Thank you, Ken and DelawareToday for choosing to feature me as one of
36 Intriguing Delawareans
• Antionette Blake ~ Beloved Blogger
BY KEN MAMMARELLA
Blogging means several important things to Antoinette Blake, a Middletown resident who in 2013 was voted best upstate blogger by Delaware Today readers.
It started to “fill a void” following the death of her grandmother, Nina Midget, who raised her.
It became a lucrative second job, as a blogger and blogging teacher. And maybe a second career.
It fulfills her, and she wants the same for you. “It’s good for the mind and body and soul,” she says.
Blake, 56, was born in Cincinnati, grew up in a New York housing project and came to Delaware as a teen when her uncle asked his extended family to join him while stationed at Dover Air Force Base.
She earned a degree at Delaware State University and taught in elementary school for a year before getting a job at IBM. Her three-decade career there, as an employee and contractor, began as a secretary, moved to procurement and now is in real estate and facilities.
In her spare time, she loved scoring fashions while shopping at thrift stores with Mama Midget. “But most of my family and friends didn’t care about my finds,” the thriftanista says, calling her husband Gregory and sons Tayair and Malik “a houseful of testosterone who couldn’t care less.”
After Mama Midget died, she started to blog in 2012, first on Facebook, then DeDivahDeals.com (“fashion and fun after fifty”) and now this year on Delblogger.com. She’s produced more than 1,600 posts so far, plus podcasts.
Her most popular posts have been reviews, of Grub Burger Bar in Concord Mall, an HP Notebook, and the Mitsubishi Outlander. “The one that I love the most and repeat each year is in memory of my sister and grandmother. It’s a Mother’s Day post that makes me cry every time I read it.” Her mother died when she was 7; her sister was killed in a 1992 car accident. Some of that bittersweet advice: “Never forget where you came from. … Believe and achieve. … Don’t eat too much candy.”
If you are interested in learning how to start a blog or improve on one that you currently have, please head over to www.ABlakeEnterprises.com for information on rates and dates of availability.
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5 thoughts on “Delaware Today – 36 Intriguing Delawareans • Antionette Blake”
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Blogigtng is joy to the soul, simply because it heals to release pressures life introduces to us in our daily challenges as we strive for excellence. You’re doing a fantastic job as a blogger and meaningfully connecting with your audience. Keep doing what you’re doing. 🙂
Thank you, I have been journaling since 1973, and find writing is an excellent way to not only stay connected but it’s a great way to clear the head.
Congrats on the feature !!
Thank you, it was truly an honor and humbling to be chosen.
To overcome your pain, you have to own it. Blogging helps you to own your experiences which have caused you pain. I have had some not so pleasant experiences, and have also found blogging to be therapeutic. Blogging is electronic journaling, which allows you to communicate with a large audience. Therefore, you are able to help more people with the information you share on your blog or Facebook page.
Antoinette, I am so proud of you. This is a great feature article. Keep up the great, great work. God Bless You sis!