Reach 1,000

Remember how a few weeks before Christmas I was trying to get my author's page to 500 likes? Well, all you folks rallied and I was able to hit my goal. Since then, I have participated in a phenomenal marketing event and I now I'm just 10 away from hitting a thousand! If you or someone you sent to my site happen to be #1,000, please let me know...I just may have a little something for you...
http://www.facebook.com/christina.paul.author

December 12th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina – 

Baby it’s cold outside! It’s only 20 at the moment, even with the sun up, but I’m not going to complain, because it’s 7 at my daughter’s college, and one of my readers posted it was -16 by her. Just think, it’s only 98 days until spring! J

I’m so proud of myself. I only have one Christmas present left to purchase, and I will be doing that before my writing group on Tuesday because the store is right around the corner from the Princeton Public Library. Now the trick is going to be finding the few gifts I “put somewhere safe”.

 

All I’m missing is a jar of preserves I picked up for my mom while I was in VT – we call her Grannie, and the label was from Grannie’s kitchen or something like that, so I got it; and the two signed Monty books I got for my great niece and my cousin’s daughter – those I’m most worried about, because that was their main gift. UGH! I hate when I do that, and the sad thing is, I do it every year. I’m pretty sure that would fall under the “definition of insanity”.

 

I have about an hour’s worth of cleaning to do today, no sweat, and I still have to get the door prizes done, but that can wait until Saturday if necessary. The one thing I did forget about, which absolutely has to be done today or they won’t set in time, is the Venetian layered cookies. These will be my contribution to the cookie exchange, because they are a favorite.

 

I still have no clue how many are coming. I sent the evite through Facebook, and I don’t think a bunch of people I invited got the message. I know when I went back over the list, there were six people I had sent invites to, but their names were not highlighted and I had to resend the invitation. A couple of people I talked to said they never saw it, and sure enough, their names weren’t highlighted either, so I had to resent those as well. I’m convinced FB hates me.

 

Update on my quest to hit the 500 mark by Christmas – I only need 56 more. It has been a whirlwind 36 hours, because just like I do on Twitter, I try to do on Facebook – if you “like” or “follow me, I reciprocate. Speaking of Twitter, is there anyone out there who can give me Twitter 101? I am completely baffled. I went through about three weeks where I was getting several new followers every day – don’t know what I did to trigger that, but I wasn’t going to complain – and now I haven’t had a new follower in a week. Okay, not true, I have, but my number of followers hasn’t gone up so I guess a couple unfollowed me. Probably because I’m Twitter illiterate and inadvertently snubbed them somehow.

Okie-dokie, I had better get this show on the road. I hope you have a fabulous day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

 

Battling the storm with French toast…

 

Oh no, there’s a storm coming! Let’s all run out and buy up all the milk, eggs and bread they have at the store. Seriously folks? Really? Your idea for weathering a storm is by making tons of French Toast? How’s that going to help?

Perhaps fifty years ago, when modern conveniences weren’t as readily accessible, this approach would have made much more sense. Then, if a major storm hit, you could have gone without power for a couple of weeks, but now, unless you're getting hit with something the likes of Super Storm Sandy, chances are pretty good, you’ll be up and running again in a day or two.

Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy milk, eggs and bread before a storm if you happen to be out or running low, but is there really a need to purchase multiples? If, by some freak accident, you are out of power for over two weeks, the milk would be spoiled and the bread would be stale anyway.

Wouldn’t it make much more sense to stock up on non-perishables and things like bottled water, candles and matches? I’m just saying…

 Your Next Challenge is:

My life is a (Sit-com, Drama, Soap Opera, Broadway Play, Reality TV Show, Musical, whichever) and why.

 

You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

December 11th

Hi, it’s Christina – 

Just a quick post today and no challenge – sorry. I spent my extra time this morning trying to drum up more “likes” for my author’s page in hopes of hitting the 500 mark by Christmas.

I have to leave in a few minutes so I can get my car serviced before my trek to Vermont on Friday, and while I’m out, I need to swing by the chiropractor then pick up some of the last items on my Christmas list and stuff for Sunday’s cookie exchange at my house.

When I get home, I need to pack away all the Christmas decoration boxes, clean up the house and begin prepping for the Cookie exchange – get all the stickers for the cookies written, print out the tickets for the drawing, wrap the grab bag gift, print the recipe cards, and make the door prizes.

YIKES! I have an awful lot to get done before Sunday and before Christmas. I don’t have a single present wrapped yet. So, I’m out of here. Have a wonderful day & happy writing!!