Always A Day Late

Yesterday I was going to participate in the Random Tuesday Thoughts. I was going to. I even had a list of topics sitting next to my computer. It was like topics were falling from the castle's rafters (better than what usually falls from there) - and I was pretty impressed with myself.

But Blogger had other ideas.

I don't know what the deal is. It's moving my pictures around. It's changing my text from where I put it, to another random place in the post. It keeps getting stuck when I try to upload pictures. Maybe the "Scheduled outage at 2:00AM PDT on Thursday (4/16)" is a good thing.

So. Fifteen hours of fighting with the computer and I still have nothing to post for yesterday. (Although in Bloggerland I could change the date and time of my post, making it look like I'm so bomb I overcame the issues...) Then it hit me - and I have the bruise to prove it.

For this week only, it is with official coronation that I am appointing today, Wednesday, April 15, 2009, WUWT WEDNESDAY. What's Up With That Wednesday will be my royal tribute to Random Tuesday Thoughts for this week.

This is why I never participate in these things. I just can't do it. It never works. Group activities like this just hate me.

Stay tuned. My WUWT WEDNESDAY post is coming...even though it was promised yesterday. (Maybe I should call it BLTN WEDNESDAY? Better Late Than Never...)

Hope your taxes are done.

Big List of Giveaways

I know a lot of you like giveaways as much as I do...and there is a very cool giveaway site I want to tell you about. It's called Big List of Giveaways, and it has loads of bloggy giveaways listed on it!

Janice Smith is the founder of this great site, and in her latest newsletter talks about the staggering success she has encountered. Listen (ok, read) this:

The Big List of Giveaways has now been live for 4 short weeks and already it has 180 Giveaway Sites listing their giveaways, over 380 giveaways listed, 130 email subscribers, 57 RSS subscribers and 325 Twitter followers! Analytics indicates that the site has had 14,856 page views, an average of 5 page views/visit and a very low 6% bounce rate. The site has DOUBLED over the past week and I could not have done it without you!

There must be tons of people clammoring for one great site listing all the fabulous bloggy giveaways! This is good news - and I've added Woot Loot to her list. I'm hoping that will help bring more people to register for each month's Loot, so I can make the prizes bigger and better. (I'm sure no one wants that, eh?!)

When you have a minute (like as soon as you've finished reading my incredibly awesome blog), head over to Big List of Giveaways and take a look around. I'm sure you'll find about a gazillion things you want...and all you have to do is enter! I know of some really good giveaway sites - but none of them compare to this one. Everything under the sun is listed - and honestly, when I went through the list of giver-awayers, I couldn't think of one blog not on this list. It's so posh, dahlink. So what are you waiting for?? Check it out now - you can thank me by forwarding on one of the katrillion things you are bound to win! xx

You're So Random, Mom!

Oh yeah. It's coming. I just have to finish a few things (including my post) and then it'll be here. Just hang on. It would be a lot faster if I could: 1) Do more than one thing every three minutes on this "high speed cable" connection I have...and 2) Could figure out what is up with Blogger and why it's changing everything around that I write today.

It's coming...and it's gonna be a doozy! While you wait, click on the button at the top of this post. But don't forget to come back...please...

The Queen's Official Entrecard Ad Policy

THE "NEW"

LOVE IT...or...HATE IT??

I love to blog hop. I think that is why I enjoy Entrecard so much - it exposes me to a lot of blogs I probably would never find on my own. I really like the feeling of community - and I've grown very fond of several blogs, respecting the bloggers who write them.

I've noticed, while doing my blog hopping lately, that many people I respect as bloggers have posted their stance on the new Entrecard policy regarding paid ads. (I know I'm speaking some foreign language to people not involved in Entrecard...so those people are excused from reading my rambling for the day. Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your day off! lol)

After carefully weighing the changes Entrecard has made - without getting much input from the members, who (incidentally) make the whole program possible - I have made a decision regarding the new paid ads...and I'm posting it here. Not so much for your viewing pleasure - but more as an explanation to my 3 readers - and get it off my chest. (Trust me - there isn't a lot of room for extraneous stuff on my chest. haha)

Lately, I haven't done as much dropping as I normally do. It's been my sad attempt at boycotting the changes I don't care for. I was still reading the same blogs I always do - but I wasn't dropping on them.

I decided that wasn't going to get me very far...the Gods at Entrecard could care less what this Queen does, thinks, or says. They made that real clear when they instituted the paid ads format. All week I watched the cost of advertising on my blog plummet...while watching the number of paid ads (from people/companies not involved with Entrecard) sky rocket. I was extremely irritated at the shift - so I decided to start dropping again to see if that might bring up the cost to advertise on my site. To be clear, I'm not interested in inflating the cost to advertise here for those who utilize Entrecard - I was just curious what would happen. So on Friday, I began dropping again.

The first blog I happened upon was Bad Gals Radio. The post for the day was about officially boycotting Entrecard by not dropping that day. I liked the concept but felt like I had already done my own little boycott - which hadn't made a bit of difference - and besides, I was on a mission to see what would happen to my advertising rate. I tucked the boycott in the back of my mind, bummed I didn't know about it sooner, and continued on.

I hit a few more sites, carefully paying attention to the ads running on each widget. I refused to click on the ones I knew were paid ads - instead, only clicking on the widgets I was familiar with and knew were part of the Entrecard community. Then I came to a blog I always enjoy - Crotchety Old Man Yells At Cars. One seriously funny blog and on the forefront of a lot of topics, Crotchety was talking about this boycott, too. Hmmm Time to sit up and take notice. Even over at Dogmaw Glass - another blog I just adore - the word was out regarding how paid ads would be handled. I stopped dropping, resigned to not drop again until I decided how I wanted to handle this paid ad fiasco. I would unofficially follow the boycott.

So...after reading lots of different ways people are handling this very intrusive policy, I've made up my mind - and I'm going to post it clearly. Right after I show you the new little picture I came up with for Entrecard...

Feel free to copy, if you'd like.

From here on out, the Queen will follow the brilliant policy Jo over at Life's Perfect Pictures, came up with. After doing some research (which you can read more about by clicking on Jo's blog title), here is what she came up with...and from now on, this is what the Queen will follow:

If you want me to accept your paid ad you MUST FIRST sign up for a normal advert that you buy from me using EC credits! Once this is done I will approve your paid EC ad, however, if you cancel your advert with me before it runs I will also cancel your paid ad. I think this is a fair deal! Just so you know, this is a family blog so I will not accept just anything to run on my blog! This will continue, so if you want me to run your paid ad you will pay me ECs to run on my widget the old way too!

That Jo is one smart chick. Since she was able to put into words what I had been trying so hard to express, if you have any questions, let me know. I'll ask Jo then reply with an intelligent answer regarding what I think. ha

Oh - and feel free to use the Entrecard icon I made up. If enough of us use it, maybe it will send a strong message. If no one else uses it, maybe I'll be notified by Entrecard that I'm being "released" from the program.

"Bawk! Bawk!" Is Cute...But for Easter??

My very favorite Easter commercial. Twenty-nine years after M&Ms first debuted this commercial, I can't think of Easter without thinking, "Thank you Easter Bunny...bawk! bawk!" Thanks, YouTube, for making it possible to share my memory.

Happy Easter everyone...BAWK! BAWK!

Have a very Happy Easter (or Passover)
Remember the reason we celebrate today

(Although I had no clue why bunnies laying eggs
has anything to do with Easter...until now)

The Story Behind the Easter Bunny
by Lindsay Johnson

The Easter Bunny has become a classic, cultural symbol of Easter, but according to historians, it did not start out as a Christian symbol. So, what’s the story behind the Easter Bunny?

The rabbit is a symbol of fertility and reproduction. Because of their rapid reproductive process, rabbits were seen as having special powers to help humans reproduce.

As many know, spring is a time of rebirth and renewal, so it is not surprising Easter also comes in spring. Along with being a time of rebirth, spring is also seen as a time of fertility.

The first mention of the rabbit during Easter was in Germany in the 15th century, it also the first place to make chocolate rabbits in celebration.
Before long, the Easter Bunny stopped being just a symbol and actually became a living being, bringing chocolate and candies to “good children.” The Easter Bunny became a sort of Santa Claus figure.

Children would hide their Easter baskets around their homes, and it was believed the Easter Bunny came and filled them. In the old days, boys’ baskets were made from caps, and the girls’ baskets were made from bonnets. It was not until the tradition grew more popular that elaborate baskets started to be made.

Easter eggs were seen as a symbol of new life, such as a chick hatching from an egg. This is why the chick is another symbol of Easter today. In Eastern Christianity, eggs were allowed to be eaten during Lent because they were considered “dairy.” Because of this, eggs were seen as a prized possession or a present, therefore giving special association to eggs during the Easter holiday.

Today, Easter eggs are not so much eaten but decorated to celebrate the holiday. They were originally painted in bright colors to symbolize the light of spring and rebirth. This tradition is still practiced today.

Now, in addition to dyeing eggs, we have chocolate eggs and bunnies covered in bright foil as a symbol of Easter. These candies and sometimes even the eggs themselves are used as Easter games. Parents would hide these around the house for their children to find on Easter morning, yet another connection between the Christian holidays of Easter and Christmas.

Easter is this Sunday, so don’t forget the chocolate bunnies and eggs when visiting family. Keep the tradition going!