I also love that there is some purple on the site right now – it sounds strange but sometimes I crave colors and lately I’ve been craving purple. Does that say something about me? What do you think?

Also, some of you might have noticed that this space is no longer titled Coffee Klatch. The URL has always been bethstedman.com, but for a while I named the blog Coffee Klatch – it had some personal meaning for me and for a while I didn’t really want to call the blog by the URL so it was Coffee Klatch. But, in honor of simplifying it’s all just bethstedman.com now.

Hope you enjoy the new look.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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