Giveaway on my new blog!

I'm hosting another big giveaway on my new blog! If you're still coming to this site, you're at the wrong place. I've moved! Hate to make you change your bookmark, but I promise I'll stay put now. :)

Still here...?

In case you missed yesterday's post, I am no longer blogging at this internet address! Sad, I know! But the blog isn't dead, it has just moved... Please join me at: Girls in White. You can read about my vision for this blog here, and browse my new website here.

I don't want to leave anyone behind, so I'll keep posting redirection posts for a few more days at least (especially since I noticed I've gotten some new followers in the last couple of days). I'm so sorry to make you hop around! We'll be all settled soon.

Warmly,
Nicole

New Site!

Girls in White

It's a done deal, people. NicoleBaart.com is officially brand-new, redesigned, and ready for the world. And my blog has a snazzy new location. Please, please come and check it out! I'm so excited! It feels like my birthday! If nothing else, stop by to check out the giveaway. All you have to do is CLICK HERE. Hope to see you there!

Warmly,
Nicole

PS - I promise not to populate my posts with so many exclamation marks on my new blog. I'm just a little excited today! :) So there! And there!!!

I'm moving!

I won't lie. It hurts my heart a little to move this blog. But I'm a sentimental girl, and I tend to get weepy over things that need not be wept about. Like websites. Or blogs. So I won't lie to you--my eyes glaze just the tiniest bit when I think about moving this internet home to another address. Will it ever have the same, homey feel? Will my readers and friends follow me or forget about me? Will this be a prelude to a new, exciting season or will I regret the move?

Okay, now I'm getting downright melodramatic. It's a URL address for pity's sake. But I do want to give you time to prepare so that you don't just show up here on Wednesday and find a cold wind blowing through the pixels of my bloggity-blog. Did you catch that? The big moving day is Wednesday, December 1. When you come back in two days, there will be a link to a new blog, a new site, and the first of three big giveaways. I'm hoping to brighten your Christmas season just a little. Consider it a small way that I can say "thank you" for reading. Thanks for the encouragement, the connection, the many ways that we have been able to uphold each other. It's been awesome. And it's my hope that it'll only get better.

Hope you're enjoying the last few days of November! 2010 is drawing to a close...

Hugs,
Nicole

Preparations...

Happy Saturday! (The day after Black Friday? Cyber-Monday Eve Eve? I can't keep up with all these so-called holidays.)

I'm in the middle of putting up my Christmas tree and trying to clean my house (always a fun endeavor), but I wanted to quick pop in and start getting you all geared up for December. It's just around the corner, you know! I'm not really into the whole commercialized Christmas thing, and my holiday season usually tends to be a little slow. Maybe even just smidge subdued. But this year I have a bunch of things all piling up at once and I'm going to have to go with a more upbeat Advent... My hubby is coming home from two weeks in Liberia, we have a barrage of parties and holiday events on the calendar, I'm launching a new website, preparing for a book release (and a deadline), and making the switch from Blogger to WordPress. Yup, my blog is on the move. It was a tough decision for me to make (I'm not much of a techie and haven't really had a problem with Blogger), but it seemed like the right thing to do as so many other things in my writing world are changing (from website to publishing house to vision).

Sooo... As of December 1, I will no longer be blogging here. :( Sad, isn't it? In fact, I'll be making a clean cut and starting fresh--though I will archive this blog and make it readily accessible from my new site. That way you can still find my Apple Pudding recipe if you need to. (Haven't tried it yet? Oh, you're missing out!)

In an effort to make the move fun, I'm going to be giving away three separate holiday packages on my blog. The first package will feature all of my books, including Beneath the Night Tree (ARC copy), and a sneak peek of the first chapter of my new book, Far From Here. For good measure I'll be tossing in a bag of my favorite creme de menthe chocolates and some bubble bath just for fun. The second package will be a library collection of four wonderful books (Susan Meissner's Lady in Waiting, Inspy Award nominated Lucky Baby by Meredith Efken, the fun and frothy Split Ends by Kristen Billerbeck, and my own The Moment Between.) You'll get a historical, a contemporary story with a little magical surrealism, a chick-lit romp, and something a bit more literary. Oh, and some chocolates and bubble bath. The final package will be all about awareness and include a pair of t-shirts from our non-profit, One Body One Hope, some of our homemade goat milk soaps, and a copy of the book One Million Arrows: Raising Your Children to Change the World by Julie Ferwerda. And, of course, chocolates and bubble bath.

Stay tuned! I'm excited to launch my new site and new blog and I truly hope that you will join me. I have loved getting to know you through our discussions and interactions, and I hope that we can continue in a new (more conversational) format.

Thanks so much for reading!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm too exhausted to be creative and come up with some snappy Thanksgiving post. I ain't got no snap right now. However, I do have an eye twitch. Does that count? Anyway, a few of the things I'm thankful for...

-Two amazing college students who came over to my home the other day and just plain blessed me. Being a single mom right now is so hard, and they eased the burden by playing with my kids, vacuuming my house, and engaging in adult conversation with me. I showered. It was bliss.

-Dark chocolate. Oh, and creme de menthe chocolate, too. Mmmmm...

-My grandma. Not only is she an amazing woman of God, she has a beautiful Dutch work ethic. This fall she cleaned my windows, shampooed my carpet, and varnished some of my weather-beaten woodwork. I sound like a slave-driver, don't I? You gotta believe me--she begged to do it! Oh, how I love you, Grandma.

-Modern medicine. As a dear friend undergoes cancer treatment today, I'm thankful for developments in radiation, chemotherapy, and all the other medicines used to treat this horrible disease. I'm praying for a cure.

-Bargain bin wine at Fareway.

-The fact that I get to write for a living. Sometimes I get lost in the deadlines and business end of things (never mind marketing and publicity--two things I hate), but I love my job. Love, love, love it. I feel so blessed.

-Good books. Most notably (or most recently?): The Likeness, The Historian, Stieg Larsson's trilogy, and  Neverwhere.

-All the usual stuff that everyone always says but also always means with all their heart and soul: family, friends, warm clothes, a roof over my head, food in abundance... and the list goes on.

Your turn: What are you thankful for?

PS - I'm thankful for YOU! So much so that I'm giving away an Advanced Reader Copy of Beneath the Night Tree on my Facebook author page. All you have to do is follow the link and leave a comment.


PSS - Do you know why I chose the photo above to be my Thanksgiving graphic? Brownie points and bragging rights if you do!

You know you're a mom if...

After a long and beautiful (sunny and warm) autumn, winter has finally hit the midwest. We woke up this morning to a wonderful world of ice--and no school. Apparently the roads are better suited for ice-skating than driving. Anyway, in addition to my three boys, I'm watching a friend's kids this morning--and marveling at the amazing women who have five or more kids. Kudos to you! My mommy hat is off to you.

So far this morning we've baked muffins, read books, played Playmobil, made a train, danced to Go Fish, and fed our stuffed animals a morning snack (and the kids, too!). Right now I'm enjoying a little break as we're all cuddled on the couch watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Do you know the hot dog dance? You should. It would enrich your life in ways you can only begin to imagine. ;)

In case you haven't already picked this up, I've got motherhood on my mind today. And thanks to The Mom Song by Go Fish, I'm thinking about all the things that motherhood is. So, this is my version.

You know you're a mom if...

-Easy-peasy lemon-squeezy is a part of your everyday vocabulary.

-The "S" word and "F" word are banned in your home. Of course, the "S" word is "stupid" and the "F" word is "fart."

-You sometimes go an entire day without peering once into a mirror. And when you do, it's downright scary.

-A shower is a mini-vacation.

-You're so exhausted you could sleep through a fire alarm, but if your infant so much as rolls over in his crib, you're wide awake and at his side in two seconds flat.

-You spend more time talking about the frequency, consistency, and ease with which your child goes poo than any other topic of conversation in your repertoire.

-You get more hugs, kisses, snuggles, and love in one day than all the years before you became a parent combined.

-You wouldn't trade it (all of it--the moments when they're sleeping like angels and the ones when you wish a traveling band of gypsies was wandering past your front door) for anything.

Your turn! Finish the sentence: You know you're a mom if....