Friday Fun: Tag! You Are It!

H-E-L-L-O F-R-I-D-A-Y!!!

(Wacko's Hellllooooo Nurse! is stuck in my head today)

So Shannon over at Book Dreaming decided to pay me a visit this morning. Yep, she popped over to this here lil' Royal setting and told me I was tagged...now before I hyperventilated with worry as to what on earth she had tagged me for I grinned. Not just any grin, but a big one.

You see I have been a bit chaotic and busy lately. Not able to post as regularly, have missed my Wednesday writings and well am just now beginning to slow down even the tiniest bit. To some it might appear that my slow down and their slow down are TOTALLY different definitions, but I promise it really is beginning to be a little more laid back at the Castle. What had me smiling was the comments from Monday's post. There wasn't just one, but 9. Nine comments. Each one sweet, sincere and genuinely glad to have visited. I had not yet posted my own comment to everyone else and well I just wanted to say Hello & Thank you. You have all been so supportive during these adjustments for our Kingdom and have visited here each time I have posted. For that I am forever grateful. We all go on soapboxes every now and then about the wonderful community of writers, book bloggers & authors that we frequent, I often chime in and this time I just want to express the simple appreciation for y'all letting this Southern Princess prance around & feel so welcome. I hope that I am able to return the love in every way possible.

Now on to the tagging:

This is the one where you have to write the following list of items in your own handwriting and then post a pic of it here. I had to split mine up because my cell phone won't hold the whole thing legibly...so here goes...The instructions are to write the following items:
1. Name/Blog Name.

2. Right handed, left handed or both?

3. Favorite letters to write?

4. Least favorite letters to write?

5. Write: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

6. Write in caps:CRABHUMORKALEIDOSCOPEPAJAMASGAZILLION

7. Favorite song lyrics?

8. Tag 7 people.

9. Any special note or drawing?

Okay so the ones who are now tagged:

if you cannot decipher on the photo here they lovelies are again...(if you have already done this one, please just divert your post to the link) ;o)

Jemi @ Just Jemi

Lola Sharp @ Sharp Pen/Dull Sword

DL Hammons @ Cruising Altitude

Karen Amanda Hooper @ Eternal Moonshine of a Daydreaming Mind

Frankie Mallis @ Frankie Writes

Talli @ Talli Roland

Summer @ ...and this time concentrate

Okay, whew! Well that was fun! I hope you all enjoyed this odd look into my handwriting!
Have a wonderful weekend and be sure to check out DL's Fantabulous HIGH DRAMA BLOGFEST tomorrow..should be a great one!

Also be sure to check out Lola's AWESOME Whatever Lola Wants or her Back from Maine Contest!!!!

*I should add one disclaimer...um I change my signature about every 3 months, so the way I write my name can be different at a moment's notice.

WARNING LONG POST AHEAD: Flash'n Fanny-Awards-Tagged-Bonus

Don't forget my Memorial Day Word Challenge Contest!

Enter HERE

***

Whew! What a crazy week...for those of you who read of my sad little flashdrive Flora on Monday well, she is no longer with us. We were able to remove some files (thank you IT Guru) but not all of them. Some snippets for my WIP are gone - that made me cringe - and a few Critiques for my Crit Group - that also made me cringe - but overall the damage was minor. I did however bury Flora with sweet words before scooting over to the store and adopting our newest member. Meet:

FLASH'N FANNY!!!*

Oh yeah, she's trouble with a capital "T" and boy is she here to party! She happily accepted a few files yesterday while also telling me she can hold plenty more...this girl might be a bit wild,but we love her already!

Now, Fanny is getting settled in quite nicely so we hope to have a long relationship - though she did make eyes at Gavin the Gateway Laptop* and Tabitha the Toshiba* netbook huffed a little, but ah, what's life without crazy women! (yes we have a serious mixture of techie gadgets - we are a fully diverse household)

***

Now, just the other day I received recognition from some AMAZING bloggie buddies.

Shannon O' Donnell from Book Dreaming ever so sweetly honored me with the Happiness 101 award! I love this award - not only is it pretty but it means that every now and then I make someone happy they stopped by my blog. That is awesome. Shannon should know that there isn't a single post of hers that does not make me grin. I want to pass this on to:

Jaydee Morgan - Her posts are always full of great information and she always makes me smile!

Lola over at Sharp Pen/Dull Sword - Not only is she my Wolfpack leader, but her posts ALWAYS make me smile!! I mean who doesn't love someone who starts their profile with My name is Lola. (I'm not a showgirl). ;o)

Talli Roland - Talli's blog is filled with wonderful posts on books, her writing, photos of England that will make you yearn to cross the pond, Banoffee Pie and a sense of humor that is refreshing!

***

Summer over at ...and this time concentrate got extremely mushy and passed out the following award:

I have to say I was beyond words when I saw my name listed. I am honored to have made this list. I only hope that as we move further towards our dreams that I can continue to be worthy of her list.

Now I get the lovely pleasure of passing this on as well. You all may know that I have been blogging for a while. Since '07 really, but '07 & '08 I was blogging in hiding... i.e. I only let family know that I had a site and the site was purely a journal. Then in 2009 I decided to step out. I noticed that some authors listed blogs on their book jackets and well I decided to google a few. Through this exercise I discovered Writing Blogs.

You all welcomed this Princess with open arms. I discovered that my email inbox was beginning to be filled with correspondence much like Pen Pals from my youth. I began to open up, share things that I never would have imagined. (Wednesday's Written Word hasn't always been around, ya know? ;o) ) You critique and teach me things I am unaware of, you make me remember that writing is something I can do anytime, anywhere and you make me realize that dreams are important in life.

(It goes without saying my hubby & family deserve this award a thousand times over!) So many of you, in fact my entire Royal Court deserves this award. I know that there will be people I have yet to meet that deserve this acknowledgement & that is so awesome!

Here is a snippet of those who have pushed me to go further & continue to do so:

Shannon Messenger

Frankie Mallis

Shannon O'Donnell

Lola Sharp

Summer

SarahJayne Smythe

DL

Portia

Tara

JP

Lisa & Laura

Simon (this one is fairly unisex so no worries Simon)

Vivian Marie Aubin du Paris

Thank you all.

***

One of those wonderful names above *cough*DL*cough tagged me with the five question experience! Five questions - five answers for each question.

I am happy to oblige with my answers:

Question 1: Where were you five years ago?

1. At this very same desk - only 2 years into the job after college.

2. Planning my wedding for the following year.

3. Moving into my new house.

4. Discovering the ins and outs of really living with the man you are going to marry.

5. Loving life.

Question 2: Where would you like to be five years from now?

1. Loving life.

2. A published author (hopefully on book two or three or four)

3. Planning or preparing for a summer vacation

4. Possibly playing with my very own children...

5. Still enjoying the wonder that is blogging!

Question 3: What is (was) on your to do list today?

1. be sure to get everything before heading to visit the fam

2. WRITE

3. CRITIQUE

4. Watch my twin nephews play baseball

5. charge my phone ;o)
Question 4: What five snacks do you enjoy?

1. Candy Apple (I mean the traditional apple dipped in red hard candy...yum)

2. Cotton Candy

3. Watermelon Jolly Ranchers

4. Chocolate coated sunflower seeds

5. Twizzlers

*its amazing that I have teeth*

Question 5: What would you do if you were a billionaire?

1. OMG! - TRAVEL with the entire FAM

2. Go to Orlando more than the traditional twice a year that I already go (worked for Disney years ago and still get a few perks ;o) )

3. Heck - have a house in Orlando

4. Secure the future of my children & family - most importantly

5. Use it to share books with those who don't have the means or libraries that need the funding - perhaps open some sort of Indie library/store concept...hmmmm.....

Okay so there you have it - an extremely long Friday post. If you hung in here through the whole thing - thank you ever so much! if you didn't well then you missed out on this:

One random commenter on THIS post will win a copy of:

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Contest ends Sunday at midnight - announcement will be made on Monday along with the Word Challenge Winner!

Open internationally.

Must be a follower.

*None of the companies listed here paid me anything to list their brands - they should ;o) but they don't. The photo of Flash'n Fanny is from Office Depot. Yes we love our gadgets and yes I will shamelessly promote the affairs of my gadgets - their love life amuses me.

Have a Fantabulous Friday!

Happy!

Happy = delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing; characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or joy

I travel between many blogs on a daily basis. Each one unique, each one a pleasure to read.

Last night I was reading one in particular ( Karen Amanda Hooper ) and I found myself extremely happy to be learning something new. Karen talks about creating a simple html link for when you comment on someone's blog & you want to leave a link to your own (check it out, so simple & really cool).

Many of the blogs I visit have been doing this exact thing in their posts & I always wondered how to do it. Well after sitting down and following her simple instructions I found myself elated to create one for my current contest. Then I laughed. Loudly. This simple trick had made me so excited. I was itching to use it. (Note the new link to the contest on the right sidebar) *giggle*

My husband thought I had lost my mind. But no matter, he simply lives with that thought most of the time. This new technique to learn was perfectly timed. I received a few awards over the past couple of days and well, one in particular applies here.

I received the Happy 101 award from Shannon O'Donnell and Frankie Writes

Is this not the yummiest looking blog award?! The rules are that I must list 10 things that make me happy... (random order)

1. Learning something new

2. Opening the cover of a book I have never read

3. Opening the cover of a familiar book to find myself just as excited as when I first read it

4. My family & Friends

5. My dog Peanut Butter Barr can lift my spirits anytime, anywhere

6. The written word...be it my own or that of someone else, there is nothing like language and its ability to create and explore

7. Sweet Tea

8. Warm sunshine glistening off emerald Gulf waters

9. The smell & texture of an old book...there is magic in its perseverance

10. Fashion... lol.. it, like a book, evolves, creates, explores, defines and perseveres...

So those are my ten...bizarre aren't they? ;o) that one was actually easy. Sometimes I have to remind myself that happiness is such a personal thing. What makes me happy is not guaranteed to top my husband or friends' lists. But every now & then our wavelengths mesh and I remember that shared happiness is special.

Now to pass on to 10 blogs that make me Happy! (forgive me that some of these are return to Sender; I am honored to be in their list and I want them to know that they in turn make mine)

1. Frankie Writes

2. Karen Amanda Hooper

3. Lisa&Laura

4. Cleverly Inked

5. Carol's Prints

6. Sara McClung

7. Shannon Messenger

8. MaryBeth Smith

9. Constantly Risking Absurdity

10. Simon C. Larter

Please check out these blogs. The fact that I smile EVERY SINGLE time that I see their update on my blogroll should tell you how awesome they are!!! Please note that it only asked for ten...if you peruse my blogroll(s) you will find dozens more blogs and they each are special to me!

Then Frankie graced me with another awesome award...however, she is unsure if there are any rules or not to this one so she passed it on to some favorite friend blogs - so I will do the same!

1. JuJu
2. MaryBeth Smith
3. Frankie Writes
4. Shannon O'Donnell




So click away, discover a new friend, find a blog that makes you smile..I promise you won't be disappointed!


Oh & don't forget to enter the contest by January 19 at Midnight!Click on the right sidebar link to enter!!

I'd like to thank the Academy...

Well, this holiday season seems to be falling around me like a blizzard. At first Thanksgiving was that early not really sticking to the ground snowfall but the past week has been a blanket of holiday activities! Shopping has kept me busy as well as Christmas parties and some wonderful evenings out.

Today though was about finishing my shopping list. As I ended up at home this evening I was terrified to look at the list & see if I had even put a good dent into what seems to be a constantly growing list... the verdict: ONLY TWO THINGS LEFT!!! HAPPY DANCE AROUND THE LIVING ROOM!

I realize that I am behind on a few things....

AWARDS

I have to say that again, I truly am grateful and surprised at receiving these awards! I mean, thank you so much! Honestly every time I see someone tell me they honored me with something I smile and feel so touched to have been thought of!

From Shannon O'Donnell of Book Dreaming (http://shannonkodonnell.blogspot.com/) & Courtney Reese of well, Courtney Reese (http://courtneyreese86.blogspot.com/) (her blog is her name-and what a marvelous first name she has!!) You both are so sweet & I love to visit your blogs!

The Superior Scribbler Award

Rules: Pass it on to 5 deserving blogs!

Lisa & Laura @ Lisa and Laura Write http://tiny.cc/6TYRm
Sara @SeeSaraWrite http://tiny.cc/zQAFm

Kate @ The NeverEnding Shelf: http://tiny.cc/sSnU3

JuJu of Tales of Whimsy (http://www.talesofwhimsy.com/)

Simon C. Larter @ Constant Revision (http://constantrevisions.blogspot.com/)

Second: The One Lovely Blog Award

From Liz @ Cleverly Inked ( http://cleverlyinked.blogspot.com/) Thank you so much Liz!!!

Rules: Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

15!!! OKAY HERE THEY ARE (random order of course):

Briana of The Book Pixie (http://thebookpixie.blogspot.com/)

Marybeth of Desperately Searching for My Inner Mary Poppins ( http://mbsmith090801.blogspot.com/)

The Compulsive Reader (http://www.thecompulsivereader.com/)

Anna of Book Nerds (http://booknerds.net/)

Page Turners (http://www.pageturnersblog.com/)

Kate @ The Neverending Shelf (http://www.theneverendingshelf.com/)

Lisa & Laura @ Lisa and Laura Write (http://lisa-laura.blogspot.com/)

Cindy @ Princess Bookie (http://www.princessbookie.com/)

Casey @ A Passion for Books (http://casey62588.blogspot.com/)

Carol @ Carol's Prints (http://carol-in-print.blogspot.com/)

Sarah @ Sarah with A Chance (http://sarahwithachance.blogspot.com/)

Karen Amanda Hooper @ Author of the Kindrily (http://karenamandahooper.blogspot.com/)

Mariah @ Constantly Risking Absurdity (http://mariahirvin.blogspot.com/)

Sara @ SeeSaraWrite (http://seesarawrite.blogspot.com/)

Books Obsession (http://booksobsession.blogspot.com/)

Whew... 15. blogs. whew.

Oh and if any of the above listed weren't already on your blogroll...well I hate to pull rank but *clears throat* By Royal Command Visit These Blogs As Often As You Can! They Are Amazing!

Okay so now I must leave and continue to work on the answers to a certain set of questions sent over by a certain fellow writer *cough*Frankie*cough*....