Free Shipping for My Blog Visitors

I love all of you faithful visitors! I want to give something back to you, so I'm offering free shipping on any order from my Etsy shop or from my eBay store until the end of June. Just send me a message on either site with the words "My Lucky Day" in it after you've made your purchase and I'll send you a revised invoice with ZERO shipping. If you're in a hurry to get your payment made that's okay too--I can send you a refund for the shipping amount.

Quest for the Longest Poetry Meme

I came across a blog with a challenge I couldn't ignore. Gary R. Hess at the PoemofQuotes Blog posted this:

I need your help fellow bloggers! Lets create the longest poem ever known to the meme.

What we need to do:
Copy and paste the previous persons poem, then write the next line. It can be a new stanza, new rhyme, etc. But the poem must make sense!

To keep the poem going, please place a link to Gary's original post (nofollow it if you have to) and the previous person's page (in this case, it's Just More Words at the End of the Day). Next, drop by PoemofQuotes and comment telling us the URL of your poem if you want us to continue it.

If you don’t like the previous line, you can start the meme over, just don’t confuse everyone. Please state in the comment if you started a new poem.

Lets try to make each poem as long as possible!

Here is the poem so far, including my line:

The forest sang of moans from years past,
while crumbling leaves of sorrow
the blackbirds pecked for morsels--what luck!


Who wants to be next?

My Very First Blog Award!

I received a wonderful blog award from Heather of Azure Islands Designs, who makes the most beautiful jewelry! This is my first award--ever--and I'm thrilled that she honored me with it.

Now it's my honor to be able to present this award to five other bloggers. That's tough for me: there are dozens of bloggers I read regularly and who are perfectly suited for this. Here are my five awardees:

Sara of Etsy Profiles selflessly promotes artists and artisans with pure sweetness. There's always something new and interesting on her blog, and anyone who promotes shopping with us little indies instead of big retailers is a winner in my book. She also makes lovely totes, cards, and other pretties.

LaWatha of LaWatha's Glass and More is one of the first and nicest people I met when I joined the Creative Glass Guild of Etsy. I'm not one of the most active team members by any stretch, but LaWatha has always been kind and considerate and the sort who seems happy to share her knowledge. And her glass is stunning!

Pearl of Fehu Stoneware makes gorgeous and unique pottery. I could look at her shop all day long, daydreaming that everything was really in my own house. She always has something nice to say, even if when I don't pop up on her radar for months at a time.

Marisa of Elegant Snobbery was the first person to include my glass jewelry on her blog. In fact, she was probably my first introduction to the blogosphere. And she had the patience and generosity to answer my bazillion questions about marketing and blogging.

Lady Rose of Diet Pulpit. I usually avoid dieting blogs because they tend to make me think I should diet. Although she does include some diet and nutrition info, there's always something interesting going on, and I never leave feeling like I should stock up on celery sticks.

If you've got a few minutes go have a peak at these blogs--you're sure to find something delightful!

I Didn't Know You Could Do This in a State Park

I had no idea that some state parks have inns and restaurants, and it seems as though I've been missing out on some terrific bargains. One of the last things I did before leaving Indiana last week was to go to McCormick's Creek State Park. We took a very short hike, more of a walk really, and saw a lovely little waterfall and some really beautiful trees (I am a tree lover!), then went over to the Canyon Inn.

Rooms are a bargain, much less than the price of most hotels in the area. The inn seemed very well maintained and clean and offers free wifi internet access.



The thing that really had my attention was the restaurant area. The food was delicious, and the all-you-can-eat buffet included an amazing dessert table. But each of the huge windows overlooking a wooded area of the park have large bird feeders hanging in front of them so you can enjoy a bit of bird-watching with your meal. I saw my first rose-breasted grosbeak there--what a stunning bird!

I wish the state parks in North Carolina offered lodging and meals. And next time I travel I will definitely check out the state parks on my route!