It’s the sixth night of Hanukkah, and Smart Bitches gave to me… the Extrava-Hanukkah Giveaway of great simplicity!
Sometimes you just need books, and maybe some things to read with.
Whatever you need, we’ve got you covered: today’s giveaway is….
A $100 Amazon gift certificate!
That’s easy enough, right?
Here’s how to enter: leave a comment below and tell us something good you learned this past year. Maybe it’s a new author, or a new skill, or a Very Important Lesson suitable for a Very Special Episode of Blossom? Whatever it is, tell us about a good thing you learned, and you’re entered to win!
Standard disclaimers apply: I’m not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Must be 18 years of age and ready to shop though there’s no need to stop, drop or roll. We’re all safe here. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. Comments will close at or near 12pm ET on Friday 30 December 2016 and winners will be announced shortly afterward.
Good luck and thank you for being here!
Update: The winner is Sue Rice, who learned some pretty powerful things this year.
Here’s to more learning and growing in 2017!
I would say this year has been one of suspended belief for me; mostly that it went by so quickly. If I could only pick one thing I learned this year, it was that time waits for no one – carpe diem is a classic for a reason.
I learned how not to suffer fools gladly!
This is going to be so very cliche but I learned this year that not everything can be controlled, you can only control your reactions and you just have to let people be who they are and move forward.
I learned that jigsaw puzzles make great stress relief projects
Growing up, I was the nerdy, pudgy kid who was bad at sports. As an adult, I was still nerdy and bad at sports. But this year, I found a personal trainer I love, worked out with her religiously, found out I’m actually really good at weight training & cross-fit type workouts, and now I have a bunch of friends at the gym. So this year, I learned to think of myself as “athletic”.
I learned that I have more patience than I ever thought I could have.
I learned to knit!
This year I learned that when everything falls apart around me, I don’t. My mom was hospitalized and I can sleep through people coming and going in the room. I can deal with doctors and insurance. When I’m stressed, my hair falls out, but when it grows back, it comes in cool white stripes.
Echoing Wisteria, I learned how to drive this year, after I took a new job in a city with terrible public transit. It’s weird, but driving to work everyday (even though it cuts into what used to be reading time on the bus) makes me feel more adult (even though I resist the association of adulthood and any particular set of skills).
The time to start is now. There is no future perfect.
I learned that if I do laundry on Thursdays, it makes for a better weekend and a happier husband.
This year I learned (from reading Beard Science) that armadillos carry leprosy. I live in an area that has a lot of them and I have hairless dogs. I felt like that was important.
This year, I learned that baking sweet potatos makes them delicious, especially if you glaze them with virgin oil first.
(Don’t judge me! I had never eaten a sweet potato in my life before!)
If learned that social media can be a real drag. But I’ve not been on Facebook since June, and my mood has improved because of it!
I’m generally horrible with languages, but I started learning Italian this year with DuoLingo and I’m really enjoying it. I still have a long way to go, but since I’m hoping to spend a few months in Italy sometime soon, I have an incentive to keep at it!
I’ve been crocheting since I was a little kid, but this year I learned how to follow a crochet pattern and how to do decreases in 2 different stitches.
I learned that I am qualified to do the job I’ve been doing with minimal training for the past several years.
On the positive side, I’m learning (because this is still very much a work in progress) to let go of things–things/stuff, emotional pain and loss, anger, worry, judgments (my own and others’), unrealistic expectations, etc. I’m learning to let go of that huge knot in my chest I carry around.
I learned that I’m stronger than I thought I was. Thank you for the great giveaway!
that having good kitchen tools go a long way in making cooking both easier, and tastier!
I started knitting again, and I found Judith Ivory/Judy Cuevas.
This year I learned that it was okay to take time for myself and my own health, mental or otherwise, so that I could be stronger to fight another day.
I learned many things this year. But to keep the topic on books, what I learned that seems most important is that Patricia Briggs is awesome. And that she talks with my other favorite author Ilona Andrews.
My two favorite authors know each other!!!
I learned that my mother, who died in December 2014, did some incredibly selfish and hurtful things. But I’m learning to love the flawed woman she was rather than the perfect image I believed. And I’m hanging on to the good!
I learned that if you make the wrong decision, life will continue to go on and all you can do is learn from that mistake and hopefully never repeat it again. And friends are there for you in bad times as well as good!!!!
This year I learned to journal. I particularly love bullet journaling and how organized it helps me feel.
I learned how to cross stitch and am so very glad for it. I have had a bunch of time off this year due to illness and needed something to keep my mind occupied that wasn’t reading and I am so glad I picked this up. Even better, I get to share it with the people I love in the form of gifts.
I’ve learned that I wasted too many years before finally watching Gilmore Girls.
I learned that with good friends, it’s okay to tell them exactly what you need when you’re feeling anxious, and to not be ashamed of asking for help, because they love you and are willing to give you what you need. <3
I started learning sign language.
I learned that grandmothers love does expand even more than thought possible for grandsons! I also learned that I am stronger than I thought when put to the test! Have a super duper New Year!
I learned how to choose and sign up for an adequate health insurance plan.
I learned how to use Tableau this year – a data visualization program. I LOVE it and had no idea just how pervasive my geek identity could be until I found myself raving about data on twitter.
This year I learned to cut myself a break when I couldn’t do everything I thought I needed to get done and not feel guilty about it.
I’ve discovered podcasts (only about 5 years late)!
I learned to do fake yoga, which is to say: from an app or YouTube video, but still.
Amber Belldene and Emily Foster! I normally read mostly historicals, so Amber Belldene’s contemporary (but not inspirational) series about female Episcopal priests and Emily Foster’s Belhaven Series have been cool discoveries for me.
I learned that no matter how many times life knocks you down you need to get YOURSELF back up! There won’t always be someone there to help you.
I learned that sapphires and rubies are the same gem… It’s just rubies are red. Other colors are still sapphires.
I learned that I need to fill my own cup first. I’ve been trying to pour from an empty cup for far to long and finally going to therapy is really helping.