Blogging is both cathartic and rewarding. While it can be time consuming, it is a great way to well, get it all out.  From Cancer, to weight loss/gain/loss, healthy living, food fantasies, family issues and marital strife, I have talked about it.

Like many other bloggers, I write when  my family sleeps.  I have a full time job, several writing side jobs and other family stuff to attend to. Like we all do.  I get my food shots, well, at meal time. I store them away in what I call my ‘Shot Bank‘ for later use.  Then, in the wee hours of the morning, I thread all of the words swirling around in my head into a post and release it out into the world.

I am proud to call myself a blogger.  I don’t feel this label has to come with a concrete description.  I write, I create, I share it.


I AM a blogger.

When sharing what I lovingly refer to as ‘my side gig’ with others I have learned to have my guard up.  Most people conjure up images of some pale, lonely woman sitting behind a computer screen who has 27 cats, when they think of a blogger.

Nothing could be further from the truth!  We are your mothers, wives, sisters, friends and co-workers.  Give a woman a topic and a computer and watch her shine.  Does this mean we all need to rush out and grab a domain name and a point and shoot camera? Not really, but you get where I am going with this.

As I pack for what I hope will be my first of many conferences, I have decided to adopt a new outlook for my site.  I will be with many, many women who make a living from their sites. This is what they do.  I wonder if many of them get questions like I do.
“Why do you blog if it doesn’t pay you?”
“Do you really think anyone wants to read this?”
These are a few zingers I have gotten after mentioning I am a food blogger. Truth is, I am far past caring what anyone thinks of my site.  So I am walking into this conference with open arms and an open mind.
   I have a lot to learn.  I have a renewed sense of confidence and pride in my site ????


So many that are going seem to be hung up on what they are wearing, who their sponsor is, what kind of tech gadgets they are toting. I am starting to think I am missing something.  Maybe this is just a way to cope with nervousness.  Worrying is normal. I am worried about walking into a room full of women I don’t know and feeling judged.  I feel this way anytime I walk into a new room. I am just not good at meeting new people. Period.

I want to present Basilmomma  to these new people with confidence. I am hoping to meet others who love the craft of writing and don’t care if I am wearing the newest TOMS Shoes.

This site is kind of my baby. I feed it, spend time working on it, I worry about it and in the beginning I was consumed with the judgement of others. Publishing that first post was hard. To let it out there for others to see, but this is all part of the learning process.

All of the late nights, missed family time, phone calls,cold dinners, interviews, research, arguments with my spouse over writing time, great connections, learning, and family-friendly food all make up the kaleidoscopic image of my blog.

I hope to bring back a few nuggets of information to share with you all. If not, at least some great photo’s and stories!  Thank you for coming back everyday. I treasure each and every one of you!!

Maybe this site will take off, maybe not.  I will try, though. I have embarked on a path…and I’m not turning back!

Heather