It’s my turn in the Great Interview Experiment and Leigh Anne Wilkes from your Home Based Mom interviewed me!
1.You have been blogging since 2005 -what first attracted you to blogging and any tips for us newbie bloggers?
In early ’05 my boss sent me a link to Dooce. (Because she was raised LDS and I am LDS. He thought this was funny.) I looked at the site and I was hooked! I was so naïve, I thought, ‘I can do that!’ But I had NO idea how to get started. A few days later I told my husband about it, and he of course already new all about blogging, (he’s much more computer savvy and on top of new fads than me). He set up a blog on Blogger and started blogging.
I was ticked! That was my idea. So I started a blog on April 14th with a post about how Jeff had done it and I would not be out done. I had no idea what blogs would become back then. I just thought I was spewing my steam of consciousness out into cyber space, I didn’t even under stand how public that was, or how hard it would be to KEEP blogging and keep coming up with stuff to post. With in a few weeks I had a post all about looking for my funny, that I thought I had it when I started the blog, but couldn’t seem to find it any more.
As far as tips, that’s hard to say, everyone blogs for different reason, but I guess my best advice would be to be careful. There are people out there, for whatever reason, that just want to hurt you, either emotionally or physically and it can be really hard to distinguish an internet troll from a real whack job. So don’t put too much information out there. That’s why I no longer use my husband’s or oldest son’s last names.
2. Give us a little background on your blog name – DRY Ink?
DRY is an acronym of my blended family’s last names. I refer to my husband as Jeff DeBlog, because that’s what he blogged under, and as I mention, I no longer use his real name, I of course am Rebstock, and my oldest son, Jacob makes up the Y portion of things. The Ink evolved from Inc. because I thought it was funny. I have tendency towards being rigid and controlling and all those other un-nice things, so it’s kinda of joke on me thinking, (delusionally) (yes I make up words too, just another of my many talents) that my word is the last word, you know, the ink dry, so it is so. I don’t know why I find this so funny.
3. You are a wife, mom of 3, have a job and are a blogger, how do it keep it all together?
Not very well, will you come do my laundry?
But honestly, all four are incredibility important to me, so I make time for them, there’s not some magic answer here. I don’t think that I could do one well without the outlet that the others are for me. Each fulfills a different aspect of who I am and nurtures that part of me. So, for me, I make time for each and spend less time on stuff like bathing, so really it all works out.
4. My readers like recipes -do you have a fast, easy dinner recipe you could share?
I gots a veggie lasagna that’s usually a hit.
6 lasagna noodles
1 jar of spaghetti sauce, (your fav brand/type)
1 container of cottage or ricotta cheese (around the 16 oz. Size)
1 package of frozen variety frozen veggies (any type your family enjoys, we like broccoli, cauliflower and carrots)
A couple of cups of shredded cheese (any type your family enjoys, I roll with Colby jack)
Some spray oil, and 9 x 13” pan and some time foil, now were ready to roll
But wait, there’s 2 different ways to prepare this puppy
If you need to feed some peps quick:
Boil the noodles and veggies until tender, lay 3 noodles in the spray coated pan, then layer in veggies, ricotta/cottage cheese, and entire jar of spaghetti sauce, sprinkle in about half the shredded cheese, then layer on the last 3 noodles, and then the sprinkle the last of the shredded cheese. Pop in oven for about 15 – 20 minutes until thoroughly heated. Serve warm and yummy.
Or, if you are pressed with YOUR time, this version takes a little longer to cook, but less prep time:
Spray pan, then cover the bottom with a small amount to spaghetti sauce, (just enough to cover the bottom, then layer the ingredients as listed above, (only raw and/or frozen), seal with the tin foil (make sure it is sealed), and pop in the oven at around 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour. (Until the noodles and veggies are tender.)
I hope that makes sense, I’ve never written a recipe before and as you can tell I do this from memory.
5. I see you collect tea pots – how did that interest/collection start and how many do you have and where do you keep them all? Which one is your favorite?
I’m not sure how this started; I can just say that I love the shapes, especially the really round, fat ones. (That sounds so strange.) I currently have 11 tea pots. By far my favorite is a new sliver plated airplane shaped tea pot from Pottery Barn, followed by a couple of polka dotted tea pots. I love me some fat polka dotted tea pots.
6. If you had one day (24 hours) just to yourself, no obligations, no work, no family – just you and the money to do what ever you wanted, what would you do?
I think it would involve a day at a spa, with various treatments, including massages, pedicures and the etc and a really good book, probably a James Patterson, I’m really into him right now.
7. What are you currently reading, watching on TV, listening to on your I-Pod (or car radio!)
I’m reading Running with Scissors, the Book of Mormon, and Jonathan Kellerman’s Rage. I will next start the Twilight series, because everyone keeps telling me I have to. I also need to get my hands on that latest Patterson’s Women’s Murder club series, the 6th what ever. I’m not watching much outside of HGTV and TruTV thanks to this loverly little writers’ strike, but before I was totally sucked into Grey’s Anatomy. (That’s kinda embarrassing to admit.) Currently the I-Pod is sporting the Singles Ward sound track, Dixie Chicks and of course Barenaked Ladies. I love me some Barnaked Ladies.
8. You have a teenage son and then two younger children. What is one thing you have learned from mothering your older son that you will do differently with the younger two?
AGENCY! He’s got it. No matter what I think, do or pray. I can’t take it way and I’m doing a disservice to him every time I try. It’s been a really hard lesson to learn.
9. My daughter asked the family this question at dinner – so I’ll ask you. If you had to choose one food that would be the only food you would eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
If I only get one: shrimp, if I can expand: shrimp and broccoli, but don’t forget the diet Dr. Pepper.
10. What 3 words do you hope people will use to describe you?
Tenacious, Insightful and Helpful.