The World just got a little Smaller

For the first time since we have been home from Colombia (15 months ago) we Skyped with our Colombian friends who live across the street from the house we rented.  Oh, we miss them.  Oh, we miss Cali.  Oh, we need to go SOON!  They asked when we are coming to visit.  The plan in the back of our heads is when Nora is older… but how older?  I don’t know.  I told our friends maybe when she is 12.  That’s four years out…. that seems so long not to visit with them and hug their necks.  It was so heartwarming to see their smiling faces and hear their rapid Spanish…. that I can hardly understand!  And of course it was on a night when I looked THE WORST! I had a massage earlier and my hair was greasy… no make-up.  But I’ve never smiled so big!  Nora came and said hello to them and asked why they weren’t speaking English.  In her logical little mind she speaks English… and she used to be able to understand them… so they MUST speak English!  Oh boy.  We need to get her back into speaking Spanish before we travel.  Skype made the world just a little smaller this week!  Thank you, Skype. 

WordPress, who posts this awesome blog you are reading, recently started a new feature that shows where your readers are on a map of the world.  This expanded my view of this humble blog and made the world just a little bit smaller in my mind.  Last week there were readers on MSJ from 54 different countries!  I couldn’t believe it either.  This brought even more questions to my mind…. do they read the English language?  Did they stumble on MSJ because of pictures that have been posted?  Are they all service men whose US wives tell them to read MSJ?  Do they come back and read again?  Are they copying down my insightful ideas and spreading the love in their own country? And where in the world are Myanmar, Anguilla and Seychelles?  So as the world shrinks and we begin to sing a round of We are the World, I wanted to extend my international WELCOME to the many faces who come here!  I am honored and humbled (and stunned, quite frankly!) 

300,000 TODAY!

Yes, in the next hour or so, the hits on this humble blog, My Sister’s Jar, will surpass 300,000.  The number is astounding to me.  Let me give you some back history… several years ago (I just tried to figure out what year it was, but I’m 45 and can’t remember things like that… sigh) I attended a writer’s conference in New Mexico where there were several seminars one could take in.  I perused the list and chose several… the ones I recollect include: contract negotiations, writing the perfect proposal, selling your wares to publishers, adding humor to your writing and narrowing down your pitch to elevator length.  Distinctly I remember reading one particular description that caused me to guffaw and roll my eyes.  Ready?  It was simply titled “Blogging”.  My thoughts at that time included, but were not limited to the following: Who would spend all that time writing for invisible people?  Who would read some random person’s ramblings? How do people even find “online journals” to read? And WHY would anybody care what a stranger is writing? What is the purpose of blogging? And so on. And so on.  That was during my PBL (pre-blog life).

Upon my arrival home from the conference, my husband and I met with a couple whose lives are engrossed with computers and programming and podcasts and tweeting and a whole bunch of other techy stuff I do not understand.  BUT, he explained blogging to me… and I didn’t stick in one little toe to test the water… I did a cannonball into the deep end of the internet writing swimming hole. 

Those questions I asked myself earlier about blogging have not all been answered.  I still do not understand exactly where 797 people come from in a single day who read my blog.  It is inspiring to me, and quite humbling, to be frank.  I often ask my husband, “Who are these people?” When someone comments, I get a little hint as to who they are… where they are from… how they stumbled upon My Sister’s Jar.  But those are precious and few.

My prayer is that people will be inspired by stopping here to live life to the fullest and possibly take a jump into some of my favorite topics: family, marriage, laughter, writing, adoption, homeschooling, being a Christ follower, raising boys, sewing, traveling, gardening, losing weight, traditions, America the Beautiful, saving money, and being a mom.

I’ll wrap up this bit of blogging hysteria with a meek and awe inspired THANK YOU, to my dear readers who keep coming back to read.  It’s for YOU, invisible friend, that I keep rambling on (and it is cheaper than therapy for me!)  XOXO

Crazy Busy

I’m a slacking blogger at the moment because the rest of my life keeps getting in the way.  What in the world?  I thought I had my plates all spinning simultaneously, but alas, a few new plates were added.  If I were an octopus, this might be possible.  Thankfully, the busyness is temporary.  I’m off to Vegas tomorrow for a quick seminar and drive back.  Then Saturday I’m off to Tucson for a women’s tea with the Southern Arizona homeschoolers.  Rock on!  Those are my peeps!

Needless to say, between figuring out what to do with my kids, packing, post-adoption visit, sleeping, judging a speech meet and forgetting my parent’s anniversary, I haven’t had time to sit straight and think.  The unthinkable has also occurred (obviously since I didn’t have time to think!)… I haven’t read for pleasure in over 2 months.  Sad, I know.  A weekend retreat is coming in a couple of weeks and I can unwind and refocus then…. and sit and do nothing for four days.  Just in time, I borrowed the Tim Hawkins Roadshow DVD for that trip!  Can’t wait.

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Happy Centennial Birthday, Arizona!  Happy Ground Hog’s Day!  and an upcoming Happy President’s Day!

House Cleaning at MSJ

Just wanted to pass the word along that I finally got around to doing some house cleaning here at My Sister’s Jar!  I deleted the obsolete blog links and I added some of my new favorites that I have been reading for a while… and not sharing until now.  If you’re the creative type, check out Hostess with the Mostess, Tinker Verve and So This is Julie…………. over there —> in the links.  Other great family and/or homeschooling blogs are Jenny & Pearl, Life in a Shoe and Courtenay Momma.  Enjoy!

FREE Give-Away! It’s my Blog-a-versary!

Yes, My Sister’s Jar has been filling up the pages of the internet for three long years now.  Wow!  And for ONE of my faithful readers, including anyone new who happens to find MJS today, I’m giving away a copy of each of my books: Laughing in the Midst of Mothering and Laughing in the Midst of Marriage.  Both books are guaranteed to make you grin, if not/and/or loudly guffaw while holding your belly while tears stream from your eyes from the hilarity of the stories.  Really.  I’m not just saying it because I lived through them either.

Yes, you read that right… TWO FREE books!  Wow!  Generosity is seeping from my pores today. Here’s how it works.  Leave a comment with your name in the comment section below.  I painstakingly copy all the names onto paper, carefully cut them into strips, fold them so there’s no cheating, drop them into a light blue snowman bucket, and then….. drumroll please….. one of my darling children reaches in and picks out a name.  I broadcast the winning name on this blog in the comment section, as well as the next blog.  So you have to be okay with your name being broadcast. Well, you could use a fake name, and then simply notify me before I mail the books as to your truthful name.  I privately email you for your mailing address, which is NOT broadcast for all the world to see.  Free contest starts now and ends at Feb. 2, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. (Members of my family are not eligible, nor people from Guam or Madagascar…. just kidding….. not kidding about my family!)

Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for being faithful readers to this overworked homeschool mom/author.  It does my heart good each night as I check the blog stats and drift off to sleep with happy thoughts that I just might have made someone smile today with these words I type.  You guys ROCK!

Happy Three-Year Blog-a-versary!

And my sweet husband adds, “You can buy the books at www.cbd.com.”   I’m not a saleswoman… I’m a mom!

Updated Blog Links… FOR YOU!

Sorry, the arrow is pointing in the wrong direction.

Tonight I went through my terribly outdated and inaccurate blog links.  Good grief.  Positively archaic.  Ok, well, I went through my web Favorites too… and added all the blogs I read regularly (and non-regularly) to the list. There are some talented writers out there in cyberland that could spark your interest in anything from blogging (duh!), to writing, to homeschooling, to photography, to parenting, to sewing, etc., etc.  Bloggers need to stick together and spread the word when we find other bloggers worthy of mention… and I’ve not been holding up my end of the deal lately.  For that I apologize, but I have rectified the situation… dramatically. 

For your convenience, dear reader, I also commented on the links so you don’t go blindly to a site wondering why in the world I linked them.  There are short descriptions so if you never want to hear another word about any of the topics near and dear to my heart, you can skip them in other people’s blogs.  he he he.  BUT, take my word for it, there is a plethora of quality information at your fingertips right over there in the right margin.  Really. 

In October 2007 I went to a writer’s conference in New Mexico and was introduced to the wierd world of writers.  Seriously, there are some over-the-top people who should really calm down a bit about their book ideas.  Anyway, that is another topic for another time…. W A Y in the future…. when I’m completely out of ideas for blogging and there are no more question slips in My Sister’s Jar.  Anyway, there were several workshops on blogging… to which I rolled my eyes and guffawed with gusto.  Gracious me.  Who wants to write and write and write… and pour out your heart on the web…. for people you don’t even know… and won’t ever know?  Stupid.  That’s what I thought of bloggers.

What transformed my blogging worldview, you ask?  I met with a gentleman when I was searching for a website designer.  He suggested I look at blogging in addition to a website.  I’m glad I did.  It is therapeutic when you are waiting for an adoptive child for years and years and you find others who are waiting with you.   And still others who have their precious children… and it gives you hope.  There are also totally inspirational homeschooling moms who are not burned out and frustrated… and still coming up with great ideas and finding quality literature and sharing it on blogs.  Awesome!  It’s been two years and four months since I began My Sister’s Jar… and it still brings me pleasure to write and write and write and pour my heart out on the web for people I don’t even know and won’t ever know.  :o)  It’s that old-dog-new-trick thing again coming to bite me in the behind.  I pray to inspire even a few!  To what, you ask?  Whatever they need!  Encouragement to read every day, laugh every day, and be kind to your kids and your husband….. every day.

Here’s to blogging.  Hurrah… hurrah…. hurrah! (I’m holding my water bottle up high!)

Need a good cry? Grab a tissue.

So, as you can well imagine, I read a lot of adoption blogs.  That’s part of the pre-adoption therapy process: knowing that others are waiting, others have their children home, and still others are spending their lives helping orphans who will not have the opportunity to live in a family like ours.  Here is one such young lady who is following God’s call on her life to serve the people in Uganda.  She is 20 years old… and a mother of 13 children… and if that isn’t enough… she feeds 400 children every day!  Oh my.

Go have a peak at her blog.  Warning: It’ll break your heart…. but breaking is good sometimes.

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

This makes me want to sell everything in this house that collects dust and jump on a plane to Uganda.  But, that is not where I’m called at the moment.  I’m called to serve the children I have been given and to prepare for the orphan that is coming home soon… never to be an orphan ever again.  Are you doing your part to serve the orphans of the world?  If we all only did OUR part…..

Good Morning, Monday!

Yes, we survived gig #1 with Elvis and the newlywed game.  Rick was hilarious as Elvis, as those who know and love him can well imagine.  He forgot the words to one of the verses of Teddy Bear so he turned backwards and held up his cape…. for effect, I guess.  Then he started talking like Elvis, of course, to fill in the gap.  I don’t remember it all because I was laughing so hard, but I remember something like “If you are here with your main squeeze, take her hand right now and sing with me”…….. but he wasn’t singing.  We also forgot the tape for his sideburns, so they were flapping in the wind.

They boys won 2 of their 3 hockey games this weekend..Aus scored three goals… makes a mother proud.  I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for this season.

We accidentally left Rick’s car at the church yesterday in all of the commotion that went on.  It’s a half an hour drive.  Bummer dude.  So I hitched a ride with one of our pastors early this morning and retrieved Rick’s car for him. 

So, the week is starting…. on your marks.  Get set.  GO!

IT’S MY BLOG-A-VERSARY!

That was my exciting news.  My Sister’s Jar has now been brought to you for 365 glorious days.  And look!  You’re still here reading it!  Wooooo hOoooooooooOooooo!  Yeah for you!  You’re the only reason I keep plunking these keys down.  Seriously, it’s addicting.  Just like diet Pepsi.  No, worse. OK, that’s a toss up.

A year and two weeks ago, I sat down with a techy guy (www.brentspore.com) and his wife at church to ask questions about websites.  He started talking about blogging.  I inwardly rolled my eyes and thought, “ph-shwaughaa!”  He’s a computer geek guy to the nth degree. But as he explained what it was, how it worked, the benefits … I became a bit more interested.  He sent me to worpress and I found my second home.  As he now says, I’ve “embraced blogging with ever orifice possible.” It’s true.  I was born to blog.  Kind of like being born in the USA.  You are or you’re not.  That’s it.

So here’s my big hat off to you….. faithful readers… for blessing me with comments and hits that truly bring a smile to this face.  35,000!!!!  Who would’ve thought!?!  Not me.  SOOOOOO, since it’s my blog-a-versary, would you do me a favor and PLEASE please PLEASE let me know AT least where  you are located????  No name needed.  No private info will be traced.  No tele-marketers will call you.  I will not email you with chain letters.  No hassle.  Money back guarantee.  Se habla espanol. I ask my husband every now and then when the hits at MSJ are high, “Who are these people?”  I’d really love to know…. at least where you are…  so if you’re in cold places right now, I can tell you about how warm it is in Phoenix.  In the summer I can wish that I was where you are.  Come on! 

(and for the record…. why in the world does spell check on WordPress not know the words: blog, blogging, or wordpress???)