Blogging Anniversary--my first million bucks...or do I mean million nunchucks?

Many of my blogging friends have just celebrated a year, too.  Some have created little Top Ten Lists outlining what they've learned.  Well, I've learned a few things, too.

1) Content is irrelevant if you give awesome stuff away.  I've been to some awful blogs written in glorified text-speak (LULZ galore!) with zillions of devoted fans because they give away embroidered pillows.  No one wanted my breast pump (and I'm still really surprised by that--who wouldn't want a device meant to milk me like a cow??), and I'm at a loss as to what my readers really want.  Y'all are just so mysterious.  I'm considering a cash giveaway, maybe one in which readers guess how much change I can find in the couch cushions and whoever is closest without going over gets it all.

Remember our first project at the house?

2) There are it-girls and wannabes in Bloglandia (thankfully, there aren't that many of them--most people are pretty sincere).  I'm neither, but is that surprising?  I don't enjoy making vignettes, I don't have inspirational quotes on the wall, and light gray is my least favorite color on the spectrum, even after sage green, which is one of the worst shades of boring ever.  And that Ektorp sofa, which is fine for others and even looks nice in many houses, will never have a place in my home.  I have paintings of strangers on my walls, which apparently is kind of odd in the land of design blogs.  I like to think I'm just emulating old money from the British Empire (haven't you seen all those portraits in Downton Abbey?), but maybe I'm just a weirdo. Okay, it's confirmed that I'm a weirdo.  Thankfully, I revel in that.

One of the few completed rooms in the house.

3) You have to spend money to make money.  The most successful bloggers have lots of resources. Sometimes, money. Sometimes, time. Often, both.  I have neither.  I don't even have grandparents around to help with the kids every now and then.

For now, this blog is just for fun, and I've loved building my teeny tiny fandom and getting all the private messages from readers telling me how much they enjoy reading about my family.  When I first started, I'd spend hours burning the midnight oil, posting to zillions of linky parties and coming up with awesome (and expensive) projects for us to complete, but I've slowed down a lot.  I piddle around on Twitter, but after a few days of posting, I forget about it for awhile.  Perhaps I should start up a Facebook fan page since all the cool kids have done it--we'll see about that.  These days, since I'm often blogging with two kids in my lap and another wailing, I figure getting a few posts a week out is enough and sharing at the parties every now and then will have to suffice.  The creation of an empire will just have to wait.

Funnest Halloween Ever.

4) There are some very nice people out there in the ether.  I knew that before this year, but I've loved getting to know some fellow bloggers.  This next year, I'm committed to spending a little more time networking with them.

A gay wedding in NYC!

5) I hate crafting.  It's just not my thing. Making wreaths from old sheet music?  Not for me.  Someone else can tackle that project. Luckily, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of people out there who will fill those shoes, tell me all about it, and try to sell it to me.  While they're doing that, I'll be at the flea market buying more paintings of people I don't know.

The lime green freezer everyone's talking about.

6) Home design Bloglandia is mainly populated by white women.  I'd like to see some more women of color out there.  Diversity keeps conformity at bay and usually leads to more innovation--in design, in theory, in practice.

7) I can't make it through a top ten list without smirking, laughing at myself for taking it too seriously, and eventually drawing a blank.  I think I'm done for now.

Protoplasm in the backyard!

Anyway, we plan to keep on truckin' this year here at The Kiefer Cottage. Thanks for reading!