Blogfest 2010 - contests galore

Quick note to all you blog/book lovers out there, today is the last day of Blogfest 2o10. (I don't know how it happened, but I didn't come across this until Friday, so it wasn't in this week's Thursdays with Snip.)

Anyway, talk about your MAJOR giveaways! And the list of participating blogs is, well, there's no other word for it. It's INSANE! You can find all the info about the blogfest here, at A Journey of Books, and see the list of participants directly underneath their entry form. But if you haven't started until today, beware... I'm pretty sure you won't be able to hit all of the blogs by midnight. (Yes. That's just how many there are. I told you it was insane.)

Happy Sunday, and good luck to all of you who participate in Blogfest 2o10!

I'd Like to Thank the Happy Academy...

I love the internet. Where else can you sit around dressed in your robe, pjs and unmatched socks, drinking coffee with hair looking like this

and talk to a bunch of great people? Answer (drumroll please!): The internet, that's where! (And blogs in particular.) I'm sitting here typing this blog, happy as a clam...

because I've been honored with the "Happy" award

over at A Pre-Pub Writer's Blog. So what happens now, you ask? Well now I get to list ten things that make me happy. I mean, isn't this great? *she gushes* I couldn't be happier!

Some of the items on my list are going to be no surprise to my readers... but I hope you all enjoy reading them anyway. =)

Ten Things That Make Me Happy

(in no particular order)

1) My husband. Because he is awesome. And spoils me. He rocks.

2) Coffee. (who knew?)

3) My family. When the five of us sit around the dining room table (or in the car), talking and playing jokes off each other, those are some of my favorite times. Lovemuffin and I can't believe the things that come out of our 4th, 5th and 6th grader's mouths. Definitely makes me happy. And our extended family make me happy too.

4) Friends. Friends keep me grounded. They help me stay sane. My local friends, blogger friends, facebook friends, and even the people I follow on twitter bring a smile to my face each and every day.

5) Writing. I'm extremely happy when I'm writing, especially when the creative juices are flowing. (Now editing is a different story. Editing does not make me happy. I haven't written enough to enjoy the delete button yet.)

6) Movies. This one could be explained in two parts. First, my favorite movies make me happy because I *love* knowing everything about them and watching them over and over. Ask any of my closest friends and they'll tell you - I almost have a problem. I learn the behind-the-scenes info, the inside stories, the facts about the actors, and truly enjoy watching my favorite movies while the actors and director talk away on the commentaries. (I won't even go there about soundtracks this time.)

The second part about movies that makes me happy is finding new ones to love. And now that I'm writing more, when I find a movie I like (or even one I find odd) I enjoy dissecting and making a writing lesson out of it. In Summary: Me + movies = happy.

7) Candles. Who doesn't love walking into a yummy smelling room? Makes me happy every time.

8) Walking on the beach in the morning. That's the first thing I look forward to when we go on vacation - walking on the sand before the fog melts away and the beach is full of people, when you can still hear the waves and the birds. I can walk with my kids, walk alone, doesn't matter. It always brings a smile to my face.

9) Sanitizer kills germs. That makes me happy. Elated. 'Nuff said.

10) Owls. There's just something about them. As I've tweeted before, I find them owl-dorable. =)

And now for the finale of the Happy award. I get to give this award to ten more bloggers, bloggers who make me happy! Yay! Check them out - I'm sure you'll see what I like so much about these blogs! (And remember, there are many bloggers out there who make me happy, but I had to cut this down to only ten!)

Lynnette Labelle at Chatterbox Chit Chat

Tiana Lei at Spilled Ink

Jennifer Shirk at Me, My Muse, and I

Bethany Mattingly at Asperations

Susie Talbot at A Wrinkled Time

Jen Chandler at Sagewood Manor

Rebecca Knight at Writer in Progress

A. Grey at Grey Places

Debra Schubert at Write on Target

Amy Flanagan at The Shortest Blog in the World

So what are you waiting for? Check 'em out! And thanks again for the Happy award, VR! =)

So I have this picture in my mind...

Of how I would love my header on this blog to look. 

Yet - believe it or not (some of my friends will think this just isn't so) I am not very talented when it comes to graphics.  I'm sure I could figure it out - I usually do - but I do not have the time, nor the patience at this point to mess around and figure out how to make something like that.

But back to the picture in my mind.  

I see this header - in subtle (not pastel...classic??? What's the word for it? You know, where it looks all sepia-ish sorta but still has color...) yellows, browns, blues and greens (terrible description - I know - it would just boil down to the talent of the designer, I guess!) ... okay where was I going with this? Ah yes...

There's this picture in my mind - of a leather-bound journal (the pages all  worn out looking and the leather "gently used" - or in other words, *beautiful*) sitting on a table/bench/whatever (because I haven't gotten that far with my idea yet) with a nice looking pen (not plastic, if you get my drift) set on top of it and a nice, warm, cup of coffee sitting next to it on the table/bench/whatever.

Now if that didn't add TOO much to my already wonderfully described vision, on top of that I would love to see an owl or sparrow somewhere in the mix - whether it was on the coffee cup or on the journal itself (might take away from the classic leather look I'm going for, though - again - would leave it up to the "designer") - well the fact that the bird would be included at all would just be icing on the cake - I wouldn’t care where it was placed, to be honest.  

Lastly - after allll that - somehow, somewhere, the "MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY" blog title would be thrown in the mix. 

Just imagine it, people. 

Sip your coffee. 

See the journal, and the pretty pen propped across the cover as  steam slowly escapes from the delicious cup of coffee in your mind.  (Well the cup of coffee isn't IN your mind...I am pretty sure you know what I mean...though boy wouldn't that help during writers block - a straight shot of caffeine directly to the brain?  But I digress...)

So get a feel for it. Be prepared for my new header to pop up someday (eventually).

And now could you please tell me where in the world to find someone who can help me make this happen?