Zen and the Art of Thanksgiving

A couple weeks ago, Bloggy Giveaways hosted the Spring Edition of the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival. I had participated in this with a contest of my own last fall but this year, with the random craziness, I passed, and barely had time to even enter.

I spent the last couple days of the carnival, staying up WAY too late in the night entering the ones I really wanted to win out of the nine hundred and nineteen giveaways offered this season!

And I won a couple of them! YAY!

One of them was what looks like some really yummy (and healthy!) Bossa Nova juices from a review and giveaway blog called the Beauty Counter! I am really looking forward to those.

Then there was a book I was really crossing my fingers for. Its called Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood by Karen Maezen Miller, which has been described as "an extraordinary book of practical wisdom offering a way to peace and freedom amid fatigue and doubt." Karen is, believe it or not, a Zen Buddhist Priest and a Mom with a great blog. Her book has 15 reviews on Amazon and they are all five star reviews.

I have been thinking about this book over the last couple months, while doing a bit of self-examination, and I think (I hope) it found its way to me for a reason. It has spoken to a lot of women. I look forward to hearing what it has to say to me.

Lastly, I never got around to saying thank you to Mary Ann of Pink Papillon Jewelry, from whom I won a stunning hand stamped sterling silver bracelet way back in January. I never posted about it, but I LOVE THIS BRACELET and where it often. Its bound to be a hand-me-down keepsake in our family. Why? Look here, and you will see:

Yeah, nice, eh? She does great work. You should go check out her stuff.

Anyway, just wanted to get right with the karma, giving my thanks and appreciation so good things will keep coming my way. Spreading the love, as it were.

Thank you, ladies!