Looking Forward into 2021

 

Though I am not ready to finalize all my 2021 goals yet, I can say with certainty that I will stop populating An Imperfect Christian Mom at the end of the year. The next couple of years in real estate will be busy ones considering my increased responsibilities with the Realtor board, so I need to find ways to make everything work best for me.

Over the last few years, I've slowly reduced my blogs. Starting in 2021, you can find me at the following:

• The Book Connection 
• The Children's and Teens' Book Connection
• Christian Children's Authors (posting Christmas Eve, but don't have a 2021 schedule yet)
• 4RV Reading, Writing, & Art News (post on second & fourth Wednesdays)

Mailbox Monday will move to The Book Connection. I am discontinuing Task it Tuesday. 

Though I am sad my blogging time is decreasing, I am thankful for continued real estate success and for the ability to still enjoy what blogging I can manage. 

You've Got Mail Mondays

I'm writing this post by memory, since I'm not at the house right now. Typical catalogs made their way to my house last week: Grandin Road, Land's End, and Hanes. My latest issue of History Magazine also arrived.

Though I wasn't expecting anything else from tiger tales, I was pleasantly surprised to find four more picture books to review at my blog The Children's and Teens' Book Connection.

That's it for me right now. Hope you have a great week.

You've Got Mail Monday

After a crazy week with the events in Boston and the girls on vacation, I'm hoping to get back to a regular schedule. Today is grocery shopping day--ugh! If I could pay someone to do my grocery shopping, I would. But, the budget doesn't allow for that, so off to WalMart I'll go. The earlier I get there the better.

The mailbox has been filled with a lot of junk mail lately. Thankfully, Killer in Crinolines by Duffy Brown arrived over the last couple of weeks. In addition, tiger tales publishing sent me their Spring 2013 picture book titles for me to review over at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection.

Several fun catalogs have arrived lately, too: The Gardener's Idea Book from Proven Winners, Summer Favorites from Ballard Designs, the Special 10th Anniversary Issue from Grandinroad, the recent L.L. Bean Home catalog, and the latest from Gardener's Supply Company. Now, if I just had more money in  my wallet, I could buy some goodies from these places. The May 2013 issue of Traditional Home magazine also arrived. I love browsing through the pages for ideas.

That's it for this edition of You've Got Mail Monday. Hope you have a great week.

You've Got Mail Monday

It's another busy Monday. I'm off to the dentist this morning to finish off my root canal. Yuck. On the upside, going through labor three times means visiting the dentist isn't as bad as it used to be.

I didn't work the postman quite so hard last week. My mailbox was a mix of bills and catalogs, with some books--expected and unexpected.

New catalogs arrived from Mary Kay, L.L. Bean, Frontgate, and Land's End. Plow and Hearth also sent a catalog to me last week. There are so many lovely things I could buy. My wallet tells me I should hold off a bit. We have some major bills coming down the pike in the next couple of months. Besides, the Lil' Princess needs a new bed and dresser.

The dwarf spruce plants I ordered through Amazon arrived. Thought they would ship later in the month, but I'll work around it. Hopefully the landscaper can come and help me remove the bushes that are there now, so I can plant these instead.

Circle and Square by Sally O. Lee showed up on Saturday. The girls and I have read many of her children's books. I'll be reviewing that one at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection, so keep an eye out for it. We also received a second shipment of books from tiger tales for review. I was surprised by the small shipment we received the other week, but when a publisher is sending you books, you don't complain. I'm thrilled I'll get a chance to check out more of their authors' work. They are a wonderful publisher of books for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.

That's it from my neck of the woods. Hope you had a lovely Easter. My in-laws and my brother-in-law and his wife came over for dinner. It was a nice time had by all.

Have a great week!

You've Got Mail Monday

Looking for a job has to be the most depressing task. I feel like I'm trying to get votes for Homecoming Queen and failing miserably. Sent more applications out over the weekend. We'll see what happens.

On a fun note, my All You and Traditional Home magazines arrived last week. I found some recipes in the first one that I would like to try. The latter has an article titled, "10 Pretty and Practical Ideas to Refresh a Tired Kitchen." I'll definitely look at that one, but right around now I'm thinking I need practical ideas to refresh a tired house. After 13 years of looking at a lot of the same stuff, I'm ready for a change.

I was excited to find Untimed by Andy Gavin. I'll be reviewing that one in March at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection.

That's it for this week's You've Got Mail Monday. Hope you have a blessed week.

You've Got Mail Monday

I can't even keep up with my mailbox, lately. That's why I haven't posted about all the neat things that have arrived. Let's just say, my office is so full of boxes right now, I might need shovel to make a path to my desk.

The girls have been good, though. They haven't bugged about or poked or prodded through the packages. They did, however, ask that question parents never want to hear this time of year, "Is Santa real?"

In addition to the multitude of packages that have arrived via USPS, UPS, and FedEx, I wanted to point out two things. One is Gary's Gray World by Ryan J. Cunningham. Ryan is touring with this book in January, and I'll be reviewing it at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection. The Children's Spring/Summer 2013 catalog from Chronicle Books also came in the mail last week.  I haven't browsed through it yet, but I visited their website recently and found the most hilarious book.

I watched the trailer for this one, and though I don't have much of a sense of humor, I really want to buy this book. Now, if I could justify spending $13 on myself after all the Christmas shopping I've done, I would be in business.

Hope your holiday preparations are going well.

The Magic Warble by Victoria Simcox Giveaway at TC&TBC

Title: The Magic Warble

Author: Victoria Simcox

Blog: The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

Giveaway Link: http://childrensandteensbookconnection.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/first-chapter-review-of-the-magic-warble-by-victoria-simcox-and-giveaway-3-winners/

Genre: Middle grade fantasy

Giveaway Dates: Nov 25, 2012 - Dec 2, 2012

Open to: International

Free for All Fridays--Book Giveaway!

It's time for another Free for All Friday! We're lucky to have another great giveaway today. I am hosting Kelly Milner Halls, editor of Girl Meets Boy over at my children's book blog today. Kirkus Reviews called this book, "A superb offering." Publishers Weekly said this was, "A thoughtful collection."  

Here is the official blurb:

What do guys and girls really think? Twelve of the most dynamic and engaging YA authors writing today team up for this one-of-a-kind collection of “he said/she said” stories—he tells it from the guy’s point of view, she tells it from the girl’s. These are stories of love and heartbreak. There’s the good-looking jock who falls for a dangerous girl, and the flipside, the toxic girl who never learned to be loved; the basketball star and the artistic (and shorter) boy she never knew she wanted; the gay boy looking for love online and the girl who could help make it happen. Each story in this unforgettable collection teaches us that relationships are complicated—because there are two sides to every story.



Chronicle Books was kind enough to send me a hardcover copy of Girl Meets Boy as a thank you gift for hosting Ms. Halls. I am offering this book as a giveaway to my loyal readers. Please fill out the Rafflecopter form for your chance to win.

Good luck!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chronicle Books 2nd Annual Happy Haul-idays Giveaway at TC&TBC

Visit my children's and teens' book blog, The Children's and Teens' Book Connection for details on how you, a lucky commenter, and your favorite charity can win up to $500 worth of FREE books from Chronicle Books in their 2nd Annual Happy Haul-idays event.

You can find my post at http://childrensandteensbookconnection.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/chronicle-books-2nd-annual-happy-haulidays-giveaway/

Good luck to all who enter!