Blog (OLD)

So they loaded up the truck…….

January 11, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 34 Comments

Well, I decided to move to WordPress and it’s gonna be more of a Klampett-style move. Jed pulled up his truck and loaded me and all my posts up….but we seem to have lost Jethro and Granny in the chaos. Pardon the mess and the random things flying overboard and hopefully in a few days you’ll feel right at home. The links may not work, the comments may not migrate and we will all bump into things as we find our way around. I think when all is said and done, you’ll love the new site. Darcy has been holding my hand all day and we’re both gonna cross our fingers that nothing explodes when I push the button to import my blog to this new site. I feel like I’m in charge of secrets at the FAA or something. I’m like Jack Bauer meets Jed Klampett. People with my lack of computer skillz should not be allowed ‘under the hood’ like this. So, without further adieu………..{maybe I should say some magic words}

p.s. I’ve got Granny’s rifle in case anything goes wrong!

I’ll explain all about why I moved to wordpress later but Darcy recently wrote a post on it if you’re considering it. Here’s one big reason I moved. Big photos!

Do’s and Don’ts for Surviving Blissdom ’10

January 8, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 192 Comments

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Blissdom last year. I left the conference sure that I would attend it again. And it’s hard to believe that it’s just one month away. To give you time to gather your survival supplies, I wanted to do this post early. So here it is: how to survive Blissdom and have fun doing it!

1. Do start thinking about your goals for Blissdom NOW.

If your primary purpose is to connect with other like-minded bloggers, start doing it now. Send out emails, letting your blog friends know that you can’t wait to meet them. Make plans to meet—-or shop, or share lunch or coffee. The conference schedule is packed but there’s always time for a fun rendezvous with your favorite blogger. If you’ve been dying to meet the Nester, send her a sweet message and tell her so. Meeting her was one of the highlights of the conference for me last year. And she’s just as adorable and warm and down-to-earth in real life as she is on her blog. And she wants to meet you too! {as do I}

If your primary purpose is to learn more about blogging and networking—then do as much as you can ahead of time. Spend some time on Twitter or Facebook or Flickr or Stumble Upon and learn something new about blogging or social media. The more you already know, the more you’ll gain in understanding when you’re there. And maybe most importantly, blog! You will meet new people who will start to follow your blog after Blissdom. Give them some great posts to read from your archives. Try writing one post a week that you are really proud of—–edit it and edit it again until it’s a post that you just know others will want to link to.

And work on your blog. Declutter it. Make it a friendly, inviting and informative place to visit.

2. Do decide whether you want to hand out business cards/goodies/etc.

Nearly everyone will have business cards for their blogs/businesses. It’s an easy way to meet and greet and then later you’ll have easy access to finding your new friends’ blogs without trying to remember the names of everyone you met. A LOT of people gave out goodies last year. I took little bags of my chocolate chip shortbread cookies to friends I knew already and a few to folks I wanted to thank for being mentors to me. If you have a business, it’s a great way to make an impression. Last year, Kristi from Pink and Polka Dot {my roommate this year} made me the cutest keychain with my name monogrammed on it. I nearly cried. Don’t feel pressure to do something like that but if you enjoy baking or sewing, it’s a good way to say “thank you” or “I have a blog crush on you” or whatever it is you want to say.

3. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

The two weeks before Blissdom, everyone will be posting about clothing and shoes and what-to-wear-to-the-cocktail party. Just be yourself. I promise you; noone cares or will remember what you wear. Stacy and Clinton won’t be there to haul you off for wearing your acid washed jeans and Valentine’s sweater. It’s fun to talk about and think about a little but it’s really not important. {small caveat: Nester had on the cutest black cocktail dress I have ever seen last year—-so it’s possible someone will remember—-but still don’t sweat it}

Jeans and a black sweater is always a safe place to start. It’s fun to take what would be plain-jane outfits and make them perfect with accessories. Make some cute felt flower pins to attach to stuff you already have.

And wear cute earrings. But for heaven’s sake don’t break the bank to try to come up with wonderful new outfits. I bet you have the perfect thing in your closet right now—-with just a little mixing and matching and accessorizing.

And though I always give it the old college try, we’re probably not gonna lose that last 10 pounds. You are most beautiful when you are comfortable in your own skin. We love you just the way you are. I promise. And we didn’t know you when you were 20 with no wrinkles and a size two. K? We’re all in this together. We’re raising kids and nurturing families and most of us bare some signs of it. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

4. Don’t let your inner 7th grader take over.

And we all know she’s in there. My inner 7th grader wears long tube socks, has a mullet and a fair amount of acne. And she’s nervous. And wondering if she’ll fit in?

{on careful 2nd perusal, my inner 7th grader looks like she’s gonna win this basketball game or somebody’s gonna get hurt—-but you see the point I’m trying to make. I smile a lot more these days. And I don’t have a mullet.}

“Will anyone recognize me? Know me? Will I remember names? Will I feel left out? Will it be like the lunch table at junior high where I’m looking around for somewhere to sit and hoping noone sees my anguish?

We all feel the same way. So the best remedy for you is this; do for others what you’re hoping everyone does for you. Introduce yourself. Notice if someone is alone and needs a friend. Do some research ahead of time and see who’s coming. Search them out. Make them feel welcome and offer to sit with them. I’m also asking that anyone who is coming to Blissdom alone leave a comment on this post and let’s make plans to meet at some point. And please, if you see me at at the conference and I don’t know you or recognize you, please introduce yourself. I can’t wait to meet you. You are why I’m making the trip. If it helps, imagine that every one you meet is wearing long tube socks, has a mullet and a fair amount of acne.

I’m making a list of people that I’ve never met before that I want to meet. And folks I met last year that I can’t wait to see/hug/invade their personal space. There is almost nothing like it—-seeing the person across the room that you’ve read about and grown to love—and finally meeting them face to face. So make your list. And then leave plenty of room in your heart for all the wonderful bloggers that you didn’t even know about.

5. Do find ways to serve.

Look for opportunities to be helpful and encouraging. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Noone is intentionally trying to be snobby. Some people are painfully shy in real life. Some people {I’m not naming any names but she used to have a mullet} are notorious huggers and invaders of all personal space. Many people will have their babies with them. Offer your help. Offer to fetch a soda or some crackers. Many of your fellow bloggers are in the midst of real life heartaches. Be gracious and understanding. Go the extra mile.

Tell Alli and Barbara how much you appreciate all the thankless hours of hard work they put into making the conference such a success. Tell the speakers what a great job they did. Find positive, encouraging things to say and say them, frequently. Pretty soon, your conference will be wonderful because you made it that way. You took the time to be kind and to place others ahead of yourself.

Be generous.

Be the first one to speak.

Smile a lot.

Don’t wear tube socks.

That about covers it. What did I leave off? Add your advice to the comments.

I can’t wait to see you! Make sure to leave a comment if you’re coming and especially if you’re coming alone. Heckle the mullet at your own risk—-I’m even a little afraid of my inner 7th grader!

Ringing in the New Year

January 7, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 16 Comments

How do you get your children to:

1. Sing for you on New Year’s Day

2. Make ‘2010’ with their bodies in the cold windy chill….

3. Join in a collaborative effort to do the dishes

4. And with only a small amount of tomfoolery?

Answer:

You feed them large amounts of pasta and bread and then tempt them with all manner of chocolate fondue covered yummies

then if that doesn’t work, you do whatever is necessary!

I can’t think of a better way to ring in the New Year then right here at home with the kids. We were happy to have Cody and Morgan join us too! Hope your 2010 is filled to the brim with joy!

The Verity has still been playing a few shows here and there despite the fact that the 3 of the boys are in college now. It was just like old times to enjoy their music live.

Forty Schmorty

January 5, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 51 Comments

This is the sunrise that greeted me on my fortieth birthday. I have a good feeling about this decade. But if ’40 is the new 30′, 40’s gonna need a little help. 40’s gonna need a healthy amount of beautiful sunrises…….

and a lot of 5 hour energy drinks. 40’s gonna need a few more anti-wrinkle creams and plenty of visine or maybe a little more sleep. 40 may, in fact, need comfortable shoes. I’m not saying that 40 isn’t the new 30—I’m just saying that 40 needs a little help.

Gina, JamieKnoxville and I had lots of fun this weekend. We started out in this cab trying to go to Anthropologie—only to be taken half way to some museum. NO NO NO. This is not a trip for museums. This is a trip to see what 40’s made of.

Finally, we made it. We tried on hats and marvelled at how wonderfully EVERYTHING is embellished at Anthro. I bought the hat, wore it around in the hotel room and decided that I looked a little too Minnie Pearl. Which reminds me that some day we should talk about Hee-Haw. But not today. Today, 40 has some things to prove.

But first let me say that I could haul a cot into Anthropologie and live there. It’s the perfect combination of artsy/homey/fortyisthenewthirty. I love it there.

Then we made our way to Atlantic City (very near Jamie and Mark’s place) for dinner at Bobby Flay’s steakhouse. It was great ambiance, there were no apple martini’s involved, and the food was divine. Take note of the rose head band and the wonderful Anthro hat—which looks amazingly lovely on JamieKnoxville.

Then we made our way to Caesar’s Hotel in AC. Very chic. Right on the ocean. Beautiful upholstered headboards and a handy Starbucks. We spent $20 on slots and the rest of our fun money on a very wonderful pair of jeans. 40 needs the help of good jeans. It’s just a fact.

The next day we had a wondeful day at JK’s and Mark’s place. We got to snuggle this furball (a habanese/szhitsu mix named Rocco). I know. Stop. The. World.

And then we spent the better part of the afternoon watching the wild man in the kitchen. Mark made homeade mixed berry pie (with a homeade crust—which I will share with you soon) and homeade fettucine and meatballs. WITH HOMEADE PASTA. He was a little leary to let me near the pasta maker—–did I say he gets a little wild in the kitchen? But now I’m hooked. 40 definitely needs a pasta maker.

We drove back to Philly to catch our flight home and did a quick drive by of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. I was so lonesome for Stevie and the girls and couldn’t wait to nestle back into my wonderful life. I did manage to make a good start on my ’40 list’. I’m almost finished the book ‘Till We Have Faces’—which will need a post all its’ own. I spent an afternoon (okay at least a good hour and a half) in Anthropologie. I slept til 6:50 (which I’m gonna go ahead and count as 7) and I started the ‘read the Bible in 90 days’ schedule.

Thank you all so much for your kind and funny birthday wishes. I’m so thankful for you all. You make writing this blog so much more fun than it would be otherwise. There are so many of you that I can’t wait to meet in February at Blissdom.

A huge thanks to Gina and Jamieknoxville and Mark for making my birthday so much fun. A huge smooch and thanks to Stevie for encouraging me to go and to my mom for completely spoiling my girls (they gloated about how much soda they drank and how much tv they watched!)

40 is fabulous so far!

The New Year’s List::2010

January 1, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 61 Comments

There’s something special about the start of a decade. I was born in 1970. I had my tenth birthday and my first boyfriend in 1980. I had my first child in 1990. I turned 30, graduated from residency, married my soul mate and had my third child in 2000. On Monday, I welcome the new decade by turning 40. So I thought I’d make a fun little list—a 40 in 40—but since 40 is the new 30—it only has 30 things on it. (okay, I thought that was clever but in reality, I can’t make that document bigger because photoshop does not cooperate with me). Here’s to the new year. The new decade. New beginnings and another chance to make those dreams come true. Happy 2010!

What’s on your list?

Post edit: I saw something like this on Meg’s blog and thought it looked like fun.

Christmas Break Shenanigans

December 31, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 12 Comments

Patty and I took our kids to Market Square yesterday for ice skating. The girls and I had so much fun and truly enjoyed their company. I’m not sure she and I would ever run out of things to talk about . We are two peas in a pod—from our mutual love of indian food —-to our obsession with coffee —-to our creative/ADD /photographer tendencies.

There was lots of fun had by all and her children are wonderfully kind and engaging.

I tend to think mine are pretty wonderful too. But I guess I’m a little biased.

Surprisingly enough, the kiddos weren’t all that hungry when we got home. (I’m such a pushover.)

Thanks Patty (and Jordan and Lexi) for a wonderful afternoon. And for the samosa suggestion. We loved them!