Posted on 3 Comments

Morning Coffee with Julie Smith

Good morning, friends!  Ready for another installment of Morning Coffee?  Brew yourself a cup, pull up a chair, and have a seat here with me while I chat with Julie about her engaging slice-of-life blog, Under the Tulip Tree.

Under the Tulip Tree

I stumbled across Julie’s blog sometime early this year, I believe, and I was instantly hooked.  She’s a relative newbie on the blog scene, but her comfortable, friendly, easygoing writing style doesn’t easily reveal that fact. She chats about the same kinds of topics I do, although she seems way better at follow-through on the home-related projects than I am (I could probably say that about most people, though), and her green thumb puts my shriveled little black one to shame.

If she ever finds herself in New Jersey, perhaps she’d like to come tame my clutter, like she did for her own garage.  I need help.  Big time.

Q&A With Julie Smith

Julie is a talented illustrator, a cookie baking sheet repurposer, a stand in front of a chalk board and show off what she sewed-er, a grower of pretty flowering things…   Read on!

When and why did you start your blog?

I started my blog in October 2009 as a way to record the stories and photographs of my day-to-day life with my family. Most of my posts are the answer to the same question: What do I want to remember about this day?

Has your blog evolved significantly since you began it, and if so, how?

I don’t think my blog has evolved much (yet). I don’t labor over my posts as much as I used to, though, so maybe that’s a change. I will say that in the beginning, I was very interested in setting the stage of my life. I felt I had to include my whole family history in order for people to understand who I was and where I was coming from. I don’t feel the need to do that anymore. I think those details eventually come out by simply telling the stories of my day anyway, and if they don’t, that’s fine, too.

How does your blog fit in to your daily life?

In this case, I suppose I am a fly-by-the-seat-of-pants kind of girl. I start first by bringing my camera with me everywhere I go. I’ll download the pictures at night and usually some thoughts and words will come to me while I’m downloading. Every once in a while I’ll have something specific to say but mostly I’m just rambling.

Is blogging something you can easily explain to your family and friends?

Luckily, blogging is very easily explained to my family and friends. They all understand why I do it and I think they enjoy being a part of it with me. I do get the occasional “Why are you taking a picture of this?” response but mostly that’s from confused strangers.

How important are reader comments to you?

Reader comments are very meaningful to me. The fact that people visit my blog and take the time to share their thoughts and words is indescribable. Yes, I would still blog without the immediate feedback but knowing that there are people out there reading, and that we are partaking in a collective discussion of sorts, makes this process all the more special.

In what ways has blogging enhanced your life, if any?

Like I’ve heard many bloggers say, blogging has enhanced my life tremendously. I appreciate the little details of our days so much more than I used to. I look back on pictures from even a few weeks ago and I remember things that I’ve already forgotten. I’ve only had my blog for less than a year but I can’t imagine not having one. It really does change things—for the better.

Thank you, Julie, for dropping by and chatting with us today, sharing your perspective, and letting me use these lovely images from your blog!

Want more?  You can find Julie in the following places:

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Posted on 3 Comments

3 thoughts on “Morning Coffee with Julie Smith

  1. My old cookie sheets mostly end up full of soggy bits of paper, while soaking photo transfers–hers are much luckier. 😉

  2. I enjoy Julie’s blog very much. And was cheering on Arden’s quest for a pet rat last month.

    1. Haha, I have to admit, I wasn’t really on board with the rat, but then, I don’t have to live with it!

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