Tweeting and Pinning

I am not known for being up-to-date on the latest technology.  I often have to have Ryne's help to get our TV working after he's been using the Wii, I don't have a smart phone, and I think I'm one of the few people left who do not have a Facebook account.  (Marc is another one of the few; but sooner or later one of us will have to join once our thirteen-year-old convinces us to let her join.  If she gets an account, we'll have to get one.)  Perhaps the most telling evidence of my technological uncoolness is that the original draft of this post was written BY HAND on a spiral pad while my daughter was at cross country practice.


So it might come as a shock that I've had a Twitter account for the past several months.  Me! On Twitter!  The only problem is that I have no idea what to do on Twitter.  I have yet to write my first tweet.  Maybe there's just too much pressure to write something witty, clever, profound or interesting.  Or maybe it's that I have one friend as a follower (Thanks, Ruthanne!), so if she doesn't see my tweet I'll feel like I'm talking to myself. :) I do have a few other followers, who apparently followed me because I follow financial guru Dave Ramsey.  Really?  What are they going to accomplish by following me?  Like I said, I'm not really getting the whole Twitter thing yet.


Why bother, then?  Because I really, really wanted to join Pinterest.  Now that's totally up my alley. Hundreds and thousands of lovely pictures!  But to have a Pinterest account, one needs a Twitter or FB account, and Twitter seemed like the lesser of the two evils.  And even though Twitter has me baffled, it was totally worth it so I could be on Pinterest.  Not sure what Pinterest is?  Here is what Pinterest has to say, and here is a helpful blog post (and another).  Basically, it's a place to bookmark any picture you want from the internet.  If you are a visual person who remembers pictures better than words, Pinterest is for you.


I use Pinterest to collect recipes, decorating ideas, homeschool ideas, and even hairstyle ideas for the girls.  It's super easy for me to quick check my boards when I'm making my weekly menu to pick out a new recipe to try.  Before Pinterest, it was rare for me to try something new so I often got bored with cooking.  But look at all the goodies I've tried lately!

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Kellie on Pinterest

Source: gogglesandgrace.blogspot.com via Kellie on Pinterest

Source: godairyfree.org via Kellie on Pinterest

Source: chickabug.com via Kellie on Pinterest

Source: kevinandamanda.com via Kellie on Pinterest

Source: blog.austinkids.org via Kellie on Pinterest

Source: annies-eats.net via Kellie on Pinterest

Source: whiteonricecouple.com via Kellie on Pinterest

Source: cookiesandcups.com via Kellie on Pinterest

Okay, so maybe I've been trying more sweets than dinners, but we entertain several Sundays a month and I was in need of some new dessert recipes!  Plus, we've had a few special occasions lately that were perfect excuses for baking.  But I have plenty of dinner, lunch and breakfast recipes pinned for future meals. : )


I even found an easy way to cut down on my fruit fly population.  

Most of these links I've just repinned from other Pinterest users, but I also occasionally pin things I see from my own blog reading, like the Creamy White Chili recipe (thank you, Heather!).  I also went through my computer files and pinned some of my favorite links.  I hardly know most of the people I follow, but have found them through blogs or The Well Trained Mind forum.  They do have good taste though!


Pinterest is fun to use, and I don't find that it sucks away my time like other internet activities.  I can be on and off Pinterest in less than five minutes, making it easy to check in while making dinner or waiting for a child to finish a writing assignment.  Grace also loves Pinterest!  She'll sit on my lap, oooing and ahhing at different pictures with me.


Do you tweet or pin?  I'd love to follow you!  You can find me {not} tweeting here and {definitely} pinning here.  I plan to beg Ruthanne to teach me how to navigate Twitter and would like to start using it someday.  I even avoided my to-do list one evening by crafting a cute Twitter background, only to find out it looks wonky in certain browsers.  Maybe I'll get around to fixing it someday.  Maybe not.  If you want to join Pinterest, let me know and I'll send you an invite.  I've heard it's easier to get an invite from a friend than signing up through the site, but that may have changed since I joined.


Happy Tweeting and Pinning! {or however else you waste your time}