Wow, it's been a while.

I had a very strong urge to log in and blog today. I hadn't felt that need in a long time and I don't even know if half of my bloggy friends still blog. It's amazing how Jumble Mash use to be apart of my daily life and then life got really busy. I'm not saying I'm making a comeback, but I am saying, I miss it.

I opened up the blog and realized the very last thing I wrote about was introducing my new niece to the world. She's now an amazingly beautiful and smart 1+ year old who I still cannot get enough of. I follow her around all the time with my camera and these are the looks I usually get. I imagine she is saying, "Would you puh-lease stop taking pictures and just play with me?"

Also since then, I of course got married to the love of my life. The wedding was fabulous and as nervous as I was and at most times overwhelmed, it was all so worth it. It did go by in a blur, but the blur is full of happy memories and very little hiccups.

But even before that, in March of last year, our landlord approached us and told us they wanted to sell the house we were living in. So Hubby and I took the plunge and we bought our first house. A one story, three bedroom, two bathroom little house in a cul-de-sac with a huge fenced in back yard for our dog to play. You remember Bowen, don't you? We thought about getting another dog when we moved in for him to play with but then we were given a whole new task. Two little baby kittens showed up at a co-workers house and needed a home. I was just going to take one, until I convinced Hubby that separating them was just cruel. And so, we took them both. 



Now





Then



I am so very thankful that we did not separate them, because after a year, they still cannot get enough of each other. Charlie is the orange one and the cuddle bug. Ash is the little girl who only likes to be petted on her own terms. And don't worry, Bowen took them right under his wing...er...paw.

 But all of that excitement, all of those changes don't even compare to what is in store for us next.

Stay tuned :)

Introducing...

The newest addition to the family. My little baby niece, Miss Nevaeh Marlene, born 2/10/12, 6lbs 15 ounces and 20 inches long.

I know I'm a few days late on letting you all know, but I'm having a real hard time sharing her. I don't even want Dad to hold her because he hogs her!

Unless of course she has a dirty diaper! Then I give her back! Haha.

She is the most amazing baby ever and I never in a million years imagined I'd love someone I just met so much. I keep trying to talk Little Sis into letting me keep her, but she hasn't given in yet.

Mom and baby are both doing great. We got the birth on video for Nevaeh to see when she gets older. It took a lot of convincing to get Little Sis to let me do that, but after she got the epidural she didn't care what was going on!

We were in the hospital for two days, Little Sis had to be induced because her blood pressure was running high. At 6:00 AM on Day 2, her water broke. At noon, she pushed for 2 minutes and 40 seconds and Nevaeh joined us. Life hasn't been the same since.

Peace.

Simply Awful

Hey guys! Remember me? Yeah, I'm still alive and I'm here to share with you something most disturbing.

Some of you have probably either already heard about this or have even seen the video, but I have to share it. As soon as I watched the video, I knew I had to blog about it, because I think everyone should be aware of this man.

JUDGE William Adams of Aransas County, Texas is caught on tape beating his 16 year old daughter for nearly eight minutes. With a belt. I nearly cried while I watched this, but I mostly wanted to vomit. And mostly wanted to kick this guy in the face. I hope this man is NEVER re-elected. EVER. How in the hell can someone be so cruel?

WARNING: VIDEO IS HARD TO WATCH! NOT FOR FAINT OF HEART.



If you'd rather not watch, which I can't blame you, here is what the daughter said when she posted the video. Yes. She posted it herself. Right on Hillary. Apparently after the video went viral, Judge Dipshit was put under a police investigation. Rot in prison asshole.

Aransas County Court-At-Law Judge William Adams took a belt to his own teenage daughter as punishment for using the internet to acquire music and games that were unavailable for legal purchase at the time. She has had ataxic cerebral palsy from birth that led her to a passion for technology, which was strictly forbidden by her father's backwards views. The judge's wife was emotionally abused herself and was severely manipulated into assisting the beating and should not be blamed for any content in this video. The judge's wife has since left the marriage due to the abuse, which continues to this day, and has sincerely apologized and repented for her part and for allowing such a thing, long before this video was even revealed to exist. Judge William Adams is not fit to be anywhere near the law system if he can't even exercise fit judgement as a parent himself. Do not allow this man to ever be re-elected again. His "judgement" is a giant farce. Signed, Hillary Adams, his daughter.

Blogging Community Unites Once Again

Every single person that is the author of a blog has said it at least once.

The blogging community is AWESOME.

We are strangers, yet we are friends. We listen. We rant. We rave. We send virtual hugs.

I have proof that we're awesome.

Jen, at Cake Wrecks has an amazing story to tell about how her readers came together and did something incredible.

Go and read it and please, everyone, keep the east coast in your thoughts and prayers as Hurricane Irene makes her way  to shore.

You may have already heard....

I'm still alive everyone! And I have a story to share!

I was sitting at my desk today when all of a sudden my chair starting shaking. At first, I was just kind of like "What in the hell is that?" Then I stood up and the entire ground was shaking. My (fake) plant fell over and the windows were rattling. I thought the ceiling tiles were going to fall on me because of all the noise they were making.

I walked out into the foyer and looked outside, thinking maybe, just maybe someone drove their car into our BRICK building. Then I saw another woman run out of the building in front of us. I called my supervisor and asked her what was going on and she said, "Oh goodness, I thought I was going insane. You felt that, too?" I had to laugh. I walked back inside and another woman came into the foyer and said, "What was that?"

Well they are building a new interstate beside of my office as well as putting in wind farm a few miles away. So we assumed someone was doing some blasting and it caused the ground to shake.

We had a laugh and went back inside. As soon as I sat down, I got a text from my BFF asking if I felt the earthquake. Earthquake? On the East Coast? No way. As I'm texting her telling her that it was blasting, I realized that she works far away from me. Far enough away to not feel the blasting. Then my supervisor called and screamed, "IT WAS AN EARTHQUAKE!"

Then I went into the lounge, flipped on CNN and saw that it was indeed an earthquake. And...they were evacuating most of D.C. Then my mom, who works at the college, said that they were being evacuated. Then the hospitals. Then pretty much everyone else.

Seriously.

It was an earthquake that hit in Virginia that most of the East Coast felt, BUT it wasn't that bad. Especially where I live. Now D.C. may have been worse, but where my mom works? No.  I don't even think there was much damage and I haven't heard of a single injury. THANK GOD. But really? I bet you the people on the West Coast are laughing their asses off at us over here. I don't mean to sound cavalier about an earthquake, but I think we may have panicked just a little bit. But then again, the East Coast isn't exactly accustomed to earthquakes.

Anyways...it was actually pretty neat and it was the first time I'd ever experienced one. I am truly happy that it wasn't any worse than it was.

Thoughts and Prayers

I'm sure most of you have heard about what happened in Norway.

I was going to talk about it, but then I read what The Bloggess had to say and I couldn't have said it any better. So I'll let her do the talking. Click here to read her post.

My thoughts and prayers go out to each and every person affected by the tragedy.

News from Niagara Falls

I am engaged!!!!
Boyfriend Fiance took me to a little place off the beaten path that was right next to the water on a huge rock. I looked out at the water and when I turned around he was on one knee. We both cried. I asked him if he was messing with me. He said no. And then just like that...we are engaged.

Help Wanted

I'm stressing guys. I need some of your awesome advice.

I've been working at my current job for four years now. They pay for my school (Paralegal Studies), I just jumped up to 3 weeks vacation, the pay is good, I'm comfortable here, and I don't have anyone breathing down my neck telling me what to do all day. I also have a lot of downtime. I don't stress about my job because I'm rarely ever overwhelmed here.

With that being said, there is talk of the company getting bought out. No one has a clue what would happen if that should occur. Will we have a job next year? Not to mention all of the permits that the EPA is pulling causing us to shut down mines left and right. Even if we don't get bought out, will there be enough production to keep our jobs? Not to mention that there is absolutely no room for advancement unless someone quits, retires, or dies. And no one EVER quits.

It's not secure to work at a coal company. Everyone knows that. I've been laid off once already from here, but thankfully they brought me back.

Now, why am I stressing? Because I've applied for a job with the city. It's basically the same thing I do here, except $1.20 more on the hour. And I don't think the city is going to be going anywhere anytime soon. Job security. Sounds appealing right? But what if I hate it? I can't come back. What if I lose that laid back environment that I enjoy so much? What if everyone there is mean and hates me?

I know what you're thinking too because Boyfriend keep saying the same thing, "They haven't even offered you the job, why are you stressing?"

Because I am scared to DEATH that they are going to. I know its a great opportunity and there is probably a whole lot more room for advancement, but I am comfortable where I am. I am going to get stuck here for the rest of my life because I'm afraid of changes.

I keep telling myself that I'll leave this place when they make me. When we close down or when I get laid off. Year after year it doesn't happen, so year after year I stay put. I'm in a rut and am afraid to get out. I can think of so many reasons to stay, but one BIG reason to leave. With the city, at least I'll know I can count on having a job the following week, the following month, the following year.

Have you ever...

...Gone to Google images and typed in your blog name?

Yeah. Me neither.

Ok, yes I did. I was bored last night and decided to see what photos popped up when I typed in Jumble Mash.

Yeah, I kinda felt famous for a minute.

Then it passed.

I'm gonna shut up as soon as I ask you the trivia question for today. As always, first to answer gets to choose who goes on the Giggle Button for the week.

In which film did Jim Carrey play the bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss?

My Wings

These are my wings.

To me, they mean I’ve grown and they mean that I’m free.

I got them after it took me three years to realize I was in an unhealthy relationship. After, I realized that most of my relationships were unhealthy. Even the relationships I had with my family. I was angry. I was bitter. I was very unpleasant to be around. Ask Dad. He didn’t even want to be around me.

I didn’t realize it was bad until the end. It honestly didn’t take me long to recover. It was as if a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I smiled for the first time in a long time. I laughed until I cried and cried until I laughed. I met up with old friends who welcomed me graciously back into their lives. My family wanted to be around me more. I liked myself.

I didn’t worry so much anymore. I didn’t depend on anyone. I was free. I could breathe.

Does looking at my wings remind me of my ex? No. They remind me of how far I’ve come. How much I’ve grown up. They remind me to let the little things slide and not take everything so personally. They remind me to never be dependent. They remind me that I can do it all on my own if I need to. And I did just that for years. I took a lot of time to find myself and I liked what I found.

But most of all, when Boyfriend runs his finger across the lines so carefully inked into my skin, it reminds me that everything happens for a reason. Every door that closed, every bump in the road, made me exactly who I am today. They made me the woman that he loves. They made me the woman that people like to be around.

My wings mean that I am free to be whoever I want to be.

Insert Foot in Mouth

As most of you know, I work for a coal company. Well, there is this older gentleman that is like super rich because he owns his own coal company and he comes in every now again to meet with our sales department.

Pretty much every time he comes in he stops and chats with me. He is a really nice guy and we kinda have to kiss his ass because we profit from him.

Anyways, the other day he comes up to me and asks how I am doing and what not. We exchange pleasantries back and forth and then pretty randomly he says, "Do you watch any reality television?"

Me: I watch American Idol, but I really don't get into anything else.

Him: Oh. Have you ever seen The Bachelor?

Me: I used to watch it when it first aired, but it got old. It's so repetitive and I'm definitely not a fan of the guy on there this season.

Him: Why don't you like him?

Me: Just things I've seen and read. Seems like a jerk to me.

Him: Well you should check it out tonight if you get a chance.

Me: Why?

Him: You may find it interesting.

Puzzled, I agreed to check it out, mostly because I was curious as hell.

So that evening, I flipped through the channels until I found The Bachelor. And then, my mouth dropped.

The dude's daughter was a freaking contestant! And she was like the main part of the show! Do you all watch it? Emily is to whom I'm referring. He gave her a rose and she's moving onto the next round. Her story is actually pretty incredible, and everyone that works here knows who she is. I've never met her, but holy crap, I see her dad all the time.

I don't think he'll stop by and see me anymore.

Reader Appreciation Day (UPDATED)

I just made that title up, but someone should seriously make that official.

For the first time here at Jumble Mash, I am hosting a giveaway!!! This is my way of saying thank you for being so awesome and reading my ramblings.

Excited? So am I!

This is what is up for grabs...

It's a 12x12 scrapbooking kit, which includes the album, over 500 coordinating pieces, instruction guide with layout ideas, pre-cut photo mats and borders, punchouts, stickers and accents like ribbon, buttons, and brads. Although, I have no idea what brads are. But then again, I don't scrapbook.

I chose this gift for the giveaway because I know a lot of my readers are crafty and thought it would fit well!

So how do you enter? UPDATE: You have to leave a comment first, so I know you are interested. Counts as 1 entry.

1. Be a follower (1 entry)
2. Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)
3. Mention my giveaway on your blog...and let me know about it. (2 entries)


Giveaway closes on Friday, the 28th!

Half-Assed Weekend

I'm going with Simple Dude's Half-Assed Weekend Post today. He got BON'd by the way! How awesome is that??

Anyways, I want to apologize to everyone for my lack of substance lately. This weekend, I've been struck with the stomach bug. I've been in bed since Friday. Not fun at all.

To all my new readers, please stick around for far better content! I promise, it's here somewhere. I cannot believe I'm at 102 followers! Woo Hoo!

I have a guest here tomorrow to give me the day off, but hopefully I'll be back to my old self soon.

I hope you all had a great weekend and New Year's.

You wanted pie. You've got pie.

I had a few people ask me the recipe to my 60 second pie and since I never get asked for recipes I am going to share it with you today! Someone at the Christmas party yesterday even asked how I made it! It is pretty yummy.

 I'm not sure, but I think its called Graham Cracker Pie. But everyone should call it Jumble Pie because that would be AWESOME.

Ok, Step 1. Go to the grocery store.

You need to buy a graham cracker pie crust. Or you could make your own, but I have no idea how to do that so I can't help you there.

Then buy some pudding. It can be any kind, but I use vanilla. I think the next time I make it I will use french vanilla though, just to mixed things up a bit. But either way, you'll need either two boxes of instant pudding (of course the instant pudding takes a little longer),

Or a can of pudding.

I used the can the first time, but I liked the instant pudding better.
Buy a tub of whip cream. (I just Googled images of whip cream and it was sooo not suitable for work.)

Buy a small box of graham crackers. You only need a half a graham cracker, so don't go crazy.

Step 2. Make the pudding if you buy instant.

Step 3. Pour the pudding into the pie crust.

Step 4. Cover pudding in a layer of whip cream. You can put as much or as little whip cream as you'd like.

Step 5. Put half of a graham cracker in a zip lock bag and crush it. I used a spoon to smash it into little graham cracker dust.

Step 6. Sprinkle the crumbs onto the top of the pie.

Step 7. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Step 8. Enjoy!

Not an actual Graham Cracker pie, but it looks similar.

Notice of Absence

At 8:30 this morning, I lost a wonderful woman in my life. I lost someone to look up to, someone to laugh with, someone to talk to. I lost a woman that would sit in the kitchen and tell me about all the stuff she used to get into when she was younger and then scold me for doing the same things. This morning, I lost my grandmother.

Last year she was diagnosed with skin cancer. She beat the cancer, but her health went down hill from there. She hadn't been able to get out of bed for a few weeks. This morning she took her last breath and left this world for another, better place.

I probably won't be blogging much the rest of the week. I will try to log in tomorrow to change the poll and the Giggle Button, but that's it.

I Feel Like Dancing

One of my best friends is a Zumba instructor. He has been doing Zumba for years and about two years ago started his own class. He even teaches Aqua Zumba which I’m kinda excited to try.

I have never in my life tried Zumba and until he came to visit recently, I never really had an interest in it. I haven’t seen him in a while, due to him living in another state now, teaching first graders full time, working as a bartender part time and of course his Zumba. When I did see him, I could definitely tell that his exercise was paying off.

So we were hanging out, having a few drinks and talking about old times when he jumped up, grabbed my hand and said, “Let me teach you my new routine!”

I was a cheerleader many moons ago and was excited to jump at the chance to learn some new choreography. I stood beside him in my living room, a little tipsy from one too many Sweet Tea Vodka’s and lemonade, and waited for the music to start.

He put on a remix to Tik Tok and began shaking his rock hard bootie. At first he started out slowly and was teaching me the moves, which let me tell you hurt like hell, but then he got impatient and just started doing the dance while I very pathetically tried to copy.

He would throw up his arms, swing his hips, turn around and touch the ground and I’d be just getting to the throwing my arms up part. So then I just kinda gave up and started doing pelvis thrusts towards him. And trust me; friend does not like female pelvis thrusts if ya know what I’m sayin’.

Thrust the pelvis.

Then every time the song would say, “Party don’t stop,” I would stop dancing and throw my hand out in front of my body like this...

And friend would say, “It says the party DON’T Stop. Stop stopping.”

I looked like a fool, I’m sure. Luckily no one was there to watch the humiliation. Except him. And now he keeps making fun of me. Then he told me that if I could get enough people, he would teach a class in my town. I looked at him and said, “What the hell would I want to do that for? This shit is ridiculous." I wanna try this next time.

He told me if I bought the pole, we'd dance.

And no matter how much friend tries to talk me into it, I will never ever ever take a yoga class.

Nope, not doing it.

But seriously, all joking aside, the reason I was posting this was to tell anyone that wants to try Zumba to do it. It was a great workout and really fun. Just don’t let my friend be your teacher. He’s kinda mean. I was sore the next day, but I didn’t stretch and I probably overdid it. Stupid delicious Sweet Tea Vodka.

Here's To You

My little sister and I NEVER...I mean NEVER got along until we both got out of our teenage years. Now she is one of my best friends and I don’t know what I would do without her. She is hysterical and she laughs until she cries. She is my biggest fan no matter what I do.  When I was learning to play the bass...she would listen to me do a horrible rendition of Last Kiss over and over again until I got it right. Now she asks me to play it all the time.

My little sister is beautiful and has the best personality of anyone I’ve ever known. I honestly believe that the reason we never got along before was because I was jealous of her. And I was the middle child. Middle children live such hard lives. J

In May, my little sister went under the knife and had lap-band surgery. For those of you that don’t know what that is, it’s basically a band they surgically install around your stomach so that you don’t eat as much. I went to all the seminars with her about weight loss surgeries and we both decided the lap-band was the safest way to go.

You see, she’s been overweight her whole life. It’s in our genes. It has been passed down from our ancestor’s ancestors.  She was made fun of. She was left out. She was ridiculed in every possible way. Kids are fucking cruel. But my little sister kept up her high spirits and lovable personality and kept on going. She pushed through high school and made it out with her self-esteem still intact. She is a fighter. I would have never made it through. I was always popular in school. I was fortunate enough to get a little bit of the skinny-gene someone had left behind in our family. I could wear the pricey clothes and fit in with the cool crowd.  None of that matters after you graduate though, does it?  No...real life hits you and you really begin to discover who you are.

So, my little sister decided for herself and only herself that she wanted to do something about her weight because she didn’t want to die young.  It really kills me because I look in the mirror and pick out all of the things I hate about myself, and she looks in the mirror and says, “Damn, my boobs are growing. This fucking rocks.”

I remember about a year ago we were walking into the mall and a guy turned his head to look at us. I said, “That dude was totally checking us out.” and my little sister said, “Why would you he want a piece of meat when he could have the whole cow? He was totally checking me out.”  That’s just the type of personality she has always had, no matter what.

Anyways...after many, many, many doctor’s visits, blood test, stress tests, and even a spinal tap, my sister was approved for the surgery.

Today, my dear little sister hit a goal. Today she stepped on the scale and today she learned that she was 80 pounds lighter. Today my sister went shopping for an outfit and discovered that she has also gone down another jean size.  Today, my sister’s self esteem went up impossibly more. And today...if you are reading this, Sister, know that I cried happy tears for you.

Here’s to you little sister.

P.S. For anyone who makes fun of overweight people...cut that shit out and grow up. It ain't funny.

A Post With No Name

Feel free to skip this post if you'd like. Regular "5 Things That Drive Me Crazy" will resume next week.

Anyways, since few of you are probably even reading this (unless no one really skipped it, in which case nevermind), it shouldn't really matter what I write. I could write about the cute little stray kitten that has found its way into my heart even though Boyfriend says I can't keep. Little does he know I've already named it. It's name is Mr. Hobo Snoozer.

Or I could complain about the fact that someone with a red car swung their door open and hit my white car and now there is a red streak down the side. Asshole. Maybe I could tell you about how my college football team lost their first game this season last weekend to Jess' hometown football team, but instead, I'm just going to give you some updates about what's going on in the life of me.I rarely (maybe never) do follow up posts...but I wanted to catch my readers up on what's going on. Some of you expressed slight concern :) I feel like I'm on a roller coaster of emotions. So many ups and downs happening so fast has got my head spinning and my heart racing.

1. I got my freakin' Halloween costume! And Boyfriend decided to be Mad Hatter. I am very happy about this.

2. We found an apartment. It's absolutely amazing and the landlord loves dogs. We are moving on the 15th!!  Now we have 15 days to find someone to sublet Boyfriend's apartment. Not turning out to be an easy task. It's more stressful than I ever imagined.

3. Gina at Fantasy Casting actually took a recommendation of mine seriously (few people do:o)) and read Maximum Ride and created a fantasy cast. It was pretty much perfect.

4. I found out YESTERDAY that my EMT certification expires at the end of October. I have 30 days to put in 20 hours of training. With the moving...this seems highly unlikely.

5. This weekend is the Save 2nd Base Softball Tournament so I have to sit at the softball fields ALL.WEEKEND. You probably won't hear from me until Monday.

6. I have 31 followers, now. I didn't in a million years think that anyone would actually like my blog, let alone follow it.  Thank you my lovely readers and thanks to anyone and everyone that has ever linked me to their own blog. You guys rock. Please bear with me through these next couple of weeks...posting may not be as regular as usual.


P.S. This post makes little makes no sense at all. I am aware of that.



UPDATE: Just found out our new house phone number ends in 4077. First one to guess where that number is from and why it's AWESOME gets to choose which blog (it can be your own) goes on the Giggle Button next week. The Giggle Button is to your right. Scroll down. See it? Ok good.

I Interviewed a Rock Star

Ya'll know I love Epbot, right? It's one on my favorite blogs...ever. The geekness, the craftiness, the wonderfulness (is that a word? spell check says it is!). I absolutely love it all.

Well I asked the creator, blogging extraordinaire, Jen, if I could do an interview and she said yes! I couldn't believe it! She took time out of her busy, busy life to do an interview with little ol' me. She is a freakin' rock star.


JM:  When did you start Epbot and what made you decide to?

Jen:   I started Epbot on my birthday this year, 5/12. It was a birthday present to myself: I really wanted to blog about something *other* than cake from time to time, and also to interact more with readers who have similar geeky interests.


JM:  Where did the name come from?

Jen:   The name was a kind of happy accident. When I was writing my first post for the blog (which at that time had a different name,) I decided to riff on the long-standing Epcot joke from Cake Wrecks, and so wrote "welcome to my Experimental Prototype BLOG of Tomorrow!" As soon as I typed it, bam! I knew I had the name. This meant some last-minute scrambling to get the new mascot together, but I couldn't be happier with the way everything turned out.


JM:   Including Cake Wrecks, how long have you been blogging?

Jen:   Since May of 2008.

Well, I did have a personal blog for a few years before that, but since my mom was pretty much my only reader, I don't think that really counts. ;)


JM:  You have called EPBot your “get-away-from-Cake-Wrecks-stress” blog. Why is Cake Wrecks so stressful?

Jen:   Ooooh, how much time do you have? :D

In a nutshell, CW is stressful because it's online and it's popular. That means trying to please everyone all the time, which we all know is impossible. It seems like I'm always walking the razor thin line between humor and offense, as no matter what we do, someone, somewhere, will find a way to be offended by it. (And I'm not talking about the bakers!) Constantly worrying about who we may have inadvertently offended today is very, very wearing.

There are also a lot of demands on my time: besides writing posts there's mostly e-mail, but also everything from handling advertisers to site design, and then also writing the next CW book, organizing/designing calendars, that sort of thing.


JM:   If you had to describe EPBot in 15 words or less, how would you do it?

Jen:  Geeky, girly, and lots of goofing off. Plus some steampunk. And crafty stuff. (Ta da!)


JM:   Is blogging your full time job?

Jen:  Yes. And then some! My hubby, John, also works full time for CW. He handles most of the advertising and more technical sides to the blog.


JM:  You speak of your hubby, John, often. How does he handle your internet fame?

Jen:  John is truly the most supportive husband, ever. Even before Cake Wrecks, he unfailingly supported my every crazy idea, and was always telling me that I could succeed at anything I wanted to do. For a time I didn't do anything, and he was fine - happy, even - with that, too. When CW took off, John was more excited than I was. Then, when it became too much for me to handle alone, he stepped in and began shouldering the burden with me. I keep waiting for him to get tired of it all, but he never does. He tells me I was always famous to him - that now other people are just figuring it out, too. So, yeah, I have the best guy ever; I couldn't do any of this without him.


JM:  You are crafty. What is your favorite thing to create and how did you become so creative?

Jen:  To be honest, my favorite thing is, simply, creating. Anything and everything. If I haven't produced something with my own two hands in more than a few days, I start to go insane. Even if it's just rearranging the bookshelves, or framing a new piece of art: I have to be physically *doing* something to be happy. This has always been the case, but now even more so with Cake Wrecks: working online is producing things in a way, but it's not tangible. I need to hold something and be able to say, "I did this."

Whatever creativity I do have stems from boredom, plain and simple. I bore extremely easily. I don't *think* I'm ADD, but I do plan 10 new projects for every one I finish. I could rattle off a dozen things I want to do for my next Epbot tutorial right now, so it's a little hard to stay on track. My office renovation, for example: I keep getting sidetracked with new art projects or pieces to go in the room, so the official finish date keeps getting pushed back! I also usually have 3 or 4 projects going at once, although I'm happy to say that I *do* finish them all. Eventually. Hehehe.


JM:  You have tons of readers, how does it feel to know you are so loved?

Jen:  Oh, man, I feel humbled beyond measure that I have the readers I do - on both blogs, really, but especially on Epbot. Epbot is more me, so the connections I have with people there are more personal, more genuine. We also have more in common, so there's that instant "click" when I talk to an Epbot reader. I don't think of it as being adored by the masses, though - gosh, even writing that sounds conceited - I just think of it as one geeky girl holding up a banner, and those with like interests gathering 'round to chat. Cake Wrecks gave me this huge platform to gather together the much smaller demographic of like-minded geeks/goofs, and I'm very grateful for that. Most bloggers struggle to reach their audience. For the most part, I've had my audience find me. I hope to never take that for granted.


JM:  Nicely put! I know the answer to this...but could you please share with my readers the outstanding number of Twitter followers you have?

Jen:  Ha! Ok, I'll tell you, but first you should know how many Twitter followers I've LOST: over 200,000. In fact, I lose tons of readers every day. So with that caveat: I have around 1.2 million followers.

I should also mention that the only reason I ever had 1.4 million followers to begin with was that some lovely soul at Twitter's HQ put me on their 'recommended users' list, way back in the day. That meant every new Twitter user who clicked to follow everyone on Twitter's recommended list ended up following me. I'm sure many - maybe most - had no idea who I was. So, since my peak (and since that list changed), I've slowly been declining in numbers. Not that I'm complaining. ;)


JM:  Did you ever think that Cake Wrecks and EPBot would be such hits?

Jen:  For Cake Wrecks? Never ever in a million gajillion years. I wasn't even sure the half dozen friends I told about it would like it. When the first stranger left a comment, I kind of freaked out: I actually wasn't sure I *wanted* strangers reading it! So that probably tells you a lot about my initial mindset. I was writing for myself, and no one else. I was just goofing off, having some fun. (I've really always loved writing: it's the one craft I've never gotten bored with.)

For Epbot, I went in with more experience, but I still had no idea what to expect. CW also spoiled me in terms of numbers; when you hit the jackpot with your first lottery ticket, even getting the $50 prize with the next feels less successful. Don't get me wrong, by most standards, Epbot is doing just great. Fantastic, really. But it's no Cake Wrecks, and never will be. (It has about 1/10th of the readers CW does.) Frankly, I wouldn't want it that big, though - not if it meant having readers who don't "get" me the way these do now.


JM:  What advice would you give to new bloggers wanting the success you have?

Jen:  Couple things:

- Love it enough to keep going when there are no readers and no money. Then keep going.

- Keep your expectations realistic. The fact that I can pay the bills with this job is the exception to the rule; making money blogging is *hard.*

- Listen to the praise and the lovingly presented advice, but nothing else. Remember that most commenters on the Internet are, unfortunately, complete and total jerks. (Thankfully my two blogs are the exception to this rule.)

- Set high ethical standards for yourself, and then keep them. I'm not necessarily talking about language or content, here: I'm talking about staying true to your beliefs, and not changing yourself to suit the whims of faceless critics.

- Give credit where it's due, and give it generously. On the 'net, as in life, what goes around comes around.

I'm Bored Again

I know what you're thinking. Two posts in one day? Holy cow! Ha...don't get too excited.

I just wanted to let ya'll know that I've added another button for you to grab. You now have two options.

This one...


  

Or the older one...


  

I'm kind of loving the new one. What do you think?

Also, if you use my button, please let me know and I will GLADLY return the favor!! Just scroll down and find the code on the right side of the page. Copy the code, then add it to your page by adding the HTML/Java Script Widget. Paste the code and tada! You have my button!