Four Year Blog Anniversary

Happy Fourth Blog Anniversary!

Hard to believe but today is the 4th anniversary of my blogging adventure. Yes, four years ago today, on July 31st, 2015 Debbiethisandthat was born and then morphed three years later into Debbie Styles Life! 

To mark this occasion I thought I would share a few favorite pics from this past year of blogging and then add a few thoughts in general about where I am with blogging at this time.

This recent pic styling a black jumpsuit is one of my favorites. I hit the angles just right and this picture makes me look much better IMO than I look in real life! Sometimes the camera is friendly and sometimes it isn't! On this day, it was friendly, LOL!

I had the opportunity this past year to join an international blogger's group, Match Made In Seven, and that has been both challenging and lots of fun! One member per month gets to choose a theme and then each of us interprets the theme in our own way. I had so much fun with the first theme which was "Punk!" If you missed our last theme of "California Dreamin'" be sure to click on the link to catch up!

I've really enjoyed crafting in so many different ways this past year and have found joy in sharing my  creations on the blog. From signs, to sewing to card making, I have had so much fun exploring my own creativity. I'm certainly not perfect in my creations, but I do put a lot of heart into what I create by hand!

Creating decorative tablescapes is something I continue to enjoy and it was great fun to finally fashion an outdoor tea tablescape this past Spring! I loved using my Pioneer Woman tablecloth and my new teapot for this tablescape. 

I've shared pics I've taken in the great outdoors more this past year and have worked on honing my camera skills. These pics of a bluebird at Beaver Lake and my backyard Lantana plant are two of my favorite nature pics from this year!

I'm always on the lookout for good reads and enjoy sharing great book titles I have found with my readers. The Maisie Dobbs series is definitely one of my most favorite book series of the past year!

I continue to enjoy sharing my faith story through writing devotionals. Click on the link for my latest devotional. 

And, throughout this fourth year of blogging, I have given a few more unique looks into my personal life with friends and family. There have been so many fun adventures including the addition of a new furry family member!

This is the very first picture I posted on the blog four years ago today; a selfie taken in Colorado. I had absolutely no idea how to "do" blogging but I was determined to try! From the beginning, I have endeavored to bring my readers "a little bit of this and that" and I feel I have stayed true to that theme. It may be hard to put my blog into one particular "niche" and that fact may hurt me in terms of building pageviews. I'm not just a fashion blog or a blog about books, or a blog that only focuses on home decor or a blog that just focuses on growing in faith or a blog that just focuses on crafts. I'm a little bit of all of that! In my humble opinion, my blog is a true lifestyle blog because everything I share is truly about how I style life. I think my blog is the complete package....what do you think? If you like the variety of posts that can be found on Debbiestyleslife.com I hope you will tell others so they can enjoy reading what my blog has to offer! I strive to "be real" and to be able to identify with my readers. My pictures aren't going to be "magazine perfect" all the time but I do the very best I can and will continue to strive to learn and grow as a writer and photographer. 

I sometimes wonder what the future of the blog is. I'll admit that there are some weeks that the creative juices just aren't flowing. It's hard to constantly come up with topics to write about. I continue to feel foolish at times doing fashion shoots. I'm no model and I wonder if I just look silly trying to pose and if it comes off as trying to "show off" with too much focus on pictures of myself. I really don't feel qualified to tell others about how to dress. But, my greatest number of pageviews continue to come from the fashion posts. I find that quite interesting. My take with fashion is that women need to be true to themselves and what they like and feel good wearing. I really think that each of us has our own fashion sense and when I have tried to be too much like "other bloggers" I haven't felt like I looked good. And, while I understand the thinking behind not allowing age to dictate what we wear, there are certainly styles I don't think look appropriate on my 60 year old body! 

Likewise, it's hard to feel inspiration each week to write devotionals. And I'm often reading a series of books or re-reading books I've already shared, so there is the challenge of coming up with new books to share. In other words, blogging is hard! You may have noticed that I've posted a little less than usual in recent weeks and these are some of the reasons why. I'm being a little more relaxed in terms of coming up with new posts. But, I'm not giving up on blogging so no worries there. I think I would feel quite lost without my blog. 

I do enjoy so much hearing from my readers and I want to say a big "thank you" to those folks who take time out from their busy days to read my blog. And, if you leave a comment I give you double thanks!! I know it's hard to always comment. I also read blogs and don't always leave a comment, but, oh how fun it is to hear what you think of my posts and to know that someone is touched by or helped in some way or enjoyed something that I write about! So, thank you, dear readers for being there because it would be a lonely blogging experience without you!!

So, today, on this my fourth anniversary of blogging, I'm celebrating all that I have learned in the last four years of being a blogger. I'm celebrating each of you, my dear readers who continue to inspire me to keep on keeping on. I'm not the biggest blog on the block by a long shot, but by the grace of God, I am what I am and my blog is what it is and will continue to be so. I would love it if you would let me know what you especially like to read about and would like more of on the blog. I appreciate your input and will continue to bring you more of what I do best on the blog...a little bit of this and that!

Until Next Time,

Debbie