5 Reasons Why My Blog Rocks: Blog Party

Since we can't all go to the blog conferences--like Blissdom, taking place this week--Amanda over at Serenity Now decided to "accentuate the positive."  She's hosting a blog party of her own, "[a] chance for all of us to show off our stuff, offer encouragement, and focus on the good things!"

Love that idea, so I'm linking up!

Coming up with a list of 5 Reasons Why My Blog Rocks is the hard part!  Well, the first one is easy:

1. You.  If my blog rocks, it's because I've got the best readers and commenters around.  Thank you!
2. Transparency.  For my family's privacy, I don't include their real names.  But if you read this blog regularly, you know quite a bit about me--including things that most of my real-life acquaintances don't know!  My list of ten things that make me happy pretty much encapsulates who I am, and the lists in some of these posts will tell you even more.  I don't mind sharing my own faults, mistakes, and failures if it can help someone.
3. Ideas.  The flip side of sharing my failures is sharing my successes--recipes, savings, household tips, and so on--in the hope that it will help someone.
4. Encouragement.  I enjoy writing about my faith and the ways that God is working in my life, and I hope that it encourages you.  We're on a rough road right now, but God is faithful.  Some days, that's the only thing that holds me together.
5. Reciprocity.  I try to visit (or reply by email to) everyone who comments here.  I've met some of the neatest people and discovered some of the best blogs that way!

If you'd like to join the party, hop over to Amanda's place!