I started blogging in 2004. It was a diversion, at best. I blogged about knitting, tv, and my family. Most of the people I told about my blog had no idea what I was talking about. I assume they figured it was just another one of my "things".
In 2007, I decided I would blog every day. I did that for over two years and it changed my life. This may sound overly dramatic, but it is true. I knew this was something that I loved to do and it was a big part of my life. I never thought that it would bring me anything more than a fun way to connect with people.
Last year I decided to start exploring some options and see if there was a way for me to turn this blogging habit into a career. I started writing for Type-a-Mom, making new friends on Twitter, and making myself more available to opportunity.
I made a plan. I started christynelson.net. I stopped waiting for opportunity to find me and I started looking for it on my own. I'm working really, really hard to create the kind of career I've always dreamed of. And, I'm starting to see it pay off.
Awesome.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Lucky
"Lucky" Official Video With Colbie Caillat
Jason Mraz is coming to Council Bluffs, IA on Cinco de Mayo and I'll be there to watch him. I'm lucky. The tickets are general admission so if you feel so inclined to join me (and Wendy, of course!), get a ticket! You can read about the last time we saw him in concert here.
*I'm feeling better now. Still no desire to eat Thin Mints, though. I'll keep you posted!
Jason Mraz is coming to Council Bluffs, IA on Cinco de Mayo and I'll be there to watch him. I'm lucky. The tickets are general admission so if you feel so inclined to join me (and Wendy, of course!), get a ticket! You can read about the last time we saw him in concert here.
*I'm feeling better now. Still no desire to eat Thin Mints, though. I'll keep you posted!
Monday, March 02, 2009
Cookie Status
Two or three years ago, we took the Nelson side of the family to see the church history sites here in Nebraska and western Iowa. We stopped to grab a bite to eat at a Wendy's in Council Bluffs. My brother-in-law and I were the only ones to eat hamburgers from there and we were the only ones to suffer the consequences. I haven't had a hamburger from Wendy's since.
I'm not blaming Thin Mints or the Girl Scouts for my current condition, HOWEVER, the last thing I ate before I got sick were Thin Mints. Could this be the end of my love affair with Thin Mints?
I'm not blaming Thin Mints or the Girl Scouts for my current condition, HOWEVER, the last thing I ate before I got sick were Thin Mints. Could this be the end of my love affair with Thin Mints?
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Under the Weather
Not feeling so hot today. I don't know what happened but at about 8:30pm last night, I was down for the count. Chills, aches, general blechiness. It came on so quickly. I was in bed and asleep by 9pm and hoped that I would sleep it off. Didn't quite happen. I woke up still feeling bad. I've napped another 3 hours or so since 7am. I've eaten a little bit. I'm glad I have the laptop so at least I can blog and check in on facebook while I can sit upright.
Eva's so cute. She's not feeling well either and I asked her if she would stay home from church today to take care of me. She's been bringing me blankets, kleenex (not really needed) and toys. She took a long nap, too.
Carl and Caleb will be home from church soon and we'll see what the afternoon brings. I'm starting to get tired again so I hope the house will be at least a little bit quiet.
Is this post bringing you down? Will it help you to know that March is National Craft Month? You can read some of my more upbeat posts about it here.
Eva's so cute. She's not feeling well either and I asked her if she would stay home from church today to take care of me. She's been bringing me blankets, kleenex (not really needed) and toys. She took a long nap, too.
Carl and Caleb will be home from church soon and we'll see what the afternoon brings. I'm starting to get tired again so I hope the house will be at least a little bit quiet.
Is this post bringing you down? Will it help you to know that March is National Craft Month? You can read some of my more upbeat posts about it here.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Yanni Voices on PBS
I blogged a few weeks ago about Yanni. I was sent a preview CD and DVD of his new project called Yanni Voices. Then we were surprised to see one of the "voices", Nathan Pacheco, at the Mom 2.0 Summit. This picture is of him being very gracious while I say stupid things. I have some sort of gift for that. It was probably just as well Ender Thomas (the other male "voice") was sick and couldn't make it to the conference. Who knows what I might have done.
Anyway, I thought I should let you know that the PBS special is going to be airing starting next week. Check your local listings and all that jazz. If you watch NET Nebraska, I've done that for you and it will be on Monday, March 2nd at 7pm. Set those DVRs. I think you'll really like it. You might like it so much you'll want to see them live on tour and rumor has it, I might have a special group rate to share with you sometime in the future.
Love Can Move Mountains But It Might Get You Frostbite
A few months ago I was on twitter and I saw @tothink tweet about needing someone to go to the Celine Dion concert in Omaha. I was all over it. Celine (I've seen her twice now so I think we can be on a first name basis) had to postpone her November concert until last night so I had to wait a few months to take advantage of this awesome gift. Don't ever let anyone tell you that blogging and using twitter don't have amazing perks---because that would be a LIE!
My husband is fluent in French and has loved Celine for a long time. He was jealous when I got to see her in Vegas for girls weekend. So, I knew I had to take him with me.
We left a little late. I was nervous because I had will-call tickets and wanted to make sure I got there to get them in plenty of time. We made a plan. Carl would pull up to the Qwest Center. I would get out and get the tickets. He would park the car. We'd meet at the intersection.
This was a BAD idea on multiple levels.
First off, I had all the cash with me in my pocket. I didn't realize this until I was back standing on the corner waiting for him. I didn't want to move from the corner because I thought he might drive back around to get it from me.
After about 20 minutes of waiting on the corner...in the BITTER COLD...I started to worry. I couldn't feel my forehead. Thank goodness for my cowl and mittens or I might have died. I was starting to question my judgment. Here's what I was thinking...
If you're lost, you're supposed to stay in one place so someone can find you. Carl is an eagle scout and a Scoutmaster so I thought he might be thinking the same thing. What if we were both staying where we were and then we would never find each other?
The cold was starting to get to me and I was considering hawking my tickets...I mean, I was already on the corner... and paying a taxi to take me home. Oh, wait. I left my wallet in the car. Can't do that. Instead I start to cry.
There was another little girl crying on the sidewalk and I heard her mother say, "Stop crying or your tears will freeze to your face!". Good advice. But, I couldn't stop. I decided to tell one of my new "friends" (selling tickets to both Celine and the boat show) that I was going to walk down to the restaurant where we were planning to go. I thought maybe Carl might be waiting for me there--even though I told him to meet me on the corner. I realize now that meeting on the corner was a STUPID idea. I should have said I would meet him INSIDE somewhere. Too late now.
The walk to the restaurant was refreshing. I was still crying a little bit but to cheer me up I started to think about how at least this is giving me something to blog about. It didn't cheer me up enough. Still crying. It is hard to walk and cry at the same time--especially when the breath from my cowl fogs up my glasses.
He wasn't at the restaurant. I stayed long enough to feel my fingers and wipe off my glasses. My forehead was starting to really sting. I came up with a new plan. I'd walk back down towards the corner, go into the Qwest Center towards will-call, and then back to the corner.
By this time, it had been almost 45 minutes since we separated. All I had on me was $15 cash and my drivers license. I left my purse, phone, wallet, etc...all in the car. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
I cried to the lady at the will-call booth like a lost child. She couldn't help me. I cried some more. I was SO COLD! I was going to head back to the corner.
I was surprised that I wasn't mad at Carl. It wasn't his fault. I felt bad for him, too, because I'm sure he was stressed about getting to me. I was just upset that our plan to save time had backfired...big time.
On my way back to the corner, Carl found me. He had just barely parked the car and had an adventure of his own---but at least he was WARM! I started crying even more because I was so relieved. By this time, it was only 15 minutes or so until the concert was scheduled to start.
We went inside, grabbed some overpriced, nasty tacos and a cold-stone ice cream. I know I just blogged and blogged about how I was freezing (which was true) but I can't resist a waffle cone after a traumatic experience. I stopped crying. We ate the tacos and took the ice cream to our seats. A few minutes after we were seated (SO CLOSE to the stage!), the opening act came out.
We had a great time. Carl loved it. I did, too. After a craptastic American Idol this week, it is refreshing to hear someone that can REALLY SING!
I didn't cry again until the end of the show. It was Celine's last show of the tour. She got emotional. I got emotional. I think it was because we both just wanted to go home.
My husband is fluent in French and has loved Celine for a long time. He was jealous when I got to see her in Vegas for girls weekend. So, I knew I had to take him with me.
We left a little late. I was nervous because I had will-call tickets and wanted to make sure I got there to get them in plenty of time. We made a plan. Carl would pull up to the Qwest Center. I would get out and get the tickets. He would park the car. We'd meet at the intersection.
This was a BAD idea on multiple levels.
First off, I had all the cash with me in my pocket. I didn't realize this until I was back standing on the corner waiting for him. I didn't want to move from the corner because I thought he might drive back around to get it from me.
After about 20 minutes of waiting on the corner...in the BITTER COLD...I started to worry. I couldn't feel my forehead. Thank goodness for my cowl and mittens or I might have died. I was starting to question my judgment. Here's what I was thinking...
If you're lost, you're supposed to stay in one place so someone can find you. Carl is an eagle scout and a Scoutmaster so I thought he might be thinking the same thing. What if we were both staying where we were and then we would never find each other?
The cold was starting to get to me and I was considering hawking my tickets...I mean, I was already on the corner... and paying a taxi to take me home. Oh, wait. I left my wallet in the car. Can't do that. Instead I start to cry.
There was another little girl crying on the sidewalk and I heard her mother say, "Stop crying or your tears will freeze to your face!". Good advice. But, I couldn't stop. I decided to tell one of my new "friends" (selling tickets to both Celine and the boat show) that I was going to walk down to the restaurant where we were planning to go. I thought maybe Carl might be waiting for me there--even though I told him to meet me on the corner. I realize now that meeting on the corner was a STUPID idea. I should have said I would meet him INSIDE somewhere. Too late now.
The walk to the restaurant was refreshing. I was still crying a little bit but to cheer me up I started to think about how at least this is giving me something to blog about. It didn't cheer me up enough. Still crying. It is hard to walk and cry at the same time--especially when the breath from my cowl fogs up my glasses.
He wasn't at the restaurant. I stayed long enough to feel my fingers and wipe off my glasses. My forehead was starting to really sting. I came up with a new plan. I'd walk back down towards the corner, go into the Qwest Center towards will-call, and then back to the corner.
By this time, it had been almost 45 minutes since we separated. All I had on me was $15 cash and my drivers license. I left my purse, phone, wallet, etc...all in the car. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
I cried to the lady at the will-call booth like a lost child. She couldn't help me. I cried some more. I was SO COLD! I was going to head back to the corner.
I was surprised that I wasn't mad at Carl. It wasn't his fault. I felt bad for him, too, because I'm sure he was stressed about getting to me. I was just upset that our plan to save time had backfired...big time.
On my way back to the corner, Carl found me. He had just barely parked the car and had an adventure of his own---but at least he was WARM! I started crying even more because I was so relieved. By this time, it was only 15 minutes or so until the concert was scheduled to start.
We went inside, grabbed some overpriced, nasty tacos and a cold-stone ice cream. I know I just blogged and blogged about how I was freezing (which was true) but I can't resist a waffle cone after a traumatic experience. I stopped crying. We ate the tacos and took the ice cream to our seats. A few minutes after we were seated (SO CLOSE to the stage!), the opening act came out.
We had a great time. Carl loved it. I did, too. After a craptastic American Idol this week, it is refreshing to hear someone that can REALLY SING!
I didn't cry again until the end of the show. It was Celine's last show of the tour. She got emotional. I got emotional. I think it was because we both just wanted to go home.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
It's All Coming Back to Me Now
Babysitter will be here any minute. Dinner is almost finished. Carl will be home soon.
We're going on a date tonight.
Celine Dion is in town and I got some free tickets.
We're going on a date tonight.
Celine Dion is in town and I got some free tickets.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Eva's Birthday Requests
This video is for Grandma Nelson and anyone else that is interested on what Eva wants for her 4th birthday (Mar 14th). She didn't mention clothes but she could also use some dresses and plain color t-shirts in size 5/6.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Rex by Cathleen Lewis
When I signed up to be a book review blogger for Thomas Nelson publishing, this was the book that I most looked forward to reviewing. This book is about a young musical savant, Rex. As the mother of a child with autism and also extreme musical capabilities, I was intrigued by the story. Cathleen Lewis outlines her struggles and joys from pregnancy to present day.
Rex is an extraordinary boy with great talent but the first few years of his life were an intense struggle. From a mother's perspective, I can totally relate. Admittedly, my son has different obstacles, but the feelings a parent goes through are the same. I could feel her pain as she thought about her son's future. Wondering whether or not he will live a rich and fulfilled life. Mourning the loss of your own expectations. Some of the things she wrote hit really close to home and I must admit, it was a little difficult to read at times.
The description of how Rex found music was a bright light in the book. It marked the beginning of hope for Cathleen and Rex. I've always known that music brings people together. With my son and reading about Rex, I can now see that music brings more than that to some.
I might be a little biased, but I enjoyed this book. It is hard for me to know whether or not a person not so closely affected would feel the same. If you are curious about autism, savants, or raising a child with special needs, I'm sure you would enjoy reading this tale of a mom and her amazing son.
Monday, February 23, 2009
More Mom 2.0
Just a few more of my pictures from Mom 2.0 Summit. Here are some of the highlights:
1. Meeting some of my favorite bloggers and then meeting some of my new favorite bloggers and more and more!
2. We lucked out on roommates. Surabhi owns Click and Climb. It is a site that provides online math tutoring. Erin owns Schlosser Designs and has her own line of clear stamps. Keep an eye out for them over at christynelson.net in the future. We also had a great time with Dina of Big Honcho Media. She wasn't officially our roommate but she may as well have been. Deb and I had a great time getting to know all of these awesome ladies.
3. Four Seasons Hotel at Houston. We didn't know the rooms were only equipped with twin beds. I probably should have asked about this before I assumed we could fit four people in a room. They brought in a rollaway bed and then Surabhi and I took turns on the ample chair (it really wasn't that bad). The room wasn't anything to really write home about...but the service was SUPERB! They catered to our every whim. I think the concierge might have been sick of me, but he never showed it. I had all sorts of computer issues and one of the employees offered me the use of his laptop for the day! Can you believe it? Luckily, I didn't have to take him up on his offer because I had a flash of inspiration and figured out what the heck the problem was. Thanks, Four Seasons. Oh, and the Dallas Mavericks were staying at the hotel too.
4. I have a lot of great ideas on how to make my blog better and how I can partner with other bloggers and companies to get great information and products in your hot, little hands!
5. Three days of grown-up conversation was priceless! I'm counting down the days now until I can attend BlogHer with Toni Lyn from Crafty Nation.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Mom 2.0 Summit
I think I had a bit of fun at the Mom 2.0 Summit. So much fun that I need a day or two more to process everything. I'll be sure to write a comprehensive blogpost about it here (or on http://christynelson.net) in the next few days. For now, just know that I had a BLAST!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Happy Hour
When this publishes, I'll be on a plane. But I thought I'd share this funny thing that happened yesterday.
I needed to go to the bank to get some cash for my trip. I don't know why I waited until Caleb was home, too, but I did. We all got into the car and I bribed them with slushes from Sonic. Gotta love Happy Hour!
Caleb is a really good reader and can sound out just about anything. He loves to find words on signs, buildings, whatever. After we got our slushes, he was reading the cup. He sounded out "Your Ultimate Drink Stop". Then he started saying, "Happy whore! Happy whore! Hey, Mom! This says happy whore!" Once I stopped spitting my slush all over the dashboard, I explained that the "h" in "hour" is silent. He now pronounces it correctly but I don't think happy hour is ever going to be the same for me.
I needed to go to the bank to get some cash for my trip. I don't know why I waited until Caleb was home, too, but I did. We all got into the car and I bribed them with slushes from Sonic. Gotta love Happy Hour!
Caleb is a really good reader and can sound out just about anything. He loves to find words on signs, buildings, whatever. After we got our slushes, he was reading the cup. He sounded out "Your Ultimate Drink Stop". Then he started saying, "Happy whore! Happy whore! Hey, Mom! This says happy whore!" Once I stopped spitting my slush all over the dashboard, I explained that the "h" in "hour" is silent. He now pronounces it correctly but I don't think happy hour is ever going to be the same for me.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Houston. No Problem.
image of Houston from eflon on Flickr
In less than 24 hours I'll be well on my way to Houston with Deb. We'll be attending the Mom 2.0 Summit and hobnobbing with the likes of Design Mom, Guy Kawasaki, Kristen from Cool Mom Picks, and Jordan from Oh, Happy Day. I can only imagine it will be lots of fun, informative, and worth the time away from my family.
I have quite a bit to do before I leave and I don't know if I'm going to finish. One thing I know I won't finish is a shirt I was making. As soon as I was to the point of just finishing up the shoulder seams and the hem, I tried it on. Oops. I need the yoke to be about one inch longer so it doesn't squeeze my armpits to death. Other than that, the shirt is awesome! It should be a relatively quick fix but I'll have to go and buy some more fabric for the yoke and I just don't have time today. I'll just have to rock that shirt at BlogHer.
I have several blogging commitments that I need to take care of today as well. I should probably try and finish my February craft challenge as well. Oh, and pack. And feed and nurture these little people that live with me. Little things like that.
I have quite a bit to do before I leave and I don't know if I'm going to finish. One thing I know I won't finish is a shirt I was making. As soon as I was to the point of just finishing up the shoulder seams and the hem, I tried it on. Oops. I need the yoke to be about one inch longer so it doesn't squeeze my armpits to death. Other than that, the shirt is awesome! It should be a relatively quick fix but I'll have to go and buy some more fabric for the yoke and I just don't have time today. I'll just have to rock that shirt at BlogHer.
I have several blogging commitments that I need to take care of today as well. I should probably try and finish my February craft challenge as well. Oh, and pack. And feed and nurture these little people that live with me. Little things like that.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Buttons
If you placed my button on your blog, THANK YOU! However, I had to change where it was hosted so you will need to replace the code that you copied and pasted from my site. The new code is in my sidebar. Please replace those. Sorry for the inconvenience!
Monday, February 16, 2009
I Want It All
Sometimes I think I have it all under control. When this happens, I usually get humbled. Quickly. I'm at one of those times in my life where things are going pretty well. Of course, some stuff could be better. I wish I knew how to keep Caleb and Eva from physically harming each other (and me). I wish I could make the perfect yeasty dinner roll. I wish I could reach the top shelves. I realize I can't have everything and it is really okay because what I do have is pretty darn good.
Should I be anxious about what humbling experience is coming my way or just enjoy the ride?
Should I be anxious about what humbling experience is coming my way or just enjoy the ride?
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
More Winners!
I just received the other 4 prizes for the Build-a-Bear giveaway. Four of you will get a free download of David Archuleta's song "Let's Talk About Love". You will also get a code for a free Let's Talk About Love Tee for your online Build-a-Bear character.
Here are your random numbers:
15 3 29 16
Timestamp: 2009-02-13 21:49:42 UTC
Sarah, Heather (Holdaway), Mel, and Karen--contact me via email and I'll send you your codes to redeem this prize. sra_nelson AT yahoo DOT com
Congrats!
Analyze This
I'm a big fan of google analytics. I use it to track my blog stats. I never cared too much how many people came to my blog, I was mostly curious about keywords people used to find my blog via search engines. It provided me with lots of entertainment.
Now that I use blogging as a way to supplement our income, I pay more attention to the numbers and where people find my blog. I'm also able to see which blogs refer readers to me so I appreciate all the links. Thank you!
However, the reason I'm writing this post is because I'm really proud of my work at christynelson.net. This might not mean a lot to many of my readers but today was the day that christynelson.net overtook the crafty conservative on visits, page views, and average time on site (measured over 1 month). Christynelson.net has only been up for a few months and I can only imagine what is going to happen in the future when I have even more content up over there. Needless to say, I'm one proud mama of that website and I thank all of you for helping to spread the word about it.
Now that I use blogging as a way to supplement our income, I pay more attention to the numbers and where people find my blog. I'm also able to see which blogs refer readers to me so I appreciate all the links. Thank you!
However, the reason I'm writing this post is because I'm really proud of my work at christynelson.net. This might not mean a lot to many of my readers but today was the day that christynelson.net overtook the crafty conservative on visits, page views, and average time on site (measured over 1 month). Christynelson.net has only been up for a few months and I can only imagine what is going to happen in the future when I have even more content up over there. Needless to say, I'm one proud mama of that website and I thank all of you for helping to spread the word about it.
Build A Bear Winner!
Here are your random numbers:
26
Timestamp: 2009-02-13 14:15:10 UTC
Lucky winner is Stevens Girl! Congrats, Heather. Email me your mailing address and I'll send it to you.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Tiki Tiger and Pippa Pig
In Caleb's kindergarten class they use music and animal letters to introduce the alphabet. Caleb loves the songs and he often comes home and plays them on the piano. All of the songs are familiar but they sing words that go along with that particular letter.
Here are a few videos of Caleb playing Tiki Tiger and Pippa Pig.
Can you all believe how big he is getting? He just turned six and I had to go and buy him size 3 1/2 shoes. Is that big? It seems like it.
If you haven't entered to win the Build a Bear certificate, you can still do that here. You have until Friday morning to enter.
Here are a few videos of Caleb playing Tiki Tiger and Pippa Pig.
Can you all believe how big he is getting? He just turned six and I had to go and buy him size 3 1/2 shoes. Is that big? It seems like it.
If you haven't entered to win the Build a Bear certificate, you can still do that here. You have until Friday morning to enter.
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