Age makes you smart..Does it?

Beautiful, Isn't she`? I am so dead for posting this!

So it is one of my daughter’s birthdays today. I had to stop and do the math, that’s because it seems like just yesterday. She was 10 in the year 2000, 20 in the year 2010, so I guess that makes her 22 today. She is 22 years old and all knowing. Remember that age? Well I had to stop and think about it.  When I was her age I had already given birth to two children. One of whom I had to give away. By the age of 22 I had been desperately in love more than just once. Again I am thinking math and that would have made me married for the first time. The years just peel away like an onion, and suddenly I am in another county, giving birth to another child and then other one. You would think I just spit them out, right? I can honestly say that each one of my children was born out of love. Maybe along the way, I made some mistakes. God knows, I keep making them but I will never regret making them out of love. I woke up this morning so happy that she is here, a part of my life, and although she thinks maybe sometimes otherwise, I will always be there for her. She does not read my blog but I say this anyways, I toss it out in the Air---Happy birthday “All knowing Daughter”---I hope when you are my age, you will be just as smart as you think you are now. By the way, just so everyone knows..I have the secret for having pain free birth..

Have a nice week-end everyone, any cause for celebration?

Oops I did it again

Voicing my opinions tends to get me in trouble, especially when it comes to my children. They do not like me blogging about they're personal lives. God help me if I ever finish a book that is not about fairy tales. I am writing one, but the thought of getting so personal terrifies me. Maybe some day when I am dead you can pick up my book and read about my life, you know the one that says, "Been there, done that." No, I am not kidding. Ok so maybe a little, because I have never killed anyone. Not on purpose any ways. So, I guess my question to you is...Where do you draw the line? There are so many things that I want to say but I keep getting in trouble. How long do you as a writer, tip toe through life, trying to make every one else happy? So that was two questions. Maybe I should just stick with fairy tales.

My religion

   Have you been to church today? I have...This is as close as I can get to telling you about my religion. What's yours?

You should have known

Theater is great motivation for finding oneself

So you are turning 24 and for 20 of those years you have wondered, “What’s wrong with me?” You can not concentrate, you have a bad temper, you get easily irritated, you do not function well in a team, your ego is misplaced in all the “politically correct” concepts that society puts you in. You are very smart but most everything bores you. You are not tolerant so when people tell you that you misbehave, it is always their fault that things go wrong. Your parents seek the help of doctors and one after one they come up with different solutions but never one that gives an answer. You drop out of school, start taking drugs, steal and basically let everyone down that you care about. You are marked as “Yeah, that guy, stay away from him!” 

Because you are “who you are” you do not give up hope for very long. You are an adult and know that you have to get your act together. Your parents have done all they can, and now you only have yourself, your tomorrow, your future. Finally a doctor diagnoses you with ADHD and you are put on medication. Your life changes, your goals become clear and you my friend have joined the human race. All excited, you want that education back, but the government says, “You should have known.” You give them the documents and still “they” shake their heads and say it is not good enough. You are too old to get back that education, so if you want it then you have to work extra hard to get it. Once again you fall into the group of “helpless cause.”

In Norway everyone is entitled to an education as long as you figure it out by the age of 16. There are exceptions to this rule.  If you are a foreigner Norwegian tax payers will help you, if you are in jail or are a danger to yourself or others, then rest assured you will get help. Help towards paying for your education, living expenses, even opening up your own business. A good example of that is Anders Brevik, the guy that killed all those young people on an Island in Norway. He is in a nice jail now, getting an education and with good behavior he will most likely get out as soon as he has his diploma in hand.

So who are you my friend? You, who tried to do everything right even after you knew you were sick. You keep on fighting don’t you? Who are you? You are my son and I could not be more proud of you. This little man in a big society keeps breaking all the rules, keeps fighting for his rights to be the person he knows society has ignored. Just goes to show you, that with the right diagnoses and medication anything is possible. 

Do you have a child that society has chosen to ignore? Maybe you were one yourself? Please share your thoughts.

Get the Picture?

This week-end is all about making the rounds and cleaning house. There are some things I have been thinking a lot about lately. Spring is in the air, my blog has been online for little over a year and some spring cleaning is warranted. My thoughts have been geared towards blogging and why I do it, what I expect from it and what as a reader you expect from me. Why are you here reading these words? Do you ever wonder the same things? I need to know because right now the question "What am I doing?" is weighing heavily on my mind. It has taken me a year to realize that this is just another social network. I know, silly me, what was I thinking? What are you thinking? Do you wonder how many people, out of all those people that follow you, really READ your blog and WHY they do? I guess this is my blogging "turning point." Have you ever had one of those?


It is time to decide if I should take this any further and if so, what I want from it. As that ever so popular song, "What do you want from me?" gets louder in my head, these are the  questions I need to ask: What do I want, what do I want from you, and what do you want? I will tell you what I want and I hope you will answer the other part to that question.

• To connect with other writers so I do not feel so alone. The language is one thing, but the mentality is another.
• To gain information towards some day publishing a book.
• Recognition that what I write is important, that I say something and that I do it well, also sneaky me wants to know if my kids care what I think.Yes I can see who visits my blog, and my children seldom do, if you are here now you are my favorite child, nope nothing in life is fair.
• To visit a blog that is easy to connect to on a personal level. My blog roll is there for a reason! I do lurk...
• Time difference, it's true, it does make a difference
• To visit a blog that is easy to read. Size does matter, and so does visual availability. There are several blogs I visit less often because Word verification is turned on, the text is hard to read, the page takes to long to load and I just plain old forget about you. If you want me to remember  then you have to comment and I need to be able to find you easily so I can visit and comment as well. Please don't take it personal if I remove you.

How often do you visit your stats, and are they important to you? Mine only tell me so much and this is what they tell me:

Posts

Thor Apr 23, 2011, 12 comments 11,876 Pageviews

Games Blogfest Jun 6, 2011, 33 comments 6,470 Pageviews

LOKI THE TRICKSTER Apr 14, 2011, 22 comments 2,054 Pageviews

You Geek! Aug 18, 2011, 12 comments 1,847 Pageviews

Odin-Father of the Gods Feb 23, 2012, 6 comment What I am seeing is that the pictures are more important than the words. Really? Is this true? Give me your thoughts people, they are important to me. Have a nice week-end! Ha ha, you get the picture now? This is an experiment :) You can answer the questions anyways. Really I am wondering how many times I will have to post this blog to get the answers I am looking for....I am so excited, you know why. If you don't then you have to ask yourself what you are missing...

Stop, Chocolate Thief!

One of the things that I have discovered recently is that chocolate can turn someone into a criminal. The postal service employees cannot be trusted when it comes to chocolate.  Sending gifts in the mail to my children overseas has always been expensive and difficult. Sometimes things have gotten broken or lost and maybe even stolen, but this time somewhere along the way from Norway to Denver a simple chocolate bar was cut out of the bottom of an envelope and all that remained was a birthday card. Since the envelope was marked with a toll sticker that stated the contents clearly, I can only assume that the thief had an incredible urge for chocolate. What has the world come to when the desire for chocolate outweighs a simple morality lesson that should have been installed at birth? Have you ever experienced problems with the postal service? I am looking forward to the day when we can transport merchandise instantly over the internet. Imagine if we could “Whisper” merchandise just like we can do on Amazon, and while sitting on Skype we can see that chocolate bar or whatever, suddenly appear in front of our intended receiver. I can dream can’t I?

Stop, Chocolate Thief!

One of the things that I have discovered recently is that chocolate can turn someone into a criminal. The postal service employees cannot be trusted when it comes to chocolate.  Sending gifts in the mail to my children overseas has always been expensive and difficult. Sometimes things have gotten broken or lost and maybe even stolen, but this time somewhere along the way from Norway to Denver a simple chocolate bar was cut out of the bottom of an envelope and all that remained was a birthday card. Since the envelope was marked with a toll sticker that stated the contents clearly, I can only assume that the thief had an incredible urge for chocolate. What has the world come to when the desire for chocolate outweighs a simple morality lesson that should have been installed at birth? 

Have you ever experienced problems with the postal service? I am looking forward to the day when we can transport merchandise instantly over the internet. Imagine if we could “Whisper” merchandise just like we can do on Amazon, and while sitting on Skype we can see that chocolate bar or whatever, suddenly appear in front of our intended receiver. I can dream can’t I?

Freyjas Necklace

One day Freyja was out walking along the border of the kingdom of the Black Dwarfs. As she walked she noticed some of the dwarfs making a beautiful necklace. It glistened as golden as the bright sun and Freyja just had to stop and admire it. "Oh, you must sell me the necklace. I will give a treasure of silver for I cannot live without it. I have never seen one as beautiful." 

The dwarfs told her that all the silver in the world could not purchase the Brisingamen. Believing she could not endure without owning the necklace she asked, "Is there any treasure in the world for which you would sell me the necklace?"

The dwarfs talked among themselves and answered "Yes, you must buy it from each of us, for it is the treasure of your love. If you sleep with each one of us for a day and a night, Brisingamen shall be yours."

Bewitched by the sparkle of the beautiful necklace, Freyja was overcome with desire. She forgot her husband Odur, and she agreed to the pact. No one in Aesir knew about this arrangement except the mischief-maker Loki, who seemed to always be around when trouble was brewing.

After four days and nights of these unions, Freyja returned home wearing the necklace as if nothing had happened. Loki seeking favor from Odur informed him of what had taken place in the land of the dwarfs and furiously Odur demanded proof of Freyjas adventures. To provide evidence, Loki set out to steal the necklace. Turning himself into a flea, he flew into Freya's chambers and bit her on the cheek while she slept. The bite caused Freya to turn so he was able to remove the necklace.

Loki went to Odur and showed him the evidence of her infidelity with dwarfs. Odur tossed the necklace aside, left the kingdom of Åsgard, and traveled to far distant lands so that he could cool off. Sleeping with dwarfs was the one thing he could not forgive her. Freyja woke the next morning to find both her necklace and husband gone. 

Weeping, she went to Valhalla to confess to Odin that she had slept with dwarfs in order to gain the beautiful necklace of Brisingamen. The kindly Odin forgave Freyja for her once again proven wicked ways, but demanded a penance. Taking the Brisingamen from Loki, he commanded Freyja to wear the necklace for eternity and sometimes Freyja can be seen wandering the world in her golden chariot searchng for Odur. As Freyja weeps, the teardrops that land on soil turn to gold in the rocks, those that fall in the sea turn to amber.

This is one of my favorite tales from Norse Mythology and one that my manuscript "Gods and Fairytales" is based on. Did you like it?

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Lions and Tigers and Dragons?...OH MY! In true Dorothy fashion E.C. Stilson takes us to another world in her new book, "The Sword of Seneck." Written as a form of grief therapy to help her children understand the loss of her first child, this story is anything but sad. Full of adventure and page turning excitement, it is the perfect story to share with your children, your grandchildren or the kid next door. Here is a teaser from her book:

"Aliya Fisher knows nothing about her true heritage until a vindictive sorceress kidnaps her brother and sister. The young adventurer must take up her birthright, battle strange creatures, and find the Sword of Senack if she hopes to best the witch. But even if Aliya finds the famed weapon and survives the perilous oceanic journey, the enchantress is far more than she appears. How does one defeat an immortal who lusts for revenge?"

To purchase this book please go here:

The Sword of Senack (The Mer-son Cycle)

 

To  find out more about the author visit her blog The Crazy Life of a Writing Mom , you are sure to fall in love with her, laugh and cry with her and discover something about yourself along the way.

 

Come back again tomorrow for more tales about the Norse Gods. Who is your favorite and why?

 

Guiness Alas

"I-rish you a Merry Christmas and a glass of good cheer and may the luck of the Irish be with you all year!"

Here is the finished gibberish tale, "Guinness Alas" with an Irish twist.

Luck would have 'er at any cost but Guinness didn't know what way to fall down so luck changed into a green river, inviting Guinness to plunge into her depths. But the problem is that danged' Leprechaun, Willard who seems to have lost his power to provide luck.  

Thrashing the green water, Guinness turned on her back so that she could follow the stars back to County Cork where a handsome Irish-Italian stud muffin by the name of Enzo O'Toole awaited. Alas Enzo O'Toole only wanted muffins, not her, he had been called a stud muffin so often he craved them daily. So she stole his muffin batter and made a run for it, dashing away her tears. 

She had barreled into the woods when Enzo caught up to her. He stared at the batter longingly. Guinness had an idea, she raised the batter up to her face and locked her emerald green eyes onto his black olive ones. Luck threw itself into the batter before she swallowed it and hung on for dear life as it slid down her throat, knowing that it would be with her always.

Our talented writers and game players this month in color coded order are:



Minnie

Alex J. Cavanaugh

Gossip_Grl

Stephanie V

Jaye Robin Brown

Craziness abounds

Shannon Lawrence

Michael Di Gesu
Minnie


If you would like to join our merry band of CPSWA (controlled patriots of standard word abuse) all you have to do is play and grab the banner on my sidebar. Next game is scheduled for the last Friday in May.


Come back tomorrow to help us celebrate a special book launch!

Gods and Fairytales have been tagged

Another game of tag is circulating the blog world. I've been tagged again, this time for the Lucky 7 MEME by Gossip Girl at “Just you wait, one day I will. Here are the rules of the game: 

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS

2. Go to line 7

3. Copy down the next 7 lines - sentences or paragraphs - and post them as they're written. No cheating

4. Tag 7 authors

5. Let them know

This is from my current WIP, keep in mind that it is still under its first draft.

Working title: Gods and Fairytales 

“I can feel your heart beating like a scared little rabbit underneath that pink skin of yours.” 

Tilting his head he leaned over and smelled the small of my neck, and I shivered as his long tongue swept over my skin as if tasting a piece of candy. 

“You can make this easy on yourself and just give me the box you found and a small drop of your blood.”

He backed away and studied me closely, and then tilting his head to the side he said, “You don't know what you are, do you?”

Since most my writing friends have been tagged, the hardest part is finding someone to tag so I just went to the A-Z challenge bloghop and picked out some interesting blogs. Some of you I know, some I do not. If you do not have a work in progress maybe there is something else you want to share.

Tag you’re next:

 

Claire Goverts http://cgoverts.blogspot.com/

Amy McCorkle http://creative-chatter.blogspot.com

Alisia Compton. http://www.somewriters.com/

Dona Days http://www.donasdays.blogspot.com/

Emily White http://www.emilytwhite.blogspot.com/

http://fantasticreflection.blogspot.com/

Melissa Ann Goodwin http://writeryogini.blogspot.com/

 

Enjoy your Sunday everyone and don’t forget to come back tomorrow to see what Minnie did with the Irish.

Guinness and Gibberish

Minnie is early this month because she is getting ready for the A-Z challenge. She still wants to play and since it is St. Patricks Day week-end what better way to celebrate then to garb our tongues with the "luck of the Irish." You guessed it, Irish Gibberish this time. So all you CONTROLLED PATRIOTS OF STANDARD WORD ABUSE, gather your weapons, sharpen your tongues and let the game begin.

New to this click HERE

Some Minnie-ism to get you started----

"Give up Green Beer, can't get the dang color out of yer plumbing."

Guinness alas

Luck would have 'er at any cost but Guinness didn't know what way to fall down so luck changed into… 

(YOUR TURN)

Finished game results on Monday the 19th. 

 

Have a Great week-end and may the luck of the Irish be with you. Any plans? 

Slán agus beannacht leat 

Help Yourself

 Interrupting my normal blog for today with this important message:

As you know, CAPTCHA has been making all of our lives miserable. There have been many posts about it and how to remove it, including my own...WHICH YOU CAN FIND HERE... 


I strongly recommend that if you are doing the A-Z challenge to remove your word verification. As you can see on the sidebar of my blog, I have made a banner to show that I have removed CAPTCHA. You are free to use it as well. Help yourself to the banner and to getting more comments on your blog.

If you are worried about attracting Spam (which blogger does remove most of) just monitor your comments before they are posted.

Don't forget, tomorrow is Minnies' Gibberish Day, hope you come and play.

Click here to go to todays post on Odins Wife 

Odins Wife and Some Sunshine

Frigg, was the daughter of Fiorgyn and the sister of Jörd. She was also the wife of Odin. Friggs wedding to Odin caused great rejoicing in Åsgard, where the goddess was dearly loved. After her wedding it was customary to celebrate all anniversaries with feast and song, and Frigg was declared the patroness of marriage as well as motherhood. Her health was always cheered together with that of Odin and Thor at wedding or birthing feasts.

Frigg was also goddess of the clouds, and as such was represented as wearing snow-white garments. She was queen of the gods, and she alone had the privilege of sitting on the throne Hlidskialf, beside her husband Odin. From there she too could look over the entire world and see what was happening. She possessed the knowledge of the future, which no one could ever prevail upon her to reveal. She was good at keeping secrets.

Frigg was as a tall beautiful woman, crowned with heron plumes, and clothed in pure white robes which were secured at the waist by a golden girdle. On this girdle hung a bunch of keys, the distinctive sign of the Northern housewife. 

Although she often appeared beside her husband, Frigg preferred to remain in her own palace called Fensalir. This was the hall of mists or of the sea, where she plied her wheel spinning golden thread or weaving long webs of bright colored clouds. In   order to perform this work she made use of a marvelous jeweled spinning wheel which at night shone brightly in the sky as a constellation. This was known in the North as Friggas Spinning Wheel, while the inhabitants of the South called the same stars Orion’s Belt.

Now for some Sunshine:

Nick Wilford at Scattergun Scribblings gave me the Sunshine Award, for my "positive nice thoughts" in comments. Thank you Nick.


 Rules are:

• Thank the person who gave you the award and provide a link.
• Write a post about it
• Answer the questions below.
• Pass it on to 10 bloggers who you think really deserve it and let them know

Favorite color: Green


Favorite animal: Wolf


Favorite number: 9


Favorite non-alcoholic drink: Coffee or Ice-tea


Facebook or Twitter: Facebook, Goggle+, Pinterest and someday Tweet Tweet


My passions are: Artistic and creative of which there are many


Getting or giving presents: Giving


Favorite patterns: Found in Nature


Favorite day of the week: Friday


Favorite flower: Lilly


I will pass this award on to the following because they have great blogs and deserve some extra attention and sunshine:




Melanie Stanford  
Andrea Mack 
Yadin Bromberg
Jessie Humphries
Meghan Kirkland
Kate Larkindale
Ru
Jessica Therrien
Jemi Fraser
Honey

Because of the Upcoming A-Z challenge, Minnie is hosting Gibberish early this month. Instead of the last Friday this month she will be here tomorrow with her unusual approach to gaming. Make sure you stop by and join in the fun.

Banzaicon-Long Live Japanese Festivals

Banzai which means "ten thousand years" originated in Asia as an expression used to wish long life to the Emperor, and is typically translated as "long live" in English. Banzaicon embraces this phrase as several hundred youth gather to celebrate Japanese pop-culture in Larvik for 3 nonstop days. Dressed in an exciting array of costumes they seem to come straight out of comic books and into an arena of Games, Anime, Sci-Fi and Internet Culture.

Banzaicon is an Anime Convention that is celebrating its third year here in Larvik, from April 13-15. Open for all ages, young and old, this is the place to be if you share a common interest in Japanese pop-culture. There are many young people today that are not involved in sports or other activities that will get them out of the house and into a safe environment. Socializing for them is done through the internet where gaming often becomes their reality and for many, avatars their best friends. The youth in Larvik took matters into their own hands and created a non-profit organization called Rounin Events, which was geared towards this group of young people. Rounin Events has 200 members and is responsible for organizing Cosplay, Concerts and a variety of other activities geared towards the youth in Larvik. 

Kristoffer Ottem and Martin Severin, both involved with Rounin Events are the lead organizers of Banzaicon, a role they inherited from its brainchild Martine Tufte, who left for Bergen to continue her education in Theater Arts. Martine, also known as the “Mother” of Banzaicon is still active as the main events planner. Interest in Banzaicon has grown beyond everyones expectations and the surprises just keep coming. All 500 tickets are sold out, and several international artists have shown interest in performing. Twin Foolz and Nova from Canadas Fighting Dreamers Production, are two world famous Cosplayers that will be performing at Banzaicon this year. Shookie Monster will be making his first appearance at Banzaicon, handing out cookies and keeping everyone “Nourished” as they game away in the retro gaming room or prepare for one of the many other events planned. 

One of the biggest attractions is the Cosplay competition with a 5000 kroner cash prize. With all this going on, Banzaicon is meant to create an Intimate atmosphere for youth to socialize in, at the same time there are strict rules against the use of drugs or alcohol. There are over 100 volunteers helping out this year, among them are 30 specially trained in Security, 8 trained medics and the Red Cross. Safety is an important priority when there are so many people attending. As the date approaches the crew leaders for activities, medics, guards, library, cafe, crew care, board games, extras, tech, and PR are working hard to make sure this is the best Banzaicon ever.

Banzaicon is self-funded but among the affiliates are: Fabrikken Youth Center, Farris Bad Spa Hotel, Service Grosissten and Larvik Sushi. Eirik Reiersen is the host and the face of Banzaicon this year and he is already gearing up to make things interesting. Learn more about the events for Banzaicon 3 Matsuri  HERE (You should be able to translate the page to english using Google Reader.)

Also you can check out the website at Banzaicon.net and visit the Facebook page where you can meet the mascot for Banzaicon “Kei.” This whimsy panda loves nothing better than making trouble and eating “pocky.” (Small Japanese crackers) What makes Banzaicon so special is the spirit of togetherness, friendship and sharing. Everyone attending the convention should feel as if they are an integrated part of the whole experience. Banzaicon 3-Matsuri, translates “Long Live Japanese Festivals” and there is no doubt that this one will be remembered.

 So are you asking yourself where I fit in amongst this environment of Japanese pop culture? As mother and friend, I have the honor of feeding these hungry volunteers. In other words, my motherly love has once again bitten off more than it bargained for, but at the end of the day I can once again say, “Been there, done that.” After all, isn’t that what life is all about? 

Have your children involved you in anything special lately?

A-Z Spoiler from Minnie

By now you should all know who Minnie is, and if you are new here and have never heard of her then please click HERE before reading on. Not many of you know this about Minnie. She used to be married to this bossy guy named Simon Says. So Minnie is Ex-Mrs. Simon Says. She likes to call her words of wisdom  Minnie-isms, Mini words of wisdom, and she gets very mad when I refer to these as Minnie Says. I am explaining this to you because this year Minnie is doing the A-Z challenge and as usual she will be having something to say about each of her posts. Her Minnie-isms are not always appropriate for young children so I thought it might be a good idea to warn all of you now.


During the A-Z challenge you will see Minnie dressed for the occasion and here is a sneak preview of her new dress:

Minnie also has come up with a theme for the challenge this year. Here is her spoiler:

 For the month of April I ask you to dive into the mystic with me. What better way to explore the alphabet during the A-Z challenge than by digging out the unusual, often unexplained and alternative way of thinking. Stories of creatures, places and mysteries have been passed down to us through centuries teasing our imagination, living in our dreams and daring us to explore the impossible. The curious travel many paths in order to discover a new miracle or uncover an old one. This month I am curious, and hoping you will want to come exploring with me, because you are curious too. 

It is not to late to join the A-Z challenge, you can sign up and find out more at the website Blogging from A-Z Challenge. Please check it out, you won't regret it!

My life with Trolls

Art by Theodor Kittelsen

Some of you may think that trolls do not really exist. Actually when I think about it, none of you believe in them. That’s ok, I can relate. I never gave trolls much thought until moving to a place that was full of them. For 4 years I lived in troll country. No not Norway, I mean real troll country, the birth home of the troll, Sigdal Norway. Sigdal was the home of Theodor Kittelsen and father of all trolls. No one really knew about trolls before Kittelsen started illustrating them and telling his troll stories. 

Art by Theodor Kittelsen

The landscape in Sigdal was just like this and I was living right under that huge troll at the base of the water you see at his feet.

It didn't take me long to get a job at the local museum and folk music center where I was surrounded by Norwegian culture at its best.

Me sitting on the steps of the old sheriffs headquarters.

So here I am, this crazy American girl guiding tourists around Norwegian treasures and culture. All of which I learned after a 6 week course. Walking around beautiful old buildings, picking flowers for displays and talking to people about beautiful works of art, this was an amazing job and it was located just around the corner from my house. A house that I might add was made of timber and in the yard were very old apple trees. It was not uncommon to find a moose in the yard early in the morning munching on fallen apples. How many people can sit on their front steps, have a conversation with a moose and listen to a waterfall while drinking their morning coffee?

My relationship with trolls started out slowly. I didn't see them at first. You know the feeling when you are sure there is someone there even though you cannot see them? That is how it all started. I would walk around the museum grounds and down by the river to pick flowers or look for mushrooms. Sometimes I could hear the sound of students at the center while they practiced the Norwegian fiddle and I would hum along, daydreaming and lost in my own thoughts. When you stand in the middle of nature and let it overcome you, the trolls will come out to play. You will find yourself stumble on a path and look up to see a twig with a grin. Trolls like fairies will confuse you and get great pleasure watching you stumble around.

As a child sitting on the bank of a river and dipping a stick into the water, I would watch the ripples make pictures and dream of places where magical creatures could exist. When you remember your childhood and these dreams that is when trolls make you stumble. That is when fairies dance on your shoulder and that is when you need to remember those childish dreams. Look into a pool of water or up at the clouds. Look at the rocks and the trees and you will see them everywhere reminding us of what we have forgotten. Trolls make the child in us want to come out and play. Trolls most definitely Rock!

Now I could have given you facts about trolls. The kind that you read about in books. I have read that trolls are big and stupid, that they have snot running out of their nose and that they would eat you for breakfast if they could. We have all seen those kind of trolls. We have worked with them, maybe even lived with them, but I choose to tell you about the trolls I have met on a different path. Not all trolls are bad. Look around you, look in the water, in the forest or up in the sky. I promise, if you look hard enough you will see them come out to play.

Help me celebrate my One Year BlogAversary and come to my TROLLFEST. 

Share a story about your first blog post or post it again.

 
Now the good part! If I make 500 followers before next month I am going to give away a prize! I will draw one of your names and send you a Norwegian Troll. Look, isn't she cute? She is sitting here just waiting to take a trip! Since she will most likely travel far, I am sending some Norwegian Chocolate with her as well.Winner will be announced in April, lol...not on April Fools day. I am not that mean!

Click on this banner to join our party

Trolls Rock

Hope to see you soon among the trolls! Monday is Minnie day and she is stopping by to tell you how she is going to deal with the A-Z challenge this year. Have a great week-end everyone, any special plans you want to share?

Fallen Wings

ON FALLEN WINGS Release and Giveaway

Today is Jamie McHenrys birthday. It's also a full moon and ON FALLEN WINGS is officially available! Happy Birthday Jamie! I have not read this book yet, but I am looking forward to reading it. You kidding? It has faeries in it!

He is celebrating by giving away the kindle version for three days and also holding a contest for the paperback version.  Two lucky winners will walk away with a signed copy of his wonderful debut novel. This contest will run through Saturday and he will announce the winners on next Monday's post. 

"Faeries are supposed to be perfect. Rhiannon was. Her life was. Then her fiancé disappeared. She tried to be strong. She asked for help. There’s only so much trying and asking will do. So, she took action. That’s when everything fell apart."

Everything seems to be about faeries this month, maybe that is a sign that Spring is in the air! Are you starting to enjoy warmer weather, have you seen any spring flowers yet? I am impatiently waiting as I look out my window and see another snowflake fall to the ground. Tomorrow is Friday and I will be posting some Norwegian Folklore for you to ponder over the week-end. Hope everyone enjoys their day and if you are lucky, who knows...Maybe a faery will come out and play, or a troll just might rock your world.

Trolls Rock, check this out!

ONE YEAR OLD TODAY!

There are two people I hold responsible for starting a blog. My husband and my youngest son. They talked me into it as a form of self therapy for my depression. If they thought I was going to make any money out of it, they were so wrong. Blogging was not totally unfamiliar to me, the thought of doing it myself just never occurred to me. After all, I am not a food critic, or a shopping expert. I am not any kind of expert really, but over the years I have been through a lot and I have many things to say. So why not say it in a blog. Hence the name of my blog was born and my ideas... my naked life, hit the internet waves for all to see on March 7, 2011.

Family and friends were the first ones to "follow me" but I learned fast that the best way to get my voice out there was to join Bloghops and Blogfests. My first steps were taken in "Mommy blogland" It seemed to me that all blogs I came across were written by young mothers, which I am most definitely not. Then one day, I stumbled into the A-Z challenge and met a world of writers just like myself. So if you are insecure about blogging or have just started out, and are worried no one will connect with what you write, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! It really does help to know that and THAT is what the Writers Support Group is all about. My advice to you is to get out there, join the A-Z challenge, join groups and blogfests. I have made many friends this year and I have learned a lot about writing. It so happens that this month my birthday falls on the first Wednesday of the month when this group posts about concerns, doubts or just support and encouragement.

So to make a long story short, I want to celebrate with you and the fact that there is a full moon outside, makes this party even more fun. Getting 500 "followers" who I prefer to call my "Muses"  (because all of you inspire me in so many ways) would be something that I had never thought possible when I first started this blog one year ago today. Do you want to help me celebrate and join my TROLLFEST? If you do here is how:

For the rest of this month I will leave up a linky tool that you can add your FIRST BLOG POST -- OR A POST THAT TELLS ABOUT YOUR FIRST BLOG POST. You can ADD YOUR LINK OR POST anytime you want as long as it is before April 1st. Link your site on the linky tool TO YOUR VERY FIRST BLOG POST or to a POST THAT TELLS ABOUT HOW AND WHY YOU STARTED BLOGGING.  




Here is the the linky tool for you to sign up on, REMEMBER USE THE LINK TO YOUR POST, NOT YOUR BLOG---otherwise we will have trouble finding your post.


Please help me spread the word. Check out the other blogs and please Use my banner!

Now the good part! If I make 500 followers before next month I am going to give away a prize! I will draw one of your names and send you a Norwegian Troll. Look, isn't she cute? She is sitting here just waiting to take a trip! Since she will be traveling so long, I am sending some Norwegian Chocolate with her as well.Winner will be announced in April, lol...not on April Fools day. I am not that mean!