Please vote for us!

I don't think I've ever asked for votes for anything before (probably because I've never been nominated for things or entered things! Ha ha!) but I entered this contest with D waaaay late in the game and I'd love to have a decent amount of votes so I don't look like a total fool...

If you could, please take a moment to register (you can opt out of future emails, etc) and please vote for us! We're on page 7, photo 80.

There's a little widget over in the sidebar!!

Thanks friends.

Simply Joy Sunday #31

I am celebrating the simple joys of life. It's nice to take stock of the little things that bring me joy each week. Try it! You'll like it!

Are you celebrating the simple joys on your blog? Link here and let me know in the comments and I'll add your link to this post! No blog? Tell me your joys in the comments!

My joys this week?

A baby girl who eats a big broccoli tree with a smile on her face.

I was backing out of the garage on Thursday and noticed the kids' trike sitting there. For some reason, I thought it was cute so I took a picture of it. That trike is another joy. I got it for free when we were driving home from visiting my in-laws several years ago. It was a leftover from someones garage sale and they just left a bunch of stuff by the road marked "free". My dad painted the rusted metal seat black and it's been a great trike for M and K, and soon for D too.

I finished reading I'm Proud of You: My Friendship With Fred Rogers by Tim Madigan. This book really made me think about how I approach my life and friendships and my relationships with other people. It made me want to be a better person. How sappy is that? But it's true.

In fact, I have another copy to give to one of you. I want you to experience this book too. Fred Rogers was a magnificent human. I hope to be half as good.

If you'd like to win a copy of this book, leave me a comment. Tell me about how you've enjoyed a simple joy this week. (Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you win!) Tweet about this post to earn an extra entry. Write a blog post about this and get another entry! Subscribe to my blog? Another entry! (Please leave a separate comment for each entry.)

Anyone else feeling the joy?

Athena's Armory

Trying to Take My Mind Off M's Surgery and Giving Something Beautiful Away

Miss M's tonsillectomy is scheduled for tomorrow so I'm not doing much in the way of writing. Even a Cool Zebras Random Thoughts post seems beyond me this week. But you benefit from my lack of motivation to write (besides not being subjected to my writing!)

If you read my post on Sunday you saw the beautiful rosary my friend Gunfighter made for me. He sent two rosaries to me though. One to keep and one to give away. I myself am Presbyterian so I don't actually use a rosary, but I placed mine on a shelf next to my Bible because it's so pretty.

This is the one I get to give away to one of you!

If you'd like to win this beautiful (yet functional) piece, just leave me a comment. No comments like "sweet, pick me!" or "pretty" though. I want a real comment. Need some ideas of what to comment about? Go visit Gunfighter and tell me about something you read at his site. Or tell me about a great book I should read if I ever have time to read again. Or recommend some great tunes that I should get from iTunes. Better yet, give me hair style advice.

Want more chances to win? Tweet about this and leave me the link to your tweet. Subscribe to my blog. Follow my blog (look at the lonely 15 people over there...they wish more heads were hanging out with them). You'll get an extra entry for each additional thing.

U.S. or Canadian addresses only please. Contest closes Tuesday March 10th. Please be sure that I have a way to contact you if you win!

And tomorrow? Keep my little girl in your thoughts.

You don't see me

No really.

I'm not here.

Well, I am but I'm not.

Have you updated your links to me? It's www.coolzebras.com now. No blogspot anymore. I would be so appreciative if you'd update...or just link to my new address if you haven't before. I put my Technorati rank in the toilet when I bought my new domain. It is sort of important to have a good rank. Sort of. I mean, not as important as healthy kids or world peace, but still. Important.

So anyway. This is me, not being here because I'm over there, at the Zoo Review. There might be a giveaway or two involved.

Also I'm writing another embarrassing story about me in the past. Stay tuned.

Etsy Greetings Carnival Giveaway

I'm participating in the Etsy Greetings Team Carnival this week! For those who have never heard of Etsy, or Etsy Greetings, Etsy is a site similar to Ebay where people like me can sell handmade and vintage items. Etsy Greetings is a group of people who have shops on Etsy that sell greeting cards.

So this week you can enter to win some handmade goodies at participating Etsy Greetings Team member blogs or directly in their shops.


What can you win here?


Sentimental Journey is more than just greeting cards, although cards make up the majority of the inventory, so I'm giving away something new that I haven't even offered in my shop yet!



This is an upcycled composition notebook. It's my first one, so there was a little bit of a learning curve, but I think it turned out pretty good. I'll be making more and they'll debut in my shop in a few days/weeks (whenever I get around to it!).


I'm also giving away 3 of my cards, type and style to be determined. Maybe I'll let the winner influence my choice.


Here's how you win and the rules/regulations and such:


1. For one entry, please leave a comment. You can comment anything except just "enter me." Tell me a joke, tell me how cute my kids are, tell me how much you love my blog, link to your favorite YouTube video or suggest songs for my iPod. I don't care what you comment, but make it a real comment and not just "I'd love to win."


2. For another entry (and to see examples of the cards you could win) visit my etsy shop (http://sentimentaljourney.etsy.com/) pick at least one item and mark it as a favorite. Then come back here and leave another comment with your etsy username and the item that you marked.


3. You can earn a third entry by subscribing to my blog, and leaving another comment letting me know you've subscribed. If you're already a subscriber, that counts. Leave another comment to let me know.


4. This giveaway is open to those with US and Canadian addresses. Please make sure that you leave an email address that I can contact you at if you win, or if you have a blog that your email address is easily found.


5. I will stop taking entries on Friday November 21st at noon CST.


Good luck!

Now head to the Etsy Greetings blog and enter the rest of the giveaways!

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P.S. I noticed since I bought my new domain that my Technorati ranking tanked. If you've linked to me, could you please, pretty please update your links? I'd appreciate it immensely.

The Winner!

The winner of the book Note to Self: On Keeping a Journal and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Samara O’Shea is:

Congrats! Shoot me an email with your address and I'll get that sent out to you sometime this week!!

Win a book!!

As a preteen, I read The Diary of Anne Frank and before I’d read the last page I started a diary. I think I even named it Kitty because I was so original in thought. By the end of that first (red plaid with a hard cover) diary I had grown from writing about dolls to writing about feelings and cute boys. The seventh grade through high school graduation was the height of my journal writing. Puberty and figuring out how to be me were cause for much introspection and I filled many pages with my teenage angst.

As a teen, the thought of someone else reading my words was appalling. These were my private thoughts. As I grew older, however, I wanted to know if other people thought like I did. I wanted people to identify with me. By the time I stumbled upon the thing they call blogging I was ready and craving an audience.

I sometimes wonder what percentage of bloggers kept a journal or a diary before (or during) writing their blogs. I’d guess that it’s quite high. That’s why I thought the book Note to Self : On Keeping a Journal and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Samara O’Shea would be an interesting read from the blogger perspective.

O’Shea examines the motivation of journal-writers and the benefits that such writing can offer.

She uses excerpts from her own journals to illustrate her points, often quoting other literature and drawing comparisons between her life and published work. Her excerpts range from embarrassingly funny stories to painful heartbreak. She also offers writing suggestions for those who are intimidated by the blank page.

In perhaps my favorite chapter, O’Shea brings up the idea of being able to talk to yourself through your writing. Years later, you can see the person you once were. It reminded me of the book The Time Traveler’s Wife in which the main character could literally visit his younger self. This, in particular, I identified with because I re-read old blog posts from when I first started blogging and remember who I was then and see how I’ve changed (and how I’ve stayed the same).

O’Shea also touches on blogging in one chapter of her book. She, herself, is also a blogger as well as a diarist. (Which goes back to my original query.)

I found her insights and suggestions for logging one’s life to be interesting. Not earth-shattering or particularly unique ideas, but still a good read. It’s one of those books that is put together in such a way that it makes it easier for busy people who can’t sit and read in long stretches to read a bit at a time and still enjoy the book.

You can win your very own copy of Note to Self and check it out for yourself. Just leave me a comment and I’ll get one of my kids to pick a winner from the comments on September 13th.

Giveaways!

Hey check out the cool giveaways at 5 Minutes for Mom!

Giveaway winners

Winners have been notified and have given me their addresses! Thanks to all who entered.

Thanks especially to those who entered who have come back to read not just because I'm giving something away.

Most of all thanks to those who regularly read, whether you comment or not.

Giveaway Goodness Three

It's that time again! Bloggy Giveaways!


I'm giving away TWO prizes this time so there will be TWO WINNERS!

But first, about my family:


We had Baby D baptised yesterday so I have to post some pretty baby pictures...probably tonight.

We also go meet M's 1st grade teacher tonight. It will be interesting to see if any of her good friends will be in her class. I think she'll do fine regardless of who is in her class, she'll make friends anyway.

It should be interesting trying to get three kids ready in the mornings and get Miss M to school by 8:40. We'll see how that goes on Wednesday...the first day of school already!

Also, we had my two older kids' birthday party last Saturday. I now need to make, write (or prod M to write) and send about 20 "thank yous." And we have added to the 438,684 toys we already had in the house. I think it's up to 438,732.


Okay, back to the giveaway:


The first prize is a set of 6 handmade cards from Sentimental Journey. The set includes one each of birthday, wedding, thank you, and Easter and two blank/any occasion cards.

The second prize I'm giving away is a $10 gift card. The winner can choose which of the following merchants she'd like the gift card for: Barnes and Noble, Bath and Body Works, Gap, Old Navy, Panera OR Olive Garden.

There will be one winner for each prize, so TWO winners at this site.

To win, please complete these steps:

First, visit my shop at http://sentimentaljourney.etsy.com/ and take a gander at my wares. Pick your favorite and come back here to leave a comment and let me know! If you’re so inclined, actually mark the item as a favorite. I’ll give you an extra entry in each drawing if you do (tell me what your etsy id is to get credit and the extra entry!).

Make sure that I have an email to contact you. If you blog and your email is easy to find on your blog, that works. If you’re not a blogger or if your email isn’t on your blog, leave me an email address in your comment.

This giveaway is open to those with U.S. and Canadian addresses.

I will draw one winner for the cards and one winner for the gift card from my comments (and hearts) on Friday August 1st so I will quit accepting entries at noon Central time on Friday. Only those who have followed all steps will be eligible to win, so make sure you visit my shop and pick a favorite.

I will notify the winners by email. If I don't hear from the winner and get an address to send the cards to by 3 days later I will pick a new winner! (And just to make it interesting, and better for my regular readers, I'll pick the new winner from entrants on another post. So if you want to be included in the second chance drawing you'll have to come back!)

Of course I’d appreciate it if you’d come back and visit me at my blog here anyway and/or at my shop! My kids are really cute and the two older ones say some funny things. I lose my mind and post about it regularly. Better yet, subscribe and then you won’t miss anything! I’m also adding new items all the time to my shop…so stop by often!

Thanks for stopping! Good luck!

***Comments are now closed! Thanks for stopping!******

I’m not as big a loser as I thought.

In fact, lately I’ve been a big winner in the blog giveaway arena.

From Scribbit, I won a book.

Then, during the bloggie giveaways I won:

Some LUSH bath bombs from Not Trying for a Boy. These things are ginormous. I think I'll need a bigger bathtub to use them!

6 no-slip hair-clips from So A Blonde Walks into a Review and her etsy shop Wishes and Wonders! Here's Miss M, modeling some of the clips, which are really cute, but Miss M correctly assumed that I really wanted a photo of the pretty girl wearing the clips rather than just the clips.

I've also been notified that I've won 3 other things from different sites, but I haven't received any of them yet so I don't give credit unless they follow through!!

And the winner is...

Serious business, that drawing of the winner.

Commenter #35, Andrea said...
I like the Garden Flower Happy Birthday card!

I sent you an email Andrea!

If Andrea should not be able to fulfill her duties as winner (send me her mailing address by Tuesday) the prize will go to the runner-up, which Miss M also picked today.

Thanks to all who played along and visited my shop!

Maybe we'll see you at the next Bloggie Giveaway, if not before! (It would be nice to see you here before!)

Giveaway Goodness Reprise!

It’s Bloggy Giveaway’s quarterly carnival time!

Last time, in January, I decided to participate on the spur of the moment. I was starting to make a bunch of cards so that I would be set for the year of birthdays, anniversaries, etc. and wouldn’t have to worry about scrambling at the last minute to make cards. I discovered that it was a great stress-reliever and that I was really having fun making cards.

I saw that the Bloggy Giveaways carnival was going on and thought it would be fun to participate and give away a set of my hand-made cards. Through entering a bunch of the giveaways I heard about etsy, and decided to try my hand at selling my cards.

I’m still sort of learning the ropes at etsy. I opened my shop around February 19th. So far, I’ve sold 15 items, although it’s been a while since my last sale. I’m hoping that this giveaway will jump start things for me again!

So, here I am again, giving away a set of cards to one lucky winner. This time I have the cards all made up already, so sorry, no choice of what set you’d like, but I think this is a pretty versatile set. It's a set of 6 cards that includes 1 thank you card, 2 blank/any occasion notecards and 3 birthday cards.

To win, please complete these steps:

First, visit my shop at http://sentimentaljourney.etsy.com/ and take a gander at my wares. Pick your favorite and come back here to leave a comment and let me know! If you’re so inclined, actually mark the item as a favorite. I’ll give you an extra entry in the drawing if you do (tell me what your etsy id is to get credit and the extra entry!).

Make sure that I have an email to contact you. If you blog and your email is easy to find on your blog, that works. If you’re not a blogger or if your email isn’t on your blog, leave me an email address in your comment.

This giveaway is open to those with U.S. and Canadian addresses.

I will draw a winner from my comments (and hearts) on Saturday April 26th so I will quit accepting entries at noon Central time on Saturday. Only those who have followed all steps will be eligible to win, so make sure you visit my shop and pick a favorite.

I will notify the winner by email. If I don't hear from the winner and get an address to send the cards to by 3 days later I will pick a new winner!

Of course I’d appreciate it if you’d come back and visit me at my blog here and/or at my shop! I’m a little over 4 weeks away from having my third child…you don’t want to miss her blog debut now do you? Better yet, subscribe and then you won’t miss it!

I’m also adding new cards all the time to my shop…so stop by often!

Thanks for stopping! Good luck!

It's coming!

It's almost time for another bloggy giveaway! The first time I participated sparked the birth of my etsy shop (http://sentimentaljourney.etsy.com/) and I'll be participating again...so get ready to enter a bunch of giveaways again soon!

The giveaways start Monday April 21st!

And the Winner is...!

The winner of the cards to celebrate the grand opening of my etsy shop (http://www.sentimentaljourney.etsy.com/) is...

Alex Elliot who said: "They all look fabulous. I think my favorite is the 4 weddings and a funeral pack because I love the cards and I like the name as well!" (Email me your address so I can send you your cards!)

I keep adding new cards every few days, so keep checking my site! If my shop continues to do well, I'll probably host another giveaway soon!

Thanks to everyone who checked out my shop and who picked a favorite. And thanks to my mom who bought 7 cards today (three of which I hadn't even listed yet!)

I'm open!

This post will remain at the top of my blog until March 2. For newer posts please scroll down!!
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With the installation of our broadband internet access, I was able to get my brand new etsy shop up and running!

To celebrate my grand opening I'm giving away 3 of my cards!

The ladybug one says "happy birthday" on the inside. The flower one is blank inside. The other birthday card says "celebrate!" inside.

Want to win them? Here's what you need to do:

Go to my shop and look around: sentimentaljourney.etsy.com Find your favorite card(s), then come back here and leave me a comment to tell me which one(s) you like the best. That's it.

(Of course if you want to buy something while you're there, that would be cool too!)

US or Canada addresses only for this contest please. Leave your email address in the comments (or shoot me an email with it) if you don't have a blog with your email listed. If the winner doesn't respond within 3 days of me sending the email I'll pick a new winner. (I use random.org)

Non-bloggers are welcome to participate as well!

I'll stop accepting entries on Sunday, March 2 at 1 pm central time.

I'm a winner too.

I had to post that out of all those bloggy giveaways a couple of weeks ago I actually won one!

I won a most excellent $25 gift card for Barnes and Noble from Emily at Remodeling This Life! So I get to go shopping and buy a couple of those recommendations you all gave me the yesterday!

Thanks Emily!

The cards are done

I finished making the cards and took a couple of photos. I think they turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. Now I just have to make it to the post office to mail them!

Here they are:

We have a winner!

Thanks to all that visited and entered to win the cards. I hope that at least some of you come back and actually read some of my blog. I'm very entertaining. Ha.

The winner of the 10 handmade cards is... Meredith from TX! Go congratulate her and read her exciting news on her blog. She chose set #5, the misc assortment, and I have them all made already except one of the wedding cards. I didn't realize how hard it is to make cards for weddings! (Okay, just hard for me I guess.)

I'll try to snap and post a photo of the cards before I send them, just so you all can see what you didn't win. (Because I'm thoughtful like that.)

Giveaway goodness!

***Changed contest ending date so I can get the cards made this weekend!****

No school today because of the blizzard of yesterday and the -45 degree windchill today. The kids are playing with their cars, and it's quiet. I'm sitting in the recliner (as usual) feeling the Munchkin kick rhythmically and entering giveaways.

Seriously. More than 700 giveaways. It's amazing.

So I thought, what they hey! I'll join in, even if I'm late to the party.

Here's how you enter: Leave me a comment. Yep. That's it. Of course you could also subscribe to my blog so you could remember to come back and read about whether the babe in my belly is, indeed a girl, or if the Munchkin should turn out to be a boy. And you wouldn't want to miss finding out if my husband starts speaking to me again. Or, if K ever uses the potty.

What am I giving away? One 10-card set of hand-made greeting cards. Let me know in your comment which set you would like (if you don't specify, you're not entered!)

Set 1: Baby themes (congrats on your pregnancy; new arrivals: boy, girl and neutral)

Set 2: Birthday (kids)

Set 3: Birthday (adults)

Set 4: Birthday (5 kids and 5 adults)

Set 5: Misc (2 each of birthday, baby, thank you, any occasion/blank inside, and wedding)

(Here's a sampling of the type of cards I make:)

I'll make the cards after the winner chooses which set they'd like so I'll ship the set within 2 weeks after the winner is chosen.

Contest closes Feb 1 at 7 p.m. central time. Please leave your email address if you are not a blogger, or if your blog doesn't have your email listed. If I don't hear from the winner within 48 hours of my sending notification of winning I will choose another winner.

US or Canadian addresses only.

Good luck!