EtsyBloggers: February Blog Carnival

These are tough questions to choose from.   1) Next week is Valentines! We have already had a "love" theme, so Tell us about your favorite "romantic" book or movie and what you like about it.   2) We are also in the middle of winter! Write something about you/your family's winter experiences. 

As most my readers know, I'm not exactly a Valentine's Day fan.  But I LOVE winter. I know, I know, I'm weird. But maybe it's because I was born the day a blizzard started. Every birthday, which is February 10, I hear about how my father had to walk to K-Mart to get me formula because the cars couldn't get out. How there was 14 inches of snow...But it wouldn't be my birthday without that story. 

As I got older, I just had to be outside from dawn to dusk in the snow. My mom would have to drag me in. Oftentimes, it was a compromise to go in only to get the Pink Baby Magic lotion on my face and to change into dry clothes and new suit and back outside.  I wore out snowsuits, chapped my cheeks, lips, nose, you name it. I just loved playing in the snow. I'd make shelters, snowmen, angels, pretend I was stranded in a snow storm and would never get home. When I got bored and couldn't think of anything else to make up or over dramatize, I'd start to shovel driveways. In the short span of houses that I could wander to by myself, they were all elderly. So after I shoveled our driveway, I'd move on to the neighbors, then their neighbors and keep going as far as I was allowed. I was not even 10. 

But there was no way I was going inside! I remember one time one of the neighbors gave me a giant Mr. Goodbar. I was just dumbfounded. I was just having fun. I sound a lot like Forest Gump when he cut the grass. But anyway, I was the Forest Gump of our street. I just liked shoveling. Til the day I moved out of my parents home, I did the shoveling. When I'd visit from out of town, I still did the shoveling. There is a science and an art to it and feel I've perfected. It all depends on the snow type and how much has fallen or is falling. I NEVER wait til the snow is done. Living in an apartment has taken away that fun chore of mine. It's such a productive chore. There are times I want to tell the maintenance guy, no, you're not doing it right, but I don't. He must learn like I did. One day he'll get his Mr. Goodbar, but he's not ready yet.

Etsy Blogger of the Month: The Art of Joy

Looking for some illustrated printable items to make you smile? You've come to the right place... Stay and shop! It's funny that is The Art of Joy's shop announcement. As I was looking through her shop and found myself smiling. Cute Kawaii notecards, invitations, and stickers can be found in her Etsy shop.  Take a look at the sweet notecards and pirate invitations I found.

This Creative Mamma, has an incredible blog full of free printable downloads, podcasts and articles. As many of you know, I'm a marketing manager full time, and I give her site an A! On her site, you can see she's very up to date, participating in all the social media out there: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr to name the big ones. The design is awesome and clean and easy to read. But most of all, I find her generosity of podcasts and downloads the best part of her blog. Her illustrations are top notch and just plain adorable. Make sure you subscribe to her site/blog so you can stay up to date on her latest. And while you're at it, be sure to follow, friend, subscribe you name it! I can't wait for my first update from her shop.

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