Pinterest

I'm an idea saver. Since I picked up my first Bride's Magazine in the free bin outside my local library, I've clipped pages of magazine pictures I love. I've cut recipes out of the newspaper and off boxes, copied inspiring quotes from books and articles and saved pictures of furniture and homes that I'd like to replicate. I have manila folders of garden ideas and tips on buying art. I've saved articles I need to re-read and lists of movies I need to watch. While this is wonderfully inspirational, it's also fairly bulky. My husband makes comments about my folders occasionally (which I may sometimes ignore) and I'm continually trying to work my way through a basket full of recipe clippings.

That's why I was so intrigued and excited when a cousin first told me about Pinterest. “It's fun,” Jamalyn said. “I'll invite you.” She did invite me and it's then my eyes were opened to this new world of virtual bulletin boards. Anything you can find on the internet (or webber net, as my son calls it) you can potentially save or "pin" to one of your “boards”. This was made for me, I thought. A virtual, “green”, file-cabinet-freeing, marriage-saving world of loveliness. I dove right in.

I happily pinned away for a year or so until I realized that, horrors, I was just willy nilly pinning and maybe never seeing these pins again. I was throwing craft ideas and recipes and fashion advice into another file cabinet, virtual it may be, and slamming the door.

You know that quote that says, “Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful”? I wanted that to apply to my computer too. Pinterest was beautiful. But, it was less than useful.

So, I had an epiphany. I would go on a Pinterest quest. I would endeavor to Do, See or Make every single thing on my Pinterest boards.

Well...I have 1.3K pins divided between 28 boards. So,.... right. That's 1,300 individual recipes, outfit suggestions, places to visit and craft ideas. I'm sure there are people with many, many more pins. My friend, Cyndi, has 2,400 but, I'm not aware that she's trying to DO something with them all.

So, here's my low-down.

Of the 12 pins on my "Products I Love" board, I've bought 2. I've made about 5 of my 151 "Great Ideas to Make". One was a wreath for Easter made out of Peeps. It was adorable and I loved seeing it on my door whenever we came home. But, the sun is hot, even in Pennsylvania, and the Peeps didn't like that. They first faded, then, melted down the door sending me scurrying with a magic white sponge to clean it all up.

Often, I get confirmation of something I've already done or something I plan to purchase. My “For The Home” board helped me find what kind of bed I wanted and what kind of quilt should go on that bed. I was brave enough to keep the pink and purple rug that was supposed to be blue and green because I'd seen pictures of bright rooms and thought it could work.

I often revisit my “Quotes” and “Favorite Places and Spaces” boards for comfort and inspiration.

"My Style" is a pre-labeled board which I first thought was for anything that I liked, so there are clothing ideas, but there are also rooms and furniture that I love. I've since pinned more clothing style related pins and am often reassured that what I have in my closet can work. I would love to find the sequined cowgirl boots on there, but alas...

But, what I have most of is food / recipe pins. There are 239 pins on my “Recipes and Yummy Stuff” board and I've tried 78 or about 33%.

Some of my favorites are brownies that taste like they came out of a box (which is a good thing); beautiful and delicious strawberry cupcakes that really did come out of a box and got doctored up; the best pizza sauce and homemade crust recipe ever; and hot ham and cheese party rolls. The couple who posted the party roll recipe are pictured wearing paraphernalia from Auburn University which is my Alma Mater. Small world.

Some of my not so great recipe tries were tomatillo avocado ranch salad dressing, but I really shouldn't pass judgment on that one since I didn't have an avocado and left out a couple more key ingredients. Zucchini brownies were not a hit either. My kids told me I "defiled" the proud brownie name and they actually went bad sitting on the counter before I could finish eating them (the brownies, not the kids). Tacos assembled and then cooked in the oven don't stay crispy and taquitos completely fall apart. Rubbing half a cut onion on the grill before tossing meat onto it did NOT make our grill non-stick as promised and a ham I cooked for Easter was way too sweet.

But, oh, the strawberry grapefruit juice, oven roasted smoked sausage and potatoes, and one pan Mexican quinoa more than made up for it.

I could also mention cheesecake, lemon cookies and almond shortbread. Definitely more delightful successes than epic failures.

So, while I'd still like to arm knit a blanket in 45 minutes, paint my piano bright blue and visit the Betsy Ross house in Philadelphia, I'm content that I'm actually doing some things, making some progress, real and virtual.

In my life, most things have to be done over and over, like a stay-at-home mom's perpetual Groundhog Day.  It would be a boring movie, but it's real life around here.  So, it's encouraging, it feels productive and I know I won't HAVE to check these things off my list again, if I don't want to. And, that's worth a bit of space in my life any day.

Now, I'm sure you'll excuse me.  I've got to take the 3 Ingredient Beer Bread out of the oven so we can eat it with the Fool-Proof Melt in Your Mouth Fall Off the Bone Ribs.  80 recipes down, 159 to go.