You’ve come a long way baby — happy birthday little blog!

Happy 1st Birthday, Attempts in Domesticity!

It’s now been, to the day, a year since I created Attempts in Domesticity. I resisted starting a blog for a long time, but my husband (who knows I love to write) prodded me into creating one and finally I caved. Since then, it’s become a big part of my life. On a basic level, it motivates me to cook more, even on nights when it’d be easy just to whip up a bowl of ramen for dinner instead.

But it’s more than that too…

I’ve learned a lot (not related to cooking) in the past 12 months. When I started writing posts, I was totally unaware that if I didn’t tag things they wouldn’t appear in the “reader” section. For the first month or two, I think my page views were averaging about 30 per week. (Don’t worry, Ree, no competition here!)

I was also so busy (considering it was the holiday season and all) that I hadn’t really started reading other people’s blogs, so I had no connections to anyone on WordPress. My blog was more like a public journal that no one besides my close friends read or even knew about. Finally I understood that I needed to take time to read other people’s posts if I wanted anyone to bother with mine — it’s not a one-way street.

Since then, I have gotten quite a few followers (thanks to all of you!) and made some virtual friendships with people who I really enjoy. I love feeling a little invested in other people’s — yes, basically complete strangers — lives, seeing what food they make, what crafts they create, the lives they’ve lived and where they’ve traveled to. It’s opened my eyes to a lot of different points of view which I think is pretty fantastic.

And so even after 12 months, I still feel like this project is fairly new — it’s constantly growing and developing, which means I am too. There’s no time to sit around and wait to be inspired — you’ve just got to go for it.

Anyways…back to the reason for the cake at the top of this post:

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A Red-Faced Tale of Awards and Thankfulness

A toast is in order!

So let’s start with the best news of the week: I was nominated for two lovely blog awards. The first, which sent me running to my husband with excitement, was given to me by the always fabulous Squirrel Circus. I can’t quite remember how we found each other’s blogs, but I can say with certainty, how much I enjoy reading hers. It’s always nice to feel like people are excited to read something you’ve written, and when I see her comments, I feel that way. Also, she is hilarious. If you haven’t found her blog yet, go now!

The second nomination, given to me by the lovely Sara Ann of Act like a Lady, Eat like a Man, took me totally by surprise and made me utter a happy little shriek. If you haven’t read any of her posts, be assured you are missing out. Anyone who believes in serious eating — which is yes, more than a dainty salad — can find comfort in knowing she feels the same.

And so it begins…

After months of contemplating a writing a blog, my lovely husband has helped persuade me to start one. I may be years behind the times in terms of trendiness, but yet I’m excited to give it a go. We’ll see what happens!