I 'AM' not; I 'DO'

 ~My Mantra ~

I am not a writer.  I WRITE.

I am not a wife.  I SHARE my life with the man I love.

I am not a mother.  I LOVE my children enough to teach them to be awesome grown-ups.

I am not a super-fit goddess.  I WORK OUT and ENJOY EATING healthy, nutritious foods.

I am not organized.  I STAY ON TOP of my responsibilities.

I am not perfect.  I STRIVE for balance and ACCEPT my humanity.  And I LEARN from my mistakes.

I am not.  I DO.

What's your mantra today?

                                    

Pants on Fire

Well, the first 'get-to-know-you'challenge put before us by Rachael Harrie proved one thing: Crusaders are a bunch of talented liars!

Our challenge was to write a short entry that shared with readers our answers to a series of guided questions (what's your favorite thing in the world, interesting quirk, etc.)  There were four prompt words we had to incorporate in the post, which was not easy!  And, one thing we said had to be a lie.

You can read my entry HERE, should you have any desire.  My lie will be revealed at the bottom of this post.

I'm ecstatic and completely overwhelmed by all the new followers I've gained in the past week and a half!  Between the Bernard Pivot Blogfest and the Platform-Building Crusade, I've fallen behind in following you all  back.  I'll certainly get caught up this week, indulging in the pleasures of visiting your blogs and meeting you. Looking forward to getting to know you better!

And so, without further ado, here is my lie:  Although it's true they're usually shut in pictures, the eyes in my profile picture have not been Photoshopped.

Have a wonderful, creative, crusading day!

                                    

Crusaders First Challenge Entry!

One of my favorite things in the world is being a sister. Those who know me well recognize how defined I am by my family, so it seems fitting to introducing myself to new, Crusading friends by sharing a glimpse into my life with four sisters.

Our parents, more rabbit-like than fuliguline, had us one after the other, naming us Nicole, Natalie, Noelle, Nadine, and Natasha.  They stuttered through our childhood, resorting to pointing a trembling finger and growling, “You!  Get over here.”  Even our children have trouble sorting out our names.  I have a nephew who calls me Aunt Nic-Nack-No, our running joke which makes me smile.

Not surprisingly, there’s plenty of drama in our lives.  At any given moment, someone’s life is on the blade-edge of crisis.  And try as we might, we can’t keep each other’s secrets.  When one says, “Well, she-- Oops, never mind…” the other will pry the rest out, promising never to pass the info on.  Until she later slips to another: “No, I heard she– Oops! Never mind…”

 

I didn’t start social networking until recently, out of fear of sister drama playing out on Facebook.  It’d happened in the past, and I wanted no part of it.  (Plus, my sisters are beautiful and incredibly photogenic.  But me?  Systematically, as a picture is snapped, I feel the urge to talk.  I’m always captured with jaw swung to the side, nostrils flared, and eyes closed.  Those open eyes are actually Photoshopped in on my profile picture!)

Drama aside, I love my sisters to death.  They’re funny, stylish, quirky, and all-around awesome ladies.  Though in heated moments I'm accused of bloviating, I’m a very philosophical, even-keeled soul – a true Libra, through and through – and am able to offer perspective when the drama gets overwhelming.  Through it all, my sisters fill my heart with love, and they bring more joy to my life than words can express.

Thanks to Rachael Harrie for providing the prompts for this Crusader challenge!  Read all the participating entries here.  

And, within the paragraphs above, I have revealed something about me that isn’t strictly true, can you guess what it is?  The truth will be revealed Monday!  See you then J

Happy Weekend!

                                    

BPBlogfest Winners Revealed!

It was such a blast to read all the interesting, funny, and creative questionnaire answers you came up with in the Bernard Pivot Blogfest! I hope those of you who played along continue to visit blogs on the list -- every entry was a must-read. There are a lot of us, for sure! But each blogger brought something unique to the fest.

As you know, signing up for the blogfest put your name in the virtual hat to win giveaway prizes. If you helped me promote the event by putting my logo on your sidebar, your name went in five times.  Before revealing the winners, here's a reminder of what was up for grabs.

TWO prize packages, each containing:

Y A $25 Gift Card to Barnes and Noble or Borders Books (your choice)

Y A copy of Literary Foray, the anthology featuring my short story, and fiction and poetry by these fellow bloggers: Jessica Bell, Matthew Rush (a.k.a Matthew MacNash), Adriana Noir, Mara McBain, and Noelle Skeldon.

YAnd, assorted goodies J

And so, without further ado.....

The blog participants whose numbers were selected via the Sequence Generator at Random.org....

and who have each one the above prize package, are.....

Angela Scott

and

L'Aussie

Congratulations!!!!!!!!

Ladies, please email me your mailing addresses to nicoleducleroir(at)gmail(dot)com. Thanks!!

Thank you again for helping me bring the blogging world just a little bit closer this week. And a quick note to my fellow Crusaders:  If I haven't followed you back yet, I will soon! Please look for my 300 word entry for the First Crusader Challenge tomorrow.  Can't wait to read your entries, too!

Have a fab weekend, all!!

                                    

What a Party!

The Bernard Pivot Blogfest was a phenomenal success, and I want to thank everyone who played along for making the event such a great party!

I made it around to almost all the participating blogs yesterday -- as of last night an astounding 150 of you had signed up!  *waves to all my new friends*  *fist-bumps to all my old friends*   (<-- old?- lol) 

As I made my rounds, I added you to a Word doc list, to kept track of your entries in the giveaway.  If you didn't have an entry posted yet, I made a note on the list.  So, there are still a couple blogs I need to go back and check today, as well as the seven additional peeps who signed up after I logged off last night.  All this to say:  If I haven't commented on your post yet, I'm on my way!

And speaking of the giveaway...I realized I never announced the prizes. #HostFail  So sorry!!  Here's what all you lovelies who signed up for the blogfest are in the running to win:

(Originally, I was only going to offer one prize.  But as you can see, in helping me celebrate 500 followers, my number shot over 600!!  You all SOooooo ROCK!  Thank you for spreading the word and introducing me to new friends.)

In appreciation for all the promoting and support you've showered me with, I'm doubling the prize package so that two names will be drawn, instead of one!  And I'm officially closing the drawing entries as of this posting. So blogfest participants #2 to #157 are eligible for prizes.

Two blogfest participants, chosen by random drawing, will EACH receive:

Y A $25 Gift Card to Barnes and Noble or Borders Books (your choice)

Y A copy of Literary Foray, the anthology featuring my short story, and fiction and poetry by these fellow bloggers: Jessica Bell, Matthew Rush (a.k.a Matthew MacNash), Adriana Noir, Mara McBain, and Noelle Skeldon.

YAnd, assorted goodies J

I'll announce the winners tomorrow around noon!  Remember, those of you who had my blogfest logo on your sidebar have your names in 5X!  Good luck to everyone!

Now, I'm off to visit those last blogfest entries, and then I'm having lunch with Summer Frey!!  Can't wait!

Have a fab day, everyone!!!

                                    

Bernard Pivot Blogfest Is Today!

Welcome to the Bernard Pivot Blogfest!  We have over 105 bloggers playing along, but if you've come by for a visit and you're not on the list, feel free to jump aboard!  Mr. Linky is at the bottom of this post.

We're having fun with Pivot's ten question questionnaire, made famous in this country by James Lipton of Inside the Actor's Studio. (Blank questionnaire found here.)  Blogfest participants have filled out the questionnaire and pasted it with their answers on their blogs today.  Hop from blog to blog and read everyone's answers!  I hope you learn something interesting about your blog friends and meet some new people.

Here are my answers.  And below that, you'll find Mr. Linky pointing you to other blogs involved in the fest.  Let the fun begin!

1. What is your favorite word?  Torque.  The word means, “The measured ability of a rotating element, as of a gear or shaft, to overcome turning resistance.” ...But who cares?  It just sounds cool.  And even without playing it on any premium squares, ‘torque’ will earn you 15 points in Scrabble.  J
2. What is your least favorite word? Vain.  Vanity is such selfish, inward focus – the polar opposite of the humility I strive for and my desire to project positive energy outward.  I also hate vain’s homonym.  Having my blood drawn is a traumatic event for me.  If I even think too hard about veins, I start to get light-headed.  Ack.  Next question!
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?  Beauty in Nature.  Seashores, mountain trails, deserts, rain forests.  These are the places I always feel the most spiritually aware and creatively inspired.
4. What turns you off?  Prejudice.  I have an innate aversion to any idea or statement that advocates Person ‘A’ is less capable, intelligent, or worthy than Peson ‘B’ on the grounds that Person ‘A’ is of a different gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or political or religious persuasion than Person ‘B’.  I don’t care how wealthy, powerful, or educated you are; if you hold prejudiced beliefs, I believe you just don’t get IT. 
5. What is your favorite curse word?  Fuck.  I love its versatility and its humor.  Fuck effortlessly illustrates how passionate you are feeling in a moment.  But, fuck also has the unique ability to diffuse a serious situation, with a splash of campy shock-wit.
6. What sound or noise do you love?  The first M&Ms to rain down from the just-opened bag into a glass candy bowl.  Such a delicious sound!
7. What sound or noise do you hate?  The land line phone ringing.  The land line is primarily for our Internet connection, so its phone ringing rarely preludes a pleasant phone conversation.  My friends and family use my cell number to call me.  When the house phone rings, it’s bound to be a sales call or an organization trying to raise money.  I dislike both interruptions.  Maybe I should turn that ringer off…
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?  Graphic Artist.  I love web design, creating images with Paint Shop Pro, and fiddling with HTML and CSS coding.  It’s a hobby I would have loved as a career.
9. What profession would you not like to do?  Nursing.  All that drawing people’s blood... and assisting doctors as they perform procedures or attend to injuries on patients like me, who are totally freaked out and feeling nauseous from the sheer anticipation of someone wiggling and then opening their veins…  Thank God for Nurses!  And thank God, for all my would-be patients, that I’m not one.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?  Welcome back.

Thanks for stopping by!  I look forward to visiting all the participating blogs today.  Join me as I hop around! Here's the list of peeps playing along.  And remember, add your name if you want:

Post Script:  Patti Nielson's link is broken in the Mr. Linky list and I haven't been able to fix it.  Her blog is Patti Nielson.
Also, Ink Pots 'n' Quills may have a broken link.  Just in case, here's the correct link: Ink Pots 'n' Quills.
Here's another one with a possible broken link:  Michael @ In Time...
And another :))  Jolene Perry

                                    

Roland Yeomans E-Book Release

I have great news about the wildly talented writer and always inspiring blogger Roland Yeomans.  Roland's debut e-book The Bear with Two Shadows is now available.  Huge congrats, Roland!


You can download your copy from Amazon's Kindle store in under a minute.  Isn't technology amazing!  You'll find all the necessary 411 HERE.  

          So happy for your success, Roland!