TA-DA!! The Winner Is...

I finally got all the names into a box, yesterday, and had Eileen reach in, stir the contents and pull out a slip of paper with the name of the winner of the Chicken Soup for the Soul, book.

As she pulled out the slip of paper she looked at me and said, "This doesn't have a name on it."

"Of course, it does. I wrote names on all the slips," said I, reaching for the slip of paper.

"No, this just says Ancient One, but it doesn't have a name."

"Well, Ancient One is a name. It's the name Ann uses on her blog. Some people use different handles, instead of their real names," I explained.

Eileen is not into computers.

"How come you don't use a handle?" she asked.

"I don't know. I just never thought of using one. I wouldn't know what to use. Let's just forget about it."

"Well, you could call yourself, Hungarian Paprikash," Eileen continued.

"I could, but I won't," I said, grabbing the slip of paper from her hand, and ending the discussion. She may be my best bud, but she can be annoying at times. :-)

So, this was a long way of getting to the point: Congratulations Ancient One , you are the winner of the Chicken Soup book. I hope you enjoy it. Please email me your postal address, and it will be on the way to you.

I do wish I had more copies of this book, so everyone could receive one. You are all such wonderful blogging friends. Thank you for that.

Have a wonderful week!

My First Blogiversary and My First Giveaway!

Today, August 28 is my first Blogiversary! And it's also my first giveaway. I copied and pasted my first post right here below, so you can have the pleasure of reading it, since only two people read it when it first appeared. LOL.
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Tuesday, August 28, 2007

I'm So Confused!

Today is Tuesday, August 28, and I'm trying to set up a blog. But I'm so confused. I seemed to have created three different blogs, but I only want one. Maybe the extreme heat in our area for weeks on end now, fried my brains.

I'm hoping that blogging will get my creative juices flowing better. I did have good news in the mail. A contract came from Bordon Books for a story to be published in, The Best Dad in the World. That was a nice surprise. And Chicken Soup for the Soul: Celebrating Brothers and Sisters, contacted me about a "media blitz" they are now having for the book. That's neat. My story in the book is "You're Too Cute To Be A Boy." My sons and daughter will get a kick out of the story, once they read it. I think. I hope! And I received my copy of the September issue of Catholic Digest, a few days ago, with my story in it. I'm on page 74, in case anyone reading this subscribes to it.

Well that's enough good news for today. I am going outside to do a rain dance. Hoping it will help end this long, dry period we've been in. And a little prayer can't hurt either: Dear God, please bless these beautiful but dry woods with some rain, soon. Amen!"
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My very first commenter's were my daughter, and my lovely young and talented writer friend, Michele, from Writing the Cyber Highway.com. Without her help and encouragement, I never would have begun. Michele is not only a good blogger friend, she is a real life friend as well, as she lives in my neck of the woods. Thank you, Michele!

So, to celebrate my first Blogiversary, I decided to have my first give away. Everyone who comments on this Blogiversary post between today and September 6, will be entered in a drawing for a special book, which I think is the perfect book to give away to someone in blog land, because bloggers are the kind of people who often make a difference in people's lives! (Oh, and I do have a story in this book, entitled, The Compassionate Enemy.)

My best friend Eileen will draw the name of the winner, and I will post the name here on September 9. At that time I will ask the winner to email me her postal address, so I can mail her/him the book.

I have met so many kind and supportive friends and wonderful bloggers in my first year of blogging, and I thank each and every one of you for that support. I do hope you hang around for another year. :-)

Have a wonderful day, everyone. Blessings from the woods!