NEWSFLASH!!!
In one, ONE WEEK it will be my birthday. And let me tell you, birthdays are great. But mine?
It's the BEST!!
I used to start counting down the days 'til my special day from July 19th. Oh, how much my childhood friends must have suffered. I would go as far as to tell janitors at my school just how many days/hours/minutes it was until I was to turn another year. I am not sure why, but I have always loved my birthday to an unhealthy point.
I have since calmed down a bit (in other words, I have taken my squeals of delight into rooms where no one can hear me, and have only done the July 19th countdown thingy in secret with my poor children).
However, it is now OFFICIALLY my birthday WEEK, and I would love it if you would help me celebrate. So...
You are hereby invited to
Bethany's Birthday Bonanza
WHEN: From today, 9/12/12, to Sunday, 9/16/12, 11:59 (PDT)
WHERE: Right here! On this blog!
You don't even have to get out of your seat!
WHAT: This is a contest!!
You are to write a 250-word story
that must contain the following items-
1. Your MC celebrating his/her birthday
2. An elephant (real, imaginary, or stuffed)
3. An odd question
RSVP: Please either subscribe to my blog or "Like" my FB page*,
then submit your story in the comment section below.
You must do BOTH (subscribe/Like AND submit story)
in order to be put in the running.
PRIZE: After the contest time is over, I will chose the winner using Random.org.
The winner will receive a $15 Amazon
Gift Card, for MY birthday!!
There you have it, ladies and gentlemen!
OH- the WINNER will be announced next week, ON my birthday!
We'll have a paaaaarrrtaaayyy!!!!
Good luck!! I greatly look forward to reading your entries...
*If you have already subscribed to this blog and/or have "Liked" my page, please let me know so that you can get an extra VIP point. :) Thanks!
Ooh! Happy Birthday Week! And I love contests! I will try to put an entry together, but no promises - I'm up to my ears (which are not as high as an elephant's but I still have A LOT to do!) :)
ReplyDeleteHahaha Thank you, Susanna! I hope you can enter, but completely understand if you can't!
DeleteA very happy early birthday to you, Bethany! You have set a beautiful table, and have found a clever way to celebrate. I hope you have many entries from which to choose...blessings!
ReplyDeleteThank you so so much!
DeleteHave a blessed birthday, friend! You are a GIFT to me and our Writer's Group! What a fun contest. Hope I can sneak it in. I do follow your Facebook page & blog, of course. ;)
ReplyDeleteYay!! Thanks, Dorina. :) I hope you can enter, too!
DeleteHappy Birthday Bethany! What a lovely idea with the writing contest. Have Fun with it.
ReplyDelete-Darshana
Thanks, Darshana!
DeleteHow fun!!! Happy birthday week. I'm going to try and enter. I can't resist writing contests ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I can't wait to see what you've got in store!
DeleteOh, I wish my homework load wasn't so full this week. I love elephants of any variety including stuff ones. Hope you have a wonderful Birthday week!
ReplyDeleteNo worries, Stacy! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteWhat a cool contest idea! I can't wait to read all of the entries!Happy Birthday week!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!!
DeleteDone and done. I'm going to write this off the top of my head so no promises of perfection, but it is your birthday and I want to be the first entry (it'll make everyone else feel better about their own, right?):
ReplyDeleteLucita Lion turned to her friend Edgar Elephant and asked, "Did dinosaurs speak Spanish?"
"I don't know replied," Edgar. "But if a dinosaur speaks Spanish in the middle of an asteroid impact, does anyone hear it? Hey, speaking of things that are old and Spanish... feliz cumpleaños Lucita!"
"Oh, Edgar you remembered my birthday!"
"Of course I remembered Linda, an elephant never olvidars."
There now everyone should feel VERY safe submitting their own.
Happy birthday Bethany!
I'm DYING laughing! This is wonderful!!! Thanks so much, Hannah... A great first entry!
DeleteVery fun, Hannah! :)
Delete"Did dinosaurs speak Spanish?".....very funny!
DeleteHa! Love it!!
DeleteA Very Happy Birthday to You Bethany! :)
ReplyDeleteHere is my story. This has been a fun exercise and the story I've been writing seemed to want to be longer. This is the start of the story. Thank you for a fun contest and Happy Birthday to you!!! :)
Humphrey looked at the stuffed animal and sighed.
“Thank you Aunt Gert,” It was all Humphrey could say. He'd just turned 6. Six! A stuffed elephant was a baby's toy. A turquoise blue elephant with a bow around its neck.
“Yes, its a lovely birthday present,” his mother smiled.
“Well I knew it was perfect for Humphrey when I saw it in the window of the toy shop. And it looked so lonely. You will be a good friend to him, wont you?” Aunt Gert said.
Humphrey was about to sigh again but caught his mother's gaze. “I'll be his friend. The very best friend a stuffed elephant can have.”
“His name is Charlie,” Aunt Gert said.
“Time for birthday cake.” Mom replied.
Humphrey looked at his birthday cake, with six candles a blaze and one for good luck. Didn't she know big boys didn't play with stuffed animals anymore? Humphrey closed his eyes and made a wish:
“I wish I got to play with more exciting toys.”
Sparks flew off of his birthday cake. All the candles went out, even the seventh lucky wish candle. Humphrey, Mom and Aunt Gert ate cake. Before Humphrey knew it, it was bedtime and he was fast asleep.
That is until he woke up to the thump, thump, thump on the apple tree near his window.
Humphrey rubbed his eyes and looked out in the moonlight. The tree was shaking and apples were falling to the ground.
In the moonlight and through the tree branches, Humphrey could see a turquoise blue elephant shaking the tree to bring down the fruit. The elephant was gobbling up apples, one by one!
WOW! Oooh I am so intrigued! I hope you finish this story. I will be first in line to buy it!
DeleteThank you very much, Abigail! Good luck!
What a wonderful story beginning, Abigail! Humphrey is so believable, and the way Aunt Gert speaks hints at the fact that the elephant isn't what Humphrey expects. I hope you finish this so we can all find out how it ends!
DeleteCute and imaginative! Yes...finish it!
DeleteAunt Gert saying the elephant is lonely, asking if Humphrey will be a good friend to the him, and then calling out his name, Charlie, has my curiousity peaked as to what is to come. Great job at foreshadowing!
DeleteSo what day is your birthday? Sept. 16 is my daughter's birthday. Sept. is a fantastic month to be born! So, in honor of all the awesome Sept. people, I submit my crazy entry into your contest. :)
ReplyDelete“Surprise!”
Eliza squealed in shock and jumped back, but she knocked into a real elephant, whose trumpeting was so loud it scared her into the house full of her waiting guests.
They all laughed but Eliza pointed behind her at the elephant. “How much do African elephants cost these days?” she asked.
Eliza’s mother moved out of the crowd of guests, smiling. “Don’t you worry about that,” she said. “Happy birthday, sweetheart! Let’s have cake!”
“Hooray!” everyone shouted and rushed into the dining room.
Eliza admired the decorations that had transformed her dining room into a dense African jungle.
“Oh wow!” Eliza exclaimed when she noticed her birthday cake. It wasn’t any old cake. Her parents had gone all out and got her an elephant shaped cake with a fountain shooting water from his trunk.
She looked at her dad, her face the unasked question.
He patted her on the head.
“Don’t worry, Sport. Double digits is a big deal. Big enough for an elephant!”
Eliza would have rolled her eyes except that it had always been her dream to have a real elephant and now there was one standing in her front yard. She didn’t know which was more enticing, the icing elephant or the ridiculously large real one.
“Um, seriously, how did you get the real elephant? Do we get to keep it?”
Dad winked.
“Didn’t I ever tell you your mother can work magic?”
Love. This!
DeleteThank you, Sarah! Can I be Eliza?! This is fantastic, Good luck!
And please tell your daughter happy birthday for me! Yes, September birthdays are the best. My family celebrates one just about every other day (I'm 100% serious)!! My brother's is on the 15th, and mine on the 19th!
What a great ending!
DeleteNice entry, Sarah!
DeleteSuper ending!
DeleteThe following entry is from Karen Moore (she does not have any accounts that would allow her to post here, so she gave me her entry so that it could count.) Take it away, Karen!
ReplyDelete******************************************************
Happy Birthday Bethany, Here is my story: AS BIG AS AN ELEPHANT
"Kaley, it's time to blow out the candles and make a wish as big as an elephant."
"Mama, can everyone wish as big as an elephant?"
"Yes honey, everyone can wish that big."
Kaley closed her eyes, sucked in as much air as possible, and blew. "Oh no," she said opening her eyes. One of the six candles still burned, and she worried that her wish might not come true.
After cleaning up after the party, Mama said, "It's time to go to bed and dream as big as an elephant."
"Mama, can everyone dream as big as an elephant?"
"Yes honey, everyone can dream that big."
Mama tucked the covers tight around her, and Kaley snuggled down with Elle, her favorite stuffed animal.
"Remember, we're going to the circus tomorrow as part of your birthday surprise, so you need lots of rest."
"Thanks for letting me invite Macy to come with us. Her daddy is still gone, and she seems sad. Mama, I love you as big as an elephant."
"I love you even bigger," said Mama closing the door.
With a mouthful of pink cotton candy, the girls watched as a lady wearing a dazzling costume jumped from a beautiful white horse. Then, the lights went down and the crowd grew quiet, as the ringmaster took center stage. He asked for the birthday girl named Kaley to come down and join him.
Surprised at the mention of her name, butterflies started tap-dancing in her tummy. An usher took.........
And here is one more entry who also did not have any accounts in order to comment (these two ladies are new to the writing world, so I commend them for getting out there and giving this a try!) This entry is by Kathy Gorman:
ReplyDelete******************************************
“Nelly, what do you have on your head?” Mrs. Mouse asked her young hopper.
“It’s my birthday hat Momma,” Nelly said.
Her mother shook her head and said,” Nelly, dear, your birthday is Saturday.”
“Are you sure Momma?”
“I’m sure Nelly. Now get your lunch before you’re late for school. And take off your birthday hat.”
Nelly ran out the door yelling “I love you Momma!”
The door slammed shut before Mrs. Mouse could say, “I love you too, Nelly.”
“I’m having a birthday party!” Nelly told her zoo friends during recess.
“Who’s having a party?” asked Manny the spider monkey.
“What’s a party?” Fanny the baby elephant asked.
“A party is fun and games and cake!” Hattie the hippo said.
“But, I’m allergic to cake,” Fanny moaned.
“Oh, no. What can you eat, Fanny?” Nelly asked.
“I like lettuce. Can your mom make a lettuce cake?”
“Hmmm, I’ll ask her,” Nelly said.
That night, Nelly turned to Mrs. Mouse, and asked, “Momma, can you make me and my friends a cheese and lettuce cake for my birthday? Please?”
“Why a cheese and lettuce cake, Nelly?”
“Because, my new friend Fanny is allergic to cake.” Nelly told her.
Mrs. Mouse layered a piece of cheese and a piece of lettuce many times to make Nelly a special cheese and lettuce birthday cake.
Nelly had the greatest birthday ever!
“My Momma is the best!”
“And I want to invite her to my birthday party.”
“I’ll try,” Mrs. Mouse said.
Sweet story!
DeleteNelly is an enduring character!
DeleteAddressing the cake allergy issue is a great concept! Good idea and fun story!
DeleteHappy almost birthday, Bethany! I was hoping to have some time this weekend to whip up a story, but sadly, I don't think it's going to happen. You've got some great entries here, good luck picking the winner!
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't know how it happened, but I wasn't following your blog...for shame! I am now. :-)
No worries, friend! See you next week!!
DeleteI like you all over the place and I follow you everywhere. I'm sort of like a stray puppy in that regard.
ReplyDeleteHere's my story. It ain't much, but it's all I got. Most importantly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
Here's my story. 250 words on the nose. The rather LONG nose.
~~~~~
The Elphapunt family had just moved to a new house. In a new town. In a new STATE! Elpha didn’t know ANYbody. And it was her birthday today!
Mama Elphapunt was busy unpacking all the trunks. Had she forgotten Elpha’s birthday?
Her brother Elvin had been practicing his trumpet all day. Honk, Twwwt, Blast, HONK! Had he forgotten, too?
Daddy Elphapunt said he had a mammoth project and couldn’t be disturbed. He must have forgotten Elpha’s birthday as well!
Elpha needed to do something. She went to the house down the street. When a girl her age came to the door, she asked, “Do you like peanuts? Come to my house at four o’clock.”
The girl looked said, “I LOVE peanuts. But I’m busy at four o’clock. That’s when I take my mud bath.”
All up and down the street, Elpha asked people, “Do you like peanuts?”
Everybody LOVED peanuts. Nobody loved them enough to come to Elpha’s house.
Elpha trudged home. It was nearly four o’clock. It was the worst birthday in the history of the world.
Mama was standing at the door. She asked, “Can you close your eyes and count to seventeen hundred?”
Elpha didn’t think so, but she tried. “One, two, three, six, ten, ‘leventy-leven, forty-four, ninety-three, seventeen hundred!”
Elvin blew a loud blast on his trumpet.
Elpha opened her eyes. There was everybody from the neighborhood!
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELPHA!” they all shouted, tossing peanuts like confetti from their trunks.
“Happy birthday to MEEEEEE!” shouted Elpha.
Cute, Beth! I like your word play!
Deletep.s. one line should say "The girl looked sad." not "The girl looked said." sigh.
DeleteAWESOME entry, Beth! I loved this line-
Delete"Everybody LOVED peanuts. Nobody loved them enough to come to Elpha’s house."
Haha! Great job, and good luck!
Adorable, Beth!
DeleteLove this, Beth! Clever word play and lovely combination of ideas - using the birthday as a way to make new friends in a new neighborhood!
DeleteOh Bethany, I totally forgot :(
ReplyDeleteOh Well....
I still want to wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY :)
Happy Birthday!!!!! I'm out of time to enter but I wanted to wish you a happy day :)
ReplyDeleteHeather! Time doesn't run out for nearly FIVE hours! 11:59 PACIFIC time!!!! :) Get it, girl!
DeleteYes, but my brain is on Eastern Time and it turns into a useless pumpkin after 10pm!
DeleteLast minute rush job, Bethany, but hopefully better than nothing! Happy Birthday! :)
ReplyDelete“Jeremy, what are you doing in the flower bed?” asked Mom
“Digging a Very Big Hole,” said Jeremy.
“Time for a Very Big Bath!” said Mom. “Your birthday party is in half and hour and look at you!”
Mom ran the water. “In you go, Birthday Boy.”
Jeremy shook his head. “I can’t. There’s an elephant in the bathtub.”
“I don’t see an elephant,” said Mom.
“He’s blue and green and he’s taking up the whole tub,” said Jeremy.
“Mr. Elephant,” said Mom, “would you be so kind as to make room for Jeremy? His birthday party is in half and hour.”
Mom waited a moment, than asked Jeremy, “Did he move?”
“Yes,” said Jeremy.
“Great!” said Mom. “Hop in.”
“I can’t,” said Jeremy. “When the elephant made room, a zebra got in.”
“Mr. Zebra,” said Mom. “Could you kindly scoot over so Jeremy can get in?”
Mom raised her eyebrows at Jeremy. “Okay?”
“Nope,” said Jeremy. “Now there’s a hippo.. And a flamingo.”
“My goodness!” said Mom. “Looks like you’re going to miss your party. Too bad. We have balloons, and chocolate cake, and LOTS of presents.”
“Look out!” yelled Jeremy.
“Why?” asked Mom.
“When the crocodile got in he scared the others out! You almost got stampeded.”
“That was a close one,” said Mom.
Jeremy climbed in the tub.
“Won’t the crocodile eat you?” asked Mom.
“Not if we invite him to the party!”
Which is why there was a crocodile at Jeremy’s party… if you were wondering!
And that was 250 on the dot... if you were wondering :)
Ha! Love it! Creative and funny!
DeleteOh my word!! This is fantastic... Better than fantastic! This should be a book! I'll take full credit when you make a million over it, thank you. ;)
DeleteThanks, Susanna!! Good luck!
Wow! Creative as All get out of the tub!!
DeleteBethany, Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteI came on over to read the entries! I hoped to get one completed, but I am visiting family and just didn't get it going! Fun contest and a great way to celebrate your happy day!
Here's to you being the MC of your special day!
A day as large as an elephant-Hip!Hip!Hooray!
Why, thank you, Miss Penny! Enjoy time with your family! :)
DeleteWhat great entries and what a fun way to celebrate your Birthday. Happy Birthday Bethany btw, September is a wonderful month.... also my birthday, but thats later...lol. I would love to have tried a story out but have run out of time. Good luck on the contest for everyone. All the best Bethany!
ReplyDeleteCame late to the party, but the entertainment was FANTABULOUS!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Bethany!!!
Happy, happy birthday, Bethany and what awesome entries. This will be hard to choose a winner!
ReplyDelete