Celebrate + A Whole Lot Of Bloggy Loving…!

It's time for the weekly instalment of Celebrate The Small Things, hosted by Viklit over at Scribblings Of An Aspiring Author.

The aim of this bloghop is simple: each Friday we celebrate a small thing from that week. (okay, I know that I'm one day late…) It can be the sun coming out, the cup of tea just when you needed it, your child ate some greens, you finally took that rubbish to the dump, or that you finished a chapter of writing which was difficult.Whatever you like! Sign up on the linky, post a celebration, and GO CELEBRATE with other participants who have signed up. See here for more info.

                                               

So I'm celebrating the following:

~ today is 01 June, the official start to the winter season and yet we still have beautiful weather!

~ I read a middle grade story written by a bloggy buddy and posted a review on Goodreads

~ all the reviews I've written and posted on Goodreads, are going onto Amazon as well… I'll do this during the coming week…

~ I've been shopping around for some quotes with regards to the following services: editing services; proofreading; e-book formatting; e-book cover

                                  *          *          *          *          *

Over the past 2 months, I've been given quite a few different blog awards! Now that's a whole lot of bloggy love! Yihaaa!

There are three Liebster Awards from , KateDeanie Humphrys-Dunne and Medeia Sharif.

HERE ARE KATE'S QUESTIONS:

1.If you were an animal what would you be?

Ah… a dolphin or a panda bear…

2.What is your favorite book of all time (or two, or three)?

There are tooooo many great books!

3.What's your biggest fear?
Dying without fulfilling all my goals
 
4.If you could have any talent (that you don't already have) what would it be?
The ability to swim or any other related water-sports… like scuba diving etc.
 
5.If you could invite three famous people (alive or dead) to dinner, who would you choose?
Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and The Dalai Lama
 
6.If you had a time machine, where would you go first?
The eighties…
 
 
7.If calories didn't count, what would you eat today?
I don't really count calories… very bad… I know…

 

8.What book do you wish you'd written?
The Book Thief by Mark Zusak
 
9.What antagonist do you most relate to?
Not too sure…
 
10. If you could relive any day of your life, what would it be?
I won't lie… really don't know… haven't thought about it…
 

11. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?I'd still choose to live where I live now… though I wouldn't mind a weekend in Paris every month…

                                               

          DEANIE AND MEDEIA HAVE THE SAME SET OF QUESTIONS:

WHERE WERE YOU BORN? I'm proudly South African!
 

WHERE ARE YOU LIVING NOW? In a beautiful home, with my hubby and dog named Flash!
 

IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? I'm a multi-coloured, rainbow-nation child…
 

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? I don't take much notice of the movies that I watch… so I really wouldn't be able to tell you… sorry…
 

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Christine's Odyssey by Joy Campbell (just finished it) How To Publish And Promote Your Book Now by L.Diane Wolfe (reading this book bit by bit, over a couple of weeks, as it takes time to digest all this info) Secondhand Shoes by Shelly Arkon (my signed paperback copy has been waiting to be read…) I may just throw a short story collection into the mix, as a breather inbetween the longer books…
 

THE POWER GOES OUT.  IT WILL BE OUT FOR SEVERAL HOURS.  WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOURSELF? Well, due to load-shedding policies in our country (meaning the power goes out unexpectedly for up to 4 hours at a time… with no prior warning…) there are lots of different answers that apply here… so maybe I should just leave it for another blog post…?
 

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Jazz is my 'cooling off' listening genre
 

GREATEST STRUGGLE AS A WRITER? I tend to start off with a bang… and then struggle to maintain the momentum.
 

WHAT IS THE ONE BOOK YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD READ?- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
 

IF YOU COULD BE ONE OF THE GREEK GODS WHO WOULD YOU BE AND WHY? The Greek God of music… that would be Apollo
 

WEIRDEST THING YOU'VE EVER BEEN TOLD BY A FORTUNE COOKIE? Auntie Cookie, our nosy neighbour from three doors down the road where I grew up, told me many weird things over the years (but she meant well… may she rest in peace…) Okay, seriously. Do they still make those things…?

THE VERY INSPIRING BLOGGER AWARD FROM KIRSTEN WHO BLOGS AT SHORT STORY IDEAS

                                                          very inspiring blogger award Very Inspiring Blogger AwardNow I have to state 7 things about myself. Crikey! Seven? Well that's better than ten or eleven – here goes –

1.I hate talking about myself. Simply hate it. And don't ask me why. It's just the way it is!

2. First came GFC. They took it away. There's Google Reader. They're taking that away. There's Networked Blogs widget. You must have a FB account though… Hopefully it will stay? Who knows. Fingers crossed. Mr. Linky is fairly new so I don't think he's going anywhere soon… Now there's Bloglovin' and something called Feedly…? I'm totally confused. I will write the url of all the blogs I follow into a word document, and save it on my desktop! Problem solved. End of story!

3. I love blog awards and I'm all for spreading bloggy love! And I really appreciate all the awards given to me. But, when it comes to blog awards, I don't follow the rules. Well not fully. This is because I never know who to pass the awards on to. There are sooooo many bloggers who have received these awards over and over again.

4. I can never win with the Rafflecopter thinggie. Just when I think I've nailed it, up pops a foreign instruction. So please forgive me when you see my incomplete rafflecopter entries. When you check your rafflecopters, I'm the one who has 5/20 entries earned! By the way, would someone please fill me in about Shelfari… do I need to join? Isn't Goodreads enough?

5. I often respond to each comment on my blog post. Now this is a no-no and regarded as one of the "newbie blogger sins". There's actually a word for it. I can't remember. But I prefer this personalised one-on-one interaction. It's just me. 

6. If the grammar police got a hold of my writing, I would be charged for abuse of the… ellipsis… I simply love this punctuation mark…  

7.  I sing (untrained) as well as read, write, play and tutor music… it forms an integral part of who I am… 

So that's about it! Got any celebratory news to share with us? Any thoughts on blog awards, blog comments, or Google and their ever-changing policies? Know of any new books to add to my ever-increasing TBR? Know of any reasonable editing services that I can check out?      

70 Comments

  1. Alex J. Cavanaugh on June 1, 2013 at 7:18 pm

    Congratulations on the awards!

    I know what I like to do when there's no power…

    • Michelle Wallace on June 2, 2013 at 8:56 pm

      So do I…  🙂 and by this I mean I know what you're talking about… LOL

  2. Lexa Cain on June 1, 2013 at 8:17 pm

    I didn't realize you lived in South Africa. We're continent buddies! It's weird that I'm going into full-on summer, with tomorrow's temp in Cairo projected to be 111F/44C (but luckily lower on the coast where I am), and you're starting to go into winter. I hope your winter's mild (and my summer is, too!).  🙂

    • Michelle Wallace on June 2, 2013 at 9:02 pm

      Yep, we're continental buddies! 🙂 I'm on the east coast where it's quite warm; we get the best winter temps in the country!

  3. Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on June 1, 2013 at 9:11 pm

    Glad to have met you, Michelle and found out more about you. I'll return to your blog often. Have a lovely weekend.

  4. L. Diane Wolfe on June 1, 2013 at 9:23 pm

    You're reading my book! Thank you. (Let me know if you do need eBook formatting.)

    That is one of my greatest fears, too. That's why I keep setting goals. I'm hoping God won't take me until I'm done and if I'm never done…

    • Michelle Wallace on June 2, 2013 at 9:08 pm

      I'll probably be reading it for a long time… on and off… and concentrating on different sections at a time, as I progress on my writerly journey. I don't suppose we can bargain with the Man above? 🙂 Truth is, we'll never know when it's our time. All we can do is forge ahead.

  5. Donna K. Weaver on June 1, 2013 at 9:49 pm

    Congrats on the awards. It totally threw me off with your reference to winter. The I understood your from the other side of the world because, yeah. Heading into summer here.

    • Michelle Wallace on June 2, 2013 at 9:10 pm

      I'm the opposite end of the globe! 🙂 Congrats once again, on your new book Donna!

  6. Elise Fallson on June 1, 2013 at 10:17 pm

    Hi Michelle! I don't listen to much Jazz but I know I like it. I'll have to bug for some album titles that you'd recommend. (; Congrats on the awards and enjoy the mild weather. We're finally in summer after a horrible, horrible, cold, and miserable spring. Bring on the sun and the heat I say!  And hope you are having some good luck in finding an editor/proofreading services and all that jazz. (; Hugs!

    • Michelle Wallace on June 2, 2013 at 9:14 pm

      Elise, jazz is music you need when you want to chill, kick off your shoes and relax. It's very therapeutic! Also inspirational… Enjoy your summer! I hope the weather stays sunny for you guys! HUGS!

  7. Kate on June 1, 2013 at 10:20 pm

    I want a weekend in Paris too 🙂

    • Michelle Wallace on June 2, 2013 at 9:18 pm

      Who wouldn't want a weekend in Paris? Imagine…? 🙂 Pure bliss. I don't think it could get any better.

  8. Lara Lacombe on June 2, 2013 at 2:25 am

    Congrats on all the awards, and on your continued good weather.

    Don't worry about responding to all comments–I do it too, so I guess that makes me a newbie as well! 🙂

  9. Kirsten @ Short Story Ideas on June 2, 2013 at 4:51 am

    Congratulations on all of your awards! I agree it's hard to stick to the rules sometimes, but people don't seem to mind. I'm with you on the commenting thing – I try to respond to everyone's comments even if it's just to thank them for dropping by .:-)

    • Michelle Wallace on June 2, 2013 at 9:25 pm

       There are hundreds of blogs out there. People take the time to visit and comment on your blog, so it's common courtesy to respond in some way or the other.

  10. Nancy LaRonda Johnson on June 2, 2013 at 6:05 am

    I'd never heard you shouldn't respond to every comment. I try to, but sometimes if I can't get on line and get behind I never catch up. But I think it's great when bloggers respond to comments, even if I can't return to read your response all the time, I try to return. Sometimes, I forget where I've made the comment I planned to return to! 

    I had joined Shelfari, but don't go back to it – don't care to. Then they keep emailing me as to whether I'd completed the book I was reading at the time. Sooner or later, I'll unsubscribe to the emails. I'm okay with Goodreads and LibraryThing.

    P.S. – So thankful for the gifts you sent me for winning the A-Z challenge. They are wonderful!

    • Michelle Wallace on June 2, 2013 at 9:33 pm

      I don't think that I explained it clearly. They say you shouldn't respond to each comment individually (like I'm doing now); instead you should group your responses, e.g. after about 10 comments, type your 10 responses, then post them all in one. I'm glad you enjoyed the gifts Nancy. 🙂

  11. Hilary on June 2, 2013 at 8:45 am

    Hi Michelle .. glad to hear the weather is still lovely over in SA – I used to live there … congratulations on the awards – I respond to comments on my blog, and usually make a point of jumping over to new bloggers who've been by … I'm sure I fail in the ways of life, though ..

     

    Cheers and hope that winter doesn't get too cold … We might have some 'summer' here now …  still a cold wind … Hilary

    • Michelle Wallace on June 2, 2013 at 9:39 pm

      Which part of the country did you live in Hilary? I think you do well with blog visits. You are on the ball! I hope you have an enjoyable summer. Your summer is equivalent to my winter… especially here on the east coast… though the weather patterns have changed over the years…

  12. Viklit on June 2, 2013 at 10:56 am

    I hope you found some good quotes in your shopping around!: )

    • Michelle Wallace on June 2, 2013 at 9:41 pm

      I've learned a lot by shopping around… it's educational and empowering too… 🙂

  13. Murees Dupé on June 2, 2013 at 2:07 pm

    Great answers! It is pouring rain down here in the Western Cape at the moment, but I am loving the rain. I love that you don't count calories. 

    • Michelle Wallace on June 2, 2013 at 9:45 pm

      Thanks Murees! The only time I dread the rain is when there's a lot of washing that needs to go out. The rainy weather is great to curl up with a good book – paperback copy, by the way – well, you can't really "curl up" with an e-reader, can you? 🙂

  14. Carol Kilgore on June 2, 2013 at 2:50 pm

    Loved learning more about you. Rafflecopter doesn't call me a friend either.

    • Michelle Wallace on June 2, 2013 at 9:47 pm

      Ah, so you and Mr.Rafflecopter don't get along too well? Glad I'm not the only one.

  15. Crystal Collier on June 2, 2013 at 6:12 pm

    Woot! Awesome–and Scuba Diving? Totally worth doing. I know what you mean about the blogger love. I'll be unloading 2 MORE awards next week. So glad your winter is starting with good weather!  

    • Michelle Wallace on June 2, 2013 at 9:48 pm

      I don't think I'll be doing any Scuba diving… maybe in my next life… 🙂

  16. Annalisa Crawford on June 2, 2013 at 6:45 pm

    Congratulations on all the awards, and well done for answering all the questions. I love The Book Thief too – did you know they're making the film?

    • Michelle Wallace on June 2, 2013 at 9:51 pm

      The Book Thief on the big screen? That sounds interesting. But I bet the film won't do justice to the story. How on earth are they going to capture the voice and style? Impossible.

  17. Nas on June 2, 2013 at 8:38 pm

    Congrats on the award! Lol! I also do half entries in Rafflecopter, so understand what you saying!

    • Michelle Wallace on June 2, 2013 at 9:53 pm

      Ah, another Rafflecopter-challenged person! 🙂 I feel much better.

  18. Sherry Ellis on June 2, 2013 at 8:39 pm

    Congratulations on the awards!  I wouldn't mind spending a day each week in Paris, either!

    • Michelle Wallace on June 2, 2013 at 9:56 pm

      When Bubba invents his time machine, he'll need a "test subject" so you can sneak away to Paris on a regular basis… LOL

  19. Misha on June 3, 2013 at 10:09 am

    I also tend to respond one-on-one. Not that it tends to matter, since I doubt people are anal enough to come back and check. 😀

    I laughed out loud about your answer to being stuck without power. Seriously hoping they'll skip on the shedding this year, but I guess having a plan is good…

  20. Michelle Wallace on June 3, 2013 at 12:41 pm

    Ah Misha! You know exactly what I'm talking about! 🙂 Skip on the shedding? I doubt it.

  21. mary aalgaard on June 3, 2013 at 1:14 pm

    Wow. So much celebrating, and sharing about yourself. You did well!! I'm irritated that they're taking away Google Reader. I think I'll read the blogs in my blog feed, but I don't like that as well.

    • Michelle Wallace on June 3, 2013 at 4:31 pm

      I think I may add all my blogs to the Linky widget. It's the next best blog reader. It has a feature where you can create specific groups for all the blogs you follow, even for those blogs that do not have the linky.

  22. J.L. Campbell on June 3, 2013 at 1:50 pm

    It's great to know more about you, Michelle. After reding this post, I'm reminded that there are always things to be grateful for. I can't imagine having the power going out for hours at a time. That would be absolute agony. 🙁

    The Book Thief is one I should get around to reading. Oh and Rafflecopter isn't so hard to manipulate. Just takes an extra dollop of patience. 🙂

    To answer your question, Shelfari is connected to Amazon (they've bought that too) but still is an independent reading community.

    • Michelle Wallace on June 3, 2013 at 4:33 pm

      Thanks for shedding some light on Shelfari. 🙂 With regards to Rafflecopter, I'll get there… sooner or later…

  23. M. J. Joachim on June 3, 2013 at 4:04 pm

    Nice celebration! And congratulations on all those awards. Winter season for you, summer in full swing here, complete with 100 degree temps. 

    • Michelle Wallace on June 3, 2013 at 4:36 pm

      Sounds like you're in for some blistering temps… 🙂 I would rather be too hot than too cold. Give me the sun. Anyday.

  24. Gina on June 3, 2013 at 4:13 pm

    Congrats on the awards!

  25. Julie Flanders on June 3, 2013 at 5:36 pm

    Congratulations on all your well-deserved awards. I really enjoyed reading your answers and learning more about you! And I can't swim either, something I'd really like to change but can't seem to drum up the courage to do it.

    Love your answer to the crayon question. 🙂

    • Michelle Wallace on June 4, 2013 at 9:49 am

      Julie, there's a wealth of history behind my answer to the crayon question……. 🙂

  26. Mary on June 3, 2013 at 9:02 pm

    Congrats on the awards! Winter is finally ending here. I'll be looking forward to the return of the cooler weather. I'm not much of a fan of heat. Happy June, Michelle!

    • Michelle Wallace on June 4, 2013 at 9:51 am

      Are your "star-gazing activities" dependent on the weather? I was just thinking that you probably spend lots of time in the observatory, whether it's hot or cold…? 🙂

  27. Bhavya on June 4, 2013 at 9:06 am

    Wow! Many congratulations on winning all the bloggy awards… happy for you 🙂 🙂 
    Looking forward to reading more of your posts in the coming days.

  28. Beverly on June 4, 2013 at 1:11 pm

    Congrats, Michelle!  I find myself feeling surprised to learn you're in South Africa, then feeling really silly for being surprised since the bloggers I know span the entire globe!

    • Michelle Wallace on June 5, 2013 at 12:34 pm

      The online community has tentacles that stretch far and wide… to the four corners of the globe! 🙂

  29. Rachel Morgan on June 4, 2013 at 8:57 pm

    "The power goes out …"

    Haha! I immediately identified with that one!

  30. nutschell on June 4, 2013 at 9:38 pm

    congrats on your award. And how wonderful of you tohelp your friends out by writing reviews for them. you rock!

    Nutschell
    http://www.thewritingnut.com

    • Michelle Wallace on June 5, 2013 at 12:36 pm

      Thanks Nutschell. I love helping out in any way I can.

  31. Jemi Fraser on June 4, 2013 at 10:04 pm

    I'd love to be at that dinner table!! I love so many of your answers – they would echo many of mine! 🙂

    • Michelle Wallace on June 5, 2013 at 12:38 pm

      That would make for riveting dinner conversation!  🙂 One guess as to which topic would dominate the dinner session?

  32. Emily R. King on June 4, 2013 at 10:08 pm

    I didn't know you were born in South Africa. Awesome! I really want to go there someday. Congrats on your award!

    • Michelle Wallace on June 5, 2013 at 12:39 pm

      I'll serve as a tour guide. Let me know when you land on my shores Em! 🙂

  33. Stina Lindenblatt on June 4, 2013 at 11:11 pm

    While you were visiting the 80's, would you get your hair done? 😀

     

    Congrats on the awards!

    • Michelle Wallace on June 5, 2013 at 12:41 pm

      Definitely! Maybe a perm? Remember those? Or that big "Farah-Fawcett hairdo"?  🙂

  34. Jocelyn Rish on June 5, 2013 at 5:43 am

    Congrats on all the awards – it was fun finding out more about you! 

    As much as I love the water and swimming, I actually don't like SCUBA diving very much. I got certified years ago, but it makes me feel claustrophobic, so I only dived a few times.

  35. Michelle Wallace on June 5, 2013 at 12:43 pm

    Well, I don't think I'll be doing any Scuba diving anytime soon… I can barely float! Haha!

  36. Vidya Sury on June 11, 2013 at 4:14 am

    I absolutely loved this post, Michelle! Oh, I am looking forward to our interaction. So fascinating that you shared so much of yourself – and oh yes, if there were a time machine, I'd love to be launched back into the 80's too! 🙂  By the way, check out Lee Ritenour's Starbright and Dolphin Dreams (both are on YouTube and I have a feeling you'll like them.)

    I would love to participate in the Celebrate the small things bloghop. Sounds like a fabulous way to list gratitude.

    Thanks again, Michelle. We will definitely keep meeting! I am off now to check out Viklit's blog and subscribe to yours. 😉 Don't want to miss a post!

    Hugs! Vidya

  37. Michelle Wallace on June 11, 2013 at 6:52 am

    Vidya, the bloghop is a great way in which to acknowledge those little things that we often overlook… and Lee Ritenour is a great jazz musician! 🙂

  38. Medeia Sharif on June 13, 2013 at 2:31 pm

    I loved learning more about you. Congrats on the awards. I also cross-post reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. 

    • Michelle Wallace on June 13, 2013 at 8:15 pm

      Oh crikey, I had such good intentions of having those Amazon reviews wrapped up by now… I mean, all I need to do is transfer the Goodreads reviews over to Amazon. Time just flies… *shakes head*  I must really get onto it! Pronto! 🙂

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