And the winner is...

Ashlee Moore (Madysmom)!  Yay!  Congrats, Ashlee!  E-mail me (oliver.sarahk@yahoo.com) or message me on facebook with your address and I'll be sending the book your way.  I hope you like it as much as I did!  :)

And thanks to everyone that entered the contest!

Mom's Day 2012 (& a give-away!)

To all of the parents out there, happy mother's day!  Here in Kentucky, it's been a gloomy day but there's sunshine in my heart knowing that I have a loving mother to celebrate with, as well as a beautiful little girl who makes me smile each and every day.  Whether you're single or married, happy mother's day to all of you!  I know that as single parents, sometimes we have to take on the dual role of mother and father so to all of you single dads out there, I hope you have a blessed mother's day too!

Me, Libby, and my Mom enjoying some beach time last summer at Myrtle Beach, SC.

Growing up, we always did something special for my mom on mother's day - took her out to lunch, bought her flowers, and of course showered her with gifts.  But as a single parent, today sometimes just feels like a Hallmark holiday, doesn't it?  If you have young children, it's so easy to feel overlooked if you don't have a spouse on days like today.  But know that I'm thinking of you and praying for you on your own single parent journey, especially today.


That's exactly why I'm so excited to have my very first give-away this week!  In honor of Mother's Day, I'm going to be giving away a copy of Angela Thomas' book, My Single Mom Life.  I mentioned the book briefly in a post back in February, when I was attempting to participate in the online book club,  Booking It (something else I've failed to stick with in my new relationship - oops!).  I don't want to give away too much about the book because I'm planning to do a full review of it in the coming weeks.  But I will say this much about it...my friend Anne over at ModernMrsDarcy.com recently hosted a link party entitled The Book That Changed My Life Carnival and I meant to participate but the date slipped by before I even realized it...and if I had participated, I would have written about this book!  Thomas has an amazing way with words and she somehow managed to put onto the pages of her book many of the thoughts, feelings, frustrations, and struggles I've had on my own single parent journey.  You don't have to be a mom to enter this give-away and you don't have to be single - this book would be a great read for anyone that wants to empathize more with single parents and it would make a great gift if you have any single parent friends.   Although the book is geared towards mothers, I think dads might appreciate it too.

To enter the give-away, just leave a comment below.  If you make a comment and you also follow my blog, you will automatically be entered twice.  For a third entry, just mention this blog on Facebook or on your own blog and leave another comment telling me you did so (if you don't leave a comment about it, I won't know you did it!).  Entries will be accepted until midnight this Wednesday, May 16th and the winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) on Thursday, May 17th.  So be sure and check back for the winner! 

And may the odds be ever in your favor!  :)

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

image via photobucket

If you haven't noticed (which given my whopping 8 followers, is very likely!), I have to confess - I've been a little MIA lately.  My last post was over a month and a half ago!  So in case you're wondering why (and even if you're not!), let me tell you...

I have happily entered into the world of "seriously dating."  :) 

Over the last seven years, I've been on dates...many dates...lots of first dates, some second dates, and a handful of third dates.  But most of the time by date #3 I've decided that for one reason or another things are going nowhere fast - some are pretty entertaining, some are jaw-dropping, and sometimes it was just plain, old I'm-not-feeling-this-so-let's-not-waste-each-other's-time. End of story.

This time things are different.  He makes me happy, I'm pretty sure I make him happy, and we decided over a month ago to call things "serious."  It's exciting and new and, to be completely honest, maybe even a little scary...this is uncharted territory for me!  And maybe sometime soon I'll post more about that...

In the meantime, my apologies for getting wrapped up in my new relationship.  But I'm loving life right now!  I know some of you are reading this and thinking, "Seriously?!  I so don't want to read about this because it's never going to happen for me and I'm so sick of hearing about everyone else's perfect life."  I know some of you are thinking this because I've been in your shoes before and I totally get it.  I hated hearing about all these super cute couples and everyone's picture-perfect life when I was struggling to be the sole parent for my daughter.  So please forgive me.  I will try to keep my relationship talk to a minimum, although I'm going to have to mention it from time to time.  But also know that no matter where this new relationship leads, I will always have a passion for single parents because that's the life I've known for so long now.  Someone recently asked me when they heard about the new beau, "What about the single mom program you help with at church?  What will happen with that?"  Well, it's gonna keep on going and I'm gonna keep on helping!

Even though my head may be in the clouds, I will try my darndest to get back on track and begin regularly posting again...I've missed the blogging world!

So welcome back, my dear readers, and I hope you'll welcome me back with open arms!

To celebrate my return and in honor of all my fellow amazing single mothers, I'm going to do my first give away this coming week...so stay tuned!