Cottage in the Oaks - Great Blog is Having a Great Giveaway!

One of my very favorite blogs, Cottage in the Oaks, is celebrating her one year blogoversary with a fantastic giveaway! Make sure you head over and enter to win. But before you do that, take some time to check out her blog, it is really amazing. I love her sense of style, which I would describe as beachy/cottagey (I know that isn't a real word, but you know what I mean!). She writes about crafting, food and general interest things. I always look forward to what she has to say and what new idea she has come up with! I am constantly amazed at the level of creativity she has and am in awe. I have copied many of her projects and her tutorials are easy to follow and photographed well, which is not true of all blogs. She also has an amazing Etsy shop, so make sure you check that out as well.

Okay, I think you can tell I am a true fan of the blog, but I know you want to hear about the giveaway, right? Who doesn't want the chance to win free swag?! Well, I will give you a tease about what she is offering, but you have to head over here to see it all! I will say it is valued at over $500, which is a very generous gift to her followers.

Some of the items included in the giveaway are; A mini tabletop French cafe chalkboard, A European grain sack Candle jar cover, A set of four EAT napkins and A personalized leather cuff to name just SOME of the beautiful things included in this package!

You're welcome! :-)

Still Kicking

Hi out there in blogging land! I haven't been posting for quite some time, and frankly I hadn't even been following other blogs regularly for some time. Those of you who are ill will understand. Sometimes life gets in the way. Mom has been very ill and that has taken most of my "healthy" hours in a day. I recently started to follow some great blogs again, but this time more in the crafting/DIY/home decor/food genres. I have begun crafting again after a long hiatus and was looking for inspiration and fellowship with other crafters. I think I was also looking for a break from being identified as chronically ill. Nothing has changed in that regard, if anything it has gotten worse, but I am choosing to focus on other things. At some point, hopefully in the not too distant future, I plan to start another blog that will be more along those lines. I do not intend to hide my illness, just not make it the focus of the blog as it was here. I will keep this blog, but I won't be posting as regularly as I was when I was active with it. I intend to keep in touch with my chronically ill blogging friends, I just need to express my creative side in a different way right now and I hope you will understand. I also wanted to write this post for those of you who may have gotten my blog information when I commented at your blog and came to follow. Feel free to follow, or feel free to wait and follow when I start the new blog up. Thanks! I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read my posts,comment or even keep me in their prayers - it means more than I can ever express!

Must Read Books by Cleo Coyle

I have been completely enthralled by a new (to me) author with two series of books. The author in question is Cleo Coyle and the first series is known as the "Coffeehouse Mysteries". The writing is the best I have ever come across in this genre, the characters are fully formed, the plots tight and you really cannot figure out who the killer is before it is revealed at the end of the story. Now, with being ill so much I am more than just a casual reader, I am voracious. I am also picky. Sure sometimes I want a fluff "summer read", but mainly I am looking to be transported and entertained. This series hasn't failed me yet. The books all center around a NYC coffeehouse run by a barista with a heart of gold named Clare Cosi. Clare not only knows coffee, she also happens to be pretty good at solving crimes as well. It may seem far fetched, but I promise you that from the first page you will be enchanted. Before I became ill, I actually worked as a private investigator, so I feel a special affinity for Clare. And of course being a New Yorker, I love reading about places I know. Bt of course you don't need to a New Yorker or a PI to appreciate good writing. The author of this series also writes under the pen name Alice Kimberly. That series is called "The Haunted Bookshop Mysteries". Again, you won't be disappointed. My Coyle/Kimberly writes along with the help of her husband Marc, and a more perfect writing duo I don't think exists. To learn more about these series and this author, check out her website at www.coffeehousemysteries.com/. Trust me, you will be glad you did! As a side note for all of my regular readers, especially my chronically ill friends, I want to let you know that I will be heading into the hospital tomorrow to try to get an adrenal issue under control, as well as a possible diagnosis on some other illnesses. I know my blogging has been terribly spotty, and I truly hope that once things get resolved I will be able to resume posting on a more regular basis. I miss all my cyber friends and I think of you all and pray for you regularly. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as well. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and are AWAP (as well as possible).

I Need Your Help!

A long overdue hello to those of you who have actually hung in there with me through my LONG silence! I will get into more details about the reason for that in another post, but right now I need your help. It seems that some people who are subscribed to my blog posts are getting another blog but it seems to be somehow connected to mine (ie: if you click the link in the e-mail it directs you to a blog by my name but written in a foreign language that doesn't appear to have anything to do with chronic illness and certainly isn't authored by me!). I am wondering if anyone else is having this problem, whether you subscribe via e-mail or feed and if you have any ideas on what might be happening or who I should contact to try to sort it out (those of you who also have Blogspot posts might be able to point me in the right direction).

I would appreciate ANY and ALL input you could share with me. I do intend to resume posting and I don't know if I am going to have to create a new blog and take this one down or if this can be fixed. In the meantime, please do not unsubscribe, give me a chance to work on this, because if I should have to change blogs I won't have any other way of letting you know the new info if you would be so kind as to follow me.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts, my readers are the brightest and best and I know we will figure something out!

Am I the only one who just doesn't care about Facebook?

I think there might be something wrong with me. At least if how everyone else seems to communicate is any indication. I have tried to care about Facebook and Twitter and the other social networking sites, but I just can't seem to work up any real enthusiasm for them. Am I the only one who feels this way?

Yes, it is true that you can find (or be found by) almost anyone from your past (which is a double edged sword if ever there was one, but that is for another post. . .), but I just can't get that excited by what someone else is watching on TV or eating or thinking every minute of the day. I don't mean to offend anyone if they really enjoy logging in and sharing this information, it just isn't my cup of tea.

I have been thinking about social networking a lot these past few days, mainly because my sister was just here for a visit. We haven't seen each other in over 2 years, so it was wonderful to get together and spend some time with each other. My sister is really into Facebook, so much so that she doesn't e-mail anymore and if I want to find out what is going on with her, I have to check her wall. She also is big into text messaging, and I don't text at all. I think I would hear from her much more if I did text, as she seems to communicate almost solely this way. I've noticed it more and more with everyone. I feel a bit like a dinosaur when it comes to technology. I just don't want to be that connected all the time.

I also wonder if this is due more to my illness. I have always been an extremely social person, outgoing and enjoyed being in touch with others. That has definitely changed as my illness has progressed. Since I generally only have about 4 good hours in any given day I am much more careful in how I spend them. Of course I have things I must do, chores, doctor's appointments, errands and the like. You know what I mean, all the stuff we all have in our lives that takes up time but might not be how we would like to spend it if we had a choice. So some days I have to do those things, and I can't do those and be social in the same day anymore. It isn't physically possible for me. Then there are the things I want to do, which of course includes seeing friends. I guess I would rather see someone in person than check in with 100 people on Facebook. To me the one to one contact is so much more rewarding, and since I am limited in how much I can socialize due to health issues, I want more bang for my buck so to speak. I know other chronically ill folks feels the exact opposite, they feel that they can keep up with more relationships by having Facebook or Twitter as a tool for communicating. I get that, I just feel it is more superficial.

In the end, we all have to make the choices that work best for us. I know there are some people who I will not hear from if I don't use these sites, and it makes me sad, but I miss the days of the handwritten letter and the phone call. I will always be a person who values substance over quantity.

What about you? Do you feel that Facebook or Twitter or texting has been a help or a hindrance in staying in touch with friends and family? Do you miss the older methods of communication, or do you think the advances in technology have far surpassed the downsides? Let me know what you think. . .

I'm Back!

Thought you'd finally heard the last of me, eh? No such luck! Seriously, it has been so long since my last post there were times even I wondered if I would ever post again. Too much time has past to try to catch up in one post, and I couldn't put you through all of it anyway. . . suffice it to say that things have been rough and time precious, so posting took a backseat to surviving. I know you all understand that.

I have missed my on-line community so much. I want to thank everyone who e-mailed or left comments just to let me know they cared and they missed me. Whether I was able to respond or not, it meant the world to me. Your prayers and good thoughts kept me going and I am a lucky person to have even one person who reads my blog.

I intend to start back to posting fairly regularly now, probably not daily as before, but at least weekly. There is much to catch up on and I hope some of you are still listening. I know I owe pics of the kitties (who are so big now it is unbelievable) and I will upload them with the next post.

I Had Twins!

Caught your eye with THAT title didn't I? Well, it is true, but not in the way you are thinking. Mom and I adopted two adorable kittens this past week. We have a girl who is 4 months old and a boy who is 3 months old. They make us laugh and keep us going when we feel like we can't take anymore.

I will post pictures tomorrow (assuming Blogger allows me to login again, it seems to be giving me trouble lately) as well as try to post an update on what's been going on here. I miss all my bloggy friends and appreciate those of you who have written to see how we are doing while I have been sick and away from posting.