You Can't Frost A Cake With Mod Podge...And Other Things I've Learned From Blogging

When you look back to when you first started your blog, can you believe all the stuff you didn't know?

I don't have to think too hard, since I've only been blogging for about six months. 

There's still an awful lot I don't know...

...but I can't help but share a few things I have learned since hopping onto the blogging bandwagon.  

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As a new blogger, I really had no idea how much I didn't know.

For one thing, I thought Mod Podge was a TV show in the 70's with Peggy Lipton. 
But when I found out it was a glaze, I used it to frost a chocolate cake.

It looked AWESOME.

But it was a little hard to digest.

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Blogging means learning a whole new language. To me, "BlogHer" sounds like an obscenity. 

You know, like "Screw Him!" ... "Blog Her!"

There are so many words I've never heard, like "junking." Apparently, I didn't know I was "junking" even when I was doing it.

And chippy??? That's how I feel when I score a pair of shoes at Nordstrom's for 60% off!

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There is so much to learn. 

For instance, it didn't take me long to realize that I am shopping in all the wrong places.

Saks and Bloomies? No way...Hobby Lobby is where it's at! 

That wasn't even on my radar, let alone my GPS.  I think I have to drive to Texas, though, to get there. 

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And I surely wasn't aware that bloggers have their own special calendar.  In blog-land, the seasons start so early! 

I mean, who knew that I had to put my pumpkins out in August? 

Please…just let me know NOW when I have to make Thanksgiving dinner. 

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If I have learned anything about blogging, it's that everything looks better with a coat of chalk paint on it. 

Between you and me, I had no idea that chalk paint wasn't black. 

Is it?

I figured out that chalk paint is not the same thing that's on a blackboard, after I painted my dining room table with chalkboard paint. I'm good, I get it now. Chalk paint.

And who is Annie Sloane anyway? 

I hope she's one of my Followers.

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"Write about what you love," says all the blogging advice. "If it comes from your heart, people will be drawn to what you have to say."

Uh, really?  The only readers I seemed to draw in the beginning were blog-sucking Vampirestats...

...that is, until I put on lipstick and heels, and started partying every day of the week.

I hadn't partied this much EVER, not even when I was in college and could stay up past 11pm.  

I have to admit, I was shy at first about going to Linky Parties. What if no one liked me?

But, whaddya know? Those Linky Parties work! I've met some great people, and in fact, some actually started following me...not in a stalker-ish, creepy kind of way...the nice, blogger-ish kind of following.

I guess that's the blogging equivalent to going steady.  

Now I just have to work really hard at these relationships, so that we don't break up.

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Although I barely knew what a blog was when I started mine, I didn't think it would be that hard to attract an audience…

...because that's kinda what I did for a living for many years.  

Before Blogging ("BB"), my job was to decide what day and time programs would air at a TV network.  The object of the game was to get people to watch those shows...

...which is sort of like getting people to read your blog posts, isn't it?

I was pretty darn good at this in the TV world. I bet I even got you (yes, you!) to watch those shows.

But it's not TV, my friends.  It's a heckuva lot harder to get people to follow your blog than it is to get them to follow Dancing With The Stars, or Breaking Bad. For one thing, I don't have a big network behind me...

...which means I have to do my own research, marketing and advertising…

…create my own content…

…and maximize my  SEO...Search Engine Optimization…whatever the heck that means…but it is apparently the key to blogging success.

Oh no, it's not easy.   

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Content may be the King of Blogsville…

But Blogging is a lot more than just writing stuff.

Even though that's what it says in "Blogging for Dummies," you can't simply write a post and hit "Publish." 

Take the photos, for instance...

Who knew I'd have to shoot 500 photos of a piece of pie, just to get one that is "pin-worthy?"

And that's after I Pic-monkey around with it for an hour.

Nevertheless...

I am working really hard.

Apparently, however, I am not doing nearly enough.

Oh, no, there is so much more to do everyday!

And doing other stuff I don't even know I'm supposed to be doing.

Hello??? When am I supposed to make dinner?

And that's not all...oh no, that's not all.  

It's not enough to be a good writer… 

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Yikes, I feel inadequate. 

I can crank out a couple of blog posts a week, if I'm lucky, and take a few decent snaps...

But, y'all?  Y'all do it all.

Well, I'm just assuming you can sing, too. 

And on top of that, you make your own toothpaste and furniture.. 

Excuse me, but when do you people sleep? 

Even with all that…. 

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One thing I did not expect was how incredibly nice and helpful other bloggers are. No jokes here. This is the mushy part. Get out your tissues.  

I have to give a few shout-outs to bloggers who've been incredibly kind to Ms. Toody. 

Katie at Let's Add Sprinkles was my first "real" follower on GFC. 

Claire at A Little Claireification told me the best way to label my photos for Pinterest.

Suzan at Simply Vintageous and Diana at Nana Diana Takes a Break 

offered to help me fix my "No Reply Blogger" status.

Eileen at The Joy of Caking invited me (me!) to be part of a special feature 

that she will be doing this fall.

Debbie at Debbiedoos explained Linky Parties to me, told me to 'unlock' my photos...and then asked me to take part in her weekly Home Tour series. 

Michele at A Dish of Daily Life took the time to respond 

to my questions about social media. 

Sunnefa at Coder Mommy nominated me for a Liebster Award.

Lisa at Elembee explained that "Alt" was not just a key on the keyboard…

 but a blogging conference, and sent me the link.

Then, there are those of you who have written helpful posts about blogging, so that people like me can create better blogs.

And, many of you have featured my posts (check my sidebar!), which makes me feel like I actually know what I'm doing.

Finally, there's all of the rest of you, who for whatever reason, are following me on GFC, Facebook, Pinterest, Email or RSS...or take a moment to leave me a comment.

I am so grateful to all of you. If it hadn't been for you, the only ones reading my blog would have been those vampires, and I would have quit months ago.

It's been a great six months, and I'm looking forward to the next six years.

Thank you, from the bottom of my BlogLovin' heart.

And now, I've got to run because -- 

All of you bloggers have inspired me to try my first big DIY project. You'll have to wait for the big reveal...

...but it's got something to do with Rit Dye and my dog. 

Linking With:

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Ladies Only Blog Share

Looking Backward To Tonight's Emmys

Are you looking forward to watching the Emmy Awards tonight?

I'm actually looking "backward" to it.

Backwards, to when I still worked in the television industry, and had the wonderful good fortune to be on the 'inside" of this incredible event.

Tonight's awards show is making me feel a bit melancholy…

…because I'll be watching from my living room, instead of actually being there, like I have been in the past.

I didn't even plan to write a post about this, but it kind of just happened this morning, when I saw an article in the paper today about tonight's telecast. 

So it may not be the best-written post I've done…and the picture quality is pretty terrible, so you'll have to forgive me for that, but I have to get this out before the stars start walking down the red carpet! 

Yes, one of the highlights of my career was attending the Emmy awards, and the "After Parties", on several occasions.  

I did not attend last September, even though I was invited. 

I had already decided that it was time to leave my job, but hadn't yet given notice. It just didn't seem right for me to have the company spend all that money for me to attend, when I knew I'd be leaving shortly after that. 

When I officially resigned, my assistant admitted that she knew something was up when I rsvp'd "no" to the Emmys. 

I mean, really, who in their right mind would give up the chance to be flown first class to LA, stay in a fancy hotel, get all decked out, be picked up in a limo, walk the red carpet, and hob-nob with the stars at the party afterwards?

So, today, on the the day of the 65th Annual Emmy Awards…I'm taking a trip down memory lane (or the red carpet, more appropriately) to when I had the good fortune to
actually attend the event.

One year when I went, I was invited to the Nominees party two nights before the awards show.  

It was a pretty small gathering, and quite exciting to be so close to so many famous people.

But that was nothing compared to the BIG EVENT!

The day of the Emmy awards, I started getting ready at 9am. I had a hair stylist and make-up artist come to my hotel. It felt so decadent! 

A limousine picked us up at the hotel. I couldn't believe the line of limousines enroute to the Nokia theater. It stretched for miles. 

When we finally got close, a security guard approached the car:

"Are you nominees or presenters?"

It was tempting to say yes, but we were just honored to be asked!

And then, there we were, on the red carpet! 

But here's the thing…there is a rope down the center of the red carpet that divides the common folk from the real celebrities. No matter! It was incredible just being there.

We were being hurried along by the ushers, who wanted us to keep moving, but hey, there was no way we weren't stopping to ogle at the stars, or take each other's pictures on the red carpet. 

Every picture of me on the red carpet came out like crap. So no, I won't share. 

Finally, we were inside the theater. Our seats were WAY back.  Trust me, these photos are zoomed!

It was pretty exciting, but, honestly? A little boring. Even though I worked in TV, I didn't watch a lot of the other networks' shows, so I needed the TV captions to tell me who was on stage!

One year, I attended the Governor's ball after the awards. The decor was drop-dead stunning (that's my silver purse on the table).

However, I much preferred attending my company's "After-Emmy" party. Stars from every network always ended up at our party, because it had the reputation of being the best one. They all wanted to be "seen" at our event. 

I'm not an extremely outgoing person, but somehow, I found it kind of easy to approach some of the celebrities from our shows, and say, 

"Hi, I schedule your show. Can I get a picture with you?" 

Most of them were extremely gracious and said yes. 

If ever there was a Cinderella moment, it was when, at the end of the ball, I went back to the hotel…

…took off my glass slippers (oy, my feet were killing me!), changed out of my dress, and took off my makeup. 

It's nice to live the life of the rich and famous for a day…sigh. 


So tonight, as I watch this year's Emmy awards…

     I'll feel a little wistful, because I'm not there…

     I'll cheer for my former network as they win their awards…

     I'll scan the audience to catch a glimpse of the executives from my company…

     I'll still feel proud, when the winners thank the people I used to share a conference    table with...

     I'll feel just a tinge of envy reading all of the status updates on Facebook from my friends and former co-workers, who are posting photos of themselves with celebrities...

     And then, I'll click off the TV and head up to bed…while my friends will be just heading to the after-party...

But I'll remind myself to be grateful to have had the good fortune to have been Cinderella on more than one occasion…

...and to be immensely proud of the career I once had.

Ms. Toody

What? A "Lobster" Award? Oh…a LIEBSTER Award!

When I first read the message, I thought it said I was nominated for a "Lobster" award.

I thought, ok, cool, I like lobster as much, if not more than the next gal, but would that be a reason to be nominated for a Lobster award?

Or was it because I recently wrote a post about lobster rolls? 

I have to admit…I was scratching my head a bit as to why I'd been nominated for a Lobster award.

Nevertheless, I started getting all exciting about buying a fancy dress, walking down the red carpet, accepting my Lobster trophy, and thanking my family, friends…and every restaurant I ever ate a lobster in. 

Homeport, Martha's Vineyard

And then --  I put on my reading glasses, and saw that it said LIEBSTER award… 

Ohhhhhhhhhhh…. 

Honestly, I would have been less surprised if I'd been nominated for a Lobster than a Liebster…

…but I'm much happier to have been nominated for a Liebster than a Lobster. 

So, thank you, Sunnefa from Coder Mommy (all the way from Iceland!!)  I am honored that you nominated me!

Now, I understand that it's not really an award…it's more like a blog-style chain letter sent to bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers...or in my case, WAY fewer. 

The nominee has to follow these rules:

1. Acknowledge the person who nominated them.
2. Share 11 random facts about themselves. 
3. Answer 11 Liebster questions given to them by the nominator.
4. Nominate 11 other bloggers who have under 200 followers (NEW BLOGGERS: See my challenge below).
5. Come up with 11 questions for your nominees.
6. Notify the bloggers whom you have nominated (Note: You cannot nominate the person who nominated you).

OK, the pressure is now on for me to come up with 11 random selfie facts:

1. I kissed Bruce Springsteen on the cheek when I was in college, when he came to a dance at the student center.

2. I didn't really even know what a blog was when I decided I was going to start one. That's me…jump in head first.

3. For a person who spent years in the television business, I watch very little TV. My two favorite TV shows are Newsroom and Homeland.

4. My hobby is making digital photobooks, although who's had time since I started this blog?

5. I am a firm believer in the power of positive thinking. 

6. I have a love/hate relationship with my hair. When it looks good, it looks very very good, and when it looks bad, it looks awful. 

7. I am superstitious. If I wear my NY Giants jersey while watching them play, they'll lose. 

8. People have told me I look like Sarah Jessica Parker. I'm flattered, but I'm not sure she would be:)

9. I am terrified of bats, for no apparent reason.

10. I never leave the house without concealer, lipstick and eyebrow pencil. Yup, vanity is a pain in the hiney. 

11. If I could, I would exist on bread and cheese.

Here are my answers to the 11 questions posed to me by Coder Mommy…

1. What's your favorite meal of the day?

That's easy -- Breakfast  -- pancakes, waffles, French toast, bagels, bacon, sausage, omelettes.  Need I say more? 

2. What's your favorite fruit?

I don't think I ever met a fruit I didn't like. Watermelon definitely ranks up there 

in my top five, and I love every kind of berry. But, it might just be that 

avocado is my favorite fruit. 

3. When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was five, I didn't want to grow up! Nothing really comes to mind, 

but I probably wanted to be something meaningful…like Barbie. 

4. What quality do you find most attractive in others?

Kindness. 

Just think of what the world would be like if everyone was kind to one another. 

5. What's your favorite sport?

This is easier to answer than the fruit question -- Football! 
 I am a huge fan of the NY Giants.

6. Gold or Silver?

Gold, of course...as in 14 or 18 Karat, preferably adorned with some diamonds ;)

7. What's your favorite candy?

Gummies and Jellybeans! 
And it's not beneath me to hide them from my family.

8. What's your favorite online shopping site?

Is this a trick question? Just one???  

I have to name two: Rue La La and Gilt. Even if I don't buy anything, 

it's so much fun to browse through them.  But I probably buy the most from Amazon. 

9. What's your pet peeve?

It really bugs me when people text when they are driving. 

10. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall? 

Summer! It brings barbeques, beach days, lazy days, lobster ice cream. (sorry, the lobster thing just slipped out).

11.  How many pairs of shoes do you have?

This is embarrassing, but too many to count. I'm guessing just south of 100 pairs of shoes, and I'm proud of it! Hey, they don't call me Ms. Toody Goo "Shoes" for nothing. 

And now, about the 11 blogs I am supposed to nominate for Liebsters…

Um, almost everyone I follow has like thousands of followers, or, has already been nominated for a Liebster. I think I'm one of the last ones :)  I don't want to nominate blogs that I really don't read, just for the sake of picking some. 

So, yes, Ms. Toody is a bit of a "Miss Goody Two Shoes" in this case, yet not so much that I can't break the sacred Liebster rules just a tiny bit:

Here is my challenge:

If you are a blogger with under 200 followers, 

please leave me a comment with your blog link below. I will select my nominees from those responses, and then do a separate post on all of my nominees.

If you are an established blogger, please leave me a comment if you follow a new blogger that you like.  

Thank you, again, Sunnefa! I had a lot of fun being nominated for a Lobster Liebster award!

Ms. Toody

Linking to: 
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