Tag Archive | blogging

You Don’t Have To . . . but you do

From the bottom of my heart . . .

You don’t have to take the time to read my words, but you do.

You aren’t obligated to take an extra moment of time to like or share or comment, but you do.

I want you to know how much it means to me. How it makes my heart dance and sing each time you leave a little bit of yourself here with me. You don’t have to . . . but you do.

How I wish I could tell you just how much it means it to me.

It may seem silly, and perhaps it is, but I feel connected to each and every person who leaves their mark upon my little world here. The other world, it’s too big and noisy and crowded, this is where I feel at home.

I’ve left the door open and invited all to enter. I may not be the best hostess, I don’t always have something wonderful to say, but by coming in and saying hello, you’ve given my words value.

You make me want to open up and share, I still hold back. I’m like the hostess of a party who retreats to her room once the quests have arrived – you though, you make me want to come out and join in and I am trying.

I read an article this morning about blogging, it said you had to have a niche. It said you had to have something people want or need to hear if you ever want to be a success.

I don’t have a niche. I have a voice, one I’m learning to use a little more. Success is something subjective to me, if just one word I’ve written has moved someone, made them think, or encouraged them in some way, then I count that as a success. Damn right I do.

I recieved a well-intended message recently from a reader, she said I should focus on something. You have autistic children, make an autism blog. You are a writer, make a writing blog. You have diabetes, make a health blog. You are a poet, make a poetry blog. Do something that will draw in people who want to learn what you have to teach them.

Oh, sweet girl . . . thank you, but no.

It meant a lot to me that she would take the time to encourage me in this way, but no. That’s just not where I am right now. I can’t dedicate my mind to a singular subject, maybe one day, but not just yet.

I am grateful to that young woman, she saw something within these pages and took the time to reach out to me, it was a lovely gift and it touched my heart.

I cherish each of you, I just kind of thought you should now.

Meet and Greet: 11/26/16

Nov26

—> Dream Big, Dream Often <— is hosting a meet & greet! You should totally c’mon over and check it out, find some new friends, read some great things . . . Network, share, mingle – bloggy style!

It’s the Meet and Greet weekend everyone!! Ok so here are the rules: Leave a link to your page or post in the comments of this post. Reblog this post. It helps you, it helps me, it helps…

Source: Meet and Greet: 11/26/16

Blogging Challenge Day 2 – I’m not sure I can do this.

Mar16

30 Day Blogging Challenge

Day 2

~ 20 Facts About You ~

I thought this blogging challenge was going to be easy, but here it is, only day 2 and already I’m stuck. It’s not writer’s block, not this time. I’m facing an even tougher foe than that. I just don’t know how I am going to to do this. Seriously, who came up with this? 20 Facts About You? First of all, I don’t even know anything about you, let alone 20 things about you! I mean, I might recognize your screen-name or your avatar, I may have even chatted with you, but 20 things? I am feeling a little overwhelmed if I’m being honest. I so much want to follow through with this challenge though, so I’m going to give it all I got and hope I get it right.

You are a human being.
You have a lovely smile
You wear shoes
You’re reading this
You woke up today
Every year you have a birthday
You blink
You own more than one pair of pants
You speak at least one language
You’ve done something you’re proud of
You have a secret
You have a nose
Sometimes you’re too hard on yourself
You eat
Someone loves you more than anything in the world
There are floors in your home
You have heard music
Your fingers are attached to your hand
You didn’t have teeth when you were born
You are amazed I knew so much about you

I am amazed I knew so much about you! How invigorating! It’s like I’m suddenly psychic or something. Actually, that’s kind of creepy. I don’t think I want this much power – Hang on, my son is reading over my shoulder and insisting I stop typing and talk to him, he probably wants me to use my powers for something . . .

. . .

It seems, according to my son, that I have misunderstood the prompt for day 2. This is embarrassing. Apparently, I was meant to share 20 facts about myself, not you. That makes a lot more sense. A whole lot more sense.

Wait.

Does this mean I do not in fact possess any psychic abilities? I didn’t want them when I had them, OK, when I thought I had them – but now that they’re gone (I mean never existed), I’m a little bummed. Then again, I am pretty sure I nailed my list of 20 things about you, so maybe I do have a few special gifts. You don’t know, you’re not psychic.

Back to the challenge at hand – I DO know 20 things about myself, so it looks like I can scratch day 2 off my list with no worries. Here goes –

I was born on the first day of summer. There was a rainbow. And a unicorn. That is not true, sorry about that. There wasn’t a rainbow. Okay, there wasn’t a unicorn, but there was a rainbow. I think. There probably should have been a unicorn though, because hello – unicorns are badass, as am I. My birth-date makes me unique, because I was born on the cusp, I am both Gemini and Cancer. Like I said, badass.
My husband was my high school sweetheart. I still like him.
I have 13 tattoos, obviously I’m just starting my collection.
I have 11 piercings – before you ask, they are all on my ears. 6 on the left, five lobe, one cartilage. 5 on the right, 4 lobe, 1 tragus.
I hate waking up in the mornings. Like, bring me coffee, don’t talk to me, don’t turn on a light, touch me,or breathe loud enough for me to hear, kind of hate.
My dyslexic mother taught me to read when I was 4.
I lived in a cabin the woods in Alaska when I was a little girl, I am talking serious homesteading hippie parents kind of living. They built the cabin. With logs they cut. I kid you not.
I am the oldest child, explains much of my awesomeness and badassery.
As of this year, 2016, I am entering into my 27th year of parenting and am proud to say I still retain a few functioning brain cells.
I am an introvert. I like to say I am a misanthrope, but I’m not really. Not entirely. Can one be slightly misanthropic? Well, I am.
The sound of chewing/crunching/whispering/paper-crinkling etc, drives me murderously insane.
I am socially awkward, conservative, and love Jesus so most people make assumptions about who I am before they really get to know me. Which works out sometimes, you know – because of the whole introvert/slightly misanthropic thing I have going on. But seriously. It hurts to be judged. Stop it.
I am obsessed with words. Writing them, reading them, learning them, saying them, spelling them, studying them. Word.
I have read dictionaries for fun.
I kind of hate talking on the phone. Or to people in general. You though, I’d totally talk to you. Maybe.
I don’t drive on highways or freeways or expressways – whatever they are called, I don’t drive on them. It’s limiting, I am stuck to my part of town or wherever I can get to the round-about-way, but I manage.
It usually takes me a day to read a book. Sometimes two, every now and then three days. If I’m busy and the book is long it could take longer, but I usually read kind of obsessively once I open one up.
I am usually filled with a crippling self-doubt, I still say I am badass though.
I enjoy intelligent conversation and wit, sarcasm done properly, and intellectual stimulation. A abhor ignorance and pettiness and meanness. Walks on the beach are fine until I get sand between my toes or seaweed touches me.
I have four amazing children, I love my husband, my mother is my best friend, my sisters are my heart, I believe faith really can move mountains, or at least help us find our way around them, and I cherish those I call my friends who call me friend right back, loving me for me – quirks and craziness and all.

Alright then, there we have it. 20 things about you, 20 things about me.

~ Finis ~

30 day Blog Challenge – Day 1 (because a blog needs to be blogged)

Mar16

I stopped writing.

OK – I haven’t stopped writing, that would be like consciously making the decision to discontinue breathing, but I haven’t been writing much, or at least nothing I’ve deemed worthy of sharing. I’ve been reading and doing yard work and laundry and reading and helping my boys look for work and wrestling with health issues and reading and drinking way too much coffee. The words I wish to wrangle to a page are being stubborn and scattering themselves in little pockets of jumbled knots in the deepest recesses of my overwrought mind.

In an effort to jump-start my creativity, if indeed it still exists, I began searching for writing prompts, something I’ve never really done, and I came across this 30 day blogging challenge. I wasn’t sure if I was up for a challenge, but the topic for day one is something I’ve already written, so a little copy and paste is getting me started. Cheating? Perhaps, but I prefer to think of it as a baby step, one tiny, teetering step toward something more . . . besides, writing this little intro has got to count for something, yes?

Alright then. Day One – Your Blog’s Name – Easy peasy. That’s not my blog name, but then I’m sure you know that. Below you will find my cheeky explanation to the question at hand . . .

11027125_10205645105700489_1881032156081535269_n I’ve been asked several times why my blog is called The Qwiet Muse, and have also recently been informed by a few folks that I spelled quiet wrong, (just in case spell check didn’t catch it). So sweet. To put those helpful minds at ease, I spelled it that way on purpose. Spell check has been my saving grace on many occasions, however, this one I fought it on.

Words, as you know – must know, or should know, often have more than one meaning; you may think of the word muse and envision some mystical, magical creature of beauty floating overhead, gently guiding along inspiration. But believe me, if some ghostly apparition ever stops by for a brainstorming session, I’m outta there. I’m running and writing about it later (and elsewhere).

Muse can also be defined as an instance or period of reflection, a source of inspiration . . . My particular muse comes from everything around me; my faith, my family, my friends. My muse exists in all the wonders of God’s creation and in my unique human experience.

The Qwiet Muse is a reflection of me. It’s derived from my original screen-name, qwietpleez, and muse for my inspiration; the reasons I write.

Onto to origin and etymology of, ‘qwiet‘ –

qwi-et [kwahy-it] adjective. Basic definition – the same as quiet. It’s the same word, with the obvious distinction of containing a W in place of the U.

making no noise or sound, especially no disturbing sound: qwiet children.
free, or comparatively free, from noise: a qwiet house.
silent: Be qwiet!
restrained in speech, manner, etc.; saying little: a qwiet person.
free from disturbance or tumult; tranquil; peaceful: a qwiet life.

verb form
* to make qwiet: Qwiet down in there, or else!
* to make tranquil or peaceful; pacify: to qwiet a crying baby.
* to calm mentally, as a person: There, there, be qwiet now.
* to silence: Qwiet!

Origin: 1997; English(ish). Derived from (adj.) Middle English quiet < Latin quiētus, past participle of quiēscere ; (v.) Middle English quieten, partly derivative of the adj., partly < Late Latin quiētāre, derivative of quiētus.

*credit and apologies to dictionary.com

Historical Account:

In the summer of 1997 a young mother (me) was creating her first AOL.com email account. Her beginning attempts all failed, the names she chose were unavailable. She wanted something witty, something fun, and memorable. After several hours and many unsuccessful attempts, her frustrations began to rise, as did the playful rambunctiousness of her children.

Her attempts at quieting them were equally unsuccessful. Finding it increasingly hard to think, she found herself repeatedly requesting silence. Calm down, lower your voices, hush, go to the other room, knock it off, zip it, chill out, and other such requests went ignored.

Her final, shouted request, not only stilled the room of sound (for a moment), but became her victory at the keyboard as well.

“JUST BE QUIET PLEASE!”

She was filled with trepidation, dreading another ‘unavailable’ message but she pressed on, one key after the other. Q w i e t p l e e z. This was it. It was perfect. Her finger hovered over the enter key, she closed her eyes and pushed it. When she opened them, the message said ‘success’!

So there you have it . . . oh, by the way. I realize please is spelled wrong, I like it that way.

#TBT Link Party! You’re on the guest list!

Feb18

Adventures of a Jayhawk Mommy is throwing a party and YOU’RE invited!

This is my kind of party! The guest list is phenomenal, obviously, and the entertainment is sure to amuse, delight, and inspire ~ Don’t be shy, come on in and mingle!

Welcome to the first #Throwback Thursday Link Party! We are thrilled to have you here and can’t wait to read what you have to share.

What makes this link up different than all the rest?

Simple. This link party is not about dropping a bunch of links and moving on. No, this is about sharing posts from our blogs that are at least 30 days old. You can shine it up so it sparkles again or just leave it as it is. You might want to include an update at the end or not. It’s all up to you. As long as the post was written and published a month ago, add it to the link up. Then, read and share some love to the other posts in the link up.

When is it?

Well, every Thursday, duh! The link up runs from Wednesday night through Sunday.

The Rules

There is only one rule: the post you add must be at least 30 days old. The older, the better.

That said, we’d love it if you visited other posts on the link up and share some love

And, if you wish to follow your hosts, grab the badge and add it to your post or sidebar, we’d give you extra kudos and love you lots! However, it is not required that you do so.

Hosted by:

Adventures of a Jayhawk Mommy

The Qwiet Muse

Part-Time Monster

Directionless in the Blogosphere

Jan6

My Words by Crystal R. Cook

I write.

I write poems and I write prose. I write about love and anxiety and autism. I write about parenting and love. I write serious and I write silly.

I don’t have a niche. I don’t have a direction. I don’t have a thing.

I just write.

I’m not a mommy blogger or a fashion blogger. I’m not a mental health blogger or any kind of blogger. I just have a blog.

It took me a long time to reach this place, the place of sharing the words I have written, and in reality, I’ve not shared nearly as much as I one day hope to. I’m not filled to the brim with confidence like some seem to be. Each time I hit that publish button I’m filled with a sense of dread. It wasn’t good enough to be read. I make myself do it though because the words inside of me want more release than I’ve allowed them.

I’ve been their captor for so long, relegating them to spend their entire existence tucked away between journal covers and computer files, but still . . . it scares me to set them free.

As this new year approached I told myself I was going to let them go, let them flow, and let them fly.

But I haven’t. Not yet. I’ve held them and hidden them for such a long time now, I’m not certain how. I’ve only loosened the leash I’ve used to keep them tightly tethered to my soul.

I should give myself more credit. I’ve taken steps, baby steps. I took a leap of faith and started this blog. I took a few more and sent my words to be considered for publication outside of this little world I’ve begun to create and they were welcomed and sprouted wings of their own.

Still . . .

I’m not sure. Do I find a focus? My thoughts are scattered and random and I don’t think I can rein them in. Truthfully, I don’t really want to. I admire those who write with singular purpose, I am in awe of their ability to do so. I’ve never been the fitting in type, and I suppose I’ll never be. I guess I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing, each day trying to do a little more, each day just being me.

Directionless in the blogosphere . . . but happily enjoying the scenery.

Mr. Qwiet Muse – How to support your blogger, Beyond Your Blog

Jul27

Blogging is time-consuming. I didn’t know that until I started mine last year. My husband was super supportive when I brought up the idea – he had no idea how time-consuming it would be either. I’m not even one of those super bloggers, you know, the ones with fantastic layouts, the wonderfully organized, the themed, the consistently written, the interactive . . . yeah, I’m not one of those. Maybe one of these days.

Thankfully, my darling, dear, sweet, understanding husband deals with the life of being a * blog widower * quite well when I am lost in Cyberland. I hope he knows how much it means to me and that I’m not trying to be neglectful on nights he nukes a frozen burrito for dinner so I can finish that last sentence (or two, or three, etc.).

I salute those who stand behind their blogger loves.

I was honored to be included in this fun, Beyond Your Blog piece, How your significant other can support your writing, featuring nine amazing bloggers (and me) who share a bit about the ones who support them as they blog, I wonder how many of them are forced to eat microwavable dinners, if they still get home cooked meals, don’t tell my husband!

Anyway, click the link, read the wonderful things to read, keep going – I talk about Mr. Qwiet Muse, my rock, in the number ten spot . . .

Blogiversary – The Qwiet Muse is ONE!

May27

May 24th marked the one year anniversary of

The Qwiet Muse.

398 posts to date.

It’s hard to imagine that my words have been seen by so many around the world.

807 followers so far, there were 811, must have been something I said. To be quite honest, when I started The Qwiet Muse, I expected some family and perhaps a few friends to visit it every now and then. I didn’t have high hopes. The truth is, I didn’t think it would even last this long. I thought a month, maybe two would go by before I realized it was a silly idea and walk away from it, but I didn’t – I couldn’t.

I had no idea what I was doing. I’m amazed I was able to create this little space in blogdom without the help of my computer savvy kids, I still need help operating the dang DVR. I didn’t have a plan, a direction to move forward with; I still don’t. I just write and put it out there. Random musings. I have yet to really dig down and share much of my writing, maybe this next year . . . I’ve read many articles since I began this journey in regard to blogging, they all basically say I’m doing it wrong. Maybe I am, but it’s working for me.

I’ve made connections, real-actual-bon-a-fide connections through this little space I call The Qwiet Muse. Beautiful and inspiring friendships were not something I was expecting and I am so thankful for them. These one-time strangers filled a place in my heart I didn’t even know needed to be filled, they have lifted me up and encouraged me so many times. I cannot express how much they have come to mean to me.

thank_you_png_for_comments__etc___by_lavitadistress-d6vrzn3 (1)

I suppose I will just keep on keeping on, writing, sharing, sometimes ranting. Perhaps I will find a focus, or two or three – I won’t, focusing is difficult – I do hope to continue growing in my confidence, I believe in myself a little more, in my ability to write and evoke feelings with my words . . . I want to do more of that.

~ The first Qwiet Muse post ~

Beauty and music, sunshine and light,
the wings of a dove, softly rustling in flight.

The smell of the morning after summers rain,
crackling campfires, and bubbling champagne.

Voices of children, singing songs of praise,
the evening mist, and long autumn days.

The changing of seasons, a moment of prayer,
goosebumps and laughter, my favorite chair.

Being lost in a moment, the voice of a friend,
being held in a hug I hope never ends.

The way my cheeks feel coming in from the cold,
the softness of hands as they begin to grow old.

Sincerity and honesty, faith, hope and love,
knowing that God is somewhere above.

The presence of angels, a wonderful dream,
having a bowl of my favorite ice cream.

Snuggles and cuddles and soft babies feet,
that fleeting moment my house is tidy and neat.

Sweet memories to cherish, tears of sadness and joy,
pictures in albums, my childhood toy.

Sharing a secret, shouting out loud,
laying back in the sun, guessing shapes in the clouds.

Rain on the rooftop, silence so still,
meadows and forests, lacy frost on the sill.

The power of prayer, uninterrupted sleep,
making a promise I know I will keep.

Sitting and thinking of my favorite things,
like cupcakes and flowers and angel’s wings.

The innocent sweetness of love’s first kiss,
and simply sharing my thoughts with a friend like this.

A Mother’s Day Funny that keeps on giving! Blogging confuses me sometimes.

May7

All for the love of MOM

Over 25,000 visitors in the last 2 days – 2 new followers and a handful of likes . . . Hmmm.

Screenshot of my stats as of this morning . . . I’m sharing this because it’s super cool, YET, kind of a frustrating bit of disappointment too. I posted one of my all-time-favorite-videos I may have peed little the first time I watched this as an early Mother’s day share, it’s had, as you can see, tons of views and it’s had tons of Facebook shares – which is awesome – BUT, I hate when there is a BUT – each time someone clicks it, the video plays, laughter ensues, and it gets shared.

Like I said – Awesome. So my funny, favorite video plays, my hits show a spike, and here is the BUT – no one who clicks on it actually lands on my blog. Now, my blog isn’t the biggest and the best, but a few people dig it, so I would like to think at least some of the thousands of people who clicked on the video might have checked it out and maybe liked it too, enough to follow, you know how it goes.

BUT

I’ve had no such influx of new readers, just a cool burst in my stats nobody else can see. sigh

No matter though . . . really, the whole point was to make some mommas laugh and wish them a Happy Mother’s day, so for that I am positively giddy! It is serving it’s purpose quite well.

Hugs and Mother’s Day love to all!!!!

Comfort zones, caves, and stepping out. A little.

Jan31

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind for me, I’m a little overwhelmed in many ways. I ventured into the cyber world further than I ever thought I would and have made some amazing connections. Some of which I can already tell will bloom into more than passing acquaintances, I’ve found a few kindred spirits and friendships have began to blossom.

It is strange and amazing and I am thankful for it all, but still . . . It is new and maybe a little bit scary.

I am doing my best to embrace this new aspect of my life, I actually think I am doing quite well with it all, but there is a part of me that just wants to crawl back into my little cave and shut tight the door behind me, locking up all the little locks I use to keep the world from coming in.

I’m not going to, not today, hopefully not ever. If I do retreat, and I likely will, it will hopefully only be for short spells when I need to reflect, rejuvenate, and catch my breath.

I’ve been given an opportunity to expand my corner of the world, to branch out and see what there is to see beyond my own horizon. It’s beautiful and vast, parts of it I cannot wait to explore and other parts I already know will remain distant territory I will not be journeying to.

These new people I am encountering — some of them are so very different from me, yet with each one, despite these differences, there is a single thread somewhere in our own unique tapestries which sort of weave us together.

There is part of me feeling so far out of not just my comfort zone, but my league. I am reading the words these weavers of thought create and I find myself thinking, wow, I wish I could do that, and then one of them will comment and say, I love what you’ve written, I wish I could do that, and I am left in a state of shock and amazement.

I haven’t yet figured out how to manage my time and my energies, new projects are being presented to me, all of which I want to accept with a resounding, Yes! I would love to contribute! But how to choose and when to find time enough to dedicate just the right amount of me to these things is tricky.

Baby steps. I have to simply take baby steps.

Thanks for keeping me company as I find my way.

Crystal R. Cook