One Year Thoughts

One year ago today I was bored out of my mind, wallowing in a self-pity after being turned down for a job I was sure I had, and trying to figure out something to do with my time (Peter probably would have suggested using the time to clean the house rather than blogging about what a bad house-keeper I am - haha!). And so I stumbled around and found Blogger and pondered what in the world I would call a blog. How was I filling my days? I was busy doing nothing - didn't Jane Austen have a quote like that from Mansfield Park? Yes, yes she did. And Carrie's Busy Nothings was born.

One year ago today, this picture went up - reminding people not to lurk

When I first started writing Busy Nothings, I wrote about holidays, I tried to share frugal tips, I copied all the things I like on other blogs...and I soon burned out. To be honest, I'm still trying to find my groove in the blogging world - there are so many of us out there you see. I have a whopping 28 (known) followers and I know that there are a few of you out there who ignore my warning and lurk around here anyway. However, it finally dawned on me that I shouldn't be writing because of the number of people who glance at Busy Nothings from time to time. I need to be writing because it's something I enjoy doing and I should be writing because I have things I want to say, and I ought to be writing because I want to improve as a writer.

So, what has the last year looked like for me as a blogger? Sometimes I join up with other blogs when they host a linky. I've "met" a lot of different and interesting people and have stumbled upon some really fun blogs. Sometimes I write about my other love - books. Every Friday I add ten things to my thankfulness list - and it has really helped me with the gimme-gotchas when I make a conscious effort to be thankful for all the things around me. I do a lot of {happy dances} when I get a good deal on something. I now think of everything in terms of "I could blog about..." or "I need to get a picture of that because...", and Peter has even started giving suggestions (thanks Honey!). A whole year later, I've even considered stopping because it can be time consuming and there are times when I sigh and think, "no one reads it - why do I bother" - and then I usually get a lovely comment from someone half-way around the world and I buck up and write another post.

So...

Thank you for your comments. Thanks for reading my scattered thoughts and my opinions about books and movies and politics. Thanks for saying nice things (I am thankful that I have never received a nasty or spam comment...yet!) and for complimenting me on my post or my outfit, for encouraging me in my photography (a skill that's still developing) and for just being so darn nice. Thanks to my two favorite "Anonymous" commenters (Peter and my seestor) for taking the time to stop by and say hello - I love you both! Thanks to those who have let me write about them and who have written things for me (Beth, Molly, Kendi, and Amy), and to all you Facebook people who make comments when I link the blog posts to Facebook! Do I sound like I'm accepting an Academy Award yet??? Basically, I just appreciate all of you who have helped make the last year a fun blogging experience. We'll see what the next year holds for Busy Nothings - 306 Posts in the last 365 days, we'll see how I do next year!

Up Next...Another GIVEAWAY!! Woo Hoo!! {happy dance}