The Elf that came to our house

The following was written about one of my families traditions that began back in 1967 when my older brother was just a toddler and I was only a few months old.

Tony was a baby when my parents were told he had an incurable kidney disease and could not be exposed to others, especially throughout the winter months for fear of becoming infected with any type of germ that could make him sick.

As Tony grew older he was so sad at the fact that he could not be among the children in his small community that went to see Santa at the local Fire Department with their Christmas list in hand and who walked away with a bag full of holiday treats.

When Tony was three years old Santa came to see him riding on a fire truck, with the siren screaming and could be heard throughout the small town. What a thrill it was for him. Although Tony wanted so much to see Santa - he ran to the stairs peering through the banister in amazement.

“Well young man come down and let me see you” said Santa “I can see you” replied Tony with eyes as wide as saucers. Santa climbed the stairs; and there they sat the two of them having a marvelous visit.

After their little chat Santa stood to leave and Tony eased down the stairs with a smile that lit the room “you are a good boy” Santa said with smile and gave him a hug “I will be watching you until I return on Christmas Eve, be a good boy”.

After Santa had gone Tony noticed that an Elf had come to sit on a branch in his Christmas tree. “Mommy look, Santa left an Elf,” “well I think that he left him to watch over you until Christmas”, Mom responded.

The next morning when Tony woke, a note along with a small Christmas sock were left under the tree for Tony instructing him that when he had a good day there would be a surprise in the tiny sock each morning, if his day happened to be a bad one, the sock would be empty or worse, have a dirty rock in it.

The elf would move around the room watching over Tony. Elf might appear on top of the curtain, lamp, or pictures moving at will throughout the night. This was exciting for Tony although he never actually saw the elf move, he believed in his ability to fly while everyone was sleeping.

Santa had given strict instructions that Elf should never be touched or he would disappear never return.  If Santa’s instructions were followed, each year on Thanksgiving night Tony was to ring a jingle bell that was tied with a red ribbon, just before going to bed and Elf would return for another Christmas Season.

Tony is no longer here, he passed away at the age of 13 but Elf was passed on to me, Tony’s little sister then on to my little brother Josh who enjoyed Elf’s annual visits for many years.

At present day - Elf has been passed on to Trey and Coty (twelve-year-old twins), who now know Elf is not real, but still believe in the magic that he brings with him each year when we place him in our family Christmas Tree.

We’ve often created Elf Kits for close friends and family - included in a beautiful Christmas tin is a letter from Santa telling the history of Elf, a letter to the parents instructing them on how the Christmas magic works, a jingle bell tied with a red ribbon, a small Christmas stocking (one for each child) and Himself the Elf.  It’s been a wonderful gift that we’ve been able to share and a tradition we’re proud to pass on.  It’s a way of keeping Tony alive in all of us.

Whenever we can, we share the tales of Elf with classmates, friends and anyone who truly believes in the wonderful magic this holiday season brings.

Best Posting about Christmas on a Blog

Giving Thanks

As part of a carnival that I am participating in, I am writing on the topic of Giving Thanks.  As I look around at all the blessings that have been bestowed upon me, and there are many, I find it difficult to focus on just one.

God has blessed me with two amazing little boys – ok, they’re not so little anymore, but they’ll always be mom’s boys.  They’re wonderful kids who don’t think twice about giving mom a hug or kiss on the cheek in public.  I only hope they stay that way and end up with a wonderful woman that embraces our family rather than shun it.

I’m blessed to have wonderful husband.  Well most of the time anyway.  What can I say, the honeymoon is over and we’re communicating more like an ancient married couple. 

One blessing that can’t be overlooked is that I am fortunate enough to have both my parents still with me.  In fact, I can’t even imagine a life without them.  My mother, father and step-father have played such an instrumental part in my life and if I didn’t have them to phone every day, I’m not sure what I would do with all my free time
God has also blessed me so much with the friendships of so many.  I have met so many people through some of the toughest times in my life that it makes walking through fire seem worthwhile.  My good friend Angela is one of the best.  For three years now, Angela and I have communicated nearly every day – we know each other inside and out yet we’ve never met each other in person. 

Perhaps God will bless me in the year to come with a face-to-face visit with the person that’s been there for me through EVERYTHING!  There have been times when she was much better for my stress level than any little blue pill could be.

Lastly, I’m looking forward to this coming Thanksgiving – it will be the first one in my very first, very own, home.  I’ve got two very wonderful in-laws that made this dream a reality and I can’t wait to begin decorating for the holidays and celebrating with my little family.  I’m sure I’ll miss my dad terribly.  The boys and I were with him for 13 years – this will be our first away from him.  But we’ve got his space reserved right at the end of our family table.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, my mom is coming home for Christmas!  It will be the first time we’ve spend the holidays together in a couple of years – so it’s going to be a special one.

If you would like to share what you’re thankful for this year via your blog, be sure to let Katelyn at Free Holiday Ideas know.  She’d be happy to link up to your post, I’m sure.

MomGadget on Review the Web

Connie is SUCH a nice person!  If you have a blog that you’d like an honest review of, hop on over to Review the Web and make your request.

She won’t give you a bunch of fluff and she won’t be mean, but she will provide you with some valid considerations on improving your blog.

State of the Blogosphere

Dave Sifry has posted his quarterly State of the Blogosphere report and for those of you who are looking for some type of tool to track your success by, this is quite possibly the best tool out there.

Notice that it does take a great deal of time and dedication to achieve success!

Via Technorati Weblog: 

The Low Authority Group (3-9 blogs linking in the last 6 months)

The average blog age (the number of days that the blog has been in existence) is about 228 days, which shows a real commitment to blogging. However, bloggers of this type average only 12 posts per month, meaning that their posting habits are generally dedicated but infrequent.

The Middle Authority Group (10-99 blogs linking in the last 6 months)

This contrasts somewhat with the second group, which enjoys an average age not much older than the first at 260 days and which posts 50% more frequently than the first. There is a clear correlation between posting volume and Technorati authority ranking.

The High Authority Group (100-499 blogs linking in the last 6 months)

The third group represents a decided shift in blog age while not blogging much more frequently than the last. In keeping with the theme of the maturation of the blogosphere, it seems evident that many of these bloggers were previously in category two and have grown in authority organically over time. In other words, sheer dedication pays off over time.

The Very High Authority Group (500 or more blogs linking in the last 6 months)

In the final group we see what might be considered the blogging elite. This group, which represents more than 4,000 blogs, exhibits a radical shift in post frequency as well as blog age. Bloggers of this type have been at it longer – a year and a half on average – and post nearly twice a day, an increase in posting volume of over 100% from the previous group. Many of the blogs in this category, in fact, are about as old as Technorati and we’ve grown up together. Some of these are full-fledge professional enterprises that post many, many times per day and behave increasingly like our friends in the mainstream media. As has been widely reported, the impact of these bloggers on our cultures and democracies is increasingly dramatic.

I’m interested in hearing how you might rank yourself based on the scale above.  So how much authority do you have?

Great! What’s with the italics?

Ok, just so you know, all that italics stuff down below — well, I didn’t plan that!

It’s one of those little bugs that I’m adding to my to-do list to fix!

Anyone have any idea why it’s doing that?  Spare me a lot of digging in my code?  Please?

 

Beef with Adbrite

Does anyone else have a beef with Adbrite about not having the option to post a referral link in a text format?  I’m not a huge fan of buttons and banners all the time and sometimes there are situations where ONLY text links will do.

Given that Adbrite is driven by text ads, wouldn’t it make sense that they would offer a text link for referrals?

I emailed them last night to see if they would provide me with a text link and here’s what I got:

Thanks for writing.  Currently, we do not offer a text link format for the referral link.  We advise that you use the button referral to ensure that you get credit for your referrals.

Now, honestly, I do LOVE Adbrite and earn quite a bit from utilizing their services on various sites, BUT I want a affiliate referral TEXT LINK!

Since I can’t have one, here’s my damn cute little button!  I swear it’s the ONLY beef I have with them, so it’s not really worth abandoning the service - so I wait… and wait… and wait…

 

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Forum Member Makes a Sale

November 2, 2006 by Gayla Baer  
Filed under MomGadget

6 Comments

The thing I always wanted any forum I would develop to be - is a place where people who contribute to the success of the forum to be rewarded - it’s only fair, right?

The most exciting feature about The MomGadget Forum, is the more you help build the board, the more you post, the more you’re going to benefit.  Being able to tell people you like HostGator and why, all while attaching your affiliate links, is a way in which that person can offer you a tip for all your trouble in helping them make this decision.

Just this week, one month after the official launch, a member made her first sale!  That sale converted to anywhere from $50 - $125 depending on how long the person signed up for.  How exciting is that?

The thing I’ve always found, is it’s no fun being successful alone.  In fact, it’s quite lonely at the top when you’ve gotten there all by yourself.  So I decided that on my way to the top, I wanted to make friends who would make that climb with me and who will be there to celebrate with me in the end.

If you or anyone you know has the desire to work from home and to make money via their own website or blog, please send them our way!  They won’t be sorry!

 

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