Take a seat

You may need to sit down for this.

Okay you probably already are...

but for dramatic effect,

please pretend you had to sit down.

I am taking a week-long blogging break.

Under the doctor's  my coach's orders.

My fellow bootcampers and I are doing 

the Screen Free Week challenge.

No screens from April 30th to May 6th.

No computers(unless for work),

no television,

 and no phone except for "real"phoning.

I am not too concerned with no television.

I am not even worried about no facebook

but no blogging...arggg...

My head may explode.

I have so much to say at all times...

actually Stuart may want me to explode.

His ears may bleed.

Blessedly, most of the time
 he will held as captive audience
 in a tractor cab.
Truthfully, he is about half deaf 
so he welcomes my blather.

 Fortunately for him Abbie, Annie, and Maggie live close.

They listen to me with rapt attention.
Doubters shuttie.

I can't care.

I thought about blogging in advance 

and having the blogs auto post

but then I couldn't read your comments.

No way, they are too much fun. 

I cannot miss them so I am going to go cold turkey.
I may go belly up.
I may wear an eye patch and walk with a limp.
I  may even become coherent.
Some of you may die,
but it is a sacrifice I am willing to make
 because I am a stellar student.
I will do this task.
I really do think Coach may have a point.

 No Screen Week is a good thing.

It gets families interacting...mine has no problem there.

It gets people active and off their arses couches.
It shows us where we waste time...
(where I waste your time?pffft)

I plan to re-work flower beds.

I plan to read more.

I plan to sit on the porch.

I also plan to clean nap in my little camper.

paint some chairs,

go to lunch with  friends,
do more of my bible study,
spoil my farmer,
 and get ready for a rummage sale.

  Hmm, I may need more than a week.
I can't care.
A week is the assignment.
After all, I have an obligation to my fans.

I will respond to your emails 

when I return to flop at the computer.
I will be back in a week.
If not, just wait longer.
Next blog's forecast...
a few sprinkles of genius 
with a good chance of stupid.
However, if there is a murderer/rapist on the loose

in my neck of the woods

or a tornado is coming my way...

someone please telephone me.

Carry on peeps but
remember me fondly.

Blogiversary

Well, it has been one year.

One year of full-on blathering.

Doesn't time fly?

Initially, I was a blog reader.
I was a mother to blog writers.

I was a bit harassed by some to start a blog.
Still, I drug my feet.

I thought I had nuthin' to say.

Really, who knew?

Well, most of you.

I blabbed on facebook.

I wrote long comments on others' blogs.

I am a talker.

Hi, my name is Janie

and I can't shut up.

I have now realized I love to blog.

I've got stories to tell. 

I think I might implode if I don't get them out.

I have documented big events and little events.

I have shared some of my stupid and my serious.

The connections I have made through blogging

have been such a life blessing.

I have made some real friends.

I have even hugged a few of you.

There are several more I badly wanna hug.

A lot of you make me laugh/cry or both.

 I have fallen in love

with your interaction in the process.

I love your comments.

I don't check my statistics much,

and my follower count is not super important to me.

But being read, yeah I dig it.

Your comments make me do a happy dance.

So in honor of my 1st year

I am asking you to leave me a comment.

Quit stalking and chat up.

Oh, I know you are out there.

I sometimes check those stats

and there are a lot of peeping Toms...

(by the way, hey cousin Tom, wasup?)

So celebrate with me and blather me back.

I love ya, I really really do.

 So share the love and make my day.

an award

My sweet blogger friend, Gena

at 

The House on Lavendar Hill 

nominated me for this reward.

She thinks me to be hilarious.

Me thinks she drinks.

The rules state that I reveal 7 things about myself.

Well, 7 more. 

Here goes:

1. When I first typed this I called Gena my sweet booger friend.

Luckily I caught the typo.

2. My oldest sister is 12 yrs older. Her husband gave me a nickname when I was little and it has stuck with some of the family.

Said nickname.... Hoopielou. I have no explanation.

3. My middle name is Lou. I always hated it. I imagined me looking like Lou Grant. It is growing on me now that I am looking more like him.

4. I like my iced tea unsweetened. I am a Northerner like that.

5. My dog Reta, has bad teeth and therefore, bad breath. She has a killer bod though.

6. I don't remember the usage rules for commas. 

7. My work-out buddy is ex-Amish. She is cute and a little ornery. Sadly, she doesn't have a buggy.

Now I am passing this reward onto 3 of my fave bloogers

or boogers, which ever applies.

1. The Frat Pack + Me

Suzette cracks me up. She writes about her teen boys and her very funny honey. She is beautiful and funny, and who doesn't

love the name Suzette!

2.Ostriches Look Funny

JoAnn is hilarious. She can write like I want to when I grow up. She has 3 little boys and there is always something funny happening at her place. 

3. Life and Godliness

Rebecca is sweet and witty. Her comments are some of the funniest I receive. She loves the Lord and she makes me want to know him even better.

Thanks again to Gena

for loving my blather and always giving me

an "Atta Girl".

xoxo

214. clean eyeglasses
190. a clean car
162. stars in the sky
89. stuffed ponies and little girls

And the winner is...

The winner of the bee necklace is #23.

I used random generator.

Jackie(Michelle's friend),  you win.

I will be in touch by email.

Thanks everyone 

for loving Annie's work.

And well, reading mine :)

 

Celebration

100!

100 followers.

 

 

Woo hoo!

I can't believe it!

I am excited.

While I would write this blather

with or without readers,

it does make me happy 

that I do have you who read.

To celebrate

I am having my first give-away.

I am offering a custom necklace from Annie.

They are sterling silver and so cute.

 

You pick which shape and which word you want.

It can be(e) kind, humble, love, inspirational, strong... etc.

It will come with a bee charm and an 18" chain.
Leave a comment for a chance.

Give-away will end on Saturday July 30th.

Thanks for reading.

You make me smile!!

P.S. The fleas are d.e.a.d.!!

 

My blogging ritual

I have been blogging for 6 months.

I'm still amazed how much

I truly love it.

I have found friends and kindred spirits

through my readers.

It still astonishes me that 

anyone cares what I have to say

or that anyone actually misses me
when I don't blog.
Before I blog I get psyched up.
I do some stretches and then 
I watch this video I shot 
when I first started blogging.

I watch it regularly

to give myself
some daily affirmation.

 I was a little hoarse

and my hair was lighter...

but yes, it really is me...

I just changed my name for anonymity.

Coop keeper escapes

My internationally known interweb friend

did show up on Sunday.

She BLEW in a wee bit late.

The winds were ridiculously hard

and she had a minor set back with her ride.

She decided to stop 

within an half hour of my house

and strip to the waist on the interstate.

She claims to have had tire blowout incident
in the extremely high wind

but I reckon her recent weight loss of 20+

might have been the real motive 

to decidedly incite a truckers mob.

With two great son-in-laws' help

she soon gusted into the drive.

I was leaping for joy when she opened 

and then shut and locked her door. hmm?

There was a huge crowd of adoring fans 

awaiting her autograph.

She is the real deal. 

What she is on the blog is what she really is.

I adore her.

 I asked if she would consider

just staying on as my personal yard man.

She is pondering my offer.

I tried to get her to stay one more day.

I tried the "there are no tires

in our town the right size."

Unfortunately one was located nearby

and her vehicle was restored to health.

We did nothing but hang together.

I laughed so much I wanted

to bring in a potty chair to sit in.

Seriously, she is a hoot 

and my bladder thinks so too.

She met my family,

and was a tad shy.

Probably starstruck.

We are incredibly famous rockstars.

 stu and zac not pictured because they are disney party nazis

We gabbed laughed and snorted

into the early morning hours.

We toured my grounds and

she is on the board as the

adviser to the gardener now.

We dined and blathered.

We laughed hard, I cried and cried again.

She mentioned shock therapy?

I incorporated all of 
my movie-knowledge techniques

to try to convince her to stay.

Think "Misery".

She is strong though,

her legs were not broken

just a little bruised.

She arose and showered.

I begged and pleaded her to stay on.

She may or may not have called me "psycho".

Hmmmf.

Clearly she is the psycho... 

I ask you, who showers in glasses?

I used all the tactics I had.

In the end she did escape.

However, she did promise to return.

I do have her address

just in case

she reneges on that promise.

Check out  her blog to see 

her distorted view of the visit.

The consensus in my hood

is she is a coopkeeper keeper.

We love her.

P.S. I was so euphoric most of the time, I forgot to take any real pictures. I blame Jayme for this.

Excitement

I am excited.

Uber excited.

Did I mention I am excited??
I have a fun weekend planned.

Today I am helping

my girls set up at 

a show with their 

Ethel Edith goods.

I love to stage for a sale.

Love it.

And re-stage as it sells.

It's a cancer fund-raiser

so there will be

plenty of other vendors in attendance.

Check it out if you live close.

However, the best part is Sunday.

 I am expecting company.

One of my fave bloggers

is coming to the hood. 

 you are welcome Jayme

No seriously,

she really is a doll.

 Haha 

No, for real

this is the Jayme.

 LOL are you sick of me?

Will the real Jayme please stand up?

I love how she multi tasks...she is a woman after my own heart. 

I am in such an excited state

I about wet myself just typing it.

TMI...

Seriously, I cannot wait.

We are going to tear it up.

Talking, gabbing, visiting, blabbing, 

conversing, story-telling, 

you get the drift.

I like to yammer.

She yammers.

Will we even hear each other?

She is fun,

she is funny,

 she has a heart of gold,

and her heart loves Jesus.

We are not doing anything 

but spending time together.

She is going to meet my littles

and meet my biggies.

I am cooking her a steak, or two.

I am picking her brain

for garden ideas.

She has an amazing garden.

She keeps chickens and bees.

And she is coming to see me. 

Do you think I am going 

too far if I watch her sleep?

Bahahaha! Just fooling.

There will be no sleeping!

There is a lot of bad things 

on the internet

but through blogging

I have found so much joy.

There are so many great people

who are just like you and me.

If not for this medium, 

I would have never met

this dear friend.

It is a blessing indeed.

Check out her blog.

You are going to love her

just like I do.

I'll be back next week

with stories to tell.

One month

It is true,

I started blathering 

a month ago.

I sat on the fence

for a really long time.

I had been reading blogs

and loving them.

I was encouraged by several 

to just "do it".

I had no problem commenting

on their blogs, but 

they decided the topics.
I wasn't responsible

for making it read-worthy.

But my daughter Annie and her "stalkers",

daughter Abbie and her followers,

my daughter Maggie and her readers,

(when she posts...sorry Mags, had to.)

 along with some of

my most fave bloggers

and facebook friends

kinda harassed me.

(in a kind and inspirational way)

I have never been a

journal kind of girl.

I have done bible studies

where we were to journal.

I struggled with it.

I kept a daily log 

of my grand kids' experiences

while I babysat,

so their moms

would feel a part of the day.

But, just putting me out there 

seemed scary.

I have discovered the secret ,

is not to worry 

about the content 

and it's worth to others.

I just write for me.

What I have found

is a whole community

of people who feel like me.

They have genuine hurts, 

real successes/failures,

and authentic stories.

We have connected. 

We all have the same hearts.

We love our God, our country,

our families, and our friends.

Worrying about topics...

was a waste of time.

They flood my brain. 

I wake at night,

 my mind swirling with ideas...

thinking...oh, that could be a post.

I don't think I am a writer,

by any means.

What I am, I think, is a story-teller.

Oh, and a talker. Do you think? 

Do the terms... 
wordy, ramble, blather

come to mind?

So you see, 

this blogging thing

is turning out to be
a huge blessing.

I cannot believe

how much I love it.

I am still shocked 

when I see a message

to verify someone 

is reading my words.

Your comments encourage me

and add joy to my day.

I now believe

even if no one read,

I would still blather.

However,  I want to say thank you.

In the words of Sally Field

"...I feel it and I can't deny the fact

that you like me right now,

you like me."

And readers, I like you too!!

Thanks for "listening" :)