A Gift For You... To Celebrate! (aka RAK)

April is the month of my birth. The day the world stopped and a crazy mess of a person was born. The day life would never be the same for anyone fortunate...or unfortunate...enough to cross my path. That's right. I will be turning another year older...if only another year wiser. *sigh* I do feel blessed for the opportunity to continue to live life to the fullest. Even if it is my 15th year turning 29! *wink wink* Heck! I may actually be ready to step into my 30's after all these years...29 is starting to get soooo boring. *snort*

OK. OK. So I cannot tell a lie. I will be turning forty-four. So many years of living and learning, stumbling and celebrating. Allow me a brief moment of reflection, but life has dealt me a few crazy cards...challenges and triumphs. And I can say with all out certainty...I have loved every wacky, deranged, kooky minute of it.

But enough about me. I want to talk about YOU! In honor of my big day, I want to do a give-away. This is not just any particular give-away. I have been purging and cleaning my scrap room for over a month. The collection of much loved extras has been growing by leaps and bounds. I am wanting to pare down to the essentials...well, not totally...but I have way too many treasures to be able to fully appreciate them all. So I thought, why not pass them on to a new home where they can be loved and coddled. What??? Doesn't everyone pamper and pet their scrapping stash?

Take a look at this.


And this:

And this too:


Many of these items come from various kits I've purchased over the past year. They are always so product heavy, I could never possibly use it all. A few pieces of paper have been cut, but the remaining portion is substantial enough that I decided to include them. Same goes for a few of the embellishments. I have also included a few oldies but goodies. There are stamps, rub-ons, stickers, ribbon...the list goes on.

Details. Details. Of course, I will want something from you in return. I will try to keep it as painless as possible. I have 3 requests and only one is required to win. But before I issue my wants, I need to share my reasons for them. This blog has become a sort of home for me. A place where I can unload my thoughts giving no mind as to how nutty I sound. I can be me without reservation. And you have welcomed me. Accepted me. Made me smile, laugh, cry. You've helped me keep my focus on the important things in life...relationships! This is my way of sending you a thank you and a hug.

So here goes. Request number 1, otherwise known as the mandatory eligibility requirement. Leave a comment on this post. The catch...tell me which of my posts has been your favorite. Yeah, I had to get a few compliments worked into this...it is my birthday you know.

Requests 2...not required but would be appreciated. If you wish, please link this post on your blog. Reason? I am always looking to expand my circle of blogging friends. And you know how it goes. Someone from your blog sees my give away. They come to my blog. I go to their blog. And so on. And so on. And so on. Worst case, more people have a chance to win, and I will get the gift of another blogger to stalk.

Finally, request number 3...also not required. Become a follower of my blog. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you why...I need the ego boost! Watching that little counter go up...ahhhhhh...just makes me feel special! (And you know you want to make me feel special, 'cuz it is my birthday.) As an added little bonus for these efforts, you will receive an additional entry into the drawing. If you are already a follower, I will be sure to add your name an extra time for already meeting this request.

You have until midnight on Saturday, April 25th, my actual birthday. That's just over a week. Plenty of time to think of the best way to leave me a little love about my wonderful blogging skills. You know, I really am full of myself tonight. lol! I will randomly draw the winner and post the lucky recipients name on Monday the 27th.

Now I'm off to find something for my sweet tooth. All this talk of birthdays has created a hankerin' for some cake and ice cream!!!

Learning to Love Myself...and a Give-away!

I have labeled 2009 the year of acceptance. Too many years have been wasted beating myself up over the most ridiculous things. Things like eating too many cookies, not exercising enough, watching too much mindless TV, lazing around when I should be cleaning the house, etc. Near the end of 2008 I had an epiphany. I came to the realization that no one is the boss of me. Who's to say 15 double-stuffed oreos are worse than 10. (The fact that I should not eat them in the first place is not up for discussion today. Like I said, no one is the boss of me.) I mean, come on. If you are going to eat them, enjoy them. Besides, total fat grams for 15 cookies is only slightly higher than 10 cookies. Why constantly walk around running mental math equations calculating total number of fat grams, weight watcher points and total calorie count. Yes my friends, I am a master of all three. I can't remember phone numbers, my mother's age or my children's social security numbers, yet I can give you the nutritional information...or lack there of...of most edible items. Geez, I can possibly even give them to you for several inedible items. I've been known to wake from a deep sleep recounting what I ate the day before, doing mathematical gymnastics to see if I fell within my daily calorie alotment. But I digress. The point here is that it is high time I learn to accept that I am human. That I am flawed. That I have strengths and I have weaknesses - just like every other human being. That I will never be a size 4 and that is OK. So I am taking a good hard look at those things which I have never really liked about myself and finding ways to...uhhh...love them.

Today I've decided to work on embracing the most random of things. My focus is in the area of vanity. Of course there are far more important and meaningful areas on which to focus, but this is where I choose to dwell. Again, no one is the boss of me. It is a particular body part that haunts me. No, it is not my ever-growing, gonna-be-bigger-than-the-broad-side-of-a-barn-if-I-keep-it-up backside. Truthfully, this girl has some junk in her trunk! Funny as it may seem, I'm over worrying about my tush. It is what it is. But there is one part of my anatomy that I cannot come to terms with. The secret anatomical bugger is...(drum roll please)...my feet! I have been blessed, or cursed, depending on how you choose to frame it, with "Fred Flintstone" feet! Laugh if you must, but for years I would concoct schemes to avoid showing my feet. The one and only time I wore sandals to high school, let's just say it's a wonder I didn't break my toes trying to curl them under so no one would see. Talk about awkward and uncomfortable walking! Sheesh! And despite my efforts to hide my ginormous toes, leave it to a smart-mouthed upper classman, who shall remain nameless (only because I can't remember his name) cracked a joke about them and proceeded to point them out to anyone and everyone who would dare take a gander. Sad, isn't it? *sigh*

But those days are over. It is time to embrace my lovely, little...uh, I mean big...piggies! I thought and thought about the best way to do this and I came up with a plan that I think will work. I am going to post a photo here on the ol' blog . Yes siree, I am going to throw them out there for all the world to see. And if I get a few snickers, so be it. Wonderful thing about communicating via the net...I don't have to hear the giggles. I can pretend that everyone is smiling and saying "Oh, they aren't that bad"...yeah, right!!!

So without further stalling on my part, I present to you the infamous "Fred Flintstone" feet!

May they continue to carry me through all that life has for me and from this day forth I pledge to love them for what they are...a super-strong, wide foundation for that super-wide, not-so-strong butt of mine!!!

And now for the give-away! I have an extra Key To My Heart kit from Close To My Heart that I would love to pass on to someone very special. The stamp set is one of my favorites. Sorry for the bad photo. I had to shoot at night with limited light. Even my new-fangled baby was struggling with this one.

In honor of this "loving thyself" attitude, I challenge you to leave me a comment letting me know what you have had to learn to accept about yourself. Don't be shy...ain't no one gonna tell...as long as no one shares with that loud-mouthed upper classman! You have until Sunday night at midnight to participate. Hope someone is able to top my fat feet...but I'm not holding my breath! And if you are one of those perfect people who has nothing wrong with you, please just make something up so the rest of us will feel better. OK?

Have a fantastic weekend ya'll!

***I have received a few emails letting me know that blogger is up to its old tricks and you may not be able to post a comment. If it won't allow you to leave a comment and you would like to participate in the give-away, please send me an email. Sorry for the inconvenience!***