Hi Sheri, if your starter is bubbling, that's a very good sign, so I wouldn't give up hope. You didn't mention what type of feeding routine you're following, but the fact that you said it was "nice and thick," makes me wonder if perhaps you're adding a little extra flour each time you feed your starter, which is causing it to have an almost dough-like consistency? This certainly won't harm your starter, but may be making it more difficult for you to see the type of bubbling behavior we picture and describe. If you're following our sourdough starter recipe, a normal feeding consists of saving 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) starter and feeding this 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) water and 1 scant cup (4 ounces, 113g) unbleached all-purpose flour. Note that we call for a "scant" cup of flour; if you don't have a scale, this means measuring a not quite full cup of flour, using this method. This feeding routine should yield a thick, but easily stirrable pasty consistency right after feeding. As the starter begins to rise and ferment it becomes more like a thick pancake batter, with bubbles throughout. If the starter is allowed to fall completely it will return to the level where it was right after feeding, but will be thinner in texture, with perhaps some frothy bubbles on top. You didn't mention if your starter is rising predictably, which is the most important behavior to look for in a mature starter. If your starter is doing that, then it's likely mature and ready for baking, and all you need to do is tweak the amount of flour you're adding to bring it more in line with our recipe. If you're not seeing any rising, thinning out the starter a bit may also reveal a more discernable rise. I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes! 

Barb

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