What am I *thinking*?

That's a question I ask myself many times a day.

I have four children. My oldest, Daisy, will be 16 next month. Just 10 days later, my Piper will turn 15. (She's in her last class of Driver's Ed - and I feel worry-lines wrinkling on my face - as I type this very post). My one and only little boy, Oliver (also known as Ollie, O-dawg and/or O) is 6, and my spoiled-rotten little princess, Poppi Clementine, is just 14 months old.

I graduated with a bachelors degree in English - and, interestingly, a minor in Women's Studies - in 2001. I quit my decade-long job as an award-winning newspaper reporter in 2006, just after my son was born. And then my adventures as a stay-at-home mom began. And I guess you could say I've enjoyed being a domestic goddess ... because when it came time for O to start school, I couldn't bear the idea of parting company with him. So I decided to become a "teacher," too; we just completed our first year of homeschooling in June.

But, alas, I began to miss my career after leaving it in 2006, and in 2008, I created The Gatton Report, a blog that serves as a "conduit" between the people of my community and our local government. The focus has been on government corruption, and the blog aims to foster open, uncensored dialogue among residents of my county. It has been wildly successful, growing legs almost immediately with the exposure of our town's police chief for wrongdoing. The chief was fired and later indicted. Four years later, he still hasn't had his day in court, but I digress ...

I still work on the Report from time to time, but it's on an as-needed basis; when government needs to be held accountable, I post. When it seems to be behaving, I don't.

So if I can't don't regularly contribute to my existing, wildly successful local-government blog, what in the world am I thinking by starting another one?

Enter the creative side of me - a side that most of my friends see and interact with regularly ... on Facebook. :)

I'm a jack of all trades ... master of none. I sew. I paint. I make hair bows. Oh, and tutus. I mosaic. I bake. And then I decorate what I bake. I've dabbled in art collages. And even in clay. I CANNOT draw. Or run marathons. That's what I tell people when they ask: "Is there anything you CAN'T do??"

Some people compare me to Martha Stewart. I'm quick to point out I've never been charged or convicted of a felony. (And I plan to keep it that way.) Others have compared me to the "Cake Boss." But I'll let him keep that title, thank you very much.

I'm just little old me, trying to raise my kids in a crazy world ... and keep my blood-pressure intact as I go.

Sometimes, my artsy-fartsy side helps with that. When I allow it to feel like "work," though, I'm afraid it has the opposite effect.

That's why I can't promise this blog will be regularly updated. But I've considered for a year starting it so I can share with people different projects I'm working on and, hopefully, help spark your own creativity. People tell me all the time, "I wish I was as creative as you." The fact is, though, there's nothing I do that hasn't been done before. I learn from other people, too. And I'm a firm believer that *everybody* has "creative" in them; it just may not look like *my* creative. My hope is that in some small way, this blog can help you find your inner artist/craftster.

People have also expressed curiosity from time to time about how I make some of the things I make. So I will attempt to post some picture-filled tutorials explanations from time to time.

Other times, this blog may be my virtual diary, where I talk to myself (and hopefully you) about the joys and pitfalls of being a mom. Or the successes and failures I meet in homeschool. I've always said my life is an open book; I don't hold much back. All in all, this blog will be a dumpster of all the sides of me that *aren't* necessarily "professional." And I'll make the rules up as I go. As everything else in my life, it will likely take on a life of its own. I invite you to join me on the ride. Just make sure you buckle up. ;)