I’m back! For those who have noticed, I’ve been neglecting my blog for a few weeks. I had too many things going, and it didn’t take long to realize I was up a creek without a paddle, not to mention going over the edge of the waterfall. That’s the nice way to put it anyhow. Now that finals for this semester are over, I thought I would post a little update.
First:
NaNoWriMo- I am officially a NaNoWriMo dropout. 
I had so much fun participating though. My final word count ended up at 16,213. It’s not very close to the final 50,000, but it’s a start. I’m hoping to try again next year when my writing time won’t be competing with school. I made a lot of friends and had so much fun joining in the word wars held by Scribblerati. And yes, I have to give credit where it is due. Karen at ModernDayStoryTeller totally kicked my butt. I’m so proud of her!
Second:
Book Bloggers’ Holiday Swap- In November, I joined the holiday swap where you get assigned to be a secret Santa for another book blogger. It’s closed for this year, but it’s been a lot of fun so far. I’ve purchased my gifts and they are safely (hopefully) in the care of the U.S. postal service. I wonder what my secret Santa will send.
Third:
The Book Blog Social Club is having their first ever progressive dinner. I will be hosting one of the 
desserts on my blog on Thursday, so check back soon if you want to see pictures and the recipe. I’m making aebleskivers, which are Danish pancake balls. They’re fried, so they’re kind of like a doughnut hole too, I guess. Anyway, they have been made in my family for years, and I thought it would be fun to share.
Fourth:
Some other cool things I came across
Speaking of Faith- This is the website for my new favorite podcast. It explores religion and belief in a respectful way. I found it when I was listening to the radio a few weeks ago, and since then I’ve been trying to catch up on all of the past episodes. Loving it so far! Check it out if you are interested. And don’t forget their blog. It’s wonderful as well.
Unleashing Life’s Wild Things- This is an excellent & touching NYT article by A.O. Scott. It’s about the movie Where The Wild Things Are, life, art, protecting our kids, and so much more.
Julie Andrews feature on NPR’s Morning Edition- It’s only five minutes long, but it’s just lovely! Andrews is reading from a book of poetry she compiled with her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton for their new book: Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies. This is what I’m asking Santa to bring me for Christmas.
Julie Andrews Morning Edition.mp3
That is it for now. I have some fun posts planned for the holiday season as well as some reviews that I’ve been working on. More to come!
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Hey Sharla, glad to know your finals are over. Am sure you did well! Thanks for the kind words. Love the update. And how do you get that snow to drizzle so gracefully over your blog? Very cool.
Thanks! I hope I did well with my classes, but I’m certainly ready for a holiday break. Glad you noticed the changes to the site. I’m working on it a bit at a time. The snow is from a plugin called Let it Snow. I’m seriously considering leaving it on all the time.
OMG! I shouldn’t read your blog before my morning coffee! You finish more stuff, than I dare dream. I’m going back to bed!