- Okay, this looks like fun, not to mention inspirational. Lynn Viehl posted about smashing which apparently is a new trend in scrapbooking. I’m not sure about the trend being new, certainly the name is. Hey, anything to make a buck. Paper scrapbooking is being beat out by digital a little more each year…hmm, sounds familiar. I will paper scrapbook until the supplies are no more. Anyhow, Lynn is encouraging us writer types to create “smash journals” for our stories. Brilliant. Go forth and smash
- The Writing: Another muse-less week. I’m thinking I have too many pans in the fire elsewhere to focus. What worries me is the longer this goes on the harder it is to get the ol’ bubble butt in the chair. :sigh: Tomorrow is a new day of a new week.
- Last check-in I followed a link from Robin McCormack’s blog over to Query Tracker. Awesome interview questions for the character you need to dig a little deeper to know.
- The Reading: I’m halfway through a book Patti O’Shea mentioned on Facebook Friday, Crimson Rogue by Liz Maverick
. I’m enjoying the story. However, the inconsistent formatting is distracting and, giving the author the benefit of the doubt here, the typos are frustrating, making me wonder if a second set of eyes saw this before publication.
- The Blogging: Check with the original goal. Not so much with the new goal. Sigh, April is slipping by me. Maybe I’m ‘partying’ too much with my blogiversary
- Speaking of blogiversaries, the amazingly talented Jenny Hansen is also celebrating a year of blogging this month. Check out her first ever More Cowbell vLog!
- The Social Media: I think I’ve held steady on the sharing, thanks mostly to the ease of Triberr. I had a few conversations and am not feeling quite as spammy as last week
- The Health: I sucked at tracking the water intake this week but think I did pretty good, especially with being in the triple digits last weekend. We’re in the high 80′s-low 90′s this weekend. Me thinks summer is here. What happened to spring? Dog walking, sadly only got out three times. Sugar reduction is going well and I’m toying with the next food change I want to incorporate.
- Snacking is my big challenge in the food department. Either I don’t then pig out at the next meal or I do, but not necessarily a healthy one. August McLaughlin offered up some healthy snack choices earlier in the week. Yum.
- To support the awesomeness that is ROW80 you can go HERE
Group 3: Congrats (says congratulations inside), Happy Birthday, Thank You, Birthday cards.
And here is your final look at the cards up for grabs in the blogiversary giveaway…
Just a reminder, I’ll be drawing the winners tomorrow night (April 30th), so hurry and post your comments. The more April posts you comment on the more chances you have to win. Good luck and THANK YOU so much for your support! You guys are awesomesauce 
Apr 29, 2012 @ 06:29:36
I truly understand the “too many pans in the fire” comment. I started getting back on track yesterday. Today is always a fresh start!
Apr 29, 2012 @ 08:24:31
It’s like a snowball, isn’t it? It just gains momentum and size as it rolls down the mountain.
Thanks for stopping by Brinda
Apr 29, 2012 @ 06:30:15
April has been a month filled with challenges. May is around the corner so perhaps some things can get adjusted and you can rip into a great amount of progress then.
Loving the sets of cards. That handmade touch is just beautiful.
Apr 29, 2012 @ 08:30:34
It has been a busy month that is for sure. Glad you like the cards, I enjoyed making them.
Thanks for stopping by Angela
Apr 29, 2012 @ 08:15:07
My writing goes in spurts–and always at the mercy of what else is going on at the homestead.
Ref: Triberr
I would love it if you could explain Triberr. What is it? How does it work?
Apr 29, 2012 @ 08:45:59
Mine does too. Usually I’m not horribly worried about it because something is brewing in the ol’ brain. Not so this last week.
Triberr. It used to be an invite only thing but is now open to anyone who wants to join. The long and short of it is that you join tribes (you become a leader of your own tribe when you join — I haven’t done anything with it yet) and you’re able to read, comment, and share your tribe mates’ posts all from the one site. However, if you don’t take the time to update the post with hashtags, it can come across as spammy to the folks on Twitter. I’m a member of Jenny Hansen’s More Cowbell tribe and if you want the down and dirty on it I recommend you go to her blog where she’s done a series on it, how to use it, etc.
I linked her series in one of my ROW80 updates last round. Let me find it and I’ll pass it on.
Thanks for stopping by Maria
Apr 29, 2012 @ 08:57:15
Here you go Maria: Triberr Part 6 This is the most recent addition to her series and it links to the earlier ones are within the post.
Apr 29, 2012 @ 19:04:56
Thanks, Raelyn!!
Apr 29, 2012 @ 10:01:59
I found triberr helps with the twitter but I keep finding new bloggers I wish to RT so its not the answer to all unless I can collect thme all into a new tribe – maybe I’ll ask them:)
I have to do something in the snack dept decided I will never be anything except a grazer so I must have the stuff in the house:( ah well
all the best for coming week
Apr 29, 2012 @ 11:57:10
I hear you on Triberr. I like it but the jury is still out whether it’s a good fit. I prefer to have a bunch of smaller meals throughout the day but right now that just doesn’t fit the family dynamic.
Thanks for stopping by Alberta
Apr 29, 2012 @ 10:08:48
I think writing comes in bursts for many of us. While I get a word count every week, I’m not going to say that all those words are worthy of the page. Actually, many aren’t, however, as Kristen Lamb said to me once: “Sometimes we just have to get the gunk out of the creative pipes so the good stuff can flow.” Keep penning the words and things will start to flow for you again.
Have a great week, Raelyn
Apr 29, 2012 @ 11:59:06
Gunk…love it. Thank you for sharing that!
Thanks for stopping by Gene
Apr 29, 2012 @ 13:06:29
Too many pans in the fire? I know what you mean. *sigh*
I’m sorry you’ve been muse-less.
Have you tried making yourself just sit there for a period of time even if you can’t write anything? That’s what I’ve been working toward. If I can just make myself sit in the chair with the computer in front of me, I can usually write at least a little bit. If it’s 100 words or 1,000 words, it’s still writing.
Apr 29, 2012 @ 13:13:59
Actually, yes I have tried that. As well as writing long hand. I know it’ll pass, it’s just frustrating at the moment, LOL
Thanks for stopping by Lauralynn
Apr 29, 2012 @ 15:02:46
Thank you thank you thank you for the link to the interview questions!
And happy blogiversary to you!
Apr 29, 2012 @ 15:43:10
Isn’t that just a fabulous list? So different from the usual ones I’ve seen.
Thanks for stopping by Julia
Apr 29, 2012 @ 16:21:45
“Another muse-less week. I’m thinking I have too many pans in the fire elsewhere to focus. ” << That's me too! Oh, I've been trying to get my butt in the chair .. it has been hard … I think I'll glue it there LOL
Hope the upcoming week is great!
Apr 29, 2012 @ 17:34:26
Glue may be just wee extreme, LOL
Thanks for stopping by Juliana
Apr 29, 2012 @ 18:44:39
Oh man, Raelyn, I can totally relate to the muse-less week. I thought mine had moved to the north woods for a while there, and was scared. She came back, though, as I’m sure yours will. Mine needs some busy-ness, but not too much–sounds like yours is related to mine, lol!
Gorgeous cards! I hope you have a wonderful week!
Apr 30, 2012 @ 07:07:28
I think mine took a cruise to the Caribbean! :looks at calendar: 14 days is the longest Caribbean cruise I’m aware of, should be back any day now…any day…
Thanks for stopping by Elizabeth
Apr 29, 2012 @ 22:28:45
I love your blogiversary!! Additionally, I’m yearning to learn scrapbooking now that I have a wee one to commemorate. Sigh…we can’t be good at everything.
Apr 30, 2012 @ 07:15:02
We SO have to get together! Scrapbooking is as easy or hard, as simple and clean or detailed and complex, as you want to make it. My one piece of advise would be don’t try to scrapbook everything. Pick the picture or set of pictures that inspire you to tell their story. And don’t scrap in order. Sometimes that looking back story is more important than the in-the-moment one.
We’ll have to plan earlier for next year
Thanks for stopping by Jenny!
Apr 30, 2012 @ 08:43:24
I hear you on the writing. I did great last weekend because I actually planned some time and went out of the house to someone else’s house. This weekend – not so good!
Apr 30, 2012 @ 08:48:34
I had a grand plan to do just that yesterday…leave the house for the day, though probably would have ended up at a coffee shop for trying to write. Sadly, That Man had to work.
Thanks for stopping by Claire
Apr 30, 2012 @ 14:56:03
Hey Thanks for the link. The interview questions are indeed awesome.
Yep, my muse is on hiatus right now. We’re in the last quarter of 6th grade and my son keeps interrupting my writing time because he wants to start lessons earlier. Adjustments are hard sometimes. The smashing thing looks really neat and will have to give it a try.
Apr 30, 2012 @ 17:35:22
Start lessons earlier? All the wee beasties want to do is delay lessons, LOL. Comforting to know my muse isn’t the only one on vacation
Thanks for stopping by Robin!
Apr 30, 2012 @ 19:11:59
Blogging and other social media is where I get killed. It takes so much time. When I do this, exercize suffers severely… and those two double fudge brownies I just ate go right to my thights. **Sigh** They were worht it, though.
Good luck trucking forward!
Apr 30, 2012 @ 19:21:45
Ooo brownies… We need to come up with a way to do the SM while exercising!! Bet there’s an app for that, LOL
Thanks for stopping by Jennifer!
Apr 30, 2012 @ 19:29:43
Tee Hee, I keep downloading exercize apps, but I don’t lose weight. I don’t get it.
Oh… you’re supposed to actually DO the exercize? Who has time for that?
Apr 30, 2012 @ 19:51:58
LOL, sure, one hand holds the brownie, the other the phone….
May 01, 2012 @ 05:23:23
Smashing and scrapbooking in the same sentence? Color me intrigued…
May 01, 2012 @ 06:34:18
LOL, I know. It wasn’t what I expected when I started reading Lynn’s post either.
Thanks for stopping by Liz