Welcome Gilmer ISD to my 'Let's Blog About It' Ignite Inservice Session!

Blogging these days is everywhere!  Over two years ago I dove head first into the world of blogging becoming obsessed with everything to do with them!  What I found was an outlet for my writing, a way to share one of my passions in cooking, and a way to connect with new friends across the Internet!  These last two years have been both a learning experience and such a pleasure as I broaden my horizons and find a 'hobby' so to say that I can see myself keeping up with the rest of my life.

As a mother of three daughters and from a  host of great country cooks, passing down this tradition was and is important to me.  As my oldest daughter left for college,  I never got that hand written ookbook made for  her like I promised.  So, I turned to blogging to share our families recipes.  What stemmed from that simple gesture (for my daughters to learn to cook from my online journal so to say) has currently over 4,000 hits and now 5 followers.  Countless other 'followers' tell me they sign up by email to receive my 'post'. 

I have found that when I am inspired, I post.  When I have had an especially meaningful memory or meal, that is when I publish a post via my site 'The Ranch Kitchen' blog site.  To date I have over 46 post 35 followers, and try to post at least once every week if not two weeks.  However lately with the moving of both my daughters to their respective graduate and undergraduate colleges, life so to say has gotten in the way! 

Inspiration is found everywhere for my blog. The name itself stemmed from our ranch where we live we live on and of course my kitchen.  My husband says when were first married that if the house burned to get the kids, get the myself out, and not to forget my mother's handmade cookbook she wrote in her own handwriting.  He always liked her cooking and was pleased as punch I was trying to be as good as her. 

Now, if the house burns, I don't have to worry about my blog...I just make sure I back up my site from time to time, because sadly even web sites can go down and disappear.   My hope is to one day place my blog into a cookbook that can be hand held as another gift to my daughters.  Because ultimately, when I am gone one day, this blog or journal of sorts will be all that is left of me and a window into how momma cooked and how much she loved her family.

So today Gilmer ISD, as I teach you all about the relatively new world of blogging, I hope you'll see what I see!  It's a whole new world out there everyday in the digital world.  One full of constantly unfolding websites that beckon us to take a look and become a part of them.  Blogging is just that; an interactive way to not only blog on my site, but become a part of others blogs by not only commenting on them, but sharing and becoming inspired but what others do best.

So sit back, let's 'surf' the web by looking at not only my blog, but a few of my favorites!  Become a follower of my blog The Ranch Kitchen and I hope you take back with you today possibly not only something you can use in your leisure time, but see the infinite possibilities you can have with blogging in your classroom

Many thanks,

Let's get cooking,

Alise Nolan

Gilmer ISD

Academic Coordinator

2010 - 2011