Blogoversary & Giveaway! It's here!!

Holy crap, guys! As of May 19th, my blog will be one year old!! How freakin' exciting is that?? I never knew when I started blogging that I would have so much fun and be introduced to so many amazing people, but it's all true. So thank you, yes all of YOU, for being your awesome selves and helping Sami by the Sea along through its very first year. (Awwww.)

For my birthday blog celebration I'm hosting a giveaway! It's nothing huge, as I am surely unemployed (hopefully not for much longer!), but I wanted to do this as a way to say thanks to all of you in a hand-made, sea-like way...

I've recently discovered these tiny little jars, and have been traipsing about the beach (the non-touristy areas, I mean, who wants to traipse with tourists and their band-aids anyways?) collecting sand and shells and arranging them just so. It's a great way to bring that beachy feel into your home; as you can see, this one is on my kitchen windowsill.

You can get a better judge of size in this photo with the votive candle! What I enjoy about these little jars is the size of the shells needed. I have a few other glass vases around the house like this, one is long and rectangular, and one is a large glass bowl. I can use bigger shells for those obviously, but the tininess of the shells needed for these jars is what makes it so awesome! I find a lot of times the you'll find the little baby shells completely intact, not broken in half or chipped. I like to use them alongside chipped pieces of bigger shells with really fun colors and textures. :)

Here you can see a little more detail on the top layer of shells. The barnacley piece on the bottom was a really awesome find, and added some fun variety along with the pure black shell and the orange one with the snail pattern. :)

SO! THE GIVEAWAY!

One lucky reader will be receiving two jars of their very own, complete with the freshest beach sand my feet have ever laid eyes upon (huh?) and your own personal assortment of hand-picked fresh outta the tide shells. (I find the best specimens when I walk right at the waterfront.) I'll send you the two jars, the shells packaged carefully in their own little bag, and the sand in another separate bag, so you can assemble them however you want at home.

My jar has about 14 small shells in it, so it's not completely full. If you want more shells than that, like to fill the jar up all the way to the top, just let me know! I'm always happy to hang out on the beach for more time... ;)

Since the winner will receive two jars, you can either assemble them as I did mine, or dump all of the sand into one and all of the shells into another for fun variety. The choice is YOURS! :)

HERE ARE THE RULES!
They are very easy! You won't have to promise me your first born,
or recite Jabberwocky backwards in Pig Latin.
(I don't like contests that make you jump through a lot of hoops!)

RULE 1
Be a follower of SbtS, and leave a comment!
Tell me what one of your favorite things about going to the beach is.

(OPTIONAL) RULE 2
Blog about this giveaway! Leave a separate comment with a link to your post.

DONE! Totally easy peasy. I'll choose a winner on Wednesday the 19th. Happy entering, and happy Friday! :)

WORDY Wednesday! Cheers & Jeers & Shinies are here...

I usually post a super-cool photo for Wordless Wednesday. What, it's not a cop-out on not writing a post! My pictures are awesome! But today...

TODAY, can't be wordless. Too much has gone on in the past few days to keep my trap shut about it, so I'm going against convention and doing WORDY WEDNESDAY. And it will be done in three categories; Cheers, Jeers, and Shinies. Unfortunately Jeers has to come first to be chronologically correct soooo...

JEERS!

My car failed inspection! What in the world?! I didn't even think I NEEDED an inspection; heck, in Maryland they inspect it every two years. They don't even do 'em in Florida! So when I went to re-register my car online it asked me, "Is your inspection current?" Well, heck if I know. Oops! It's not. Actually, it's 10 days overdue. Better get that taken care of!....

Two of my tires are really bad, like the tread is almost gone and you can maybe see a little bit of the metal from the bands inside showing. (I know this because we rotated my tires this weekend. Aha!) But who checks tires on an inspection, anyway? In Maryland, they just eyeball your car, stick some kind of beepy meter in your gas cap thing and hook some doodad up to your tailpipe for a minute and let you go. In Florida, they don't even do THAT! At any rate, I need two new tires and an alignment before my car will pass. Sheesh.

Yesterday was a bad day. I whined, I bemoaned my fate, I stuck my head under some blankets and boo-hoo'ed. I'm tired of things going wrong and costing money! But luckily, I had some "emergency" money set aside that I will begrudgingly use for two new tires and yadda yadda gimme a registration for another year please.

Okay, now that that junk-ola is out of the way.

CHEERS!

I had a job interview today! That I AM REALLY EXCITED ABOUT! So excited, I had to break out the caps for nearly that whole sentence. It's for a front office position at an optometry office, and I think the interview went AMAZINGLY well, so please keep your fingers, toes, eyes, arms, legs, and antennae if you have them crossed for me!! I need this job like vodka needs cranberry juice (or whatever juice of your choosing) and it would be right up my alley. So natch, very optimistic about that.

And, I came home today to find that my flowers I had planted this weekend are beginning to sprout!! Two of my four pots (the marigolds and one of the mixed pots) have little baby sprouts in them, and I pretty much did a Snoopy Dance of Happiness right there. I'm surprised because the packaging said to expect sprouts in 12-14 days... I'm not using regular soil, but potting soil made specifically for starting seeds so maybe that's why.

And of course, I took some pictures. No, I haven't uploaded them yet. Gimme a week ... or two.

SHINIES!

Krysten is an awesome lady and she lives over at After 'I Do', and she's having a giveaway for this gorgeous little number riiiight here:



Isn't that little sparrow necklace the *cutest*?? I'm trying my darndest to win it, and should you think it's the *cutest* as well, visit her and enter here!!



... All right, that's all I've got! .... Okay, maybe just one photo.




This is one of my favorite photos I've taken, of a girl angel statue in a quaint, charming little outdoor shopping area here called Lumina Station. I really like the composition, and the light was working just right for me. :) The statue has such a great shape that I couldn't resist getting just the right shot.



Okay, NOW I'm really done.

A Beach PSA - Keeping it Clean

Whilst strolling the beach this weekend, leisurely, I found myself somewhat amazed that it wasn't even full blown tourist season yet, but the beach was still... dirty.

Okay, before I continue on with my rant, I'll have you know the city did a complete beach restoration two months ago. On the whooole thing. It was nourished and cleaned and there were cranes and large official-looking pipes and it was a metric butt-ton of work, I'm sure.

Now here I am, wrinkling my nose at things in the sand that sooo should not be there.

You may or may not (likely not) remember my beach PSA from last year about keeping your bathing attire classy at the beach (go read it, it has pictures!), so to follow suit, I give you my newest beach public service announcement...

DISGUSTING THINGS THAT I CANNOT STAND SEEING LEFT BEHIND ON THE BEACH!!!
(otherwise known as, 'Clean Up After Your Damn Selves'!!)

We'll start with the big baddie, the grand poo-ba, the worst of the worst to nearly smush your bare foot upon as you're walking...

1. USED BAND-AIDS

UGH. Seriously. UGH. To me there is absolutely nothing that squicks me out more than seeing a tired old Band-Aid, all crumpled over and stuck to itself in the sand. ARGH. Even thinking about it gives me the willies. (Aren't you glad I'm not using photos for this post??) Luckily I haven't seen this very often. However, this is a disgusting, vile breach of not only littering but personal hygiene that should never ever be broken.

It's okay to have a boo-boo on vacay. But please, keep an eye on it. If your Band-Aid falls off? Pick it up! If you want to change your Band-Aid? PLEASE bring your old, nasty crusty one to the trash can; there are receptacles on the beach for this very reason! Sure, it may have been covering something simple like a shaving nick on someone's leg, but all I can visualize is it being stuck over Little Billy's pus-oozing spider bite. BLARGH.

(I have the willies again!)

2. SODA CAN POP TOPS AND BOTTLE CAPS

I love stepping on an old bottle cap when it's upturned and all the little prongs are facing upwards. No, really! It keeps me alert.

...

I'm okay if the college kids want to drink on the beach. (I'm not a huge proponent of beach boozers though, as extreme heat + beer or liquor generally = worst hangover EVER) However, trash cans. There must be room in your coolers or whatever for the tiny little caps and tabs that are there to open your delicious libation. The bottles and cans clearly make it to the trash or recycling somehow, because the beach never resembles a cooler full of (empty) Michelob bottles. What about the rest?

Think of Little Billy, romping joyously in the surf as he stumbles and falls and thumps his head upon the sand whereupon YOUR misplaced bottle cap, prongs up, digs into his soft and sensitive cheek. Great, now he's bleeding and hollering and needs a Band-Aid. And we all know where THOSE end up, right? (See above.)

3. CIGARETTE BUTTS

I am so, so happy that the city is having meetings regarding prohibiting smoking on the beach. These almost give me the willies as much as Band-Aids, because you KNOW that the gnarly filter stubbed out into the sand has had some creepy stranger's lips wrapped around it for a good 10 minutes, puffing away. Again, BLARGH.

Do smokers care that they're walking on other people's cigarette butts? Because as a non-smoker, I think it's pretty yuck-o. Would YOU want to walk in a giant ashtray? That's pretty much what it is; a pretty localized ashtray of discarded filters. Seriously, if can't you go for 2 hours without smoking on the beach, you may want to try investing in some Nicorette. And I'm sure the folks behind you who are downwind of your evil smoke puffings would gladly pool together some cash to get you a pack.

But yeah, if smoking does become prohibited on the beach, I would do the Snoopy Dance of Happiness. On the beach. In my bikini. ... Well, maybe in my backyard and fully clothed, but I would still be dancing with JOY!

4. THE RANDOM EMPTY SANDWICH BAG

I usually find these guys mingling about in the tide, half-full of sea water and looking suspiciously like a dead jellyfish. (Don't touch, they could be faking.) The water makes them look all the more slimy. Yech.

What the heck was in this? A sandwich? Some Cheetos? Your cellphone? Suntan lotion? A collection of used Band-Aids that now, since the bag has drifted away, are aimlessly scattered around the general vicinity?

A tip - once you take something out of a plastic bag, if you can't find a proper receptacle to stow it in until you can get to a trash can (like say, oh, your beach bag? the cooler a foot to your left?), put some sand in it to hold it down. Then, remember to take it with you when you leave. AND you get some beach sand as a souvenir, it's win/win!

5. LOTS AND LOTS OF NAPKINS

Little Billy goes to get a hotdog for lunch, and comes back with enough napkins to clog a toilet bowl with. Of course, it's destined that at least half of those napkins are going to take a flight of fancy when a strong gust goes by, scattering along the beach like grains of rice on a wooden floor. (Or uncooked spaghetti... ugh.) Mr. Billy Dad may try to chase after all of them, but that would make him look like a moron, so he may try for a quarter of a second before he sheepishly sits back down and ignores the world from behind his Maxim magazine.

Someone else will get them, he thinks! They'll all get picked up eventually! No, they won't Mr. Billy Dad, you should be getting them... But instead one can only hope that the only thing you'll get is a bill from the ER, after a particularly crotchety seagull tries to eat a wet piece of YOUR napkin bundle, thinking it a tasty treat, and upon finding it just another wasteful piece of paper flies into a rage, bombarding you and pecking your eyes out.




Okay, I'm done! ;) But seriously, there's enough bad juju assaulting our poor environment right now (hello, massive oil spill?) and it makes me sad that people who come to enjoy the nature and beauty of our awesome coastline can't care enough to leave it as clean as it was before they got there. I hope that one day I can walk the beach without having to see any of the above mentioned yuckies, or any yuckies at all. :)

Saturday Centus & Pre-Blogaversary!

The awesome Jenny Matlock has started a new writing meme that I'm really excited about! She'll post an 100-word starter prompt, to which you use your writing skillz (!) to finish the short story in 100 words or less. It's called the Saturday Centus and my entry is below; Jenny's prompt is first in blue, and my finish is in purple. Go check it out via the button below. :)



My untied shoelace changed my life. As I leaned down to re-tie it, I kicked away a few leaves. When I turned my head slightly to look where the leaves had been, I was astonished to see a rubber-banded wad of hundred dollar bills nestled in a little indention in the muddy ground.

I should never have picked up that money.

Hurried footfalls out of the park, trying to be discreet. A chill up my spine. Something wasn't right here, and regardless of the other activity about it suddenly seemed eerily quiet to me. Had I stumbled upon some sort of sinister dealing?

A glance back over one shoulder barely caught the two men following me. My heart skipped a beat, and the blood in my veins momentarily turned to ice. I had little choice. The money was dropped, and I took off like a shot.

The chase was on.

* * *

My little ol' blog is having its 1-year anniversary in a week or so! NO WAY! (Yeah way!) So I'm going to be having a little giveaway that I'm excited about... what, you want hints as to what it's going to be? It's cute, little, full of local awesomeness, and made by ME! So yup, it'll be awesome! ;)

Trying some flowers! (& an award!)

So today I took some of these...


and planted them in all of these...!

(No, not my sneakers!)

The big bag of mixed flower seed was given to us as a gift, and I bought the marigolds and cosmos at Lowes today with some potting soil. I've never planted *anything* before, so I'm excited to see how these turn out!! (Hopefully good!!) I've got them in a good spot for morning sun and will be watering them every morning when I wake up. So ... fingers (and flower stems) crossed for me! I'll keep you posted on my flower progress. :)

I planted the marigolds in the big brown pot, the cosmos in the green one, and the mixed in the two smaller ones. I chose marigolds and cosmos because I read that they were good 'beginner' flowers, and do well in containers. Lets hope so...

* * *

In other news --

I recently received this award from the awesome, bomb-tastic Shelley Ann at Painting the Memories! Yaaaaaaay!! She's an awesome gal who writes some really fun blog posts and has just done an awesome book review on The Lovely Bones... go check her out! You won't be disappointed!! :D

The rules for this award are -

*give this award to 10 (I'm only going do 5 - me too!) sweet and friendly bloggers
*make a post about the award including the picture and mention the person who gave it to you
*put the award on your blog
*let your nominated 10 (5) know you've awarded them by leaving a comment

I'm bestowing upon these five lovely blogs -

Sunny Sweet Pea
Me: Daily
From Lazy to Lady
Have We Met?
Teasingly Diverse

Yay for weekend awards and good stuff! Speaking of weekend stuff... I hear Matt in the guest bathroom with a ratchet and some other tools... argh... think I'll go investigate this a little bit! ;)

Talkabout Thursday!

Sorry this Talkabout Thursday is a little late! I forgot to set this to post overnight... oops, must have been all the Cinco de Mayo margaritas!! ;) (Or the massive sunburn I have on my back, ARGH!)

Anyway, without further adieu...

What is YOUR dream job?
(Emphasis on the word *dream*; as extravagant as you like!)

The idea for this question actually came to me yesterday; we were walking on the beach on a warm sunny morning yesterday, when I started to talk about how awesome it would be to own a bed and breakfast right on the beach. Last May we went to an amazing B&B in Savannah and I've been so hooked on the idea since then! There are so many huge, charming, beachy houses on the beach...



... Like this one!

(I didn't take this picture. But the house sure is cute!!)

Each guest room would be decorated in shabby-chic beach decor with comfy beds and fluffy pillows, ceiling fans, and wide open windows with a great view. And each room would have a fun beach-bird name, like the Sandpiper, or the Crane. I'd want no more than 4-6 rooms for a really cozy atmosphere. Local newspapers are complimentary, wi-fi is free, and concierge service? We'll happily hook you up with some of the best things to do on the shore.

We'd cook up a tasty, diverse, and fresh breakfast every morning so our vacationers could meet each other and chat over raspberry ricotta tarts and fresh fruit juices (mmmmm), and set out bottles of awesome local wines with complimentary local cheese platters in the evening for a relaxed rest on the balcony after a long day of sunbathing and sightseeing.

There would have to be a small garden at the very least, with pink rosebushes, azaleas, and of course, palm trees! A bubbling fountain and a swinging seat would be nice, but a hammock tucked off to one side would be even nicer for an afternoon siesta.

Every awesome B&B needs a friendly housepet to befriend & charm you during your stay. Our cats -- Finn the Scaredy Cat and Kerri the Spaz -- would not be allowed to apply for this position! A demure housecat and perhaps a small well-behaved dog would be chosen. They'd need to fit the beach attitude lifestyle -- relaxed, laid-back, friendly, and the ability to nap anywhere on the premises comfortably!

I don't have a name for my dream house yet, though. That's a work in progress!

...

Okay, now you know my secret dream is to be a B&B owner! Once I win my first million and get this started, you're all invited out for a complimentary evening on me. ;)

Okay, your turn! I'm totally done rambling now, I promise!

Tomorrow I have to remember to post my award! So stay tuned! And hang in there, it's almost the weekend!

Wordless Wednesday - Not Quite Butterflies..

A caterpillar relaxing on a branch at Harry P. Leu gardens. :)

I'll be back to my regular schedule soon, y'all!