Sunday, February 28, 2010

Tidbits

How are you at spring cleaning? If you’re organized, it’s probably a breeze. If you’re unorganized like me, it’s a monumental task.

With the thought and hope of spring just around the corner, I decided to was time to do some spring cleaning in my mind. Don’t panic and leave, this isn’t going to be gruesome or messy. I just need to start being more organized in my thoughts. Clean out the cobwebs so to speak.

Now that I’ve got you totally confused and wondering what is wrong with me today, let me get down to some business at hand.

I have a winner to announce for the signed copy of “The Cougar Club” by Susan McBride. The winner is Helen of Straight from Hel. Congratulations Helen and thanks to everyone who stop by and commented on Susan’s post.

Next I haven't been able to acknowledge some wonderful bloggers who graciously passed on awards to me recently.

Michele at Southern City Mysteries awarded me the "Sugar Doll" award on Saturday, Feb. 6. Be sure to check out Michele’s blog. She recently changed themes and the new one looks very professional and she’s always got something interesting going on.

Jemi at Just Jemi presented me with the “From Me to You” (Picasso) award on Friday, Feb. 12. Jemi has a wonderful blog with very enlightening posts. Be sure to see what’s she up to since today is the last day of the Olympics and she will be leaving the TV. (Sorry couldn’t resist Jemi). :)

Terry at Romance Author, Terry Spear also presented me with the “From Me to You” (Picasso) award on Sunday, Feb. 21. Terry has a wonderful werewolf series that I adore. In addition, she creates teddy bears. Stop by her blog and then check out her website.

Carol at Under the Tiki Hut awarded me the “From Me to You” (Picasso) award on Monday, Feb. 15, and on Wednesday, Feb. 24, she also presented me with the Prolific Blogger award. Carol blogs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Her posts will keep you entertained and informed. Stop by to see.

Diane at Spunk On A Stick presented me with the "You Are My Sunshine" award on Friday, Feb. 19. Diane has a great blog, but her Sunday Sillies are a “must see” each week. Be sure to drop by to see what unusual photos she’s found.

Karen at karen...following the whispers  graciously awarded me the "You Are My Sunshine" award on Monday, Feb. 22. As many of you know, Karen is going through a difficult time with the recent passing of her mother-in-law (whom she and her husband had been caring for). She has been a pillar of strength and is now getting back to her writing and singing. Stop by and say hi.

Thanks to each of you for these terrific awards. I greatly appreciate them, I’m touched by your thoughtfulness, and I’m honored to consider each of you my friend.

Some of the awards came with rules, others didn’t. I’d like to be different and not attach any rules or conditions with the awards. I’d like to offer one or all of these beautiful awards to each and everyone who drops by Thoughts in Progress. I truly enjoy my blogging experience thanks to all the wonderful bloggers I’ve meet. This may not be the correct way to pass the awards on but there are so many great blogs that I visit I’d feel bad that I’d missed someone. So, please take an award or two and know I truly enjoy your visits and your friendship.

One other bit of business, I have a new giveaway to announce. Remember I’m expanding my reading genre experience.

"Just Let Me Lie Down" by Kristin van Ogtrop. This hardcover
biography/autobiography (ISBN: 9780316068284 is 272 pages and will be published April 1.

Here’s a brief synopsis:   Kristin van Ogtrop knows she's lucky--fulfilling career, great husband, three healthy kids, and, depending on the hamster count, an impressive roster of pets. She also knows she is tired. Always.

Using stories and insights from her own life, she provides a lexicon for the half-insane working mom. Anyone who has left a meeting to race to the Halloween parade immediately understands van Ogtrop's definition of "Kill the messenger" as "The action you must take in order to forget about the office for a time--that is, to remove your Blackberry/Treo/iPhone/whatever from your person and store it as far away as your neurotic self will allow." Filled with essays, lists, and resonant observations, JUST LET ME LIE DOWN establishes van Ogtrop as the Erma Bombeck of the new millennium.

Thanks to Anna and the Hachette Book Group I have three copies to giveaway. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only and no post office box addresses can be accepted. To enter, send me an e-mail with “Win Just” in the subject line and include your name and address in the body of the e-mail. The giveaway will end at 8 p.m. on Sunday, March 21.

Since we’re talking about giveaways let me tell you about a new page I’ve added to the blog. Thanks to a link Diane at Spunk On A Stick posted on Friday, Feb. 26, I check out Morgan at Double M. The information was very helpful and I decided to see if I could add a page for giveaways.

At the top of the blog on the left sidebar under the welcome you will see a bar CURRENT GIVEAWAYS. Under it is a link “Click Here For Info.” Clicking on that link will take you to another page that has all the current giveaways and the rules for each. Thanks Diane and Morgan for helping me with this.

I know today’s post is a bit lengthy, but there was a lot I wanted to share. Check back tomorrow for a lineup of great authors that will be dropping by in the coming days. In addition, I have a question that has been plaguing me for sometime. I hope you can provide answers or suggestions.

Now, how’s your spring cleaning coming? Are you also cleaning out the cobwebs from your mind? Any tips you’d like to share to make either task easier?



20 comments:

  1. Mason - Congratulations on so many wonderful blogging awards! I'm very impressed : ). You deserve each of them, too. I always learn a lot from visiting with you. It's funny you'd mention spring cleaning. I recently solved that problem; we moved : ). Seriously, moving makes spring cleaning easy, because you've already thrown out everything you don't need. I could do without the boxes, though... ; ).

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  2. COngrats on the awards. Your blog is looking great.

    ann

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  3. Congratulations on all the awards, Mason!

    I love the idea of spring cleaning for the mind - what wonderful possibilities. Spring is a time for new beginnings, fresh starts, so a great time to let go of some old habits and beliefs that no longer serve us, along with getting rid of the physical clutter in our lives. Hmmm...I think you just gave me an idea for a blog post!

    And I'm still laughing at Margot solving her spring cleaning problem by moving. A bit drastic, perhaps, but I could see where it would be very effective!

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  4. Congratulations on your awards~!! Your blog is looking wonderful and your guests have been stellar!

    We probably all need some spring cleaning time, don't we?

    Elizabeth
    Mystery Writing is Murder

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  5. Margot, now that's what I call serious spring cleaning. I don't even want to think about having to pack stuff up. Wow.

    Ann, thanks. I keep working with it. I want it to open easy and be able to see a lot.

    Ingrid, thanks so much. I definitely need to change some of my old habits and help my mind work better.

    Elizabeth, thanks so much. Maybe we all feel like we need spring cleaning because winter has taken such a firm grip and won't let go this year. If we think of spring cleaning and start doing it (mentally and physically) maybe we can push winter away. :)

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  6. Congrats on the awards, Mason!!

    Didn't you get the memo?? Canada is offically closed today from 3 - 6 EST. The only activity allowed is watching the hockey game :)

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  7. congratulations on your awards. You already know how wonderful I think you are. :)

    Winter has been so hard on all of us this year, I think we DO need to clean the cobwebs out of our minds. Spring cleaning - ahh. I am a monster when it comes to cleaning.

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  8. Congrats on your awards. Having recently discovered this blog, I'm enjoying it quite a lot.

    Thanks!

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  9. Great awards and you deserve every one of them! I usually clean my mind in January, but you have my thinking it's time to do some more.

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  10. Jemi, I must have missed that memo. :) Don't tell anyone, but I'm actually hoping Canada wins the hockey game (can't help it, home team thing I guess).

    Teresa, I get carried away cleaning. I'll start in one room and wind up in another doing something without finishing what I started in the first.

    Dru, thanks for the kind words. Glad you found us and hope you continue to enjoy it.

    Deb, in January I'm still so confused from the holidays I wouldn't know where to start cleaning.

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  11. Wow - kudos on all the awards - well deserved, and are you ever on a ROLL!

    Marvin D Wilson

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  12. You've obviously got an awesome blog then!

    And I'm pretty scary organized...

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  13. Spring cleaning? I'm always cleaning. My idea of cleaning is to put a bunch of stuff in a pile and move it to another part of the room and start a new pile. Later I may go to one of the old piles, restack it and move it to a different place. I really need to get rid of more stuff.
    Lee

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  14. Marvin, thanks for the kind words.

    Diane, thanks so much appreciate the kind words.

    Lee, you clean like I do. If I ever move anything I'll need it in two weeks and can't remember the new place I put it in.

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  15. Congrats on all those awards! Wow.

    I'm not the worst of the worse, but I'm not too organized, either. I try to blame it on the creative mind, or the fact there are small kids in my home, or that we've been four years into a remodel (or all three!) -- but I think it's just me. ;)

    Thanks for the well wishes the other day! I'm feeling so much better.

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  16. Janna, glad to know you're better. This crazy weather doesn't help. I'd say a creative mind is good to blame being unorganized on. Stay well.

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  17. Felicitations my dear, all are well deserved.
    Warm regards and a lovely week,
    Simone

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  18. Congrats on the awards! I've just learned about your blog (from Ingrid King), but I'll be bookmarking it. That said, I'm more of a lurker than a commenter... though I did want to introduce myself.
    - Clea Simon
    (author/cat lover/cook
    http://www.cleasimon.com )

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  19. Simone, thank you for your kind words and hope you have a great week as well.

    Clea, welcome to Thoughts in Progress. Thanks for stopping by and bookmarking us.

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  20. I'm confused about the give-away links, but it was an interesting post.

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I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's post. Thanks for dropping by.