The Chubby Dove

Have you met my new friend at the Chubby Dove? She is an amazing artist that makes the cutest frames and gifts. She is multi-talented, making tables out of doors and decorating her house with ease. Anyway, I just wanted to send you her way to check out her blog and Etsy store.

We met briefly a couple weeks ago at a blogger dinner. We communicated a little by email and found out that we live very close to each other. Then she visited my church one Sunday and I got to meet her family.

So, last night we met for coffee (well, really gelati and smoothies!) and talked non-stop! We were sharing things with each other like we'd been friends for years. That is the kind of new friendship I love, one that just opens up right away.

Anyway, thanks for meeting me last night, J!

I Really Should Be Cleaning or something...

I should be cleaning.
Or baking.
Or shopping.
But I feel a little lazy.
So, I'm blogging. 

Feeling lazy when I have 11 family members coming to my house for dinner tomorrow night. 7 of them staying with us for a few days.  Am I crazy or what?!?!?

I guess that is the beauty of family - comfort. Comfort in the fact, that if I don't get something just right, they will still love me and still just be happy to be together. 

• B is feeling so much better. I just hope it is not one of those flu bugs that comes and goes.

• My mother and my husband cleaned my garage. Can I just get a hallelujah here? Praise God, I love a clean garage.

• My husband FILLED my entire van and took so much stuff to the dump.

That is the other thing I love about family coming to visit - you get stuff done that you have been putting off forEVER!

• I have ordered and received my Christmas cards. I am just a little proud of myself. That just never happens.

• I got Hubby an ice cream maker for his birthday and can't wait for him to make his first batch. He is working on it now!

• I am getting ready to order my first ever side of grass-fed beef from a local farmer! Woo Hoo - so excited about that.

• My pastor convinced me asked to be in a drama this weekend at church. Yeah, same guy who got me to do the pie eating contest. I really am doing some things that are way out of my comfort zone.  Isn't that they best way to serve Jesus - he really always seems to do amazing things with me when I serve out of my comfort zone.  Anyway,  I can speak publicly, no problem, but this drama thing has me a little nervous. Not that I'm not dramatic in many ways, believe me. I've just never acted in a play or drama. A.Leetle.Nervous.Indeed. Luckily, it will be a light weekend at church. I'm hoping. 

Okay, so enough randomness. That is just so how I am feeling lately. Random.

What's up with you?  Anything on your mind?  

Where Is My Blog Mojo?

When life gets busy most bloggers seem to be able to turn those events into hysterical blog fodder. I am just the opposite. It's like I can't even form a coherent sentence.

Often, I just have to wait until my brain slows down enough to get back into a blog groove. That's kinda where I am this week. 

It seems that I have a million things to talk about and nothing to say.


Do you ever feel like that?

**Free Christmas Cards**
I will make this post more worth your time, though.  I just ordered 50 Christmas cards FREE!  High quality, 5x7 photo cards - FREE.   Yup. Free.   I read about it at Such the Spot and she linked me to Hopelessly Flawed where she has the scoop.    Now you can order yours!  Before Thanksgiving, ya'll!   Your friends will oh and ah and wonder just how you get it all done. 



*update to my card ordering process.  I did pay a very minimal amount for shipping - $3.19.   Just to be completely honest.  And I am just passing this info along because I think it's a great deal.  That's all. 

**Oh, and also when I first placed my order, I went back in the account to review it, only to realize that I actually ordered only ONE lonely Christmas card.   Uh huh - one card, shipping included.   So, I had to create a new account for Hubby and create another card and order again (50 this time) because I had already used the coupon code.   And so it goes...this is just the way my week has gone.  
The good news is, my creative juices were flowing better the second time around and I made a better card! 

O' Happy Day!

Going to Meet Some Women I Met Online

That's what I told my husband as I headed out the door on Saturday night.   Oh, and that most of them I actually had never even chatted with online!  

I've been following Kellie at La Vida Dulce for some time now and was just very excited when she put this little dinner party together!    She is even more lovely than she is online - absolutely real and beautiful!

 Me, Kellie

Even though, I felt a little out of my league, I also had a sense of camaraderie with these women I had yet to meet.    Basically, I was heading to dinner with Blog Rock Stars!  I might be more like a blog folk singer, if anything.  I started to blog for my family and as a hobby.  I'm not really a great writer.  I'm not sure that I am witty and charming to anyone but those who really know me.  I just put what is in my head out there for the world to see!  Or at least a very small corner of the world.

Kellie (La Vida Dulce), June (Bye Bye Pie), Susan (Carpool Queen)

Turns out, they do the same thing.   They were all so warm, gracious and FUNNY!  Oh my, did we laugh.   Mostly because June is just spilling over with wit, charm and funny stories.  I am endeared to her forever.  Can you be endeared to someone?  Or do you just find someone endearing?  Now, I'm all worried about my grammar when obviously, I don't worry about that any other time!  Oh well, I like her a lot for a long time, how about that?     It was such an honor to be among the real life women behind the blogs that I've followed for a long time like Kellie and June.   I recently started reading Carpool Queen and New Every Morning and just can't wait get to know the other women through their blogs, too.  

 (I'm swiping this very organized line up from New Every Morning - thank you)

From left to right: Tracey (NC Brownings), Amy (Bambino Bliss), Rachel (NC Rachel), K2 (Secret Agent/Reader), Heather (Life with the Lords), Kristen (KR & Company), Me, Susan (Carpool Queen), Kellie (La Vida Dulce), Jessica (Chubby Dove), Sandy (Seasoned Sister), June (Bye, Bye Pie), Robin (Chosen) and Gretchen (New Every Morning) - thanks for passing along the awesome picture!

We dined on amazing food and stayed until we could laugh no more, talking all the way out the door.

Imagine that?!?  Bloggers talking all the way out the door! 

Cool Moms and Webcams

This has been a very cool week for me in the technological sense.

Wednesday, I had a meeting with a friend who is creating a really great website, that I can't tell you about yet, but he wants me to be one of many consultants as they wrap up and roll out the project.  Just to look at it and tell him my opinions.  Why?  Because I get social media.   Okay, that was easy. 

Then yesterday, I had the awesome opportunity, thanks to Sarah at Real Life,  to go to my very first blogger mom mixer event.   A special thanks also to  Logitech and BSM Media and Mom Select for sponsoring it. 

So here is what was really awesome about this mixer.

First and foremost, we had a tasty lunch.  Because it is always about the food, isn't it?

Then we got to play with  a very cool webcam by Logitech.

I would love to talk more about this camera here on Dandelion Dayz but because of my agreement with BlogHer ads (the ones in my sidebar) I need to talk about it over on my review blog, Just Dandy Reviews,  Please go and check out the review  AND receive a coupon code AND FREE SHIPPING if you would like to order one for yourself.   

Mostly though, the best part of the mixer was meeting some really cool women.  Women that blog and run websites and use social media - just like me.  Well, not just like me - sooooo much better than me!  Women that are moms, and wives and are trying to juggle life - just like me.

Women like Maria Bailey of  MomTalkRadio who brought us all together in the first place, Molly of Go Mom Inc.,  Sarah of Real Life , Jen at One Mom's World and CarolinaMama were just a few of the women that I met and instantly fell in love with.  Seriously, I feel like I've been friends with Sarah for years.  We could have probably talked for hours.  She is who she is online - real!   

 

Not sure what was happening with my hair yesterday (not good) but isn't Sarah so beautiful?  

She has one megawatt smile!

My favorite part about blogging has always been the community.   Many Most of my friends and family do not understand my blogging and tweeting.  Most barely get past Facebook.   Some even think that social media is replacing face to face contact.  I disagree.  I think that social media has allowed me to make new friends that I would have never met otherwise, re-connect with long lost friends and stay better connected with those I see never get to see on a regular basis.

So, it was good to meet some women that I've only known online.  Many of them local and in some even in my circles of peeps. 

I certainly look forward to more mom mixers and getting to know more bloggers. 

Now, please go check out the webcam review.  You will love it!   Leave me a comment to let me know what you think. 

20,000 visitors to Dandelion Dayz! Wow!

Wow! My sitemeter just hit 20,000 visitors today!

For a little baby blogger like me, that is super cool!

Thanks!

Have you subscribed? Check the sidebar and don't miss out on a single exciting post! :)

I Feel The Love!

Oh, I am just sooo not worthy of this award. I mean in the blog and writing sense.

BUT I am soooo excited that I was nominated! At least one of you appreciates my parenting skills! Now, if I can just convince my kids. Just kidding, of course.

Aw, I am just honored, y'all! Who was it? Tell me, tell me, tell me! You filled my heart today!

Just being included with the other bloggers that were nominated is extremely flattering.

So, if you have time it would be so very cool for you to go vote at this site for my blog. The contest ends November 30. I don't expect to really win because there are sooo many incredible parenting blogs, but it would be fun to have your votes! Click this button below!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

You have blessed me today. Really, you have.

Now This is Funny

I was over visiting Rebecca and she did this little test to see what reading level her blog is.

So, I decided to give it a shot because, well, I have about a million other things I could be doing and this seemed like much more fun.

You have to know this is a joke.
Genius level?
Reeeaaally.
Maybe you would have to be a genius to figure out what I am talking about half the time!

But what does it say about all of you? You are all a bunch of Geniuses!
I always knew it.

Being on my Computer has it's Advantages

Most of the time, I am the last to know.

I am late all the time and so this means I often miss annoucements or the on time door prizes.

However, I do spend a lot of time on my computer. Some of you already that.

So, because I feel lost without it when I leave home, I always check it immediately upon my return home.

And today.

Waiting in my inbox?

Free tickets to see Third Day, Switchfoot and Jars of Clay.

Tonight.

With a VIP parking pass.

First one to call the guy got them.

Me!!!

You see! Being on my computer all the time definitely has it's advantages.

AND my mom living 5 minutes from me - that too!

I. Am. So. Excited!!!!

Blogger Slacker

Yup, that's me.

Okay, I just cannot keep up with my own life these days it seems.

Is it just me or is September the busiest month ever????

I think I am busier now than during the holidays. EVERYTHING has to be done THIS WEEK. Seriously, it's craziness.

We had a super time in Memphis. It was nice to get away with hubby and be involved in the business a bit. I think it is good to be on board with what goes on in his life every day. I used to be so involved because before we had kids we worked together.

Then I had babies.
Life changed.
Diapers and nursing took the place of sales and customer service.
Although, I do feel like I am doing that quite a bit around here!

Sales:

"Peas are great! Eat them and you will get this free ice cream!"

Customer Service:

"I can understand your frustration, but we just cannot go swimming in the
rain. We can, however, watch your favorite program on TV while I
blog."

You see...sales and customer service right here at home.

Blogaversary

This month, I have been blogging one year. I had no idea what blogging was a year ago and when I heard about it my first thought was it would just be one more thing for me to do every day.

I actually could not imagine I would have enough to write about for a week, much less a year.

I am a quite a talker but to be able to put it all in black and white would be difficult. It is actually difficult, but I like the discipline of learning to observe more of what is happening around me and putting it into writing on a daily basis.

Since the beginning, I have also met people I might never have known. I have been inspired daily by smart funny women that I don't personally know and have access to so many more. I have been blessed by the encouragement and comments of you, my readers.

I don't get the most comments of any blogger and I know that many bloggers that have been doing this for even less time than I are better at it. They are amazing writers, funny and really are good at getting their blog out there.

I love reading their blogs and learning from them. So, here is to another year!
How about you? How long have you been blogging and what is your favorite part about it?

If you have been lurking here on my blog - this would be an excellent time to come out and let me know who you are! ;)

Hello there

Sorry I have been so MIA the last couple days. You know how summer goes. Just lots of activities and less structure, so it is hard to get to the computer as much.

Honestly, I really needed a couple days to not focus on my blog and the computer. I get a little obsessed sometimes and need a reminder of why I am blogging at all.

Many people blog for business of some sort and that is just not where mine is at this point. It is simply a place to record my thoughts, our life and meet new friends. So, I think it was good to get some perspective on that. I have missed my conversations with you, though and look forward to catching up on those!

Also, it seems like so many sad events are taking place around me that it has been hard to write about them. While I always want to be authentic here on the blog, I don't want to be a downer in any way.

Here are some updates on some things that I have been praying about the last couple days.

Missing Woman Update and here.
My friend Heather here.

Who knows why this bad stuff happens. I try very hard to rest in the fact that what this world intends for evil, God will use for good. I know he is sovereign and will hold these people close in their pain right now.

Diggin' some Wells

This past week at the beach our family of four drank 2 cases of bottled water in addition to the 3 - 5 gallon containers we used for cooking and making coffee, tea, etc. The water at the beach doesn't always suit our taste buds.

We are seriously spoiled and so blessed. Absolutely and completely blessed to live in a country where we can pick and choose where we get our fresh, cool, and clean water.

Then I remembered the service at church the Sunday before we left and wanted to share this with you.

Jim Hocking from ICDI visited our church to let us know about the status of some wells in the Central African Republic. Our church supports ICDI and have sent teams to the C.A.R. this year. Praise God for the work that has been done recently to provide these people with CLEAN water.



12 New Wells = Fresh Water for

6,000 people

Repairs to fix 125 wells = Clean water for

100,000 people

Amazing and really so simple.

What is amazing is that before these wells 106,000 people were without fresh water.

What is so simple is how clean water can change these people's lives. They have better hygiene, can grow food and entire communities are built and prosper around maintaining these wells.

What can you do to help more people receive clean water?

ICDI partners with Living Water International and Blood Water Mission to give clean and fresh water to people living in the Central African Republic. Check them out.

Some Great Blogging Advice

At She Speaks last weekend the following awesome bloggers held some sessions on how to, um...blog.

But how to blog better. More effectively. With more fun. And safely and politely. Anyway, it's just good stuff to know if you are blogging. I am so glad to that they shared it with us and wanted to pass it along to you, too!

They are warm and funny women that just seem to want to share the love of this crazy blog world.

I missed Friday night's session because of the wedding so I was soooo happy to find this last week.

Here is some great advice from them.

BooMama on Finding Your Blog Identity
My blog identity is pretty much the same one I have in real life. I am just not creative enough to try to be anyone else!

Rocks In My Dryer on Growing Your Blog Traffic
My traffic is slowly growing. I really feel like the people that keep coming back to my blog are the same ones I might be friends with in real life. I try not to worry too much about traffic and just keep up with the nice people that visit and leave comments.

BigMama on Blogging Privacy, Etiquette and Boundaries
Oh, I did have to change a couple things after reading this. I am such a "Oh, it's not going to happen to me." kind of gal. But really, I needed be a little more private about my whereabouts and such.

The Real Deal

As I was looking back on some past blog posts last night, I realized that my blog looks pretty happy. Well, I mean that my life looks pretty happy because of my blog posts.
It's full of cute stories and pictures of my kids, photos of my flowers, memes, product reviews and fun links.




I do strive for it to be an encouraging place for you to stop by. I want you to feel good when you leave. I guess I really don't want you to see the yuck that sometimes happens in my life - that often happens in my life. I just don't want to burden you with that.




To be perfectly honest, though - my life is pretty dang happy.



PLEASE don't see this as bragging or tooting my own happy horn, but rather my acknowledgment of how thankful I am and should be. Because I don't always recognize it. I often don't remember to be thankful for this life.



But, I am truly a blessed woman in so many ways.



I have a hard working, generous and loving husband. He basically gives me whatever my heart desires. He loves me and takes great care of our family. The years with him have been the best of my life.


I have 2 great kids. Smart as they can be. No issues or real challenges. They are almost always polite, very sweet and lots of fun. I find great delight in them.




I enjoy close relationships with both of our extended families.




Our church- awesome.


Our friends - incredible.


Our neighborhood - utopia.


So, what's the real deal? What am I not showing you?



When I scrapbook or place photos in an album, I don't put pictures of the hard times in there. Well, for that matter, I don't take pictures of the hard times.




For instance, I don't have a disagreement with my husband in front of his parents and photograph that for the family album. Or blog about it.




I don't run for the camera when my 4 year old won't change his clothes for his sister's recital and throws an all out living tantrum in front of his grandparents. And I certainly don't start snapping photos of myself when I throw a tantrum right back at him because he won't do what I want.




I didn't pull out the video camera to film the young girl asking for money for a bus ticket outside of the parking garage after the recital.


And I hope no one was recording me as I cried in church on Sunday because my pastor spoke of grace and how desperately I needed to hear what he said.




I want to share the happy times of my life with you. And to be even more honest - the happy times are the ones I want to see when I open up our family album or my blog. In the long run, 20 years from now - the silly disagreements and tantrums won't even be worth remembering.





I just don't want you to think that what I share on this blog is all my life is about. That I don't have challenges in my relationships and that I am not the biggest fool sometimes. Oh my, am I the biggest fool sometimes!




I shared on another blogger's comments yesterday what my prayer has been the last month or so.

To let go. To just let go of how I think life should go and to look
to God to see what he wants my life to look like.

I am a fool because I have this "photograph" in my mind of what life should look like and I often try to conform and control events and people to fit into that picture.




The crazy thing? I most often find that my life looks nothing like what I think it should.

When I stop looking at everything I want and all that God wants for my life and all that he has provided, I find that my life is more full than I can even fathom in my own mind.




It's there I find the real joy because it is there where I find peace in all situations. Because the real deal is that life is both happy and not so happy at times. It is just where you are focusing that will make a difference.



And the real me? I just keep finding her the more I focus on God. I am actually starting to like her. ;)



So, I choose to show you the happy. Like dandelions, I choose to see the flower and not the weed. The real deal is that while unhappy times happen, I don't want to dwell there.

If I do nothing else

I won another contest! If I do nothing else with this whole blogging thing but enter the contests of these very generous women, it will be so worth it!

Okay, first of all I have told you before and I will say it again. I never - I mean never ever - win anything in real life. But in the blog world, I am suddenly a lucky ducky!

Last week I won the flash drive from The Mom Salon
and then a day later a $30 gift certificate to Pure and Honest Kids from Notes From My Nest

Tonight, I won a $200 gift card to TARGET!!!!! You know, Queen B? You know her mom, Queen Mother - she has a new blog, Beachy Mimi. And today, she had a giveaway for a $200 gift card to Target. So, of course I entered, because , well I love Target and I shredded my Target card a month or so ago, BUT also, I so love to read the conversations between B and her mom - they are fun fun fun! And then I won!!! I am beyond excited.

We just built a new patio. Well actually, we had someone build it, because - we don't build things around here. So, I want a fire pit to put on our new patio to roast some marshmallows for the kiddos and neighbors. And look, now I can just go and get it!

Or wait. Oh yes, wait. I just remembered my iPod is broken - as in it plays the same 5 songs over and over. Who can get their groove on the elliptical machine to the same 5 songs? Anyway, I may need to use it to get that. Hmm. Oh, now I have to decide. But just the fun in deciding is so great!

Thanks Beachy Mimi! I am very excited. Can you tell?

The REAL you

I just wanted to let you know that I have inspired a discussion over at Mom Bloggers Club. So, my picture is right on the opening page with my discussion question as the feature for this week!

I have to say, I was a little excited. Mostly because someone thought it was also an important question to discuss. I get excited at these things.

I love this site! I have met a lot of really fun and encouraging women here that I chat with weekly. They have been supportive of my blog and I have enjoyed reading theirs. Within this club there are even smaller groups, like Christian Mom Bloggers, Southern Mom Bloggers, The Think Tank, Organic Mommies, Twitter Moms and a few others.

There are fun discussions mostly concerning what it is to be a mom and blogger at the same time, but also a lot of other just fun and interesting topics to talk about. They feature various blogs weekly and have a Mystery Mom Blogger featured each week.

So, head on over there and check it out and get yourself signed up. Oh, and join in on my discussion over there:

How much of the REAL you do we see on your blog?

Oh, and I just won a Free Cruzer Gator Flash Drive from The Mom Salon who is a major contributor to MBC! I was just getting ready to go out and buy one and lo and behold - I won!!! I am telling you blogging has allowed me to win more stuff than I ever have. I am so thankful! Thank you to The Mom Salon and Mom Bloggers Club.

If you comment on this post and want me to, I will email you a personal invitation to Mom Bloggers Club. I am not sure what difference it will make, but hey an invitation is always good!

Why Blog? Read this.

I get questions about why I blog ALL THE TIME. How do I find the time? What do I write about? Why do I do it? Why write about me? Isn't that kind of prideful? Yeah, someone asked me that. Anyway, I was over at Jo-Lynne's blog today and she had this posted. Apparently, she gets the same questions and this leads me to believe most bloggers do, too. She makes a wonderful connection and comparison that is very interesting and hopefully answers a lot of these questions. I would tell you more, but why would I do that when you can just read it here.

21st Century Radio Homemaker,