Farworld Winner & other updates

So, it's only been, what, 3 weeks since the contest? What with summer winding down I'm grateful to know where my computer is these days, let alone work on it. School starts MONDAY! Yes, I'm shouting.

Okay, back to buisness. My daughter picked up my ARC of Farworld and the next morning came to me, slapped it down on the desk and said "There's going to be another one right?" she then eyed me with that look that makes parents worry their kids might start building bombs in the basement if they answer incorrectly. I assured her there would, in fact, be another one and she relaxed significantly before asking me "When?" So I'll have to ask Jeffy if he will kindly reply here and let me know so that I can pass the information on.

and the winner of the ARC of Farworld per this bloggers blogtour contest is . . . . Jenna Consolo, who runs one of my favorite blogs Cranberry Corner. I know she'll love it and so will her kids. Jenna, if you will send me your address privately I'll forward it to Jeff and he'll send the book out to ya. Thanks everyone that played, it really is a fun book you'll really love to not only read but then reccomend.

So, other Updates.

Update #1: Dogs--I'm trying really hard to love them, I really am, but they make it difficult. They run away from home, they go nextdoor and sit in the neighbors horse water trough before coming back and jumping all over me, they dig up dead animals and chew on them, they poop all over the place, and last Saturday they both jumped into the Canal. I had to jump in and save them--I really did--cause the walls are angled and they couldn't get up. My 6 year old was crying on the side, sure we were all going to die. She did not have the trust in her father that I had, and so with the help of some bungee cords in the back of his truck he rescued us. The upside of having dogs is that they are super cute, the kids love to play with them, and I feel and added measure of security having them. But they are a lot of work and I don't know how to 'fix' their bad behaviors or train them into good ones. I've been watching the Dog Whisperer and It's me or the Dog, and I read a book Mother Knows Best: The Natural way to Train your dog, but it seems that simply reading such things doesn't cure much. Anyone know of a good video or something? Husband is even less thrilled than I am, which does not bode well for the dog's future. I'm at a loss and wish I'd stuck to chickens.

SPEAKING OF WHICH, we hatched chicks! Update #2. We bought some new hens in June and the seller told us they were very 'setty' which means they like to sit on eggs. When chickens sit on eggs they go into a funky kind of trance. They don't move, they just sit there and stare at nothing. They do this for about a month. And so we had one doing that, so I figured I'd see what happened. We now 6 of the cutiest chicks you've ever seen. I'll get some pictures, but it has been so much fun. The kids and I go out a few times a day to see if we have more. AND, another hen started setting, so both hens were setting on the same clutch of eggs, one on top of the other hen. Super funny stuff.

Update 3: Isagenix. So I've been doing Isagenix for 90 days. I did the two shakes a day thing for 30 days and then I've done the 1 shake a day thing for the last 60. I'm still six pounds down from where I started, and I've lost several inches, but I gained back a few pounds I lost initally and haven't noticed dramatic physical changes. That likely has to do with the fact that I'm back into my old habits of snacking all the time and hiding candy. It's not good, and I need to curb all that stuff, but still, I'm 6 pounds down and that's pretty good. Emotionally I feel much better. I am definitely more balanced, I'm not feeling so scattered and I'm sleeping better and have more constant energy throughout the day. Basically I FEEL better, and that's my main reason for doing the program. I plan to continue doing it and might try the kid shakes for my daughters that don't take the time to eat breakfast--we'll see how it goes. all in all, it's been a success for me and I'm glad to have done it. It runs me about $120/month now and I have not had my budget thrown off by that since I'm still buying less impulse foods and snacky stuff--so that's all good too.

Update #4: Her Good Name comes out next week! I'm so excited. I got my author copies today and it's super cute. It's a little smaller than the typical trade paper back; To have or To Hold was the same size--and I like the smaller size, it makes it look more like a mass paperback. Because it's coming out in stores a little early I'm only doing my pre-orders up until the 26th so that I'm not directly competing with the retailers. If you wanted to preorder a signed copy, you've got a few more days to do that.

Update #5: Opening Night Party for Her Good Name will be at Reflections of Utah Bookstore 47 So. Main in Brigham City, on Thursday, September 11 5:30-7:00. I won't have prize drawings like I've had in the past, the economy has been hard and I don't want to ask people for donations, but there will be door prizes for the first 75 people that show up and there will still be a grand prize drawing for those that purchase a book that night. If you're local, I'd love to see you there.

I guess that's about it . . . well, until next time.