We are planning a vacation and have chosen the Caribbean for our destination. I found a beautiful villa which idyllically meets our needs, in St. James, Barbados.

What is important to us is privacy and the beach. I didn’t realize until last weekend my husband wanted Internet provisions also. This is a change from the first criteria where internet was forbidden. Realistically though, the internet is part of the family and a means of communication between us and our clients. Gotta love the clients… right?

I suppose most women would be insulted. I mean why does he need the computer when he has me? The fact is that is where he works. He is a responsible man so I can’t just ask him to give up communication to his clients for two weeks, right?

If my husband and I had picked a simpler life, I suppose the internet would be a problem on vacation; but after thinking things through, we have a business with clients who depend upon us.

Thumper always puts me first and seriously his clients are who got us here in the first place. Mine too. My clients are low maintenance compared to his. So I have to give in to the annoying f-mail.

Every once in a while there is a mail from one of his clients who asks how to install a website after he has written them step by step instructions. He ends up having to install most websites he makes. Just the other day one of his clients uploaded a zip folder without unzipping it first.

This is a good client just in over his head with all this extremely complicated and highly sophisticated rocket science stuff like websites, the interwebz, puters and such. Granted the one thing I love about Thumper’s job is he can do it from anywhere.

All that is required is his computers and the internet. How great is that!

I would have to say one of his hats is babysitting his clients so they have the full benefit of his work. Some clients just don’t know how to set up all the functions he makes. His applications are so hi-tech. I am very proud of him.

Back to our vacation. I believe because we are entrepreneurs we have to sacrifice some things, even during vacations.

I know, I wont be ignored completely. I am only packing beachwear and dresses. He will take out the computer once in a while only to check his email. No heavy jobs. This is one of the compromises you make to be happy and make your partner and spouse happy too. I found this out to work in our case.

A good man is hard to find, and when you have one, it does seem you have to make plans that you would not have to make if you only married a guy who decided to be something and not someone. I have thought about this quote several times today. When you want to make a difference in this world, you figure out what little things don’t really matter in the string of happiness. The simple truth is my husband is important and needs to be reachable by his clients. I have him all the time and I am truly a very lucky woman. I mean how many people get it right the first time around? How many years does it take to figure out how it works with marriage?

I think not rushing into marriage was my best decision. I worked on me and became independent. When I got married I knew who I was and who would compliment me. My husband compliments me like no other and I have kept my individuality at the same time. Keeping your individuality is very important for growth. You don’t want to live in anyone’s shadow including your husband’s. What you need to understand – you can’t have the storybook romance unless you put down the rules in the script. The rules aren’t going to be inspired by a movie you have watched recently, or the circle of friends you keep.

As an individual, you know what you want and how to get it. If you are not materialistic or needy, it becomes very clear that certain things aren’t needed to be happy. It is all a matter of lifestyle and what you are used to. I am self-disciplined – that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy luxury when I am on vacation. But I’m not materialistic because I don’t like clutter in my space. I am not high maintenance because I have a husband that exceeds my expectations. I know I exceed his also. A woman can have a career and the love life. It only takes the right man by her side, who is her equal. How is that?

Don’t base your life on a movie or how your friends think it should be. You are the only one that can make it happy and make it happen. Be the leading lady or man of your life and don’t follow a movie script written for people’s entertainment.

Where to begin to tell you about with this wonderful, adventurous woman? Katie Clemons has written many articles about her life’s journey. At one glance, you will see the All-American girl, then you find this woman has the best of both worlds. Wife, world traveler and airplane pilot. Yes, Katie received her pilot license this past summer when she was in the States.

Katie opens up her home and gives you a crash course on how to utilize every inch of her small German apartment. She compares cultures and traditions. She thinks green. She is so exciting! I just love her.

I find sometimes her life is running parallel with mine. Whether we are on the same continent at the same time or not. It is funny to compare stories. Like our husbands are both German.

So here goes: enjoy Katie’s 12 on Blogging!

1. The story behind Making This Home

My husband and I had just moved to Germany, and we were remodeling our kitchen. It was 36 square feet and needed a serious overhaul. I missed sharing ideas and projects with my family the way we all used to when my husband, Martin, and I were back in the US. So I started writing.

2. How did you find your niche?

I knew I wanted to write about home and green choices because those are two important things to me. It wasn’t until I was writing that I got interested in sharing our ideas for a simpler life. Germans work, on average, 400 hours less every year than Americans, and everything closes on Sundays. We were forced to relax.

3. What was your first article?

My first was a “coming soon” article because my brother was giving me grief about not posting anything right away. I started actually writing about four days later when we finished designing my header.

4. What are your best sources of inspiration for your articles?

As an expat, I’m always learning. My problem isn’t so much, “What should I write?” It’s more like, “Is this relevant to my theme?” For example, I spent the summer back in the United States learning how to fly an airplane. It has nothing to do with my site’s theme, but it’s hugely important to me and the people in my home. My husband was my instructor, and it took us the entire summer to accomplish. But on September 2, I finished. I became a pilot.

5. Are there any special things you like to do, or add, when writing your blog?

I like to challenge readers to think about life differently. Our apartment is 450 square feet. It makes me think about what’s important to keep in my home and in my life. So we simplify and urge others to try similar things. One of my favorite topics is a series on a Green Christmas.

6. What do you do if you are unhappy with a draft?

I have a pile of half-done pieces of writing – some because I didn’t like where they were going, others because they need to be edited.

7. Do you have friends that inspire you or help you with your blog?

Martin is my technical editor. Meaning if I say “herbicide” instead of “pesticide”, he helps me out. Otherwise, I do it on my own. To be writing so often, I think it’s important to do that. You don’t want others to feel pressured to have to check things before you publish, and it’s important to build the confidence that what you’re saying is okay and it does matter.

8. What do you do to get your blog noticed?

To be honest, I haven’t been working in this area at all over the last few months. I know I should. But I’d much rather be writing about what it’s like trying to get Germans excited about chocolate chip cookies (and sharing a recipe) or simplifying and greening our home… a home which seems to be changing every couple of months. We lived in a house made of tires over the summer in the United States when we weren’t living in Germany. Perhaps my answer is probably best said that my life is pretty unusual, and I share a lot of it. That gets noticed.

9. What things do or do not freak you out about blogging?

I love getting an email or note on my Twitter from someone who got something out of my work – like three people emailed me over the weekend about the super simple cider recipe I posted on Friday. They had all tried it! I love that about blogging, and I love learning from other bloggers, too.

10. How do you keep your blog fresh and interesting?

I’m not really sure! I just write about what interests me and what I’m doing. And all the things I’m doing – learning to fly, living in Berlin… – well they’re not exactly typical.

11. Do you have a favorite article that you have written?

Being an American married to a German, a lot of people are naturally interested in our wedding and how we became a family. The idea launched a whole series of international weddings that readers and friends of ours shared over the summer.

My favorite was the wedding of our friends in Romania. We found out about their wedding in an email. The subject was “We said yes!”, my husband and I were jumping up and down with excitement. I think one of the funnest posts to write was an interview with them about their customs and family traditions that they incorporated into their wedding.

12. What advice would you give a new blogger, or someone who is interested in starting a blog?

To start off, you have to blog for you. Later you might do it to help other people or interact with friends. But in the beginning, you have to want it for yourself because if you aren’t excited (i.e. someone has been pushing you to blog), you won’t have the passion. It’s hard to do anything very long without loving what you’re doing.

Would you like to be a part of the series 12 on Blogging? You’d simply answer 12 questions about your blog and how you got started, and I would feature you in a post like this one here on Bunny got Blog. If you’d like to get featured as well, get in touch! Send me a link to your blog so that I can check it out. If I like what I see, I will send you the questions for you to answer
You can find out how to contact me on my about page.

Until next time, my friends!

This is a delicious and simple appetizer that you can even make the night before. You can serve the Halloween pumpkin cheese ball with crackers or vegetables.

Oh, and if you haven’t checked out the previous Halloween recipes on Bunny got Blog, be sure read how I put a spell on Thumper with pumpkin tiramisu, and how you can do a little Halloween witchcraft with my sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds recipe.

Here’s the pumpkin cheese ball:

And how about a little Steve Miller Band with that?

Halloween will be here soon!

In this installment of our Halloween recipes with video, we have been fueling up on fresh pumpkin recipes and I am one to use everything including the seeds which are really very healthy. Drying out pumpkin seeds and seasoning them is one of my favorite things to do. The seeds can be flavored several different ways but today Bunny is going to make them sweet and spicy.

Why toss out the seeds of pumpkins when they make a delicious snack and topper for salads. The pumpkin season is what makes this so tasty, but remember, pumpkin seasoning is only cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

Pumpkin seeds also make a great party treat and are so simple to make.

I love pumpkin seeds and the chairman of the board, Frank Sinatra…

Stay tuned for the next Halloween recipe & video shortly!

Bringing friends and neighbors together in the community is a great reason to have a party. So bring on the Halloween celebration.

My husband and I love music and we love to entertain. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It allows me to be creative and cook up a storm as well as select some tuneage  for our gathering. I will be posting several articles with recipes and music ideas for you to enjoy.

I am so excited it is Halloween!

This is one of our favorite songs.