Some thoughts running around in my head today:

:: I miss getting mail. I’ve always loved watching for the mailman/woman’s arrival at my mailbox. I bet you feel the same. Will something wonderful be tucked into the box? Of course, nine times out of ten, the delivery consists of bills or circulars…but the anticipation is wonderful. Here? Rehearsal schedules. Period.

:: Even though I am very busy, I miss my daily chores back at Mockingbird Hill Cottage. My husband has those responsibilities now. I miss the fluffing, the cleaning, the rearranging and of course, the gardening. Here? I make my bed, I do my dishes, I do my laundry and occasionally I vacuum. There is nothing like the comfort of taking care of your own home.

:: I’ve been thinking a lot about blogging. I tend to gravitate toward nesting, crafting, gardening, decorating type blogs. There are the big superstar blogs that get thousands of hits every day and have thousands of followers and are always being featured in some publication. I am a fan of some of these blogs and enjoy reading them. Every blog has its own growth curve. When I started out, I couldn’t imagine anyone reading my posts. I also went through a period where I really avoided adding the followers widget. Eventually, I gave in and added it and I am honored that there are other bloggers who like my blog enough to become a follower. I’m sure that in the blogging world my stats are modest, though they make me happy. I’ve had giveaways but am not comfortable with asking readers to become followers. It doesn’t sit right with me. I am a modest person. I am shy. So my followers list grows slowly but steadily.

But I do have this wish to be published. My secret dream? To be in Artful Blogging or Where Women Create. Promoting myself has never been easy for me. It is something that I have to force myself to do. Really force myself. I’d love to see my blog mentioned in a magazine or in a list of cottage blogs or (gasp) be profiled in Artful Blogging. Oh my gosh, what a thrill that would be. Maybe by confessing my secret wish, I will be compelled to take action. This has always been a challenge for me. When I was an actress, I fought that battle all the time: how could I be nicely aggressive when it went against my nature? This year, I vow to take a few steps in that direction.

Thank you, my friends, for being there – for reading this blog. Being able to share my thoughts with you is simply the best. You are the best.

Kari, who is Artsy Mama, is hosting a blog party for the publication of Tara Frey’s new book Blogging for Bliss. Though its official release date is August 4th, I managed to snag a copy a couple of weeks ago. It is a wonderful book about blogging with tons of helpful information, as well as profiles of many successful bloggers. I am a regular reader of Tara’s blog and she is enormously talented. I urge you to run out and buy a copy! Please visit Kari for a list of all those participating in the party.

For this party, Kari has asked us share our blogging stories. How did we come to blog and what has blogging meant to us?

I started blogging about a year and a half ago, after a long period of reading many different blogs. When I first discovered blogs, I was entranced by what women were saying, creating and sharing. I was hooked. I started to bookmark various blogs and read them every day. Every once in a while I would tell my husband that I was thinking of starting a blog and that I thought it would be rewarding to write again. But I never did anything about it. He kept encouraging me to ‘go ahead and do it’ and finally I did. I wasn’t sure what my blogging voice would be at the beginning. I knew I wanted to write about my home and my husband and dogs and the things I loved to do. I decided to name my blog after my home – Mockingbird Hill Cottage. (We live on a little hill, my name is Hill, and my favorite novel is To Kill a Mockingbird.) My first posts were exploratory. I didn’t tell anyone about the blog for quite a while. Only my husband and I knew.

In the meantime, I started to gain confidence, learned how to upload photos, kept reaching out to other bloggers by commenting on their posts and, wonder of wonders, began to see comments on my posts! And slowly my blog took onmy true voice – the voice of a lover of all things beautiful, a gardener, a reader, a decorator, a collector, a quilter, a knitter/crocheter, a nester, a professional working in the arts, a wife, a mother to my adored dogs, a writer, a budding photographer, a daughter, a sister. I found others who cared enough to read my posts, I made new friends. I saw the world differently. Everything became a photo opportunity. My husband began to say ‘You should blog about this’ quite often. I slowly told my sister, my friends, and my parents about the blog – shyly, but proudly, I might add. My parents have a Sunday ritual of reading all the previous week’s posts together. We live far apart and I know it means a great deal to them to see and hear about my daily life.

I asked for a new camera for my birthday. My photos improved. (I love my camera!) I helped my sister and a friend start their own blogs. I added a background, changed it to a new one, all the time decorating my blog in a way that reflects me. It keeps evolving and I love that.

When I decided to take a job in San Diego for 6 months this past January, I told my husband that I was worried about my blog. After all, it was about our cottage and our life here. How could I blog about San Diego? Much to my surprise, it was surprisingly easy. My dear blogging friends went right along with me on the journey, supporting me all the way. They cheered me up when I was homesick and I missed my husband and dogs, cheered me on as I worked on the other side of the country, and loved going along with me as I introduced them to new vintage shops, antique shops and a wonderful Barn Sale. For all my worry about what to blog about while in San Diego, I never ran out of ideas. Now I am home again and the journey continues.

I have met the most wonderful people through this blogiverse. I feel connected in a way that I’ve never felt before. Aren’t bloggers the most creative, fascinating people? And aren’t we all better for knowing each other? We are part of a wonderful creative, supportive, compassionate community.

I love blogging. And, yes, it makes me blissful.