A to Z Reflections 2016 #AtoZChallenge

Whew! We made it through the A to Z Challenge once again. Well, for me it was again. Was this your first time? Have you participated in the challenge before?

Going into this years challenge, my goal was to keep my posts short and simple. Why? Well, it's easier for me to write them. Also, it's what I prefer to read, and it allows me to maximize my time and visit more blogs. I know I didn't have the most compelling theme, but it did allow others to hop quickly.

After figuring out a theme, my biggest challenge always seems to be the actual blog hopping part of the challenge. I write most of my posts the weekend before they go live, but it seems like finding the time to visit other blogs is difficult. And when I do have time, I either stumble across blogs that have the longest posts on the planet, or find posts that I'm not super interested in reading. Sorry! This year I really wanted make the best use of my time so I could find some new blogs to follow, and add to my blogging buddies list :)

Some observations:

• I appreciate when people put their theme immediately at the top of their post. I'm still hoping for a way to categorize the challenge list, so it would be easier to find content that you connect with.
• It's annoying when I have to fill out my whole life story before I can post a comment. I'm getting so tired of this, that I started to skip commenting on pages like this (unless I was commenting back from a comment someone left on my page).
• I do, rather weirdly, enjoy checking off the “I'm not a robot” box. Gives me a chuckle every time.
• I prefer 'blogger' websites as opposed to 'wordpress'. I find it easier to comment and follow with blogger, and even navigate through older posts (assuming the blog has the proper widgets).
• I noticed that when I tag @AprilAtoZ (the A to Z Challenge twitter handle) on twitter, when I post my blog link, I get a lot more hits on that post. Thank you @AprilAtoZ!!!
• There were a handful of times that I had no way to respond back to comments that were left on my blog. Either the person didn't have any blogger profile links, or a link to their blog in their comment. :(

I am happy to say that I have found some new blogs that I look forward to visiting after the A to Z, as well as reconnecting with some old favorites.

Here are some stand out posts:

This one made me SMILE

http://pempispalace.blogspot.com/2016/04/h-is-for-hugs.html

This one made me CRY

http://stumblestandfly.blogspot.com/2016/04/s-is-for-single-mom-atozchallnge.html

These made me LAUGH

http://stumblestandfly.blogspot.com/2016/04/t-is-for-thrill-of-grill-atozchallenge.html

https://hmgardner.blogspot.com/2016/04/iwsg-atozchallenge-stormys-epic.html

This was INSPIRING

http://www.poojasharmarao.blogspot.com/2016/04/cherish-challenge-change-atozchallenges.html

The BRAVEST post I read:

http://www.thejoyousliving.com/2016/04/d-date-rape.html

These are just some of the ones that stood out for me, but I did come across many great blogs.

What do you have to share? Did you enjoy this year's A to Z Challenge? Did you find any new blogger buddies? And please share any posts or themes that stood out to you...I'd love to visit some more great blogs!

A to Z 2015 Reflections Post

Congratulations to everyone who conquered the A to Z Challenge!

Here we go! My thoughts on the 2015 A to Z Challenge...

My Own Personal Preferences

• Some themes/posts are self explanatory by their title, but when they aren't, I really appreciated when people put just a short blurb at the top, or beginning of their post, explaining what their A to Z focused on. Having it done this way made it easier for me to just dive in. 
•  I find that I definitely prefer shorter posts. Unless it's a topic that I LOVE, or a person that has commented on my blog and I'm trying to return the comment, I usually leave the page if it's more than a few paragraphs. 
• Midway through the month, I went back to my routine and replied back to comments on my blog only after visiting and commenting on the original posters blog. Initially I started the challenge by not responding to comments on my blog, thinking this would save me some time, but it just caused me confusion since this was not the way I usually handle things. I'm a creature of habit!
• I really, really, REALLY appreciate when a visitor just leaves me a direct link to their blog in the comments. When I click on a visitors name and it brings me to blogger...not too bad. But when it brings me to Google+, I pretty much want to slam my head into a wall. I fucking hate trying to navigate Google+...there's just too much clicking involved. This is a blog hop that involves over 1500 people. Please make it easy!
  

Recommendations/Improvements that I think can be made with the Challenge itself (the first two are the same thoughts that I had last year)

• A registering system where you can fill in your blog topic instead of having to pick from pre-made ones.
• All the blog topics would be sorted alphabetically. This recommendation is a direct result of my OCD.
• The A to Z team could include a tutorial on how to include a direct link to your blog when you comment (using HTML fancy language). This would eliminate the Google+ head banging feeling that many of us get.
• I love the new idea for the A-Z Challenge themed t-shirts. You know what I'd like better than a t-shirt? An A to Z bandana! I can put it on Emmie :)

Now that I'm done complaining... here are some A to Z bloggers that I enjoyed:

• Heather @Waiting is the HardestPart--Heather shared with us how much of an impact the show, The X-Files, made on her life. Her theme makes me want to do a rewatch...like Right.Now. I enjoyed her point of view on her topics as well as the funny commentary by Stormy, her sidekick, at the end of the posts. Plus, she has a blow up alien doll...and that's cool.
• Roslyn @Fangirl Stitches--She shared geek themed cross-stitch posts. Geeky mixed with art...I'm all over that!
• Tyrean @Everyday Writer, TyreanMartinson--Tyrean focused her theme on featuring other bloggers. Not only did I think that this was extremely generous of her, but it shed some light on some new bloggers that I found to be really interesting.

Overall, I'm happy that I accepted the challenge for a second year. If I do it again next year, I think I'll do something similar as this year and keep it really simple and short. Who knows...maybe Emmie will help me out again :)

Many thanks to everyone who visited my blog and left comments...it was most appreciated!

What are your thoughts? Are you glad you took the challenge?

Click Here for a full list of my 2015 A to Z Challenge Posts

Celebrate The Small Things -- May 23

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.

This week I'm celebrating new linens.  I've had the same towels for about 15 years or so.  Some are bleach stained, and some are starting to unravel.  I'm having company stay for a week next month, so this was the perfect time for an upgrade.  I'm also down to one sheet set...which is a pain when I have to do laundry.  I hate having to worry about washing, drying, and putting my sheets back on all in one shot.  An extra set gives me a little more wiggle room to be lazy :)

Also celebrating the 15% cash back from Ebates.com for ordering all my new linens from JCPenney online (never even had to leave my house!).  Just an extra little something to look forward to...a rebate check coming in the mail in a few weeks.  (Anyone interested in joining Ebates.com, click here and I get a little kickback for the referral.)

BTW...all this is SO #firstworldproblems and I'm well aware of it!  But this is a little things celebration, so I'm entitled to be happy about whatever I'd like :)

What are you celebrating?

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, head on over to Scribblings of an Aspiring Author, by VikLit, for more information.

 

Celebrate The Small Things...May 9th Edition

I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.

This week has been a rough one for me, which is why I'm posting on Sunday instead of the usual Friday.  See, I threw my back out Tuesday night and have been in bed popping muscle relaxers ever since.  Today is the first day that I've come downstairs to sit.  Through all of this yuckiness, I'm thankful for a few things...

• My wonderful supportive husband
• My helpful (most of the time) kiddos
• My comfortable bed
• Muscle relaxers
• Heat packs

Without any of these, I may still be lying in my bed!

What are you celebrating?

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, head on over to Scribblings of an Aspiring Author, by VikLit, for more information.

 

A to Z Reflections Post 2014

Congratulations to everyone who took on the A to Z Challenge!  Because I'm being a bit lazy, I'm doing a short list of my reflections.  This will make it easier for me to write, and easier on the readers who are blog-hopping the A to Z Reflections posts.

Here we go!  My thoughts on the A to Z Challenge...

1. Met some great people.  I mean, really cool, interesting, and creative new people.  (They're not actually “new people”...they're just new to me.)
2. Participated in my first Twitter chat.  I still don't like Twitter, but I can see now why, and how, twitter is useful for chats.
3. Found some awesome new blogs.
4. Had complete strangers say the most wonderful and supportive comments to me.
5. Realized that I can blog without cursing, although it's a lot harder and not preferable (see Lent post).
6. Learned how to schedule posts ahead of time.  I really loved this and in the future will make more use of it.
7. Thought that I'd feel completely overwhelmed by the blogging everyday thing...but didn't (see #6).
8. Proved, once again, that I can do whatever I put my mind to!

The two improvements that I think can be made with the Challenge itself...

1. A registering system where you can fill in your blog topic instead of having to pick from pre-made ones.
   
2. All the blog topics would be sorted alphabetically.  OCD much? ;)
   

Overall, I'm happy that I accepted the challenge and can't wait until next year.  The gears are already turning...

What are your thoughts?  Are you glad you took the challenge?

Click Here for other Reflections Posts

Click Here for a full list of my A to Z Challenge Posts

Celebrate The Small Things -- May 2

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.

This week I'm celebrating the end of my first A to Z Challenge!  I'm so grateful to my friend, Nicole, for telling me about this challenge.  When she first filled me in on the details, I was very hesitant to take this on.  But I'm so glad I decided to just say, "f*ck it" and do it anyway!  I've met lots of cool people and come across some fantastic blogs.  Now I have to think of a theme for next year :)

What are you celebrating?

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, head on over to Scribblings of an Aspiring Author, by VikLit, for more information.

 

Celebrate The Small Things -- April 25

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.

This week I'm celebrating that my husband was able to fix our washing machine with minimal time used and zero dollars spent.  Let me repeat that last part...ZERO DOLLARS SPENT.  Things like this never happen!  Turns out that one of my daughter's socks got caught in the pump.  The washer was draining and the motor would make a humm, but nothing would happen.  My husband is our washing machine hero of the week.

Of course, he fixed it after I drove a half an hour away and spent the afternoon doing laundry at my mother-in-laws. :)  At least I got a free lunch!

What are you celebrating?

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, head on over to Scribblings of an Aspiring Author, by VikLit, for more information.

 

Six Word Saturday -- April 12

It's Six Word Saturday time...

I have muscles in my butt!

After months of rehabbing my ankles, I have muscles that I haven't seen in years.  Thank you physical therapy for bringing them back to life :)

Six Word Saturday is hosted by Call Me Kate at Show My Face.  If you'd like to join in on the fun, then describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words and comment down below!

Six Word Saturday -- April 5

It's Six Word Saturday time...

I survived going to the dentist!

This week I had my regularly scheduled cleaning and I didn't even need to take a Xanax this time.  Progress!  I'm getting more comfortable with my new dentist (this is the third time I've seen her for a cleaning).  Don't get me wrong...I'd still rather go the gynecologist than the dentist.  But, overall, my dental anxiety is in check.  I'm not even going to think about the cavity that I need filled next month.

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Six Word Saturday is hosted by Call Me Kate at Show My Face.  If you'd like to join in on the fun, then describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. 

Celebrate The Small Things -- April 4

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.

Today I'm celebrating getting some feeling back in my foot!  I just realized this a few days ago when I was putting my cocoa butter on.  Right after surgery I realized that a large part of the top of my foot had lost feeling in it.  I wasn't totally surprised, as I have some nerve damage and numbness around my knees because of my knee surgeries.  But I didn't have any problems like this with my first ankle, so while I wasn't totally surprised, I was somewhat disappointed.  My therapist said that it's possible to get some feeling back, but I wasn't very hopeful.  But it's back baby!  Not like it was before the surgery...not back to "normal"...but it's enough for me :)

Also, it's my best friend's birthday today and my family is going out to celebrate tonight with his family.  Happy Birthday MJ!

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, head on over to Scribblings of an Aspiring Author, by VikLit, for more information.

 

Six Word Saturday...on Sunday -- March 30

I'm doing my Six Word Saturday on Sunday :)

Spring cleaning has finally begun here!

We started a bit of cleaning yesterday...figured I'd start in the kids rooms.  Four hours helping my daughter clean up her room and 3 trash bags later...even though we just started spring cleaning, I'm already exhausted!

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Six Word Saturday is hosted by Call Me Kate at Show My Face.  If you'd like to join in on the fun, then describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. 

Celebrate The Small Things -- March 28

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.

This week I celebrated a big thing...my birthday :)  The best thing was being around family and friends.  I got to have company at my house, which I don't get to do too often, for our first celebration.  Yes, I had more than one!  We also went out to a great restaurant a few towns away for a second night of celebrations (this was supposed to be on my actual birthday night, but my daughter was sick that day, so it got postponed to the following day).  I had the most delicious chicken and was so full by the time we left.

What is your favorite way to celebrate your birthday?

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, head on over to Scribblings of an Aspiring Author, by VikLit, for more information.

 

Celebrate The Small Things: March 21

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things...for the first time!  Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.

This week I'm celebrating the fact that even though I'm sick, I don't have the flu...or worse yet, the stomach flu.  And I wasn't sick enough to have to go on antibiotics.  It could always be worse! 

I'm also celebrating tea and scones.  With being sick this week, I've been craving hot tea and scones.  And lucky me, my husband found a recipe and made me some delicious scones last night!  And they were the size of pie pieces!  He's a good man :)

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, head on over to Scribblings of an Aspiring Author, by VikLit, for more information.

26 Different Ways To Keep Busy While Recovering: A to Z Challenge 2014

If you read my post from Monday, then you'll know that this April I will be participating in the A to Z Challenge, where everyday my posts will feature a different letter of the alphabet, for a total of 26 different posts for the month of April.  And today is the big theme reveal.  The one common factor that all my posts will have is this: 

How To Keep Busy While Recovering

Recovering from what?  Well, maybe you're recovering from surgery...or from an injury that has slowed you down...or maybe you're an expectant mom who has been instructed to be on bed rest.  If you fall into any of these categories, then stay tuned for the month of April, where I will focus my A to Z Challenge on things to keep you busy while you are recovering.

Since I've had two major surgeries over the past nine months, I've had a lot of down time.  Having so much down time can get pretty boring really quickly and can also lead to depression (at least it can for me).  So I decided to focus my theme on things that I've done that have kept me busy and helped pass the time.  Everything that is on my list is something that I have personally done.  I'm not throwing suggestions out there that I haven't done myself.  For example, you won't hear me tell you that you should try knitting.  While I know that knitting is wonderful for some people, I'm not one of those people.  I don't knit.  Maybe someday I'll try, but I don't currently.

Have any guesses as to what will be on my list?   I'll give you one hint...Spoilers!!

Any fellow bloggers also participating in the A to Z Challenge?  What is your theme?

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*Throughout the month of April, I will link all the posts back to this main page...this way all 26 ideas will be in one place.

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Amazon Instant Video

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Blog
How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Company Helps
How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Documentaries Are Fun
How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Eat, Drink, And Be Merry

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Friends are Better

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Get Over It!

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Hot Baths

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Imagine Yourself Better...The Power Of Positive Thinking

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Just Ignore The Mess

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Kindle Fire...It's My Fave
How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Laugh...A Lot...and Often

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Music Soothes The Savage Beast

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Netflix Is My Best Friend

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Open A Package...Order Stuff Online! 

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Pray

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Queen For A Day

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Reading Is Fundamental

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Strike A Pose

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Try An Instrument

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Uber-Delicious Cake

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Vampires...I've Loved You Since The Lost Boys

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Who? Doctor Who...That's Who

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: eXamination

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: YouTube

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Zzzzzzzzzz......