Weekend Winners: My Fairy Blogmother

Wow! I have been feeling the "Twilight" love this week! I think ya'll might be a bit excited about this give away. Just a little. And I am so excited. Because I got to use random number generator. I didn't have to write down a single name. Or chase down a single kitty who stole a certain entry.

And last week, I mentioned that I actually had a mini prize. Along with the biggie. Let's do that first. I have a Barnes and Noble gift card. And some Twilight Chocolate. And they will both be in the mail to Christina at Christina's Creative Expression.

And now. Our huge pack of Twilight goodies. Including the giftcard, chocolate, Movie companion signed by Lula, 2009 calendar, bookmark, and movie poster. Goes to....oh. Wow. This is truly kismet. Because she had a birthday on Thursday. And she's had children with Edward. And random number generator picked Sassy Stephanie over at Our Piece of Quiet.

Congrats ladies! Please email me (address is on my profile page) your mailing address and your goodies will be on their way!

And now. Let me present the prizes for Week Four of the Weekend Winners!

I had never even heard of a blog before February of this year. And one day I was perusing a homeschool board - and there was a whole section called Wordless Wednesday. Which made no sense to me. Until I finally clicked on one of the links. And found blogs. Do you remember hearing that huge sucking noise in February? That was the sound of my ass becoming permanently stuck to my chair.

As I clicked around. I found a blog called Life with my 3 Boybarians. And I fell in love. With her blog design. With her photography. With her sense of humor. And then...I found a link to her other site. Graphically Designing. Where she makes the blogosphere pretty.

And would you believe that I got into the queue before I even started my blog? It took me a bit to figure out my name. And then I was ready for my make over. This was how I started:

And poor Darcy. Had to deal with me. Someone who is incredibly picky. But really didn't know what I wanted. We quickly discovered some of the things I didn't like. But when we figured it out - I loved that Darcy got the irony of my blog title. And she just ran with it.

She did my blog. My daughter's blog. She refreshed my blog. And did lots of blogs for people that saw her handiwork here. And I even earned a title from her. Second most difficult customer. I really think I am her favorite.

One of the things that Darcy has done recently for me is my favicon. What is a favicon? It is a favorites icon. Or a favicon for short. Well...see up there. In your URL bar? There should be a sun there. And not a blah-ger icon. I can always see my favicon on Mozilla. But explorer. Well. It's quirky. And sometimes it shows the favicon. And sometimes it doesn't. Would you like a favicon too?

Another thing that Darcy has done for me is to make me some bidness cards. For the bidness I don't have. But. I LOVE my cards. Because so often I am telling someone about my blog. Or I need to exchange email addresses. Or just need a piece of scrap paper. And these are perfect. Maybe I should call them my mommy cards. Would you like some, too?

And maybe an Office Max gift card to help you pay for the printing?I thought so. And a bonus. Because Darcy is soooo good. She usually has a really long wait in her queue. But...I am already in line. Holding your place. So your wait should be rather short.

To summarize. In case your mind drifted. Week Four prizes are: A favicon and Mommy cards from Darcy over at Graphically Designing. And a $25 Office Max gift card. Worth playing for?

This is what you need to do:

1. Post a comment here. Tell me how long you've been blogging. Have you ever had a make over? How did you come up with your blog name? Have you ever won a blog contest? Tell me the truth. Did you like the "Twilight" movie?

2. For another entry...follow me. Only ten more to make it to 150! If you already follow me, you also get an extra entry.

3. Blog about this week's contest.

4. When you comment you get an entry. When you follow, come back and leave another comment saying you follow me. When you post about it...come back and leave a comment saying you did it. Then I can truly use random number generator and I won't have to type in all those names!

5. Contest ends Friday at midnight. Winners have one week to email me to claim prizes. All unclaimed prizes will be added back into the pot. Winner will be announced next Saturday. Along with the week five prizes!

Theme song: Coldplay - Clocks - because when I blog. The time escapes me. Completely.

Weekend Winners: Can you resist?

Once again, the names were written down. The papers cut. Extras added to the mix. I even found a pink hat. Shook the hat a little. Had to chase down a cat that managed to grab some of the entries. Then I had to dump out the contents and make sure that everyone was accounted for. Re-wrote some entries. Locked myself in a closet. And pulled out the first name.

Congratulations to Caroline from Pocket Change who won a car magnet!

And then I pulled out a second name. For another car magnet will soon be on it's way to Marcia Brady. Marcia. Marcia. Marcia. You know she was at the gay book store the day before Gregory Maguire signed my Wicked book.

And our grand prize - the magnet, and all the cooking for the cure goodies - goes to: Jen from Coconut belly!

Congrats ladies! Please email me (address is on my profile page) your mailing address and your goodies will be on their way.

Okay...let's start over with another prize pack! Do you know what happens this week? Are you counting down to the release? How about I tempt you with some Twilight love?

This week's winner will receive:

The Twilight Movie companion.

But this is no ordinary companion. This one is personalized. With a note from the ultimate fan girl.

And while you are looking through your new book. You might get a little hungry. How about a little chocolate temptation. And not ordinary chocolate. But Godiva chocolate.

And then when you are done with your book. You might want to read through the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. With a special cover of Edward himself.

And after you have seen the movie. You might want a permanent reminder. Until the dvd is released. So you could always hang this 2009 wall calendar in your kitchen. To keep track of your appointments. And kid activities.

AND if you haven't read the book. You can go and get yourself a copy at Barnes and Noble. But I am sure that you have already read it. Which is why I am giving the movie companion and not the actual book. Though I looked at the book. And the new ones have posters in them. You can buy your own with this.Or you can use this gift card to find something else to read before Stephenie Meyer is persuaded to release Midnight Sun.

And you can mark your place in your new book with this. Or you can always take it with you to the tattoo parlor to make sure that they get the inscription just right.

And finally...you can pretend that you are a teen again by hanging this in your room. I am sure that your husband will get used to it.

I believe that sumarizes the ultimate fan girl pack. Tempting, no?

This is what you need to do:

1. Post a comment here. Tell me if you have read the book. And what do you think has been the best movie adaptation of a book? What about the worst? And really. Tell me what you think. Because I don't believe "I want to win" is a movie adaptation of a book.

2. For another entry...follow me. Only three more to make it to 100! If you already follow me, you also get an extra entry.

3. Blog about this week's contest.

4. And this week we are going to make my life easier. Because I am giving away stuff. I need easy! When you comment you get an entry. When you follow, come back and leave another comment saying you follow me. When you post about it...come back and leave a comment saying you did it. Then I can truly use random number generator and I won't have to type in all those names!

5. Contest ends Friday at midnight. Winners (Yep. Winners. There will be some mini fan girl packs, too!!) will be announced next Saturday. Along with the week four prizes!

Theme song: Coldplay - In My Place. Because it's not on the soundtrack. But I think it would have been a good addition. And come Friday. I will be in my place in line. And just maybe. This prize pack will find it's way to YOUR place.

I won the Wicked Lottery!

The names were written. The papers cut. And put into a big pointy hat. And the extras were checked. And more names were added to the hat. I had a few advil. Closed my eyes. Took a deep breath. And pulled out a name.Have I ever told you about my mother's obsession with HGTV? One of her favorites to watch is House Hunters. The show about a couple's search for a new home. They go with their real estate agent to look at three homes. And then they choose. Each time they have a commercial break, they summarize what we just learned.

So, in the beginning we are introduced to the couple and their kids. And we have a commercial break. And a recap. Then we see house #1. Then there is a commercial. And then when we return. Just in case you have the attention span of a gnat. We get a recap of the couple and house #1. Then we get to see house #2. And it's time for another commercial. When we return. Let's have another recap. Because perhaps you have a short term memory issue. And now, we get to see house #3. And yet another commerical. Then we get the final recap. And the couple tells us the pros and cons of each house. Because you obviously were not paying attention to the previous 5 minutes of actual showtime. And then they look at each other and say "we chose..." And you get the biggest pregnant pause in history. Before the big reveal.

Or how about that show "My house is worth what?" Where they show home owners that have made renovations to their home...and they want to know how much a real estate agent would be able to get for their home. And at the end the agent says "If I put your house on the market today...your house would be worth...."And we get the second biggest pregnant pause in the history of television.

What is the deal with the pause? Or the "Right after the break?" That has been beaten to death on American Idol...Deal or No Deal...and various and sundry reality shows.

Do you think that I might be assured of fame and fortune if I do big pauses in announcing the winners of my contests? Although I suppose I gave you quite the pause in announcing this now rather than yesterday like I planned.

Have you entered this week's contest?

Okay...fine...I'll get to the big "reveal." But not before we recap. In case you forgot why you are here.

The first of our weekend winners will receive:

The soundtrack to the musical "Wicked"

AND

The personalized, autographed copy of Wicked by Gregory Maguire

And the winner of the Wicked Lottery IS...................................................................................

IS...

JenniferSusan

CongratuLOTIONS!!

So...what about you? Are there any TV shows that you find incredibly annoying? Or how about ones that are so annoying...but you are sucked in and watch anyway (Can anyone say "The Duggars?!")? Be sure to let JenniferSusan know how excited you are for her!

Theme song: Stone Temple Pilots - "Plush" because it has a pregnant pause...errr...false ending...

Popularity CONTEST

I told my husband the other day that I was the popular girl. One day last week, three different blogs mentioned me in their posts. I even had a brand new commenter who "came to see what all the fuss was about." Not that she's come back or anything. I will retreat to being the geek in the back of the room.

Over the weekend, I did a post about our gas crisis here in Atlanta. And CNN linked to me on their website. To me! Yes, it was quite short lived. Apparently they link to three blogs at a time - of people blogging about the topic. And mine cycled through rather quickly. But for a moment, I was popular.

I have been popular on my SITS day. On my BATW day. And now (said with tongue firmly planted in cheek) I am out meeting my fans. I have met Nissa. Angie. And yesterday afternoon, I had the great pleasure of meeting Hot Tub Lizzy. And I so wanted to call her Hot Tub Lizzy. But she said it was okay to just call her Lizzy.

We met at Applebees - and you can read her post to see about the blonde hijinx involved in getting to the correct restaurant. We talked. And talked. And even talked about things like sex. Politics. Religion. And gossiped about other bloggers. And laughed. And laughed some more. Did you know that Lizzy likes to cross her eyes when she talks?

Eventually the kind people at Applebees let us know that we had been warming the seats for over three hours and that we might want to move along -so we went back to my house. So that Lizzy could meet my family. And get the two dollar tour of the house. For some strange reason, Lizzy chose to leave to meet with Mr. B rather than staying for dinner. It was the gourmet treat of hot dogs. I just don't understand how Mr. B could compete with that option.

And, guess what? I am meeting yet another blogger on Saturday. Please maintain an orderly queue. No autographs, please.

So, what about you? I am going to GIVE you a $25 gift card to Applebees. Because that is THE place to meet up with fellow stalkers. What stalker blogger are you going to meet there? Quick, quick, pick one. No pondering. No multiple names. Just ONE. And, tomorrow morning sometime, I'll do a random drawing. And you could be going to Applebees. And because I have a strange sense of humor, the most popular blogger - the one EVERYONE wants to meet at Applebees, will also win a $25 gift card. (Can you just see me emailing Dooce to collect her prize? Please don't make me email Dooce. Or Black Hockey Jesus. Or PW.)

Theme Song: Popular from the "Wicked" soundtrack - and because the last line of the song makes me giggle.

Magical, mystery tour money

I am a collector of ideas. I read about them. I listen to the grand things that my friends are doing. I think about them all. And then I set the idea on my shelf. Admire it. Expand upon it. But follow through? I think not.

One of my favorite money ideas is the four jars concept. You know the one. Where you give your kids 4 jars. And an allowance that can be divided by four. One jar is for impulse spending. One jar for short term savings. One for long term savings. One for charity. I love the idea of it. The responsibility. The practicality. The wisdom.

But…easier said than done.

Because in our house, money is magical. It is mysterious.

If I tell the kids I don’t have money for something – they say “you have checks in the check book.” Or that “you can just use a credit card.” Because to them, money is magical. It’s just there when you need it. Want it. The tooth fairy puts it under their pillow. The Easter bunny puts it in their plastic eggs. And Santa gives them their own version of a credit card: the gift card.

We have tried to teach our kids the value of money. That you have to work hard for what you get. That you work consistently for an allowance. That you should be a contributor to this thing we call family. But, now they think that every good deed must be rewarded.

I ask them to get the newspaper. And I am asked “how much will you give me.” I plead with them to behave in a store. And I get “if we are good, can we get a Webkinz?” Or if we go to Target. And all I need is a tennis racket and yet we still spend $200. I might get the request for quarters for the gumball machine or the tattoo dispenser. You know. Insurance. So they don’t tell Daddy about our adventure.

What my kids seemed to have learned is that money is very mysterious. It might show up. It might not. Mommy might give out money for an extra chore. She might not. Mommy might resort to bribery. She might not. My inconsistency breeds their consistency in asking. But ultimately, they know to find true money magic. They just have to ask Grandma.

I am hoping for a little magic of my own. Parent bloggers is giving away three iphones in conjunction with Capital One. And I am sure that one of them has my name on it. I mean I did what I was asked to do. All good deeds are rewarded. Right?

So, how about you? Did you get an allowance? Were you rewarded? How are you teaching your children about money? Do you have an iphone?

Theme song: The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour

And we have a winner!

Thank you all so much for your entries. Did you have fun? Or was that too much work? I am so not good at coming up with a title. So, when you can't, you delegate.

To pick the winner, I put all the different titles into a bowl. Well, first I had to find a bowl. I had a helper.

I put the names in the bowl.

This was most enticing. If it's in the bowl, it must be chewed on. Oh, wait, that's if it exists, it must be chewed on.

And then out of nowhere, hooligan sister arrives. It's dine and dash. Where the heck did she go?

And just as quickly, she's back. And on my table. With the winner. But, I can't see who it is. She growls at me. Obviously letting me know it's hers. And not mine. Oh, but wait...I can see part of it...

It's Antics with Angie with this title: "You see cute & fuzzy. I see weapon of mass destruction."

And did the hooligan not just pick one of the more appropo titles?

I wonder if the CIA knows that not only can I hook them up with torture devices, but weapons of mass destruction...

Wordless Wednesday: a tisket, a tasket, a contest

Oh, it was going to be wordless. It really was. But I just can't help myself. Do you have a favorite? The third one is mine. I love it. It looks like she is leering at me. Which she might have been since she had been squirted so many times for getting up on my counters. Or the kitchen table. Or for chewing on the wires to my computer. And now the battery no longer works in the laptop. I don't know if it was shorted out by said cat. Or shorted out from all the water dumped on said cat and said laptop's wires. Hooligan.

So, who wants a kitty? Just kidding. (not really. I can hook ya up. Shhhh.) How about a contest? I love giving things away. Here's the challenge - these pictures need a title. You can title them as a group. You can pick just one and give it a name. And I'll pick. Or I reserve the right to do it randomly if I just can't pick. And the prize? A $50 gift card to Office Depot. I could hang out there all day. Except that I have to homeschool. Or drive to tennis lessons. Or remove kittens from the counters.

Enter now! Legalese: enter as many times as you like. Contest ends Wednesday, Sept 10 at 9pm Eastern time. Winner at the discretion of blog owner. Or random generator. Or which ever name the hooligan kittens pounce on. Have fun!

Wordy Wednesday: an Homage

And we have a winner! Or as my daughter says "many will enter. One will win." So, many thanks to all of you who played along. Many thanks to all of you who voted. But we have found the Queen's fool:

And it's Teri from Let Me Think On It.

Let me tell you a little about Teri. We have known each other for about 8 years. We met at church. When I used to help out with the craft night. I know what you all are thinking. But that's what they callled it. I would bring my scrapbook supplies on Wednesday nights while our kids were in choir. And the moms would work on albums. Teri would skirt the room. Checking it all out. But she didn't participate.

But then...before I knew it, she became one of my biggest supporters. Launching herself into album making. And telling everyone else that they needed to be doing the same thing.

When I had Madalyn, she gave me a gift of a photo session with her. And I am now blessed with amazing photos of my girls from over the years.

She endured long sessions with me because I have very uncooperative children. The family picture below includes one of my all time favorite pictures of Katie. Now. Then, not so much.In this one, we were trying so hard to get a picture of both girls together. But Madalyn wanted to run. And Katie wanted to watch TV. Finally when I was ready to beat them...Teri offered them some goldfish. And they climbed into her husband's office chair...and a great photo was born. You can see the bag of gold fish they have between them. And then the bottom one of Madalyn. Oh...she had had enough. She was standing at Teri's door. Screaming "bye-bye!"

We did some sessions at her house, and some at mine.

And then we branched out to local parks. And you wouldn't even know that most of these pictures are taken with me smiling. AND threatening my children. Telling them that they had better smile. Pretend to be happy. I think that Gap should have hired us this year.And when my father unexpectedly passed away in December of 2006, she agreed to my strange request of photographing the service. And the all of the guests that came to honor him. And we even managed to get someone to take a picture of us.

A few months ago, I did a give away of scrapbooking supplies here on my blog - and I emailed a few of my friends to tell them to enter the contest. I think that was Teri's first taste of the drug that is blogging. She read my blog. She got it. And not too long after that I was getting emails on how exactly she could set up her own blog.

And then she started writing. I've read Teri's journaling before...and I knew she had some great stories to tell. From her love of Donny Osmond. To her strange eating habits (that she submitted for this contest). To her desire to win a crown as she begged all her readers to come and vote for her.

So, Teri...I am thrilled to finally bestow a tiara upon you. Wear it proudly!

(And thanks again to Rhea who inspired the contest, and created the bling!)