The other night at dinner, I really wanted to order a beer.
But I didn’t. I was still feeling achy and had just taken some medicine, so I thought a beer wasn’t a good idea. Beer makes me tired, and then I get all crabby when it’s time to put the kids to bed because all I want to do is crawl into bed myself. Ed told me he had some beer at home, so I made him promise to make me have a beer after the kids were in bed.
I had such a taste for beer! Even so, by the time we got home and put the kids to bed, I went to bed myself. Ed said, “But what about your beer?” But it was too late…literally. This mom had had it.
At the Ronneburg in Amana, Iowa
Really I’m not much of a beer drinker. Lately I’ve been more of a red wine drinker, but I don’t drink often. Tonight was the perfect night to have that beer. The girls are in bed sleeping soundly and I wanted to do a little writing. I had a taste for beer. And oh, did it taste good!
That taste for beer, it comes and it goes. If I have a taste for beer and don’t have one…then it might be a while before I crave beer again.
Peeling potatoes for Christmas dinner
Usually I like to cook, but lately I’ve been off at dinner time. I can’t think of what to make and whatever I make tastes horrible (to me, anyway). I think this is partly because I lost my appetite when I was sick. Why cook for someone else when nothing tastes good to me? Ugh, it was a bad cooking week.
Today I tried a new recipe that I was actually excited to try. Easy chicken paella–any time a recipe has the word “easy” in it, I am willing to make it. It was easy, and it was delicious! Even Emmy ate it! It felt good to enjoy cooking and eating again. I actually have a plan for tomorrow’s dinner, too–thank goodness! Let’s hope that dinner ideas stay for a while.
On New Year’s Eve, the girls cheered and clapped and us old folks told each other, “I can’t believe it’s 2015!” as we toasted the old year out and the new year in.
These 10 questions about blogging made me think about where I want to go with my blog in 2015. I’ve been blogging for a long time, and sometimes it feels like I’m repeating myself, or that I don’t have anything new to write about. I remember some writing that was so successful, and wonder if I can ever write like that again. Are there more stories for me to write down? I’ve been thinking about that question, and the answer seems to be that there will always be more stories.
1. What do you love the most about blogging?
I love writing down my stories and sharing them. Writing can be very therapeutic. Sometimes as I write, I think it’s all crap and go to bed. In the morning, I love to edit and proofread my writing to make it better. Sometimes, my writing evolves even as I’m typing the words, and what comes out of my writing is very satisfying.
Interacting with my readers is another reason why I blog. Sometimes the comments people give add SO MUCH to my writing! I love the conversations that flow around blogging, both on my own blog and on other blogs.
2. How do you find the time to keep up with all the aspects related to blogging (posting, reading, commenting, responding, etc)?
I really don’t manage my blogging time well, and time management is something I struggle with in all aspects of my life! I have times when I do really well, and other times when the most I manage to do is write a post. I do try to return visits to bloggers who comment on my blog, though!
3. Does your family know about your blog and does this affect what you blog about?
Yes, my family does know about my blog, and it’s beginning to affect how I blog a little more than it used to. When Lily and Emmy were babies, I could write about them all day long without worrying about embarrassing them. Now I’m a little more careful about which stories I share, and I ask them more often if what I write is okay.
4. If you didn’t blog, what would you be doing with that time?
So many things! I should clean my house and do laundry on a more regular basis, but I wouldn’t be doing that! I would be reading more books, learning how to sew better, scrapbooking…I would definitely find something to keep myself occupied.
Lily caught me folding laundry!
5. Have you been in a blogging rut and how did you pull yourself out of it?
I have been in a blogging rut before. When I’m in a rut, I’ll try to write for me and not for another linky party or blog hop. I try to write sometimes that really comes from my heart, whether it’s a funny story about the girls or a good memory that I want to share. If I ever do take a short break from blogging, I try to publish a decent post before I start my break.
6. Have you ever considered leaving the blogging world and why? What stopped you?
Not yet! I love blogging! I’ve always thought that if I go back to teaching full time, I will probably not have time for blogging. I can’t imagine giving up my website, but then again, will I still be blogging 20 years from now? I’m sure the internet will evolve in ways we can’t even imagine by then. Either that, or there really will be a zombie apocalypse and there won’t even be electricity, much less the internet.
7. Show some blog love: Name another blog that you adore.
There’s too many to choose from! I love you all.
8. What’s your favorite social media outlet for sharing your blog posts?
Facebook is definitely useful, but I wish I could develop more ways to share my posts on Pinterest!
9. What’s one thing you’ve learned about yourself since you started blogging?
When I started my blog in 2008, I never would have called myself a writer. Now I do. Sometimes.
10. Any new blogging plans or ideas for the new year?
I want to keep building up The Spin Cycle. (Hopefully my co-host Gretchen will come back!)
I want to be inspired and inspire others.
Purple coneflowers in my garden this summer
What are some of your goals for 2015? Did you answer these 10 questions? Link up your blog posts here, and be sure to visit the other Spinners!
Copy and paste the code from my sidebar on the right to add some Spin Cycle bling to your post! Coming up on The Spin Cycle for the week of January 5: Word of the Year: How did you do with last year’s word? What will you choose for this year? Here’s a link to my Word of the Year for 2014, including the linky to some of your Words of the Year. (Linky Tools lost your images, but the links still work!)
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