Help Me Help You: Part II

The is style of art I want for my logo someday when I have a real one. Except I will be sitting on a pile of laundry, books, and dishes, ignoring my neglected children far below. In one hand I will have a book and the other a cup of coffee, or maybe I will brandish a feather duster. Maybe my children should be wallowing in the clippings of coupons? What do you think? Check out this art for yourself at http://indiefixx.com/Feed_your_soul/index.html.

(First I will ramble the prologue in the black type.ย  If you really want to cut to the chase, scroll down to dark green.)

So 47 of you are getting my posts by e-mail. I have still not figured out how to tell if you are getting it by feed reader, so all that to say, I did not have the muffins since I was unsure if I met my goal. ๐Ÿ™

What can I say? I’m disciplined like that. What!? You thought I’d splurge and have them anyway? Clearly, you have not been reading this blog long enough to realize that my commitment to arbitrary rules is nothing if not absurdly rigid.

However, there is still time for muffins. You could just comment and tell me if you are getting my blog by feed reader OR, if you happen to be techie, you could tell me where on Google Analytics I am to ascertain such info. See this is my problem.

I need help.

We know Katrina.ย  We so know.

Alright, so here’s the thing. Because I know that come next Wednesday the road will fork wildly away from the 13 weeks of frugality, I’ve been researching blogging this week in the attempt to satisfy the four of you who begged me to keep it up. See, that’s how much I care. (Also there is the fact that I LOVE, freakin’ love, the sound of my own voice.ย  I told you that blogging is narcissistic.)

One piece of advice that I received was that I should not care what others thought and just blog for the sake of art, sanity, my own enjoyment.

Whatever. Bla-bla-blee-bla-bla-bla. Writing and not caring is for journals.ย  I have eight empty ones sitting on the bookshelf just to my left. Indeed, I agree that blogging is art, self-cathartic, and fun, but it is definitely a two way medium.ย  I would not be doing this if it weren’t for the feedback. I know it reveals me for the lame, attention seeking middle-schooler I am, but my sense of self confidence has been brought way low by my failure to correctly complete the most menial domestic tasks, such as sandwich crust removal.ย  I need something else to bolster my identity. This blog is my bolsterer. (Bolsterer is apparently not a word, but it should be.)

Actually, I have to wax nerdy on you now because my brain just flashed Chuck-like upon a great Hawthorne quote about writing.ย  So skip down to the bottom green if you can’t bear to be educated.ย  Your loss.

He writes in The Scarlet Letter about authors, saying (green is my commentary–I can’t resist.)

When he (she) casts his (her) leaves (blog) forth upon the wind (blogosphere), the author addresses, not the many who will fling aside his volume (or click away from her blog) , or never take it up (or never click over from Facebook), but the few who will understand him (her), better than most of his schoolmates and lifemates (no offense to my dear J, who actually DID read my post this AM). Some authors (a blogger IS an author), indeed, do far more than this, and indulge themselves in such confidential depths of revelation (now called TMI) as could fittingly be addressed, only and exclusively, to the one heart and mind of perfect sympathy (in this case–YOU, darling you, who has read this far! BLESS YOU); as if the printed book, thrown at large on the wide world (WEB), were certain to find out the divided segment of the writer’s own nature (nice way of saying totally mental) , and complete his (her) circle of existance by bringing him (her) into communion with it (make me feel better by commiserating with me in the comments section).

PHWHEW, that was some good stuff! I’m totally rockin’ pumped. You know how you’re supposed to feel after exercise? Well that’s how I feel right now. LITERATURE! WOWOW! THPTTTPT, to exercise.

Okay, enough of that. So all that to say, I seek to have a successful and touching blog, which is both fun and impacting, satisfying both me and my readers.ย  And I need a subtitle–as in, the clever byline that comes after “The Low Ryder”.ย ย  This is where you help me.ย  You can either come up with your own based on what you know of me, alter my suggestions below (none of which I’m in love with–else I would have married), or convince me to love one of the following.ย  Basically, help me help you.

How does this help me? you ask.ย  Well, ANYONE who responds helpfully in the comments section will be awarded with, dun dun dun dun, THE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE that will make you want to slap your mamma.ย  Not my mamma. It is her recipe.ย  But literally, scores of people have attested to these cookies’ life-altering yumminess.ย  You will want to slap your mamma because it is just not right (and yet it is SO RIGHT) that such goodness exists in uncombined form right in the baking aisle. But you won’t be able to slap anyone because you will be kneeling on the kitchen floor in front of your oven, mouth full of delicious warm cookie, thanking Sweet Jesus for my mom and the wisdom he gave her to create this recipe.ย  (Also since you’re on your knees anyway, possibly throw in a hallelujah for cows for butter and the Nestle Corp. . . . just while you’re down there.)

So back to helping me, I want something that is broad enough to encompass the simple living aspects of my blog AND all my other randomness, the hub, etc. Is there such a thing? You tell me! (And then cookies await.)

Here are some of the ideas that have occurred to me.ย  A few of them I actually hate now, but I included just in case you can convince me they are awesome.

The Low Ryder

. . . enjoying a full-figured life on a skinny budget

. . . discovering life’s true riches on a teacher’s salary

. . . making more with less

. . . helping you to feel better about yourself by comparison

. . . finding contentment in the home

. . . happily parked in an upwardly mobile world

. . . turning Home Ec into Fine Arts

. . . low energy, low budget, low maintenance

. . . frugal, funny, family stories

. . . keeping it real on the homefront

YOUR TURN!!!! Amaze me. ๐Ÿ™‚

16 thoughts on “Help Me Help You: Part II

  1. I, personally like the one about finding life’s true riches on a teacher’s salary! I honestly think it speaks to the spirit of your blog, if not your purpose on blogging. ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. I know your dislike of “lol,” so “hahahahahahahahahaha” — I LOVE “. . . helping you to feel better about yourself by comparison.”

    (and I’m subscribed via a feed reader)

  3. If only your blog could really help me find contentment in the home….that would be miraculous. I really do so enjoy reading your blogs though! They bring a smile and a giggle, and make me feel oh so normal. I am a PK whose father adored alliteration in everything. That is why I probably lean toward the frugal, funny, family stories. It encompasses all areas of your blog as well. Just my two cents!

  4. 1 & 4 made me chuckle. But I like the happily parked becuase your blog is sharing the contentment that comes from living within your means–and enjoying it.

    (I also am subscribed via feed reader.)

  5. I don’t know if I am subscribed by feed burner, I don’t think so… I think I am just subscribed by email. I will do the feed burner if it makes a difference. I liked the happily parked one, too… but I’m not sure if it encompasses everything. Perhaps “slightly self deprecating but also willing to gloat about accomplishments”?

  6. Oh, maybe I could throw myself in a bit more if I didn’t already have Mom’s recipe. Can you offer me something else? ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. Yeah, I think the happily parked is cool because it brings a lot of great logo options. You, sitting on top of your station wagon, with all the images you mentioned earlier, laundry, dishes, books, etc… ?

  8. ditto what danielle said. i like the “helping you to feel better about yourself by comparison.” that’s my style! ๐Ÿ™‚

    i’m also subscribed by feed reader. thanks for that tip. it DOES save time!

  9. i certainly can’t think of any fun tag line for you. but i tried…i sat here for a full 5 minutes throwing words like pinching pennies, squeezing the dollar, etc…around with words about family and fun. but i got nothin’! i trust that you will wake up in the middle of the night with something brilliant all on your own…usually after midnight at the last minute…isn’t that how you roll? i already have the recipe too…but darn if your mom doesn’t make them way better than anyone! i subscribe by email not feedburner.

  10. Google and feedburner are shacking up. Manage your feeds with feedburner and use your google account to log in you should be able to see all your email & feed subscribers in one place. I like full-figured and happily parked! ๐Ÿ™‚

  11. Well now that I am smart enough to have gone back and ready Part 1, I realize that you already do use Feedburner to manage your email subs. Ask it to manage your RSS feed also – when I click RSS up above it is just a bunch of jibberish. This probably involves downloading a plugin of some sort, it’s been so long since I’ve done it that I can’t say how, but I am sure if I could follow the instructions you can too, I seem to remember you being pretty smart! Then there is the matter of linking that RSS button at the top to your shiny new feedburner feed URL. Then you should be good! Hope that was helpful and not tons of stuff you already know. ๐Ÿ™‚

  12. So what if I already have your momma’s recipe? I’ve tried it over and over again and they just don’t come out the same as if they were from her kitchen! The reward should really be a shipped box of HER cookies!

    I don’t care what you write about. I just love reading blogs and keeping up with the little things of someone else’s life:)

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