New Year, new blogs

The New Year is well underway and so are my new blogs.  When I decided to divide my interests and create two new blogs I was not sure how it would go or what type of reception I would receive.  Quite honestly, for my little blogs, the reaction has been amazing.  I had been reading different articles on how to build my blog over the holidays and realized my confessional style blog was not in the same interest area for most readers as my hobby posts about decorating, projects, and recipes. 

That information helped me to make the decision to move in a new direction and create two new blogs.  Unless I can figure out how to import particular articles to different blogs I will be keeping this one up, but not really writing on it any longer.  The reason?  I cannot produce that much content!  Additionally, my page views for Thrush Cottage (my therapy/fun/hobby blog) and The Beauty of Authenticity (confessional journal style blog) are significantly higher than my page views for Life is a Garden have ever been.  In one month Thrush Cottage has had a quarter of a year's worth of hits and The Beauty of Authenticity has exceeded my old yearly average.      
 

I have loved my time here at Life is a Garden.  I have learned a lot about my vision for writing and have tried to learn to balance my attempts a professional writing with blogs, homework, and most importantly, family.  I have not always done well but I am getting there slowly.  Please join me at my new blogs and follow there if you would like.  I have started a series on marriage, have accepted the joy dare, and have taken on a diy challenge.  With family and school those things pretty much take up my free time here lately! 

Thank you to all my family and friends who have encouraged me here over the years. 

Love,
Shawna

Dividing My Interests

I cannot help but notice that when I write I have two definite areas of divergence, the more personal, introspective postings, and the more general recipe and craft postings. (I also hope to get back to writing for Examiner.com)

In order to work on the two different writing styles that this necessitates, I have decide to split my blog.  For now I will keep writing here but at some point I may just keep this for the old posts that I would not want to delete and write on the other two.

So, head on over to Thrush Cottage (the creative, crafty, cooking blog) for a delicious baked apple recipe that I created.  It is the best of my two favorite apple recipes, apple crisp and baked apples.  Please be sure to leave some comments if you try it and I would really appreciate any attempts to make it more healthy and get rid of the butter and sugar.  I hope to have something thought provoking on The Beauty of Authenticity soon as well.

Love,
Shawna
 

Christmas Break

I had planned on starting to blog as soon as school was out.  It was a rough semester and I just wanted it to be over.  I was tired though.  Really tired.  I did not want to write or even read for pleasure.  Instead I did a bit of baking.

Crisp Baked Apples

I enjoyed spending some time making things that did not require analysis or spell checking.  Just simple and satisfying handiwork.  I made pins to hang Christmas cards to give as gifts.

Barry and I wrapped presents until we were a little sick of paper and bows.

 

But they all looked pretty under the tree.

And I had extra time to spend with this lot.

Along with my personal superhero.

I believe I am officially in burnout recovery.  I am starting to get antsy to write again, but the past few months have been worrisome for me.  My assigned writing has not been up to par and I have not felt like writing for pleasure at all.  I am hoping this rest will help me get over my creative gridlock.  I have been toying with some blog topic ideas.  Maybe a marriage series leading up to Valentine's Day and some tutorials for the projects I have had so much fun with over the holidays.  I have decided to keep creating in one way or another.  I want to make presents year round and have a good little stockpile for next Christmas.

Even better, I felt a poem brewing in my brain today and it excited me.  

So, I will try to start up again.  Little bits at a time.