Sidetracked Anniversary

Thirty years ago, we weren’t writers -we were women with glue guns, glitter, and a dream. The Sidetracked Sisters started as a mom (Sandy), her two daughters (Lisa and me), and her sister (Judy), selling hand-painted crafts in someone’s living room.

Our in-home craft shows smelled like cinnamon and glue sticks, and if you walked in during setup, you’d probably trip over a box of ribbon or hear one of us hollering about misplaced glitter. It was chaos – in the best way.

These shows were usually held on the opening weekend of deer hunting season, also known as Widows’ Weekend. While the men were in tree stands, women were out shopping, hopping between in-home craft fairs. That became our own yearly tradition – our unofficial anniversary of doing something creative together.

We had dreams of making it big. I mean, who wouldn’t want a frosted mason jar candle or a melty snowman with a face sliding south? We were sure we’d be rolling in the dough. Spoiler: we were not. But we did end up with a lot of “inventory” that just happened to find homes on our own shelves. Sometimes, if something didn’t sell but we liked it, we kept it. Sometimes in triplicate.

The craft shows ran for almost ten years. We even dipped into spring fairs – mostly just one in Beaver Dam, hosted by the Women’s Affiliate. But those endless, sleepless nights assembling our goods weren’t sustainable. When you could get similar stuff at Walmart for half the price, we knew our glue gun glory days were numbered.

Still, every year around November, there was this little spark. Like a holiday or a reunion. An anniversary of laughter, hot glue, and teamwork. And that energy didn’t disappear – it just shifted.

Eventually, the crafting quieted… and the writing began.

At first, it wasn’t “legacy” writing. It was just us blogging about random topics – whatever word or idea struck our fancy that week. But in 2014, ten years after our crafting heyday began to slow down, we got more intentional. That’s when our legacy writing officially took root. The plan was simple: one topic, four voices. Different perspectives on one shared theme.

The path hasn’t always been straight.
In 2004, Grandma Is got sick.
In 2005, Judy moved to Colorado, starting a ten-year sabbatical from Sidetracked life.
We tried reviving the blog with a monthly topic, but that fizzled too.

In 2015, we had a fun (if unrealistic) idea to create “Sidetracked Skirts” – each of us designing one to fit our personalities. Sandy’s would be long and flowy. Lisa’s sporty. Judy’s would be sleek and business professional. Mine would be plus-size business casual. Needless to say, that plan stayed on the hanger.

2016? Don’t ask—we have only one writing to show for it. No one remembers why.

Then came May 2017. On the way home from a girls’ weekend in St. Charles, Illinois, Lisa and I created a list of 80 writing prompts. By August, we launched our new rhythm: one topic per month, drawn randomly from a hat, with a new post from one of us each week. That structure worked – and it stuck for a good while.

In August 2018, Lisa and I began meeting for Sunday morning coffee to brainstorm content for Sidetracked Sisters. When Mom and Judy caught wind of it, they were jealous, so we invited them in. Around then, we also started sharing on Instagram.

By January 2022, we needed a change. We shifted to one new topic every week – with all four of us posting our takes. That format has held strong ever since. We also launched our Sidetracked Legacies podcast, where we read our blog posts aloud and encourage others to write their own legacy stories.

In May 2022, we added interviews with everyday people who had begun their own legacy writing. Their stories were moving, real, and inspiring.

That fall, we retired our Sidetracked Sisters Instagram account and began posting as Sidetracked Stories instead. Judy and Lisa kept the podcast going into 2023, focusing on how to craft your own stories from scratch.

By July, we had launched the Overcoming Writer’s Block podcast, where we continued to spotlight legacy storytellers.

In January 2024, Sidetracked Stories returned once more as a podcast – this time with Lisa and a rotating cast of Sidetracked Sisters discussing our weekly topics. That show ran until June 2024, when we pushed pause… for now.

And now? We’re shifting again.

We’ve reframed everything we’ve created into four pillars that reflect the heart of who we are:
✨ Sidetracked Spark (relationships & motivation)
🧠 Sidetracked Sanity (practical living & mindset)
🌿 Sidetracked Surroundings (home & environment)
💫 Sidetracked Soul (connection & inner growth)

It’s still us – same voices, same sidetracked energy – but now we’re branching into TikTok, exploring what’s possible in short-form storytelling, and embracing a new way to share our legacy.

So, yes—this is our thirtieth anniversary of being Sidetracked.

We’ve celebrated in crafts and blogs, in coffee shops and car rides, in voice memos and podcast episodes. Some anniversaries we recognized. Some we didn’t. But every season of reinvention, every ritual of reconnecting, every shared laugh – that’s what built this thing we now call a legacy.

We didn’t become rich from our crafts.
But we became rich in stories.
And if you ask me, that’s the better deal.

Click here to check out other Sidetracked opinions

Click here to listen to the Sidetracked Legacies podcast

Want to create your own legacy? Join the Sidetracked Sisters and start now!

Ever thought about working with a Life Coach? Are you a woman over 50 who feels unfulfilled in your long-term relationship? Lisa can help you rekindle love and joy, and avoid a “gray divorce.” Check out Lisa Hoffman Coaching.

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