You may have noticed a few changes over on the sidebar. Yes, folks, I have become an affiliate with several companies with whom I personally enjoy doing business. I thought long and hard about this before I decided to provide their links. I knew that I didn't want this blog to become an advertising agency. Making money was never on my list of reasons for starting this blog (more about my real reasons in a minute). I also knew that I absolutely did not want to lose control of who was able to advertise on my blog. I didn't want random advertising. If it isn't something I would buy or use, then I absolutely do not want it on this blog. Every company you see on my sidebar is a company I have already recommended in blog posts without any thought of renumeration for it. These are companies I have used for years. I am currently working with several other companies that I use, so you may see more banners soon.
So why did I decide to become an affiliate? In short, I decided to become an affiliate because I want to keep the information I provide here absolutely free. Blogging is hard work and I ran out of free storage space long ago. That means that I actually pay money every month in order to provide you with free information. I simply wanted a way to offset the costs of running this blog. But I didn't want it to be something you would have to pay for. And for the record, I won't be buying a new car with blog money any time soon.
But how does it work? It's simple. If you see a company on the sidebar that you find interesting, you can click on the banner and be taken to that site. If you decide you want to make a purchase, I will get a small commission for that sale as long as you go to their site through the banner ad on Gallimaufry Grove. There is no additional cost to you. If you would like to support this blog, and you want to shop with those companies, all you need to do is come here first and click the banner ad. Easy Peasy. You get what you wanted to buy anyway, and I get to keep the blog costs manageable. But what if you don't want to buy anything? Well, then you shouldn't. There. That was easy.
And if I didn't want to make money, why did I start a blog in the first place? Or why is this blog a homemaking blog and not a ministry blog since I am in the full time ministry? Snicker. I'll bet you thought that full time ministers never had to do the laundry. Or wash the dishes. And that our kids were born knowing how to behave, so learning parenting skills is unnecessary. Double snicker.
Actually, I have often thought of starting a second blog that was more dedicated to ministry topics, but I wanted to keep the ministry separate from our home life. At this point, anyone who knows me and wants to hear from me in a ministry capacity can head over to our church website. The can hear plenty of me over there. But sometimes people really do seem to think that ministers don't have to live in the real world. I have always said that if I couldn't manage my responsibilities at home, then I had no business in the ministry. I prove my faithfulness and my character in my home. It seemed good to let people have a glimpse into what actually goes on there.
Besides, I get a regular stream of people asking, "How do you do that?" Now I can just refer people to Gallimaufry Grove and they can find out more than they ever wanted to know about "How I did that." It is my heart to help people get their homes running smoothly and joyfully. So few people are taught how to manage a home these days. This is my feeble effort at a remedy.
Here is an exerpt from my very first blog post:
"[Gallimaufry Grove] is an extension of some Titus 2 meetings that I have held at our church. What is a Titus 2 meeting, you ask? Titus 2 instructs the older women to teach the younger women to love their husbands and children and to be people of character. In our meetings, we teach practical skills that help women be all that they can be and have fun while they do.
What will you find on this blog? A little bit of everything, because that's what my life involves. There will be posts about things like health and fitness, child training, homemade cleaners and skincare products, crafts, healthy recipes and anything else I happen to be working on.
So brew yourself a cup of tea and join me on my journey through Gallimaufry Grove..."
There you have it. Gallimaufry Grove is a glimpse into my real life when I step off the platform. And the affiliate banners are companies I use in that real life. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
