Sunday, December 4, 2011

The "Love Finds You" Blog Party is Here!!!

Welcome, one and all, to the 2nd annual "Love Finds You" blog party!! Today we're gathering around the virtual Christmas tree to start the festivities off right with the traditional pickle ornament hunt! But before we do, grab a mug of hot cocoa while I attend to a few formalities. =)

The "Love Finds You" Series

Let's begin with a quick re-cap (or introduction) to the "Love Finds You" series (published by Summerside Press). I'm going to share my explanation from last year's party:

Now, I realize that some of you may not be as familiar with this series as I am. The "Love Finds You" series is a collection of Christian romance stories set in various places (mainly in the United States) with unique town names and history. The stories range from historical to contemporary and are just as diverse as the towns themselves. The "Love Finds You" series is fun and inspirational, reminding readers that "Love Finds You" wherever God plans it to!

So here we are once again to celebrate this wonderful series and share some Christmas cheer! (If you'd like to read the great interviews from last year, click HERE and scroll down until you get to the 2010 posts.)

The Party Plan

If you haven't yet seen the party page, click HERE or click the button in the sidebar. There you'll find the party schedule and a list of this week's giveaways. As each post goes up, I'll include the links to them on that page, so if you ever feel lost with what's going on during the party, just head over there! Or feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me with any of your questions. =)

The Main Prize Package

As you'll see on the party page, there are going to be some great giveaways this week - starting with today's prize package!

You have the chance to win a $15 Amazon.com gift card and 2 copies (one for you and one for a friend) of Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland!

Here are the rules for this particular drawing (please read them carefully!) -
  • You must leave a comment on this post saying which country you are from. If you are from the U.S. or Canada, you are eligible for all parts of this package. If you are from any other country, you are only eligible for the Amazon.com gift card (so if you win, another person will be chosen for the books). Hope that makes sense!
  • You can gain 2 extra entries by taking the party button and putting it on your blog to help me spread the word. If you've already done so, no need to tell me again as I'll check back on the comments from the original post. However, you still must leave a comment here to be entered in the drawing!!
  • You can gain extra extra entries by participating in today's activity, so read on!
The Great Pickle Hunt

If you're a long-time reader of this blog, hunting for pickle ornaments is nothing new for you! But for all our new visitors, here's an advertisement from The German Way that will tell you a little bit about the pickle-hunting tradition (click on the image to enlarge):

Basically a green pickle ornament is hidden among the branches of the Christmas tree, and the first to find it receives a gift. (My sister and I enjoy this tradition at Christmastime!) Today 5 pickle ornament images have been hidden in various places on this blog. Each pickle is worth 3 extra entries in today's drawing.

Here are the official rules:
  • When you find a pickle image, just leave a comment saying where you found it (you can either describe the post/page or include the URL).
  • You aren't limited to finding just one pickle image, so you can claim all 15 extra entries if you find all five pickles. However, if you want to be nice and not hog all the pickle claims, then I'm sure others will thank you. ;)
  • I might be a little slow in checking in, but just know that once all five pickles are found, the game is over. (I'll eventually add the names of those who find the pickles to this post once the pickles have all been found.) If people are having a hard time finding the pickles, I might offer a hint or two later on.
  • Also, please note: the pickle images from the rules post for last December's game and last July's game do NOT count. You will find them (as well as today's post) HERE, which is a link to the posts with the label "Pickle Ornament Tradition." Any other pickle images count, though! ;)
Finally, below is what the pickle image you're hunting for looks like. (But this is NOT one of the five I've hidden; this picture is just an example!)


*All 5 pickles have been found by Melanie, Bluerose, Casey, and Christy! Thank you to everyone who participated!*

In Conclusion...

I know this is a lot to take in! Please let me know if you have any questions, and remember that a lot of the information you need to know for this week is available on the party page. Have fun, and don't forget to come back tomorrow to meet Roseanna White and learn more about Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland!

67 comments:

Melanie said...

I'm from the U.S.

I found one of the pickles - Craving Sherlock!

I've already added the button to my blog - http://christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/

frequentreader19 (at) gmail (dot) com

Amber Holcomb said...

Melanie,

Way to go! I thought that would be a harder one because it was a little random...except, perhaps, for my Goodreads friends who know I'm reading The Hound of the Baskervilles right now. ;) Thank you for your entry - and you have 5 extra entries total so far!

~Amber

Melanie said...

I found a second one! 'My Review of Remembering Christmas'

frequentreader19 (at) gmail (dot) com

Roseanna White said...

What fun! We have those pickle ornaments for our tree too. =) And a special ballerina pickle ornament for my little ballerina. ;-)

Happy partying, one and all!

Bluerose said...

I found a pickle on your "Movie Reviews" page.

I love your pickle hunt! We usually get a Hallmark ornament every year to add to our tree, and this year my husband wants the pickle one. :)

bluerosesheart at yahoo dot com

Hutt-Write Voice said...

Haven't found a pickle yet -- you hid them well. Love your blog party idea!

Hutt-Write Voice said...

Oops, forgot to say, I'm from Canada.

Bonnie Way aka the Koala Mom said...

I found a pickle!!! It's at http://seasonsofhumility.blogspot.com/2011/11/my-review-of-remembering-christmas.html. I'm from Canada and there is one Love Finds You book set in Canada - it's over in PEI. :)

Casey said...

Hello Amber!!

(I live in Oregon. ;-)

I love your pickle hunt!!! I'm really not sure if I found an OLD pickle, or a NEW pickle, but here is the link and no worries if it's an old one. I know that's the chance I take. ;)

http://seasonsofhumility.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-review-of-love-finds-you-in-lahaina.html

Excited for the coming days!!!!

Unknown said...

What fun! I'm really excited about the rest of this party! :)

P.S. I live in the U.S. :)

Amber Holcomb said...

Melanie,

Congrats on finding a second one! :) Thought the Christmas theme would fit well. ;)

That brings you up to a total of 8 extra entries!!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Roseanna,

First of all, thank you so much for your generosity in contributing 2 copies of your latest book to this prize package!! :D

Second, how fun to learn about others following this tradition! Usually my mom AND my grandparents put up pickle ornaments for me and my sister to find - and my sister and I never have to worry about not getting a gift at either their house or ours. ;)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Bluerose,

Nice job! That gives you 3 extra entries in today's drawing! :D

And awwww, that's awesome!! So glad you like the pickle hunt and that you might get to have a real pickle ornament this year! :)

~Amber

Anonymous said...

This is such a great idea! I couldn't find any pickles, but that's ok! I live in the U.S.!
~Marissa

marissamehresman(at)aol(dot)com

Amber Holcomb said...

Linda,

I tried to be sneaky but also not TOO sneaky. ;) I think there's still one left, and I'm about ready to post a hint!

Thank you for entering the drawing! :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Koala Bear Writer,

Aw, I'm sorry to say that that one was already found. :( I apologize for not getting here sooner to remove the "found" pickles and to post who had found them. I ended up sleeping in way late today... ;)

But don't worry - you are still entered in the drawing and you have 2 extra entries from taking the button! :) And one pickle is still out there if you want to keep searching!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Casey,

Hahaha, glad you clarified that! ;)

And yes, you found one!! I remove all the pickles after they're found, so the only pickles that don't count are the ones I post as an example on the pickle hunt posts. :)

I thought another LFY in Hawaii would be appropriate, since we're going to learn more about LFY in Sunset Beach, Hawaii later on this week! :)

That brings you up to 5 extra entries total! :D Thank you for your enthusiasm!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Rachelle,

Glad you think so! I'm excited, too! :D

You have 3 entries in today's drawing since you took the button! :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Marissa,

Thank you! I always enjoy everyone's comments as they find the pickles. ;) There's still one out there if you want to keep searching! I'll post a hint in a moment...

~Amber

Unknown said...

I think I've located the last pickle: http://seasonsofhumility.blogspot.com/2010/11/holiday-season.html

If not, I hope someone else will be able to find it soon. :o)

I'm from the US, and would love a chance to win Roseanna's book.

Thanks, Amber, for a great start to a great week with your party!

Christy

Amber Holcomb said...

Christy,

You found it!! :)

That gives you 4 entries total in today's drawing! Thank you for stopping by!

~Amber

Jessica Laurie said...

I'm from the U.S.

Congrats to all the "pickle" finder winners! I don't think I've heard of the pickle tradition before. It's so cute!

Carissa said...

I am from the United States

Carissa said...

I posted the love finds you blog party button on my blog

A.Jones said...

Oh! How I enjoy Blog Parties! I have never read a "Love Finds You" book, so I would enjoy trying one. Please enter me in this giveaway!

P.S. I live in the U.S. (in New York)
and I posted your button to my blog.

http://aizesshomeschooljournal.blogspot.com/

yecenia@optonline.net

Amber Holcomb said...

Jessica,

Thank you for your entry! :) Since you took the blog button, you have 3 entries total in this drawing!

Glad I could introduce you to the pickle ornament tradition. :) So fun!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Carissa,

You have 3 entries total in this drawing! :) Thank you for entering!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Aizess,

You've never read a "Love Finds You" book??? Maybe we'll get to change that soon! ;) And I love blog parties, too! It's a lot of fun to attend and to host them. :)

Thank you for your 3 entries in today's drawing!

~Amber

Katie Marie said...

Okay, I know I'm showig up pretty late to the party...but I'm here nonetheless! :-)

Awesome kick off for your party, Amber! The pickle finding game sounds like it'll be fun to hunt for!

That $15 Amazon gift card sounds NICE! I already have a copy of Roseanna's LFY book, but if I did win, I know of two friends who I could pass it on to so they can discover what an awesome auther Roseanna is! :-)

well, I'll check back tomorrow for more fun times. Can't wait!!! :-)

Oh! And I live in the USA! Florida, to be exact.

agirlslegacy@yahoo.com

Amber Holcomb said...

Katie,

Hey, it's a week-long party - so you're not late at all! ;) (Except for the pickle hunt, which is over, but there's plenty more fun to come, so no worries!)

Gotta love Amazon.com gift cards! :) They're great to give (and to receive)!

Thanks for stopping by, and you have a total of 3 entries in this drawing!

~Amber

Unknown said...

Hi Amber!

I'm from the US, I'm a blog follower, and I'm sporting your blog party button over at http://gwendolyngage.blogspot.com/ :-)

Thanks for the chance to win!

gwen[dot]gage[at]gmail[dot]com

Amber Holcomb said...

Gwendolyn,

Thanks so much! You have 3 entries total in this drawing. :)

~Amber

Anonymous said...

I came late to the game today, but I still looked for pickles, just for fun. Thanks for the game and the chance to win! I'm in Chicagoland, USA. Looking forward to all the events here.

LynH
spooler(at)comcast(dot)net

Michelle said...

Ah, bummer, I missed the pickle hunt. Congrats to those that found it!

We had company today, so I'm showing up late to the party. Glad that I finally made it though! Looks like a fun week ahead! Thanks for setting up such a great party, Amber!

I live in the U.S. Thanks for entering me!

Michelle
scraphappy71 at sbcglobal dot net

Embrace said...

This looks like fun! I can't wait for the next party to begin. Will there be more pickles each day?

If I'm not too late, please enter me in the draw. I live in Canada.
jodi(dot)janz(at)gmail(dot)com

Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot) said...

Awww nuts! I was out of town all weekend so I missed the pickle hunt but great job Melanie, Bluerose, Casey and Christy on finding the pickles. :-)I'm so excited for this week!!!

+2 grabbed blog button

XOXO~ Renee C.
steelergirl83(at)gmail(dot)com
USA

Faith said...

Oh, how fun! Well, I grabbed the blog party button = +2.
I'm from the US.
I've been searching my local Wal-mart for the latest Love Finds You book by Roseanna White. I think it must be popular!
I might have to stop by a look for pickles later today :)
Great party.

crazi.swans at gmail dot com

Amber Holcomb said...

Lyn,

Thank you! :) The pickles have actually all been removed - but you are still entered in today's drawing, and there are plenty more interviews/giveaways to come! :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Jodi,

Definitely not too late to enter in the drawing! But the pickles for extra entries have been retired for this event... I'm sorry you missed it, but I do hope you'll come back for all the interviews this week - and there's another international giveaway on Thursday! :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Michelle,

I'm sorry you missed the pickle hunt! I guess Sunday might not have been the best day to do it, but it probably worked out for the best overall since this is my last week of classes and these weekdays are going to keep me busy. ;)

I'm so glad you could stop by, though, and you are definitely entered in the drawing - with 3 total entries for taking the blog button, as well! :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Renee,

Oh, bummer! I'm sorry so many people missed out on that, but I AM glad that there's more to come and that you can hopefully join in the rest of the fun! :)

Thank you for your 3 entries!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Faye,

Glad you're enjoying the party! :) The pickles are actually all found, but I hope you enjoy the other interviews and giveaways!

And you have 3 entries in this drawing! :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

NOTE TO EVERYONE:

The pickle hunt is officially over - but please do check out the other giveaway opportunities this week! :)

~Amber

Ariel Wilson said...

Yay parties!

I'm U.S. of course ;)

pinkdaddysgirl[at]msn[dot]com

Amber Holcomb said...

Ariel,

I agree! :)

And yep, of course! ;) You have 3 entries in this drawing!

~Amber

Loraine Ertelt said...

I'm from the US.

Missed the pickle party but have a good excuse - pregnant daughter in law!

Loraine
lpertelt@aol.com

Anonymous said...

I'm from Malaysia, so this puts me in the international category. :)
I posted the blog button at http://sugarpeach.wordpress.com/.
Thanks for this fabulous giveaway!

Giveaway Lady said...

I am from the US and even though I am dropping in late, this sounds like a fun game:) I remember you did this last year but was late then too:D Thanks for the great giveaways this week!

esterried[at]yahoo[dot]com

misskallie2000 said...

I am from the USA, Great State of Georgia..
I love the LFY books and can't wait to read more of them.

To late for finding pickles but love the idea. Maybe I will use this idea next yr.

I added your button here:
http://ibooksbooksandmorebooks.blogspot.com/

It took me awhile to find where to put comment. lol not very computer savvy so may be wrong place. lol

misskallie2000 at yahoo dot

Amber Holcomb said...

Loraine,

That's definitely a good excuse!! :) Hope your daughter-in-law is doing well, and thank you for stopping in and entering the drawing!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Sugarpeach,

Nice to meet you! :) It's great to meet other readers from across the world!

You have 3 entries in the Amazon.com gift card portion of the drawing. :) Thank you for stopping by!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Charity,

I'm sorry you missed the pickle hunt both times! But I'm glad you could still join all the other giveaway fun! :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

MissKallie2000,

I love the LFY books, too! :) And glad you liked the pickle idea!

And it's totally fine to include the button information here. :) That means you have 3 entries in this drawing!

Thanks for helping me spread the word!

~Amber

geschumann said...

Would love to read this. Thanks for the giveaway! The hunt sounded like fun.
Gloria USA

geschumann at live dot com

Amber Holcomb said...

Geschumann,

You're welcome! :) I'm sorry you missed the pickle hunt, but I'm glad you could join in on the interviews/giveaways this week. :)

Thank you for your entry!

~Amber

Merry said...

What a fun week with the wonderful LFY books! I'm from the US.
worthy2bpraised at gmail dot com

Amber Holcomb said...

Merry,

Thank you! :) Glad you're enjoying the party, and thank you for your entry!

~Amber

Lane Hill House said...

Hi, I just found you!
I have live linked comments and set your party invit over at my blog. Ready to go! Catching up! I live in the United States.
lanehillhouse[at]centurylink[dot]net

bria said...

Hi
Love the Love finds you books!
Nice idea with the pickles, that's a neat tradition, never heard of it before.

I'm from the US.
foreverdaizy@hotmail.com

Bria

Tiffany Amber Stockton said...

Well, too late for the pickle hunt, but I'm from the U.S. and love the LFY books. They're right up my alley in reading and writing, so I can't get enough. :) Thanks for hosting this contest and blog party.

Btw, once you're published, I'm sure folks will confuse us. I'm Amber Stockton for my books and writing, and you're Amber Stokes. Uh-oh... I can see it now. :)

Lady DragonKeeper said...

I can't believe I almost forgot about this party! I kept seeing it advertised on different blogs and meant to join in. Thanks for the chance to win such a great prize pack. I love this series. =)

jafuchi7[at]hawaii[dot]com

(P.S. I guess you can tell from my e-mail --I'm from Hawaii). =)

Amber Holcomb said...

Lane Hill House,

Glad you could find your way here! :) (I know it can get confusing with all the links everywhere!) Thank you for your 3 entries in this drawing!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Bria,

It's such a neat series, isn't it? :) Glad I could introduce you to the pickle tradition, and thank you for entering the drawing!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Tiffany Amber Stockton,

You're welcome! Thank you for taking the blog button, and thank you for joining the party celebrating the LFY series! :)

And that's too funny about our names! ;) I have to say, I really appreciate the encouragement you gave me by saying "once you're published." :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Lady DragonKeeper,

Glad you could make it! :) And how fun to hear that you've been seeing the party advertised on other blogs!

Thank you for your entry!

~Amber

Alicia said...

Looks like an interesting read. I have never read a LFY book would love to.
Alicia from Ny
Alibaby374@gmail.com

Amber Holcomb said...

Ali,

Glad I could introduce you to the series! :) Thank you for your entry!

~Amber