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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Me an' Al - we're doing it...oh yeah...you betcha!

Heads up folks…

I decided to...you know...like - um...cough, cough...you know...sorta like...

ENTER APRIL WITH ATTITUDE!

Me and my awesome pal, Al, have decided to do it...and we both signed up for the 2013 Blogging from A-Z April Challenge.

Al, from Daily Bark, is #1382 

and

I'm #1383...as good a number as any, eh Al!

Now, I'm going to do this one on the fly - see what hits me between the eyes and go with it...but, you never know with me, do you, I could have all twenty-six done and be messin' with that wee head of yours...eh, Alfie. Tell 'em...it's been known to happen.

And...I do have a few surprises too...okay...lots of surprises 'cause didn't I just say I'm wingin' it! Really, pay attention...or you'll miss the juicy bits!

Here's a juicy bit or two...

This is my third year going for the gold, well, okay, no gold - but definitely the "going for" bit is real.

This will be my second time posting by the seat of my pants...well, not true I'll be posting by the usual manner of write it, proof it, publish it and then drink! 

Okay, that's not quite true, I'll be drinking while writing, proofing and publishing so I'm not really going to do much of the proofing, eh! 

Write and publish...that's where it's gonna start and stop for me. And, if it ain't up to snuff...tuff, eh Al - you with me on that buddy?!

Yup...now, I have to head out and buy a new blender...I'm going to be drinking plenty of protein shakes during this Challenge.

Oster Stainless Steel 12 Speed Blender - I'm in with the big boys now!


Well...

What about you?

You in or out? To do or not to do...this is the question?

Whatever you decide I do hope to see you around my neck of the woods.

AND, DON'T FORGET TO VISIT MY PAL, AL...DO IT...NOW! (a hint of Arnie creeping in there...hahahahaha)

Cheers, Jenny

NOTE: our Participation numbers will change due to the weeding out process by the A-Z team!

43 comments:

  1. Yay! You're doing the A-Z! I've got a feeling this year is going to be awesome.
    p.s. Has Alfie been on the protein shakes too - all that running and jumping and blogging. Poor little guy must be exhausted. ;-)

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    1. Thanks Ermie, for the enthusiastic response - I hope I live up to the "awesomeness" you envision.

      Alfie, is my daughter's dog and she's got little Al on quite the eating program. He now weighs a whopping 6 lbs - but when she got him he was almost 4...2 lbs on a little tyke is quite a bit of weight!

      Dare I say, it's my homemade chicken soup that is the broth for his meals! (go granny!!) :) :)

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  2. The only thing I can think of to say right now is a bunch of randomly typed out in excitement letters which sounded ridiculous so I deleted them haha, this is so exciting! I thought that there was no way considering how busy you've been recently that you'd be in for this year's challenge which was disappointing because I love your entries but you are and now we're getting 26 Pearson Report updates in on month wow wow wow, here it is adadafdjgfdajkgfdjkhjfgjgbjj

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    1. Gosh, Matt, what would Pearson Report (and therefore me) be without you as such a strong and steady supporter.
      You do rock and if you were closer I'd be taking you out for a massive steak and some non-alcoholic beers. (since you're given the real McCoy a break) :) :)

      Hmmm, maybe a quick trip to your part of the planet would inspire some awesome posts! Sure would be fun, eh!!! We'd invite you-know-who too! hahahaha

      And...I just love the enthusiasm spilling forth from your comment. Thanks!!

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  3. I'm not participating in the A to Z this year, but will be lurking on some of the blogs, so I'll drop by to see what you're up to. I'm working on a few other projects.

    I checked out Al's page, so I see who'll be doing all the writing and who'll be barking.

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    1. Hey there, DG - seems there's a few of the regs not up to the "challenge" - but I get it...I'm a little concerned I might have bitten off more than I can chew.

      So...one might not get their hopes up too high! Eh!!

      Isn't Al a riot - wee bit of dog - imagine, he's 6 lbs and was somewhat lighter when my daughter adopted him. He is so eager to please, I just love watching him - and so clever too! (proud granny - I crack myself up over him) hahahaha

      Thanks for stopping by! :)

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  4. Good for you, Jenny!
    I am currently not planning on the A-Z this year. The last two years trying and succeeding at it for both of my blogs took it out of me. And with family stuff going on, I just decided to give it a pass. But, I will be reading for sure.

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    1. Awwww....you gotta at least do one of your blogs....pretty please, with sprinkles on top!!

      I do get the pressure though - I'm under a lot myself and do have some concern about maybe having taken on a bigger project than I envision. However, since I am not a co-host, and just a participant it will be like the one back in 2011 - I loved that one.

      I had found out about the 2011 challenge on Al Penwasser's site on about April 2nd - I put together a B post with a little link to the previous day's post, which ironically happened to be about my new Apple computer (how's that for karma).

      After that, from C onward I just went with whatever came to mind - granted I had the help, on one or two, from my mom (in my garden suite) and then for a couple of other I "went fishing" or "for a run" so all in all it worked out beautifully.

      In fact, dare I say, winging it is cool! You really don't know what the day will throw your way.

      Now...sign up! Don't make me come out there and drag you to the Sign-up List! (there's a visual, eh!) Nah, we'd head to the nearest bar and have ourselves a couple of cold ones...

      Thanks for stopping by, Ruth - always adds a smile to my face! :)

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    2. Darn it, Jenny. Now you have me waffling.
      You know me, I am the queen of winging my posts.
      I promise to think on it.

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    3. It would be fun...and besides you're an awesome writer and your posts are great so you'll have no problem getting it together.

      W is for Waffling and Winging - and that's what we gals are gonna do! You waffle and I'll wing!

      Let me know what number you are...we'll be neighbours I'm sure! I'm #1596...

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    4. Oh, I hope I am not going to regret this. But, I signed up for both. You arm twister you. I am 1623 and 1624.

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    5. You won't regret it - promise!

      But I do declare you're a brave lass putting up both blogs - talk about needing a "double" - well, consider yourself joined in that affair as I'll be doubling up on my liquid sustenance during April - if they only knew what all went into those "protein" shakes of mine. (you do know I think of gin as a protein, right) hahahahaha

      Welcome aboard, again...let's rock this puppy! :) :) :)

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    6. I don't remember my number. Is that something important?

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    7. Hey, I read the comments above and remembered that I get the credit for you signing up in 2011! Well, whaddya know? You know, I kinda like glomming on to you and Ruth's comment string here. I feel like such a squatter.

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    8. Nah, Jenny just wanted to know. Don't worry, we know where your blog is.

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    9. Nope - but I stuck mine up there under my header just in case someone gets all excited and wants to actually verify that I'm "on the list" - you never know when the jolly guy in red will be around!

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    10. @ Ruth - do we "really" know where Al's blog is...or do we just think we know...not sure anymore...

      @Al - on second thought you'd better get that number up here quick! :P

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    11. I'M not even sure where I am. The dog looks familiar, though. That cinches it. MY house.

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    12. Al - your # 325 - man you were hard find...deep in the trenches as it were, but then for someone who's in the gutter with her bottle I'm surprised it only took me two passes...yup, the things we'll do for friends. (or to avoid doing dishes)

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  5. Welcome aboard, Jenny. You're brave, winging it. I'm scared stiff of that kind of no-safety-net spontaneity so I've been writing posts since January! Ah, well, each to his or her own, eh?

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    1. Hey, Botanist - great having you here! I figured you might need some company out there in the wide world of A-Zers...we go back a ways now and I'm really pleased to see you and your blog having fun with this challenge.

      Your topic is intriguing and I will most definitely be dropping by to educate myself!

      About winging it, like I said to Ruth, up there, I did that back in 2011 and loved it. So...let's see if the thrill is there again. :) :)

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  6. Glad to see you are participating in another A to Z! I look forward to your off the cuff posts!

    Julie

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    1. Hi Julie - yes, another April is upon us and I'm just a buffet kinda girl...always putting way more on my plate than I should...but, it's just too good to leave behind.

      So, if the humour gods are with me I'll have fun...if not, well, knowing me, I'll still have fun!

      Thanks for stopping by - and you have fun with the A-Z too - I'll be making the rounds so look for me in your comment area! With smiles, Jenny

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  7. At first I thought you meant me and said to myself, "Man, that's weird." So I broke my week-long fast of commenting and hustled over here. Whew! What a relief.
    I'm going for the non-gold myself for the third time in a row this year.
    Hope to see you around what will be a way hectic place!

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    1. I'm laughing, Al...because I said to myself..."Self, Al will be by to check out what I'm nattering on about!" - Sure enough...you've joined the party. What'll you be drinking...I've spiked the shakes with gin...will that work!?

      I've been incognito these last several months - you know, stalking silently behind the scenes...and I must say, you've been keeping me in stitches. So...I'm excited to see what's up Penwasser's sleeve for this challenge.

      Nice to have you, in uniform no less, gracing my space! :P :)

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    2. I'm going all history this year. I've found that I enjoyed writing about things of the past. All of my posts will have a smattering of actual facts, but they'll also be littered with nonsense. In other words, I hope nobody studies for the SAT at Penwasser Place. Teaser: I have posts about Afghanistan, Hell, Kublai Khan, History of Underwear, and X-Rays (among others). Oh, and my 'L' is 'Lazy.' Like your new picture (which doesn't mean I didn't like the old one).

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    3. You crack me up - always have! But lately you've been just winging at "the boys" out there that really deserve a good winging! hahahaha

      Love the topic - your good at the history stuff and you can really mean it's not ALL true - geez and here I've been quoting you as a historian and a serious guy in the know (aka know-it-all, with attitude).

      This is going to be an excellent challenge...it's got "bad-ass" written all over it! Eh!!!

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    4. Oh yah...the new photo - thanks! Thought it was time to shower and change! hahaha
      Man, I really gotta stop ginning and typing...then again, life's short and so's my gin glass!

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  8. Look forward to your posts- I'm panstering it too - for the third year :o)
    See you there
    Lx

    Blogging AtoZ @ChickLitLove

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    1. Seems a few of us are gluttons for punishment, like the first and second times weren't enough: :P

      Thanks for dropping in, Laura - good to have you on board. Looks like my original motley crew is all together...the more the merrier! :)

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  9. I am on, third year too :)

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    1. Hey there, Claudia - Wie gehts?

      It's going to be a rocking time seeings how Ruth and Al are going to be entertaining us - lots of good fun awaits.

      Glad you're part if it - third year's the charm, right!! :)

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  10. Congrats on your impromptu desicion. I still have a few hours to think about signing up. At least I'll be able to read all your's and Al's stuff.

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    1. I like to pretend it was impromptu - well, okay, it was...but I've been mulling it over since...well, since last year! hahaha

      Truth is...I like this Challenge for the sake of challenging myself - and winging it is exactly what I need to do as so much of my time is structured; this one month "throw caution to the wind" break will do me good.

      The rest of you will suffer as I will truly be tossing out the trash at the same time and the two might get tangled! (hey there's my T post...T is for Tangled Trash) :P

      I really do hope you participate.
      I could so see you doing an A-Z of All Things Gardening - I would so be there! Well...I'm so there anyway because your gardening advice is timely and expertly presented, plus your photos are tantalizing.

      You really need to share...so, sign-up, like right now...and just keep doing what you do, but do it for the A-Z. You'd rock it too!

      Keep me in the loop as to what you do. :)

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    2. No need for the loop - I just came back from your blog - YES!!!

      Welcome aboard Mr. 1645 - this is going to be an excellently awesome A-Z now that you're in on the craziness!

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  11. I've two blenders and almost never use them :( I don't like how they foam the things up :( So I mostly use a citromatic or whatever you call an electronic fruit squeezer :) I do, however, use a very small blender when making kiwi and banana juice with some honey and orange juice.

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    1. I took the blender back - once I got it out of the box I thought it was way too cumbersome.

      Mumsie has an antique blender, which I made off with when she wasn't looking...took me forever to scrape the dust bunnies off it and make it presentable - once done it works like a charm.

      I have this amazing hand blender, by Bamix, and it does just about everything. However, a blender is what I want for these shakes which contain pumpkin and sesame seeds and chuncks of ice...for that a blender is handy.

      Your kiwi and banana juice sounds yummy...send the recipe for that too...time to write a book Dezz with all these yummy concoctions of yours. :) :)

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    2. hand blenders (if that's the same as stick blenders :), are lovely, they mash everything in seconds, even hot soups. Mine is broken - used it too much.

      No special recipe, just mash two kiwis, one banana, one squeezed orange, ad two tsp of honey and some mineral water and that's it. I've been drinking these fruit juices for ten years now on a daily basis and haven't had a cold or a flu that long too :)

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    3. PS if you blend or grind some sesame seeds (roast them a bit before) and mix that sesame paste with a spoon or two of butter you can get a lovely sesame butter without any industrial additives and poisons :) It's lovely as a bread spread but also in patties and scones!

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    4. My Bamix is a hand blender (stick) from Switzerland - can't by it in stores - too high of an rpm, and a bit pricy. However, they are built to withstand a lot of work and last a long time. If you ever think to replace yours give this one a look first. You would not be disappointed!

      Re the kiwi recipe - thanks, I will definitely try your drink. I'm lucky too, Dezz, in the cold and flu department; it's been quite a while since I've been knocked to the ground with anything.

      I really appreciate the heads up about roasting my sesame seeds. I use an organic black sesame from India - it is delicious, very tasty. I roast other seeds and hadn't though of my wee sesame seeds for that. I love the spread idea, I would blend it with my coconut butter... :)

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    5. yep, but fry them in a dry pan stirring just for a minute or two careful not to turn them too dark (don't know how that works with the black ones LOL), because when they burn they get bad taste and are no good for use. Just to turn golden to get the enhanced flavour. If you pat the dough for scones with that sesame paste the scones have a lovely taste.

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  12. I am in for my second year (first year with a plan though...but am considering throwing it out the window tomorrow morning)

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    1. Yes, toss it, dear Andrea - wing it with the rest of us crazy birds; we'll be a rebel flock if ever there was one. :P

      Seriously though, your theme does sound pretty awesome - just don't feel you have to stick too tightly to a theme. Think Johnny Depp in POTC - there are no rules, merely guidelines...so just have fun - and no stressing - that for sure is a rule...a Jenny Rule! :) :) :)

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Thanks for sharing your thoughts.