It’s September and I am looking forward to the annual online Family Proclamation Celebration!
There are lots of neat things being given away, I think, but I hardly ever enter into those because I feel like I don’t want to take away someone else’s chances for winning something they might really, really wish they could have but may not be able to afford it.
Plus, I have contest immunity.
I cannot win at one unless there is a skill involved in the winning process (and even that’s a long shot!). I have tried.
What I Didn’t Win
In fact, I recently tried to win two cameras at the fabulously cute Six Sisters Stuff blog, and I thought I might have a chance, because a skill was involved. It was “liking” all these pages on Facebook. It proved to be almost beyond my capabilities! It took me ten minutes to like all of those pages, and even longer to unlike them when I (surprise, surprise) didn’t win.
I also felt dishonest for ‘liking’ “I Heart the Mart” (referring to Wal-Mart, which I don’t heart. In fact, I think I anti-heart it) and “Mod Podge Rocks” or something.
I Don’t Heart The Mart
I also liked all these pages about being frugal, which I am not.
I have frugal immunity, too.
All my friends usually wait until after I buy something before they consider buying it, because it inevitably goes on sale five seconds after my transaction is completed.
But, that was a tangent.
What was I talking about? Oh, yes–celebrating the family! Which is great. A cause I can believe in, unlike hearting the mart. And let me tell you, I really am excited, and I don’t have to win anything. I just really love seeing so many bloggers coming together to celebrate my raison d’être, if you will.
I also got to design this year’s logo, which was kind of really neat to do.
Yep. I made that.
Also, I was asked to write for the bash. I felt particularly humbled, because as we all are very aware, I don’t think I have quite made it to the ranks of real bloggers yet. Also, they asked me to write about homosexuality as it relates to the Proclamation, which was not a very easy topic, especially considering that another blogger known as (Gay) Mormon Guy is guest posting…
No pressure.
So, I am not sure how I did. I do know that I procrastinated as much as possible and that I also did my best, but you never know what that might end up looking like considering I am completely capable of embarrassing myself to the fullest extent allowed by the universe.
In the end, though, it’s not about how much I might crash and burn, it’s about family. And it really is incredible that all these people get together to talk about it in a positive way. Awesome.
So, check it out–starting September 17th and going through the end of the month!
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Yay! I’m so glad you’re writing for the celebration this year!
(And of course, I LOVE the logo you designed…)
By the way, I think I will have to steal your Boromir picture. I don’t “heart the mart,” either! :-p
Have at it, Mama Rachel! That picture was so funny–because it’s true.
Oh dear, you’re making me snort my ice cream (that I totally shouldn’t be eating) with that Boromir picture! Tee hee. I’m excited to read your post for the celebration as you are such a good writer. I think I may have resigned myself to being a poor writer all my life, but hey, I can make a mean batch of homemade yogurt. I’m glad there are people like you who can write beautifully to make up for us brain-dead folks. ( :
By the way, I sent you and your family a book, I hope it got there…
Holly, I only WISH I could make homemade yogurt that didn’t taste like feet.
Thank you for the sweet words…I am actually nervous about that post at the Family Celebration. Ah, well…
I checked with my oldest, and found the book! Thank you so very, very much…I didn’t know about it because the kids took it straight from the mailman to reading it and calling dibs on it and I didn’t even know it had arrived. It’s already been read by at least three people here with GREAT reviews. Cute, cute, cute.
You are wonderful!
Yay! I’m glad it came! It has a few editing issues like a picture places right over a whole page of text and messed up page or chapter numbers, but the story is there. I’m glad the kids had already swiped it to read. ( : That makes my day.
This is one of my favorite things all year long! Cocoa does such a wonderful job rounding up writers. (and Jocelyn as well) I look forward each year to finding new and wonderful blogs to read. That is how I found you after all a couple years ago!
Glad to see you are writing on a topic I think applies to much to our day. I saw the list of writers and wondered what each was writing on. I look forward to reading your post.
Wal-mart nearly does equate to Mordor. Love it. This is random but I was actually wondering what other families do about these movies-Lord of the Rings I mean. Anyone care to share their opinion? I ask because I feel caught somewhere in between the fact that the book is fantastic and the fact that the movies are very visually graphic and scary. Then there is the don’t watch anything you wouldn’t with your whole family guideline I try to follow and so for our family they are out. But then I look back like Lot’s wife because they are so fun. Upifting? No. Wholesome? Not so much. Anyway, thoughts? And I’m sorry to pose this here. I sorta let my mind wander as I looked at that picture with a little longing. Not for him, per se
, but for the movies in general.
Well, given the rural, low income place I live, I am stuck with walmart, lol. I usedd to hate it, but once I realized that they label everything whether it’s gluten free or not, I have to say that it is a love/hate relationship. (they even have a more natural, gf turkey around thanksgiving.) Also, I have to wonder where all those low-income people would work if our community didn’t have walmart…
But I have a love/love relationship with amazon; does that put me back into good graces?=)
I love Cocoa’s celebration! And I love your tag!
I can totally see how your “topic” would be intimidating, but if anyone can do it, you can!!!
I hope you win something someday…without having to “like” walmart to do it!
(I’ve won some awesome cloth diapers, but not much else…what does that say about my karma?!?=)
I suppose my opposition does not lie so much with Wal-Mart ideologically as it does health-wise. It makes me feel like I can’t breathe and my brain goes numb there. My husband says it helps to wear sunglasses (he always dons sunglasses in the mart), to block the life-sucking, cognitive-reason-scrambling lighting in there…how else do you explain that every time I go I come home with some random thing I did not need that was only $27.88 or $59.97 while forgetting at least one item that I was supposed to buy (and sometimes, I buy the item and it gets left on that irritating bag carousel of confusion).
Ideologically speaking, I honestly feel like without Wal-Mart, people could get jobs with small businesses who actually truly personally care. Those small businesses truly cannot compete with the mart.
(I guess because my husband owns his own business I am more empathetic to those who try to make a living this way. But, he’s not in retail.)
In Australia where we lived, it was still an agriculturally/rural based economy, with no real “supercenters” and it was AWESOME! I could go buy anything and the employees actually took pride in what they were selling and wanted more than anything to help me. For real. They were experts in their fields and proud of their work. I think the atmosphere of Wal-Mart is depressing and even though it’s great to get underwear, a gallon of milk and a rototiller all in the same place for the lowest possible price in the world, I’d rather not.
I think they sell that turkey at Costco. My friend Jen told me about it and it is pretty good, but I would still rather go through a smaller business with whom I can build a human relationship. Or go online. And yes, because you love Amazon, all is forgiven!
Don’t get me wrong, though, I have had my share of trips to Wal-Mart (many of which have ended in tears or waspishness), when I needed a cheap side table, Simply Orange juice, a car seat, and some cheap bathing suit covers…but, there IS evil there that never sleeps!
I get what you are saying, lol. My husband is self-employed, too. But where I am, there was nothing before walmart, aside from grocery stores…and back in the day, there wasn’t even amazon (how did we LIVE?!?). So there were big cheers when a walmart showed up… so while I wish we could all live the etsy-life, lol, I am grateful there is a place that has those last minute items and gf labeling, lol.
I really don’t see much dif between costco and walmart; but everyone loves the one and hates the other. I used to be a walmart hater myself, but I am pretty ambivelant these days. Also, I love Target, but because they have chosen to proactively support the homosexual lifestyle, I don’t feel comfortable shopping there anymore…of course, I don’t have one locally, so it’s not the hardest boycott I’ve ever done, but it makes one less place I can go when we do go to the big city, lol. The last time I was in there, there were a lot of “gay pride” items available for sale in honor of gay pride week. Made me sad. JC Penneys is also extremely suuportive.
Not sure where I was going with that, lol. I think the evil is all around us, really, in the materialism and commercialism that has encroached our culture. Not sure I can blame all that on walmart, though.=)
PS I hope this doesn’t come off as snarky. (you know I love you!) I was up all night with what we *thought* was labor, which then faded into nothingness and left me feeling a tad bit irritated. I have never had that happen before. I hope it didn’t flow over here, lol.
Oh my goodness! I just had to spend 2 hours at Walmart because my kids need some new clothes and such and the next closest store is 1 1/2 hours away. And online shopping is difficult since you can’t try anything on and I end up sending half the stuff back and forking over all kinds of shipping money.
Anyway, I thought I was going to lose my mind!!! If I don’t keep my list right in front of my face I can’t remember for even 1 minute why I’m there. The whole place is so completely distracting to my poor brain. And don’t get me started on the fact that I didn’t see a single other person there who had enough clothing on and every person we heard talking took the Lord’s name in vain. Every single one! Sigh. I am actually wondering if I should take my young girls to Walmart anymore. They came across so much garbage there that I didn’t want them exposed to. And Misty, those Monster High girls are EVERYWHERE! I’ve talked to my girls about what those are and they were finding them on clothes, toys, backpacks, posters, you name it! I’m glad I had a warning from you about them last Christmas or whenever it was. It’s sickening!!!
Holly, I very rarely take my kids shopping with me anymore…everything is SO geared towards the innapropriate! Between the immodesty of people in line, the awful magazine covers, and men gawking at them, even the grocery store no longer feels innocent.
When I do need to take them, we discuss a lot beforehard how to approach these types of situations…I totally agree with you–there is a lot of yuck out there!
Misty, I’m at risk of looking like I’m taking over the comments section here, but can you tell us which of the bloggers you’ll be a guest at? I would love to read yours when it’s up, but am not really following ALL the postings (mostly just Cocoa’s). Thanks so much!
Nicole, I will be over at Cocoa’s. I think I’m scheduled for the 20th.
Enjoy and remember–it’s not about me embarrassing myself, it’s about FAMILY.