So here it goes.
A little over a year ago - my sister, Ashley, had been talking to me about her latest obsession. She was stalking several "moms of multiples" blogs. Hmm...this piqued my interest and I soon began to follow suit. Ashley has this amazing memory and could literally remember each child's name, the family name, and the mom's name, key notes about the blog (pretty much everything)....I on the other hand, seemed to have the memory that just blurred the "multiples" families all together. It made for some interesting conversations between the two of us.
Funny...that was just about 18 months ago. Blogging had been going on for several years...and I was JUST getting introduced to such a phenomenon. I continued my random blog surfing and little by little, became more and more intrigued to start one of my own.
The cool thing was - it seemed tons of people had blogs. You could google people and many times, their blog would pop up. I began browsing blogs on sewing and photography and cooking...they're all out there, you just have to look.
A few months later, I came across this flyer while going through the drive-thru at my local Chick-fil-A. The flyer talked about this family that was fighting and praying for a young couple with four children, Stephanie and Christian Nielson. The couple had recently been involved in a plane crash and were fighting for their lives.
I went home. Googled their names (see how stalkerish I can be??). And, found Nie Nie and CJane. I spent the rest of the night reading and reading and reading through their blogs. Getting to "know" them. I know - sounds absurd.
The outreach to this family was unbelievable. I found it empowering how both of these blogs showed woman that...pretty much...put it all out there for everyone. Beliefs. Parenting. Views. Everything.
Did I agree with them 100%? Absolutely not. But, did I respect their points of view? Definitely.
About a week later - Campbell Cuties was born.
I really didn't know how long this would last. I'm pretty...I guess I would say - open/honest/liberal....and probably most of the times, the Hottie does not agree with me. But - I guess that's who I am. I figure if people don't like what I write...or pictures I post, don't read. I know very well that I have come across waaaaay too many blogs that I could not stand - I just don't return. That's the good part about free will.
After a few months, I had a couple readers...mainly Robin, Ashley, and Aunt Karen. They are what kept me blogging. Their encouragement...that's what kept me going.
So - thank you to:
1) Ashley...for introducing me to this blogging world.
2) Nie Nie for inspiration.
3) And...Aunt Karen and Robin - for the encouragement to keep going.
Oh - and it definitely helps that I now have family members blogging!!
Woot! Woot!
That's the best part! More blogs to read.
And, I don't have to feel like a stalker reading theirs...
I know them!
p.s....just because I didn't get to enter the contest (and I love contests!!) - I'll give all my answers to the questions, too:
1) My favorite posts are definitely my Friendly Face Interviews. I really need to bring those back!! Anyone want to be next? Also, I loved my 30th birthday post (because my birthday rocked!!) And, my other favorite is the Girl's Spa Getaway - I finally got to take a girls' trip with my mom and sisters and it was super fun and special!
2) My name is dawn and I am a blog stalker. The blogs I stalk daily are a)All my family's blogs: Ashley, Robin, April b) Em's c) Krystal's d) Nie Nie and CJane and e) 71toes.blogspot.com.
3) Recipes...lucky I have a lot of family and friends that regularly cook. Several years ago, one of my friends, Janea, gave me a white 3-ring binder with recipes for Christmas. I can say we have used almost all of them. Our favorite (and the Cuties' favorite) is:
Ranch Chicken Pasta
Ingredients:
1 box spiral pasta
1 lb (or 6-7 tenders) of Chicken
1 oz. package of DRY ranch salad dressing mix (I've used Kroger brand and it's perfect!)
1 tbsp. butter
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 - 3/4 cup green onions
1/2 - 3/4 cup red pepper
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp. milk
Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Cook pasta, drain, and keep warm. Place chicken and 2 tbsp. of dry ranch dressing mix in a Ziploc bag and shake to coat. (I use about 1 1/2 tbsp.) In a skillet, melt butter until sizzling and add chicken and garlic. Cook over med-high heat, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in green onions and red peppers - cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through (about 5 minutes). In a medium bowl, stir together sour cream, milk, and remaining salad dressing mix. Stir in hot cooked pasta. Spoon pasta onto serving plate and top with chicken mixture (I normally just mix it all together) Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese...and Voila!
4) No need to comment with my name - just try out the recipe - it's DEEE-LICIOUS!
5) Read above to find out why I started a blog AND why I've continued.
1 comment:
a year ago, after finding nie's blog, i went back through and read every entry. it took a few weeks, but i felt like i knew her. so weird how you can connect with people you would have never known otherwise. thank goodness for blogs. i love using mine as an outlet and think i'm definitely a better mom for it! love that pic of you, so beautiful:-)
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