Why I Started a Blog

I’m taking a quick break from recipes today to just talk about blogging.  I seem to get so many questions about why I started a blog or how to start a blog.  Since I’m so often asked, I thought it would be worth sharing the journey of the blog up until this point.

It’s hard for me to fathom that I’ve already spent a year blogging.  Seriously, to me that is crazy!  If you know me well then you know I’m a great starter.  Our office closet is filled with my half finished projects.  A sewing machine and gobs of fabric, fancy paper and scissors, scrapbook supplies.  I could go on and on but the thought of all the wasted money makes me ill.  I struggle with follow through.  My mind constantly dreams of new ventures and projects but I often find I lack the motivation to finish them.  Honestly, that was the scariest part of starting this blog for me.  Would this simply be another project that I wasted our money on and never did anything with?

I’ve loved to cook and entertain since Currey and I married.  I’m often asked for recipes of the dishes I make and encouraged to bring food to events we attend.  I simply love to feed people!  When I was nearing the end of my pregnancy with Bennett, I started talking with Currey about starting a food blog to help increase my skills in the kitchen and as a place to share all the delicious food we crank out in our kitchen.

I wrestled with starting for weeks and weeks.  Currey kept encouraging me to start but the fear of failure seemed paralyzing.  And then I got an email.  Emily of Jones Design Company was launching a blog class.  I had followed her blog for over a year and loved her content and design.  I watched the intro video and was amazed at God’s provision of this class as I was dreaming of starting my own blog.  I was so excited and then I heard the price.  The $300 price tag completely deflated me.  There was no way that I could rationalize that.

As Currey and I continued to discuss it, I decided to make a big commitment.  While still fearful that I might not follow through, I committed my own money to the project.  I told Currey if I didn’t keep this up for 1 year I’d repay us with my birthday money the upcoming year.  I knew that I’d need some sort of accountability to keep me going and this challenge seemed fitting.

We signed up for the class and I’ve never looked back!  If I would have known how excellent the class was going to be, I wouldn’t have ever hesitated.  Currey created my site from scratch and we got all the tools we need from the Blog Class.  If you are looking to start a blog for your business or just to document your family’s life, I’d highly recommend the class. You can use the link on my sidebar to check it out for yourself.  In full disclosure, if you do sign up through my link I’m a blog class affiliate so I would receive a portion of your sign up fee.  But I promise, that’s not why I think you should join!

The class is taught through videos and you will always have access to them upon registering for the class.  You are literally taken step by step through the process of designing and starting a blog from scratch. Ryan and Emily, the husband and wife team that created the class, have a high standard of excellence.  They provide support for every step of your journey and there is even a Facebook group where you can chat with other class members. While initially intimated, we have been amazed at what we’ve created with the knowledge we’ve been provided.  There are so many ways to personalize and customize your site.  Currey has done all of the code work of setting up the site and all the design work as well.  He too has found the class helpful and has watched several of the videos over and over again.

I’m confident that there’s more to come with my blog.  I’ve loved making to new friends and reconnecting with so many friends from all seasons of my life.  This blog has become a creative outlet that I didn’t know was missing in my life.  I hope that in sharing my journey to follow my crazy dream that you too will be inspired to chase a dream of your own.  Whether you are hoping to follow your own crazy dream or needing a little encouragement to continue to follow through, I hope that my journey of chasing a dream of my own inspires you to do the same.