Book Clubs: Are they the Bridge clubs of our parents?

3291530167_a9ea5cb6ea_zIn the past year, I have engaged in a number of professional book clubs/studies. It has helped me spend more time learning in my day to day life. Then about two months ago my friend, Nell asked me if I would be interested in getting a few women together for a rotating book club. I thought this would be a great idea. I don’t make enough time to read or hang out with friends.

This past Sunday we had our first gathering. It was a great afternoon with women from different backgrounds. Some of us were connected and others were meeting for the first time. The afternoon was filled with discussion about the book as well as learning more about one another.

As I look back on the afternoon I wonder if book clubs are the bridge clubs of our parents. When I was a child my mother would host her bridge club a few times a year. She would set the house up with multiple card tables, get out the crystal and put butter mints in little crystal dishes. It was her time to spend with the ladies. We, the children, weren’t allowed in the main area of the house when Bridge Club was around.

No, we don’t get the crystal or the butter mints today. Heck, we might not even meet in our homes but it’s our time to share, laugh, and learn.

Have you ever been a part of a book club? What was your experience like?

Why is blogging so hard?

I have been fake blogging for years. I have recently decided it was time to revisit what blogging really means to me. I have always kept separate blogs for the education part of life and the my crafting. I would post on occasion. I used to blog more and recently I have asked my myself why don’t I make the time anymore? Why is it so hard?

I have come to a few conclusions. 1. Since I started blogging social media have become a major part of the culture and my life. There isn’t as big of a ‘need’ for me to blog because I’m constantly microblogging – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are my connections to my people. 2. I am used to keeping everything separate. Each topic I am interested has it’s own blog, webpage, Facebook page, twitter account, etc. Why? In my mind, everything needed to be separate. Work couldn’t mix with my personal life. But we all know, everything mixes together in life and it is ok for my online world to reflect this.

So welcome to the relaunch of my blog, Life is a Maker Faire. I have mashed up my blogs to create this one location to celebrate arts, crafts, education, and the Do-It-Yourself mindset. This blog will explore my work in technology education and my maker, DIY side. Who knows what will happen when these two worlds collide online! Hopefully it will be an interesting fun ride.