Happy Blogoversary to Me!

Yesterday marked my first blogoversary--one year that I have been faithfully maintaining this blog to track my adventures in creativity! 

Go ahead...go back and read that first post from January 20, 2011!

It took me three tries to get this blog going, and I am so happy that the third time was the charm.  As I've said many times, I have been so gratified to make online friendships with some of the most creative and generous people I've ever had the pleasure to meet. 

I have also found that the blog has helped to fuel my creativity.  Some people have commented on their blogs that they are dismayed to feel at times that they are creating simply to have something to post to their blogs.  I understand that feeling...I have felt it myself.  But the positive flip-side of that feeling is that sometimes, when I'm not so likely to spend a free moment in the studio, thinking about this blog gets me up there, gets me sorting through the project files, gets me digging into the magazine and blog inspiration.  And, at the end of the day, because I love creating, that makes me happy!

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Over the last month, I've been reading some books with a common theme:  The Rhythm of Family by Amanda Blake Soule, I Love Dirt! by Jennifer Ward, and Last Child in the Woods:  Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv. 

I have never been an outdoorsy person, and have always been called a "houseplant" by my parents.  But it has become very important to me that my girls have opportunities to grow to love nature. 

I have been putting a lot of my creative energies into getting them outside, so they can observe and enjoy the wonders of nature.  It comes naturally to them; it is me who needs to make a concerted effort to get out there!  I always love it once I'm out there, loving the sun, the breeze, the snow, whatever it is I encounter.  It just takes a little extra effort to get me out there!  I feel like I'm getting just as much benefit from it as they are...a second childhood.

I am thinking that it would be fun to write an article or a book (or a section of a larger book) about spending outside time with your kids, geared especially for moms like me, for whom "outdoor time" does not come so easily or naturally!

This morning we woke up to find the earth covered in a fresh blanket of snow...beautiful!  The girls were literally jumping up and down to get into their snowsuits and get out to their snow saucers.  We went out in the freezing rain, and had an amazing morning of snow play:

The ground was slippery enough for the girls to slide down our little hill without even a push!

Saucer wipe-out in the bushes!

Michael does the hard work; I just scattered the "ice melt" around on the driveway.

Snow....yum!

You can tell by my sleepy eyes that it is only 8 am!  We got the morning off to a fast and furious start!

Thank you to those of you who have shared this last year of blogging with me, and to those of you who will spend this new year of blogging with me.  May we enjoy many days of creativity, inspiration, and nature in 2012!