#PINT

Image courtesy of moviesmedia.ign.com

#PINT and a Winner!!

It is post-it note Tuesday again where you express all your thoughts into one little, itty-bitty, teeny-tiny post-it. Doesn't that sound fun? It is! You should play too. It's hosted by Supah, so you can get all the deets from her here.

Here are my post-its!
















And in other news, I have a winner to announce. For playing along in my very first giveaway, the winner receives the following:



I originally was going to have Random.Dave draw the winner but since I am at work, I used Random.Jim. Random.Jim picked:







Hurray! But to the other eleven people who entered my giveaway, you are ALL WINNERS!! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Happy Tuesday to everyone & Hakuna Matata!
~Laurie

Friday Follow / Random Words

Hello. I thought I might give this Friday Follow a whirl and see how it goes. If you are new here, welcome and thanks for stopping by. If you are following, please let me know so I can follow you back. Now, on with the post!

Epic
Did you ever notice how words become trendy and take on a life of their own? Earlier, I was watching a movie preview and the announcer said something was epic. I have been seeing this word more and more lately. And I like it. It really makes me understand the greatness the writer is trying to express. This led me to wonder if there is anything bigger than epic? Anyone?

Whatever
This word has somehow wormed its ugly way into everyday conversation. If “LOL” is the text-ender, at my house, “whatever” is the argument ender. It’s ugly. It’s dismissive. It’s condescending. If someone says it to me, I hear “Well, I have had enough talking to you and I no longer care about your opinion, so whatever else you have to say is unimportant and I am moving on with my life.” I have come to detest the use of “whatever”. I have made a conscious effort not to use it because when I do, I am usually being nasty. Whatever. How did a simple word come to annoy me so much?

Are there any words you have noticed that are trendy or completely annoying?

P.S. I apologize in advance if you use whatever. I assure you, I don't find it nearly as annoying when you say it than when my husband does :-)

P.S.S. Paradigm... very trendy, no idea how to say it, much less what it means... what a paradigm!

Do not miss out!!

Last day to enter my giveaway! You have a chance to win this book!! It's a great read, perfect for summertime by the pool or the beach or in a hammock or ...



All you need to do is:

Become either a follower or subscriber to A Musing Reviews.
Come back HERE and leave a comment - including your email.

Thank you for supporting me. You all are the best peeps in the world!

P.S. I can't seem to get my feedburner working correctly. Sometimes having a population of 1 is a detriment!! If you are an expert and have some time to kill, can you drop me a note? Many many thanks!

**edited to add link. Cuz I can be a maroon!

Testing 1 - 2 - 3

Hello. This is a test. This is a only a test of the new Feedburner subscription service I am attempting to add to my blog.

Had this been an actual post, there would have been pictures of my cute children, like this:



There might have been a picture of a hot guy in a cowboy hat, like this:



There might have been a complaint, like this:

WHY, for the love of Pete, do people race you off the line at a stop light, only to then SLOW WAY DOWN??? Are they TRYING to incite ROAD RAGE??? Don't they know I am on the EDGE???

Or, perhaps some words of wisdom, on a post it note, like this:


There could have even been a link to way cool bloggers, like this:
(Hiding from the Kids)
That's What She Said

And there definitely would have been a link to my first giveaway, (which has ALL OF SIX comments~where are my peeps?), like this:

CLICK HERE TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!!!

But alas, this is not a real post. This is just a test to see if my new email subscription works. Nothing to see here... move along...

*Hot guy in cowboy hat picture curtesy of www.timmcgraw.com. Nom nom nom.

Monday Minute - Kid Edition

Today, I am joining Ian over at The Daily Dose of Reality for his Monday Minute - Kid Edition

From his blog:
This week you need to take these five questions and ask your kid to answer em. Or ask all your kids and provide multiple answers. Don't have a kid? Make one up.

I just so happen to have two kids, so I decided to ask them this morning at breakfast. Elena is 6; Rachel is 4.

1 - What's your favorite book/story?
Elena – Ariel
Rachel – Ariel

2 - What do you want to do when you grow up?
Elena – Babysitter
Rachel – Babysitter

I am starting to think I should have asked them when they were alone :-)

3 - What is your favorite game?
Elena – Perfection
Rachel – Princess Fishing Game

4 - What's your favorite food?
Elena – Cereal
Rachel – Eggs

I wonder if I ask them at dinner time, will I get a different answer?

5 - Insert your own question to ask your kid

My question – What is the best part of being a kid?
Elena – Because I like it.
Rachel – Everyone.

Ian’s Question - What's your favorite song?
Elena – Stop and Go with Mercy, Veggie Tales
Rachel – The Ah Ah Ah part of Little Mermaid when Ursula tells her to “keep singing”)

Do you want to join in the fun? I thought so! Head over to Ian’s blog(just click the link above), grab the Duck Fest button and link up. You can link up until Sunday, so play any day!!

Also, don’t forget to participate in my giveaway HERE. So far, I have two entries, so your chances of winning are extremely good (and aren’t I popular! I am well on my way to becoming Ree Drummond! Watch out!)

A confession, a favor and some motivation ...

Pay attention now, there is a giveaway at the end :-)

I have a wee bit of a confession to make. I love to read. There. I said it out loud and it's true. I have been known to curl up in a corner and read for hours, only surfacing for sustenance or because my children have finally penetrated whatever fantasy world I am in at the time. Unfortunately, I typically run out of things to read. I end up wandering aimlessly, looking at covers, hoping the story inside is worth ignoring my children.

Then I found A Musing Mother who shares my love of books. We've connected on goodreads.com and then I found out she has a book review blog called A Musing Reviews. Not only does she write the most amazing reviews but she gives away copies of books! Oh, sweet nirvana!

So far, I have loved all her reviews! With very few exceptions, I have added the books she's reviewed to my "to read" list.

Because the publishers who give her the books to review like lots of people to enter to win the books, she is looking to increase her followers.

So, I would like you, my loyal readers and friends, to head on over and follow her blog. And because I am not above bribery to sweeten the deal, I have a present for one lucky duck!



I have been reading "Life's Alphabet Soup" by Terri Ferran. Not only do I adore the cover*, I am thoroughly enjoying reading her stories. These twenty-six chapters all start with a witty, Dr. Seuss style poem that has me cracking up! And her stories! I find myself laughing and nodding my head. And the book itself is the perfect size to toss in your purse (to read in the waiting room or at the swim meet). (Sorry! I stink at reviews. Just take my word for it. It's great!!)

Do you want to win a copy? Here is what you need to do!

Become either a follower or subscriber to A Musing Reviews
Come back here and leave a comment - including your email.

Yes - it is that easy!!

The contest is open until June 10th. On June 11th, I will have random.Dave (my husband) pick a number out of my new gardening hat and will notify the winner! And there will be much rejoicing!!

Feel free to tweet, blog or shout from the hilltops about this giveaway. It will earn you my undying love and devotion!!

Disclosure: I have not been compensated in any way for either directing you to A Musing Reviews or for my review of "Life's Alphabet Soup". These are my very own thoughts and opinions.

*Book covers are very important to me. Far too often, I will not pick up a book if I don't like its cover. I can't help it!