Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Making my peace with blogging


So obviously I fell off the #marchphotoaday bandwagon.


I wanted to do it.  I had fun taking the pictures.  But then spring break came and I forgot to take all of the pictures, and when we got back to the routine, it was all I could do to just make sure the family was fed and clothed and where they were supposed to be at any given moment.


Photo taken at Pops on 3/14/12

I've been pondering blogging and my role in the blogosphere and my lack of motivation for it.  Here's what I've come up with:

1.  I don't need anything else to do.  If blogging feels like a chore, I'm not going to do it, because I have enough chores to do, so I should do one that results in my family having clean dishes or something like that.  

2.  I can't compete.  Reading other people's shiny happy blogs makes me feel like my house isn't clean enough, my blog isn't pretty enough, etc. etc.  Let me be clear: NO ONE is making me feel that way but MYSELF.  So I removed myself from reading most blogs I follow for a while.  It felt really good.  And the universe did not explode.

3.  I'd rather be sewing.  I only have about 5 hours a week to put into my etsy shop, so I'd rather spend all of that making stuff than wrestling with blogger.

4.  I've got other non-crafty projects that eat up huge amounts of time and satisfy my creative urges in a way blogging simply can't.  Like music.  I got to produce and sing in a bluegrass worship service for Easter with Rick Trevino.  It required tons of planning and rehearsal and resulted in one of the most joyful Easters of my life!  You can't say yes to everything, so when these kinds of projects come along, I just say NO to everything else mediocre so I can say YES to amazing!

5.  And, most importantly, the family comes first.  Read this amazing post my friend Jen brought to my attention today.  (Jen is a spectacular blogger herself, and hers is one of the few that made the cut, because, well, she's Jen.)

So, to sum up, I think I have made my peace with being a sporadically posting, bad photo taking, messy random blogger who can't write html and only occasionally responds to comments.  

yay!

(I'm much better at Facebook and Twitter, by the way)



My desk.  Scary, eh?




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Friday, March 9, 2012

days 7,8,9


day 7: something you wore 







(my favorite dirty skechers which look cuter than tennis shoes but i can stand in them all day)


day 8: window (taken a day late, oops)







(my tomato plants, longing to actually graduate to the garden)


day 9: red







(brisco and his favorite kong, with a little peanut butter to make it yummier)

#marchphotoaday


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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

days 4, 5, 6


day 4: bedside.



it's always a mess, but these are the essentials: meds, clock, lotion to make me sleepy, sudoku to make me sleepy, miscellaneous crap, surprise love notes from the girls.

day 5: smile.



how could I pick just one of these sweet smiles?  And this while K was doing her music theory homework.  happy happy happy girls.

day 6: 5pm.


on the porch, just got off the phone, with Brisco attached.  he's either the sweetest or the clingiest dog i've ever met, can't decide.


#marchphotoaday
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Thursday, August 18, 2011

AWOL - good for what ails ya

yup. I went AWOL over the summer. Sometimes, when life gets overwhelming, I just check out of something without notice. I highly recommend it for every overachiever. Totally reduces the stress-load.

This time blogging won the toss-up. So did my etsy shop (which is still on vacation). The time away gave me a chance to consider with a clearer head what my goals for the coming year are. More on that another time.

So, what was going on, you ask?

1. End of the school year. That's always a busy time, but fun.

2. Not fun. Said goodbye to my sweetheart golden retriever, Baylor. She had cancer and we had to put her to sleep the day after my birthday. I was absolutely heartbroken. I loved this dog so much. She was my first baby. She kissed away my tears after three miscarriages and all of the drama with my dad's illness and so much more. I'll miss her forever.


3. Family trip to Colorado to honor my dad. Stayed at a dude ranch, took a very challenging trail ride with my husband and brother and lived to tell the tale (barely, and I am NOT exaggerating).


4. Helped my mom move out of my childhood home and into a new house and life here in Texas. She is busy, happy, meeting new people, and laughing again like the mom I grew up with. Soooooo good for my heart!

5. We didn't make it long without a dog. Meet Brisco, my 9-week old fuzzy bundle of joy. We've had
him for three days. I'm a little sleep deprived.



 

6. I also spent loads of fun, special time with my kiddos. Nothing exciting, just being together. I feel like I am finally a whole mom to them. I had half of my brain working the situation with my parents for all of these kids' childhood until the past year. They seemed to have turned out fine, but I am certainly enjoying them more fully now and am so grateful for each little moment.


So ya see, blogging just wasn't that high up on my agenda. I bet you managed just fine without me, blogosphere. ;)

P.S. Still not done with those tops I have been knitting for me and the girls. *sigh*

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

a new look!

Hooray!  The blog finally has a new look, designed by someone who knows what they are doing!!

...the fabulous Jeannette from Crafty Hippo Designs!







Jeannette is fabulous not only because her name is Jeannette, which is my middle name with an extra "N", but also because she is so easy to work with.

We met on Twitter via the Ultimate Blog Party, which has been a fabulous opportunity to connect with other bloggers and crafters. 

I was going for something pretty and practical, which should come as no surprise.  That's my motto.

I really wanted something simple that wouldn't compete with pictures and stuff in the sidebars.  It seems that I am so easily visually overwhelmed these days when I read blogs that are full of blinkies and videos and swirlies and flourishes and doodads, so much so that I can't concentrate on the posts.  Didn't want that to happen on my own blog!
Do you like the font choice?  That would be "Socially Awkward" from http://www.kevinandamanda.com/, where you can find a staggering amount of free scrapbook fonts.  I think the name is quite appropriate, of course...

In other news, I have been super focused on family stuff the last few weeks, as we wrap up school, and as I am helping my mom hunt for a house.  I like to blog, and I like to craft, but social media is absolutely the first thing to take a backseat to family stuff, and the blog was being renovated anyways.  Looking forward to summer and all of the downtime!
And, I have updated the Etsy shop lately with a few things I really like and am not entirely sure I want to sell, but what the heck:


kindle cover

I lurrrrrrve this Kindle cover.  I almost kept it for myself...It was upcycled from a sweater the girls had that they just loved.  The sweater got a big, unfixable, frogging hole in the front.  (Frogging is actually a knitting term, seriously!!  You know, when you're ripping something out - rip it, rip it - it's so corny you know I didn't make this one up!) 

I may keep if for myself if it does not sell, but somehow I think it will.  Just too cute.

camera strap cover

This camera strap cover has the happiest summery colors. I could spend all day playing in these fabrics.  These were all from a big Lily Bella Fabrics scrap bag, which is almost better than chocolate, and certainly lower calorie.  An hour in that scrap bag will cure what ails ya, believe me.

So...what do you think of the new blog look?
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Friday, April 8, 2011

I SHINE - a donation challenge!

Hey hoopdeedoodles!  It's been a wild week of Ultimate Blog Partyin'!  I have visited so many cool blogs, participated in several whirlwind Twitter chats, and met lots of new people.  If you haven't seen the full list of participants, brace yourself and click here.

I've also been feeling totally overwhelmed by the amount of clutter in my house.  I suspect that it's breeding at night while I am sleeping.
So when I saw The SHINE Project blog's weekly challenge, I was already feeling highly motivated.

Y'all know what a big fan of Goodwill I am.

I had a major Goodwill pile going in the closet already, but it was the hardest kind of stuff to part with.

Stuff I like.


Stuff I just don't fit in anymore (because I lost weight: now don't get all jealous and stuff, I had to break up with sugar to lose that weight.  We barely speak anymore.  It's too painful.)

Stuff that's really nice (say like Cousin Eddie from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation).

A Talbot's silk dress.  Michael Kors blouse.  Two Ann Taylor cashmere twinsets.  Etc. etc. etc. ad luxuriam.

I could give these things to friends, or consign them, but decided against it.

Some woman out there, looking for a job, or struggling to make ends meet, is going to find these gems amidst the Goodwill racks, and it will give her a much needed thrill.  And on Easter Sunday, or at her next job interview, she is going to look radiant and proud.

Now, to be sure, there were also some real stinkers in that pile.  Like the sweater on top - one of my first knitted projects - a shrug that made me looked like a frilled lizard.  No I will not model it for you.

 I also....



(That *gasp-thud* sound is the simultanous cross-country reaction of my BFF, mother, and husband, who did not think it was possible for me to let go of this failure.)

This had a less noble motivation.  I just needed the storage for fabric so I could clean my office!! :)

I did keep back a few things to refashion, and will share the process with you when I do, of course!

So, head over to The SHINE Project and get motivated to bless someone with your clutter!




Photobucket





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Friday, April 1, 2011

Ultimate Blog Party 2011!

Hey all!  I'm in a party mood, so I'm joining in the Ultimate Blog Party over at 5 Minutes for Mom! 

Ultimate Blog Party 2011

It's just a way for bloggers to get to know each other, share a little bit about themselves, and make friends!  So here's a little bit about why I started blogging:


I needed someone to talk crafty to, other than my poor husband, who only speaks engineer.

I like to share my harebrained ideas with the world.

I needed an occasional soapbox.

I have an etsy shop for my creative overflow and wanted a blog to go along with it.

I like show-and-tell.

I wanted to make new friends online!!  (It is hard for me to make friends in person.)


 

Here's what blogging is teaching me:


I don't have to be perfect to be liked.  (There is no chance I will be perfect, so this is a very good thing.)

Bloggers are overwhelmingly supportive of one another, even their direct competition.  I love that!!

Twitter isn't just for 14 year olds.

I really really need to take pictures and write things down when I'm creating things from scratch.

I don't have to blog every day or even every week to be a "success." 

There are so many cool people out there that I can't wait to get to know!


So head on over to the party at 5 Minutes for Mom and meet some other new bloggers!  And please leave a comment for me and for them - we bloggers LIVE for comments!!

 


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