100 or Bust

I didn't really know what my next blog topic was going to be until I looked at my stats today and saw that I had 99 posts so far.

Which meant, of course, that whatever I wrote today would be the 100th.

And then I thought maybe it should be about something really important.

But my mind started to wander, thinking about what I had learned from blogging and which of my posts had attracted the most attention.

I started this blog in January 2012 just because I wanted to document some of our projects and because I've always been kind of a story teller in my own head.

Since I started blogging, I've also become a reader of other blogs, where you can get good ideas for projects like this Union Jack table, which I first saw done by Ashley on Domestic Imperfection:

Other bloggers have also turned me on to Annie Sloan Chalk paint, which I used on these ordinary chairs from Target:

I've also learned that it's easy to get jealous--of people who make a living blogging and people whose blogs reach thousands and even millions of readers.

My highest post ever has a count of 498.

That's not a lot, but I realize that blogging isn't about competing. It's about documenting and reflecting and sometimes inspiring.  But you have to do it for yourself first if you want it to be authentic.

Another thing I've learned is just that the act of writing has its own impact.  Knowing that I'm going to be writing about something makes me think about it differently while I'm doing it.  Just as being a photographer makes a person look at objects, animals, landscapes, and other humans in a different way, so being a writer makes me experience things differently--looking at how I'll frame them in my own mind and then here on my blog.

As far as the posts go, it's interesting to see what catches people's attention. Some of the more popular entries are probably due to people arriving on my blog doorstep through search engines. My plumbing saga got a lot of hits, probably from DIYers wanting to know about Pex, the tubing Doug used:

Same with my dog-proof feeding station. One person came over to my post from a rescue organization for Cavalier King Charles spaniels. Peace reigns in our house since we used a simple cookie rack to separate the Lab from the tabby at dinnertime:

This wool blanket that I got at a flea market for $2 isn't a Hudson's Bay as I originally thought but a Glacier Park.  There's not a lot of info out there about these Pendleton blankets, so I think my entry got hits from people just trying to learn more.  (And putting this picture in here gives me another chance to feature my orange boy Pax in his babyhood):

Vintage Cosco stools and trays are popular among bloggers, so it's not surprising that entries on my aqua and red makeovers were a hit:

Our cottage makeover entries were popular, probably because I drove traffic to them from Facebook:

And the same thing happened with the 1950s ranch house makeover that I worked on with my kids:

So, as it turns out, this 100th entry is really not about much of anything, which I guess is true of my blog in general.  I do it to make memories for myself and my family, like our junking vacations:

I do it to mark milestones in my life like the death of our 19-year-old cat Casey:

and the adoption of Pax and our Lab Jodie:

I guess for me this blog reflects my life and enriches it, but it doesn't rule it.  Happy 100!