Wednesday 18 January 2012

Happy Blog Birthday to me! (With maybe a present for you!)

Devouring Texts is one year old today you guys! I realise that other people might use another 'b' word to describe this day, but I really can't deal with that word, mainly because it sounds so ugly, but also because, well, it's sort of inaccurate. I mean, an anniversary would suggest that I was married to my blog, but that would be seriously weird- it's more like my little baby, only it can't actually survive without me (well, it can but it wouldn't learn any new things) so actually it's kind of like my little foetus that's still being all parasitical and stuff. Since, 'happy one year of being a foetus!' is sort of, well, gross and weird, I think we can all agree that a blog birthday is the nicest way to put it!

So... should I get all soppy now, or save it for later? I think I'll get it over with out of the way, and then we can all move on with our lives and pretend it didn't happen (or that it did. Whatever.) So, when I started this blog a year ago, I was all miserable and unemployed and I more or less felt worthless and like I literally couldn't do anything. And I didn't really think a blog would do anything about that, and I saw it as more of a hobby then as a shiny beacon of hope and possibilities, but without being too much of a sap about it, that's kind of what it became for me, especially when I was really really miserable. So, a year ago, I couldn't really have imagined what it would come to mean to me, and I really couldn't have imagined all the awesome people I would meet (as yet only internetly, but one day I will find you all and hug you!) because of it. And while I could physically have done it without you, I really really wouldn't have wanted to. At all. So that's a great big THANK YOU to you if you're reading this right now.

There, that wasn't too bad, was it? Shit got a bit real, but on the whole I don't think I embarrassed myself too much! Probably more embarrassing was the fact that I made blog birthday cupcakes for myself (see above) but actually, I feel pretty great about them because 1) they took almost no effort to make, especially because I made a ganache instead of frosting (sounds fancy, but really it's just chocolate, milk and golden syrup all heated), and 2) they're vegan which means they have negative calories, and the actual cake bit is sugar free, so they don't give me weird sugar crashes if I eat them on their own (don't ask. It's not pleasant). I was going to post the recipe here, but then I remembered that no one ever really likes my recipe posts (WEEP- and also it's not even my recipe) so I couldn't be bothered! If you would like the recipe though, then you can email me and you SHOULD because they're AWESOME.

Anyway, that was going to be your present, but actually, I've decided to give some things away! What I'm offering is a copy of Little Women and one of Good Wives to one lucky lucky winner who really really wants them (Note: I'm relatively sure this is all published as one book in the US, hence my giving them both away at once. Also, I wouldn't want you to miss out on what happens in Good Wives, because oh my gawd, shit goes down that you wouldn't believe [and I still refuse to]). Anyway, so, if you want them, just leave a comment on this post saying hi and stuff, as well as leaving me an email address to contact you on so I can get your address if you leave the best comment  are randomly selected. I will post internationally, so if you live anywhere but the UK you can still ask me for them (and also you are SO LUCKY!) And let's say it closes by, ooh, Sunday? Sunday feels good. Announcement on Monday. Also, if you don't  want to win them, feel free to still leave me a comment telling me you love me. Because those are my favourites!

So, I'm heading off now to eat whatever blog birthday cupcakes I have left. Thank you again for reading and commenting, and just generally making a girl feel special. Now, here's to another year of awesome blogging fun and general joyfulness. I hope you'll all be here to share it with me, because it really wouldn't be the same without you.

26 comments:

  1. You made your blog cupcakes! AMAZING!
    How dedicated you are to your blog. You are a good blog mummy and I'm surprised my blog hasn't been taken into care.

    Happy Blogirthday! (I just made that up)
    I'm obviously not trying to win the competition as that would look a bit suspicious! But YAY for your awesome blog and your awesome self! x x x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww, your blog is lovely though, and, you know, being all elusive is a lot more interesting than NOT BEING ABLE TO SHUT UP. Like me! Blogirthday is an awesome word, and this is perhaps what I will call this day from now on! Also I love this comment because it's lovely, as are youuuuuuu!

      Delete
  2. LOL I love that you made cupcakes. :D Have you ever linked your recipe posts up with the Weekend Cooking meme? You might get more people reading them that way...

    Happy blog birthday to you! I only discovered your blog recently but I'm very happy to have done so. No need to enter me in the contest though. Those are on the shelves already. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't because I didn't know about it, but now that I do, I'm on it! Also, aww thank you! I love your blog too :) And yay for already owning Little Women (although I fear everyone might already and I may just have to donate these...)

      Delete
  3. Damn! That cupcake looks GOOD! Going to have to email for the recipe. I'm all for trying something new, and trying to eat better, too. Diabetes has run amuck in my family, and I'm trying to get my butt in check before I get it, too.

    Happy Blogversary to you, too! Isn't it amazing, how much this blog can come to mean to you? Even when I wasn't posting, I kept thinking about my readers and the blogs I follow...it's weird--you're changed!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very sensible move! There is some sugar in the ganache, but really not very much at all *justifies eating all the cupcakes*.

      It's so strange how much my blog means to me! And especially all the people- I'm thinking, "ooh, I wonder what x thinks about this book" and stuff, and generally feel like I know everyone, even though I technically don't! It's crazy and wonderful :)

      Delete
  4. Happy Blog Birthday!! Those cupcakes look amazing. You should tell people that ganache is really complicated and quite classy so people will think you're extra fancy. Cos that is how I thought of ganache.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a good point- only I like to make baking sound all easy because it is and I want everyone to do it and have really really good cake! Because I'm noble like that. Actual proper ganache might actually be really hard, this stuff is vegan and doesn't have anything complicated in it and it takes waaay less time than actual frosting to make so I LOVE IT.

      That was a really long comment about ganache...

      Delete
    2. Ganache seems like a topic worthy of conversations about. Also I'm hungry now

      Another also, I feel like I skipped over all of the soppy stuff and I shouldn't have because it was awesome and hooray for blogging. I just got distracted by food

      Delete
  5. HAPPY BLOG BIRTHDAY INDEED

    Man, shit DID get real. But you handled it well. You handled it well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I try. I needed to say it because its all truuuuue, but also I didn't want to say it because it was all real and about me and stuff which is like ARGJHGJDNS! So yeah.

      Also, why does no one want my books?!?! If you all haven't read Little Women and you're not asking for them, I'm going to be SO MAD! (Not really. Still have that love thing.)

      Delete
  6. Congratulations on your blog's birthday. It's awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happy blog birthday! I'll take one of those cupcakes :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmmm, not sure how well they'll travel, but ok! :)

      Delete
  8. Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy blog birthday Laura!

    Think those cupcakes would survive the postal trip to Aus? Worth a shot right?!

    I will most definitely be participating in the contest, Little Women was one of the titles my mum refused to let me take from the family bookshelf when I left home. Boo!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's worth a try, I guess? Or probably not because they'd get kiiiind of gross I suspect! Also, aw, your mum's mean! Since you're my only participant at the moment, you may well be the winner! (In Australia, does Little Women end when their dad comes home, or do you have the second part too? I'm so intrigued!)

      Delete
    2. I honestly can't remember, it's been awhile since I've read it. I remember mum having at least one of the sequels (Jo's Boys I think) and at one point I read all of them in the series, but if they were separate books or combined into single books I couldn't tell you!

      p.s. I hope no-one else enters!

      Delete
  9. Happy Blog Birthday :-)

    You don't have to enter me in the giveaway or anything, just wanted to say congrats on being 1 year old... your blog, not YOU... lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sarah :). Glad you added that last part- I act like at least a five year old... hehehe

      Delete
  10. Happy Blog Birthday Soulmate!! Our blogs almost have the same birthday (mine is next week). It's a sign I tell you!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, that's so cool! Our meeting (of minds..?) was clearly meant to be, written in the stars etc etc!

      Delete
  11. Happy birthday, Devouring Texts! Incidentally, my own book blog was also born last January (4th, to be precise). So yay for us one-year-olds!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Happy Blog Birthday! You're right, by the way - I do prefer that way of saying it :)

    I don't think non-bloggers really understand how much your blog comes to mean to you. I have online bloggery friends that know me better than my real-offline ones - I talk to them more often and we have similar interests. I'd be much, much less happy right now than if I didn't have a blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my God, tell me about it! I can mention my blog and regular people will just sort of be like 'mmhmm...' but it means so much to me! Totally agree with the bloggery friends thing too- not universally, but my online friends are really special to me, which is something I was definitely NOT expecting from all this. It's sort of amazing :)

      Delete