Fail

I guess if I'm going to use the NaBloPoMo theme of the month, my word of the day is FAIL.

As I had suspected would happen, I got busy and didn't blog every day in March. Last week, in particular, was fast and furious because we had a missions conference at our church.

I totally blew NaBlo.... But that's okay with me. I blogged more this month than I have in the last several months, and that's what I had hoped to accomplish.

I wonder what April will bring?

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Perfectionism

I'm sorry that the perfectionist in me will not let me be settled without writing something for Tuesday. As I participate in the NaBloPoMo challenge during March, I've really been trying to keep up with posting every single day because my little blog really needs a boost. Here it is past 9 PM, though, and I've written not a thing. I tried to just let it go, but I keep thinking about how this is day 15, and I can't miss now. I'm at the halfway mark.

So please forgive me for blogging tonight about blogging. I'll try to do better in the next 16 days.

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In Want of Words

Do you know what my blog needs... other than more posts? A good challenge! Well, maybe I should rephrase that. What I need is a good challenge. My blog is  not the one with the problem. Its writer is the one struggling for words.

How ironic that I need something to spur me on to fill my blog with words, and the NaBloPoMo theme for March is In A Word. So I'm going to push myself to write on that theme over the next 31 days. No promises of 31 posts, though. And yes, I may or may not have a problem with commitment.

So here's hoping for a much wordier blog in March.

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Helpful Blogging Tool

photo © 2007 Nancy ~ | more info(via: Wylio)

Lately I've been wracking my brain trying to think of blog topics now that I'm past last week's vlogs.  I'm starting to think I might have to pay this guy to start writing blogs for me.  He looks fairly capable.

By the way, that's not my cat.

Over the weekend I did find this cool service that I didn't know was available for bloggers, but I think it's a handy little tool. 

If you need a photo for your blog, you just visit Wylio.com.  Search for the type of photo you're looking for, and there are tons that will come up in the results.  You resize the photo right there on the site, choose the alignment you desire, and then it gives you the code to insert directly into your blog post.  It will include the photo copyright info and credit automatically under the picture.  It's very easy.

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No Blog Fairy?

It's funny how I sometimes open my Google Reader and look for a new post on Discovering Liz, knowing full well I haven't written a new post.  And then, for some reason, I'm a little disappointed that there's nothing there. 

I guess I keep thinking the blog fairy will compose something for me overnight while I'm sleeping.  I guess that's not gonna happen.

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Now, Where Did I Put That Post?

Um... wait a second.  There was supposed to be a blog posted this morning on my True Womanhood series.  Where is it?  I guess I forgot to set the publish date, and it's still sitting in my laptop at home right now.  That's what being almost 40 does to a person.  Ugh!

I guess it will be up this afternoon.  So don't go too far.  I'll be back shortly.

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Blogging and Your Family

When I read today's post at Gather Inspirit spotlighting Andrea of Under Grace and Over Coffee, there was something she said that grabbed my attention.  She said she,

...started blogging as a means to keep my extended family up-to-date on the happenings of our household. But then realized not one family member was reading it!

How many of you have done this as bloggers?  Did you anticipate that your family would read your blog?  Do they read your blog?

I'm very curious about this.  I know my sister and brother-in-law have read my blog at times, but I don't think they really keep up with it now.  My parents look at it occasionally, but usually only when I've told them there is a specific post that I really wanted them to see.  I'm also pretty sure that they don't know the URL for my blog.

So for me it begs the question.  Why don't our families read our blogs?  Is it that they don't "get" the blog thing?

Let me know if you have any insights. 

Just wondering...

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It's Really Just About the Church Picnic

Do you know which post draws the most people to Discovering Liz from search engines?  You're sure to be surprised when I tell you, with the variety of topics I've talked about in my years of blogging.  It's the post titled Church Picnic from July 2008.  And the reason it was titled Church Picnic is because I was talking about my church picnic. 

I'm afraid everyone who has come from the search engines was looking for either game ideas or food suggestions and recipes.  You poor dears! 

Not having been to Discovering Liz before, you would not know that Liz is not the party-planning-type-of-girl.  Liz has no ideas for games, nor does she have any food suggestions for your church picnics.  That is, aside from the classics: potato salad, deviled eggs, coleslaw, and hot dogs.  Can you really go wrong with those?

In the last seven days alone, 4 out of 6 searches were:

• things i need for a church picnic
• food for a church picnic
• church picnic foods
• church picnic food

So let me be clear.  Liz does not have any advice for your church picnic planning.  My post really was just about enjoying my church picnic.

I wonder how many more hits I'll get now from all my references to Church Picnic in this post?  {sigh}

  

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A Brief Hello

My schedule has been busy between church, appointments, and writing my notes for the luncheon the last few days.  I thought I'd just write a quick note and say hello. 

There probably won't be a Chat Pack question tomorrow because I'm just not ready.  If something crazy happens tomorrow, like several hours just open up wide for me to work on it, then I could do it.  I'm not counting on it, though.

I'm excited and anxious and nervous for Saturday.  Yeah, all those things.  Keeping busy on Friday is probably bound to be a good thing for me.  That and prayer.  (I know.  I know.  Philippians 4:6).

Be back soon.

  

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Not For Lack of Desire

It's funny that I'm sitting here staring at a blank page in my Windows Live Writer and have no idea what to say.  Blog hopping at the Ultimate Blog Party has me feeling inspired to write more often.  I thought maybe my words would come more easily now, but alas, here I sit.  The page is still blank.  Okay, it's not blank anymore because I just wrote those last four sentences.

So while I'm thinking of something to say, I guess this is as good a time as any to give you a heads up about my Friday post.  I've got another Chat Pack entry coming your way, and I answer the question by vlog.  I'll be telling a story from my childhood, so it should be fun.

Anyways, back to blog ideas.  I thought maybe I could join ohamanda for her Top Ten Tuesday today, but I couldn't come up with any kind of list that included ten things.  Ideas that were swarming around in my head were:

1.  Top Ten Things I Did Today (I didn't think you'd really care to know that I folded 3 baskets of laundry and cooked dinner.)

2.  Top Ten Places That My Cat Has Puked Since Last Week (ummm yeah... that's real blog worthy stuff right there)

3.  Top Ten Favorite New Blogs I Found During The Ultimate Blog Party (I'm not quite ready to put that list together, but I think a link-love post will be forthcoming.)

4.  Top Ten Ideas For A Top Ten Post (Yeah, see the problem is that I haven't come up with 10 ideas yet, so that's a no-go.)

Okay, so I'm scrapping the Top Ten idea. 

And since nothing else is coming to me right now, I'm just going to wrap this up and call it a post.

Better come back tomorrow.  Please?

The Chat Pack

One of the Christmas gifts I received is a very interesting tool that I have been getting ready to implement.  It's a Chat Pack, which is a box containing small cards with a single question written on each one.  The questions are meant to be used to generate conversations with people. 

Initially I laughed after I unwrapped it and realized what it was, thinking the gift had an underlying message.  Someone's telling me I need to improve on my communication skills.  {That's probably not far from the truth.}  Then I was pleased to learn that this was a tool to be used for my blog.  What a great idea! 

I've browsed through some of the questions in my Chat Pack, and I must say that most of them are dealing with things I've never given a thought to.  Many are going to be pretty tough to answer, yet others are quite simplistic.  In spite of that though, I want to utilize them regularly on my blog. 

I intend to designate Fridays for the Chat Pack, so come back tomorrow for the first Q&A.

2009 In Review

I've been interested in doing one of those introspective, retrospective posts where I look back at 2009 and answer some deep and ponderous questions about accomplishments and relationship building, but I just couldn't do it.  Sometimes I just can't spill my guts to the worldwide web.

But I'll tell you what I can do.  I can give you a recap of my posts, at least the first sentence of the first day of each month's posts of 2009.  As I was reading them over, I had forgotten about all the things I had written.  Some of them were actually funny and well written (at least to my standards).  Huh.  I think I've forgotten how to write since somewhere back in April.

Anyway... here we go.

JANUARY 1... So... anything look different around here on the old blog?

I'm sure you can guess why I'd say that.  I changed my blog design that day for the, what... tenth time?

FEBRUARY 2...Well, I finally did it. 

You want to know what I finally did, don't you?  I became a dot com that day  http://discoveringliz.com.  Very exciting!

MARCH 3...This week has been a tough week, as far as spiritual challenges go.

This was my second entry as part of Jo-Lynne's What I Learned This Week carnival.  In this entry I had discovered my perfectionism was causing me undue grief at work, and I needed to be more prayerful about my job.  Hmmm... guess I still need to keep working on this one.

APRIL 1...At our church's missions conference last week we were encouraged to adopt one of our supported missionary families.

Uh oh.  Upon reading this entry, I realized I've really done lousy at praying for my adopted missionary this year.  Really lousy.

MAY 1...Let's take randomness to it's full potential today and do a quiz, shall we?

This is a post that was part of the Caffeinated Randomness hosted by Andrea.

JUNE 4...Being the first time I've read anything by the Blackabys, I didn't know what to expect.

This is my book review on Experiencing the Spirit by Henry & Mel Blackaby.  It is such a good book, and I need to read it a second time.

JULY 3... There are several things I miss about camp. 

Ah yes, I knew it was coming.  Yay Camp!!!  I went to teen camp, and I am so proud of myself... you know, proud in a humble sort of way.  ;)

AUGUST 12... A friend of mine posted this on Facebook, and I think it's hilarious.

The only day I posted in August, and it was a political funny.  A video of a dog who expressed his dislike for Obama.

SEPTEMBER 16... Hi, guys. I know I'm been MIA for months.

You can see this was the point in the year when blogging began to wane.  I express my overwhelmedness about changing my diet to be more whole foods as well as getting ready for our Word of Life club at church.  I also see a typo in the first line.  Terrific.

OCTOBER 6... The calendar has once again rolled over to October 6th, and it's my birthday.

Of course, this one needs no explanation.  It was my birthday, and I had a great hair day, I might add.

NOVEMBER 1... As this, the first day of November, I am participating in the NaBloPoMo.

Awww... it's NaBloPoMo, and I actually posted something every day in November, mostly with the focus of thankfulness.  That wasn't the topic every day, but it was for most days.

DECEMBER 1... What an excellent idea it was to participate in the National Blog Posting Month.

Okay, this post had nothing to do with that sentence.  It was about spending time in the kitchen and how that is SOOO not like me.

 

And here we are at the end.  I guess that's a wrap.  I just hope I have something to say in 2010.  You too?

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Taking Ideas

I really would enjoy getting my blog rolling again, but I've been tapped dry for things to say.  I feel like I need a theme to stick with for a month, and I sort of have an idea in my head about what to write on in January.

If any of my readers have a theme idea for me, go ahead and leave me a comment.  Just so as it's something you think I could write about daily during the month of January, along the lines of a Nablopomo as I did with "thankfulness" in the month of November.  I would love suggestions.

Thanks!

Uuuummmm...

Uh oh.  Looks like I'm back to where I was before November, having nothing to say.  What happened to the idea of writing becoming a habit?

I'm just so complex...and frustrating.

{Sigh}

Too Sleepy For Words

I know I'm very late with my post today, but it's been an extremely long day.  Even though I don't have a single thing to say, I thought about my little blog and couldn't bear to neglect it.  You know, they say once you do something for 21 consecutive days it becomes a habit.  I guess that Nablopomo/30 days of posts thing really did the trick, huh?  Now I can't stop posting.

Well... I'm sitting here next to my Sheltie whose eyelids are drooping, and my eyelids are getting pretty heavy too.  You should see us.  We make quite a cute pair.  I think it's time to log off and get to bed.

See you tomorrow.

NaBloPoMo? Check it Off!

I know you think this is just another Monday, but this is not just any ordinary Monday.  Do you know why?  Because it's November 30th, which means it is the final day of NaBloPoMo.  I have written a post every day this month, which means I broke a Discovering Liz record.  I bet y'all never thought I could do it.  Can I get a wOOt wOOt?!?  {Thank you, Ronnica.  I heard you there in the back.}

I think we should all celebrate this incredible accomplishment with a Peppermint Mocha.  Who's in?

{Laughing}

Have a great Monday, guys.

Blog Design Change

Yep, I did it again. I changed my blog background. When I found this little penguin, I just couldn't resist. I wanted to wait until after Thanksgiving, but his cute little penguin-ness kept calling out to me.... C'mon, Lizzy. You know you want me on your blog. So I went and grabbed his little penguin code and made the change.

If you are looking for a cute, free background, this is where I got mine.

Give Me a Shout Out

Hello, blog readers. I'm wondering if you might do me a little favor today. I am curious about you and would like to know how you have come to read my blog. I do have a stat tool that gives me an idea of whether you clicked a link, landed here via search engine, or just typed in the URL. I just don't think the tool is extremely thorough.

So if you're a regular reader, a semi-regular reader, or just happened to wander here for the first time today, would you please give me a shout out? All I want to know is whether you read my blog from a feed reader, if you click over from Facebook, or if you have the link bookmarked in your browser. Post it in the comments below.

Thanks! =)

Was It Something I Said?

I use Feedburner to burn my feed.  I have no idea what exactly that means, but all the bloggers do it.  So I do it, too.  All I understand is that it's supposed to be helpful and to keep your readers with you if you should happen to move your blog to a different spot.

Well, I've never understood how the service works.  When it says that I have 26 subscribers, are they actual, real-live subscribers?  Or are some of the "subscribers" search engines or something that happened to grab my feed?  If there's anyone out there who can shed light on this topic, please talk to me.  The reason I ask is because my numbers go up and down so strangely.  Are people really subscribing and unsubscribing that frequently?  How do I go from 26 to 22 and then down to 15?  FIFTEEN?!?  And here I was getting so excited because I thought I might reach the big 3-0 soon.

Was it something I said?

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She's Rambling Again

Won't you be glad you visited my blog today.  (Are you reading that tongue-in-cheek?)  It's time for some rambling, only because I don't have a specific topic to share deep thoughts on and also because so many new folks stopped by yesterday from Musings of a Housewife that I feel like I need to stay "on a roll" with my posting, you know, just in case one or two of you decided to stick around to see if I say anything else interesting.

Okay, since I'm already beginning to ramble, let's just keep that ball rolling.  Thought I'd share a few new things going on in my life.

Headaches:  I've been getting headaches off and on for a week now.  I normally only get occasional headaches, so this is a little concerning.  They come on sometime after I get in to work at the church office and will last pretty much the rest of the day.  I told my dad that they come on at that time, and he seemed to think stress might be the culprit.  As much as I would like to blame it on something of that sort, I really don't believe that's the trigger.

My Husband:  No, he isn't new, but I wanted you to know he's over his pneumonia and went back to work today.  Yay!  He was such a good patient and never complained.  He did come home feeling exhausted, but I expected that.  Hopefully, he'll get his energy back.

The Cat's New Toy:  Our cat Teddy has found a new toy to play with.  I've had a tennis ball sitting on our TV cabinet for the longest time.  The other day he discovered it, reached up, knocked it down, and started playing with it.  He rolls around on the floor with it and bats it across the room.  Then when he can't remember where he left it, he goes back to the TV cabinet, stands on his hind legs to peek and see if it's there.  I've never seen a cat do such a thing.  He certainly is good for entertainment.

Alright, you guys.  That's all for now.  If you're looking for something slightly more entertaining than this post, might I direct you over to Big Mama's blog.  She's usually pretty funny.

Have a nice day.

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