Sping Fling: Spring Is Here!

Yep, I know... two posts in one day. That's kind of unusual for me. BUT I made such yummy dinner on Sunday that I wanted to be sure to share that for TMTT. And the SITS Spring Fling is today, so I had to participate there, too.

For the Spring Fling, there's way cool celebrations going on. Every hour, they have a giveaway from one of their sponsors, and they're some pretty cool stuff. So far this morning, it's been some great jewelry and some really cool downloadable card templates. I can't wait to see what the rest of the day brings.

In addition to this (because this isn't enough, right?), SITS girls are all hosting their own individual giveaways today. Go here to see the full list of pretty awesome stuff -- but stay away from the prizes I really want to win, would you?

I dithered and dithered about what to give away. It took me a lot of thought to come up with what I wanted to do. And then I changed my mind. It had to be something spring related since this is the Spring Fling after all. Finally I made up my mind.

Prize A is Gap Scent Editions with 5 blendable perfume oils and scent tray. You know how you find a perfume you like but you wish you could just tweak it a little? Now you can completely make your own scents. It has some suggestions on the back, or you can make your own. This version has crushed peony, sueded musk, sheer tuberose, woven cassis and crepe gardenia as its scents.



Prize B is a fun spring tote. I've had my eye on this one for a long time, because it's so fun. It's just the right size to put stuff to run to the pool (someday) or bring home happy groceries or just pal around in. The blue corners and handles are sueded -- see, I'm tying in with the first prize here!



And Prize C is a mystery prize -- see how it's all nice and wrapped up? I promise that it's something that I bought an extra one of myself because I think it's cool. AND it's something that you need in springtime if you live in the Midwest.



So what do you think? Fun? Want the Spring Is Here package?

All you need to do is let me know your favorite thing about spring and comment below for an entry. And I'll go with the crowd on this one -- if you follow me (already follow or start today), I'll give you an extra three entries. Leave a second comment letting me know. US addresses only, please. And make sure I can contact you via email if you win. I will use Random.org to choose the winning entry -- all your names go onto a spreadsheet in the order commented, with three lines being devoted to the follower entries. Oh, and if I don't hear back from the winner by Friday evening, I'll choose another winner. Sound good?

I'll shut the contest down tonight when I go to bed, which is probably going to be around 10 or 11pm CST. Winners to be posted tomorrow, so come back to check.

Good luck, and have fun with all the Spring Fling contests!

Welcome, SITStas!

Welcome SITStas! I'm so excited to have you all visiting today, and I hope have fun poking around. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to clean more, but I'm still walking around one-handed. I wa planning to cook a whole feast for you, especially this new guacamole recipe I found is my current favorite.

At least I have the two wee ones -- Mister Man and Little Miss off to school, so it's a little quieter around here right now. They tend to entertain me. And drive me nuts. Then again, so does work, and yes, I'm working today, so it might take me awhile to get back to all your lovely, beautiful comments.

I've got a lot of posts out there, from my very first one where I found out why you want to change your water filter to more current ones reminiscing about my pets and learning about knife safety.

If you really want to make my day, come on back soon (or just you know, make it easy on yourself and boost my ego by following me...). I hope you enjoyed your visit!

In all seriousness though, if you are able to donate blood, please go donate now. Because of the weather and company layoffs, blood banks are way down on usual donations and are particularly short on O neg and B neg. Elective surgeries are being pushed back, and they are praying for no traumas. Find where you can donate near you (800 GIVE LIFE -- 800 448 3543), and make a difference! In fact, Manic Mommy's having a blood drive contest right now where you can actually win a six day vacation to Sandestin in Florida, among other great prizes. What more motivation do you need?

I Feel It Comin' On!

I've been Scroogy lately, admit it. You've been reading my posts wondering why I'm so crabby when the calendar shows we're entering the most magical time of the year. The snow has started falling, and it's all still beautiful enveloping the trees in lacy loveliness. And I'm crabbing like I have a piece of Scrooge's precious coal trapped in an orifice somehow.

Not today. Today, I'm focusing on the happiness that the holiday brings.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!

(ok, except Melisa -- Happy Hanukkah to you)

As darkness grows longer
and days are so cold,
Our faith is but stronger,
a wonder foretold.

'Tis more than just gimmes,
more than boxes or bags.
Mister Man does his shimmies;
Little Miss maybe lags.

The treats by the fireplace
full of cookies and milk
for his jolly presence to grace
with a whisper like silk.

In the morning they'll wake
full of dreams and of love.
Anxious and begging to bake
for the One from above.

Ok so it isn't great, but it's early. And now I'm motivated to get working on my Christmas cards. Only seventeen more mailing days to get them all done!

PS Don't forget to go check out the Merry SITSmas celebration -- there's a new prize every hour today!

PPS And really don't forget about Karen over at The Rocking Pony who makes the coolest t-shirts and more for kids. She's got her 12 Days of Christmas giveaway going on.

PPPS Ok ok ok, while I'm talking about them, Kat is giving away my one of my favorite book series ever, The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, as part of her Sex and Chocolate weekend winners (you've got until Friday night).

Ho Ho Ho!

I'm getting there, I'm really getting there. I can start to feel the Christmas spirit running through my veins. And I swear it has nothing to do with the Merry SITSmas celebration that runs tomorrow. Nope, nothing at all with the $200 Target gift card they're giving away, on top of prizes every single hour.

Really.

It's about the snow. It snowed here today. And it was the perfect amount:

1) It came on a Sunday.

2) It was pretty much done by the time I had to leave for work.

3) It was about 2-3 inches.

4) I didn't need to shovel it.

5) It was light and fluffy and coated all the branches and looks gorgeous.

6) It didn't cancel school.

7) It was the FIRST snow of the year (that I've seen, that stuck to the ground, add caveat here).

Unfortunately, I usually only "do" snow for about ohhh a day and a half.

We're All A Community

I have to admit, since I started blogging in March, I've had a lot of fun with this. It's been really neat to explore my thoughts and post memories so I remember them later, as well as to see what else is out there and to learn from so many of them.

I've visited more blogs than I can count. Not because I'm naturally that adventurous of course, but because there is a site that lays them out neatly for me on a daily basis. Every day, I get my SITS fix, where one new blogger is featured with three posts of her (ok, or his but really her) choosing to introduce me to each new blog.

It's through this that I've learned some things about what I like and don't like about blogging, including things about my own blog. I've changed some things as a result. I even found my bloggy fairy godmother who made over my blog indirectly via SITS (and isn't it pretty?).

The featured blogs aren't always ones that are my style or my taste, but I always walk away with a "huh" of some sort. There is always something that makes me think or smile or wince in pain. Some of them though... some of them just strike me in the right place, and on they go to the "list." The list is the blogs I read on a daily basis. And thanks to SITS, it keeps growing. And if I'm lucky, maybe someday I'll be the featured blogger.

In the meantime, I'm having fun reading the other blogs and seeing what else is out there. Today, SITS is doing a blogathon. If you've never visited, head on over. There you can meet up with some of the bloggers that I've grown to well love is probably too strong a word, but I definitely enjoy reading them.

Meet Angela from Hello Darhlin' who is funny and is a great cook with some great ideas. I'm totally jealous of her pool ensemble. It isn't just a pool, lucky her. I'm not so jealous of the gas issues she faced recently, however. I'll take my winters in Chicago to avoid gas lines.

And there's Angela from The Painted House -- she is so incredibly talented with the reclamation projects of furniture and home, with abundant other entertainment to boot. You have got to check out what she did with her basement. I'm jealous. Really jealous.

To prove I don't exclusively read bloggers named Angela, here's Jaci from Ravings of a Mad Housewife. She was featured somewhat early on but then went and deleted her blog and fortunately came to her senses and restarted it a few days later. She cracks me up on a regular basis. Oh, and it was through her (I think) that I found Lex who made my blog beautiful.

Outnumber 2to1 is another of the blogs SITS introduced me to. She cracks me up, and it's always nice to me to read about working moms and seeing that my issues are so frequently their issues.

Kellan from On The Upside is one of those bloggers who is just so warm and inviting. You never wonder why she consistently has more comments than I do page views. By far. She's definitely got her hands full with her brood, but she talks about them so lovingly and with such gently humor that you can't help but be drawn into her world.

Plus, we have Mama Kat from Mama's Losin' It who is absolutely hilarious. I would so sit down with her at a bar or over coffee or in the wee ones' preschool except for the fact that she doesn't exactly live around the corner from me. She's the inspiration of my Thursday posts now with her writing workshop. It's been really interesting to have a topic thrust on me and see what others do with it.

That's not even half the blogs that I've grown so fond of over the past few months. There are more, but I have to stop somewhere, right? The only downfall of SITS? My blog reading just takes longer and longer as I begrudgingly admit that I need to add another blog to my daily reading list.

So get on over to SITS if you haven't already. It's such a neat way to show support for fellow bloggers and get introduced to others. Happy blogathon everyone!

I'm Having A Party!

I've mentioned the SITS girls before and all the cool things they do. They aren't the only cool chicks out there though. AllMediocre is another community site that I like a lot. They feature bloggers there in a number of different ways, some of which are pretty creative like the Lonely Blogosphere Guidepost Series.

They recently posted about a suggestion that one of the members Auds at Barking Mad had around celebrating the community and friendships that the blogosphere has created. She created the idea of having an online dinner party.

Sooooo, I'm going to host a dinner party here, and I get to invite ten bloggers. So come on over, and let me know what you're bringing so I can be sure to fill out the dinner with whatever's missing. Somehow, I think we'll be fine on alcohol and chocolate, but maybe I'm wrong!

So first of all, Anymommy from Is There Any Mommy Out There? needs to come. She's so involved in AllMediocre (she hosts the traveling series mentioned above), and she's a great writer on top of that. She has three small children, and I admire her for that. That and for her fortitude, particularly with regards to potty training. She also writes some of the most honest and raw posts I read, many of which make me cry -- in a good way, of course!

And Steph from Manic Mommy needs to come. She's the one who first got me thinking that I could actually do a blog myself. Plus, she has a great kitchen and three great kids who are older than my wee ones, which means I have a lot to learn from her. Besides, she'll eat chocolate off the floor. How can you not love that?

I can't forget to invite Dawn from Because I Said So! This was the first blog I really ever read, and for a long time, it was the only one (not so anymore!). Dawn is absolutely hilarious to the point that a publisher approached her and now she has a book coming out next August. Besides, anyone with six kids needs a night out, right?

Angela from Hello, Dahrlin' definitely needs to come. She's my inspiration to do the 100 pushup challenge -- and I'm halfway through! Plus, her cooking rocks. I want to make sure my guests are eating well. And oh yeah, she cracks me up.

Angie from Angie's Spot of course needs to come, too, and not just because she's Angela's best friend since forever. She's always such a good commenter on my site (even on posts I don't mean to post!), and she's got such a good attitude. I can so see her kids playing with my wee ones. And may I just say that Big A and Little A have rockin' hair? But no kids are invited to this dinner party!

I'd love it if Kellan from On The Upside were to join us, as well. Kellan is another entertaining writer, and actually she's an overachiever with two blogs, as she writes On the Flipside, as well, which is a great thought-provoking site that I don't frequent enough. She has sixteen year old twin girls, and she's the one teaching them to drive. And she has more kids, too (cute ones at that)! The best part is that no matter what the situation, she always finds the silver lining.

Karen from The Rocking Pony is another must-have. If you don't already know, Karen makes some of the coolest kids' shirts I've ever seen. Plus, she breeds puppies, so if you're lucky you'll see cute puppy pictures (awww!). She also has some pretty entertaining kid stories that will make you laugh and cry. All her kids will be in school for the first time this year (just like Manic!), so I have a feeling that she needs some support -- or a party, I'm not sure which yet.

Debbie from This is the Life AND Blog Around the World has to come, too, along with her alter ego Betty. Not only does she keep up two blogs (another overachiever), but they're hilarious. I'm still chuckling about the Webkinz that needed chocolate milk from ummm, well, Debbie. And if you haven't signed up for her Blog Around the World (especially if you're from Illinois -- we only have six signed up, and I want more than California's 14 last I checked), head on over there. This is another fun place to find new bloggers to check out.

Kathy from Mama's Losin' It, please join us, too! She runs a daycare out of her home, which alone provides plenty of stories. Seriously, a mom wanted her to use a washcloth throughout the day for diaper changes. The same washcloth all day long. Rinsed out throughout the day. And there's all sorts of other chaos she can share with us that will keep us rolling. And maybe feeling a little better about the chaos that's in our lives. Plus, I love her apron, and I hope she'll bring it.

Oh, and I can't believe that I almost missed Jaci from Ravings of a Mad Housewife. Her face alone shows her need for a nice glass of wine to share with us. And she's so level-headed. She was blogging too much so pulled the plug on her blog before realizing that was a mistake (and I'm so glad she did!). Instead, she put together a blogging constitution that I think we can all agree with. Yep, another woman who cracks me up. I think we're going to be doing a lot of laughing at our party.

I'm getting hungry just thinking about the dinner and all the fun we'll have. And trust me, limiting this to ten bloggers was hard for me, so please don't feel left out if I didn't include you in this list. By no means does this mean I don't love your blog. Trust me, I read wayyyy more than 10 on a daily basis. Oh, heck, it's an open invitation. Just show up and let me know what you're bringing!

Pretend It's Christmas

Go with me here for a moment. It's the middle of August, and it's brutally hot and humid. This is one of the few times of year when I long for cold days when it's too rotten outside to do anything but bake. And bake I do. Of course, then I have to give much of it to neighbors and co-workers and teachers because I don't want to eat it all, but I love to bake and nibble.

This becomes relevant for a few reasons. First, I've been reading a number of blogs that post recipes, and I've enjoyed reading them. I love seeing the pictures of how they come together, hearing the stories of how the recipes were invented or what the meaning behind cooking them is. And I've really enjoyed cooking some of them - thanks again, Angela for the salmon quesadilla idea! I've debated doing something similar myself periodically.

Then I got a nice kick in the rear. The SITS girls I've told you all so much about are having a recipe contest on their Saucy Eats website. I've talked to a friend of mine who also likes to cook about how I want to enter one of those national bakeoff/cookoff competitions to see what would happen, but of course I never get to it. Here's my chance to do this on a much smaller scale. And yes, you'll periodically see more recipes from me -- the white chocolate stuff for Little Miss's birthday party and the dip that was once confused with liverwurst and desperately needs a name among them.

These cookies are some of my favorites to make at Christmastime. I wish I had a better name for them, but I went with the very straight "Orange Chocolate Shortbread Cookies." If you want to help me out, I'd love some naming suggestions. And I'm in marketing - pshaw!

Anyway, the cookie came about as I was trying to create a cookie for the cookie sale that the animal shelter I volunteer for has every winter. I wanted something unique that would draw people to it without being too weird and over the top.

As I thought about it, I realized that orange is always one of my favorite holiday flavors, and chocolate just seems to go naturally with it. (Of course, my husband thinks chocolate goes naturally with everything – and who am I to contradict him?) One of my favorite treats is the chocolate oranges that Kraft makes. I’ve always looked for a recipe that incorporates those flavors, but I never managed to find a recipe for a cookie with orange flavoring, so I decided this challenge would fit the bill.

I based it very loosely off a shortbread recipe, since that was the cookie that seemed to hold its shape the best. Most shortbreads are far too dry for my tastes and crumble too readily to work well for this type of cookie. I didn’t want a moist cookie that wouldn’t stand up to the filling or would overwhelm the citrus flavor with sweetness either. Of all the variations I’ve tried, this seems to have won the most fans. That and they're surprisingly easy to make (and very forgiving, too)!

Oh yeah, and if you want to enter, too, and possibly win a $100 gift certificate to Williams-Sonoma and a digital camera, go here. But make sure you post an entry that won't beat out my cookies! And hurry -- the 10 (5? there's some discrepancy) finalists will be posted on August 23.

Orange Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients
Cookies:
10 T butter, unsalted @ room temperature
3/4 c. brown sugar
zest of one orange
juice of one orange
1 egg
3/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3 c. flour

Filling:
1/2 c. cream
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate
2 T Grand Marnier
1/2 c. powdered sugar

Directions
Make the filling first and let come to room temperature before starting the cookies.

Filling:
1. Scald cream in a heavy saucepan.
2. Remove from heat and add chocolate, stirring until fully melted.
3. Add Grand Marnier and stir.
4. Slowly add powdered sugar and stir until combined.

Set aside until cookies are cooled.

Cookies:
0. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
1. Cream the room temperature butter and brown sugar.
2. Add the orange zest and orange juice, then the egg. Mix until well combined.
3. Add the baking soda and salt, then mix again.
4. Slowly add the flour and stir until fully combined. The dough should be fairly stiff.
5. Roll small amounts of the dough into balls and place onto greased cookie sheet.

Baking:
Using a clean finger or back of an ice tea spoon, make a large, deep divot into each ball (the bigger the divot, the more filling fits!).

Bake each set of cookies 11-13 minutes until firm. These cookies do not crack when done. As soon as each batch comes out of the oven, carefully use the spoon to reaffirm the divot.

Let cookies cool ~10 minutes. Once cookies are cool to the touch, use the ice tea spoon to carefully fill each divot with thickened chocolate filling. Let cookies sit 2+ hours for filling to set.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Luddite or Cheap, Take Your Pick

I like technology. I've just never been an early adopter.

I was one of the last people I knew who got a cell phone. Ironically, I haven't had a landline in three years. The only reason I have a computer at home is because my husband bought me one (actually two in the last six years). I have purchased only one tv ever, and that was a flat screen my husband made me (ok us) buy almost two years ago. The Tivo I have is a Christmas present from I think five years ago. It doesn't record in digital, and you can't watch another channel when recording something. My iPod was a Christmas gift from my husband and is a first generation one from years ago.

I do realize that many of the technology items I have -- including my cell phone -- have newer siblings that have cooler features. I even covet some of those features, including the new Tivo type ones. But I can't bring myself to upgrade when my current versions work perfectly fine. You know the saying... if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

I'm starting to have a problem with my iPod, however. I've used it for years to listen to music when traveling for work or hanging out at home when I need to be quiet due to the wee ones napping or while working in the office. It's always done what I need it to do, and that's all good.

This spring, I started running. I found a running program that would get me from HA! to actually running 5K (my goal) in nine weeks -- you'll notice that I didn't say nine easy weeks. It involved running increasing distances in shorter intervals. You had your choice of running a distance or for a length of time. Considering I was running in my neighborhood, time was the only real choice. But looking at a watch every five seconds to see if I was done didn't seem very productive to me.

I put off starting the program until I discovered that some brilliant person had created podcasts that told you what to do when and played music during your runs. Problem solved, and I quickly started my program. (Quickly being when I started doing it, not how fast I was running of course.)

About week 3, I noticed that my iPod would freeze in the middle of the podcast once or twice and then keep going after twenty to thirty seconds. I tried redownloading the podcasts, but that didn't help. Then the podcast started freezing with a few minutes left in my run. I'd guess at how much time I had left to run, but that was just not good.

In my research, I discovered how to reset the iPod because it got to the point where my iPod wouldn't turn off or anything -- for reference, turn the lock switch on then off, then hold down the up part of the wheel until it turns off. I can now do this without looking at my iPod while running at 6mph.

That's a skill I could do without.

I'm slowly beginning to realize that my iPod will need to be replaced. But when listening to music, it works fine. It's only those longer podcasts that cause the problem. And I will say that the people I hear about downloading their favorite tv shows and watching them whenever they have spare time or oh I don't know while running on a treadmill make me a bit jealous.

But much like my car (which also needs replacing), it's hard for me to just toss off something that's been with me a long time. I'm loyal that way -- to friends, to work, to my family -- and that's not a bad thing.

Then people go and throw this new technology in my face and make me drool. The SITS girls are giving away a new 4G iPod Nano in silver. Yep, it's that latest and greatest thing, and now I want one. I was doing ok until I actually saw the picture of it. Until I read the 4 hours of video and 1,000 songs, not to mention the 3,500 pictures. Until I realized that the battery on my iPod was again dead even though I charged it two days ago.

Maybe I'll slip a hint to my husband that I want a new one for my birthday. Of course, well before then I'm pretty sure that I'll have given up on Mr. Freezy and will be listening to the random music and commercials and "Will Liz Thomas please report to the childcare center. Liz Thomas, thank you" that feeds throughout the health club where I run.

Or a girl could always dream and actually win the iPod from the SITS girls....

Pay It Forward!

For whatever reason, the blogging community (and it is definitely a community, as I've come to learn) is rife with contests. I've mentioned a few of them on my site, as it's always fun for people to win things -- and some of them would be really cool to win; who couldn't use a bouncy house? Or popcorn? Or a really fancy schmancy Brighton handbag (yep, week 2 of the SITS six weeks of summer)? Or heck, twenty days of giveaways? (See the button to your left. No, your other left -- there, click it!)

I've talked about other people doing contests, and I sort of feel like I should reciprocate in some way. Mostly because of all that good Catholic guilt I had placed upon me as I was growing up. But much like I delayed blogging because I didn't have the faith in myself that I could do it and thus kept putting it off, I've delayed holding a contest of my own.

Enter Swistle. She has what I think is a great idea. She's hosting a Pay It Forward contest where we're all starting the paying it forward. Essentially, you enter my contest here. Whoever wins is then obligated to host a pay it forward contest where they give something away and whoever wins that contest is thusly obligated, etc. It's kind of a virtuous circle, if you will. And I like being virtuous.

What's my prize? I don't know yet. And thankfully, I don't have to know yet, which is part of the fun. I can promise that it will be an at least somewhat cool package -- which means more than one item. I may even get creative enough to have a theme.

How do you enter? All you have to do is post a comment below. In your comment, tell me a little about a childhood pet. If you didn't have one, tell me why you didn't (I'm just curious -- no novels needed, just a brief overview). One entry per person.

Who's eligible? Because this requires paying it forward, only bloggers will be able to enter (sorry for any reader without a blog -- but hey, good time to start a blog, no?). And because I can only commit to paying postage in the States, I'll request that you be located in the US (although I don't think I really have any international readers anyway).

How will a winner be chosen? I'll use a random number generator and whoever has that number comment wins. Ta-da!

When does the contest end? The contest will go through Friday July 4 at ohh around 8pm CST. (Note: I obviously have children too small to take to fireworks. What a bummer!) Get your comment in before then! Friday night I'll post the winner... and if I'm lucky, the prize, too! Or maybe it will be a total surprise to the winner. It depends on how busy I get this week.

Oh, and like I said... this is a group effort. Go check out all the other contests that bloggers have put together for this pay it forward hoopla! Good luck!

Are You Saucy?

I’ve mentioned The Secret Is In The Sauce once before and how cool I thought the concept was.

They’re verging on dangerous now. Every day, they feature a new blogger who I’d otherwise never come into contact with. And I keep having to add more absolutely hilarious blogs to those I read. The downfall is that I have a limit as to how much I can read, and I can’t just stop reading some of them. So if I’m behind on reading your blog, blame SITS. Unless I started reading your blog because of SITS in which case it’s a blessing and a curse!

They’ve also helped me discover what I’m going to get my mom for her birthday (July 1, so I’m starting to run out of time!). Check out this way so cool necklace that they featured – and gave away, although not to me – recently.

And now, they’re giving away a bouncy house! As you saw from my post yesterday, my kids rather enjoy jumping. Plus, it’s a nice pseudo-therapy for Mister Man. And ok, so maybe I love the fact that they both took four hour naps yesterday after spending two hours jumping. I soooo want this!

If you haven’t stopped over at SITS before, go check them out. Community is key, and they’re developing a great one. Besides, apparently this finding cool things to give away is gaining momentum. If you haven’t become a SITS girl by now, it may be time to rethink it (and yes, they allow men, too, before you ask!). Tell them I sent you. All you have to do is grab their banner and put it on your blog. Then show up, roll call and go enjoy some good bloggy writing. If I can figure out how to do it, anyone can!

Why Do We Blog?

I suppose everyone has a different reason or set of reasons, but I know what my reasons are. The more I think about it, the more I realize I have quite a few reasons.

I sometimes have a poor memory, and these times with the wee ones are ones that I want to capture – and not just the good but the bad and the ugly, too, so that I can empathize when they have children of their own. I had started writing them letters that recapped the previous year each year for their birthdays, but I know there was so much that I was forgetting and so much of it was the little fun cute things that I want to remember.

I also find that my blog is a great outlet for me when I am frustrated or irritated or confused by something. I can pick and choose the gory, unrefined and sometimes pitiful bits that may provide a colored view of my world, but they allow me to vent here. Once it’s out of my system, I then regain the zen (ha!) that I normally do and don’t take it out on anyone around me. Or less so, anyway.

I also generally like to write. Anyone who’s ever received an email from me knows that I’m pretty good and spinning something out of nothing. I’m not claiming by any stretch to be a great writer, but it’s something I enjoy. Disciplining myself to keep my blog updated ensures that I write just a little bit more frequently than I would otherwise, and I think that’s good for me.

For a long time I put it off, thinking that I wasn’t good enough or didn’t know how to do it or it would be too hard or too humbling. Now I wish I’d started far earlier as there are stories that I’d thought I would remember but only the vaguest of details remain with me today. If you don’t have a blog or aren’t keeping yours up to date, go for it! It is yours to make of it what you will, and that’s part of what makes it so great.

Plus, there’s a great community of bloggers and blogger readers out there. While I have no ambition to ever make money off my blog (and kudos to those who do!), it is nice to know that what I write doesn’t just go into a black hole but that someone else gets it – or doesn’t – or enjoys or appreciates something that I wrote. It’s something of a selfish ego boost, granted, but I won’t deny that it’s nice to see my reader counter slowly rising and see comments pop in on most posts.

Towards that end, I have added a couple of buttons to the left of my screen. Both are new blogger communities that have pretty lofty aims that I applaud. They aren’t soliciting the best of the best – whoever determines that – but recognizing the everyday blogger and helping them find an audience and a voice.

AllMediocre is a play off AllTop, which shockingly I hadn’t heard of. Apparently AllTop features the crème de la crème of the blogosphere, while AllMediocre takes that and runs with it. As members sign up, they are encouraged to go visit new blogs that are part of the community. It’s a great idea, and I have to say that there are some entertaining blogs part of the community. Go check them out!

The other new community button is SITS – The Secret Is In The Sauce. Every day, they feature a new blogger, again not the high profile blogs but average blogs by average people who submit theirs to be featured. Obviously submitting isn’t a guarantee that a blog will be featured, but what a great way to find new blogs that you like while at the same time increasing readership for the featured blogs. I love the idea – and of course, I’ll give them a plug on their contest. In their effort to get this cool idea off the ground, if you comment on SITS by Friday, you’re entered to win a bloggers survival kit. And to keep the momentum and give incentive for readers to go visit the featured blogs, there will be a small weekly contest for those who go visit the featured blogs and comment.

I love the idea behind both these communities. And it’s given me a nice opportunity to reflect on why I blog. Or some of why I blog, as I’m sure there are more reasons that I have yet to identify. So why do you blog? Or if you don’t blog, why not?