It's A Bloggy Tour Of Homes, Y'all!

The 1st Annual (and by "Annual," I mean "Only") BooMama Blog Tour of Homes is going to be Friday, July 28th. And if you're thinking HUH? WHA? NUH-UH!, let me explain.

About a week ago, in this post, I confessed that I find it impossible to read someone's blog without picturing her house. And in the comments, Shannon and Carol were all, "Hey, why don't you organize some sort of home tour and host it here?"

To which I said, "Um, okay!"

Because while I am incapable of an original thought, I am TOTALLY capable of following instructions. Plus, I've been trying to think of a way to help direct some "traffic" to some of the newer blogs I'm reading, and if we have enough people participate, this should definitely do that.

So here's the plan.

First, you'll have to get the word out on your blogs. Feel free to use the button at the top of this post; just load it as a small image because the resolution isn't great (hey. I tried). And make sure you link to this specific post, or people will end up going straight to the main page and wondering what in the world a blog open house has to do with my latest lengthy post on "Project Runway." Or potty training. Or how I love Jesus.

You just never know around here.

Second, participating bloggers will display five pictures (or more, if you want) of their homes on Friday, July 28th. I'll set up one of those Mr. Linky dealies here so that everyone can be listed in one central location.

Third - and this is the most important part - this exercise (should we call it a "blogtacular"?) has two purposes: 1) to give people some insight into the "real world" of the bloggers they read and 2) to demonstrate grateful hearts for our homes - whether said home is 50 or 5,000 square feet. God gets all the glory regardless. Can I get an "Amen"?

So here are some guidelines:

1) I think it's a good idea to refrain from large, sweeping shots of your house's exterior. You never know who's reading, and too many identifying features probably isn't wise. Especially if your house numbers are involved. Since I don't want anyone to be victimized by a Ring of Thieves, I think it would be neat if everyone's first picture was a shot of their front door. And if there are numbers on your door, then you can either blur them in Photoshop or take your chances with the Ring of Thieves. :-)

2) Second photo = show us where you blog. Show us where the magic happens. The BLOGGY magic happens. My word.

3) Third photo = your main living area. Show us the place where your family hangs out.

4) Fourth photo = your kitchen. It is, after all, the heart of the home. And we're not going to compare countertop upgrades or somesuch nonsense...just show us where you prepare meals for your family. Or where you unpack fast food bags for your family. Whichever the case may be.

5) Fifth photo = your choice. Could be a bedroom, or a playroom, or a favorite spot outside.

And you can post more pics if you like...but five seems like a good number because those things I listed are pretty standard. I for one could not post a picture of my butler's pantry with a wet bar, because you could look high and low and never find those things in my house. :-)

So, it looks like you have about two weeks to get your house like you like it. But for what it's worth, I can pretty much promise you that you'll see toys in the floor in my pictures - because that's how we live around here. A spotless house lasts about .483 seconds. In other words, don't be afraid to show us the real deal.

I decided to make this a one-day "event" as opposed to something ongoing because there are so many rotating memes right now; I didn't really want to start another one. And since Jules' Everyday Things is on Fridays, you could tie that meme into this one and spotlight one of your favorite everyday items in your house.

Spread the word, y'all! And remember, this extraordinarily detailed information will give you something to post one day when you're struggling with writer's block. SERVING THE PEOPLE AS ALWAYS, I am.

And seriously: humble gratitude for what God has graciously provided...that's what we're after. And if there's a neat story about how you found your home or how long you've been there or how God moved mountains so you could get there - by all means share.

As my mother-in-law would say, "This is going to be MORE! FUN!"

Let me know - in the comments or via email - if you have any questions. And if you're interested in participating, let me know that in the comments, too - I'll email you the button code to make it easier for you to use it.