Almost 2 1/2 years ago when I first decided to blog, I really didn’t know much about it. A friend had asked me to read hers and it looked like a fun soapbox-drama queen-stage-kind-of-an-outlet to me. We had recently moved to Tennessee, and as an at-home mom to three elementary-aged kids, I had the time to write.
After researching my options, I decided Blogger was the best place to begin: it was user friendly, and perhaps most attractive, it was free. The next step in blogging is deciding a name. I knew I wanted something simple, but every t
hought I had was a) forgettable, b) already done a thousand times, c) too “religious” (I DID want to write about my faith, but just not exclusively)….
As a devoted Harry Potter fan, “PENSIEVE” occurred to me early on. A literary device J.K. Rowling created to advance her storyline (first mentioned in book four, “Goblet of Fire”), a pensieve is a stone basin used to store extracted memories. Characters could later go back and “re-live” those memories (theirs or those belonging to others) by “falling” into the pensieve; they were present in the memory but not a part of it; they could see and hear what goes on, but those in the past memory could not see or hear them.
In a sense, a pensieve is used to download thought when the brain is too cluttered to contain it…which is kind of like a blog, right?
An interesting aside from a notes “that ‘pensieve’ is an anagram of Pevensie, the surname of the main characters from C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, in which the Pevensie children are thrust into another world through a magical cupboard, as Harry is thrust into a memory through the pensieve in Dumbledore‘s cupboard.”
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If you don’t yet have it, the Harry Potter series is a FANTASTIC way to engage your children through the written word, and you can buy the complete set for a great price here
(using my affiliate link).
I absolutely love the origin of your blog name.
For me, almost any complex carbohydrate is likely a good food (grin). So much for the diet.
I remember that post; that’s how I found you, remember?
Has it been 2 1/2 years already?????
K
I have not read any Harry Potter books so I always wondered about your name…thanks for educating me!!
I love the name of your blog and as a HP fan I did get the reference. Creme brûlée is the best desert ever!
I wondered about your blog’s name Pensieve. I have not read any Harry Potter or seen any of those movies. I have seen the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I’m a big fan of C.S. Lewis. I wish I had some sourdough starter. I guess I need to make some. Years and years ago there used to be a friendship bread starter going around and I kept that for a long time. Finally quit after the last batch fell on the floor.
I’m probably the only one in the universe who knows nothing about Harry Potter, but I do love how you got your blog name. And I too am a big fan of the potato :o)
My guess about your blog title’s right! 😉
And thanks for the link on to know Fun Monday more..have been looking for that link…
I’ve always though you blog title was very good .
You have a few fave foods that would be on my list if I had done 10 which I haven’t!
You chose such a good name for your blog and as for your list of food, it’s lunchtime here and I’m feeling very hungry!
Awh thanks for remembering how it all began. I couldn’t have loved it more and still love blogging today (when I get the time). I am so glad you are blogging…so much creativity in that mind! Anyways, thanks for the link.
I love your blog name. I also love Silver Queen corn and all forms of potato.
I think you had told me about your name before when I had mentioned Harry Potter, or else I just assumed because I’m such a rabid fan.
The food, sounds wonderful, and there’s NO WAY I could ever pick one (I would honestly have a hard time with ten!)
Told you before will tell you again: LOVE YOUR BLOG NAME. and I like the CS Lewis link.
Also, I love love love your number 1 food…we call it Squashed Squash Casserole. I haven’t made it while I’ve been married but maybe I should give it the old college try!
wow. your neighbor let you borrow a car. that’s great. i wish we had that this weekend… scroll down to my sunday and saturday posts if you havent seen them already!
i wondered if your blog had a HP connection! it always makes me smile! (that’s harry potter not the computer stuff)
True story: When I first found you I never commented because you were quite religious and very religious people make me nervous because I tend to offend them. Then I realized that your blog is named from something out of the Harry Potter books and anyone who is cool with books about magic is open-minded enough to be my friend and that’s when I started reading you regularly.
One of my best decisions.
I didn’t put my favorite dish because it would have been never ending. I just keep shaking my head as I read because everybody’s favorites are great. Of course I’d be using a different sweet onion 🙂
I haven’t seen macaroni & cheese yet. Now that can’t be beat.
Being a Harry Potter Fan household I was drawn to your blog name from the start. I like your explanation of the whole idea. time for breakfast cuz all these food lists are making me hungry….
I love Harry Potter, but never twigged that it was where your name came from. I will have to surrender my fan club card!
Don’t you just love surprising people? I love your name and, so far, haven’t misspelled it once.
I also just bookmarked your squash casserole recipe for later in the week. Thank you.
The first time I saw your blog name (on the other host site) I knew what it meant. I’m a HUGE Harry Potter fan and I thought you had picked the absolutely CLEVERIST name for a blog. Still do.
you and I? have similar food tastes as well.
And we both love Paula Deen.
DNA TEST STAT
I’ve never read a Harry Potter book either so now I’ve learned something about it!
That squash casserole sounds wonderful. I love squash and Vidalia onions. My grandparents lived in Vidalia for almost 20 years and I spent a lot of time down there as a kid. My grandfather worked for the Dept. of Agriculture and my grandmother always had an ample supply (bags upon bags upon bags) of Vidalia onions straight from the field.
Any HP reference is great. You made me hungry with your food list. Yum.
I think your blog name is absolutely perfect for your blog. I have since I first saw it (and I knew you weren’t misspelling pensive).
I think that our blogs are so much like Dumbledore’s Pensieve. I love the books, And the name!
Good to know, now your title makes total sense! You’ll be happy to know we like the same desserts! 🙂
Hmmmmmmmmmm, now I KNOW!!! As you can tell, I’m not a Harry Potter fan, so I had no idea. Cool! I’m certainly glad that Mariposa came up with the idea.
Daggum, I’m late to my own party! Ok…I’ll respond to the comments that are BEGGING for response, k? 🙂
Celeste, Ooooo! Merci, merci!!
Kim, not quite that long, sweets. I blogged anonymously for the first six months…seriously.
Alison, I’ve always wondered what people thought if they hadn’t read….
Alix, no wonder we get along :).
Junebug, I never got as far as MAKING the Amish Fship Bread–the friend who gave me the starter gave it to me in a small ziploc bag; IT EXPLODED ON ABOUT DAY FOUR!!! That was the end of that!
As far as sourdough starter…I finally found a “good” potato flake recipe for getting the starter started. Now, my bread is DELICIOUS!!!
Thanks, JoyT,ChrisB, Jan 🙂
Mariposa, GLAD to help when it’s needed :).
Beccy, that always happens to me when I read food posts :/.
Senselight, thank YOU (and you’re welcome). GLAD you’re back to writing!!
Hulagirl, we should get along j u s t r i g h t 🙂
Lisa, yep, I knew we “rabid fans” would appreciate the HP reference :).
Alex, thanks AGAIN, and YES! Make it soon, make it TONIGHT!!! 🙂
Jill, doesn’t look like I’m getting to visit blogs today…but I’ll catch up with you tomorrow (you have me VERY curious!).
Jenny, I **heart** you, *itch ;).
Pamela, you didn’t read my fine print, did you? 😉
Ellen, I wonder if some people won’t read me BECAUSE of the blog title explanation…hmmmm.
Ann, gosh, I love the way you phrased that (must remember to use “twigged” as a verb!!)
Sandy, that recipe is BETTER THAN DESSERT!!!
CPA Mom, hmmm, I think I like you 20% more after learning we’re related :).
SS, Oh, my…vidalias out the ying yang? How FORTUNATE!!!
S Jenn, I’ve actually had people email me to tell me the title is misspelled!!
Thanks, JennV :).
I like the graphics for your blog a great deal–very crip and easy to read. Also like the originality of your blog name.
I knew immediately what your blog was and definitely approved. In fact, I’d have named mine that if I’d have though of it…
Tiramisu – oh how I miss you!
And, you remind me again how Prince Caspian is coming out sooo soon!! Yay.
Great list of foods!! I am with you on most of them!!! They aren’t weird at all (at least to me)
I really need to comment when I read a post. I thought I had commented because I read it. I think I need to go back to bed.
I am am HP fan so I just figured that’s what you named your blog for and I always thought it was VERY clever!! Thanks for sharing the tidbit about C.S. Lewis. I knew she pulled lots of her inspiration for her books from J.R.R. Tolkien and his LOTR series.
Just in case I never thanked you before, Thank you for taking the time to create the FM list and FAQ. It’s the best thing!!
love your blog name, love the colours, always makes me feel cheerful 🙂
I’ve always wondered about your blog name. How fantastically creative! I LOVE IT!
You know, in our home we call Paula Deen “that butter lady”. =)
Thanks for sharing!
I know I’m late for this comment Robin, but I did do a post on my blog about top 10 favorite things that I like to eat (except I ended up thinking of more, thanks to my friends who posted, that I’ve gone out to eat with!!). Just thought I’d let you know in case you wanted to see the stuff we like to consume in all too big a quantity!!
Good to know. I was beginning to feel sorry for you for misspelling your blog name 🙂 Haven’t read Harry Potter, and not quick enough to catch the “Pevensie” reference (we love them). Happy Partying!