Melissa's Idea Garden

My good bloogy friend, Nikowa, at Knowledge House Academy has awarded my blog with the Brillante Weblog Award.

Ain't it purty????

Since I'm visiting so many blogs, I decided to nominate a handful of my favorites. So if you're not on the list, please don't get upset. I could only nominate 5. I promise I'm still visiting your blog. So without further ado...

1. 365 Days in the Moonshine Capitol of the World
2. An Island Life
3. Blessings from Abiga
4. Mommy Cracked
5. My Three Boys and I

If you wish to pass it on, here's how it works:

Put the logo on your blog.
Add a link to the person who awarded you.
Nominate at least five other blogs.
Add links to those blogs on your blog.
Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I have a dear, dear, dear friend who I met when I first started homeschooling. Though we have some very different political and religious views, we enjoy one another's company and she has taught me all I know about Ebay. She is smart, funny, and a treasure trove of knowledge. I have mentioned to her about blogging before, but she has never given it a whirl. Well, there is a list that she is on and one of the gals decided to start up a blog called 365 days in Islip. Everyday, she posts something about her area of the world. After some other of my friends list buddies pressured her, my friend, Carole decided to give it a whirl. Her blog is called 365 Days in The Moonshine Capitol of the World. At the bottom of her blog, you can link to others who are jumping on this band wagon. It looks like a lot of fun and I can assure you that you will enjoy reading Carole's witty posts!

She invited me to join in the fun, but I just can't imagine running another blog, this one keeps me busy enough. But I may try to do a weekly post about where I live once I return to Virginia.

Anyway, this is a great way to get a birdseye view of other parts of the world. So go check out 365 Days in The Moonshine Capitol of the World and other similar blogs. (Cause I know you don't already have enough blogs to read!)

Posted by Melissa Markham at 5:11 PM | Permalink

A friend of mine just sent me an email about a wonderful program by a company Jeld-Wen Windows and Doors. This company chooses one lighthouse a year to restore its windows and doors. The lighthouse is chosen by popular vote. And you can vote for the lighthouse of your choice by visiting this website. BTW, you can vote, even if you are not in the U.S.

I am not going to tell you which lighthouse I voted for because I don't want to influence your opinion, but I will tell you it was a tough choice. I was drawn to some lighthouses for their architectural properties, to other lighthouses for the support they were receiving from their community, and other lighthouses for their history.
Take your time, look at the lighthouses and read their story.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I was visiting my buddy, Nikowa, at Knowledge House Academy and saw an amazing post she had titled God's Pharmacy. If you needed another reason to add more fruits and veggies to your diet, go check it out. It's a great post!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:29 AM | Permalink

My friend Jen had this fun meme on her blog, so I decided to join in. Jen lives in New Zealand and has been a great source of encouragement to me. If you get a chance, go by and visit her blog My 3 boys and I

Last Movie you Saw in a Theater:
Indiana Jones IV

What Book or Books Are You Reading?
Just finished Herlock Sholmes (very funny). Have started Never Look Back by Kathy Herman and I am doing the work in What Color Is Your Parchute by Richard Nelson Bolles.

Favorite Board Game:
I don't have a favorite, we like to play Monopoly, Life, Clue, Parcheesi, Sorry, Chess and we love card games

Favorite Smells:
Lilac, baking cookies or pies, fresh mown hay

Favorite Sound:
My daughter singing, my children playing the piano, a babbly brook, the sound of the ocean, twittering birds

Worst Feeling In The World:
Not being able to comfort my children, being on the outs with my husband, not being able to figure out what to do when a child is sick

Favorite Fast Food Place:
Long John Silver's

Finish This Statement.“If I Had A Lot Of Money I’d…”
Pay off debts, buy a new house, pay off the debts of family members, set up trust funds for my children and my nephews. Get a home at the beach and a home in the Rocky Mountains.

Do You Sleep With a Stuffed Animal?
no.

Storms-Cool Or Scary:
Very cool! And the scary part is cool too!

Favorite drink:
water, diet cherry 7-up, Venti Dark Mocha, extra pump, extra shot

Finish This Statement, “If I Had The Time I Would …..”
Exercise regularly

If You Could Dye Your Hair Any Color, What Would Be Your Choice?
Golden Brown

Future Child’s Name:
I'm not having any more children.

Do You Drive Fast? a bit faster than I should. Usually 5 mph over speed limit

One Nice Thing About The Person Who Sent This To You:
Jen is a good friend who is good at listening and gives good advice. She is also a faithful commenter on my blog!

What’s Under Your Bed?
Dust dragons and boxes that have stuff stored in them

Would You Like To Be Born As Yourself Again?
I will be born as myself again in the Kingdom of God

Morning Person Or Night Owl?
I grew up as a morning person, but I can also go late into the night. When the sun is up, I am often awake unless I am really really tired.

Over Easy Or Sunny Side Up?
Either

Favorite Place To Relax:
On the deck when the weather is nice. In a warm, snuggly bed when it isn't.

Favorite Pie:
Anything chocolate!

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor:
Ben and Jerry's - Chunky Monkey, Everything But the Kitchen Sink, and Oatmeal Cookie

Tagging those that would like to do this meme

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The last few weeks have been very busy. I have managed to keep up with my blogging and responding to comments, but I haven't had anytime to go and visit my favorite blogs. So if you have been missing my witty comments, I hope to be back with you soon.

We have just gone from one thing to another recently. Daniel's birthday, 4-H field trip, end of the year piano competitions, trying to finish up an afghan I made before heading off to Illinois next week. Getting things lined up to head out to Illinois next week. Finishing up the kids homeschooling yesterday. A youth yard sale. Mother's Day. And then every day life.

Continue reading "Introducing Tiggers Don't Jump (and Saying Hi to Other Bloggy Friends)" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Much like in is exhibited by the Pay It Forward movement, when we do something kind for another person, then they will often go forth and do something kind to someone else.

Amanda tagged me with the Five Kind Things Meme.

Here are the rules:

1. List five kind things you do for yourself. List five kind things you do for your closest friend, partner or child. List five kind things you have done for a stranger.

2. Tag five people.

Remember, kindness begins at home. When we take care of ourselves, then we have the ability to reach out to others. And the kindnesses don't have to involve money, time and consideration are awesome ways to show kindness!

5 kind things I have done for myself:

1. Exercise
2. Carve out time each day to read
3. Make more good eating choices
4. Bought myself a Nintendo DS Lite
5. Noticed something complimentary about my appearance

5 Kind things I have done for my kids and husband:

1. Got up to date tags for my hubby's Jeep that just came out of a year in the shop
2. Helped my children to sell items they no longer wanted
3. Read stories to my children
4. Play games with my children
5. Help my hubby with business matters

5 Kind things I have done for a stranger:

1. Prayed for them
2. Let people out into the road in heavy traffic
3. Let them go in front of me at the grocery store when they have less groceries than I do
4. Held doors for people
5. Given a dollar to a lady at the grocery store who was a dollar short

I am tagging

Whoever feels like playing! I appreciate each and everyone of you who stops by my little corner of the world (that's your kindness to me), so let me share this fun tag with you!

If you play along, let me know and I will link to you here:

1. You're next!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Laura at Laura William's Musings tagged me for this meme.

*Start Copying Here*

I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!)

It's real easy!

Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially!

The benefits of Viral Linking:

1. One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!
2. Increase your Google PageRank fast
3. Attract large volume of new traffic to your site
4. Build your community
5. Make new friends!

Continue reading "Linky Love Tag" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Are you ready for the upcoming Ultimate Blog Party? It will take place from March 7th - March 14th. There will be the opportunity to win prizes, meet new friends and just have fun! I will be participating by giving away a free copy of my three ebooks which you can see on my side bar.

So click on the cool button and find out the instructions now for joining. Mark your calendars and get ready for a week of fun!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 1:33 PM | Permalink

My new friend, Atomik Kitten was kind enough to give me this excellent award. I don't know that I deserve it, but I am honored to receive it! If you haven't met Atomik Kitten, take a few moments and go say hello! She is a straight talker and I love her header too!

I visit so many excellent blogs, I would want to choose just one or two. So if you would like to see the blogs that I visit regularly, then go check out my favorites list. If you aren't on there, let me know. I try to keep it up to date, but I get behind from time to time!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 1:18 PM | Permalink

Sorry for the all caps, but I am a little bit excited! Okay, today, for this moment, I am listed on the TopMomma website! Do you want to help me stay there all day? Or maybe even more than one day? Then, do me a big favor...click on this referral link and click on my button (Melissa's Idea Garden) when the page comes up! That's all there is too it! Cool, eh?

Of course while you are there, be sure to visit the other TopMomma's too.

Thanks!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Just in case you haven't figure it out, memes are kind of cool. I know there are blogs that don't do them, but I do them for two reasons. One, somedays they are the only blogging material I have and two, they are a great way to share linky love! And let's face it, linky love really does help the bloggy world go around!

So here goes: Laura at Laura Williams Musings tagged me for this viral linking meme.

Continue reading "Tagged for the Viral Linking Meme" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

My buddy Laura at Laura Williams' Musings was kind enough to name me among a list of blogs that made her day. This is a high honor for me, especially since hers is one of the blogs I read every day. And not just for her wonderful contest links, but for the great tips she shares, the reviews, and just her loving and fun attitude.

Laura says this about me: "Melissa's blog is a daily stop on my reading list. She offers book reviews, fun tidbits about history, and more"

Continue reading "Blogs That Made My Day - An Award" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Kailani over at An Island Life tagged me for the 7 Random Things Meme. If you haven't visited Kailani's blog, I highly recommend it! She lives in Hawaii, is a sterwardess and her job stories and photos of her children always make for great reading. Plus she has frequent giveaways.

Now on to my 7 Random Things....

1. I was born in Fort Gordon, GA while my Dad was in the army during the time of Vietnam. Through a miracle, he was never sent overseas which was a blessing to my mother whose father passed away a month before I was born.

2. My heroes when I was growing up were: The Bionic Woman, Isis, and Wonder Woman. I wanted to be like them and save the world from itself and the evil in it.

Continue reading "7 Random Things About Me" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Hey all, if you have vistied my friend Laura in the past, you will know that she has awesome contest posts! Everyday, she provides links to contests all over the blogosphere. I have won a bunch of stuff because I read her contest post every day and enter several a day. She also provides recipes, product reviews, and just bits of life posts.

Well Blogger, owned by Google, has tagged her as a spam blog and has locked her out of her blog. She can't post new entries. But she has found a way around this dilemma. If you want to check out her blog for the first time or if you are a regular, you will find she has her posts up and running, but they are not being picked up via RSS or email fees.

So, go over to Laura's, get your contest fix and show your support!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The more I visit around on the Internet, the more people I find that I enjoy reading their blogs. But my sidebar is getting out of control. So I am going to move my blog roll here to it's own little entry and I am going to link to this post from my sidebar just as soon as I make a fun button!

These are all blogs that I visit at on a pretty regular basis there is good stuff in them. If you are looking for more blogs to visit and new people to meet, this is a great place to start! Have fun!

• 365 Days in The Moonshine Capitol of the World.


• 5 Minutes for Mom


• A Bibliomane Admist utterflies


• A Familiar Path


• A Joyful Keeper


• An Island Life


• Aslan Christian School
• Average Girl's Guide to Being a Princess
• Blessings From Abiga


• Boo Mama


• Camy's Loft


• Clay In The Hands


• Cliffy's Mom's Blog


• 'Dat' Money


• Diva Network
• Don't Try This At Home


• Dotti Enderle, Author


• Gazing at the Flag


• Greek Roots in American Soil


• Heart n Soul


• Heavenly Homemakers


• Homeschooling in Illinois


• Homeschool Savvy


• Home Sweet Home


• Israeli Mom


• Jeneric Jeneralities
• Just Call Me Jamin


• Laura Williams' Musings
• Let's Get Real


• Less of Me, More of Him


• Lessons Learned on a Farm


• Mama Says


• Mel's World


• Mommy Cracked
• Oh Amanda


• Our Family Adventures


• Paeony Lewis, Author


• Pink Paper Peppermints


• Principled Discovery


• Rainy Day in May


• Real Life


• Reviews by Heidi


• Rocks in My Dryer


• Saddeyezz Scraps and Snaps


• SAHMmy Says


• Scribbit


• Sleepy Breeze


• Small Reflections


• Smockity Frocks


• Spirtually Unequal Marriage


• Super WAHM


• The Diva Network


• The Parent Bloggers Network


• The Sassy Southerner


• The Zen of Motherhood


• Tiggers Don't Jump


• Trust in the Lord


• Twisted Blog


• The Unlikely Homesteader


• Why Homeschool


• Writing Tips Blog


• Writing To Inspire


• Young Mom in the Big World

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I love to read and this past week I received several books in the mail. Some I received due to winning contests and some I received to do reviews on them. Most of them you will see in the future as giveaways because as much as I love reading books, I love sharing good books!

So here is what showed up for me this past week:

Awaken My Heart by DiAnn Mills. This is an inspirational romance and I will be reviewing it the last week of January or the first week of February, so keep an eye out!

From the back cover: Marianne Phillips, the daughter of a wealthy rancher, has never agred with her father's harsh treatment of the poor mestizos who first inhaited the colony of Texas, when rebels kidnap Mairanne, in hopes her father will trade back their land for her freedom, she realizes her loyalty lies with her abductors, not her father, who plans to marry her off to the don of a nearby estated.

Armando Garcia is the locals' reluctant leader, but his people revere and depend on him. Knowing that without his leadership they'd be forced from their land, Armando accepts his role, but does not approve of the latesst attempt to manipulate the enemy. When he learns that Marianne actually speaks his language, of her loyalty to his people, and of the faith that keeps her strong, Armando is faced with a difficult decision. Will his newfound love keep him from leeting her go? Or will he set her free and risk losing their land forever?

Continue reading "Books In The Mail" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 6:46 AM | Permalink

Last week, I shared with you about Amanda's Themed Gift Basket Contest and I wrote about some of the themed gift baskets I have created over the years (or would create if I had unlimited funds.)

Well, today, Amanda let me know that she and her sisterchicks had picked my entry to win the prize of an awesome themed gift basket! I am tickled pink (or maybe I should say chocolate!). Thanks again, Sisterchicks!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Today I ran across a couple of posts that I want to share with you!

1. I read a wonderful letter to Santa when I went to Cherished Moments. It is a letter that will make all mom's smile!

2. For all of the single income families that stop by, you know how hard it is to make ends meet on one income. Many of you moms out there have come up with ways to supplement your income either via crafts, writing ads, writing books, or other types of work that can be done from home. It is important for us to support one another when we can, so in that line of reasoning, I want to encourage you to visit Julianne. She is having a contest to promote a product she is selling. Go visit! And good luck!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 12:04 PM | Permalink

I got tagged today by a new friend. Her name is Nikki and I would like to invite you to visit her. She has a sweet looking blog and right now she is looking for others to share their autumn poetry with her! So stop by, say hi and visit a spell!

She tagged me with the 7 weird things about me tag. I had done that recently, but if you missed it, you can check it out here.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:53 PM | Permalink

I ran across this at my buddy, Laura's blog and thought it would be fun to do. I love sharing random things abour myself! (BTW, if you haven't been to Laura's blog, you reall should go visit! Not only is she sweet, kind, funny and helpful, but everyday she posts about contests around the blogging world...you can win some great stuff! And she was recently voted #5 out of 20 of the top contest blogs!

Okay, on with the eight Random Facts....

1. I love the quiet hours in the morning when everyone else is sleeping. It is the time I think best during the day and get the most done. Somedays, I delay starting school, just so I can enjoy more quiet!

2. I am a hands on kind of gal. When I am mixing cookie dough, I will often use my hands...best mixer I have ever found and it doesn't break or wear out! When I am gardening, I usually start out with gloves on, then I give up and switch to my bare hands. I love digging my hands into the black dirt (purchased from the store cause we all know the dirt in Virginia is red, red, red).

3. I enjoy movie marathons. You know...where you get out the Lord of the Rings Trilogy or the Star Trek movies and watch them one after the other.

4. I miss exercising. Ever since my knee gave out this summer, even walking has become difficult for me. I miss the power I used to feel striding here and there...now I walk gingerly, afraid my knee will give out again.

5. Writing is in my blood (not a secret if you have been visiting my blog for very long). I have been writing since I was about 10 years old. I have written hundreds of poems, three non fiction books, a fiction book, and many, many articles and of course blog posts. I have been in charge of newsletters at several different jobs in my life time.

6. I love snuggling under warm covers on a cold winter day....preferably with a book in hand!

7. I enjoy playing video games. Role-playing and puzzle games are my favorite. I also really enjoy the Mario Party series.

8. I used to spend nights walking through my house with a baseball bat when my husband was working out of town. Now I sleep so soundly, I don't even know it when my daugther comes and gets in bed with me in the middle of the night.

Now I am going to take a page from my friend Laura's book. I love doing Memes. Partially because it gives me something fun to write about and it is yet another way for me to get to know more about you and for you to know more about me. I don't like tagging people though...there are many people who don't do memes at all and have a 'meme free blog'. I don't understand it...but hey, I don't have to!

So, here's the scoop. If you are looking for blogging material or are wanting to share with others and get a bit of linky love in the process, write a post about your eight random facts, then send me the link. I will link to you on my blog.

1.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My friend Laura tagged me a few days ago with a meme regarding why do I publish ads on my blog.

I have been writing since I was a child. I love to write and I have been looking for ways to turn that into a career since I was a kid. But even when I don't make money, I write. I can't help myself. I have done business and church and family newsletters. I email. I write stories and poetry. I write nonfiction articles and books. I love to write! So I was thrilled to find a way that I could use my writing talents to make some money and let others know of great products and services out there on the internet. The internet is a big place and if I can help my readers sort through the noise and make some money at the same time, I am happy.

I am also happy to be able to bring in some money to our family. I don't want my husband to feel the strain of being the sole provider. Plus I like having spending money of my own. It's more fun to buy Daniel a present with money I have earned than with money he gives me. There is freedom that comes with having a little money in my pocket to spend on things for myself, my children, the house, my friends.

So those are my reasons for publishing ads on my blog....

Continue reading "Why I Publish Ads on My Blog..." »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today, I was made aware of some technical difficulties on my blog. Because I had not closed a command on my blog, people who were using Fire Fox were having trouble commenting on my posts. Now, as bloggers, you know that comments are what makes a bloggers day go around!

So I am sending out a big hunk of linky love to Scribbit and Amber for taking the time to make me aware of the problem. And an extra thank you to Amber for helping me solve the issue!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 7:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)