Taking Care of Business: Blog Awards and Giveaways

I have five things to address today. I will number them so you know how close you are to the end. =)

1. FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS:

It's a bird. No, it's a plane. Actually, it's a blog award!!!!!

I don't about where you are,  but it has been raining blog awards in this part of the blogosphere. There are some really great opportunities through these awards to get to know our comrades in the blogging community so I feel incredibly grateful to have been tagged by some thoughtful individuals out there in cyberspace.

First of all I need to apologize for taking so long to share these awards, but I don't take them lightly and I really needed to do some soul searching  and blog formatting (BOLLOKS TO YOU BLOGGER FORMATTING!) before I shared this information and then passed them onto others:

Liebster/Sunshine/Kreativ Blogger Awards:

Thank you Bethany!

 

Thank you Lissa!

 

Thank you Dana!



 Thank you so much Dana Carey,  Bethany Telles and Lissa Clouser for honoring me with such wonderful awards! I did not forget! I have just been trying to figure out how to process all of this information! To make sure no one falls asleep on me just yet, I have combined the factoids into the ten requested under the Sunshine Blog Award:

According to the Sunshine Blog Award folks, you must:

• Include the award’s logo in a post or on your blog
• Answer 10 questions about yourself
• Nominate 10-12 other fabulous bloggers
• Link your nominees to the post and comment on their blogs, letting them know they have been nominated
• Share the love and link the person who nominated you.
   

1. Favorite color: Green, especially the lighter shades.

2. Favorite animal: Elephant

3. Favorite number: I have always wanted one, but don't have one. I know. I'm so unglamourous.

4. Favorite non-alcoholic drink: Coffee! (Didn't even blink on that one! Actually, I haven't blinked all day...hmmm... maybe I drink too much coffee.)

5. Facebook or Twitter: Facebook

6. My passion: Just one? Reading. Right now, I am devouring middle grade novels that include  nontraditional family structures. I wish I could read for my day job. =)

7. Prefer giving or getting presents: I love finding just the right gift for someone. Something unexpected, but perfect. Sometimes I don't succeed (i.e. pillows with furry tufts for my sister were not a good choice). But it's the best when I do.

8. Favorite pattern: I love things in threes. My house has three of everything in terms of knick knacks. Three pictures, three candles, three dust bunnies....My husband blames HGTV for that.)

9. Favorite day of the week: Saturday (in the A.M.), but it has to be semi-productive, no staying in PJs until three o'clock (Exception Alert!: Writing in PJs is acceptable, because that feels VERY productive)

10. Favorite flower: Russian sage blooms, because they are dainty, rustic, whimsical, and simple.

Here are the blogs I nominate for the Sunshine Blog Award:

1. Audrey Vernick
2. EMU Debuts
3. Marcie Colleen
4. Heather Newman
5. Lori Degman
6. Natasha Yim Carter
7. Joanna Marple
8. Donna Martin
9. Renee LaTulippe
10. Iza Trapani

2. SECOND ORDER OF BUSINESS: The Lucky Seven Meme


I am honored that Lori Degman thought of ME, (yes ME!), as one of the individuals with whom to share the  Lucky Seven Meme. So, while I cringe to share my own work (Vulnerability Alert!), I am delighted to share this with seven other bloggers. It thrills me to read other people's writing!

Here are the details:
1. Go to page 77 of your current ms. (I do picture books, so I'll skip to number two.)
2. Go to line 7
3.Copy down the next seven lines and post them as they are written. No cheating.
4. Tag other authors
So, here we go. (Cringe.)

Excerpt from my work-in-progress, picture book manuscript:

THE PERFECT WORLD OF PENNY MCDOODLE

     In the morning, her whistle paraded through the kitchen where it shattered at least five water glasses and one dusty light bulb. It then galloped out the door to greet the crows that sat waiting on the lanky arms of the scarecrow, who of course was dressed as a pirate.

     Following the tune of her own whistle, wearing her most beloved princess dress and satchel, Penny would step out into her yard to scatter bird seed and squiggly worms for her feathered guests. Bursting with sunflowers, poppies and hollyhocks, it was to this garden that the birds would fly just to be in her company, for Penny was truly a great host.

     But sometimes, just sometimes, Penny wished she had a friend. A friend who thought her whistle was more beautiful than a lark’s song, or the morning sun, or a princess’s jewels. A friend for whom she could serve her homemade rosemary tea and deliciously sweet, secret-recipe, oatmeal raisin cookies.

GULP.

I hereby tag the following individuals for the Lucky Seven MeMe:

1.  Renee LaTulippe
2.  Eric Van Raepenbusch
3.  Angela Pena Dahle
4.  Julie Hedlund
5.  Heather Newman
6.  Dana Carey
7.  Joanna Marple

3. THIRD ORDER OF BUSINESS:

 The Lori Degman Giveaway! The winners of these fabulous prizes (winners selected using Random.org) are (drum roll please)....

1. Free copy of 1 Zany Zoo : Juliet Clare Bell
2. Free rhyming PB critique : Lori Mozdzierz

Congratulations you lucky ladies!

4. FOURTH ORDER OF BUSINESS

Thanks so much for your participation and make sure to check back in this week for the lovely, Marsha Diane Arnold, who will be sharing her experiences this Thursday. (We are so lucky! Aren't these authors great for doing this? I just can't believe it!)

5. FIFTH AND FINAL ORDER OF BUSINESS (I promise.)

P.S. If you are still awake or your eyes aren't too glazed over from reading about boring old me, I am a guest on Julie Hedlund's blog today! Check it out! =) ME, ME, ME! Again? I am so sick of myself that I now have a headache! Argh.  So sorry. =)