* ANOTHER GOODREADS GIVEAWAY *

Goodreads Book Giveaway

From Pigtails to Chin Hairs

by Becky Lewellen Povich

Giveaway ends May 27, 2016.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

* WHAT ABOUT A GIFT CARD GIVE-AWAY? *

Happy Wednesday, y'all ~

I've had 392 Followers for a LONG time, and I truly appreciate every single one, from the moment they decided they liked my little blog, right on up to the present. I've lost a couple here and there, but that's okay, too....especially since I haven't been blogging regularly for a LONG time, either.

Remember the excitement each new follower brought? I do. I miss that, and since I'm getting back into blogging again, I hope more people will somehow find me. Can you help me? I've been thinking of some kind of give-away to have (it won't be for my memoir, unless someone specifically asks for it. And only because some people may be tired of hearing about it!) Any ideas?? I'm thinking that everyone likes gift cards! I could offer a gift card (to just about anywhere) to anyone who sends the most friends my way, or something like that.

What are your thoughts? ...And yes, I know the number of followers isn't really important, but it's like the number of reviews I've received on Amazon....S L O W!

~~~



Wishing everyone a beautiful, blissful day wherever you are and whatever kind of weather you're having. We're having HOT and HUMID....but hey, it's summer and that's how it's supposed to be around here!

source: mediacitygroove.com

 

~~~

* I just thought of something else. Remember when blogging was really popular, around 2009 and 2010? So many of us had Play Lists with tons of our favorite songs. I miss that! I don't think there's anything available like that anymore, is there? ....You know, that's free!

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one." - C.S. Lewis

* ADD A BOOK TO YOUR BOOKSHELF! *

 

Speaking of adding a book to your bookshelves.....

I'm feeling very Christmasy, so I'm going to GIVE AWAY some copies of my memoir!

For a period of time, not yet determined, whoever buys a book directly from me, will receive a 2nd book FREE! So, you can do some of your Christmas shopping right here!

AND, if you've already purchased my memoir, you may buy one or more for half price ($7.48) during my special.

* To take advantage of this, you'll need to contact me by e-mail because my website Pay Pal is not set up for this type of sale. *
Writergal53 (at) Gmail (dot) com.

Shipping will be $2.50 per book to USA addresses. For other countries, postage will be determined.

* If you signed up on my website to receive my newsletter, you will also get FREE shipping! *

SO, if you've wanted to read my memoir and haven't yet, this special is for you!

This offer won't last too long, so please take advantage of it! And tell all your friends! 
 

"Do give books - religious or otherwise - for Christmas. They're never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal." Lenore Hershey

A book is a gift you can open again and again." Garrison Keillor

"Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them. And it's much cheaper to buy somebody a book than it is to buy them the whole world!" Neil Gaiman

* A PINTEREST QUOTE & BOOK GIVE AWAY *

I'm still learning about Pinterest and it occurred to me this afternoon that I could create a board of quotes, beginning with something kooky my mother said to me after I graduated from high school in 1971.

 

It was obviously so memorable I included it all these years later, in my memoir: From Pigtails to Chin Hairs: A Memoir & More. It's at the end of the chapter titled: "That Crowbar Changed Everything"

 

 

Becky - Summer of 1971

Please click on the link below to go to the Pinterest board and read the quote.

http://www.pinterest.com/beckypovich/funny-quotes-by-mothers-to-daughters/

 

 

If you haven't already read my memoir, would you say my mother's quote would inspire/motivate you to want to read it?

 

I'm including a give-away with this blog post. If you'd like to be included for a chance to win a print copy or ebook, leave a comment below about mothers/daughters/quotes and indicate which book you prefer: print or ebook. Give-away will be open until midnight on Friday, October 24th. If you mention this on Facebook, Twitter, or your own blog, you'll get an extra point for each. Feel free to tell your family and friends - - and Good Luck!

* GOODREADS MEMOIR GIVE-AWAY *

Goodreads Book Giveaway

From Pigtails to Chin Hairs

by Becky Lewellen Povich

Giveaway ends August 31, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

* ANNOUNCING A GIVE-AWAY *

Announcing a Give-Away on a dreary Wednesday afternoon in May.

~~~

 



Although I just announced I won't be blogging as often as I have about my book, one of my upcoming guest posts that I also mentioned is TODAY. I wrote a humorous piece for my Guest Blog post over at Maryann Miller's It's Not All Gravy. The title of it is "Pigtails? Curls? Perms?" Please stop by there and leave a comment if you have a moment. And maybe also where she reviewed my memoir: Book Review.

BECAUSE whoever leaves a comment at her book review, AND at my Guest Blog post (both links included above), and then leaves a comment HERE telling me, will be in the drawing for a GIVE-AWAY. That is THREE comments.....and the give-away is for SEVERAL ITEMS!

Those items will be posted a bit later today. I'm not trying to be mysterious....just have some things I have to do. Remember to come back!

LATER!

 

 

8:45 PM -- It is now several hours later, but now I can include the pictures of the gifts! All of these items will be mailed to the lucky winner. (In the US only, though. I'm sorry that the postage rates are outrageous for other countries.)

 

I also forgot to say when the deadline for comments will be. Comments can be left at Maryann's blog, in both blog posts, and then back here, until midnight (CDT) on Sunday, May18th.

 

 

All of these items have never been used!

 

A 5 x 6 note pad

A pale pink, shabby chic, birdie tea light holder

A Tropical Drinks S&P Set

 

 

 

Another view of the birdie

 

Four note cards (2 of each)  Teapot design

 

Four note cards (2 of each) Floral design

 

Come to Tea book - all kinds of cute craft and recipes

Very cute for little girls and moms, or just moms!

approx  sixe: 9 x 10

 

Mary Engelbreit's Fan Fare Cookbook: 120 Family Favorite Recipes

(spiral bound, hardcover, heavy duty pages - VERY nice)

This is the cutest book, as you can imagine! I remember when Mary had a Call Out for recipes to include in this book and I never got around to submitting anything. (another time I kicked myself in the butt, which takes quite a bit of double-jointedness!!)

Each recipe gives the person's name and town.

 

It also contains lots of Mary's drawings and sayings!

 

 

 

 

"A friend will tuck the tag back into your collar." -- Anonymous



* GIVE-AWAY ENDS TUESDAY *

Just a reminder that my giveaway on Goodreads ends on March 4th...that's this Tuesday!

Click giveaway details to enter. Four print copies will be given away and as I type this, there are 265 people entered.

* Giveaway ended & I have the names and addresses of the four winners. A total of 616 people entered which is a fantastic number! *

~~~

 

 

Oh, the weather outside is crappy

 

 So, I'll just take a nappy.

 

The snow will cover the pot holes

 

And the sleet will ping the windows

 

But I'll be napping happily

 

Until it's time for some Bordeaux!

© Becky Povich

 

 

 

 

What can I say?! I'm the one who has this on my side bar:

 

 

"There's a poet within me, seeking words that rhyme with crap!"



"From Pigtails to Chin Hairs" -- COVER REVEAL

No, you didn't misread that. Yes, it's unbelievable, but today is the day I can reveal the cover of my memoir, From Pigtails to Chin Hairs: A Memoir & More.

* Update 11/11: The paperback edition is now available on Amazon, with the Kindle version coming asap.*

~~~

** Synopsis **

         In "From Pigtails to Chin Hairs: A Memoir & More," Becky Lewellen Povich takes us from her young Midwestern childhood in the 1950s to present day. Chapters are vignettes of everyday happenings, or unexpected events, written in the way only Becky can, with humor and poignancy woven into them. It begins with her years of summertime fun, Christmases, the neighborhood kids, classmates, trips to the dentist, and long car rides to visit grandparents in Iowa.

         She willingly shares the bittersweet times which include her parents' divorce, major disappointments, preteen and teenage angst, a whack on her head from a falling crowbar, and her ill-fated first marriage, spent mostly in Germany. She also comically writes about her happy second marriage, cell phones, dishwashers, and how she was born with a klutz gene.

         Becky is an award winning author with publications in Chicken Soup for the Soul books and other anthologies such as, Thin Threads, Not Your Mother's Book On…, and Patchwork Path; plus newspapers and small magazines. 

~~~

 *A few chapter titles to entice you *

Paradise on Preston Lane

Multiplication Made Easy

Piggy Back Toes & Coffee Can Spittoons 

Lost on a Continental Trailways Bus

That Crowbar Changed Everything

The Tupperware Queen of Tacoma, Washington

Why Do I Say These Things?

Keep Those Tweezers Handy

~~~

I'll have a PayPal widget on my website ASAP if anyone would like to order directly from me (for a signed book, maybe.) I'll have some bookplates, too, that I can mail. I will also accept checks, of course!

I think words like dreaming and surreal may be a bit overused these days, so I'll attempt to come up with different ones to describe my feelings about finally reaching this point in my writing life. How about: flabbergasted? dazed? astounded? dumbfounded? Yes, I believe those are good ones.

A few friends have already offered to mention my memoir on their blogs and to them I say, Thank you so much. I've been reading about and preparing my marketing and promotion for years (and I do mean years). I think I've mentioned before, it can be somewhat overwhelming, but it's a really good way of being overwhelmed!

In honor of being able to reveal the cover, I'm having a give-away for a print copy, and everyone is eligible. I'm not restricting it to just the US and Canada this time. * In my excitement, I forgot to post a deadline for the give-away. I'll make it this Thursday, Nov 14th.*

The Rules Are:

1) You must be a follower

2) Leave a comment

  That's all! 

As usual, I'm ending this post with a quote. This one in particular spoke to me.

"Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe." - Gail Devers

** "BOOKS & MORE" WINNER **

The winner of my newest Give Away....from July 13th
(http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/2013/07/give-away-books-more.html)  is.....

Susan from writing straight from the heart!
Congratulations, Susan! I will get your goodies mailed as soon as I can. It may take a while, though....as one of my Bestest-Blog-Friends can testify to :(

And yes, I will be adding a few more little items, as I wrote on July 18th, although I never got around to posting photos of them. 

I hope you enjoy all the books and more!

~~~

"Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul." -- Joyce Carol Oates

* UPDATE *

I've come across a few little goodies to add to my Give-Away that continues until Sunday, July 21st, at midnight. (I noticed I forgot to specify the Time Zone on my original post. My apologies! It is Midnight, Central Daylight Time.)

So please tell your friends to stop on by, leave a comment, and be my follower. Photos of new goodies will be posted....later today, hopefully!

Meanwhile, I'm toiling away on my summary and marketing information for the New York agent! I must do it as flawlessly as possible! 

Thanks again for all the well wishes. I certainly can use them! :)

~also~

 *Welcome to my newest followers, Two Crazy Crafters and Days and Nights I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! * 

"Writing is easy. You just open a vein and bleed." -- Red Smith

* A GIVE-AWAY - BOOKS & MORE *

Welcome to my newest Give-Away! It's been way too long since I had one, so I decided now is the time!

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stay at Home Moms

(I did not submit to this one, but I won it somewhere.)

A Slob in the Kitchen

by Karen Duffy

is a really fun cookbook! It's full of easy recipes, anecdotes, and quotes. I even bought two of these: one for myself and one for a give-away! 

A favorite quote from my childhood listed on page 125:

"I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." -- Wimpy (from Popeye)

Not Your Mother's Book...On Dogs

(Some of my writer friends have stories included, and I have one, too.)

Two great booklets for your home:

Taste of Home Freezer Meals

&

101 Ways to Decorate with Candles

Two tiny plaques approx. 3" x 2"

with wire hangers. 

(Would be adorable as gift tag add-ons, or hanging in a small area.)

The "rules" are simple. Just leave a comment here and be one of my followers. I'll allow comments until midnight Sunday, July 21st. Thanks in advance to everyone who will join in the fun!

Oh, one more thing! I will also add a couple of surprise items to the winner. Ooooh, what could they be? 

AND, finally....this Give-Away is open to my followers in ANY country!


"A disaster or unexpected event is an open invitation to let your imagination shine through." -- Karen Duffy

* I Won a Fabulous Blog Give-Away *

Oh my gosh! Y'all really must go to Jennifer's Quirky Pickings blog! She is having another fantastic Give-Away and you have a few days to still enter. You won't believe all the goodies. (12 Items!) And she doesn't require you to jump through hoops to be qualified! BUT, I suggest you leave a wonderful comment about her blog in general. Take a little time to see what she is all about, and also become her follower.

I've never seen such generous gift packages. I honestly don't remember what all I won, but the first of many mailings arrived the other day: a Target Gift Card for $30.00! Woo-hoo! (I think I'll definitely be stopping at Target today!)

I'll be posting the photos of my new give-away in a day or so. I want y'all to have plenty of time to enter Jennifer's at Quirky Pickings!






"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside." -- Mark Twain

* HALLMARK CARD CONTEST *

At the end of my June 28 blog post, I wrote:

"To be continued.....

and

P.S. I'll be having a Give-Away next week, so please be sure and drop in!"

Well, time got away from me, 

so, I haven't gotten my give-away put together yet, 

BUT

here is a contest I'm happy to share with all: 

the Hallmark card contest! It's free and easy to 

enter and submissions are accepted until July 21. It's

part photo contest and part writing!

Give it a try and let me know that you entered!

Remember the old Hallmark card commercials on TV?? Did they make you cry?! I almost always got misty eyed! 

 *Welcome to my newest follower Betsy Brock I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! * 

Have a wonderful, blissful weekend everyone!

“You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.“

― Winnie the Pooh

* AND THE WINNER IS.......*

Hello Everyone! 

* The winner of my book give-away from Wednesday, May 22nd is.....McGuffy Ann! Congratulations! I also mention it in the comment section of that post: http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/2013/05/books-dogs-give-away.html 

~~~~~

In spite of the yucky, rainy, dark, dismal, cloudy, and almost floody weather at my house.....I will NOT let this weather get me down.....(although I hate it!)....I'm following my sister-in-law's example and reminding myself that compared to the recent horrible destruction and loss of lives in other areas, I have nothing to complain about! 

So.....to begin:

~~~~~

I'll supply my own sunshine!

  

One of my favorite local trails. (2009)

Mmmm....a strawberry dipped in chocolate and chilled. (2011)

A gift from a very good writer-friend! (2012)

Vern snoozing on the deck. What a sweetie!

Lake of the Ozarks...Ahhhhhh (2011)

Beautiful blue sky and huge, puffy, white, cotton candy clouds! (2012)

~~~~~

AND, how can anyone keep from being happy when hearing this??

Birds chirping, music playing, Julie Andrews singing!

Maria: I can't seem to stop singing wherever I am. And what's worse, I can't seem to stop saying things - anything and everything I think and feel. 

Mother Abbess: Some people would call that honesty. 

Maria: Oh, but it's terrible, Reverend Mother. 

* Books * Dogs * A Give-Away *

It's been such a long time since I've had any kind of contest or give-away, I decided the time is NOW!

Do you love books?

Do you love to read books?

How about dogs?

Do you love dogs?

Do you love to read books about dogs and the people who love them? 

~~~

If you answered YES to any of these questions, please keep reading!

A true story I wrote about our first dog, Rocky, ("Rocky Loses by a TKO") is included in this fun and fabulous anthology. I will give one away in a random drawing consisting of people who leave a comment (and also become my follower if you aren't already) on this particular post.

My oldest son, Scott, & Rocky - 1982

We got Rocky when he was just a pup! 

And, boy, did he get into all kinds of trouble!

A couple of wedding photos that Rocky tried to eat! 

I mention this in my story.

Rocky and me - 1988

By this time, my youngest son, Mark, was 6 months old.

Rocky and Mark 1988

When we brought little, newborn Mark home from the hospital, Rocky immediately became very protective of him. They were pals until the day we had to say good-bye to Rocky when Mark was 10 years old. 

If you read my blog post from May 1st,you'll remember Tracie Hotchner, the Radio Pet Lady. I'll be calling into her show It's a Dog's Life ** A Brand New Show **"Your Dog's Best Friend" tomorrow evening, May 23rd, around 7:05 pm (CDT). If it's at all possible, please be sure to listen to the live podcast!

You don't have to listen to be part of the give-away, though! (If you'd like, you can always listen to show archives on Tracie's site, too.)

* Adendum Thursday, May 23rd 10:35pm CDT:
As you can see, I crossed out the name of the originally planned show, and added the Brand New Show: "Your Dog's Best Friend", which had its first broadcast this evening! I was "on" between 7:30 to 7:43pm. Please listen to the archive show, which should be posted on the podcast archives soon!
In this case, the "best friend" of your dog, is Sarah Hodgson: "dog trainer and people trainer for dogs"!

SO.....what do you need to do to be included in the give-away drawing? I'm making "the rules" very easy. You don't have to repost it, twitter it, facebook it, or go to any trouble. 

I just ask that you leave a comment at the end of this post, and become my follower, if you aren't already. That's it! 


Comments can be left until midnight Saturday, May 25th. (CDT) I'll make the random drawing after that and post the winner on Sunday's post. Any questions? Just ask!

Thanks and maybe you could tell your dog-loving friends about it, too! 
~~~

P.S. If you're a writer, the publisher, Publishing Syndicate, is accepting stories for a multitude of various upcoming anthologies. Check it out!

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." ~ Anatole France

* Gifts From Creative and Delightful Carmelina *

My beautiful "2000 Follower Give Away" gifts from Creative Carmelina! 

I apologize for the delay in getting my photos posted, but I was having problems with my camera. And as usual, the colors don't seem quite right, but if you click on the link above, it will take you directly to the specific post with Carmelina's gorgeous photos.

Carmelina is so creative and talented. She used a dress pattern as gift wrap!

This elegant crocheted starched tea cup set is just beautiful!

Lovely hand crafted floral note cards with envelopes!

Two of my favorite things in the whole world: embroidered flour sack towels!

Charming pink doily and white crochet dish cloth!

~~~~~

and...........

Since Carmelina is such a sweetheart, she included some extra gifts for me!

The above cream colored doily with lovely embroidery in the center.

And....these darling handmade pins!

What a fun surprise when I opened the box brought by the mail carrier!

Thank you again, Carmelina! I will definitely use and cherish my gifts!

* Welcome to my newest follower Maria. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! * 

** One more thing. My first Volunteer Guest Blogger (VGB) will be Claudia Mundell of Claudia's Page this Friday, February 15th. Be sure to stop by! **

"Give generously, live joyfully, love abundantly." -- Unknown