Yay! Check out the contest!

Okay, so I write, but my contribution to the contest created by Joyce has nothing to do with writing :) Check it out though and have some fun--there are some great things there! Additionally, if you post a comment under the contest entry on my blog, I'll give you free first class shipping on any one item from my eBay store during the month of June!

Just comment on the entry titled "Summer Treasure Hunt: Dig For Clues and Win!" and then shop at my store 8pizza on eBay during the month of June and one item ships free! After your purchase, request an invoice and tell me you want to use coupon code TREASURE! Logo is courtesy of my dear husband who whipped it up for me in time for the contest--thanks sweetheart! Sorry it's not a button--I haven't figured that out yet :)

In other news, I have started planning the kids' birthday parties for August, and working on a great theme for our church ladies' summer social this month. I promise to add info on our Night Writer's publication and an image of the cover too this week :) I had a great little trip with the kids over memorial day weekend, and in spite of having to purchase a new dryer and a new vehicle last month to replace our dead and dying ones, we are still planning to travel in July--want to see us and live in OR, WA, CA, ID, AZ or UT? Drop me a line! We might be able to swing it!

Summer Treasure Hunt: Dig for Clues and Win!

Some friends and I have put together an exciting contest to kick off your summer! Beginning June 1st, we will be giving away a prize a day. That’s right: 30 days, 30 treasures! There should be something for everyone: romance, mystery, historical, contemporary, and young adult fiction; children’s picture books; a variety of non-fiction; and just to liven things up even more, we’ve included a few exciting non-book prizes: a free 30 page manuscript edit, for you aspiring authors out there; an eBay gift certificate; and a gift-certificate for a Vinyl Expressions Quote. How can you win one of these fabulous prizes? Follow the rules below:

SUMMER TREASURE HUNT RULES

You can send in an entry for each day’s prize, or only for those prizes that strike your fancy. The rules are simple:

(1) Go to the website or blog indicated for each day, find the answer to the question for that day, then email the answer with your name and mailing address to jdipastena@yahoo.com.
(2) Please send a separate entry for each day and type the day you are entering in the subject line. (Such as: June Treasure Hunt, Day 1; June Treasure Hunt, Day 2, etc).
(3) Deadline for each day: Midnight PST
(4) The winner will be contacted and announced on the day following the deadline. You do not have to wait until the designated day to enter. You can start sending in your entries right now, or begin entering at any point along the way. And check back at joyce-dipastena.com (See June 13 for a link) each day between June 2nd-July 1st to read the names of the winners.
If you have any questions, feel free to email the organizer of this event, Joyce DiPastena at jdipastena@yahoo.com.And now…let the treasure hunt begin!

June 1
SPONSOR: Aubrey Mace
PRIZE: autographed copy of my new YA fiction book, My Fairy Grandmother.
QUESTION: What is the title of my upcoming book to be released Fall 2009?
WEBSITE/BLOG: www.aubreymace.com
OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES
WINNER:

June 2
SPONSOR: Rachel Rager
PRIZE: By Love or By Sea, romance, autographed copy
QUESTION: What question does the stranger ask Alice? (Hint: Read excerpt of By Love or By Sea on the “Reading Room” page.)
WEBSITE/BLOG: http://www.rachelrager.com
USA ENTRIES ONLY
WINNER:

June 3
SPONSOR: Josi S. Kilpack
PRIZE: An autographed copy of culinary mystery Lemon Tart OR a pre-ordered copy of English Trifle (release date is August 2009)
QUESTION: How many original recipes are included in the culinary mystery, Lemon Tart? (Hint: click on “Lemon Tart” tab on website)
WEBSITE/BLOG: www.josiskilpack.com
USA ENRIES ONLY
WINNER:

June 4
SPONSOR: Cindy R. Williams
PRIZE: Arizona Glyph Award Finalist: Chase McKay Didn’t Get Up Today Children’s snuggle, giggle picture book. Autographed by the author and the real Chase McKay.
QUESTION: What is the name of the dragon book Cindy is completing?
WEBSITE/BLOG: www.cindyrwilliams.com
OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES
WINNER:

June 5
SPONSOR: Kersten Campbell
PRIZE: Autographed Copy of the Motherhood humor book: Confessions of a Completely (In)Sane Mother
QUESTION: What does the dog beg for when he escapes into the neighbor's house in the book Confessions of a Completely Insane Mother? (hint: if they click on the book they'll find the answer)
WEBSITE/BLOG: www.kerstencampbell.com
OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES
WINNER:

June 6
SPONSOR: Lara Niedemeyer
PRIZE: $20 gift certificate towards merchandise and shipping at my store—8pizza on eBay
QUESTION: What is the lowest priced item and what is the highest priced item listed in 8pizza’s store? (Hint: use the “Sort By” feature).
WEBSITE/BLOG: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/8pizza
USA ENTRIES ONLY
WINNER:

June 7
SPONSOR: Kathi Oram Peterson
PRIZE: Autographed copy of The Forgotten Warrior, YA Inspirational Time travelQuestion Who is Tarik?
WEBSITE/BLOG: www.kathiorampeterson.com
USA ENTRIES ONLY
WINNER:

June 8
SPONSOR: Donna Hatch
PRIZE: Autographed copy of paperback of the Regency Romance, The Stranger She Married
QUESTION: What is Cole accused of doing?
WEBSITE/BLOG: www.donnahatch.net (Hint: read the excerpt under “Bookshelf” tab for The Stranger She Married)
OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES: IN THE CASE OF AN INTERNATIONAL WINNER, AN E-BOOK VERSION OF THE STRANGER SHE MARRIED WILL BE AWARDED
WINNER:

June 9
SPONSOR: Diony George
PRIZE: Autographed copy of Torn Apart, a fictional novel based on a true story. "If it could happen to Alyson, it could happen to anyone..."
QUESTION: What TV station interviewed Diony about her book? (Hint watch video for the answer)
WEBSITE/BLOG: http:// diony-george.blogspot.com
USA ENTRIES ONLY
WINNER:

June 10
SPONSOR: Tina Scott
PRIZE: autographed copy of Coyote's Grand Adventure - children's picture book
QUESTION: What did Coyote always dream of doing? (Hint: Look under “Library” tab)WEBSITE/BLOG: http://tinascott.net
OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES
WINNER:

June 11
SPONSOR: Cindy Beck
PRIZE: Winner's choice of one of the following anthologies featuring Cindy's stories (autographed copy): My Dad is My Hero, Cup of Comfort for Breast Cancer Survivors, or Cup of Comfort for Horse Lovers.
QUESTION: What was the name of my horse? (Hint: You can find the answer by going to the website and clicking on the button marked "Books."
WEBSITE/BLOG: www.bythebecks.com
USA ENTRIES ONLY
WINNER:

June 12
SPONSOR: Valerie Ipson
PRIZE: $15 gift certificate and free shipping for a Vinyl Expressions’ Vinyl Lettering quote (check out http:// vinylsignsanddesigns.blogspot.com for examples of prize)
QUESTION: What is Valerie’s personal writing quote? (Hint: see quotes in right sidebar under “OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF WRITERLY PEOPLE: Valerie’s “personal quote” means just that…her very own quote!)
WEBSITE/BLOG: http://valerieipson.blogspot.com/
USA ENTRIES ONLY
WINNER:

June 13
SPONSOR: Joyce DiPastena
PRIZE: 2007 Whitney Award Finalist: Loyalty’s Web, medieval romance, autographed by author
QUESTION: What is Heléne’s prayer when Gunthar brushes her cheek with his thumb? (Hint: Click on “Excerpt” tab on website)
WEBSITE/BLOG: www.joyce-dipastena.com
OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES: IN THE CASE OF AN INTERNATIONAL WINNER, A $20 AMAZON.COM E-CERTIFICATE WILL BE AWARDED TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF A COPY OF LOYALTY’S WEB
WINNER:

June 14
SPONSOR: Joan Sowards
PRIZE: LDS Word Puzzles
QUESTION: What is Bednar?
WEBSITE: http://joansowards.com/node/110
USA ENTRIES ONLY
WINNER:

June 15
SPONSOR: Anne Bradshaw
PRIZE: Autographed copy of Please, No Zits! & Other Short Stories for LDS Youth, but non-LDS will enjoy it, too! - YA genre (12 upward)
QUESTION: What does author Jeffrey S. Savage say about Please, No Zits? (Hint: scroll down right sidebar on blog)
WEBSITE/BLOG: http://annebradshaw.blogspot.com
USA ENTRIES ONLY
WINNER:

June 16
SPONSOR: Laurie LC Lewis
PRIZE: an autographed copy of
BOOK ONE of her Free Men and Dreamers series, Dark Sky at Dawn.
QUESTION: What current political situation has caused a verse of the Star Spangled Banner to be nearly forgotten? (Hint: click on “news” link on website)
WEBSITE: www.laurielclewis.com
OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES: IN THE CASE OF AN INTERNATIONAL WINNER, A $25 AMAZON.COM E-CERTIFICATE WILL BE AWARDED TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF A COPY OF DARK SKY AT DAWN.
WINNER:

June 17
SPONSOR: Jaimey Grant
PRIZE: FREE download of the eBook of your choice (Betrayal, Spellbound, Heartless, or Redemption)
QUESTION: What was the title of the very first Regency romance that Jaimey wrote from beginning to end? (Hint: Check out the post titled: "My Mind : What a Twisted Place to Live")WEBSITE/BLOG: http://www.jaimeygrant.blogspot.com
OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES
WINNER:

June 18
SPONSOR: Danyelle Ferguson
PRIZE: Free 30 page edit of your manuscript ($30 value)
QUESTION: How does Danyelle's business card describe her? (Hint: check right sidebar on blog)WEBSITE/BLOG: http://queenoftheclan.blogspot.com/
OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES: Danyelle says: “If they live in the USA, I will print their 30 pages, hand edit, then mail back. If they live outside the USA, I will edit the .doc file and email back.”
WINNER:

June 19
SPONSOR: Walnut Springs Press
PRIZE: I Can't Believe It's Food Storage by Crystal Godfrey (non-fiction)
QUESTION: What is the most recent new release listed on our blog? (Hint: check out post for April 13, 2009)
WEBSITE/BLOG: http://walnutspringspress.blogspot.com
USA ENTRIES ONLY
WINNER:

June 20
SPONSOR: Caroline Gregory and Shawnette Nielson
PRIZE: Puppy Stew, Children’s Picture book. Finalist for Foreward Book Of The Year award. (Note: If you would like an autographed copy, please note that in your entry).
QUESTION: “In order to stay warm, what do you wear underneath your shoes?” (Hint: look under the “Witchisms” tab on website)
WEBSITE/BLOG: http://puppystew.net
OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES
WINNER:

June 21
SPONSOR: Marion Webb-De Sisto.
PRIZE: An autographed copy of her ground-breaking book, Crystal Skulls.
QUESTION: Does this book explore ancient crystal skulls or contemporary ones? (Hint: Take a look at “Books” in the main menu)
WEBSITE/BLOG: www.marionwebb-desisto.com
OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES
WINNER:

June 22
SPONSOR: Inglestone Publishing
PRIZE: Autographed copy of Counting the Cost by Liz Adair
QUESTION: What is the name of the main male character in Counting the Cost?WEBSITE/BLOG: www.inglestonepublishing.com
USA ENTRIES ONLY
WINNER:

June 23
SPONSOR: Cecily Markland/Inglestone Publishing
PRIZE: Autographed copy of children’s picture book, If I Made a Bug, by Cecily Markland
QUESTION: Who is the illustrator of If I Made a Bug? (Hint: the “bookstore” tab)WEBSITE/BLOG: www.inglestonepublishing.com
USA ENTRIES ONLY
WINNER:

June 24
SPONSOR'S NAME: . Jacquie Rogers
PRIZE: Faery Special Romances (YA novel)Autographed in USA, not autographed elsewhere.
QUESTION: Why does our family support Neurofibromatosis research? (Hint: Click on “Neurofibromatosis research” link and read Mercedes Rice’s story)
WEBISTE: http://www.jacquierogers.com/faerysr.html
OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES: WINNER LIVING IN A COUNTRY NOT DIRECTLY SERVED BY AN ONLINE BOOKSTORE WILL RECEIVE A PDF COPY.
WINNER:

June 25
SPONSOR: Terry Deighton
PRIZE: Cup of Comfort for New Mothers (non-fiction, anthology)
QUESTION: Name any two titles from the Cup of Comfort series. (Hint: Look in the store.)WEBSITE/BLOG: www.cupofcomfort.com
USA ENTRIES ONLY
WINNER: June 26

SPONSOR: Leatherwood Press
PRIZE: Messiah: The Little-known Story of Handel’s Beloved Oratorio, by Tim Slover
QUESTION: Who was the art designer for Messiah: The Little Known Story of Handel’s Beloved Oratorio? (Hint: see post for May 15, 2009)
WEBSITE/BLOG: http://jdp-news.blogspot.com
USA ENTRIES ONLY
WINNER:

June 27
SPONSOR: Dawson Publishing
PRIZE: Copy of The No Cussing Club by McKay Hatch
QUESTION: How many members of the No Cussing Club are there to date
WEBSITE: www.nocussing.com
USA ENTRIES ONLY
WINNER:

June 28
SPONSOR: Nicole Zoltack
PRIZE: Woman of Honor (fantasy romance ebook)
QUESTION: What color is Caelan's eyes?
WEBSITE/BLOG: http://nicolezoltack.blogspot.com/
OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES
WINNER:

June 29
SPONSOR: Sarah M. Eden
PRIZE: An autographed copy of the Sarah M. Eden Regency romance of your choice
QUESTION: "Name all 7 Jonquil brothers." (Hint: check out "The Jonquil Brothers Series" tab)WEBSITE/BLOG: www.sarahmeden.com
USA ENTRIES ONLY
WINNER:

June 30
SPONSOR: Marsha Ward
PRIZE: LDStorymakers Writing Secrets
QUESTION: Who is Rulon? (Hint: Click on “Man from Shenandoah” under “Novels” link on website)
WEBSITE/BLOG: http://marshaward.com
USA ENTRIES ONLY
WINNER:

Oh what a beautiful morning!

Today I am really enjoying the sunshine and blue skies. Princess and I sat on the front step and had lunch together and the smell of the spring air was dizzyingly wonderful. It's a smell I have always loved; heat, earth, growth. True intoxication at it's finest. It has been a day to stop and breathe it all in.

Our health insurance has an online wellness center that has a lot of little classes you can take. Last week they sent me an email reminding me that if I wanted to win a weekend getaway, I'd better get busy and finish my Stress Management Lifestyle Improvement Course pronto. I could use a weekend at a spa, let me tell you, so I've been doing a some here and there the last few days.

I am currently on Phase 2 Step 1, and yesterday it talked about how to assess your personal stress level and take a balanced approach to the everyday stress in your life. Paraphrased (this is what I wrote down and put up on my desk so I can memorize it):

1. Appraise
Does the situation threaten me OR does it provide and opportunity that could turn into something good?

2. Letting Go
Can I let go? Is the situation out of my control OR can I do something about it?

3. Be Rational
Is this a hassle or a HUGE EMERGENCY?

Going through these three steps whenever a person, place or thing begins to cause stress in your life seems like a lot of work, but it also seems as though it might actually help sort the daily wheat from the chaff and make my life easier.

The first instruction was really an interesting thing to me. I am great at reflecting back on something and realizing what a fabulous lesson it was; I am not as good at being grateful for a trial in the middle of it. I think I would like to be and so I am going to work on that. Cultivating flexibility and the talent of seeing a bigger picture and purpose in our mundane struggles makes good sense to me.

An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered.

An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.
~G. K. Chesterton

My First EVER Blog Give Away!

Okay, I am Courtney's number five, so it's all here fault :) Here goes:

The first five people to respond to this post will receive something made by me. HOMEMADE!The item will be my choice made just for you!

Restrictions and Limitations:

1. I have complete creative freedom.
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It will be done within the next 6 months.
4. You have no clue what it will be.

It may be personalized note cards. I might bake something. I might not think of anything until 6 months from now...The catch? You must re-post this on your own blog and offer the same to 5 people who comment.

The first 5 people to leave a comment telling me they are in (and posting their favorite color), will win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift from me! Be sure to post a picture of what you get! Anyone past the 5th comment will be entered in a drawing for another item!

The quote below is an interesting one, and depending on how you see the world you can replace the first word with lots of things. I like Divine Providence myself :)

Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast;

in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish.

--Ovid

In spring there is a renewal of all things...

Including my determination to keep up with my blog :) So here's an update to get you started. Since December:

**The contest I entered on New Year's eve? I won first place and they've chosen a couple of the other submissions I sent in to publish as well. I am stunned. I am ecstatic. I am grateful. They'll be published in the Fall 2009 issue of Segullah. Segullah also invited me to join their staff as a member of the poetry board.

**I entered another poetry contest, a local one, with word coming about that next month probably. I'm not confident about it, but I loved the idea so much I had to send something in. The winners have their poem engraved on plaques and posted in a "poetry garden" on the grounds of the public library for a year and they and the honorable mentions get the poems places on the city buses!

**I entered ScriptFrenzy and am failing miserably at it so far.

**The kids are growing. The kids are amazing. Princess is getting ready to be popcorn in her spring dance recital. Bear loves to say "I'm a pirate: aarrrggghhh".

**I finally opened an actual eBay store front called 8pizza and am loving how much simpler it is to deal with than the onesie twosie stuff I have done for years! Here is the first of some very nifty promotions I'll have coming up: sign up for my store newsletter (one email every other week and the occasional spotlight email) and get $1 off your purchase! Sign up by going to my store site and finding the Store Newsletter sign up button on the left side half way down. Free local pick up for locals and lots of "best offer" items too--don't be afraid to haggle with me just because you know me!

**My husband is not attending school this quarter and we are stunned at the time we have to hang out as a family. It's cool :)

**Night Writers (the writing group I go to) is producing its first publication; a year book of sorts that will include writing of many genres from the ladies in the group. It will be finished this week, and we are having an publication reception this Saturday evening with readings by the authors, autographed copies of Night Writer's Ink and treats. If you're interested in coming, drop me a line and I'll tell you when and where!

**Facebook has sucked me in and takes up way too much of my time, but it's sure the heck fun.

**I have lots of travel planned for the summer, and I am so excited to get to see some of you! We'll be doing a six-state road trip as a family and the kids and I will be doing some flying on our own too. Raise your hand if you want postcards!

I missed the blog. It's good to be back.

First Submission

I have to share. I actually, really, actually, submitted poetry for publication for the first time since eleventh grade. And eleventh grade was quite awhile back, folks, so rusty doesn't even begin to describe the way I felt about all this yesterday as I got started.

I hemmed, I hawed. I decided against it. I talked myself into it. I put it off until the last, last, possible moment. I harassed friends and family on extremely short notice for opinions and editing advice. I literally forced myself to do this.

Why? I asked myself this as I groaned through my seventh revision in twenty-four hours. As I stared at the computer screen, toggling between fonts, I tried a tactic my mother taught me. I muttered "What's the worst possible thing that could happen if I hit the send button?" My husband replied "We could all blow up." Hmmm. Well, that brought me back down to earth.

I may have shared this before, but there is a solid steel block on my desk that my mom sent me a few years back which has this engraved into it:

What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?

This makes me pause on a regular basis and think about whether or not I have the courage to do something that feels hard. Today, I decided that even possibly not failing, was a good enough reason to try. How will my children learn courage if they never see me try hard at something that scares the living wits out of me?

I'm not expecting to win this contest, but I am expecting it to be the first submission of many. After all my hysteria (and if you know me you know I love a good dose of hysteria in my projects), right now I just feel happy. And relieved. And accomplished. You know those writing goals I started out with after the retreat in October? I am actually making progress! How cool is that?

Christmas

We arrived home from our delicious and delightful trip to Connecticut at about 5:30 this morning. It was an amazing and magical adventure (even if Continental airlines has made a permanent enemy out of me) and I can't imagine not going back east much sooner than the six years we waited this time! It will take me awhile to sort it all out and share it, but it really, really was wonderful and the time we spent with my sister-in-law and her husband was priceless.

We're holding off for the big Christmas "moment" until after nap time--partially since my husband is still asleep--but as he'll be home for the next week, we have lots planned, such as:

+Cookie, truffle, and rice krispie treat making, gingerbread village making (thanks Allie)
+Getting into the rhythm of snow-cocoa-snow-cocoa (the outdoor time will come in short spurts since all our snow clothes are currently vacationing in some top secret Continental airlines location)
+Sending the rest of the Christmas cards (once the luggage with them in it arrives)
+Hors D'oeuvres and sparkling cider galore (standard fare here from Christmas to New Years)
+Writing time for me since my husband is home to adore the children--will I submit poetry by the end of the year or won't I . . .

Anyway, you get the picture. It's a happy picture for me! And don't worry, photos (and details of the enmity between me and Continental) will be forthcoming :) Wishing you all a lovely day today and hoping you a fab week of festivities as we celebrate the mountain of December and January holidays!