A New Blog

As if I could even keep up with this blog, I have decided to do a second one as well.  This one seems to appeal mainly to friends and family, but not so much to the general public.  The focus of my new one is going to be my life as an older, stay-at-home mom, and some of the things I am learning as I go, things that might be helpful to others.

So, for those who are interested, you can find this new blog at www.pooroldtiredmama.blogspot.com.

I'm still planning to keep blogging on this one least as much as I have been, so hopefully I'll be able to keep up with it all.  You never know 'til you try!

Happy Birthday to my Blog!

It was one year ago today, 276 blogs ago, 5443+ hits ago (I didn’t start counting right away), that I started blogging. We’ve come a long way, baby! When I started I was clueless. I have always had a passion for writing, though I didn’t think I would have anything to say that anyone would care to read. I still believe that may be true, but at least I’ve had fun and learned a lot about myself. I’ve become quite a photographer too!

I’ve had hits from all over the world. It seems certain entries draw the greatest number (per my Site Meter). Interestingly, my Southern Fried Apples recipe has probably had more hits than any other. Thanks, Google! (They apparently send people my way when they search for certain topics.) Ellington Agricultural Center has had quite a few hits too. There is a fair amount of interest in things like Community Bible Study and Cedar Creek Community Band. I guess people like getting the “inside scoop” on things like that.

Thanks to all my readers, those who read faithfully every day, as well as those who stop in regularly and get caught up! I would also like to thank my “stalkers.” (I heard someone use this term once describing people who read your blog and never tell you.) I don’t mind (better to have an anonymous reader than no reader at all), though I would love to hear from you! ( :

Another year? I hope so. Blogging has been a great experience for me. I have grown as a writer and hope to continue to. Your comments really help me know what people enjoy reading about and what they don’t, so please keep them coming.

I Won!

Kay at Notes from the Wall, one of the blogs that I follow, had a little contest recently to celebrate her blog's first birthday. She gave away two books, a cookbook and a devotional book, and anyone who left her a comment that day would be entered to win. Well . . . I won! AND today I got a big package in the mail from Texas containing the two books, plus a sweet card and a package of Texas Bluebonnet seeds (she reads my blog too and knows I love to garden).

Thanks, Kay! I can't wait to read the books, try some of the recipes and plant the seeds!

I’ve Been Tagged!

I have been tagged by Kay of Notes from the Wall, who I didn’t even know read my blog but found me through surfing (which is actually very exciting to me to know that anyone reads my blog by choice). Now I have to come up with 7 interesting things about myself. With all the blogging I do, there’s not much I haven’t revealed already (at least that I’m willing to reveal), but here goes:

1) I like to pop bubble wrap, especially the kind with the really big bubbles.
2) I only failed one class throughout my entire school career. It was a 1-hour course I took my freshman year in college, ironically called "How to Study."
3) I love looking at the stars and studying the constellations, but I can never see too many from my home in the suburbs.
4) I like pink and purple. I’m sure you wouldn’t have guessed that from my blog layout.
5) I don’t like talking on the phone. I am trying to find a part-time administrative-type job that is near home but doesn’t involve talking on the phone. Any suggestions?
6) I have never had "big" hair, even in the 80’s. My hair is fine and relatively straight so I would have to use gobs of gook to make it big, and I can’t stand to have gook in my hair. Plus, I’m a wash-and-go girl.
7) I don’t wear much makeup either. When I do, it’s eyeliner, mascara and blush. Occasionally a little tinted lip gloss for special occasions. Sometimes I forget to wear it at all.

Well, there are my 7 facts, for what they’re worth. Now for my 7 "victims" (which are some of my favorite blogs):

1) There’s Melissa, my sweet sister-in-law, at Jeter Journals, who is probably going to be upset with me because I’m tagging some of her friends too.
2) There’s Christy at Smith Stories, a mother of three who is working hard to get through college to become a dental hygenist.
3) There’s Britt at Let Your Hopes, Not Your Hurts, Shape Your Future. She is Christy’s almost-sixteen-year-old daughter, a young woman holding tight to her faith as she is making her way in the world through her teenage years.
4) There’s another Christy at God’s Girl Pearl, who is in my Bible study. She is a fairly new blogger and has some wonderful spiritual insight.
5) There’s Angie at Helton Happenings, a homeschool mom with a strong faith in God and a love for photography.
6) There’s Curry at Waiting Trusting Loving, another teenage girl with a heart for God, who believes God is calling her to mission work in Africa and is waiting to see what He will do in her life.
7) Lastly, there’s Shari at Encountering Ella, who has just adopted a beautiful baby girl from Guatemala and makes me want to do it too!

P.S.: Jennifer at Smelling Coffee would have been an obvious choice too, but she got tagged at the same time I did!

How Blogging Has Changed My Life

Well I’ve been blogging for around 3 months now. So far I’ve managed to write something every day. I don’t want it to come to the point that it’s stressing me out to do that, but it’s a good challenge for me.

It has made an impact on my life. I have found that now any events I attend, books I read or movies I watch, I am thinking about them from the perspective of "how can I review this on my blog?" I gather my thoughts and form opinions on things that I may not have otherwise. I am encouraged to get involved in more things so I will have something to write about. I carry my digital camera (along with extra batteries) with me almost everywhere I go. I’ve taken more of an interest in news and current events so I can blog intelligently about what’s going on in the world. I spend more time discussing ideas with others and researching topics on the Internet to broaden my knowledge and ideas. It’s also sometimes an outlet for me to vent my emotions.

It has deepened many of my relationships. People, even my own family, tell me that they feel like they know me much better now from reading my blog. I do write about a lot of things that I wouldn’t necessarily talk about. It has also gotten me to read other people’s blogs and get to know them better. I love opening my blog and see that my "reader meter" has clicked up a few notches, or, better yet, someone has left me a comment. Then there’s the high compliment of having someone add me to their blog list.

Is it taking too much of my time? I don’t think so. Most of the things I blog about are a part of my life anyway. The majority of my blogs are fairly short and only take a few minutes to write. For the reasons above, I believe it is time well-spent.

Where will this take me? I don’t know. I am discovering so many new things I can do and enjoy doing as well as a new way of thinking. In a world that is becoming more and more influenced by the Internet, this is at the very least a positive way to get involved.

Keeping Up With the Bloggers

Well, what do you think of my new look? I got tired of looking at the blank space on the sides of the screen so decided to spice it up a little bit. I’m still working on my color scheme though. If you don’t use one of the color schemes Blogspot provides you with, you have to be a genius to figure out how to create one.

I’ve added a couple of new things to the sidebar too, in an effort to keep up with my sister-in-law, Melissa, which, by the way, is a losing battle. She’s beating me, hands down. But she has an advantage in that she has four kids to blog about, plus a husband, a dog and a cat. Incidentally, she does have some really cute pictures of her and her kids (my nieces and nephew) on there, taken by her friend Christy.

And speaking of trying to keep up, I’ve noticed that everyone else has creative titles for their blog. My title is "Jill’s Blog."

I have considered this problem, but I have decided that it is symbolic of my personality: at first glance it may not seem like there’s much to it, but if you look a little deeper, you’ll find there’s a lot there.

So that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Widgets

I have always liked gadgets. I have a food processor, a bread machine, an electric knife and a crock pot (2 actually), to name a few. I guess these are a sort of "toy" for grownups. I don’t usually go for the trendy, useless ones that I will end up selling for $1 at my next garage sale, but look to invest in ones that will actually fill a need.

I have discovered a new kind of gadget: a widget. These are gadgets that can be added to a website or blog. How cool is that?? I have been wading through widget sites, trying to find some good ones to add to my blog and make it more interesting (and there are definitely some useless ones out there -- Don wanted me to add a "Wisdom from the Simpsons" one. I told him to start his own blog).

You have to be careful about what you add. For those who are wondering where "Cool Dog Facts" went, it kept reloading every couple of minutes and clicking, which was kind of annoying. It also seemed to slow down the amount of time it took for my blog to come up, and may have been the cause of the big error message I got on my computer the other day, causing it to shut down. So I got rid of that one.

I currently have a "hit counter" which shows me how many people are visiting my blog, and a Feedjit world map which shows me where they live. Some people may consider these useless, but they are interesting to me. Today I added a "word of the day" widget, for your education and mine.

So while you’re reading my blog, check out my sidebar from time to time to see if I have discovered any new and useful widgets.

Surveys

When I have some extra time on my hands, I sometimes do surveys online. I do them mostly for fun, but some of them offer points that accrue and can be redeemed for cash or prizes. Some actually send me products to sample and give my opinion of. Things I have gotten include dog food, socks, razors, laundry detergent, cereal and frozen dinners. Some of the surveys will pay (usually $1 to $5). You have to get to these quickly, before they reach their quota of responses. Most say they are entering me in a "sweepstakes," though I have yet to win anything that way.

I have been doing all of the ones listed below for some time and would consider them to be reputable and safe to give information to.

These accrue points:

mysurvey.com
harrispollonline.com
globalopinionpanels.com

These don’t offer points, but sometimes pay money or send product samples:

surveyspot.com
greenfieldonline.com

If you sign up for any of these (especially the last two), be prepared to get your e-mail box full of them. I pick and choose the ones I want to do and delete the rest. Topics I am interested in, ones that offer me something or the amount of time they take (they usually tell you) are all factors that help me decide.

Cool Thing to Know: If you click on "Next Blog" at the top of this page, it will take you through randomly-selected blogs. A lot of them are in different languages. Kind of neat to be able to get a glimpse into people’s lives all over the world (even if you can’t read them) from the comfort of your living room.

Blogging (a follow-up visit)

I like this blogging thing. It helps me pull my thoughts together. For you, the reader, from near or far, if you have a sudden urge to know what’s going on in my life (I flatter myself, don’t I?), you can find out anytime, day or night, from the comfort of your home. If you find my blogs boring or otherwise distasteful, you can just choose not to read them. Because as a blog reader, you are not a captive audience. It’s not even considered rude if you get up and leave right in the middle of one.

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Is anybody still reading??

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And I know I’m not supposed to start a sentence (and most certainly not a paragraph) with a conjunction. Or make one that doesn’t have a proper subject and predicate. Or use the word "you." Or make up words. Which brings us to another advantage of blogdom. They won’t be graded!

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The only bad thing I have discovered is that I am revealing everything that is going on in my life on my blog, and when I actually have contact with friends or family, I have no stories left to tell.

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Oh well.

Blogging

Well, I guess I'll give this blog thing a shot, though I'm not sure my life is interesting enough for anyone to want to read about. I do enjoy reading other people's blogs, though, so maybe someone will want to read mine.

Verses for the day:

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." Lamentations 3:22-24

What a wonderful thought! Not a day passes when I don't "mess up" somehow (usually a lot), but God is faithful to forgive me and give me a fresh start every day.

I begin this day thankful for His mercies and for my salvation and for all the gifts He has bestowed upon me: my family, my home, my friends, my country and my pets, to name a few. I am very blessed!

Cool thing to know: The website rhapsody.com lets you listen to almost any song you can think of. You can't download them, but you get to listen to 25 songs each month at no charge. I've been taking a trip down memory lane and listening to all those old songs that I haven't heard in forever.