Excited! Just started a new blog...

It's called "Of Cabbages and Kings"
it's sort of about the stories we tell our children, and also about the larger digital world of stories they find themselves in.

UPDATE: (3/14/10) It didn't stay, I killed it...and started another blog:

Great Expectations



There isn't anything there yet, hopefully there will be soon!

UPDATE2: There are two posts there now!

Happy New Year! (and goodbye for now)

I am not sure why, but my 4-year-old blog is done. It needs a rest. I can't seem to enjoy writing for it and I have deleted too many posts before I post them. These are signs I need a rest too. I am emailing all my posts to myself, and then I will take down Life is But a Dream...maybe I will leave a short message up.

I will still have my ersatz food blog up:

Garden State Foodie

And I may start a whole new blog down the road...

Thanks to my 10 or so readers:-) for taking this journey with me.

L

There is No Way to Peace...Peace IS the way

On this quiet night, in the snow, waiting for Christmas, I wish everyone happy holidays, and I wish to remind you all that God blesses the whole world, without exception...:-)

Peace.
Joy.
Love.

To you all.
Lynne

Why We Bell Ring

This is our third year of bell-ringing for the Salvation Army. Anyone can do it, and the money is used to help those in need who are local to you. It's an easy way to help a bit, and more fun than it sounds:-). Try it, why not? They usually have spots of time to fill and you can work any amount of time. If you feel comfortable singing, you can do that, or someone can play an instrument. We sing carols and Katherine plays some excellent flute.


Here's why we do it:


Because it's fun and makes us feel Christmasy
Because people smile at us and that makes us feel good
Because we can drink hot chocolate and say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays a lot!
Because it's free and we can be together
Because I want to remind my kids that not everyone has what they want or even need.
Because at the end of our shift, there is a lot of money in the kettle that we ourselves raised to help others.

To find out more--(this year there is a virtual bell ringing thing too, I'm sure it's not quite as much fun, but it's warmer, easier, and fits in your schedule!!:

Salvation Army

Our last day with Puppy Not a Guppy

We have been honored to host my friend Holly Jahangiri's wonderful new book "Puppy Not a Guppy" on this blog for the last three days. I have known Holly for going on 14 years, but I have never actually met her. Someday, we hope to:-)

Good luck with the rest of the tour Irma and Holly!! I've packed a bunch of snacks to keep you going and some extra root beer (just in case)...

So, I turn it over to Brendan, it's his turn:

"Puppy Not a Guppy" is a very interesting book that I liked as much as my favorite books. It was written well and it moved well and I liked the wrapping up summary of it, but Holly please do a second book because I want to know more!!"



Irma, you are a hit in this house.

Below is a list of the rest of the tour blogs (If you've never done one of these virtual book tours before, it's really fun, drop by some or all of the blogs and leave a comment...it's like a virtual party out there):

Saturday, December 12:

Heather Kephart at HappyMaking
Heather

Rey Rombawa Jr at reyjr.com – Born on a Syzygy
Rey

Sunday, December 13:

Dr. Dean Pomerleau @ Fish School Blog
Dean

Beverly Stowe McClure at The Story of a Writer
Beverly

Monday, December 14:

Lisa Munley at Books on the Brain
Lisa

Tuesday, December 15:

Jena Isle at Jena Isle's Random Thoughts
Jena

Susan and Noah Thompson at SusanSmithThompson.com
Susan and Noah

Wednesday, December 16:

Tour Wrap-up at Imaginary Friends and It’s All a Matter of Perspective
Holly


Here are contest details:

Contest
Prizes (two will be awarded):
One autographed copy of A Puppy, Not a Guppy.
Contest Rules
To enter: Leave a comment at http://jahangiri.us/books containing verifiable evidence that you have completed one or more of the following activities:

 A link back to this blog.
 A short review of http://jahangiri.us/books or http://jahangiri.us/news on Alexa.com ( http://www.alexa.com/reviews/jahangiri.us )
 A question for one of the characters in Trockle or A Puppy, Not a Guppy
 A question for the author, Holly Jahangiri
 Answer to the question: What kind of pet do you like best, and why?
 Either of the following:

o Blog about A Puppy, Not a Guppy (be sure to include, in your own blog post, a link back to http://jahangiri.us/books and a link to this blog; or
o If you already own a copy of Trockle or A Puppy, Not a Guppy, you may complete this activity by posting a new review of either book on BarnesandNoble.com or Amazon.com. (NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Previously posted book reviews are not eligible as contest entries in this contest.)

Each activity equals one (1) entry, and you may do each activity once for a possible maximum of six (6) entries per valid email address. Your comment must be entered using a valid email address so that you can be contacted for mailing info if you win! Entries that do not have a valid email address will be considered null and void.
Duration: Contest begins at 12:01 AM on December 9, 2009 and ends at 11:59 PM on December 15, 2009. Winners will be drawn on December 16, 2009.
Eligibility: Contest is open to anyone age 13 or older. Tour hosts are eligible to enter.
Winners: Two winners will be randomly chosen (numbered in the order in which they are received, with the winning number chosen at http://www.random.org/ ) from all qualifying entries, and will be required to provide a physical mailing address in order to collect a prize (one free book). Only one entrant per household is eligible to win. If a second entrant from a single household is chosen, another name will be drawn until all prizes are awarded.
Contest void where prohibited by law.


AND, don't forget-- how to order your very own copy!

You can buy the book:
Directly from 4RV Publishing at 4rvpublishingllc ($8.99 + S&H)
Amazon.com at Amazon($10.99 &
eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.)
Barnes and Noble at B&N (variable; currently $7.91 Member price for all customers.)

Our Second fun day with Irma and Puppy Not a Guppy

Katherine Talian (13) took over Brendan's spot for reviewing "Puppy Not a Guppy."


"Even though Irma didn't get what she asked for, she gave it a chance and she liked it. She was able to train the guppies and enjoy them. I liked the lessons this book taught-- you can't judge a book by its cover, if you try something you might just like it, don't be hasty judging things or people. I loved the book."

--Katherine Talian

I love that she got all that out of the book. It's that kind of story.
So, sit down for a spell, have some root beer with us and Irma. We love root beer, and we love to tell stories...

If you want to continue the fun, jump onto other blogs sponsoring Puppy not a Guppy on the virtual book tour! Be sure to leave a short comment to let them know you were there.

Here's the schedule:

BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE:

Tuesday, December 8:

Vivian Gilbert Zabel, author and founder of 4RV Publishing,
kicks off the tour with a special surprise guest at Brain Cells & Bubble Wrap
Vivian

Wednesday, December 9:

Lynne, Brendan, and Katherine at Life is But a Dream
Lynne and Co.

Roy de la Cruz at The Struggling Blogger dot Com
Roy

Thursday, December 10:

Lynne, Brendan, and Katherine at Life is But a Dream
Lynne and Co.

Friday, December 11:

Lynne, Brendan, and Katherine at Life is But a Dream
Lynne and Co.

Saturday, December 12:

Heather Kephart at HappyMaking
Heather

Rey Rombawa Jr at reyjr.com – Born on a Syzygy
Rey

Sunday, December 13:

Dr. Dean Pomerleau @ Fish School Blog
Dean

Beverly Stowe McClure at The Story of a Writer
Beverly

Monday, December 14:

Lisa Munley at Books on the Brain
Lisa

Tuesday, December 15:

Jena Isle at Jena Isle's Random Thoughts
Jena

Susan and Noah Thompson at SusanSmithThompson.com
Susan and Noah

Wednesday, December 16:

Tour Wrap-up at Imaginary Friends and It’s All a Matter of Perspective
Holly



CONTEST CONTEST CONTEST CONTEST
So gentle readers, it's now time for contest details!!!! Read on for the particulars:

Contest
Prizes (two will be awarded):
One autographed copy of A Puppy, Not a Guppy.
Contest Rules
To enter: Leave a comment at http://jahangiri.us/books containing verifiable evidence that you have completed one or more of the following activities:

 A link back to this blog.
 A short review of http://jahangiri.us/books or http://jahangiri.us/news on Alexa.com ( http://www.alexa.com/reviews/jahangiri.us )
 A question for one of the characters in Trockle or A Puppy, Not a Guppy
 A question for the author, Holly Jahangiri
 Answer to the question: What kind of pet do you like best, and why?
 Either of the following:

o Blog about A Puppy, Not a Guppy (be sure to include, in your own blog post, a link back to http://jahangiri.us/books and a link to this blog; or
o If you already own a copy of Trockle or A Puppy, Not a Guppy, you may complete this activity by posting a new review of either book on BarnesandNoble.com or Amazon.com. (NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Previously posted book reviews are not eligible as contest entries in this contest.)

Each activity equals one (1) entry, and you may do each activity once for a possible maximum of six (6) entries per valid email address. Your comment must be entered using a valid email address so that you can be contacted for mailing info if you win! Entries that do not have a valid email address will be considered null and void.
Duration: Contest begins at 12:01 AM on December 9, 2009 and ends at 11:59 PM on December 15, 2009. Winners will be drawn on December 16, 2009.
Eligibility: Contest is open to anyone age 13 or older. Tour hosts are eligible to enter.
Winners: Two winners will be randomly chosen (numbered in the order in which they are received, with the winning number chosen at http://www.random.org/ ) from all qualifying entries, and will be required to provide a physical mailing address in order to collect a prize (one free book). Only one entrant per household is eligible to win. If a second entrant from a single household is chosen, another name will be drawn until all prizes are awarded.
Contest void where prohibited by law.

Good Luck and check back tonmorrow for Brendan's review!

Welcome A Puppy Not a Guppy!

We are so happy to be on Holly Jahangiri's virtual book tour. We were super excited last time when we featured her book "Trockle"

Brendan is busily writing his review of Puppy Not a Guppy for Thursday. Katherine will do Friday. They have already read this adorable book and both gave it a big thumbs up.

Holly, you have two enthusiastic fans here! Well, I love it too, so three.

Here is a quick synopsis:
Irma wanted a puppy, a pet she could take on walks, not a few stupid guppies. Fish don't do anything,
except roll over on their backs if they die.
Sometimes, though, a girl has to make the most of what she has. Now, what can Irma do with three
guppies besides stare at them as they stare at her?

Holly has a breezy, natural style that makes kids sail through her book. Her imagination is amazing, and I think she really does remember what it felt like to be a kid.

You can buy the book:
Directly from 4RV Publishing at 4rvpublishingllc ($8.99 + S&H)
Amazon.com at Amazon($10.99 &
eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.)
Barnes and Noble at B&N (variable; currently $7.91 Member price for all customers.)

Tomorrow, Brendan's review and a contest!!