Writers Workshop: Boys, Boys, Messy Boys

This week, one of the writing prompts at Mama Kat's reminded me of another opportunity I'd seen on The SITS Girls website.  So, I'm gonna go ahead and kill two birds with one stone here!

1.) The SITS Girls are giving away a Canon Rebel Camera and are asking people to enter by writing a post following these directions and answer this prompt: Spending time with friends and family can lead to fun and memorable moments, but also some very messy ones. Tell us about the messiest moments that you’ll always remember! Let’s hear yours!

I know that all kids can be messy, but it seems like boys just have that little extra thing inside... that thing that makes them want to do things.  Messy things.

They eat messy.





They play messy (and eat rocks, apparently).



They make mischief messy.



When Sam was about three years old, I took him to the park one day and we were exploring the shore of the lake.  It was wet outside, as Washington tends to be, and the sand was wet and a bit muddy.  We met a woman there who had a dog, and Sam started throwing the frisbee for her dog and having a grand old time.  He was also getting all dirty.  She asked me if he was my first child, and when I replied that he was, she complimented me on the fact that I was so calm about him getting dirty.  She said that she knows many parents who, especially with their first, are not so easygoing about dirt.

I guess I just feel that we have five senses for a reason.  Kids like to FEEL things, they like to explore the world by putting their hands in mud.  By sprinkling sand over their heads.  By rubbing baby powder into your couch.  They put their hands in yogurt, and learn how it feels to smear it all over their faces.  They splash and watch the water fly and feel it hit their skin.  They put Play-doh in their mouths.  Then spit it out on your carpet.  They roll down hills and get grass stained.  They eat ice cream with such abandon that a river of chocolate runs down their chin, and down their clothing.  

Sometimes, it's hard to clean up.  But really, that's what washers and driers and soap and Clorox bleach are for, right?  Dirt is temporary, but the smiles and memories and the happiness they get from being dirty?  Those are forever.

I received information about Clorox’s Bleach It Away campaign and am sharing my messy moment for the chance to win prizes from The SITS Girls. To learn more about the messy moment program, check out www.BleachItAway.com.  Sharing your story on the Clorox fan page gets you entered for the chance to win $25,000 and daily prizes, and you can grab a coupon for Clorox® Regular Bleach.

Happy Haul-idays: Chronicle Books Will Make a Readers Day

Have you heard of Chronicle Books? Thanks to Gwen at Chew & Digest Books, I heard about a totally AWESOME contest they're having called Happy Haul-idays. If you've got a blog, you come up with your ultimate wish list from Chronicle. One blogger will win their list - up to $500 worth of books! A dream come true for a book lover like me. And, it gets better. Not only will the blogger win their list - one of their readers will win it too!

It was SO hard to narrow it down, but here's what I finally came up with.

For the Kids

I love kids books and so far Sam has gotten some of that love passed on. Chronicle has some really unique and fun children's books, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to pick out a few.

I love quirky children's books and am drawn in by illustrations.

Other Goose: Re-Nurseried and Re-Rhymed Children's Classics Retold and Illustrated by J.otto Seibold ($19.99) - I love re-imagined classic stories, so I figure Sam and I could really enjoy this one together.














Shadow by Suzy Lee ($15.99) - Sam has been really into shadows lately and making shadow puppets, so I think he'd really like this one.






The Present by Bob Gill ($15.99) - This one looks really cute, and Sam has a big imagination so I think it would inspire him.












Odd Velvet by Mary Whitcomb ($14.99) - If you've got a kid who's just a little different, books like this are awesome. They show that it's okay to be yourself, and open the door for discussions about what makes each of us unique.











Humor

Laughter is a great release, and Chronicle has some great books to make you laugh out loud. What better way to start the new year than with a laugh?

Tiny Art Director by Bill Zeman ($14.95) - What parent hasn't been bossed around by their child? Imagine being an artist and hearing your child's opinions about your art. Just look at that cover - who could resist?







F in Exams by Richard Benson ($9.95) - I'm sure that a lot of you have seen those chain emails with the hysterical answers people write. Well, this guy wrote a book. And I want it!
















Dirt is Good for You from the editors of Babble.com ($15.95) - As a parent, I can't help liking stories of parenting got wrong. They remind me that we're all human, and none of us are alone.















All my friends are dead. by ($9.95) - A picture book for grown ups, this book presents the downside to being everything from a dinosaur to a clown to a zombie. I bet that Sam would think this one was really funny too, he has a great sense of humor!














Dirty Little Secrets from Otherwise Perfect Moms by Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile ($12.95) - Just another look into the pitfalls of parenting! I am a sucker for these stories.
















Photography

Since I love photography but don't usually splurge on really nice photo books, I couldn't resist some of the cool collections that Chronicle makes.

Animal Logic by Richard Barnes ($65.00) - "Through his lens, sights and objects normally hidden from public view—half-installed dioramas, partially wrapped specimens, anatomical models, exploded skulls, and taxidermied animals in shipping crates—take on a strange beauty." How cool does this sound? I love photo-journalism, and this sounds like a great collection of captured moments.









Bloom by Ron van Dongen ($35.00) - If you've been around here for a while, you may have noticed that I love photographing flowers. So how could I resist this gorgeous volume?










Girl Culture by Lauren Greenfield (40) - "In Girl Culture, she combines a photojournalist’s sense of story with fine-art composition and color to create an astonishing and intelligent exploration of American girls." On my bookshelves, I have a section of books about women and girls. Feminist type books, books about birth and friendship and being a woman. I'd love to add this one.






Creature by Andrew Zuckerman ($60.00) - "This collection of astonishing studio portraits of 175 wild creatures—from baby leopards to parrots, bears, mandrills, and many more—are stunningly foregrounded against white backgrounds, depicting their subjects with rare sensitivity, insight, humor, and wonder." I love animals, and this just looks so cool. I love the idea of being able to look at the animals with the white background and really see them like never before.






Humanity by Geoff Blackwell ($24.95) - "This stunning treasury of color and black-and-white photographs was sourced from a major international photography competition to find extraordinary and geographically diverse photographs that celebrate humanity's moments of intimacy, laughter, and kinship." More captured moments for me!











The New Photography Manual by Steve Bavister and Lee Frost and Rod Lawton and Andrew Fleetwood and Patrick Hook ($29.95) - "...definitive illustrated guide to all things photography-related. A veritable bible for beginners as well as an invaluable reference for accomplished photographers, this volume covers the ins and outs of photography equipment and techniques." I may be SLIGHTLY jumping the game because I don't actually have my new camera yet... but I can start learning!

Random

Sometimes you just come across a book that you need to add to your collection. Here's a little insight into the quirky stuff you might find on my bookshelf.

Extreme Encounters by Greg Emmanuel ($15.95) - There's just something about close encounters isn't there? Escaping just by a hair. Call it luck or skill, these are stories of things most of us will (hopefully) never experience. I can't resist!















Back to Us: A Couple's Journal of Reconnection and Growth by Raphael Cushnir ($19.95) - "Back to Us is designed to take couples on a journey that will lead them to a more fulfilling relationship, whether they have been together for five years or fifty." You may have noticed that marriage is not always easy. I LOVE the idea of using a guided system of prompts, quizzes and conversation starters to reconnect and nurture my relationship.










The Exquisite Book by By Julia Rothman, Jenny Volvovski,
and Matt Lamothe Foreword by Dave Eggers ($29.95) - "The Exquisite Book, one hundred indie artists play an ingenious version of the Exquisite Corpse drawing game. Each adorns a page with artwork—having seen only the page of the artist immediately prior and using a single horizon line to connect the two." This just sounds cool!











Get High Now by James Nestor ($14.95) - "Get High Now is an illustrated, mind-blowing magic carpet ride of more than 175 ways to alter human perception and consciousness—without drugs or alcohol. Culled from science, physiology, spiritual practices, and the audio visual arts, these "all natural" highs playfully and safely explore the mind-body connection to entertaining and illuminating effect." The human body is pretty amazing, and I love learning quirky stuff about how it works. So, this caught my eye.










Hey! It's That Guy by Tara Ariano and Adam Sternbergh ($14.95) - I'm a major TV junkie, and this book sounds like just the thing to brush up my trivia and useless knowledge!















So, that's my wish list. You can find details of the contest and a list of all the blogs that are participating here. Make your own list or visit other bloggers to comment and get a chance at winning the books on their wish list! Friday is the last day to enter, so get on it! Or just leave a comment here, and if I win - so do you!

Update on Moving & Blog Salad

I have about a million things running through my head right now, and I need to work on some articles tonight, so for this Friday? Blog Salad it will be. Blog Salad is not good for you like real salad. It's more like that salad you get at Red Robin where it has fried chicken and bacon and fatty creamy salad dressing, and you can sort of convince yourself that it's good for you, but not really. Mostly it's just delicious.

• I posted yesterday about our coming move to Justin's childhood home. As the day went on yesterday it became clear that 1. communication is not this family's strong suit and 2. everyone had a different opinion. Basically, we talked to Justin's nephew and he expressed that he and his friend are still looking/deciding about their living arrangements. Living at the house had been brought up as an option, but it wasn't something they were planning on/counting on. So, for now it's still out there as an option, but it's not for sure. We need to get him, his Dad, Justin & me, and Justin's Dad all on the same page to figure out what's really going to happen. No matter what, WE are moving, and we have to make the move before the end of July.
• I haven't been reading Avitable for that long, but I am bloggily enamoured with him. Not only is he funnier than shit, he is also an actual GOOD PERSON who happens to have a blog. He cares about people, and he is not afraid to show it. Then he slapped me across the head with this post, and I just about wanted to fly to Florida and become his best-buddy-neighbor. Go read it.
• This week has not been the greatest for Rachael and Weight Watchers. I've been eating so/so, but haven't been getting any exercise, although there is a sort-of reason for that (see next bullet). Tonight, we had Pizza Hut, oh wait, sorry, The Hut, and I ate too much. Oh well. Next week is another week. I think the move will help with eating better because we'll be FORCED to cook more, no pizza places deliver out there and it's too much of a pain in the ass to go pick food up because it's a lot longer drive.
• One of the reasons I haven't been exercising this week is because I have this awful cold. It started out Monday morning as a cough, which lasted until last night and I woke up this morning with an awful nasal drip and have been sneezing all day long. It's annoying because it's not bad enough that I can just lie prostrate on the couch while someone takes care of me (not that there's anyone to do that), it's just that I feel like I'm running at about 75% of normal and am too hot and more tired than I should be. Being sick in the summer sucks.
• I have been enjoying summer TV - Raising the Bar, The Closer, So You Think You Can Dance, and In Plain Sight. I can't wait for Leverage to come back. What are you watching this summer? Also, we didn't discover Penn & Teller's Bullshit until last summer and I love it! It's great. This is it's 7th season and I'd love to get past seasons to watch.
  
• Audrey over at Barking Mad is having an amazing giveaway. She is absolutely in love with her Keurig, and she is giving away a Keurig Platinum Brewing System!!!! Now, I don't drink coffee, and have faced the same problems as Auds - I want to have a way to make coffee for guests, but I don't want to keep a coffee pot I won't use. Well, you know what is fricking awesome about Keurig? It's not just for coffee! You can also use it to brew single cups of tea and to make fresh hot cocoa. It's like a dream! So, head over there and enter. Or don't. Actually, don't. Because then I'll have more of a chance to win!
• For some reason this one tooth in the back of my mouth is scraping against my tongue and it's bugging the crap out of me.
• When we move, we're going to have two more cats, and I'm really, really hoping that our cat will get along with him.
  

All right... I guess that's about it for now. I'll have my SYTYCD recap up over the weekend, maybe tomorrow evening. I hope that everyone has an amazing (hopefully 3 day if you're lucky) weekend, and a wonderful Independance Day however you decide to celebrate!

15 Week Challenge!

June 29 marked the first day of Amy's 15 Week Challenge! I found Amy's site, Amy's Quest to Skinny, through Enz at The 4 Walls. I was excited just to FIND her blog, because finding other people who are on the same journey I am is incredibly encouraging. But when I found out about the 15 Week Challenge, I was even more excited! I can't wait to make some new friends, and participate in motivating each other over the next three and a half months.

So, what is the 15 Week Challenge? 164 of us ladies out there have signed up with Amy to support each other and compete from now until October 19 to lose some weight, eat right, and get in better shape. We'll be competing Every week, there is a weekly challenge and a Wednesday Workout challenge where we can earn extra points, and at the end we'll be judged by % of weight lost to make it fair even though everyone is a different size.

I had a very busy week this week, and didn't do the weekly challenge or Workout Wednesday, but in the future you can look forward to some posts about the 15 Week Challenge here! If you want to support us, check out Amy's blog. She has some great ideas and tips for getting more fit!

Hometown Swap!

I had read about swaps for a while, and FINALLY got to try one a couple of months ago. I LOVE THEM! So when I read about Shannon's Hometown Swap? I was so excited! I especially liked this one because I didn't know who or where I was getting a package from... until today! When it arrived! YAY!

For the Hometown Swap, we each picked an area of the country we'd never been to or were interested in. My 2 choices were New England & The South. Today the mailwoman delivered my package - all the way from Tennessee! My package came from Melissa, who blogs at Campbell Chatter. Here's the loot:

A Tennessee Titans T-Shirt and a beautiful country style decoration for my house! Plus of course a really nice card from Melissa! To tell you the truth, I am not always one for country style decorations. But I really like this one! It's really cute, and I really love stars. And, the willow tree is my favorite tree! So, I promptly hung it up in my kitchen...

The 'Love' magnet at the bottom is actually separate, but I liked how it looked stuck to the vase, so I left it! It's a little crooked, but I didn't have the patience to fix it right now, because I wanted to come show you all what I got!

I don't watch football much, so from now on I will just root for the Titans, ok? After all, I have the gear!

To see what I sent out from my home town, good old Bellingham, head over to Kat's place at Sunshine & Lemonade!

To see the other awesome things people sent (I can't wait to see!) head over to Shannon at Welcome to the Nuthouse!

On a completely unrelated note, my living room? Totally the transportation hub of Washington.

Haiku Randomosity

Did you say bedtime?
I run screaming in terror,
for it is awful.

I have no answers
only questions. And last night?
"Only" took two hours!

Yeah... so bedtime has sucked a little bit lately. Oh wait, did I say a LITTLE bit? I meant a LOT! I am sort of at the end of my rope. It's the one MAJOR struggle we have with Sam. He's such a good kid, this is the one area where we're a little lost at what to do. Nothing seems to be working, so we're devising a plan. More about this next week - it needs a full post!

I was on my stoop,
I hope it makes you proud to
yell at a toddler

I heard what you said
Motherly rage reared up - I
swear, I'll pound you, bitch!

So today Sam was being a total jerk about bedtime and throwing a giant fit, so Justin took him in the bedroom and he was screaming and I was starving and at the end of my rope, so I grabbed one of the only things in the fridge - a wine cooler - and sat out on the front stoop. I could hear people in the next yard over talking. Suddenly I heard this: "...hear... through the window, DAMNIT!". I fully admit that I did not hear the whole sentence, and that it could have been referring to something else. But I got the feeling that the woman next door was YELLING AT MY TODDLER. Or at us. About how she could hear him screaming through the window.

There is a tiny bit of background, our neighbors are a little strange, and I've only ever talked to the husband, and even that is very sparingly. The wife has this vibe, she never smiles at us, never says hi, and I always feel this aura of dislike around her. I really don't think she likes us for whatever reason. So, I immediately convinced myself that she was talking about us. In which case...

WTF?! Do you think we LIKE it when he cries like that? What are we supposed to do about it, let him run wild and have no discipline and become a total asshole when he grows up? BTW, as far as I know this woman has no children, they are probably in their 30s (he might be in his 40s) and they've never had any kids around their house. I was SO mad that I came in the house and told Justin to go eat while I tried putting Sam to bed b/c I was so mad I couldn't even eat my dinner.

Trepidation, fear,
nervousness, but most of all
excitement and hope.

Tomorrow is my
first day of training, a new
volunteering job

I'll become support,
an advocate,an ear to
hear stories, hold strong

Another link in
a bridge of hope, of change for
people who need it

I am very excited, tomorrow I start training to be a volunteer for a nonprofit Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services organization in town. It's something I've felt called to do for a while now, and that I finally managed to get an application in for and interview for last month. After I go through training, there are several options for the kinds of volunteer work I can do - answering the hotline, acting as an advocate to people involved in court cases, acting as an advocate for people at the hospital etc. I know it's not going to be easy. I know that this is a really heavy thing to do for volunteer work. I just feel drawn to do it, and I hope that I'll do well in training and be good at this.

Holy crap, it's hot.
My house is like a sauna
and it's barely June!

So... we have a little house. It's probably around 700 square feet. We have a big bay window in the front of the house, and in the morning the sun comes in and heats up the whole living room/dining room. The front door comes into a tiny hallway at an angle from the window. The two windows in the living room and one in the dining room don't open. The bedrooms are off on the side and there is virtually no way to create a draft through the house. It's effing hot in here. Putting Sam to bed last night sucked because I was SO HOT and of course he wants to still cuddle and be touching. At least this year we have a hand-me-down air conditioner in our bedroom window!

I admit I love
TV more than is likely
healthy... but who cares?

Finale alley
is done, did you see House or
SVU? SO GOOD!

Summer brings a few
exciting premiers, what will
you be watching now?

Just watched the Law & Order: SVU season finale last night, and it was so good! I totally didn't expect that guy to go bad. The House season finale was also great, I am looking forward to the start of next season and seeing where it goes. Grey's Anatomy? Total and utter craziness. My theory? Izzy lives, George dies. I definitely think one of them is really dead. After the show was over, I went on YouTube and watched the last 5 minutes of the episode about 5 more times. Once I knew it was George, I totally could tell, but I did not guess it during the episode.

I got to watch the last few episodes of Eli Stone that never aired (they showed on SciFi in the UK), and I liked the last episode. I thought it was excellent, and of course I'm still disappointed that it got cancelled.

As for summer shows? My very favorite summer show, So You Think You Can Dance? IT'S BACK! I have only watched the first episode so far, and I totally almost cried when Brandon came back and danced and Mary was sobbing. He was absolutely amazing, and I can't wait to see him on the show. Of course I am really looking forward to season 2 of True Blood. We also like Burn Notice, Eureka, Monk, Psych, Weeds, and I'm going to try out the new show Nurse Jackie and see how that is.

Yesterday I shipped
two special packages, one
to England, one... not!

The first a special
gift, a Spirit jump for a
woman needing love.

The second a prize,
the best from my home town, to
share why I love here!

I am very excited about these packages. The first one was a Spirit Jump for a woman in England. I'm going to post about Spirit Jump soon, but I also have a button over in the sidebar. It's basically a way for anyone who has time and motivation to send gifts/cards/well wishes to people who are fighting cancer. It's a very cool program. When I heard about this woman, and that she loves Africa, I knew that I had the perfect thing. My Dad travels to Africa several times a year for his job, and I have a few African baskets that are so pretty to have around, so I sent one. I hope that it brings a little bit of sunshine to her life.

The second package was for Shannon's Hometown Swap. It should arrive in Georgia by Monday - do you know who you are?! I can't wait to get my package and see where and who it came from!

My Brain is Mush... But in a Good Way

I wish I had more to say today, but I spent all weekend at my church annual Women's Retreat. It was wonderful, I wish it was more than once a year! I'm still gathering my thoughts and know that at least one great revelation came out of it for me, which I can't really talk about yet. It's a solution to a problem that we've been dealing with that would make things easier, and hoepfully it will be worked out soon so I can share it.

So, I don't have the energy to write now, and instead I'm sitting on my couch getting caught up on LOST. WOO! Love it. I'll be back tomorrow with something more intelligent.

PS Oh yeah! Something else wonderfully exciting happened to me this weekend - I won! I won one of the awesome Twilight gift bags Auds at Barking Mad was giving away. See what I won?


I am super excited because I wasn't going to buy the movie because we don't really have the extra money right now, and I also don't own any of the books, I just borrowed them. I think I might be re-reading them soon!

What did you do this weekend?

Betcha Didn't Know...

...how much I want to be WAY more interesting. Betcha didn't know how long I sat on my couch this morning trying to think of SOMETHING interesting to share after reading Aud's post for the Betcha Didn't Know Super Fabulous Twilight Givaway she is hosing on her blog. Oh well, I guess I'll have to make do, eh?

Betcha didn't know that my son is named after 2 people. One is his great x6 or 7 Grandfather, Samuel Denn. The other is a boy I knew when I was younger who took his own life in 1999. He was an amazing person named Samuel Girouard. I only knew him for a couple of years, but he was someone very important in the development of my adult self and understanding how I relate to other people, and how I SHOULD relate to other people. I think about him all the time, and am happy to remember him when I use his name.

Betcha didn't know that my husband and I both don't believe in divorce as an option for our relationship. We've had challenges, and I can't imagine anything that would split us unless one of us became a murderer or a psychopath. We met very young, and we know that sometimes that's a challenge, but we will always find a way to face the challenges that come up.

Betcha didn't know that yesterday I had to spend $500 to get my brakes fixed and transmission fluid flushed etc. And that we need new tires that we can't afford. And that I went to the dentist on Wednesday then afterwards realized there was no point because I can't afford the $700 worth of fillings and guards and cleaning I need, let alone the $1500 for a bridge I was supposed to get years ago but can't afford. And that my husband's job doesn't pay enough for us to pay our bills and buy groceries, diapers, and gas. And that I can't find a job and our "savings" (read: luck money from 4 year old lawsuit) has dwindled down to $1400 and is slowly being drained and that in a couple of months we have NO IDEA what we're going to do. Betcha didn't know that I'm scared, but I try not to think about it.

I feel that this post is completely paled in comparison to Aud's, but that's about all I can come up with at the moment! What don't we know about you? Write a post, link up at Barking Mad, and you could win the fab Twilight gift pack!

Win $1000 worth of brand new cookware!

The good folks over at Food Service Warehouse are giving away a fabulous set of cookware. If you're not a big cooker, winning this set would certainly give you the bump you need to start enjoying your kitchen again! The best part (for me haha) is that if you win, I WIN! They're actually giving away two sets, one to a winner and one to the site that winner was referred from! I've got a button up on my sidebar, and winners will be announced in mid-April! If I win, I'll surprise my husband with it since he's the one who does most of the cooking around here and I know he'd love it. You could keep it for yourself, or give it as a gift... or a combination of both!

Favorite Things Swap!

Guess what? The other day I got something FABULOUS in the mail. It was my package from Emily! I wanted to wait a little bit to open it since I had just mailed mine, but I only managed to wait a day. Oh well! I apologize in advance for the crappy pictures - they certainly don't do the package justice! But, my camera is broken (again) and has been sent away for repairs, so I had to make due with my camera phone.

I slowly unloaded the box and found many spoils!

A pretty pink polka dot mug with hot chocolate (yum!), Hershey kisses, Smarties (love them!) and Harry Potter suckers as well as a couple of stickers because Em loves rock climbing.

Nail polish! I put nail polish in my package too, of course. She also sent me some lip gloss (which I will be lucky not to just put on my lips and lick off because it tastes like candy), really good smelling 'calm' lotion, some Bath & Body works lotion and last but not least a bottle of dream angels perfume from Victoria's Secret, which I've never bought, but it smells WONDERFUL!

Em loves Disney, so she sent me some stickers and a Cars bottle (which I have been letting my son carry around as he LOVES that movie). There was also a popcorn tub with popcorn in it, which I not only love, but is a great snack to eat on Weight Watchers because you can eat A LOT for very few points. I had seen on her blog that Em likes Hannah Montana, and I too am guilty. So, she sent me a cute Hannah Montana pen, along with a container of High School Musical Hand Sanitizer. I laughed out loud, because I also love HSM, and at that point my husband asked "Why were you made for each other?"

A really cute little flower painted wood block (now residing in my kitchen), a small star Christmas ornament (love stars) and a framed photo Em took. I also included a framed photo I'd taken in my package, since I love taking flower photos, so that was pretty cool.

And, lastly, the books! Em sent me a sketch book, a really really cute pink blank book with black velvet patterns & a magnet closure, and "Stand a Little Taller", which is a book of daily devotionals.

I read Emily's blog after we were matched as swap partners, and we have common interests as well as some similarities in other areas. One of the absolute BEST parts of the package was getting a note from her that she had gotten some good news in an area of her life she'd been hoping for! I was so excited for her.

I also cannot believe how good a match we were - I have looked through a lot of posts, and out of all the prizes I've seen none of them would have been better suited to me than what Emily sent! Talk about luck!

I had an absolute blast doing this swap, and can't wait to do it again! To see what other people got for their swaps, visit Mamarazzi at Dandelion Wishes!

Good for the Kids - and the Moms!

The Three Designing Women Customizable Personalized Stamp I would LOVE to win from the Room 704 and Good for the Kids contest is TOTALLY something I would covet in a nice magazine, but never be able to splurge on. I absolutely love stationary, cards, all of it. I just sat down last night to write some notes to a few friends (who doesn't love getting mail, right?) and looking at the stamps on Good for the Kids makes me think how pretty my envelopes would look if I had one! I might even use it to make myself my own cheap, personalized business cards!

By the way, if you haven't been over to Room 704 yet, you should totally stop by. Here's the description from this new website:

Room 704 is a collaboration of the warped geniuses of the masterminds behind the blogs Mrs. Flinger, Kaiser Alex and VDog and Little Man. We have a collective ten years of blog experience between us and none ya biz years of life experience combined.

Our goal is for everyone who reads to click away feeling better than before. This is an anything goes environment - we write about sex toys, sippy cups and serenity. Just not in the same post. Yet.

It's pretty great! Check out their posts, and enter to win the stamp if you'd like. Or don't. Because if you don't, my chances go up.

My Target is Target

One of my favorite bloggers, Auds over at Barking Mad, is running a super cool contest right now. Not only could I be a winner, but she is giving away the prize of prizes - a $250 gift certificate to TARGET! Who would not LOVE to win that? Seriously.

The best part is that all you have to do to enter is to make a post about the contest, and tell Auds about your best posts. According to Auds, "The idea behind the contest came from me surfing so many new blogs and really enjoying what I was reading, but yet wanting to get to know the writer/blogger better. Anyhow, I thought this would be a cool way to show off your best and share it with other people too!"

And, if you're a little crazy like me, maybe you'll find some awesome new blogs to add to your feedreader, because obviously you ALWAYS need new things to read.

Without further ado, here are my favorites...

Prosthetic Scrotums & Other Things That Annoyed Me This Week
An Amazing Life in Descent
A Perfect Moment
My Future, My Hope
You Are My Peace

Hope you enjoy them, now head over to Barking Mad to read some more great posts and enter to win, if you want to!

Mabel's Labels Makes Dreams Come True

Blogher '09, it's
only a dream to me, I
can't make it happen

The money is non-
existent, if not for that
I'd be there so fast

I want to meet YOU,
are you going? Please, can't you
just take me with you?!

I discovered this
long shot out there and I would
be crazy not to try!

Hey, guess what? The nice people over at Mabel's Labels are going to make one lucky blogger's dream come true by sending them to Blogher '09 in Chicago! You can find more information about the contest here. I would love to be at Blogher '09, but I just don't financially have the means to do it myself this year. So, I decided that I would throw my hat int he ring over at Mabel's Labels. So now, I have to tell you all about what the rewards and benefits have been of participating in the blogger community.

I started blogging 'for real' in the spring of 2008. I had dabbled before, but hadn't done anything to increase my readership or get involved in the blogging community. Suddenly, there I was. I wanted to write, and I wanted to communicate with other writers. I used to write a lot when I was younger, poetry and short stories, but I got a job, got a husband, had a kid, and all of that fell by the wayside. When my husband and I moved home to Bellingham, which is a much more artistic community than where we had been living, I started to feel creative again and realized that I needed an outlet, and that I missed the writing community I used to be a part of.

I wrote, and I discovered. I filled my Google Reader with amazing writers who I admired. I commented, I read about their lives. I laughed and I cried. Some of them came. They read my blog, they commented. Less than a year later, I feel like I am really a part of something amazing. When I have a bad day, I know someone out there has had the same day. When my son does something funny or amazing, I know there are people out there who will laugh or be proud with me. When I feel hopeless, there are voices speaking to me and giving that hope back.

I have learned a lot from these people who I've never met. I have shared their heartache, their frustration, their love and their pride. I have been reminded how blessed I am time and time again. There are those I know if I met them in the flesh that I would be starstruck, even though I know they are normal women from day to day. There are others that I imagine it would be like seeing an old friend again, and others that I would run up to and hug as hard as I could then buy them a martini.

There is a special bond between mothers, between writers, between women. I have seen amazing things here - when someone experiences a tragedy, I have seen the word spread like wildfire until hundreds of people are praying for peace, for recovery, for whatever is needed. I am able to use the time I have to pray for people who really need it.

I write for them. I write to share with them. I write to tell my story to those who will understand. I write to have a voice. I write to let someone else know that they are not alone. I write because I am compelled, because it's in my blood. But I do not write alone.

I write, and yet I cannot find the words to express what it all means to me. What have I found in this community? I've found myself again.

*To read more Haiku Friday posts, click here!*

A Swap, A Swap!

Oh my gosh, I am so excited! I have been wanting to do a swap for a long time, but none of the bloggers I read has hosted one - until now!


Gah! I already loved Mamarazzi, but now... I know it's real. I can't wait!

Weekend Winner Giveaway!

Guess what? Kat over at Sunshine & Lemonade is having a big freaking AWESOME contest.

For the 10th and final giveway in her Weekend Winners series, she is giving away a huge prize pack full of awesome things like movies, music, games, and Warm Delights desserts. I want it all! There are even gift cards!

You can enter here, but I'm sort of hoping you feel lazy and don't. More chance for me to win... :-)

I NEEDS it!

Look at this:
Holy cow, it's pretty, isn't it? I can just imagine one of my pretty blue mugs sitting under a steaming stream of delicious hot cocoa or tea on a rainy day.

What brought this to my attention?

Well, it just so happens that the ladies over at SITS (which you need to check out pronto because it is an awesome place to be) are GIVING ONE AWAY! Seriously. If you click right here, you can enter. And... I don't want you to win it. I mean, I realize I'm posting the contest right here for you to see. And enter. But I'm really just doing it so that I have a higher chance of winning. Haha.

So, now that I said that, you should DEFINITELY go enter, because I totally just stuck my tongue out at Karma, and you will probably win it now.

Haiku Friday: WINNERS!

Hey, guess what? I did
my first contest, it started
back here, ten days back.

Today is the big
day, for three lucky readers
Christmas comes again!

Over to random
dot org, and it picks my three
lucky winners - yay!

So, today is the end of my first contest, and I used random.org to generate 3 numbers. It came up with 15, 9 and 10.

The grand prize winner, who will receive 3 DVDs from this list is Cathy from Semi Happy Homemaker!

The second prize winner, for 2 DVDs is my 9th commenter... Heather! I admit she won my heart over when she named The Women as her least favorite movie of the year. Heather, I don't have an e-mail address for you, so if you are reading this, please e-mail me to claim your prize!

And finally, the third prize, for 1 DVD of her choice, is my 10th commenter, Mama Wheaton from The Unperfect Mom!

Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to everyone who entered! Hopefully I will think of another fun giveaway soon!