Actually, it was Saturday. Four years. And I’ve only tried to kill it once- that didn’t go over so well. Through writing I have found my voice. Some who know me would say “finding my voice” was never my problem- but being frank and literary is not the same as knowing your voice. Through writing I have been allowed to clear my mind, hone my words, and figure out exactly what I want to say. Sometimes I do it with panache, sometimes with a sledgehammer. Through writing I have found other writers, people and friends who carefully craft with words their intangibles, and who create something meaningful from that ether.
(…and I just had to stop writing to break up a fight, and ice Abby’s split lip- a gift from Beanie in his rambunctiousness. Such is the life of woman writer who also happens to be a mother…)
There is no Clean Well Lighted Place for me. There is no Room of Ones Own. There is a computer on a desk in what should be our dining room, but which doubles as an office/library/pass through. There is not even a laptop for convenient wandering. There are children interrupting every string of thoughts, and more ideas get lost in the chaos than ever make it out my fingers and onto the screen.
I would treasure a record of my grandmother’s thoughts and dreams- it would be a pearl of great price. When I started this blog, I didn’t know I was a writer. It has been a pleasant surprise to uncover a hidden talent. It has also broadened my world beyond the confines of my home full of small children, and fulfilled the needs of my creative mind- in the days when nothing else could.
Thank you to those of you who’ve become my friends in real life. Thank you to the people who drop by to say hello, and who leave an occasional supportive or kind word. And thank you to the lurkers- I know you’re there. So while blogging can be narcissistic, and it’s sometimes hard to resist veering off into the image in the pond- it has been a collective good in my life. Thank you for being a part of it.
(…and the timer just buzzed to pull the pizza out of the oven, and the thundering heard of children are rumbling up the stairs, following their noses- it’s family night, after all…)
Dandelion Mama 
Happy 4 years! I’m glad you’re still around.
I chuckled to myself when I read this line, “it’s sometimes hard to resist veering off into the image in the pond.” That NEVER happens to me, ever 😉
4 years?! We’re getting old.
Congratulations! The painting is beautiful.
I love Vermeer. This one is from 1670 and has been stolen twice in it’s illustrious history.
I’ve been a lurker since you were preggers with Abby. I love your site, your recipes, and your insight on this world. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Lurker! Thanks for your comment!
Congrats on 4 years of blogging!
On a completely unrelated topic, because you are the queen of sewing and craftiness and I cannot figure this out and you were the first person that popped into my head to ask, I have a question. I am making a quiet/activity book for my son to help keep us all a little saner during Sacrament Meeting. I would like to have some pieces on certain pages be able to rotate, and I cannot figure out how to do so. For instance, I would like to make a windmill page where the top part can spin around freely in a circle. My brain has pooped out on thinking of any way of managing that. If you have any ideas whatsoever, I would be forever thankful.
Easiest way? Sew a button to the page, and sew a button hole on the windmill. It will spin around the stationary button just fine. Another way would be to use a grommet- it’s like a steel “eye” that you put in fabric (think of the places you loop the rope through a tarp) Then you can use a post (in the grommet section) to make the windmill spin.
The button is easier, and will work just as well. 🙂
kadusey,
My two cents on the quiet book is to use a button and button hole. Sew the button to the page and put the hole on the rotating piece. You could even make an “X”, instead of a button hole, and reinforce in with stitching.
AAAAaamd now we see clearly that I answer before reading all the way down. Jendoop beat me to it!
I dream of a room of my own for uninterrupted writing–but then all those thundering kids make life so deep and rich–what would I even think about in that room?
Congrats, Tracy! Hope you and your family are well.