Promotion Post

As some of you know, but many others may not, Sanity's Overrated isn't the only blog that I maintain.  Recently, I started a new one to keep my reading logs in one place and tonight, I restarted an old blog to keep track of the 101 goals that I hope to complete in 1001 days.

Views from the Reader Side is my reading blog.  I do book reviews (usually ported directly from my Goodreads account), update reading challenges that I'm participating in, talk about books that I've won, what I'm reading, and occasionally news from the Book world that I find interesting.  I know many people enjoyed reading my book reviews here, and I'm hoping you'll head over to Views to keep following them there.

Amber's 101 Goals in 1001 Days was a blog that I started three years ago to keep track of my goals for my first attempt at completing the 101 in 1001.  As you can tell by reading it, I didn't get far and didn't keep it up.  Now that I'm a more regular blogger, I'm hoping that I'll be able to keep track of things a little better.  Please follow me on my journey as I try to better myself, my world and my family.  You can see the goals that I've set for myself, and my progress on those goals, here.  I'm hoping that this will be something I can follow through on.

I'll be changing the layout, updating banners and backgrounds and making both sites more user friendly as time goes on.  If you have suggestions for things that would make any of my blogs better, please let me know.  Because while I blog for me, I want it to be some place you enjoy visiting.

Give Aways Galore

No, not me.  I haven't teamed up with anyone that wants me to do giveaways here.  (Though if any of my readers have something they think would be great to giveaway on my blog - a book you'd like me to read, a product you'd like me to try - just drop me a line!)

But there are a lot of great giveaways out there.  Come check out some of the ones that I've put my name in the hat for.

On Cami's Books, she's giving away a copy of Bloodbourne by Gregg Luke.  You need to be subscribed to her blog and comment to enter, but there are extra entries for posting to Facebook or Twitter, as well as for putting a link to the giveaway in your blog or on your sidebar.  The giveaway ends September 12th.

At Our Ordinary Life, she's giving away a DXG Luxe Collection  Camcorder.  The main way to enter is to comment and tell her which other camera from DXG would fit your lifestyle, as well as the way you use cameras and taking video.  But there are also a ton of other ways to get extra entries.  You can become a fan of DXG on Facebook, Blog about it on your own blog (gets you five entries), grab her banner for another entry, subscribe to her blog (which is a fantastic blog that I love to read!), tweet and follow her on twitter, follow her through Google Friend Connect and follow her on Facebook, tweet daily for an extra giveaway, Like Our Ordinary Life on Facebook, use the tweet button to tweet the post, list the giveaway on a contest site and comment on a non-giveaway post.  Yep, she's got a lot of ways to get a lot of extra entries!  All the links you'll need are in the post, so follow my link to the post above and check it out!  The giveaway ends September 30th.

Midnight Mommy is giving away a Double Gusset Pocket Cloth Diaper in thanks for her 450 followers.  There are lots of ways to enter - following her, tweeting about the giveaway, grabbing her button.  Tons of them that can give you a chance for this win!  I won't be joining this one, since we're getting closer every day to getting Pete out of diapers.  But I know I have a lot of green parents that this would appeal to that read my blog.  So go check it out!  The giveaway ends October 1st.

Book & Movie Dimension is giving away a copy of RJ Gonzales' book, Mundahlia, the first book in The Mundahlian Era series. To enter, follow the blog through GFC and comment with your GFC name.  You can get extra entries by following RJ Gonzales on Facebook, by following his blog or by adding the button for either Book & Movie Dimensions or RJ Gonzales to your blog.  I've done all of them, I think.  Being the reader that I am, how could I do less?  The giveaway ends Septmeber 16th.


I'm sure there are a lot of other great giveaways around.  If you have one that you'd like me to add for my next Giveaway post, please drop me a line pointing toward it.  I'm going to try to do this kind of a post once or twice a week.  Because, even if it may lessen my chances to win a great prize, I can't keep these goodies to myself!

More New Blogs to Check Out

I'm running a little late on this swap - it was supposed to be finished by yesterday, but I ended up with a migraine that made any computer work impossible.

I was introduced to five new Blogger Blogs through the Follow My Blogger Blog! swap.  And, even though it's not part of the swap requirements, I like to post about these new blogs as ways to let these new (to me) bloggers know that I'm following them.

a Coffee & a Camera - S.E. gives us a glimpse into her life with a wonderful combination of words and pictures.  It's a fairly new blog, but she's already off to a great start.

Bursts of Bubbles - Bursts of Bubbles is the kind of blog I'd love to have Sanity be - regular postings, interesting content and lots to look at.  It's an interesting look into what makes this young woman (samash on Swap-Bot) tick.

Make My Day - samash also has another blog.  This one is where she highlights weekly crafty creations that she puts up for her readers to request.  She's a very talented crafter, and I can't wait to see what other day-brightening items she puts up to share with the world.

1teaspoonsugar - This is another fairly new blog.  Her posts are very graphic-intensive, which makes sense for a graphic designer.  And they run the gamut of subjects.  I'm really enjoying learning the things that strike her fancy on a given day, because I'm never sure what it's going to be from one day to the next.

Frou Frou Shit - When I first read the title, I smiled.  Then when I read the blog, I really sat up and took notice.  A very intelligent, very talented writer, Ssejica posts about the various things going through her mind.  And it's not all fluff, either.  (Like I often feel my posts are.)  I really enjoyed her post about the customer service industry, having been involved in customer service for a large part of my working career.  I really look forward to reading more of her postings!

Oh So Knifty - Marian doesn't post quite as regularly as some of the other bloggers I read, but she posts very interesting things.  Most recently, she posted about her attempt to try to start a grove of Silver Maples. I look forward to seeing what else she's going to talk about next!

Definitely take a moment to check some (or all) of these blogs out.  As always, Swap-Bot has a bunch of interesting people, as well as some really great Bloggers!

Someone really likes me!

Ok, probably more than one someone.  But, as I commented in my last post, this someone gave me an award because she likes me!  And that is turning what has been a frustrating day around to being much happier.

This was given to me by a blogger that I recently discovered when she started following me.  And hers has become one of my favorite blogs to read.  Do Sweat the Small Stuff is, in her own words, "the ramblings of a neurotic housewife."  Her posts are regularly humorous and incredibly reminiscent of my own day to day life. (A couple of my favorites have been World's Worst Mom #100 Part 2 and The Lament of a Newbie Blogger.)  And I love the retro look of her blog.  It's just awesome.  You don't know what you're missing if you don't at least take a look.

I was pretty surprised when she told me that she'd awarded me one of the fifteen awards that she was able to give out herself.  It makes me feel good that she's actually enjoying my blog!

Having won this award, I'm now required requested to do a couple things.

• Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their site in your original post.
• Tell us seven things about yourself.
• Pass along the award to fifteen newly discovered bloggers.
• Contact these bloggers and let them know they got this award.

Since I've done the first above, it's time for the second.  It's hard to remember what I have and haven't posted about, but since there are as many new readers as old, and as many people who know me outside of the blogosphere as inside it, I'm just going to throw out some random things that come to mind.

1. Upon meeting me, people remark on two things.  My height (I'm 5') and my weight ("You said you weighed 245 pounds!  You don't look like you weigh that much!")
2. When I was a kid, I wanted to sing on Broadway.  Eventually I realized that, while I have a decent voice, I don't have a decent amount of acting talent and even just a decent voice wouldn't be enough for me to make it.  But I'm actually happy singing to my boys and being able to be with them all the time.
3. I've never been out of the US.  I've always wanted to travel, but the opportunity and money have never combined to make it a possibility.  Until about 10 years ago, I'd never been out of the Eastern Time Zone.
4. I have a social phobia.  (You wouldn't guess from what I write on here, would you?)  Whenever I have to deal with a business face to face or over the phone, or even call a friend I haven't talked to in a long time, I freeze up.  I've got all these worst case scenarios that run through my brain and practically freeze me.  I communicate much better online, where I can take the time to think about what I'm saying.  But, I am trying to overcome the phobia by forcing myself to do the things that are so difficult for me.
5. I love to write, but I have no desire to write a work of fiction.  I mean, I would love to see my name at the top of a best seller's list somewhere, but I have no idea what I'd write about.  Plus, my descriptions usually suck.
6. I can't sleep in silence.  I have to have something playing on the TV or on my MP3 player, or a fan running or SOMETHING.  The quiet gives me too much time to think.  Also, I need to wear an eye mask when I sleep.  The light is another thing that keeps me from getting the sleep that I need.
7. I can't drink plain water unless it's ice cold.  There's something about it that just keeps me from drinking it.  It's one of the more difficult things about trying to be healthier.

Just like with everything else, I kind of bounced all over the map there. Ah well.  It's who I am.

Now, it's time for my nominations of the Versatile Blogger Award.  This is going to be really hard for me because there are so many bloggers out there that I've recently discovered and that I look forward to seeing what's going to come from the fingers next.  But I've got to give it a try so...

1. The Writer Revived - Elizabeth is a phenomenal woman.  She's a writer, a mom and an activist for change among the Mommy Blogger community.  She is the one that started up The Mom Pledge and has helped keep it going.  She takes the time to comment to people, both in their blogs and on Twitter.  And her personal blog is just wonderful to read.  
2. Things I Can't Say - Shell writes from the heart.  She files off the serial numbers on a few things, but that doesn't make her writing any less sincere.  She says through the blog many of the things that she can't say in person.  And every Wednesday, she has Pour Your Heart Out Wednesday.  I've started pouring my heart out with her.
3. Composing My Life - Randy is someone I knew back in college.  We hadn't talked in years, and still don't talk much now to be honest.  But I love to read his blog.  He's a composer and he talks a lot about what the art of composing means to him.
4. Tales of a Hockey Wife - I adore this blog.  Between the things that she writes and the altered, hockey mask pictures, I smile with every post she makes.  
5. My Little Life - Mama M is a mom of 5 who still has time to do other things beside being Mommy.  I love to read the insights into her life.  It's like sitting across the table from another Mom friend and talking about your day.
6. The Book Vixen - Brianna's a bibliophile, which means I love her for that if nothing else.  She reviews reads very regularly and I love the way that she does her reviews.
7. Novel Niche - I found Shivanee's blog through a Swap-Bot swap and I anxiously await new posts.  She is another reading reviewer, and most of the books that she reads are from Trinidad.  She opens me up to a whole new genre of books that I'd never considered.
8. The Aftercraft - This is another blog that I found through Swap-Bot and she is one crafty lady!  I love the tag on her blog - "Creative clutter is better than idle neatness".  She not only puts up pictures of the crafty things she sews, but makes tutorials so you can do the same!  I really want a sewing machine now!
9. Starving, Insatiable - Jennifer's blog is just fun.  She does several memes, talks about her life, posts pictures... it's just enjoyable to read!
10. One Me, Two Monsters - Just the title of her blog resonates with me on a daily basis!  She gives us glimpses into her life with words and pictures.
11. Not Enough Patience and Never Enough Jewelry! - Greta is the mom of 4 kids 5 and under - and no, there are no twins in there.  I honestly don't know how she does it.  She shares herself and her life with her readers and I have a ton of admiration for her.
12. My Write Side - Stephanie writes. Her entries are filled with wonderfully composed bits of fiction that were inspired by various writing prompts.  I wish I had a quarter of her talent.
13. The Awkward Adventures of a Kiwi - Siobhan is another scrapper/crafter/blogger superwoman.  She posts bits and pieces of everything - the crafts she's done, the day she's had, contests, giveaways, pictures and words.  I'm envious of her crafting talent (but then again, I can say that about all the craft blogs I read!)
14. Chronicles of the Troll Family - I found Mumma Troll through Swap-Bot as well (that's the case with most of the blogs I read - either Swappers or Mommies.)  She doesn't post every day, but she does post regularly and her posts are ones I always find interesting.
15. Feeling Beachie - Hilary describes herself as "a thirty something beach living and loving, finance executive, who is also a wife, daughter, friend, and mother of an elderly cat..."  You'll find a lot of humor in her posts about every day life.  And Alex, the elderly cat in question, is just adorable!

I'm also going to do an honorable mention.  The only reason that this blog isn't among the 15 above is because it's supposed to be for recent finds - and I've been reading this blog for years.  Blog, Jvstin Style is written by my friend Paul.  He likes to describe himself as "just this guy, you know", but he's so much more than that. A good friend, a knowledgeable man, someone who writes wonderfully and the creator of the longest running Amber Diceless Role-Playing Game on the net, Strange Bedfellows (of which I'm honored to be a part).  His blog really is a hodgepodge of things that he finds interesting.  One of the best features is a recent addition - his picture of the day.  I wish I had his talent at photography.  He's very unassuming and I think that's one of his charms.  You really should take a moment to check out his blog if you haven't done so already.

Now I'm off to send notifications!

New Blogs That I've Found Through the Swap-Bot Blog Friends Swap

I love finding new readers, being introduced to new concepts and learning new things.  So I pretty regularly join Blog swaps over on Swap-Bot.  This is the latest round of wonderful partners that I have discovered from this swap.

Asexuality, Unabashed is a blog written by an asexual woman about her asexuality.  It's a fairly new blog, but I'm finding it very interesting to learn about a subset of sexuality that, unfortunately, had never crossed my mind.  I look forward to reading what else she has to share in the future.

With a Camera & a Bible is Christine's blog with a little of everything.  She's posted some of her wonderful pictures and scans of some truly amazing letters that she picked up because "I'm nosey [sic] and wanted to see what the letters were about."  She even scanned them.  Definitely going to enjoy following her journey.

Patricia's Fabric Art is a showcase of some fantastic artwork on a variety of mediums.  I love blogs that show their creativity.  Sometimes it spurs me to creativity of my own, while other times I just love to bask in the talent of creative people like Patricia.

Postmarked with Love is a blog that reminds us of the lost art of letter writing.  She posts some pictures, but most of it is the written word - some her own, some quotes or poems that she enjoys.  I love that she has the postage rates listed on the right hand side of her blog.  Anyone reading it won't have an excuse of "I don't know how much a stamp is" any longer!

In My Life is a photography blog with very little comment.  Heather puts some fantastic pictures up!  My favorites are from last October, when she took some beautiful bird pictures.  I may not like going near them, but I do love to look at them from someone else's lens.  This blog isn't updated incredibly regularly, but you can find more from her in a blog that she share with friends called We Heart TV.  They all share comments and critiques on the shows that they watch.  It's a fantastic read!


I'm actually pretty amazed that I didn't come across any blogs that I was already following.  It generally happens with me (which is great because it means I get to share them again), but this time out five new blogs to follow!  I hope you enjoy them too.

Apps, Giveaways, Cool Links, and a Cry for Help!

Once again, I'm going through my daily blog reading and wanted to share some cool links with you.

But before I do even that, I need to promote one of my favorite apps for Google Chrome.  It's Feed Squares.  I rarely go to Google Reader any more because of this app.  It puts every feed that you have on your Reader into neat little squares.  It's fairly customizable and really easy to use.  You even have choices on how you read things.  Each of your folders is a link at the top and, when you click it, it pulls all of the feeds that are filed under that folder together and takes away the rest.  You can choose whether to read entries from oldest to newest or vice-versa, to not show read entries, to dim down blogs without updates... it's truly an awesome app.  And best of all, it's a free app.  I say try it and if you don't like it, disabling is easy as well.

Now on to the stuff I'm finding in my daily reading.

First up, is a giveaway over at Better than Naked Vintage Finds.  This is a blog that I started following for one of the Swap-Bot Blog swaps I did.  Not only does she show off the finds that she has for sale at her boutique, but she does weekly giveaways on Wednesdays.  This week, the giveaway is an awesome 60's Upcycle Purse.  The rules for entering are there and incredibly simple.  So if it sounds like something that might interest you, check it out!



Mommy Mandy is my giveaway central today, at least thus far.  I have   giveaways and promotions from her site to share today.

I'm fairly low-maintenance when it comes to my hair, even more so now that my hair is shorter.  But I know that there are others of you out there who might want a chance to win hair goodies.  Mommy Mandy is giving away a Karmin G3 Salon Pro over on her blog.  The giveaway ends April 19.  So if it sounds like something that might interest you, head on over and take a look!

She's also doing a promotion for Famigo, the Mobile Fun Company for Families.  Take a 5 minute survey (link is on her website), and you'll be entered for both the $20 Target gift card that Mommy Mandy is giving away and the Kindle 3G that Famigo is giving away.  This is one that I HAVE entered.

The next one is for PillowPets, again from Mommy Mandy.  All you need to do is let Mommy Mandy know what your favorite part of the new PillowPets site is. (Her giveaway entry is here.)  She's also got info regarding getting extra entries.

I'll try to post some more giveaways tomorrow.  Because lots of my favorite bloggers have pretty awesome giveaways.

Now for the cry for help.  I want a button for my blog.  Not only do I want a button for my blog, but I want the cute little thing where people can just take the code for my button and put it on their site and off they go, letting people know that they read me (at least occasionally) and think that my blog is worth checking out.  But there are two problems with this.

Problem number one, I have very little creativity.  I do try, and sometimes I come out with cool things.  But usually those are non-electronic.  I know that there are some places out there where someone could make their own blog (and I also know that some of my friends love to create things on PSP or PhotoShop).  I need to be pointed in a good direction for where I could make a button or who I could beg with tears for help making one.

Problem number two, I have not been able to figure out how to put code on my blog in a way that could be easily copied.  I've looked around and I haven't had any luck. I'm probably putting in bad search terms.  But if someone could just point me in the right direction, I'd really appreciate it.

Now off to my regularly scheduled posts...

Little Miss Cards

Earlier today, I wrote about one of my blog partners for the Support Your Partner's Blogs swap.  Now I'm going to tell you a bit about my second partner, elissa89.  She has a blog here on Blogger called Little Miss Cards.  Primarily, she talks about crafty things here, but she also forays into other parts of her life.  I loved her Saturday Summary, where she talked about the various things she blogged about over the past week.  And she gave me a little something to think about when she talked about wasting time with things.  She has pictures of her crafts and the items she sells in her etsy store, along with other things she's working on and things that catch her fancy.  She writes with a great amount of humor and I find myself smiling at a lot of the things she writes about.

So please, go check her out!  If you enjoy crafting and people that make you smile, you can't go wrong with Little Miss Cards.

A Craftgecko

I'm once again involved in a Blog Swap over at Swap-Bot.  I love checking out new blogs and reading up on whatever my fellow Swappers feel like writing about.

Today, I've gone over to Leecytx's blog, A Craftgecko Creation.  I'm LOVING reading her blog.  She has so many tips and ideas, and she shares so many beautiful pictures of the crafts she sends as well as the crafts that she's sent.  I really liked her post about Craft Money Saving Tips. I suspect that I'm going to be begging Rich to look around his office to see what kind of things I can ask him to snag.  The chipboard, in particular, is one I could see myself using.

Not only does she talk about crafts, but she also talks about life in Houston, TX.  A couple weeks ago, she mentioned the ice storm that came through Houston, being a bane to drivers and a disappointment to kids that didn't get to play in snow. (I should have mentioned that she could have sent said kids to Nashville... we'd had plenty of snow for them!  She also talks a little about the nature that she loves (though she also has a separate nature blog called LWM Photography - at least, I think that's the name of this blog).  One  of my favorite posts talks about the monarch butterflies that she's taking care of, since they're hatching now and wouldn't really survive in the cold, ice and snow that's hitting Houston so hard. I could never do it myself, but that's largely because I have a phobia of anything that flies.  (I think many flying things are beautiful but I freeze up when they get near me.)

Anyway, if you want to keep up with a great crafter with a love for recycling and nature, check her out.  Because her blog truly is awesome!

Kiwi's Blogger Follower Swap #3

Things got away from me and I forgot to post this blog entry.  I've joined another Blogger follower swap on Swap-Bot, so I hope my readers will help me in welcoming them to my blog.  And new visitors (and hopefully, friends), I hope you enjoy perusing my blog!

Blog About my Blog - Check Out Some New Blogs

I've been really far behind in so many things lately - and this is just one of them.  I'm trying to get a bit caught up, so right now I'm working on my posts for Blog About My Blog, one of the Swaps that I'd joined.

First up is Knitting & Whingeing in Abalama-ding-dong is helenkosings blog.  She talks about the various knitting that she does, some of the things she has planned.... actually, in a lot of ways, her blog is a lot like this one.  Except she includes a lot more pictures into her blog.  It's pretty cool, honestly.  She's been talking about being behind in things lately, including being behind in Swap-Bot, so I feel a real kinship with her!  Here's a picture of some of the yarn she got recently.

Next up is j3ss1ca and her blog, My Scrappy Corner.  Mainly, she talks about the crafting that she's been doing.  And this lady is truly crafty!  I love seeing the scrapbook pages that she comes up with. I'm hoping to get into scrapping myself, so I hope to be as inspiring as she is... one of these days.  One of the best features for me this morning is her playlist at the bottom of her page.  I'm getting a surprise chance to listen to her music while writing about her blog.  And it seems she's a classic country fan like I am. So no complaints here.  Here is one of the scrap pages that she did in response to a Sketch Inspiration challenge.

Third we come to coleenfranks's wonderful The Franks in Ukraine & CIS.  She speaks a lot about her worship of God and the ways she helps bring God's word to those around her.  She also posts about her travels and gives us a glimpse into life in the Ukraine.  Her blog is definitely uplifting!  Here is one of my favorite pictures, taken in Cracow, Poland.  I'll admit to being partial to this, seeing as Polish makes up a sizable portion of my ancestry.  But the door that she photographed is beautiful as well.

And the final blog I'm reviewing is one I've reviewed before. betterthannaked's Better than Naked Vintage Finds @ Vintage Prices. Right now, she's doing a giveaway a day until Christmas.  And she has some truly beautiful stuff that she's giving away.  Right now, she's giving away this beautiful antique frame and picture wall hanging.  I've put in my name to win.  Will you?

And those are the blogs that I had to review this swap.  They're all incredibly talented ladies and I recommend checking out all of their blogs.  Because each one of them rocks!

Future Posts

I've read two more books since I last wrote up my list in this post.  But since my husband needs the computer tonight, I'll be writing those up next time.  Those books are Teen  Titans Go! (The graphic novel) and Trio of Sorcery by Mercedes Lackey.  I may also have another book or two to write up.  I'm currently in the middle of Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsay, Anvil of the Sun by Anne Lesley Groell and Whirlwind by Nancy Martin.  I may have a few more after that.  It just depends on how much time I have to read with the holidays coming up.  But now I feel a little caught up.

I also have several pictures that I want to post of crafts that I've done over the last month, but no time to post them tonight.  I'm hoping tomorrow to get that posted.  Also, I've got a blog swap that I'll be doing so expect to see reviews of other blogs soon as well.

And this ends with the flurry of posts from tonight.  I hope you've enjoyed reading them.

Blogger's United Challenge #2

Oh dear! Your on death row! 

(don't worry....... your totally not guilty and the governor is going to call to stop it before it happens).

What is your last ever meal and why?

If this question had been asked two years ago, my entrée would have been a no-brainer.  My step-mom's fried chicken.  She had a way of making it super crispy and incredibly yummy.  But since she passed away, no one can do it quite right.  So now I need to think of something else.

I think I'd like a combination of all my favorites, in little bites.  Here's the menu:

First would be shuimai fromThe Real Le Ahn's Lunch Truck on the University of Philadelphia's campus.  When my husband and I were living in Philly, this was a common place for us to grab something to eat. It was the first place I ever tried shuimai and it was wonderful.  When I had my back surgery and was stuck at home, Le Ahn regularly had a shuimai and a bubble tea waiting for my husband to bring home to me.  I'd want to revisit that memory before leaving this earth.

Next would be cheese fondue from The Melting Pot.  This is one of my favorite restaurants of all time.  Because of the price, I don't get a chance to go more than once a year.  But it's so decadent that I'd need to have it one more time.  

Next up would be sushi from Morimoto in Philadelphia.  It's the absolute best sushi I've ever had. Pricey, yes, but good.  Very, very, very good. Tamago (or egg) sushi is my favorite, so that would have to be on there.  And Unagi (or eel) sushi would be my second favorite. 

To drink, I'd have Bubble Tea from Bubble House in Philadelphia.  The reviews of late haven't been as good, but I hold out eternal hope that they'll make me a good Mango Bubble Tea for my last meal. 

My dessert would be two things, both more personal than getting something from a restaurant.  The first would be a small slice of cheesecake made by my friend Zac.  He makes the most amazing cheesecake and I'd give just about anything for a piece.   

Finally, I'd want crème brulée made by my husband.  He's never made it before, but I know he'd be willing to make it to make me happy.

That would be the most awesome meal ever.

Bloggers United Challenge #1

Your Lotto numbers have come up! 

You have taken care of your family and friends, you have 15 Million dollars to spend on whatever you dreamed of before. 

How are you going to spend the money?

 I went out to buy a lottery ticket today, so I'm hoping some of this can come true.  (Though I'm not holding my breath for it.)

First, I want to put about 12 million into various forms of investments.  I've learned that it's important to have money for when the unexpected comes about.  Though maybe there'd be less than $12 million because I know that my husband wants to endow the DiTullio Building of Science to his alma mater, Drew University.  And I'm ok with that.

Speaking of university, I would go back and get my degree.  I think I would go for psychology, I think.  I started college 18 years ago and I had to leave when I was a semester away from graduation due to lack of money.  At the time, I was a math major and theater minor, but my love for both of those have waned.  But I find that I love knowing more about what makes people tick and I'm pretty good at giving advice.  So why not?  And having the extra money would mean that I can take extra classes for things that interest me as well.

I'd also want to buy a house or two.  One would be here in TN, maybe something like the one above.  (5 bed, 4 bath, partial finished basement...) And with something that big, I'd definitely have maid service coming in to help with it!  The other house would be somewhere in the North East.  The two choices would be either in Downsville, NY (where I would probably have my uncle build the home) or in Cherry Hill, NJ.  We've got family in both areas so it would be nice to have a place to stay in either of them.

Next, I'd get an awesome gaming machine.  Anything and everything that I might need to play all the awesome games that are coming out like World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Diablo III and Civilization V.  I'm thinking an $8,000 Alienware machine.  (Yep, I was pricing it out.)

I'd also love to get a new car or two.  I've been looking at the Chevy Volt and the Mazda 5.  Something that's more green than my current Town & Country and has plenty of room for my kids and all their stuff.

One of the dreams I've had for awhile is to have a big party for my 10th Anniversary (September, 2013).  I don't remember much from my own wedding because it was such a large day.  My friends had a lot of fun at my party, but I wasn't able to spend as much time with them as I would have liked.  This party would be for Rich and I to have a LOT of fun with our friends, because that's what it should be.  Nothing fancy, because we're not fancy people.  But definitely something fun.

There would be a buying spree involved.  Books, DVDs, CDs, scrapping and crafting supplies, new clothes, every Pokemon thing ever made for the boys.  I'd be able to get a lot of cool stuff with that money.

I'd spend a bit on making me better - laser eye surgery, a personal trainer to help me lose all this weight, a fashion consultant to help me pick out flattering clothes, and a regular appointment for dye jobs, 'cause I've always looked better as a redhead.

Finally, I'd travel.  I've been wanting to go to so many places in the world - the Netherlands, England, Japan, Ireland, cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean.   I have friends that I want to meet and things that I want to do. So I'd do it.  Because I'd have the money.

See What They Have to say About Me

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've had a few people review my blog as well.  Here are a few quick links in case you're interested in what other people have to say about my blog!

Kim reviews my blog along with all her other partners'

Nikki's review not only my blog, but her other partners and the ones that review her!

Vicki review my blog along with two of her other partners'

Kendy's review of my blog as well as her other partners'

I'm still waiting on the review of 3 more bloggers.  I need to send them my blog so they can take a look at it!  I'll link to them when I get their reviews.

Finding new blogs

One of the swaps that I joined recently is I ♥ Your Blog! We have 7 partners to meet through their blogs.  We're asked to blog about the blogs that we read and pass the review along to our partners.  Mine has been reviewed a few times, and I'll post links to those in a later post.

Also note, I've added buttons for each of these blogs to a list on the right.  If you have a blog that you think I'd read, please let me know and I'll go take a look at it.  I might include a button in my Buttons list as well. :)

And here are the blogs:

Jexyland - Jessica was the one that created this challenge and not only did she review her partners, but she reviewed EVERYONE's blog! That's ambitious! Along with the blog reviews, she blogs a lot about crafts she's working on, including tutorials for some pretty neat things.

The Sweet Maple Life - Mary likes to talk about a little of everything. Along with her crafts and several "getting to know you" type of meme posts, she talks about trying to move to Canada. I love her signature graphic on the end of each post too. I love it!

Crea Bloempje - Rozemarijn is Dutch and incredibly crafty! I love reading about the different crafts that she does (her bags are BEAUTIFUL) and the recipes are ones that I'm putting aside for us to make sometime in the future. And her lazy cat reminds me a lot of Lemon. :)

Hanging off the Wire - Along with posts about swapping and crafting, Hayley writes reviews, posts about give aways and talks about her family. You'll find a little of everything here. Plus, she's participating in Blogtoberfest and has turned her blog pink for Breast Cancer Awareness. Like Mary, she's got a signature graphic at the end of each post too.

She's Crafty She's Just My Type - Blogs by Ambers always catch my attention. And not only does she have a cool name, but she posts about her different crafts. She's really, really good and I love checking out what she's up to next!

Novel Niche - Shivanee is a woman after my own heart. She's a bibliophile galore! I love reading what she has to say and finding new books based on her recommendations. And the current book that she's reading is one of my favorites, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein. I can't wait to see what she has to say about it.

Kimity Kim - Kim writes a little bit about everything and I love reading what she writes. I love getting a look at people's lives and Kim's got a great one. I've read posts about Kawaii, things happening in her daily life, her crafting, and cool things she finds around the Net.

I loved having a chance to read these new blogs and finding new friends.  I can't wait to see what they all post about in the future.