My Home Sweet Home » blogging

Today is National DeLurking Day! Won’t You?

Dawn — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:45:06 +0000

Did you know that today is National Delurking Day for blogs? Delurking means leaving a comment, especially if you never have. I know that work “lurker” makes it sound kind of shifty, but really, we all do it. I do. Today I’m going to make a point to leave a comment on every post I read. Join me?

Most of us blog because we’ve got something we want to share or document, either in words or images. We’re also looking for community. {Aren’t we all?}

Sometimes I’m looking for adult interaction. Sometimes I’ve got a photo that just begs to be posted. Sometimes I want to capture and record a memory. Sometimes I hear a sermon or read a verse and a truth is revealed that’s so beautiful it must be shared.

I’d love to know more the people who stop by: What do you hope to find here? What would you like to see or read? How could I serve you better? {Or are you a first time visitor? Please stop and make yourself at home!}

Please tell me something about you.

[If you love (in)courage, you can delurk there, too!]

Today is National DeLurking Day! Won’t You? is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

Things I Learned to Create from Blogs in 2011

Dawn — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:00:12 +0000

Monday I told you about my word for 2012: create. Today I’d like to highlight some blogs that inspired me to think outside of my own natural set of “tools” and experiment with new ideas and mediums in 2011.

Easter Grass Table Decor

These posts from Your Homebased Mom and Urban Comfort gave me the idea of growing grass in an Easter centerpiece. I purchased this wooden bowl at Walmart and lined it with plastic wrap so that I wouldn’t damage it with the dirt and water. After Easter—when the grass kept getting taller and looked like it needed mowing—I emptied the arrangement and filled the bowl with decorative balls similar to these at V & Co. (I actually purchased the supplies for this project, however I saw a pre-made set at T.J. Maxx and bought them, so I never completed it).

Magnetic Chalkboard

This post at Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss showed me how to make a magnetic chalkboard, which lead to my own creation: our Instagallery.

Painted Canvas

This post at Two Girls Being Crafty showed me how to paint a knock-off of a $100+ canvas. I gave three of them to family as Christmas gifts!

Paint Drop Cloth Curtains

This post at A Soft Place to Land showed me how to make curtains from an inexpensive pack of pain drop cloths. Making these curtains actually killed our iron, which had to be replaced, but I love the fact that I actually made curtains and for such a low price.

I initially selected trim which turned out to be $17 per yard (ouch!), so I checked the clearance section and found a good choice for under $2 a yard. We needed an extra long curtain rod, which I found at Ross for much less than a comparable size elsewhere. Also, I got the clip rings for 40% off at Jo Ann.

It seems like whatever supplies I need—from blank canvases to backless picture frames to curtain clip rings—are always on sale at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, or Jo-Ann when I need them. I like to think of this as more than coincidence, but rather God’s way of encouraging my creativity and enabling me in these projects.

What about you? Are you a natural at crafts and projects or do you need a little inspiration? Have you stepped outside your comfort zone and made anything based on a blog post, tutorial, or other form of creative nudge?

Things I Learned to Create from Blogs in 2011 is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

Links to Share

Dawn — Thu, 19 May 2011 03:12:24 +0000

I found out tonight that my blog has been nominated for the Top 25 Faith Blogs at Circle of Moms. Click on over and see the other blogs nominated with me. Voting ends June 8 and you can vote once per day.

BooMama wrote a great post a few years back about removing all the buttons and gadgets from her blog that ranked her against other blogs: we’re community, it’s not a competition. I agreed wholeheartedly and removed not only all the ranking gadgets on my blog, but even the FeedBurner subscriber count, which didn’t rank me, but I spent too much time stressing about and over-analyzing (anyone with a FeedBurner feed knows those statistics can be unsettlingly erratic at times).

What I’m saying is: check out the blogs, but vote for your favorite (even if it’s not me). I’m just honored to be included.

The Fresh Air Fund

The Fresh Air Fund is looking for host families in the northeastern U.S. states. Host families are volunteers who open their hearts and homes to children from the inner city.

Here’s some information about the program:

“THE FRESH AIR FUND, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Nearly 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fund programs annually. In 2010, close to 5,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada. 3,000 children also attended five Fresh Air camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York. The Fund’s year-round camping program serves an additional 2,000 young people each year.”

Impressively enough, more than 65% of these kids are reinvited to stay with their host family, year after year.

Although I was only asked to share with you that The Fresh Air Fund needs host families, there is also a “Donate” link on their site that provides other opportunities—camps and other programs—for these kids.

Links to Share is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

Bloggers: Like the Electoral College?

Dawn — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:24:37 +0000

Bloggers often interact with brands. It’s wonderful that so many companies value our voice and influence.

Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of what this looks like to non-bloggers. My son talks with his friends in the high school class I teach. They have questioned why we’ve been paid to eat at a certain restaurant or make a shopping trip to Walmart; how we sometimes get free tickets to events, concerts, and plays. The biggie was when we got a free iPad because I’m on the advisory council for a new music program.

They want their moms to blog, too. :-)

The truth is, I’m just a stay-at-home mom who enjoys writing, taking pictures, and interacting with others via applications like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, and Whrrl, and that is why a company might work with me—or you, or any other blogging social media junkie—instead of someone who is like us in every other way.

Sometimes it makes me feel guilty, until I remember that we bloggers work hard for these opportunities. I’ve come up with an analogy that makes sense to me:

Bloggers are like the Electoral College.

To a company, do bloggers “represent” a certain number of people who are like them (SAHMs, photographers, foodies, crafters, scrapbookers)?

What do you think?

[Please don't pull apart the details of my political analogy, since obviously we would be self-elected members of the Electoral College. Maybe that's the beauty of it: it's open to anyone.]

Bloggers: Like the Electoral College? is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

It’s Not Wednesday, but I Love This Stuff

Dawn — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 22:22:59 +0000

I read about the What I Love Wednesday linky party at Ruthanne’s. She apologized for being a day late. I think I can get by with two days late since it’s all new to me (I think it’s a new linky party, period; this is week 4.)

Here are some things I’ve found online recently that I love.

Magnetic Chalkboard: Do’s and Don’ts @ Less-Than-Perfect Life of Bliss (via The Inspired Room) – I already went to Goodwill last weekend looking for a frame.
How to Love Your Husband @ We Are THAT Family (aren’t they incredibly young and cute in that pic?)
Chicken and Gnocchi Soup @ Confessions of a Cookbook Queen – I discovered gnocchi at BlissDom. It sounds tricky to make, but I’m ready to try!
Go Find Your Own Art @ Nesting Place – Nester makes me want to do things like smear glue and old paint on canvas and hang it on my wall.

Speaking of stuff I love, I started a new Tumblr account, which is linked at the top of my blog in the navigation bar.

It’s Not Wednesday, but I Love This Stuff is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

The (in)courage Beach House Becomes a Reality This Weekend

Dawn — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:37:08 +0000

Have you enjoyed the 30 days of giveaways at (in)courage, in honor of our first anniversary? There are big things happening there, and while I’m not at liberty to spill them all, I can finally let you in on something special that’s been in the works for the past few months.

From its inception (in)courage has had a beach house theme, as seen in this excerpt from the Our Story page:

When we asked ourselves what kind of place we were building, we finally came to see it as a bit like a beach house. You can put your sandy, dirty feet on the coffee table, laugh late into the night with friends, and also hear God’s voice clearer than perhaps anywhere else.

Thanks to DaySpring and the Hilton Head Chamber of Commerce, the beach house will become a reality this weekend.

The (in)courage bloggers have been invited to an amazing beach house weekend including biking, an ocean cruise, and dinner out on the town! This weekend coincides with the National Day of Encouragement. Spending time together is part of living out community—the focus of year two of the (in)courage website.

While not everyone was able, thirteen of us will be attending:

Although I’ve met most of these women before, I’m really looking forward to getting know them this weekend.

Another bean that I’ll spill is that I’ll be creating monthly (in)courage desktop wallpapers. Watch for September on the site!

{Disclosure: DaySpring and Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce are hosting/hosted the (in)courage bloggers for a long weekend of relaxation and fun. Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce generously provided the accommodations at the amazing beach house, bikes, an ocean cruise, and dinner at The Aqua Grille & Lounge. DaySpring took care of all the incidentals and meals for each of the bloggers.}

The (in)courage Beach House Becomes a Reality This Weekend is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

Help Raise $10,000 for Adopt-a-Classroom from Elmer’s

Dawn — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:50:55 +0000

Elmer’s is making it easy to do good this summer in the spirit of Bagging It Forward by donating $10, up to $10,000, to Adopt-a-Classroom for every Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward blog meme post.

HOW CAN YOU JOIN?

Participate in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward and by giving away a virtual bag of school supplies and creating a blog post with specific rules described below.
Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom.
You can give as many virtual bags as you want.
The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward will officially begin at 12 AM EST on July 22, 2010 and end at 12 PM EST on August 12, 2010. Blog posts submitted to us before or after that time period will not be counted.
The blog post link has to be submitted in the comment section of this post for your participation to be counted.
In addition copy and paste the following text into your blog post:

ELMER’S VIRTUAL BAG IT FORWARD RULES

Copy and paste these rules into your blog post.
Create a blog post giving a “virtual bag of school supplies” to other bloggers or write about your Back to School shopping trip at Walmart.
Link back to the person who gave you a bag of school supplies.
Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there.
Elmer’s is donating $10 for each blog participating in the Virtual Bag It Forward Donation to Adopt-A-Classroom (up to total of $10,000 for blog posts written by August 12, 2010).
Please note that only one blog post per blog url will count towards the donation.

I’m donating a virtual bag of school supplies to Sprittibee and Dianne, and challenging them to Bag it Forward with Elmer’s!

Hebrew National’s Better-Than-A-Picnic at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park on July 24

Dawn — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:00:49 +0000

Hebrew National’s final 2010 Better-Than-A-Picnic picnic will be held at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park on July 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.. I will be co-hosting the event with Mishelle, Stacey, and Renee.

Not only will there be all the hot dogs, fruit, and drinks that you can hold, but there will also be music, giant puzzles, a mechanical bull and other fun stuff for kids and families, as well as a service project activity.

We will be collecting donations for the following organizations:

Atlanta Community Food Bank, Kids in Need: Sometimes it’s the simplest of tools that are the hardest to obtain, like school supplies. Kids in Need is a program through the ACFB that works with eligible teachers and schools to help provide students with those much needed supplies. http://www.acfb.org/projects/kids_in_need/
The Atlanta Children’s Shelter: It’s easy to make a child happy—a stuffed animal, a matchbox car, a set of paints or playdough; they can all easily do the trick. Unfortunately not every child has the means to attain simple pleasures. Donations of this kind can make a difference in a child’s life. We have the power to make that happen, one gift at a time! http://www.atlantachildrensshelter.com/

You and your family are invited!

{Disclosure: I was engaged to participate in this event by TheMotherhood and Hebrew National and received a stipend.}

How to Identify a Blogger

Dawn — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 01:25:23 +0000

As I was walking out the door this morning, I took a look in the mirror and giggled. To the untrained eye, I looked like an ordinary mom. To the trained eye, however, I had blogger written all over me.

Here’s a shout out to my online (and some real life) buddies whose wares adorn my life:

{I’m not sure why I look so serious. Photographing yourself while toting all this stuff is tricky. :-)}

Procter and Gamble’s “Thank You Mom” Campaign Reunites Women with Their Mothers

Dawn — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 03:46:13 +0000

My mother passed away six years ago, on my 38th birthday. Two years later, missing her was the impetus for starting my blog. During all but a short period of my life I lived close to her, so there’s no stash of cross-country letters. My treasures are handwritten recipe cards with instructions like:

She would have been an amazing blogger, honest, witty, wise. I grasp for memories of her: old photographs, stories shared with family and friends. Leaving something behind for my kids motivates me to blog.

Admittedly, I’m a little jealous when I hear other people talk about things they do with their mothers. I realize that I was blessed to have mine for so many years and to live close to her.

Procter and Gamble recognizes the special relationship between a woman and her mother, and wants to reunite 100 mothers and daughters with its “Thank You Mom” campaign. Life’s milestones—weddings, births, graduations—aren’t the same without a mother’s presence. Trust me, I know.

Here are the official details:

Log onto www.thankyoumom.com and enter to win a gift card to help cover the cost of a special reunion with your mom or mom figure in your life. Entrants must submit a 100-word essay describing why they would like to be reunited with their mom. Consumers are also invited to vote for their favorite entries. Each month, 15 winners will be chosen through November 30th. Winners will also receive a portable digital video camera to capture their reunion and are encouraged to share the video. Specific contest rules and regulations can be found online at www.thankyoumom.com. Visit the thankyoumom website at the end of each month and vote for the top stories.

If my mom were still here and didn’t live close to me, you can bet I would enter. I would love for someone who reads this post to win.

[If you enter, let me know and then leave me a link to go vote for you!]

{Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by P&G}