Thursday, April 22, 2010

Blogging About Blogging.

If you want to understand what I am talking about in this post, read this. If not, well, ok. Context clues, I guess?

So I read Kathy's post last night and it really really got to me. I get the feeling she is talking about ALL THE TIME, and so while it is nice to know that I'm not the only one, it also got me thinking about what this blogging nonsense is, and why I do it.
I do it because it is fun. That's the first thing, and if it wasn't the first thing, I would have no business doing it. I do it because I like the connections I make with people through my own little blog. I do it because my husband doesn't want to hear me drone on for hours about the things I write about here. (Although he does read this blog, and I do still drone on, so... Sorry, Brian.) BUT I also do it because I feel like it makes me seem like a better, cooler, and more together person than I really am. Because my blog is my life, but edited and styled and fluffed out a little, to make it seem a bit more fantastic than it is. A lot more, really. I know that no one who reads this blog thinks I am Martha Stewart or anything, but you probably don't think of me as a person who only does dishes once a week and will wear the same pants for about a month before washing them. Or maybe you do, I don't know, but I do know that EVERY PART of my house is a mess EXCEPT what falls within the angle of my camera lens. And I use a narrow-angled lens.

So while I have to admit, my life is probably just about the best it has ever been right now, it looks better online than it does in person. I don't think anyone out there is jealous of me, but if you were even considering it, I want you to know...

There are two food groups in my life right now, Easter candy and cottage cheese.
I really haven't washed the jeans I am wearing in about a month.
Today the boots that I have duct taped together started letting in water, and I almost started to cry.
I watch, like, a LOT of trashy tv. So much.
I have letters I started writing months ago sitting on my bedside table giving me dirty looks. I have emails that have needed replies for months. I am a complete communication-flake, which leads to constant guilt but little action.
I ALWAYS photoshop out my zits in photos, even, usually, in photobooth photos.
On the last post, I moved the moving boxes around so they would look more photogenic. This is the depth of my illness.
I don't eat organic food, I eat whatever is cheapest, and there is always Velveeta in my kitchen.
I always forget to take out the recycling so we currently have three bags of it sitting in various spots around the house. AND our entryway is filled with the boxes we bring home from Costco.
I own a bazillion reusable bags, but I always forget to take them to the store.
I yell Really Bad Word at the animals if they step on sewing stuff I am working on. EVen though, they are animals, and the things they stepped on were on the FLOOR.

Now you know.
But since you read this whole post, which was QUITE THE DOWNER, if I do say so myself, reward yourself by watching THIS:

22 comments:

Rossie said...

that video is hilarious! washing dishes is for suckers, that's what i say!

rachel said...

I think you're probably a very busy person. And you need a cleaner.

Amazing what having a cleaner who comes in once a week does for you - there's always the pre-cleaner tidying up, for a start!

Kristin said...

Cottage cheese and potato chips = all I eat during the week.

I like you even more now.

Karen said...

Honesty - I love it!

PiecefulChaos said...

I read Pink Chalk's post this afternoon and I've had a blog post similar to yours rolling around my head ever since.

PiecefulChaos said...

I read Pink Chalk's post this afternoon and I've had a blog post similar to yours rolling around my head ever since.

Mandy said...

Oh, I am so right there with you! I seriously get so depressed after I read all those sickeningly perfect blogs and then trip all the way to the kitchen, dig two bowls out of the sink, rinse them out, and feed my children cheerios for supper.

SO glad I'm not alone! Like Kristin said, all of these confessions just make me like you more!

Rebecca Beagle said...

Hah! I used the seam ripper the wrong way for a loooong time, too. I guess that's what you get for being self-taught. At least I can pour a glass of milk and use an iron though- funny video!

rach said...

I don't do the dishes either, why should i make the crockery jealous by only using 2 or 4 of them? surely it's only right to share the love and use all 10 plates regularly....

Lesly said...

Great post, great video! When I look around at my friends in real life, none of them are those hyper-organized superwomen who live in squeaky clean homes and home school between making gourmet meals and doings stints at saving the world. There are a lot of blogs out there that look like that - I read them, but if they disappeared I wouldn't miss them. I am much more interested in reading blogs about real (i.e., flawed) people living lives of choices and compromises, making cool stuff, because they are more like my friends in real life.

mjb said...

Hey, at least you keep blogging! I find it hard to clear that one spot for pictures sometimes, especially when my yard is just as messy. My kitchen doesn't get good light and we eat on the couch, so there will never be beautiful food or table shots on my site. I don't have wood floors or white walls that make good backdrops. My bathroom mirrors are spotty and the counters are cluttered. It is good practice, though, to try and find the one spot that looks good in the midst of the mess. Thanks for being honest!

jgoode said...

It's funny you post this today. I have been feeling like I want to break out of the sugar coated facebook/blog image and tell what is really on my mind. Thanks for sharing. Jennifer

Amy said...

Kathy's post--and now yours, too--made me feel much better about life in general. Thanks for that. Sometimes we all need a reminder of just how un-perfect everyone else is. I'm laughing about the "posed" moving boxes. That's totally something I'd do.

Kim said...

thanks for keeping it real! : )

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Of course we all write about the better bits ! And your life has lots of better bits to blog about .... all those lovely quilts , for a start !
Nice to know that it , like mine , can be disorganised too .

Meg said...

I LOVE cottage cheese, which is so weird, because I don't even know what it is, actually.

My fiance just bought me two new pairs of jeans because he was embarrassed that I was wearing the same pair everyday for 3 weeks... I should probably help him out by alternating them but instead I've worn the new pair every day for about a week.... he should know this about me before we're married I guess.

I tried to start a blog so I could have a medium for making friends with crafty people such as yourself, but also so that I'd be more motivated to craft and be domestic, but actually what is happening is I'm stalking 20-30 crafty people such as yourself and I'm still not domestic.

The only way I'll remember to take reusable bags to the store is if they stop providing bags at the store, and even then I think I might forget the first 2 times.

Thanks for such an awesome post! I'm with ya!

Jessica said...

um, all your dirty little secrets don't sound out of line with the "you" that comes across with your normal, more polished blog posts. except maybe the zit editing, i wouldn't have guessed that one.
but anyway, i know how feeling obliged to anything (letters, laundry, blogging) can weigh you down, so a while back I just shook it off and said f*** it, I am going to do what I like and live with the consequences. And so far, so good. I have a feeling you might like this lifestyle too..

:)

Rosie1925 said...

Thank God! Someone who blogs and isn't perfect! I see those perfect seams and perfect scenes and get depressed.

A wise woman told me 20 years ago when my kids were small...ya only need clean clothes, food, clean dishes. People who visit who are friends don't care what the rest looks like. The ones who care, aren't friends!

And jeans stay clean enough for weeks. You are being environmentally friendly! Americans destroy more clothing by overwashing than by wearing them!

Rebekah said...

love the video!

your post is cracking me up too...I'm a jean non-washer too

Janice @ Better off Thread said...

Sounds like my life exactly! We just moved and I have all the boxes in the garage where I can shut the door. I have no idea when and if I will even hang up one picture, since I seem to have never ending dishes, cleaning and laundry to keep up with.

Bonnie Riffle said...

I totally loved this post! I am so glad to hear you are normal!! just like the rest of us. Yes, it is true, when we look at some of these blogs it does seem like their life and house is in perfect order! my house is soooo not in perfect order, but you would never know it from the photos I post on facebook and my blog. I cook a lot and make almost everything from scratch!! even our bread!! homemade whole wheat! sooo, the funny thing is, since i do that, i really don't have the time to do all the other stuff, like laundry and clean off my dining room table and don't even MENTION all my dishes from cooking so much! There is constantly a mountain of dishes! But, i can definately see how people might view me as "oh doesn't she think she is the perfect little homemaker, making everything from scratch!" ha ha, if they only knew!! I guess you DO what is most important to you and all the rest takes a back seat!! too funny! i loved your post, you are the most likeable person ever! i wish i knew you. by the way, if you are interested, here is my blog. i just got the courage to start it last last month and i am having a blast! sorry it is not a link. but here it is just the same. http:/whataboutpie.blogspot.com

Sew Fresh Fabrics said...

Sing it sister.

My dirty house is the antidote to all the oversanitizing going on that is responsible for creating terrible supergerms. People will thank me later. :)