Briana Vedsted's Blog, page 28

Book Contest

Reblogged from When I Became an Author:

I would like to sell one hundred copies of my book by July, and if I can do that, I'll randomly select three people to win one of the three prizes: a PDF copy of my novel, Me and Billy the Kid, $10 Amazon.com e-gift card, or $5 Kindle e-gift card.

There are several websites that are featuring my book, …

Read more… 74 more words

July is only one and a half months away and I only have 10 eBook sales to date!

Dandelion Jelly

                                  

Part One

1 quart freshly picked dandelion blossoms (no stems!)

1 quart water boiling water

Boil dandelions in water for three minutes. Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Strain off the blossoms and discard, reserving three cups of the liquid.

Part two

Combine dandelion liquid with the following:

1.75 oz. powdered pectin (not instant)

4.5 cups sugar

1 teaspoon orange extract

A pinch of ground cloves

Bring to a boil and boil for three minutes.

Pour hot jelly into hot, sterilized 8 oz. jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process in water bath for 15 minutes (plus 2 minutes for every additional thousand feet above sea level. For example, I live at 8,000 feet above sea level, so I have to add 16 extra minutes to the processing time.) 

Makes 5 half-pint (8 oz.) jars.   

 

*Jelly tastes a little like honey, apple jelly, and orange marmalade. It is really delicious on toast. If you have an abundance of dandelions, you should really give this recipe a try!

And if you have a little fruit fresh, you could add a teaspoon or so to keep it from browning over time.

This week’s schedule

Okay, this week is going to be an ‘outdoor’ week. (I’m going to be having lots more of these as the summer progresses)

My only computer-oriented goal this week is to get to chapter seven in Here with the Wolves.

Other than that, I’m making dandelion jelly today and will be planting my rhubarb and berry plants. There is also some mowing, tilling, cleaning, flooring, and planting I have to do this week.     

Shine On Award

Thank you to http://lmarie7b.wordpress.com/ for nominating my for the Shine On award!

And in honor of Mother’s Day, I chose five ‘Mommy’ bloggers for my nominees. So here’s to you ladies! I’m not passing on any rules for this award or saying anything about myself; just the picture and the nominations.

My five nominees for the shine on award are:

Francesca: http://frannychallenge.wordpress.com/

Ionia: http://readfulthingsblog.com/

Laxmi: http://lmoktan.wordpress.com/

Tracy: http://myscrapmuseis.wordpress.com/

Kate: http://disregardtheprologue.wordpress.com/

Wonderful Team Member Award

Awards aplenty! Would you look at that? I’ve been nominated for another award! Thank you to Charles Yallowitz (did you see? I hyper-linked!!!) for so thoughtfully choosing me to be one of his first nominees!

The rules are as follows;

1. The Nominee of the Wonderful Team member Readership Award shall display the logo on his/her blog.
2. The Nominee shall nominate 14 readers they appreciate over a period of 7 days, all at once or little by little.
3. The Nominee shall name his/her Wonderful Team Member Readership Award nominees on a post or on posts during 7 days.

Over a period of 7 days (1 week), the Nominee shall nominate a number of readers that he or she appreciates – this can be done at any rate during the week. It can be all on one day or a few on one day and a few on another day, as most convenient to the Nominee.

The Nominee shall name his or her Wonderful Team Member Readership Award nominees on a post or on posts during the 7 day (1 week) period.

Nominees of today:

Ionia Martin

Laxmi Moktan

Kristen Hope Mazzola

Those are my nominees for today. Three down, eleven to go! Wonder who I’ll nominate tomorrow…

Very Inspirational Blogger Award

The day I’ve been looking forward to has finally arrived!  I was nominated for the Very Inspirational Blogger Award! Thank you so much to Francesca at http://frannychallenge.wordpress.com/

 

1.) Display the award logo on your blog.

2.) Link back to the person who nominated you.

3.) State 7 things about yourself.

4.) Nominate several other bloggers for the award.

5.) Notify those bloggers of the nomination via comments.

Okay, seven things about myself:

Seven just happens to be my lucky number
I love Cookies’n’Cream chocolate bars
Flip-flops are my favorite kind of shoes
I don’t like bugs, not even lady bugs
I’m an amateur archeologist and love visiting Indian Ruins
I think raw potatoes taste pretty good
Brave is my all-time favorite animated movie

  Now for the nominations:

There are so many people who inspire me with their work. But to be fair, I’m only going to nominate five people and then it is up to you to pass it on to your friends and other deserving bloggers (no pressure, of course)!

Here goes:

http://readfulthingsblog.com/

http://legendsofwindemere.com/

http://helenvalentina.com/

http://balconyviewz.wordpress.com/

http://frannychallenge.wordpress.com/ (Yes Franny, I nominated you right back, because you inspire me, too!)

Don’t change Merida

Sign the petition here to keep Merida from the Disney-Pixar movie looking just the way she was: wild, happy, and brave! I don’t want to see her changed into another Disney princess like Cinderella! I loved that Merida was different and someone I could relate to! Send the right message to our girls: you don’t have to be beautiful: you just need to be yourself!

https://www.change.org/petitions/disney-say-no-to-the-merida-makeover-keep-our-hero-brave

 

I did it!

I completed my goals for this week!

I got to page 232 in that book I’m reading

Made it all the way to chapter 5 in Here with the Wolves

And so far have put up 4 new posts!

I did it! With a day to spare even! And I’m sure I can manage to stay off the computer this weekend, so I can check off the rest of my list with sheer pleasure. I stayed on schedule and got more done than I’d hoped for! Yah!

Thank you to everybody for your tips and help along the way! I can’t wait to see what I get done next week!

Seriously though, I can wait for next week. I’m ready to take a break and relax. Wait, did I say relax? I have to finish installing the rest of my flooring, build a movable shelter for the lambs and goats, take the stakes out of the siderolls, and start working up ground for my garden… Hmm, well, I’ll just bask in the glow of my accomplishments for another minute or so, than I’m going to bed. If it doesn’t rain tomorrow, I’m in for a lot of work.

*fingers crossed, hoping that the rain keeps on coming*

 

Its Back!

The Liebster award has come back to me yet again! I think it must like me or something!

Meg LaTorre at http://meglatorre.wordpress.com/ nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award! Thank you Meg! You should drop by her lovely blog and see what’s going on…and a follow wouldn’t hurt either!

Since this is my third time with this award, and I’ve run out of ideas for people to nominate, this is a free for all. Any of my wonderful followers who have not yet received the prestigious Liebster Award is free to have it.

I will, however, answer Meg’s questions. So here were go.

Favorite hobby: Writing, cooking, and candle making
Favorite food: Steak
A silly memory: The time I thought a kitten was a bear cub. I still laugh at myself for that one!
Favorite genre of literature: YA fantasy. I also like Louis Lamoure and Zane Grey westerns.  
Most influential writer: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pet peeve: Crooked blankets
Something on your bucket list: Make a million dollars in book sales
Favorite vacation spot: Lincoln, NM
Where you most want to travel: Ireland
Favorite/most preferred accessory: earrings 
Favorite sport: Bull Riding (no, I don’t ride bulls, but I love watching the PBR.)

 

 

Liebster Blog Award

This is really amazing! Awhile back I was nominated for the Liebster Blog Award. I turned around and nominated eleven people, as the rules requested. And one of the people I nominated, Amy Rostron at Chasing Dreams nominated the whimsical new blog, http://thecatshack.wordpress.com/ and can you guess who she chose to nominate? Me! Can you believe it? The award was returned to me! What wonderful friends I have! A great big thank you to: Tiffany at The Cat Shack. Drop by and tell her “Hello!”

 

Here are the rules:

First is to accept the award, post the picture of the Liebster Award on the top of post and say who nominated you for the award and list their blog site.

Rule number 1 is to list 11 random facts about me.
Rule number 2 is to nominate 11 other bloggers for the      Liebster Award and list their blogsites.
Rule number 3 is to notify the bloggers of their award.
Rule number 4 is to ask the award winners 11 questions to      answer when they accept their Liebster Award.
Rule number 5 is I answer the questions left for me by the      blogger who gave me the award.

11 Random facts about me

I don’t like honey

Coca-Cola is my all-time favorite soda and I crave it whenever I work with the cattle

I love the Little House on the Prairie book series

My name was supposed to be Brianna, but my mother forgot to add the second ‘n’ when she was filling out my birth certificate

I love going to zoos and museums, but the road trip there is a night are for me

I’m on a diet right now where all I eat is cream of wheat and fruit puree

Making candles is one of my favorite hobbies

The smell of rain makes me happy

I can’t drive standard vehicles; I prefer automatic transmissions.

I really don’t like pizza

I collect miniature erasers

 

11 Questions to answer:

What made you start      blogging? I was building      up my publishing platform before the release of my novel, Me and Billy the Kid.
What are your top 3      locations you would love to travel? Castles in Ireland, the English countryside,      and Lincoln, NM.   
What are your top 2      novels? Hmm, I think      this refers to books I’ve written, so I’ll go with Me and Billy the Kid and Here with the Wolves.
What was the most      interesting food you tried? Chicken with chocolate sauce, I think it was called Pollo el Mole.
If someone asked you to      give them a random piece of advice, what would you say? Cherish the time you’re given with      your family.
Who is your idol? I don’t have an idle.
How would you explain      your basic life philosophy? Look at each day as a gift and live accordingly.  
What’s your guilty      pleasure? I love      angel food cake.
When you were a kid,      what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to have a restaurant.
If you could try out      any job for a day, what would you like to try? I’d be a ballerina.
What’s the biggest      personal change you’ve ever made? This is a hard question. Ask me again in ten      years, I might have an answer by then!

Questions for my nominees to answer:

What is your pet peeve
Where would you like to go on      vacation
Who is your favorite singer
Do you have a nickname
Is there something you collect, i.e. stamps,      rocks, dried flowers…
If you could go back in time for a      day, what year would you go to
What is your favorite color
What smell reminds you of home
What was your first pet
What is your most prized possession
Name your favorite book off the top      of your head

 

There are so many wonderful people who deserve to be awarded, but since I can only pick eleven, here are my nominees.

http://disregardtheprologue.wordpress.com/

http://lmarie7b.wordpress.com/

http://scottandjudithpowell.wordpress.com/

http://blackandwrite.wordpress.com/

http://scribblesandwanderlust.wordpress.com/

http://cnmill.wordpress.com/

http://meglatorre.wordpress.com/

http://joannalee086.wordpress.com/

http://staceykatheryn.wordpress.com/

http://witchskel.wordpress.com/

http://markgreensworld.wordpress.com/

–Okay Mark, I couldn’t figure out how to comment on your blog, so I hope you find out about this nomination somehow!