Miss America

That's what we've called her since she was a baby-- Miss America.

My Middle Sister, aka Miss America, is celebrating her fiftieth birthday December 7th, and for the life of me, I simply cannot figure out how that happened! Well, of course I can, but it's hard for me to imagine 50 years has passed since Miss America arrived in our family-- Especially since I don't generally admit to being over 47 years old myself. Which, considering I'm 20 months older is, well, nothing short of "new math". Ha!

A family friend dubbed her Miss America the moment he saw her as a baby and sings the song every time he sees her even to this day. She was a stunningly beautiful child-- Beautiful blond hair with curls down her back. And today, fifty years later, she's still stunning on the outside AND the inside as well.

Middle Sister is the Mom to this guy who's nearly 21 years old now. He came home from hospital after he was born wrapped in this stocking a few days before Christmas. He's a sweetheart of a kid. Hard to imagine she has a son who's nearly "legal" now. Sheesh.

More kids than her son have been touched by her beauty and kindness. Middle Sis is an special education teacher with the patience of a saint. She's the teacher all the moms want their kids to have in school.

Middle Sis volunteers a tremendous amount in her community including training Service/Therapy Dogs at her home. This year, she made arrangements with the school to bring her current dog to work with her one week per month. The dog, named Vinny, is a labrador-poodle mix that has a huge, positive effect on the kids and makes classroom time far more productive and enjoyable for them. Middle Sister knew it would and went out of her way to make it happen. It's been life changing for some of the students.

Middle Sis also taught Vinny how to remove clothes from the dryer one piece at a time-- a little volunteer perk that will help his eventual owner enormously. If she can teach a dog how to fold and put the clothes away, her title will go from Miss America to Miss Universe in my book!

In the past fifty years, Middle Sister has been the very generous "go-to" person in our family for countless favors ranging from school car pooling to helping pack and move houses and apartments more times than any of us can remember. She's also the Auntie at ALL the after school concerts and activities driving near and far to attend.

And make no mistake, Middle Sister the Queen of Concert-going--

Especially if this guy is playing. It's country singer Keith Urban and she's totally crushing on him. I made this picture especially large as a little 50th birthday present for her.

Middle Sis is the voice of sibling reason who always offers a shoulder to cry on or a sympathetic ear to vent to. But the things I love most about her are, her smile and grace that light up a room, her sense of humor that will have you falling on the floor with a perfectly timed roll of the eyes, and her heart-- It's bigger than you could ever imagine.

Yep, she's our family's very own Miss America and today she's fifty. But, she's not thrilled about turning fifty anymore than I was so I'm trying to ease her into it.

Hey Sis, repeat after me-- 50, 50, 50, 50, 50 and FABULOUS!

Happy Fifth Birthday Middle Sister. I love you!

Do you have nicknames for your siblings?

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna

Sundays In My City #15 - Tucson, Arizona

Do you know Unknown Mami? She's awesome and she created a fun Sunday theme inviting you to get out and take pictures of your city to share with the rest of us. Click here for details and her logo and click here to see Unknown Mami's City today.

Last year Beloved and I had the chance to spend a long weekend in Tucson, Arizona. It's about a 6-7 hour drive from our home in Los Angeles and so we ventured out and discovered a gorgeous city. The dessert was in full bloom.

All of these photos were taken on the grounds of our hotel.

It took me a while to get my nerve up to take a hike up the path near our hotel because there were signs that said "Watch Out For Rattle Snakes". Yikes!

But Beloved took the hike first and told me it was worth the effort and no snakes were in sight. Phew. I'm glad I did because at the end of the path was this gorgeous waterfall!

How's your Sunday?

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna

628 Followers!

Check out Eddie Bluelight's terrific feature The Sunday Roast and hear the thoughtful advice on blogging from Grumpy Old Ken. He's not at all grumpy and his advice is terrific.

And don't forget to read Debbie of Suburb Sanity's interview with me below. It includes a GIVEAWAY-- Just in time for the holidays! xo Joanna

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED - Congratulations of CC of If Only I Had Super Powers for winning the $25 Visa Gift Card. Thanks to all who entered!

Meet Debbie at Suburb Sanity. She's graciously agreed to answer a few questions for our A Crazy Little Thing Called Blog "how to" series.

Debbie started posting on Suburb Sanity in August, 2008. Her very first post received eight (8) comments! By October, 2008 Debbie's comments were in the 30s. In November, 2008 she hit 71 comments with a hysterical post about Jim Carrey.

Then in January, 2009 Debbie hit the jackpot with a post about her Internet provider’s customer service with 170 comments! From then on Suburb Sanity pretty much averaged upwards of 100+ comments per post! In September, Debbie had a whopping 241 comments with a SITS recognition.

Oh yeah, and at the time of this interview, Debbie had 628 Followers! (She has

even more now!) One look at her blog and you'll understand why. Suburb Sanity is fabulous!

Q. How did you grow your blog to upwards of 100 (and often more) comments per post?

A. I was reading and commenting on a few blogs for several months before I started my own. I had read the "big" names, tried commenting there, but gave that up. I loved commenting on the smaller blogs because the authors would respond to me. They encouraged me to start my own. And they took the time to answer all of my questions when I was confused, which was all the time. They were my first readers and commenters and they are still around today! I'm very proud of that. It is easy when you only have 20 or so comments on a post to go to your commenters blogs and comment back to them. That is the secret to starting, I think. We all love that personal connection.

Q. Did you read and comment a lot to introduce yourself around Blogland in the beginning?

A. Absolutely. I still do. I love meeting new people and checking out new blogs. You never know who you'll find out there and what information you'll turn up. From recipes to decorating to parenting to humor - I get it all from the blogs I read.

Q. Did you Google Keyword topics to attract readers?

A. I wouldn't even know how to do that now! I write about what I find interesting. I like to keep it light, most days! I like sarcasm and humor. I love observing people and life. And interestingly, some posts I've written that I thought would be big hits have fallen flat while others I was afraid I had just "phoned in" have been huge. You never know what will connect with people but if you're being yourself, you can't go wrong.

Q. You have 628 Followers! How many blogs do you follow and regularly comment on?

A. I appreciate each person that has clicked that "follow" button on my blog. There are so many gazillion blogs out there. It is amazing to me that anyone would chose mine! As of today, I have 884 blogs in my reader. Not posts. Blogs. You don't even want to know how many posts are in there! I'm feeling overwhelmed just looking at that number!

Q. Did you “get a big break” somewhere that boosted your exposure-- Like maybe a mention on Oprah? – kidding, sort of.

A. I wish! No big break - just a lot of clicking away. Now, if anyone wants to introduce me to Oprah, we are from the same state so there is a kindred spirit there I'm sure.

Q. How much time do you spend a week writing blog posts versus reading and commenting on other blogs?

A. Most posts take me from 45 minutes to an hour to polish. I spend waaaay more time than that reading and commenting. I could use an extra 24 hours to read and comment each and every day. As my readership has grown, I can no longer get around to everyone as often as I'd like. I have a bizarre and OCD system set up to get to everyone in their turn! Sooner or later, if you've been by my blog, I'll get to yours, I promise. And, if you are a regular commenter, I'll get around to you on a regular basis. Again, it isn't as frequent as I'd like but it's the best I can do right now.

Q. What would you estimate is the ratio of “commenters” vs “lurkers” on your blog posts?

A. Well, if I have around 630 followers and get 80 to 100 comments a post, I would think a small percentage actually comment. And yes, it is mostly the "old faithful" that comment regularly. But that's OK. I know it is hard to think of a comment sometimes.

Q. Any other advice you would like to offer new bloggers?

A. Be the kind of blogger you want others to be. If you want comments, then comment. If you want followers, then follow. Start by going to blogs similar to yours. But don't be afraid to branch out. I have met the most amazing people on here that are nothing like me at all (goes without saying since they are amazing!). Have fun. And don't expect to make money. I sure can't offer any advice on making money. But, if anyone has advice, I'll take it!

~~~~~~

There you have it folks! A million thanks to Debbie for her insight into blogging. She's one of the good guys out there-- A terrific blogger who appreciates her readers and Followers and makes a point to visit, read and comment on A LOT of blogs!

As a thanks for reading Debbie's interview and to encourage you to VISIT DEBBIE HERE AT SUBURB SANITY AND LEAVE A COMMENT YOU can enter to WIN a $25 Visa Gift Card.

All you have to do is leave TWO comments-- Leave one comment BELOW on my blog, AND one comment HERE Debbie's Blog-- THANKING HER FOR THIS INTERVIEW.

All entries must be received by midnight, Saturday, December 5, 2009 to be eligible. Comments must be made on both blogs at the above specified links/posts. One entry per person. $25 US dollars. Drawing will be random. All results are final.

How do you "Follow" blogs? (Example: Do you thank each new Follower, have an ongoing system to check in with each Follower, etc.??? When someone Follows you do you automatically Follow them? When you are required to Follow a blog for a Giveaway Entry how do you handle future visits to that blog? Any input on "Following" would be helpful to all of us. Thanks!

Welcome to The fifty Factor - Joanna

Photo Credit: © alma_sacra - Fotolia.com

Holiday Hangover

Once the turkey hangover passes, that wonderful feeling of relief washes over me. Can you hear my happy sighing through your computer screen? Ahhhhhh. It's the sigh of relief indicating that my cooking and entertaining responsibilities for 2009 are officially over. I'm coasting for the rest of the year!

If you celebrated, I hope your Thanksgiving was great and I hope you're all energized for the next round of partying in December. I, personally, am still working on the "getting energized" part.

Do you know the wonderful Cinner at Things About Who, What, When, Where, Why? She has a beautiful blog, a great attitude and is a delight to spend time with. Please check her out. Cinner recently passed this nice award onto me.

The idea behind the award is to list 10 fun things about yourself, and then forward it to 10 of your favorite blogs. I'm not sure how "fun" my ten things are but here goes....

1) The pool and deck are still in the back yard. Phew! But they have not magically stabilized either. I've spent months working with contractors and engineers combing over blueprints and reports and well, my head hurts at the massive job ahead. We're close to making a final "plan" and decisions on what to do. In the meantime, I'm wearing garlic around my neck, burning sage and looking for an Exorcist so things don't get any worse.

2) Beloved's grand daughter "The Precious One" came home from the opposite coast for the first time since she started college. What a difference three months makes. She was always a poised and sweet girl but now she's a mature young woman-- And she took our breath away. There's no turning back now. She's not a kid anymore. When did that happen?

3) Big Sister called me early Thanksgiving morning to tell me about a muffin that's better than sex. I must admit, she peaked my interest with that one. And she was right! Here's the recipe for "Great Sex Muffins"-- (Get your mind out of the gutter, this is not an R-rated recipe.) The next time you make stuffing, make it a little extra moist with broth or stock. Use an ungreased muffin pan (without the paper liners). Form large "meatballs" out of the stuffing (don't pack together too tightly) and place in the center of each muffin cup. Place a small dab of butter on top of each muffin. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes. Let cool a few minutes, then remove from pan. Prepare yourself for "the scene" from When Harry Met Sally. Eat muffin and enjoy! It's the muffin equivalent of the "crispy on the top, moist the middle" part of the stuffing. I hope it's as good for you as it is for me.

4) Thank gawd the possible pumpkin shortage for Thanksgiving did not hit Los Angeles. I'm guessing pumpkin growers or the likes started that cruel rumor to maximize sales of pumpkin pie. And let me tell you-- It worked! I ran out and bought pumpkin pies three days in a row and I have the extra pounds on my hips to prove it.

5) Nearby Beverly Hills hung their new holiday banners from streetlights. Each picture is a different banner. They look like this.

It's happy and bright and upscale but it kind of makes me feel like I need to dress up to shop there.

6) On the other hand, Target has a new campaign to "sell Christmas". This commercial cracks me up.

7) My holiday shopping list usually has 37 names on it. But this year, my list is only 18 names long. As a sign of the times, and perhaps a touch of holiday humbug combined with a total dislike for shopping, my Ohio family has decided we'll draw names this year. The thought makes me kind of sad for the nieces and nephews (who are ages 15-27) but happy not to empty the wallet this season. How big is your shopping list?

8) Godson has been pushing me to get a dog for years-- You know, because "Beloved needs one". Well, that is not going to happen and I've told him so for the last eight years that he's been "hinting". But, my folks in Ohio just got a new puppy (Noah's on the left) and now he's strongly hinting that we need to go to Ohio over his Christmas vacation to "walk the dog for his God-grandparents-- because they're old and it's cold there". Godson forgets that I know all to well how cold it gets in Ohio which is a big reason why I now live in the Golden State. And FYI--Godson and I go to Ohio "for snow" every other year. Last year we stayed two extra days due to a blizzard that shut the airport down. We're staying in Los Angeles this winter-- where it's snow-free, but I can't blame a guy for trying.

9) If I'm in a carb coma from all the Thanksgiving food I've consumed, why isn't Beloved in a football coma from all the football he watched?

10) The Monday after Thanksgiving ritual continues-- No more carbs, no bah humbug this year, no living in fleece and turtlenecks for the next five months-- it is Southern California, after all, and-- I am going to find my Blog Mojo if it's the last thing I do! Thanks for hanging in there with me while I search for it.

As for the ten blogs I'm supposed to pass this award onto-- I pick you and you and you and you..... Sorry, picking is too much pressure. If this interests you, please, by all means grab the award and run with it. Or you can...

...tell me one fun thing about yourself!

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna

Photo Credit: Top Photo © Shyrokova - Fotolia.com

Nanny Goats in Panties: The Sunday Roast

Did you ever wonder where the blog name "Nanny Goats In Panties" came from? If you know Margaret than you who I'm talking about. If you don't know Margaret, you should! She's awesome.

CLICK HERE for blogging answers and a great interview with Margaret in this weekend's "The Sunday Roast.

Hope your weekend is going great!

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna

Photo Credit: Margaret at Nanny Goats in panties and Eddie Bluelights at Clouds and Silvery Linings

A Crazy Little Thing Called Blog: YOUR Tips & Advice #1

Lots of great advise, words of wisdom, tips and insight have come in through comments on my A Crazy Little Thing Called Blog feature. So in case you missed them, below is a running list of info that you might find helpful as a new or even seasoned blogger.

Please feel free to add any additional advice you might have in the comments and this post will be updated again at a later date.

I did my best to keep track of who gave which tip first so if you left a similar tip and you're not credited for it, it's just because someone beat you to it. But, your advice is greatly appreciated so keep those cards and letters coming!

--Having read through several dozen emails from bloggers to pull this list and other feature notes together (with links) I will start by saying please add your blog URL to your email signature. Open your email and Keyword Search "Signature". It should give you the steps to add it automatically at the end of your email. It will help blog friends identify your blog and it will promote your blog to others who receive email from you.

And, if you see a lot of blank space between the end of your post and your Comment Button, go back to Edit Post and scroll all the way to the very bottom of your post. Delete the extra spaces at the very end of your post until your curser it just after the last period (.) of your post. It might only look like a few spaces when editing, but it's much longer on the published post.

--Be careful with your blog title and URL. Mine was supposed to be temporary, and if I liked blogging I thought I'd switch to a better, permanent title. But of course by the time I was hooked I'd made friends and it was too much trouble to change. Pseudonymous High School Teacher

--I wish that I had researched more before deciding on my blog title. It's not very appealing. It doesn't make anyone who sees it say "hey that sounds interesting, I think I'll check it out". But now I feel stuck with it because everyone knows me by that title. Matty at Matty Thoughts

--The one thing I wish I´d known, is how addicting blogging can get! :) Betty at A Glimpse Into Midlife

--I wish someone would have told me months ago to add the followers gadget...at the prompting of a couple of my blogging friends, I have just recently added this and may have had missed opportunities for followers? It often feels like a popularity contest though...I don't like that part. Erin at Erin's Art and Gardens

--Commenting: My one pet peeve is taking the time to visit a blog, read through enough posts to determine whether I like it enough to follow it, publish a comment or two or six and then get summarily ignored. That's just rude. I don't like bloggers who think they're just too too wonderful and important to wave back. Alix at Casa Hice

--When I finish my comment I copy it by depressing the keys ctrl AND c.
I try to send it - sometimes it accepts but if not this time I smile to myself because if I am summarily expelled from blogger I just enter the post again and PASTE the comment I have saved into the comment box by depressed ctrl AND v and hey presto it either accepts or rejects and if it rejects I keep doing it until the comment is sent. I do this all the time now and save hours and hours of wasted time. Eddie Bluelights at Clouds and Silvery Linings

--I'm a little bummed because I installed Disqus [for comments] and I like it, but I get some complaints and I can't get rid of it now because I don't want to lose all of my comments. Unknown Mami

--I don't like the Disques comment form and I also don't like word verifications. I just like to read and leave a comment without jumping through hoops. 2 Toddlers and Me

--You can turn off word verification on your comments, in your Blogger account, in settings.

--It bothers me when people leave mean Anonymous comments on my blog or anyone else's. Have a backbone stick by your words or just move on. Unknown Mami

--I wish I had listened to advice not to use my real name. Someone from my past looked me up, and caused all kinds of trouble for me. It's okay now, but I had to threaten to file a police report. Gran at Gran Speaks

--I wish I had been a lot more anonymous and didn't plaster my full name everywhere. Kristina P. at Pulsipher Predilections

--One thing I didn't realize was my blog could end up in someone's hands as a result of a google search. Joanie M at Joanie's Random Ramblings

--Deleted Posts: If I had known what I know now, I would have left some of the posts I originally blogged. They were from my heart, inspirational, deep and I was afraid I would have offended someone. So, I erased them. Pastor Sharon at Dances With God

--Moderated posts - I understand that every now and then we get hit by spammers but that's almost always on older posts. There are settings to moderate anything older than two weeks. Hilary at The Smitten Image

--Pet peeve: A lot of ads on blogs that take ages to load. Selma at Selma in the City

--I really don't care for advertising in a blog, I can get all of that stuff everywhere else.Davine at 3 Buddah's and Me

--You should never use someone else's photo unless you have their permission and/or have paid them. As someone else mentioned, you can look for photos with a Creative Commons license that allows for sharing, that would be considered having the photographer's permission. If I use a photo that isn't my own on my blog, I do a search in Flickr for photos that have a CC license. Liz at Inventing My Life

--I use only my own photos which just like anyone else's will appear on Google images if someone does an appropriate search. This does not mean that they are up for grabs. They're still my images just as every other photo out there belongs to someone else. Without permission and attribution, it's considered plagiarized. Hilary at The Smitten Image

--You can find copyright free images for your blog at:
http://search.creativecommons.org/
or
http://www.sxc.hu/index.phtml

Unknown Mami

--For the copyright symbol [on a PC], the HTML code is & copy, with no space between. When you type them together you get & copy. Willoughby at This Stop Willoughby

--On the Mac keyboard that the © is produced by hitting the option key and then G. Hilary at The Smitten Image

--My biggest pet peeve is that bloggers seem to feel like they have to live up to some schedule or standard and fail to realize that this is not a job! If you have nothing in your mind to post, then don't post. I have seen blogs where people don't post for 3 weeks at a time and still gain a following. Blog world laws are simple. If you post, people will read. If you leave comments, you will get more comments, and if you go away, people will wonder what happened to you. I hate the whole virtual friends stigma that is attached to this thing, that is why I put my phone number in my comment section, because I want to be able to build relationships with some of the people that I meet here. Otin at Wizard of Otin

--Blogging I find is a place where you hope to be heard, but you must first learn how to listen. Ocean Girl at Live High

NEW QUESTION: What's your opinion and/or preference about RESPONDING TO COMMENTS YOU RECEIVE? Do you respond to comments individually on your blog? Do you email the commenter with a response/acknowledgement/thanks? Do you respond to some but not all depending on the comment? Do you not respond directly to comments at all? Do you leave comments on their blogs pertaining to their original comment? And/or do you leave a comment on their current post as an acknowledgement of their visit to your blog? (Make sense?) Short question: What's your blog commenting etiquette?

Word Verification was stated as a huge pain by many bloggers. So as a test, I'm turning ON my Word Verification for one week to see if it makes a difference in the amount of SPAM I receive. I'll let you know the results soon.

Hope your Thanksgiving was great!

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna

Photo Credit © Mikael Damkier - Fotolia.com