Five Years of Clark Street: A Magical Giveaway

Five years ago, on September 2, 2006, I started this blog with Welcome to Clark Street. I had no idea what I was doing. I was lonely, suffering from a giant breakup, confused by a merger at work, hating Chicago, being barged in on by people who were trying to buy my apartment building each day, and slowly ticking my way toward 30.

Over the years, I've made amazing friends through blogging--yes, people I've met in Real Life and people who I feel like I have. I've shared uncomfortable truths about myself, worked to be more mentally healthy, and have been just plain silly. Each day brings a new topic or thought to my mind that I wish to record in writing. And then fun people like you come along and get me thinking in new ways, laughing, or crying. Mostly just smiling. And usually the crying part is only because you've made me happy or have touched my crusty, black soul.

I started thinking about this blogging anniversary earlier this year, and I've thought of many ways I could celebrate with my readers. I wanted to do something FUN. Give something AWAY. Capture the MAGIC and JOY of blogging.

It's always been difficult for me to label my blog properly. I usually call it a Life Blog because I cover a range of topics: work, relationships, books, hobbies, family, and all things farmie. When I really thought about it, I realized that all things on this blog point to what I value most: my family. So I am going to give you some Blonderson love.

I started by running into Eagle in town. I asked him if I could "borrow" some corn.

Eagle: What for?

Blondie: Oh, just a project for some of my friends. I'm going to make Iowa Magical Corn.

He gave me a look that only a cousin can give another cousin. The look that says: You are crazy, but whatevs. I love you anyway.

I stopped by a few days later with a bowl. Eagle's daughter took me into the shed where I loaded it up with corn straight from the Blonderson fields of Iowa. Blondersons have been farming this land since 1949. That's (pauses to do math... 2011 - 1949 = 62 years) 62 years of love, commitment, and hard work, people. I think it's a thing of beauty.

I bought these little jars at Hobby Lobby. They're small and will fit perfectly on office desks, bookshelves, or in knickknack areas. I decided to make the first one for myself. I glued on a tag that says Journey because that's what this blog has been for me:

Then I took three different colors of glitter and mixed them into the container with the corn. PRESTO MAGIC! Iowa Magical Corn:

And because I was thinking of the blogosphere and my awesome community of bloggie friends, I made three more:

You can't see the glitter too well in these photos, but it's there. You can shake and roll the jars to see it shine. I chose the words from my stack of label tags that I wanted to give the most to my readers: Cherish, Believe, Imagine:

So, do you want some Iowa Magical Corn? It will brighten your day, encourage you to dream big, and remind you that life is a journey filled with magical people and experiences. Sure, you can get corn just about anywhere, but this corn has magic powers. And it's pretty. I am even going to make special tags to put on the jars once I have my winners.

There are three for the taking. What do you have to do to win one? Just leave a comment. Plain and simple. You can even just say, "Hi." I'll contact you later to get your home or work address.

This contest is open to everyone--even my crazy overseas readers. (Love you!) If shipping is an issue, I'll figure it out somehow. For now, just leave a comment. I will use a randomizer to randomly choose the winners. Since I know some of you dip in and out throughout the month, you have until October 21, 2011 at midnight to enter. You can chat away in the comments, but I'm only going to allow one entry per person because that will be much easier for me to figure out. Remember, I'm not the best with simple math.

Anyway, thank you SO MUCH for being a part of my blogging world, putting up with my festering internal dialogue, and connecting with me here, on email, at BlogHer, and over at Twitter. I never would have known five years ago that this blog would become such a huge part of my life. I'm excited to think about what I will be doing five years from now... and what I will give away then...

XXOO,

Blondie