One Year of Blogging Bliss

It's hard to believe that I have now been blogging for one year and one day.   I started the blog last year on New Year's Day at the suggestion of my husband and the urging of the whole family.  I was a little reluctant at first and didn't think I would have anything to say or any ideas that anyone would be interested in reading about.  Although I had in mind for this to be a decorating blog, I also know that we are very sloooooow in getting projects done around the house so when I made the decision to be fairly eclectic in my content I actually felt that I could make it work.   Fortunately, it also suits my random personality.   Initially I thought I would blog for a year and see how I was doing and decide if I wanted to continue at that time.  Well a year is up and the experience has far surpassed my expectations. 

I wanted to let you know the top five things I love about blogging (both in having my own and reading others):

1)  I love the blog land community - I've met some of you in person and many I have corresponded with by email and through the comments on my blog through good times and bad and I have to say you guys are the best.  You are unfailingly kind and thoughtful and helpful and go out of your way to be friendly.  I'm touched every time someone takes the time to write a comment.  When I publish a post I kind of hold my breath until I get my first comment and after that I don't mind.  I guess I feel it means that someone is interested and cares about what I am thinking about and writing.  I love the support, the suggestions, and the soul that is to be found in the blog community.

2)  I love being the editor of my own on-line magazine - or at least that's how it feels to me!  I decide what I will write about, I take the photos, I write the text and so it is my magazine.  It's kind of heady stuff.   I love letting the creative juices flow and see what I come up with.

3)  I love taking photographs and editing them and deciding which ones I'm going to put on the blog.  I took photos before I had the blog, but not nearly as many and I have learned a lot about composition, colour, and photo-editing over this past year.  I've fallen in love with photography and I see the world with new eyes now.  I'm always looking out for things to take pictures of and always have my camera with me so I can take some shots.  I've also taken to studying photos in magazines to see how they set up a shot and what angle they used to make the food look good or how to style a room.  I have so much more to learn, but that just thrills me no end.

4)  I love the inspiration - I love the ideas I see on other people's blogs and am constantly impressed with ideas for crafts, decorating, cooking, baking, and photography.  I can't tell you how many ideas I've incorporated into my home and life this past year (mostly because I've lost track), but it makes me happy to have this constant source of creative ideas to be able to draw on.

5)  I love the motivation - I love the little push I get to start - and yes, even to finish - a project so I can post about it on my blog.  As I've said we are slow getting things done around the house, but the blog has helped me be a bit more focussed and for that I'm very grateful.  I love, love, love finished projects and am enjoying the things we have accomplished in 2010.

I have to say that a part of me is a bit intimidated to have completed one year of blogging as  maybe I have run out of things to say, maybe I've done it all -  but I don't think so.  I still have lists on my desk with blog post ideas and 2011 is an exciting year for me so I don't think the creative well has run dry yet.  Here are some of the highlights of this year - it's going to be a big one:

• we celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in February
• our oldest son is getting married in May
• he's also graduating with his Bachelor of Arts in June
• I'm going to Bangladesh for a month in the summer with a friend to teach in the Speech-Language Pathology department
• hubby and I will be spending a week or so in France to celebrate our wedding anniversary (a stop-off on the way to Bangladesh)
• Kate will be starting University in Nova Scotia

Phew - it's going to be a blast.  

I do have a giveaway in mind to celebrate my one-year blog anniversary, but I don't have it organized yet - so stay tuned.