Congratulations to the winner…@Keelydeux!

Thank you all for the kind and witty comments and for reading my blog for 9 whole years! 

I’m no Oprah (or Pioneer Woman for that matter – have you seen her 12 days of Christmas? Someone is doing quite well for themselves. ) but I wanted to celebrate my 9-year blogoversay by giving one reader a token of my affection.

By which I mean, a Kindle.

Yes, it’s the one with ads. And yes, it’ll arrive after the holidays. But it’s the thought that counts, right? It’s one of my favorite things so I thought I’d share something I love with the people I love.

Just leave a comment – something nice, like a link to something pretty, your favorite macaroni & cheese recipe, or a promise to name your first born Corrin – and I’ll pick a random winner on New Year’s Day. If you really want to help me celebrate, follow me on Twitter, check out Oh Hey on Facebook, and/or subscribe to my feed.

Thanks for helping me celebrate my blogoversary, bitches! xo.

The fine print…This giveaway is sponsored by yours truly. Amazon has no idea who I am but they do know my credit card number. I’ll make every effort to contact the winner, but please verify your information before hitting submit. One entry per person, US only, Kindle will ship directly from Amazon after payday.

There’s no way this post isn’t going to come across as me being a bitter Betty even though these are simply some of the things that have caused my devotion to blogging to waiver over the last year. I try not to do any of these things (if I have done them, I’ve learned my lesson) and I’m not calling anyone out for their blogging style of choice – I just kind of ignore any blog that does any combination of the following.

Now’s a good time for a gain of salt.

1. Captchas – If spam is such a threat that readers have to verify three times that they’re human before their comment is even submitted for moderation, perhaps you’d prefer no comments at all? Install Akismet. Check your spam folder once a week. Get over yourself. Don’t annoy your readers.
2. Tribrr – I adore the sharing of blog posts on Twitter. The majority of the posts that I read catch my attention on Twitter. But if I see a link from Tribrr I can guarantee you that I will not be clicking – it’s impersonal and meaningless. If a post is so amazing that you want to share it with all of your friends, it deserves a personal recommendation. Love this! Read it! is way better than New Post via @randomblogger.
3. Gift Guides – I write gift guides all the time. I include things that I genuinely use and love and things that are on my wish list. I make a point to include a little intro info or some nugget about why each item is included. My annoyance comes from the posts that contain a list of links. And nothing else. I need to know why you think something would make a great gift! Isn’t that the point? To guide me? And you lose all credibility when every item is c/o (see below) and/or an affiliate code.
4. c/o – This may meet FTC guidelines but it doesn’t meet my blogging standards. It tells me nothing about the item that you’re featuring besides the fact that you got it for free. If it’s good enough to accept and good enough to link to I expect some insight as to why.
5. Shameless Self Promotion – You are your own biggest fan. I get that. Tweet your own post, share it on Facebook, give it a Stumble. Don’t do it repeatedly. Don’t tack the link on to some vague Tweet about how you may or may not be pregnant. That’s link bait. Fool me once and I’ll never click again.
6. Lists – Top 10, Top 100, Top blah blah blah. I find them irrelevant. I think at one time they may have been useful, but now it’s the same blogs rearranged and regurgitated.
7. Feeds – I don’t use them, I vaguely understand the concept, I have no idea if mine work. I bookmark the sites I love and every morning while I’m watching the news I click through to see if there’s anything new. Bloggers put a lot of time and effort into the experience of their blog; I think we should respect that and actually visit their blogs.
8. Storytelling – More specifically, the lack thereof. I don’t think everyone is a born storyteller (I’m not) and I don’t think you need to pour your heart out in every.single.post (I won’t be RSVPing to your pity party) but include some tidbits about your life, family, your afternoon. My favorite blogs are  lifestyle, fashion, and design focused, but they all share something of themselves through their posts.
9. Blogging Conferences – I’m conferenced-out. I’m not learning anything new, I’m not meeting anyone knew, and I’m not good at the shameless self promotion (see above) required. I believe conferences are what you make of them and I just don’t have it in me anymore.
10. Twitter Parties – Can we chill with the Twitter parties? The cap locks, the retweeting, the feigned enthusiasm – they just aren’t productive. Regularly scheduled Twitter chats are a chance for collaboration and idea sharing. Twitter parties are contests and spam.

Is there anything that’s caused you to become disenchanted with blogging? Either as a blogger or a reader?

If you weren’t at BlogHer, you’re probably sick of hearing about it. If you were at BlogHer, you’re definitely sick of hearing about it, but you understand that the goal of BlogHer is to take as many ridiculous photos as possible in a three day period.

Mission accomplished.

Also? Don’t let the pictures fool you. I spent most of the conference Tweeting from bed, enjoying the ocean breeze.

I thought I had found the man of my dreams...

But then I decided I could do better.

And then this happened. Because who wouldn't want to get knocked up by the Brawny Man?

I can't think of anything to say that isn't at least mildly obscene.

Because all bloggers are housewives, didn't you know?

I went to a party where I was expected to put a McDonald's bag on my head. And it's totally a tax write-off.

You'd never guess we weren't in Greece, right?

Whose idea was it to use a wide angle lens? Asshole.

Need. Bigger. Coconuts.

The Jimmy Dead sun got a little fresh with us. I guess it's not surprising when you're peddling sausage.

The venue was awesome. The party sucked. It happens.

That last photo is how I feel every day.

Completely random photo opportunity? We're in.

I'd write a witty caption, but I'm distrurbed by Cookie Monster's lack of a nose.

Are we photogenic, or what?

We have no recollection of this picture being taken.

I'd love to stay, but I really mustache.

My sidekick is ItsToni. Or maybe I’m her sidekick. There’s really no telling.

I am speechless. Blown away. Flabbergasted. Bowled over. Gobsmacked. Overcome. Overwhelmed. Astounded. Astonished. Moved. Weepy. And most of all, feeling loved.

Okay, so maybe I’m not speechless. I have a tendency to over-exaggerate.

What has me bubbling over with glee? The internet. The internet bought me a birthday present. The most bestest birthday present ever.

(Sidenote. I’m interviewing for a job that I really want. If they happen to read my blog, I just want to let them know that I know that bestest isn’t really a word. But it sure does sound fun.)

Booyah…

What started out as a ha-ha during a marathon cookie making event (read: your typical Monday night) turned into many, many lovely people Tweeting, sharing, emailing, and donating. Super, duper, squish-you-till-you-can’t-breath hugs and thanks go out to everyone listed below, plus those that Tweeted, messaged, poked fun, and cheered us on.

Cathy • Emily • Ken • Rob • Toni • Ashley • Cindy • Erin • Beth • Danel • Amanda• Kristin • Mom & Dad • Sheena • The Q • Lori • Chrissy • Tabitha • Daly • Marni • Terry • Erica • Elizabeth • Mike • Monica • Heather • Cindy • Leigh Ann • Megs • Emily • Jennifer

Whoever says the internet is a mean, ugly place needs to know the wonderful people I know and enjoy a few more cupcakes. They both make life better.

I’m headed to the outlets today to pick up my new baby! Then I’m going to whip up a batch of cupcakes and make a donation to Feeding America. Could there possibly be any better way to spend my birthday? I think not.

Thank you.

xoxo.

If you donated and your name isn’t listed or linked, please let me know! I don’t want to miss a single person!

Also, if you donated and want to make sure I held up my end of the bargain, I’d be happy to provide a receipt for my donation to Feeding America. Just email!

Not blogging (much) is boring. Here’s what I’ve been up to…

• Attended BlogathonATX.
• Registered for Texas Style Council Conference.
• Registered for TechMunch Austin.
• Registered for BlogHer ’11 in San Diego.
• Trying to get Twitter to buy me a KitchenAid Mixer for my birthday.
• Making more dinners from scratch. It isn’t cheap, but it sure is tasty.

• Volunteered to be part of A Knitted Wonderland at the Blanton Museum of Art. I’ll be knitting a Cosby sweater for one of 99 trees in the museum concourse at UT. (More on this later.)

• Laid out by the pool and suffered through record low temperatures and rolling blackouts in Austin all within the same week.

• Ventured out in the snow in a city that never gets snow and got rear-ended. Duh.

• Had a pity party because my flight to New Orleans was canceled on account of the snow. Which was completely melted by the time my flight was scheduled to take off.
• Finished my first digital photography class at the Dougherty Art School as part of my 40×40. It blew my mind and I have big plans to complete every digital photography class offered.

• Yapped about fashion at Buy-Her.
• Blabbed about style at Blissfully Domestic.
• Jabbered about free stuff to do in Austin at Inexpensively.
• Logging lots of miles with Cardio Trainer.

What have you been up to?