Take That, Annette Lyon!

Several weeks ago I noticed that everyone who's anyone was reviewing Annette Lyon's new book, Tower of Strength.

Everyone except ME.

So I was like Annette, what about me? And she was like, what about you? And I was like how come I'm not reviewing your book? And she was like because you don't like Mormon lit. And I was like but it's not about Mormon lit, it's about my favorite subject--strong towers. Please, please, please can I read it? And she was like you really are a dummy, aren't you?

So I was like Whatever! I'm reviewing your book whether you like it or not, and I went out and purchased the last copy from the campus bookstore with my son's lawn mowing $$$.

And you know what? There's not a single stinkin' tower in the entire book, (let alone a strong tower). You'd think Annette would at least throw in a token weak tower to give the audience their money's worth.

If I had one minute with Annette I would tell her she should have titled it The Horse and His Boy.

Or maybe, The Horse and His Boy and the Boy's Mom and the Boy's Mom's Cute Widower Boyfriend Who's Not Very Good With Horses.


If you like cute widowers who aren't very good with horses, but who are really good with romance this book is for you.


BTW, I've had company and it's finals week so I'm only on page 75. I don't know for sure if that cute widower is good with romance but I'm at that point in the book where I'm willing to read at every stop light to find out.

(I've always wondered if cute widowers are as romantic as smokin' hot vampires.)

Stay tuned to find out.

Even though the title is a tease, so far I give Annette Lyon a thumbs way up!

And an uber high five.

And a shaka braddah!

(And a nani nani boo boo for writing a review whether she liked it or not. Hmph!)

Oh, wait this wasn't a review, was it.

Annette, my review is in the mail.


Click here to find out how to get your hands on a copy of The Horse and His Boy (Aka, Tower of Strength.) Don't forget to bring your son's lawn mowing $$$.


And click here if you want to buy perfume that smells like the main character, Tabitha. (Good luck with that. She spends a lot of time in stables.)



P.S. My students are going to be ticked that I didn't mention them in my post today. Especially Emma and Nellie who storm troopered my comment box yesterday singing Les Miserables (way out of tune) and demanding photographic evidence that I like them best.


See what I have to put up with, peeps?

Alls I have to say is: The earth is slow, but the buffalo is slower.

I think that's an ancient Indian proverb.

In other words, patience is a virtue! (and a simple truth)

(Remember that for the final, girlz.)

(inside joke)

Ten in Ten Giveaways--Day 6 Chocolate Never Faileth (and neither do my peeps)

Today's giveaway is from Annette Lyon, that famous author extraordinaire, who gives really good conference presentations about heroes and who talks intriguingly fast.

Annette is generously donating a copy of her long awaited chocolate book. Mmmmmmm. (Are you supposed to capitalize Mmmmm, Annette?) (She's a grammar goddess, that one.) She's funny too. You can tell by the title of her book:

If you don't win it, you can buy it here.

And then you can go to Annette's book signing today at the Orem Costco from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. I will be there too so if you want me to sign Annette's book I'm down with that.

If you need to know the rules for this giveaway click here.

Tomorrow I think I'll post about what it must feel like to go to heaven and be greeted by all of your peeps. Peeps who squeal when they see you again. Peeps who want to hug you and kiss your face and scream, "I'm VOTING for you EVERDAY!"

Keep VOTING. Only 5 more days to go.

Good Mood Gig from SAM-e

Ten in Ten Giveaways--The Final Countdown

Okay, my Final Countdown Giveaways start tomorrow. Unless you're reading this tonight and then the giveaways start on Monday.

It's a ten in ten kinda deal. Ten days left to vote and ten items to giveaway.

You do the math.

(It's one per day, in case you can't do math.)

As many of you know I am trying to win a stinkin' job as the next Good Mood Blogger for SAM-e Complete. It's a 6 month gig in which I would have to write 5 days a week about all the things that make me smile. And what doesn't make me smile, right? My mom says she could never think of that many things that make her smile, but it's only like 140 things! I could name 140 things that make me smile off the top of my head.

I would do it right now if I wanted to.

But I don't want to.

I have to get into the top 20 by November 10th to make it to the finals. Luckily for me I am in the top 20, but it's fierce and ferocious in the top 20 and some people have the power to move up 300 votes with a twitch of their nose. In fact I knocked a guy down to #21 last night and when I woke up this morning he was at #5.

I know!

I don't wanna get bumped at the last minute, hence the reason for my ten in ten Giveaway.

In other words I need to get the word out.

If I make it to the finals I make a video and voting starts all over again from scratch. Thankfully voting is only worth 20% in the finals.

So, here's the ten in ten dealio.

--Alls you have to do is post a link to my blog AND also to my VOTE FOR ME PAGE on either your blog, Facebook or Twitter. Tell your peeps about the ten in ten giveaway and ask your peeps to vote. For me. (If they vote for someone else it doesn't count.)

http://www.sam-e.com/job/entries/506

--Leave a comment in my comment box to let me know when you've completed the linky lub. If you post my link on all three venues you get three entries into the giveaway.

--Also, make sure you mention my ten in ten giveaway to your peeps.

There will be one giveaway per day until Nov 10th, (maybe two if I gather enough cool stuff).

Yes, you can enter every single day.

So here's a preview of some of the generously donated items:

Shanna Ormond, who goes by Just SO on her blog, Thesegolilypad is giving away a free photo shoot. She also has a photog blog called The Photog Blog.

It includes an hour long shoot at a location of your choosing. (SO is located in Utah County.) You will get a disc with all of your photos, editing included. It can be a family shoot, couple, senior or infants. No large, extended family, please.

Who needs Christmas card photos? I do! I do! Am I eligible to win, or would that be unfair?

Annette Lyon, that famous author extraordinaire, who gives really good conference presentations about heroes and who talks intriguingly fast, is generously donating a FREE copy of her long awaited chocolate book. Mmmmmmm. (Are you supposed to capitalize Mmmmm, Annette?) (She's a grammar goddess, that one.) She's funny too. You can tell by the title of her book:

If you don't win it, you can buy it here.

And then you can go to Annette's book signing in Orem on Saturday the 6th. I will be there too so if you want me to sign Annette's book I'm down with that. I'll give you the deets when I do the give away.

My good pal in real life, Anjeny, from Ramblings of an Islander, has donated two darling homemade letter boxes. One of a kind, peeps!

Each box includes four regular size greeting cards w/envelopes, four note-cards with envelopes, and four tags. Inside the flaps there is a little address book attached and a little pocket for storing postage stamps and and a pen in its holder.

Made with lub and aloha, peeps! And she said she'd throw in some Caramacs to boot!

And one of my favorite favorites in the music world, Cubworld, is donating a signed CD and T-shirt. Click my Today is Cubworld Day post to read my glowing thoughts about him.

You can also read about him here on Wikipedia. (He has his own Wikipedia page!!!) You will LUB his smooth velvety voice. (And I knew him when, btw.)

I have also secured some Kohls Cash and some major scrapbook supplies.

And can I ask you guys a question? Would anyone like a free ticket to the Bloggy Boot Camp in St. George on Nov 13th? Or is everyone already going? I can't go because my hub wants me to go to Colorado with him, but would that motivate you guys to post my big ole' obnoxious badge on your blog or Facebook page? Cause I don't want to offer it if it ain't no big thang.

K, as soon as the sabbath ends, let's bring this train into the station!

Good Mood Gig from SAM-e

(That was a figure of speech, btw.)

Ten in Ten Giveaway--Day 8 (Cubworld ROCKS!)

Goodness gracious, this Good Mood Blogger race is kinda putting me in a bad mood.



Just joshing peeps. I'm never in a bad mood. I'm perpetually blissful and intoxicatingly enthusiastic.


Me in bad mood? No ways. I'm just happy to be naturally vibrant, determined, passionate and purposeful about making the world a better place. I'm just happy to put my shine on and sparkle for ya'll on a daily basis.


(Had to say that in case the judges are reading, but fer reals, this race is a real head banger. One of the girls I was beating yesterday is now a thousand votes ahead. YES WAY! People are hopping from page to page, but me I'm just plugging along . . . hoe dee doe. Not complaining though, I figure if I don't win I can always ask each of you to pay me $5 for every vote you cast and I'll pretty much walk away with the same amount of cash as if I'd won the whole gig.)


So I have to show you Annette Lyon's new Chocolate Never Faileth cookbook. It's so bee-U-tiful to behold.

The graphic design is divine! (That has a nice ring to it doesn't it?) I adore the color schemes and the the cute scalloped edging and the spectacular photographic evidence.

Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. Every recipe has an anecdote and there are tips galore on how to deal with the tempermental (or as she calls it,"hormonal" nature of chocolate). (I bet Annette is great with teenagers too). Annette also tells you how to work with all the other ingredients in order to make the chocolate the best it can be.

She's like a chocolate social worker, that one. An entertaining, insightful chocolate social worker.

As if that weren't enough, she's also the Jack Handy of deep chocolate thoughts. Deep chocolate thoughts that fall from the sky in pretty little formations across the page. It's simply scrumdidlyumptious.

Go buy the book, peeps. It's only $15 bucks at Costco. And I pinky promise this is NOT a paid advertisement (but Annette has been voting for me every day for 20 days so I figure she owes me like $100 anyway).

Speaking of non-paid advertisements and people who owe me big bucks for voting for me every day, today is the eighth day of my Ten in Ten giveaway and guess who has graciously donated a signed Cubworld CD and T-shirt? That's right, Cubworld himself. Woohoo!


I LUB me some Cubworld. My kids LUB them some cubworld too. We once drove all the way to Yellowstone and back with my kids insisting we listen to Cubworld, and only Cubworld all the way.


If you're in the Utah area, Cubworld is playing at the Velour in Provo this Saturday, November 13th at 7:30 p.m. He plays first and it's a bring-all-the-kids kinda show. If anyone wants to go, let me know and I'll throw in two tickets to the giveaway.


Here's a sample of what you'll get:





I wish I could go so bad, but I'll be in Colorado this weekend. (hmmph!)

Cubworld is one of my Hawaii peeps and if you remember correctly I went to the BYU-H vs. BYU-P basketball game on Friday night.

You may have heard BYU-H got skunked, but I have photograpic evidence to show that they were neck and neck for a good solid portion of the game.

And there were even moments when we were actually ahead.

BYU-P was so sweet that they let all BYU-H alumni into the game for $3.

You wanna know what $3 seats look like?

Allow me:

Are you fer REALS, BYU-P? Inquiring minds want to know.


Of course I had a celebrity sighting while I was at the game.

(This pic is for you, Nutty Hamster Chick.)




Oops, did I seriously just cut off an apostles head? Yikers! Do you think I still have a shot at Heaven?

That's right, it's, L. Tom Perry.


Cha-Ching!


If you look closely at his lips you'll notice he's saying, VOTE FOR CRASH!

I'm #14 with 5770 votes.


Good Mood Gig from SAM-e

Til we Me-ee-EAT!

I got the Black Eyed Peas stuck in my head.  Why?  Because if you don't watch their videos or listen to their lyrics they are a ROCKIN' group.  

And also because they remind me of my daughter, who I haven't seen in 3 weeks.  (WAaaaaH!)

But I get to see her tomorrow!  YAY!  

Here she is at 6:00 a.m. after we jumped out of bed and raced to GMA to watch the top of Fergie's head bob up and down.

I think I took this photo right after she said, "MOM!  They are NOT going to play Where is the Love!" 

She was right.  But they played I Gotta Feeling and that was close enough.

I miss my daughter.

So I am super excited about the upcoming Tim Tam Grand Slam partay at the Olive Garden.  But my wise guy hub just said to me, "so are you guys going to sit and blog each other around the table or are you actually going to talk?" 

Hardy har har, hubba bubba!  (Such a card!) 

Guess what I did yesterday?  I went shopping!  

For Partay supplies.  

So excited!!  

I got Kristina P.  an As Seen on T.V. surprise.    And I got sea weed!  And fortune cookies! And Caramacs!  And Tim Tams!!!!!  

I even got extra Tim Tams just in case DeNae and Melanie J show up (crossing my fingers and hoping to die).  

And I got extra Caramacs in case my BBFF, Funny Farmer shows up.  (please, please, pretty palease!)

And I'm bringing Annette Lyon's book about towers in case she shows up to autograph it. What's that book called?  The Two Towers.  No . . .  The Twin Towers.  No . . .  

Towers of Strength.

Sorry, but I have a thing for tower jokes.  I'm just glad Annette didn't title it Pillars of Strength. That is so last year. 

I totally knew the title because I just finished reading it and putting it on my Crash Test Dummy Book Club list.  I RECOMMEND it for your summer reading. Romance between two towers (especially twin towers) is so much more enjoyable in the summer when you're lazing around (unless your kids are lazing around too).  

But fo' real, I was totally charmed.  Go read Annette Lyon!  

And now back to our regularly scheduled program . . . 

Where was I?  

Oh yes!  So excited!  I even got a new haircut for our grand slam.  I went to the Kahuku Barber and handed over $18 and a photo of a super model and said, "I want to look like this."  

My barber shook her head and said, "Your hair is too curly.  Too dark.  Too course.  It will never look like this." 

So I gave her a $2 tip and said, "well, at least try to make my face look like this."  

Unfortunately my face is the same, but my hair is chopped, peeps.  Karate chopped!  

I did it because Martha did it and I have to keep up with the Jonesez.

On my way home from shopping for the partay guess who sang to me on the radio?  

John Mayer.  

He was telling me to say what I need to say.  It made my eyes sweat because it reminded me of all you guys and this blog and all the things I've needed to say that you've listened to and all the things you've needed to say that I would have listened to if I didn't have adult onset ADD.  

Just thinking of all the buckets we've carried together made me send a gratitude prayer out into the universe for all the support and encouragement this past year.  I feel so close to you guys.  (As close as a dummy can get without banging her head on her stone cold heart.)

And I also sent a prayer out into the universe that no one at the partay would be prettier or wittier than me (besides Shelle Belle).

Anyway . . . what are you guys going to wear? 

Oh, I can't wait to meet you.  I only wish I could bring my Hawaii buds with me--Anjeny and Iwa and Martha and Swirl and Mariko!  It's going to be hard to spread the aloha spirit without them.  

LY Hawaii buds!  

And LY all of you who don't live in Provo, but who will be going to an Olive Garden near you at exactly 11:00 a.m to join us via satallite.  

And LY all of you lurkers out there who aren't doing anything except shouting at your computer screen, "Hands down I'm prettier and wittier than that hoity toity dummy." 

I'm leaving tonight so this will be my last post before the GRAND SLAM!   

Gad be with you till we meet!

Ten in Ten Giveaways--Day 2

If you want to read my brand spankin' new, hot-off-the-press post for the day, scroll down to the next post, or click That Shakespeare Thing.



If you're only here to enter the Ten in Ten Giveaway, this is the place:



If you haven't done your Christmas card photos yet, this prize is for you!

Shanna Ormond, who goes by Just SO on her blog, Thesegolilypad is generously donating a free photo shoot. Go check out her cwork on her Photog Blog.

I lub Just SO, just SO dang much, (even though she saw me at Macey's buying Diet Coke (for my hub) and she didn't introduce herself). I finally met her last May at some blogger conference thingie where we hit it off right away. So much so that we kinda sorta disrupted Annette Lyon's workshop (sorry Annette). As we got talking I was pretty sure she was Tamn undercover. (I was dead wrong.) (But I know something you don't know.) (hee hee) (That's called dramatic irony, btw.)


Anyways, this prize includes an hour long shoot at a location of your choosing. (SO is located in Utah County.) You will get a disc with all of your photos, editing included. It can be a family shoot, couple, senior or infants. (No large, extended family, please.


If you don't live in Utah, I bet you know someone who does, who needs a Christmas present. I'm happy to play Santa for you. (You're welcome.)



For deets about the hows and whys of this Ten in Ten giveaway click here


In short, alls you have to do is post this link to your blog, Facebook or Twitter to get the word out and ask your peeps to cast a vote for Debbie.

http://www.sam-e.com/job/entries/506


Once you post the link, make sure you leave a comment on either my facebook wall or here in my comment box so I can enter you in the drawing for the prize of the day. If you post the link on all three venues you get three entries.


I'm throwing in an extra entry for voting.


Feel free to enter every day. Winners will be announced each morning at the top of my blog.

P.S. Tomorrow I'm giving away a free ticket to the Blogger Boot Camp in St. George on Novemeber 13th so spread the word.

Top Ten Things I Don't Miss About My Son

My oldest boy is in Indiana at the Hoosier Shootout. I miss him.

No, I don't miss him.

I mean, I do, but not that much.

You get me?

Allow me to illustrate:

TOP TEN THINGS I DON'T MISS ABOUT MY SON

1. I'm HUNGRY!
2. I need a ride. RIGHT NOW!
3. What's for dinner?
4. Can you pick my friends up too?
5. My friends are hungry. What can we eat?
6. I need FOOD! I'm STARVING!!!
7. MMMMMOOOOOOMMMMM! Hurry up! I CAN'T be late!
8. Can you take me and my friends to Seven Peaks?
9. Can we stop at Harts for a drink? I'm thirsty.
10. Can we drive through McDonalds? I neeeeeeeeed a shake!

P.S. You guys know Annette Lyon, right? Theeeeee Annette Lyon? She's in 2nd place of a photo contest. Let's help bump her to 1st. Click on this link and write "I vote for Dad and Daughter" in the comment box.

Thanks peeps! You da bomb diggity dawg.

Dear Braden Bell,

I wish you hadn't cried in my comment box yesterday because now I feel guilty that, as a new author of The Road Show, you were stuck in Tennessee judging field day during the LDS Storymakers conference.  

If it makes you feel any better, you didn't miss much.  Seriously! 

It was kind of a yawner. 

The best part was the Cheetos and Mountain Dew. 

Normally I would just grab a bottle of water, but it gave me a little thrill to think of drinking a Mountain Dew at an LDS venue.  So I took it. 

And then I giggled. 

When Melanie J. saw me drinking my Dew she was reminded of a story about someone close to her who used to drink twelve Mountain Dew's a day until his teeth finally fell out.

I didn't giggle after that. 

Braden Bell, do you feel better now that all you missed was Melanie J killing my Mountain Dew joy?

Oh, and you also missed me sneaking DeNae's Circus Animal Cookies during the Description workshop. 

The way it went down was like this: I slipped into the seat next to DeNae before the Description workshop to find her commenting on my last post. I grabbed me a handful of cookies, popped them in me mouth, and said "whatcha doin?" She turned the computer screen my direction so I could see that she was looking at the photographic evidence of us I posted on my blog, then she poked my eyes out. But not before I was able to make out her words in my comment box: 

"Holy Frick and Frack Mister. Bigglesworth! How many chins does one me need?" 

Without warning, the half-chewed cookie spewed forth from my mouth in projectile motion and the girl in front of me moved seats.

So Braden Bell, you missed the Mountain Dew and the Circus cookie shower, but that's it.

Besides the high heels.  There were many way cute high heels at the conference.  Mine were way cute. And DeNae's were way cute. But Melanie J's were WAY cutest! 

See what I mean? Even her French toes were way cute.  

Her baby was way cute too!

Don't you think she could be MY baby? (Sometimes I wish I could steal me a baby. Does anyone else ever get that urge?)

Oh, and Braden Bell, you also missed meeting Annette Lyon. 

I have no earthy idea why I cubed this photo.  Maybe to prove that it's hip to be square.  

(pssst, Annette, don't tell Braden Bell, but you're workshop was da bombdiggity.)

Hey, if you look closely you can see my Peace necklace. Thank goodness no one tried to beat me up.

So Braden Bell, I'm sorry I made the conference look like so much fun, but don't feel bad, the most intellectually stimulating conversation I had was when me and DeNae found ourselves some comfy chairs and kicked our high heels off and talked about Davide Sedaris like a couple of love sick school girls.  

The conversation went something like this:

Me: LOL, remember the time he was learning French . . . LOL

DeNae: ha ha ha ha ha and remember the chocolate bell . . . hee hee ho ho ha

Me: And how he was trying to quit smoking . . . (tears streaming my face)

DeNae: And the bouquet of flowers on the table . . . (doubled over).

And on and on and on and on it went.

Btw, peeps, Kazzy posted photos of that sparkly ring that nearly hypnotized me.  Check it out here. But beware because her whole blog is hypnotic. Even her profile pic. Don't say I didn't warn you. 

And hey, let's all give Braden Bell some support.  Check out his new book cover. As my favorite student, Wolfgang from Austria, would say, It's TREMENDOUS!  And if you want to read more about Braden Bell's new book, click here.

We interrupt this blog . . .

I know I just posted last night, but I was lying in bed crying myself to sleep when I suddenly realized that today is the day I've been so afeared of all month. The 15th. The Ides. That middle place between the beginning and the end of March, of which they tell us to BEWARE! And I can see why. It really is a hard knock day. SOOOOOO DARN HARD because my 13-year-old son has to make a huge decision by tonight. Either way he chooses, he loses. One thing or another. But he also wins. One thing or another.

Why does life have to be such a give and take? When we lived in Hawaii there was no give and take, there was only take(-what-you-get) and grumble. In Utah we have choices and opportunities. It's so much work to have choices and opportunities.

We've spent the last week teaching our boy how to make a hard choice--gather all the pertinent information, write down the pros and cons, and then starve yourself silly while asking the universe to lend a hand. I don't think he got the starve yourself silly part because he pulled a package of Saimin noodles out of his pocket during Sacrament meeting. I kid not. He would have eaten them too had I not smacked him upside the head.

He's been kinda uncharacteristically weird like that all day. Like when I went upstairs and the phone rang. And it was him. Downstairs. Wondering if I could bring him down a glass of apple juice on the rocks.

I think his love language is "Acts of Annoyance."

The hard thing about hard decisions isn't in the making of the hard decision, it's in living with the hard decision. Sacrificing to make it happen. You get me?

I've had a hard year, peeps. A very very very hard year--full of endless cycles of uncertainty and confusion and change and discomfort. Did I mention it's been hard? It's been the hardest year of my life since last year.

But you know what? There are people out there who have it harder than me and my son put together. People who are making even harder decisions. And living with them day in and day out. I can't think of any right now, but I know they're out there.

Oh, I just thought of some. The people who are serving our country by going into other countries and fighting for our right to make hard decisions and to take-what-we-get and grumble.

Annette Lyon just published a book about it called Band of Sisters which follows five women who help each other get through their hub's deployment. And, bless her little best-selling-author heart, she's even working with a charity that helps children/families with deployed parents.

I think it's called The Flat Stanley Project.

I take that back. It's called the Flat Daddy Project.

The Flat Daddy Project creates life-size photos of a deployed parent from the waist up that the family can have as a physical presence of some sort to represent the missing parent. Some families take their Flat Daddy everywhere—to the grocery store, to church, to soccer games, even trick-or-treating.

How cool is that?

It only costs $50 to have someone you lub flattened. Maybe a little more if you want to drive the steam roller yourself.

Let's all go in on one together. Who should we buy? Jack Johnson? Jack Bauer? Or perhaps someone . . . a little more . . . sparkly?

Hee hee

This isn't a joke, peeps, so stop giggling. This is fo' real.

But, for the record, I did have a friend, Colleen, who lubbed Obama so much she got herself a flat daddy of him when we were in Washington D.C. together.

Do you think anyone would pay for a flat mommy? They're probably not in high demand, but I'm available if they need a model.

But seriously, I personally dig the whole flat daddy idea and not to put any peer pressure on you guys, but I'm going to go donate to the cause right now. Follow me over to find out more and to see the photographic evidence that they wouldn't let me steal for my blog. Just click on this link (Flat Daddy). You can donate as much or as little as you like.

Race you there!

I'm sorry, but . . .

My apologies for being such a Debbie-downer yesterday. (Get it? Debbie-downer?) hee hee 

I hope I didn't put a damper on your day with my random bout of grief and loss.  That came out of nowhere.  But it's all good.  I'm fine.  No worries.

And my apologies for apologizing. I'm sorry about that.  It's just something we do in Utah. That's what makes us so humble and pleasant.  One of the luxuries of living in Utah is that you can say or do anything you want as long as you apologize before, during or afterwards.  And if you punctuate your apology with a "but" you can even be rude, arrogant, condescending or insincere.  

So again, I'm sorry, but can I just say MAHALO to all my peeps for their lub and support yesterday in my hour of need?  I mean, I didn't really need it, per say, (sorry) but it was a nice thought.  

Was that too mushy?  Sorry, but fo' real, the air hugs were cool.  It was like getting therapy and getting a pedicure at the same time.   

In fact, if my Dumb and Dumber cooking blog project doesn't fly, I might start a therapy/pedicure blog. You unload your pain while I give you a pedicure.  The pleasure of the pedicure will counteract the pain of the therapy.  

I'll call it Head to Foot.  

Sorry, but you have to admit it's brilliant.  

Speaking of my cooking blog, I went to IKEA with Val of the South and Jillybean today.  We ate lunch, of course.  And we talked, of course.  And we shopped, of course.  But we also purchased my first cooking blog apron.  And I struck a few poses for my profile pic.

Look Ma, no tan!

Which one should I use for my book cover when I get discovered? 

Val and Jillybean also purchased an apron so they can be Crash Test Dummies in the kitchen too. 

Jillybean is going to Bedazzle my blog name on the front of hers.  (Free advertising.)   (Sorry, Jilly, but I can't pay you.  You will be blessed for serving me so willingly though.)

And here we are after lunch.  How cute is Val (in black)? I bet she's just as cute in white.  And isn't Jilly kinda . . . dare I say . . . sexy?    And look at me.  Take a good look at my face.  

If you look closer it's easy to trace the tracks of my tears. 

(someone should write a song about that!)  

When I got home from IKEA there was a mysterious package from my x-next door neighbor, Martha. She sent me four pair of magic traveling pants.  YAY! (Do you think she wants to start a sisterhood?)   

MAHALO, Martha.  I'm sorry, but you da bomb!  U know U R!  Can't wait for the magic to begin. I think it will be soon because I heard a rumor that a Mormon author is moving into my ward.   Do you think it's Annette Lyon?  Or Stephanie Meyer?  Or Orson Scott Card?  Maybe it's my old creative writing teacher, Chris Crowe. 

I hope it's not Jack Wayland.  I'm sorry, but I HATED HATED HATED Sam so if it's Jack Wayland I'm so going to TP his house.

Ten in Ten Giveaways--Day 3 (Kohls Cash)

If you're sick of all this voting/giveaway hoopla then click here to read today's post Big Fat Lougies

................................................

All this giving away is too much fun. I feel just like Oprah (except when she was poor).

Okay, can I just say that I'm sick of that Hannah Montana Bobanna song!? It's so melancholy. Let's pump up the jam a notch.

That's more like it. I just cranked the volume and I'm doing some fist pumping as I write.

I'm excited because today I got TONS of free scrapbook stuff. Does anyone out there still scrapbook? Can I see a show of hands? Cause I don't. But it's way cute stuff. I 'll get some photographic evidence to prove it.

Okay, I'm going to switch things up a little bit here because I just realized that the Kohls cash needs to be used by November 9th. Eeeeek. Can you shop fast? If not, I can.

My ex-door neighbor Martha has generously donated some Kohls cash. There are actually two Kohls cash prizes. One for $60 and one for $10. I'm going to give them both away today. (Two seperate winners.)

On Thursday and Friday I'm going to give away 2 tickets to the Bloggy Boot Camp in St. George on November 13th. (Two seperate winners.)

On Saturday I am going to give away Annette Lyon's new Chocolate Never Faileth Book.

On Sunday I'm going to give away a Cubworld CD and T-shirt (plus I'm looking into concert tickets. He's doing a show on November 13th in Provo.)

On Monday I'm going to give away a 2 night stay over Christmas break at my ex-door neighbor, Martha's studio apartment.

On Tuesday and Wednesday I'm going to start divying up the scrapbook supplies. I'm working to secure a few more prizes TBA so I might add a few things here and there. WOOHOO! If anyone wants to donate let me know. I'm getting TONS of hits right now so you could get some air time. (Just sayin'.)

Okay, so let's review. TODAY is Kohls cash day. Tomorrow and Friday are Bloggy Boot Camp days, so LET'S GO GET THE word out.

READY, BREAK!

(That was sports talk, in case you didnt' get it.)

Or as my hub's basketball coach used to say, "Get out there and DO a JOB!"

If you have no idea why I'm doing this giveaway and what the rules are, please click here for deets. I'm sick and tired of explaining it.

Why are you still sitting there? Let's get a move on, peeps. We got a big week in front of us.

Good Mood Gig from SAM-e

P.S. Winners and daily post coming later tonight.