It's a Story ... about a girl named GiBee!

How awesome is this??? A Carnival about how every one's blogs began! Because seriously ... I do have an inquiring mind ... and ... I wanna know!

How about you?

Thought so.

Here are the questions our lovely hostess with the mostess, Chilihead at the one and only Don't Try This At Home blog, has provided for us, which is a conglomeration of questions formed by Amanda, Shalee and Shannon ... Thanks, girls!


So, without further delay, grab yourself a red velvet cupcake and some iced tea, sit back, kick your feet up, and learn a little bit more about me ... as if you don't know enough already! Then, cruise on over to Chilihead's blog, and check out the rest of the bloggers participating in this carnival!

How did you start blogging?
Several years ago, I began doing research on the Internet for other women with infertility (2002?), in the hopes of finding a common thread, and a lot of advice and support. While I found all of that, I was pressed to find one single Born-Again Christian woman fighting infertility. The road of bitterness, resentment, and anger flows deep in the infertility world, and it was difficult to stay positive. By July 2004, I felt the pull to start my own blog. I did, but I am most certain that I too, had many negative, bitter, and angry emotions flying around on my blog. It was called Infertile Meanderings. Then, in October, I had my first born child. He totally changed my world around! God was so good, and faithful to us, and I felt another pull ... to change the name of my blog and move on. Upon the encouragement of Shannon from Rocks in My Dryer, Kim from Hiraeth, and Lauren from A Humble Heart (Created for His Glory), I began a new "mom" blog called Kisses of Sunshine in February of 2006! All-in-all, I've been reading blogs for about 5 years, and having my own personal blog for about 3 years.

Did you intend to be a blog w/a big following? If so, how did you go about it?
Ho, ho, hoooo! Heck no. I never started a blog to "have a big following." In fact, I started to blog so that I would have my own creative outlet, venting forum, etc. Then, it turned into a "mom" blog. I think I began getting comments and "followers" simply by falling in love with a host of blogs and leaving comments on them, or by participating in something like this! I also made a blogroll, but most important of all, I left comments on other blogs. Did I mention I love getting comments from y'all???

What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? Have you been successful? If not, do you have a plan to achieve those goals?
My initial goal was and continues to be, to encourage other women battling with infertility (both primary and secondary), and to encourage moms and women while showing God's love, joy, kindness, mercy, and light. Huh! That sounds like a mission statement! I think I'll stick that somewhere on my template! I also pray each time I write a post that God will use it somehow ... in some small, and maybe insignificant way, to encourage, bring hope, and place a smile on some one's face and heart. I don't know if I have been "successful," but it's an on-going, never-ending goal of mine.

Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?
No. It hasn't. In fact, if anything, my daily blogging, along with your comments and private emails, continues to challenge my heart's desire, and I feel more dedicated to bless the socks of y'all!

What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?
It is very important to be careful in how you write, because a written word is "flat," so to say. You don't see my facial expressions, or hear my emphasis or tone, and one simple written word can be taken the wrong way, and can become hurtful. I think my heart would break if I knew that ever happened! Each time I post, I think ... "Go gently, young woman..." Okay ... so I'm stretching the "young" part a bit, but gentleness is the key to many a written word.

Do you make money with your blog?
I haven't yet. Actually, I have a free blog, so I don't feel the need to place ads on my blog at this time. Also, I'm very careful about what I represent ... so having "unknown" ads pop up on my blog is quite scary. You can probably tell that I don't know a whole lot about placing ads on my blog! Maybe if I understood it better, I might change my mind.

Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it? If not, why?
Yes, the majority of my extended family knows that I blog. Both of my sister-in-laws read my blog on occasion. Some of my immediate family isn't really what I would call, "tech savvy." As for my parents, well, I keep forgetting to email my link to them, and I haven't really given my sister the link because she's so stinking busy with her life right now, that I don't think she'd have a free moment to read it. I might be wrong, though. Okay. Now I feel bad. I'll be emailing them my link later on. Thanks a lot! (lol)

What two pieces of advice would you give to a new blogger?

Just two? Well, first, I'd say ... don't be afraid to blog. It can be fun, liberating, and shucks ... every gal needs a creative outlet here or there!!! It may seem intimidating, but there are so many great tools that can help, as well as your fellow bloggers!

Second, I'd say ... be honest, be yourself, don't exaggerate, be gentle. I honestly thing that a person's personality can change over the course of blogging. If you don't allow that to happen to yourself, you should be good to go!

Whew! That was thought provoking. I hope you enjoyed it, along with the cupcake and tea! I really appreciate that you took the time to read all this, and I'd love it if you would leave me a comment so I know you stopped by! Thanks, and have a blessed day... oh, and ... enjoy a couple pictures of Hunter eating a red velvet cupcake!

Oh, and don't forget to write your own post and put a link to it on the Mister Linky at Chilihead's place!