How it all began! *UPDATED*

Update to answer the question I forgot to answer..."What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?"

Today Chilihead is having a bloggy festival about how we all began this addiction called blogging. Go check out everyone else's stories, but not until after you read my story! :-)

* How did you start blogging? The word "blog" was not even a part of my vocabulary until only a few months ago. I am sure my husband wishes it still was not a part of my vocabulary...he gets to hear me say daily, "oh, now that's something for the blog" or "oh, I read on a blog that..." or "I need to check my blog..." and on and on! But he can blame it all on Shannon! Last fall I stumbled upon Shannon's Rocks in My Dryer blog. I don't remember the exact date or even how I found it, but I did and I began to follow along with her every day. I soon began to check into everyone she linked to and I became addicted! I loved looking into the lives of other moms and learning from their wisdom. In January 2007, after reading blogs for about 3-4 months, I decided to start my own.

* Did you intend to be a blog w/a following? If so, how did you go about it? Well I would be lying if I said that I didn't have a deep down desire to be one of the famous Mom Bloggers, but that was not my intention from day one. My main intention when starting the blog was to just share about me, my family and my life.

* What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? Have you been successful? If not, do you have a plan to achieve those goals? My main goal was and is to make my blog an outlet for my long forgotten writing skills. When I was in high school I was an active part of our school's monthly newspaper and I loved to write. My dad is in the newspaper business so I had first hand knowledge of the inner workings of the business. I loved to "report" about things people did not know about. I left the journalism world behind upon graduating high school and those writing skills I once had were long forgotten. I thought Blogging would be a great way to let me write again.

* Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How? I don't think I started wtih a focus. I simply just share about my life. I have done that all along in the past 5 months so I guess my focus as stayed the same.

* What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?
Just how much fun blogging is...and how addictive! I never would have guessed that I would see things happen and file that memory in my brain under "Blog." Oh, but now I do...I watch for blog stories!

* Do you make money with your blog? Nope, not yet. I say not yet because I would like to make a little big of extra money...wouldn't we all? I have checked in to a few advertising companies for blogs, but most are at full capacity and are not accepting new bloggers. Plus I need more regular readers so I could qualify. Dang it, the whole popularity bug is following me even after high school!

* Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it? If not, why? I know that my dad does. I think my husband checks it out when he is on the computer at home, but he doesn't want to admit it! My mom and sister are aware of my blog, but I don't think they are regular readers...if they are they don't tell me. Otherwise I don't think any other family members are aware of my blog. I don't like to talk about my blog in person...it makes me a little uncomfortable. I kind of see it like a personal journal...only I share it with the entire world via the worldwide web. I will censor certain things and I know what I am comfortable typing about, but I still don't always want to TALK about it!

* What two pieces of advice would you give to a new blogger? #1 -- Don't expect to instantly become an overnight sensation. I'm not saying it couldn't happen to you, but there are such a large number of bloggers out there, it is often difficult to gain readership. #2 -- Don't feel obligated to blog every day. It can be difficult to find the time. Blog as it comes to you. Sometimes numerous things "come to me" on the same day...save some ideas for those days you can't think of anything.

The Fourth Living Room

I promised previously this week that I would share about the numerous living rooms in my grandmother's home. Well, with no further ado, here is the story!

My grandparent's home has been their home for nearly 40 years (with a few years in the middle when they moved to a different home, but moved back to this home when all the kids were out of the house). It is the home my mom and her brothers and sisters grew up in. It's the house I spent numerous hours playing in as a toddler.

And it's the house that continues to evolve.

The house was originally a double wide trailer that was put on a permanent foundation (I think that is the history I have heard). There is a small cellar under the original part of the home.

Throughout the years my grandparents have added additions to the home, including additional basement areas and most recent, what I like to call, "Living Room #4" because that is exactly what it is...the fourth living room in the house!

The first living room is the original living room. It was the area of the home which was, at one time, the only living room. This room has lovely wood paneling, which has knot holes in the wood. Family legend has it that as a toddler, I literally talked to the walls. I would talk to the knot holes. I guess I thought they were faces.

Living area #2 is off of the kitchen. This room originally was a porch, but was turned into a bedroom for my aunt in her teen years and then later the floor was raised and the room became a den type area just off of the kitchen.

These two living room areas were the only ones in the home for several years and the only ones I remember as a child. The main door to the home entered into living room #1 and the den was simply a den type area. Two living room areas is not odd, several homes have two such areas.

About 10 years ago my grandparents decided to add an addition to the house. This addition included a basement area and a 3rd living room above the basement. The room was added onto the original living room of the home; however, with the addition of the basement a full floor to ceiling wall had to be added, creating two separate rooms and thus creating living room #3.

Years went by and then just this month my grandparents added the fourth living room. This room was added on to the back of the house and was initially intended to be a sun room. This room is the largest room of the home and will be the place the family spends Christmas celebrations. Doors on either side of the room lead to two separate decks. Four windows line the side and back of the room allowing for lots of natural light to enter the room.

And that is how and I guess why my grandparents have four living rooms. There is still one question I have...how do two people in the 70s use four living rooms on a daily basis? Or do they?

Aprons, Aprons Everywhere!

Apronpalooza is going on over here. There are numerous contests to WIN FREE APRONS!!

Now, I am not an apron wearer, but I certainly should be. I always end up with half of the ingredients in some fashion on my clothing. Some of these aprons may be nicer than my clothes! Ha! I would definitely wear a FREE apron!

Works for Me Wednesday --- Curing Toddler Boredom

Today's Works for Me Wednesday has a theme -- How to cure kids' boredom. For more tips go check out other ideas (we all need them, especially in the summer!) at Rocks in My Dryer.

I have 2 quick tips.

First, is a book I purchased, The Everything Toddler Activities Book. This book has ideas to entertain your 18-40 month olds. It has games to play inside and out, crafts to make, songs to sing and great way to entertain your young ones. It helps me come up with ideas to do with Jacob...sometimes I get in the same rut of playing the same games, singing the same songs and reading the same books. This gives me new and fresh ideas!

Second, Regal Cinemas have free movies in the summer for kids of all ages! These are G or PG rated movies, but are not first run movies. If you have a Regal Cinema nearby go check out the website to see if your theater is holding the free movies. The times are not listed for my local theater, but I anticipate that these are held in the morning/afternoon hours. I am planning to take Jacob (it would be his first movie, I figure if he can't sit still we can leave, it was free after all) at the end of July when I have a week's vacation.

Don't forget to go see other ideas to cure the summer boredom of your kids!

When do the changes stop?

My brain is on overdrive. Today I was approached about a promotion at work. This is not a definite possiblity, but a highly likely option. I have such conflict in my brain...and heart for that matter.

As I mentioned, lightly, yesterday, I hate that I have to work outside the home. I wish I could spend more time with Jacob and not have to leave him to go to work. However, the life (and debt we accumulated prior to marriage) we have chose to live to this point currently requires that I work to help make ends meet, and to keep us from filing bankruptcy.

However, the promotion would bring in more money, which could help us to pay off more debt faster, which could allow me (if ever) to stay at home more and work less.

My ultimate desire is to stay at home and take care of my family. But this is not an option for us at this time. I wonder if this promotion is a way of God opening doors to allow me to get to my goal faster. Or is it what God wants at all...am I even supposed to be a SAHM?

The job position holds so much more responsibility than I currently have. I would be a supervisor, which I did in the past, and hated it. I would have to immediately hire my own replacement or else I would be completing two jobs, which I have done in the past when I was single and with a family would be horrible.

Then I wonder if I am just jumping to conclusions and worrying myself for no reason. There is nothing definite.

Trust me, my brain is on total overdrive.

Lord, please give me guidance on my future job opportunities and allow me to follow Your will and Your's alone. Give me peace about my decision with no regrets. I want to honor You and be the best wife and mother I can possibly be. Help me to make decisions that is Your will and will give me the ability to be the wife and mother I want to be. Amen.

No Bye Bye!

Children sure do know how to break a mother's heart don't they?

This morning Jacob was in a bit of a crabby mood. As I was preparing everything to leave for the day I told him it was time to go bye bye.

He began to say, repeatedly, "No Bye Bye!" "No Bye Bye!"

Oh, it broke my heart.

I wish I didn't have to go "Bye Bye."

I guess my prayers will only have to continue for God's guidance and providing so when Monday mornings roll around I will no longer have to go "Bye Bye!"

Killing Me Softly

Whew, it has been an entire week since I have posted a real post. I am not sure I remember how to type an actual post, but here is my feeble attempt to do so!

Yesterday Jacob and I attended a baby shower for my cousin and his wife, who are expecting their first bundle of joy in a couple weeks. While I was in the area, I decided to stop in and visit with my grandparents at their home.

As we were sitting and talking, in the newest addition of their home, (living room #4, as I like to call it...stay tuned for a post on that soon!) 3p.m. came along and my grandmother's clock began to play. This was the first time I had ever encountered the clock.

It is a large oval shaped clock, which my grandmother has proudly displayed on the wall in "living room #4." It is made of beautiful dark wood and has lots of ornate gold embellishments decorating the face of the clock. When the top of the hour arrives the clock begins to play instrumental music and the face of the clock opens up to display the working pieces of the clock.

At 3 p.m. yesterday the chosen song was "Killing Me Softly." You know, this song. I nearly died. Laughing that is.

My grandmother is not a woman who is up to date, so to speak, in the modern day music genre. I highly doubt she was even aware what the beautiful instrumental music was, but I immediately began to sing, "Killing Me Softly with His Song...Killing me Softly, with his Song."

Assuming my grandmother would not like such music I asked her if someone gave her this clock as a gift. Much to my surprise, my grandmother has purchased this clock for herself. This led her to tell me the story of the clock.

Apparently last summer my grandparents took a bus tour to Indiana's Amish Country with my great aunt and uncle. While on the tour the group stopped at several small country stores. At one such stop the group entered an older feed store. The entire first floor of the store sold only feed, but there were old rickety steps which led up to a second floor, which held lots of general store type items. However, what caught the eye of my grandmother were the walls of the second floor which were covered in clocks. Beautiful clocks, like my grandmother's.

As the story goes, my grandmother was fascinated by one particular clock as was her brother-in-law. The two stood and stared at the clock as it played beautiful music and opened its face to show the inner workings of the clock. Needless to say, both my grandmother and her brother-in-law purchased the clock.

After my grandmother told me the story (and offered that her brother was so interested in the clocks that his wife ordered him one online for Christmas) I wondered if I was missing something about this clock. I personally am not interested in a clock that played "Killing Me Softly."

Now don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful song, but I do not want to hear it every 7 hours for the rest of my life or the other songs it plays for that matter (the clock plays several other songs including "If" by Bread, "My Way" by Ole Blue Eyes, "Bridge over Trouble Water" by Simon and Garfunkel, plus a few Christmas songs). But on a warm summer day in a feed store in rural Indiana, the beautiful compilation of this 1971 (and again 1996) song may have a different impact on me than it did on this June day in my grandmother's home.

There is something to be said for the acoustics of a feed store.