So this has been an interesting month or 2 for those of us who have blogs we read religiously; I have several and in March, the unthinkable happened . . .
The blog authors started, one by one, to retire from their writings.
First came Dottie Angel, and that was hard because I love pretty much everything about her- her humor, her style, her self-deprecation. Sigh. I love her so much, guys, that I even bought her Simplicity pattern to make her now famed frock.
(Let me know if you all want me to do a post on this when I finally make it- I’m glad to, although I’m a novice with my sewing machine and a garment without sleeves is likely coming first while I get comfortable.)
Then there was the retirement of Kim Hutt from her fantastic (and hilarious) blog called What Claudia Wore; anybody else who loved the Babysitters Club books in the 80s will likely appreciate this site, where Hutt dissected (and poked hysterical but loving fun) at the series, everything from the more absurd plot lines to the book covers (because, really, why was Dawn ALWAYS wearing a Texas tuxedo? She’s from California). Her decision to semi-retire her blog and switch to a podcast was not a surprise, necessarily- before her June 2 post of this year her last post was in December of 2013, but it was a little bit disappointing. All good things must come to an end, though, I suppose- and there are tons of old blog posts to read through that are just as funny the second and third time around. Enjoy.
Sigh.
This one hurts because Maybe Matilda is another funny, self-deprecating blog about being an unapologetic homebody; because of that (and because of her deep love of Pixie cuts that I share) Rachel, the blog owner felt like my spirit animal, like a friend who didn’t know we were friends (because I lurk and I’m creepy, but that’s a story for another day). Evidently, the blog had stopped being fun for her (which seems to be a factor in all blog retirement posts, especially the one I will share with you next) and time was a real factor as she has 2 kids to look after. I will miss her posts, though- I promise to post lots of awkward hair selfies in her stead, though. I won’t let you down, lady!
Anybody else remember Crunchy Betty? Her site The Whole Crunchy Blog was a fun stop to read about facial cleansing oils and all kinds of other hippie concoctions that I loved (I mean, c’mon- homemade lip balm?! You’re speaking my language!) and her retirement is not news- she actually retired her blog in June of 2014, but I wholeheartedly admit that I still check back to every so often. You know, just to see if she changed her mind. Hers is another site where there is a lot of older content to read and while not as self-effacing as some of the other sites, she is still entertaining in her own right.
Now here is one that is still (thankfully) up and running, for which I am grateful because Julia of Hooked on Houses is also my spirit animal; anybody who knows me in real life knows I am absolutely obsessed with houses, especially Victorians and Craftsman style houses. This site has everything from celebrity houses for sale to before and after photos of homes badly in need of a facelift- it is good fun if you have the time and inclination. But nothing in the world thrills me quite like the fact that Julia loves houses from movies and TV shows as much as I do. She has covered everything from both Lorelei and Rory’s house and the Dragonfly Inn (which was the Walton family home from TVs The Waltons) from The Gilmore Girls to the gorgeous and cozy yellow house in the 1987 movie Baby Boom with Diane Keaton (which is a real house, as awesome as that is to know!) There is a whole index of homes she has blogged about that we saw and loved onscreen- when you can, take the time. You won’t be sorry. My favorite all-time onscreen home, though, is none other than the Owens family house from the movie Practical Magic which she explores in wondrous detail; finding out that the Owens house was a shell and facade built for the movie on Whidbey Island in Washington State was disappointing. How could my favorite movie house be a facade and a sound stage?! I found with more digging online, however, that you can purchase house-plans to build it in real life. Double sigh. I’ve already warned the hubs that if we ever become eccentric and wealthy (instead of just plain old eccentric) that the Owens house is what I want. Luckily, it’s so attractive that he agreed without too much persuasion on my part.
That’s about all for today; I have plenty of other food blogs that I like and will tell you guys all about next week. In the meantime, what do you read when you have a little downtime?
Tell us in the comments here or on our FB page!
Until next time!
Love,
The Chick and her Chickadee