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Nov
19
Have you heard of this book? Its edited by one of the founders of kirtsy and filled with favorites from kirtsy. Imagine how excited you would be if you were a brand new blogger and found out that you were going to be included in that book.
I don’t have to imagine it. A little over a year ago, I was a brand new blogger, and I got the most exciting email from the editor of the kirtsy book, telling me that they wanted to include one of my blog posts in that book! I can’t tell you how that made me feel. At any point in my adult life, if you asked me what my dream job/career would be, I would tell you that I wish I could be a writer. So to find out that
1) people besides my mom liked my writing! and
2) they liked it so well they wanted to put it in a book! It was a dream come true.
I signed the paperwork and sent it back, and then I’m embarrassed to admit I emailed several times to make sure they got my paperwork – I didn’t want to screw this up! But they did get it and said everything was good. I knew the book wasn’t coming out for over a year, but I was still excited. I heard from them one more time, asking me to send in an image for the book, which I did.
I read kirtsy. I read the personal blogs of the lovely ladies that created kirtsy. And I do think they are all lovely, even though I don’t know them. Those ladies are social media goddesses and bloggers extraordinaire! Of course I was thrilled that they chose my work for their book! But more than that, more than being chosen by women I admire to be included in a book with other people that I admire, I was just so excited that something I wrote was going to be published. Dreams do come true.
I kept checking kirtsy for updates and the publication date kept getting pushed back. Finally this summer I read that it would be coming out in the fall. I kept checking my email, but nothing. By accident, I read a blurb about the book at one of the blogs I read regularly, with the book cover and publication date. I thought maybe I should put that on here, but then I thought, wait, surely the book editors will contact the contributors with all that info. (thank God for that little hesitation) So I waited a little longer, then started emailing the same women who I had corresponded with last year.
I never got a response to my emails. Even though I knew better, I was still holding out hope that maybe the emails got lost, but that I was still going to be in the book. But no. My post is not in the book.
The adult in me knows that these things happen, its business, nothing personal. But my inner child feels a little bit like the junior high girl who got invited to the cool kids’ party, only to have them say “just joking” on the day of the party.
Please understand – I’m not saying thats what happened. I’m saying that as someone who experienced that type of thing before, I recognize that feeling, I know that feeling well, and to the part of me that still suffers from that acute insecurity, this feels similar.
I was thisclose to being in the kirtsy book! OMG! I told my family, friends, coworkers and a few bloggers I know. This was a huge deal for me. For everyone on the other side – the publisher, the editor – it is just business and of course it’s not personal. I know that, and I don’t want to even hint that I think there was anything mean about this. But its still very personal for me. No matter what happened, it is legitimate for me to feel disappointed. And hurt. And embarrassed – because who was I kidding thinking I could be in that book.
Whatever the reason, whatever happened, what I really wish is that instead of telling me “You have been selected to be published”, they had said you might be published, but you might not be. If that little word might had been there, I wouldn’t have gotten as excited. I wouldn’t have told anyone that I was going to be in such an awesome book. I wouldn’t have done anything but cross my fingers and hope that I was picked. And that would have been better than the slow sinking realization that this particular dream wasn’t going to come true.
Thisclose is almost worse than not anywhere close at all.
I was considering not buying the book, not rubbing salt in the wound, but ARE YOU CRAZY? Have you seen the list of people who did contribute to the book? That is the most awesome list of writers that I have seen in a long time. So far I haven’t been able to find it locally, but I am going to get it. I am absolutely awed by that contributor list. Some of them I have been reading for a long time, some I have never heard of. They deserve this, and they deserve to be congratulated. Especially those on the list who are being published for the first time – what an incredible achievement. Congratulations, great job, and enjoy it.
I’m sure I’ll love the book, and the sting will only last a little while.
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Oct
4
I love finding new blogs to read, and I just found this! Elizabeth Esther is hosting the Saturday Evening Blog Post, where bloggers can submit their favorite posts from their own blogs. I am happily reading the submissions from other bloggers, and I submitted If You See My Son, because it is very dear to my heart right now. I know its not Saturday, true to form I am a day late, but its not too late to visit Elizabeth Esther’s blog and enjoy the reading!
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May
30
I didn’t really forget about my blog for the past week. It was always in the back of my mind, I just couldn’t get to it. School ended, the kids were exhausted and excited at the same time, we’ve been on a marathon baseball game streak trying to get all the makeup games done and we made a fast trip out of town.
Did I mention lying on the couch eating bon-bons? Nooo, because thats only in my dreams!
Do you ever get to that point where your brain says Nope, I can’t do even one more thing right now? My brain said that this past week, so I just had to let it go. Actually I let a lot of things go, like vacuuming and cooking, but I don’t miss those things like I have missed this little ole blog.
June is a busy month for us, both my kids have birthdays and Scout camp and science camp, you get the picture. Summer started out with a bang, so much for the nice relaxing week I imagined. I’m not a big planner in the summer, we seem to keep busy enough without me trying to throw in extra activities. There are some things I want to do with my kids and hopefully we’ll get them done.
Here is a brief but already chaotic outline of our summer:
- Birthday party planning is already in full swing. Last year I waited until mid-June to even think about birthdays, and by then we were too far gone with ball games and camps. I kept saying “as soon as sports/scouts/camps are done we’ll have the birthday party” but summer came and went with no party. When I say “party” I actually mean that they can invite one or two friends over and we’ll do something like a movie or ball game and of course have cake. As long as there is cake it’s a party, right? Last year Nolan asked for an actual party, a paintball party. I still feel bad for putting it off all year so I’ve already started planning it. There will be a party this year.
- Camps. Nolan does Scout camp – his first week long overnight camp. Get me the tissues now. Tanner does band camp. I loved going to church camp and girl scout camp growing up so I’m glad my kids like camp. It’s just the packing and getting ready that is hard. And the laundry afterward. And the week that they are actually away from me. Tissues!
- Summer reading. They used to do the library reading program but we haven’t done that in a few years. I decided to have our own little reading program. When they were younger we’d set aside 30 minutes a day and we’d all read in the living room. We’re doing that again but I’m picking books for them to read. Last year I picked To Kill a Mockingbird for my son, which is going to be hard to top. Send me book suggestions please!
- Community service. My oldest will be helping at our Vacation Bible School this year. He usually helps at his youth group by going an hour early and helping the youth director. When youth group ended for the summer he told me he wanted to keep helping at the church. I’m going to make some calls to find something for Nolan to do, I’m hoping he can help at a local animal shelter. This community service is one of the things I’m really excited about doing with the boys.
- Service begins at home. My kids have chores they do regularly, but in the summer it’s like I get my own personal cleaning crew. They clean, they mow, they do laundry and now they want to cook. My goal is to let them cook this summer, and more than just baking – although that is my favorite kind of cooking.
That’s about as much planning as I do for the summer. We haven’t really started any of those things yet, so far the boys are just thrilled to be sleeping a little later and hanging out with friends. That does sound pretty perfect, doesn’t it? 
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Apr
16
Last week was my 1 year blogging anniversary. I can’t believe it’s been a year already, I’ve loved every minute of it. The blogging community is incredibly kind and welcoming, and I hope to celebrate many more blogiversarys!
To kick off my blogiversary celebration, I’m giving away an awesome necklace from Superhero Designs. I’m so excited about this giveaway, it’s just a wonderful prize! If you haven’t checked out Andrea’s beautiful jewelry, you are missing out. She has lovely colorful bead necklaces and some very cool pendants, as well as beaded bracelets.
They are all so pretty its hard to pick, but my favorite is the bulls eye pendant. On the back of it is the word “superhero”, which I love. Thestarburst pendant says “joy” on the back. Both are beautiful, so I’m not going to choose which one I give away. The winner gets to choose either the starburst pendant or the bulls eye pendant. You are so lucky!
Here’s how to enter:
In order to do this blogging anniversary right, I want to give you as many chances to enter as possible.
- Visit Superhero Designs then come back here and tell me 2 things. 1-which pendant you would choose and 2-which beaded necklace is your favorite. Leave 1 comment for each answer, so that gives you 2 entries.
- Any comment you leave on any upcoming post, from now until the giveaway ends, will count towards the giveaway. So any comment on any post dated 4/16 until 4/30 will count as an entry! Please leave relevant comments, not just “enter me in the giveaway”, and one comment per post. I will keep track of all comments on posts between now and 4/30.
I will post at least daily so you’ll have many chances to enter this one, come back often!
And there are even more ways to enter:
- Subscribe to Unexpected Bliss.
- Mention this giveaway on your blog. (include direct link in your comment)
- Follow me on Twitter (@UnexpectedBliss)
- For an extra entry, sent a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway. Leave your Twitter name in your comment. This may be done as often as you want, leave a comment for each tweet.
- Stumble this post
For each of the above that you do, leave 1 comment on THIS giveaway post, ie 1 comment if you subscribe, 1 comment if you follow me on Twitter, 1 comment for each tweet, 1 comment for a Stumble, 1 comment for mentioning this on your blog)
Open to US addresses only.
This giveaway will end Thursday April 30 at midnight CST. I will notify the lucky winner via email and once the winner responds with choice of pendant I will post the winner here. Please make sure to put a valid email address in every comment that you leave.
The giveaway has ended, I will email the winner and post here once I hear back from them. Thank you everyone who entered!
This giveaway is sponsored by me, to celebrate my year of blogging. Enjoy!
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Apr
15
Who knew that when I mentioned I had big bloggity plans for this week, something “in real life” would come up? And how did it get to be Wednesday already!?
I mentioned earlier this month that I was having some major upheavals in my work. I found out last week that I did not get the new project that I put in for. Bad news. I was disappointed, because I think being with the same company for over 4 years should count, but it doesn’t in this case. Right before I got the nice rejection email, I got an email saying that my current project wasn’t ending in April as planned, but would run through May. Good news! I’m not unemployed yet.
That same day, I found out our tax bill was a wee bit more than last year. By wee I mean a lot more. This is one of the times when I think that working from home and being self employed is just not worth it. After so many years, we were getting better at balancing it out and not owing anything, but not this year for some reason. So I was bummed about that. But then the next day, we got an insurance refund in the mail that we weren’t expecting. Not a huge amount, but it will help with the tax bill. See how things are evening out?
Then the next bit of grace. I had applied for a part time job earlier this month, and I got a call last week to schedule an interview! I had my interview Monday. It went very well and I go back for a second interview tomorrow. I’m nervous and excited and anxious all at once, which wreaks havoc on my stomach. But its a good nervousness. Even if I don’t get it, I got some good interview experience after years of only doing phone interviews, and the HR person was very encouraging on Monday.
So, I haven’t been blogging much this week. Everything that I just mentioned happened in less than a weeks time, so that explains why my head is spinning! And I’ve been consumed with what to wear to my interviews and paying taxes and all that excitement. As a final bit of good news, my husbands grandmother was taken by ambulance to the hospital today. She is 93. We spent the day waiting anxiously by the phone, but thankfully she is ok and back at home in the nursing home tonight.
Things are hectic but going ok. It seems like for every piece of potentially bad news that we get, something good happens. I can’t complain about that.
Of course, I still have plans to celebrate my blogiversary. I will post the first giveaway tomorrow, so check back. Thanks for bearing with me when real life gets in the way of blogging fun.
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Apr
10
We debated about going back to Kansas to spend Easter with our respective families, but in the end decided to stay home. I’m really happy about that, even about the cooking part. Easter dinner will be much easier and less stressful that Christmas dinner usually is. Even though my kids laugh at me, we are coloring eggs tomorrow and I’m sure the Easter bunny will be stopping by sometime and hiding treats for me my kids. That darn bunny doesn’t realize that they are too mature and grown up, (at 11 and 13!) to want to play with him. Good thing too, cause at 40, I am far from being that grown up.
I had a moment of Grace in a huge way this week, and I’ll post more about that next week. Things that seem impossible have a way of working themselves out, and I’m continually amazed by that.
Just a quick note about something really important to me that I decided to put off until after this weekend. Tomorrow is my one year Blogiversary!! I’m very excited about that and have some giveaways planned to celebrate, so check back Monday for a week of celebrating my year of blogging. Can’t believe it’s been a year, it’s flown by.
My family is all hacking and sniffling, I guess it’s their turn for allergies. So it will be a quiet, peaceful weekend here. I’d love to hear about your weekend plans. Have a good weekend and Happy Easter.
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Jan
8
Ginny of Mom of 2 Dancers gave me this lovely award, and it was very nice to come back from my little blogging break to see that. Thank you Ginny!
Now I need to confess my top 5 addictions and then pass this on. Trying to narrow down my addictions to a top 5 is tough, but here goes:
1. Reading. Anything. Well, almost anything. But I can’t resist a good book.
2. Chips and salsa. I’ve tried to quit but I just can’t.
3. Jack Bauer (24)
4. Diet Pepsi. My biggest vice.
5. Third Day
Now I need to pass this Fabulous award to some other Fabulous blogs: (ok the rules said 5, but I’m feeling rebellious)
Come on now, you all tell me what YOU are addicted to.
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Jan
3
My little “Christmas blessing” computer glitchturned into a major problem and a huge hassle. I will go into more detail about that later, but I finally have a computer again and even though I’m about to pass out from exhaustion, I keep reading the blogs in my reader. I’ve missed you, internet!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and I’m looking forward to being back online. I never meant to stay away for so long!
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Aug
16
Chefdruck Musings is giving away 6 months free Sittercity membership. What a great idea, and if you can’t use a sitter for yourself that would be a much appreciated gift for someone who can. Enter by August 22.
Island Life is giving away a Clothespins! game. My kids always loved family game time, this one looks fun. Enter by August 22.
dkMommy Spot is giving away a $25 Whole Foods gift card. Enter by August 22.
5 Minutes for Mom is giving away 2 grocery cards, 1 for Stop and Shop and 1 for Giant. What a great prize, we could all use a little extra grocery money right now! Enter by August 29.
Lisa Reviews is giving away a Sony Digital Photo Frame. Enter by August 24.
Scribbit is having 2 giveaways. One is for a Crazy Creek portable chair, and the second giveaway is for a Wupzey highchair food catcher along with a Prima Princessa dvd. I just want to know, where were those highchair food catchers when my kids were babies? What a neat idea. Enter for both giveaways before 12am August 18.
You still have time to enter for a $50 Amazon gift card from Robyn’s Online World. Enter before August 29.
Robyn has also started a blog network for parents of teens. As the mom of a teenager, I’m starting to realize that it’s a whole new world, and that I can use all help I can get. I look forward to sharing experiences and getting advice from other parents of teens. Visit We Have Teens and start sharing your stories today.
Enjoy the weekend!
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Aug
9
I found some great giveaways to enter.
Design Mom is giving away Blue Poppy jewelry. This is such lovely jewelry. Enter by midnight on Tuesday August 12.
Cars for Girls is giving away 3 iTunes gift cards. Enter before Friday August 15.
Check out 5 Minutes for Mom for several back to school giveaways. One of the great prizes is a $100 online shopping spree at Hanes for Kids. Enter by Tuesday 12.
Robyn at Robyn’s Online World is having another great giveaway, for a $50 Amazon.com gift card. Enter by August 29.
I recently posted about Blogging the Recession, to encourage readers to click through feeds and to click around on your favorite blogs. I want to encourage you to check out the blogs listed under Inspiration on my sidebar. Just a few of my favorites right now:
If you have never visited 37 days, please do. Patti’s book, Life is a Verb, is now available at bookstores and Amazon. To celebrate the book she’s asked her readers to share their “37 days” story. What would you do if you only had 37 days to live? Beautiful, thought provoking reading. Definitely something for all of us to think about.
If you enjoy beautiful photography, visit Chookooloonks photo blog. Just lovely. She also posts at Shutter Sisters. I really enjoy photography, I wish I actually took good pictures but I’ll settle for looking. If you’re an aspiring photographer these are great places for encouragement and tips.
I also love the beautiful, simple photographs at South End Blend. Her blog just makes you feel like kicking off your shoes, grabbing a glass of lemonade and staying awhile.
I’ve already expressed my love for Christine Kane’s music, but I also love reading her blog. She’s a very wise woman, and many of her posts just instantly resonate with me and things I’m struggling with.
And for a really great read, visit Derfwad Manor. I was hooked after the first visit, she’s just hysterically funny.
If you’ve got some shopping to do, gifts to buy, I can help. (Yes, these are all things I would love to have someone give me, if they were so inclined). Here are some great gift ideas:
Superhero Jewelry. I.Love.This.Jewelry. I’m not a jewelry wearing girl, but this is just lovely and I would wear any of it. I’m partial to the seaglass Superhero necklace, it’s got my favorite colors. I also love the bullseye pendant.
Kelly Rae Roberts etsy shop. I love her artwork, obviously, because I gave one of her prints away a couple weeks ago. She also has a book coming out, Taking Flight: Inspiration and Techniques to Give Your Creative Spirit Wings.
Christine Mason Miller also has beautiful, inspirational artwork in her etsy shop, as well as a book coming out soon, Ordinary Sparkling Moments.
That should give you plenty to do. Enter giveaways, shop, check out those great blogs, and have a wonderful weekend.
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