Guess what yesterday was? Noveltea’s fourth birthday! Yay! I’m excited about this week where I get to do some “giving back” to y’all and thank you for being a part of my life. I hope you join in the festivities and bring some friends along to the party.
Having a blog is literally a dream come true. I’d heard for years about how good of a platform it would be for writing, but I had no clue how rewarding it could be until I experienced for myself. Although blogging hasn’t always been easy, looking back over the last four years I’m incredibly grateful for the journey I’ve been on.
Yesterday I made some delicious coffee cake, gingersnaps, and birthday cake (free of grains, dairy, and refrained-sugars). It was a fun way to celebrate Noveltea’s forth birthday and the fact that we just crossed the 1,000th post mark. Exciting, right?
Since I can’t ship y’all cake (I wish I could!) I decided to have a giveaway to thank you for being a part of my life and spread the word about Noveltea. I hope we’ll have lots of fun together this week and get some conversations going in the comment section. I’m giving away four prizes since this is Noveltea’s forth birthday. I choose one of my favorite books, one of my favorite CDs, one of my favorite DVDs and an Amazon gift card (cause how can you go wrong there?).
Please make sure you enter the giveaway, spread the word, leave a comment, and take a moment to fill in the poll on the sidebar, if you feel so inclined. Thank you for being a part of my life and thank you for celebrating with me and passing the word along!
(Please note: I can only ship the giveaway prizes – not including the gift card – to USA addresses.)
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It’s that time again where we get to choose where Annie goes for this week in our Friday Series, Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks. And the destination is: South Korea!
Noveltea 
I know it's been a looong time since I've commented…but I'm still a reader of this blog:) My heart literally jumped with excitement when I saw where Annie is headed this week! Why? Because I was in South Korea for 4 months last summer, so naturally that country has a very special place in my heart. If you need any recommendations for great places for Annie to visit I'd be happy give you a few:) -Verna
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I have been following Noveltea for as long as I ever knew about it. You emailed me a long long time ago, and I followed it right away. It actually seems like more than four years ago! 🙂 Besides the Amazon gift card, the book sounds nice 🙂
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And by the way… Happy Birthday Noveltea! I've been very inspired by this blog lots of times!
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Hey Lydia I thought this is a great time to comment on your blog and let you know that I enjoy reading your posts and am often inspired by your creativity and inspirations! 🙂 I love your ideas for posts such as 'taking us places in the world'. I'm glad to know you at least a little bit…and I think it's pretty neat that your sister-in-law is also my sister-in-law! 🙂 As far as your prizes, I'll agree with Sarah's thoughts (above) 😉 When did I first find Noveltea? I'm pretty sure it was through Sarah's recommendation. 🙂 I spent several days trying to figure out who this “Aidyl” was that a bunch of my friends seemed to know! 😀 I don't really know how long I've been following Noveltea. I didn't used to follow any blogs but I'd check you out every so often to read what you'd been writing. That was probably…the past 3 years? Keep up the good work on your writing Lydia, I'm cheering for you! 🙂 I enjoy writing too!
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I've been following Noveltea for about two years, and I can't for the life of me remember where I came across it! I've really enjoyed the WLHYL Friday posts and also now the 'Around the World in 52 weeks' posts. Also, I've always remembered a post you did about words (in general). As for a question for you… What is the most valuable piece of advice you received during your teen years? Apart from the gift-card, the… *wiggles with indecision* book sounds good. (I pretty much always go for books) Happy Birthday Noveltea! This blog has inspired me in many ways, keep up the good work Aidyl!
Hannah M.
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Happy birthday, Noveltea!
Guess I'll just answer all the questions:
– I've been following for about a year, I think.
– Ever since I found you through GTW a while back.
– I really enjoyed the blog post about why you blog the way you do. I'm also really enjoying the Round the World posts–they're very interesting! And all your “here's how things are going” posts are fun as well.
– Other than the gift card, I think I'd like the DVD. We don't have many, and I think my brothers would like this one!
– How do you record your thoughts when inspiration strikes–especially when you're away from home? Do you have a special app for it, or carry a notebook around, or something else?
Looking forward to following in the future!
Blessings,
Esther
learningresourcedirectory.com
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YAYYYY HAPPY BLOGGY BIRTHDAY AND OH EXTRA YAY FOR CAKE!! *flails* (Particularly dairy and sugar free. ;D My kinda cake.) AHEM. Congrats on your amazingness, of course. I don't seem to get around here to read as often as I'd like (waah, I need 39839 more hours in my day) but your posts are always amazing and I love your blogging voice and YOU ARE SO NICE. SO THERE'S THAT.
Okay, these questions. (But I do have SUCH a bad memory, so we'll see how this goes. ;D)
– I've been following you for definitely 2 years, but it COULD BE 3. :O
– And I'm pretty sure I found you through Go Teen Writers. ;D Or else you visited my blog. SEE I TOLD YOU I HAD A BAD MEMORY.
– Favourites…ooh, I do like it when you update us about your writing! AND YOUR TRAVELS. I love reading the posts on the places you've been to. :')
– And I think I can only enter for the giftcard since I'm in Australia. xD
*gives you more cake* I HOPE THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING OF MANY MORE EPIC BLOGGY YEARS! 😀
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Hey Verna! I'd be delighted to ask you some questions! I just spent the last (almost) hour reading about South Korea and it sounds like quite the interesting place. 🙂 Would you be willing to email me at: aidylewoh@gmail.com? Thanks!
Aww, thank you! I'm glad that the blog has inspired you, that makes me smile. 🙂
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Happy Birthday to my favorite blog!! 🙂 Ok, I'm not exactly sure when i started following your blog but it was close to four years ago i think… I think maybe Sarah told me about it, and i've loved it ever since! My favorite blog post….? That's way too hard, because i like them all!!! I've really been enjoying your 'Around the world' posts though… And besides the gift card, i think the DVD sounds nice…. 🙂 Anyways congratulations on four years amazingness!!
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So much fun!!!
I first found out about your blog through Clever Bunnies. I loved your fun and crazy posts right from the start..though I haven't always had time to read all of them ;( Besides the gift card the book looks fun – because who can ever have enough of reading!?
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happy birthday noveltea!!
i enjoy following your blog, and even though i am not a huge writer, i love to watch your writing develop. matthew west is one of my favorites, so i would love to win his cd. i would also totally be ok with winning Love Does.
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and i think i've followed your blog for around two years.
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I'm not much of a blog follower, really, but yours has been quirky enough to hold my interest (that's a compliment) pretty consistently since you kindly reviewed my book last month. Many Happy Returns!
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Sarah! You've been one of my amazing followers and commenters and all around encouragers when it comes to blogging. 🙂 Thank you for sticking around all this time and even letting me feature you on here from time to time. 🙂
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Aww, thank you Hannah! That makes me really happy. I've heard that you're pretty good at writing, too, so to know you like my writing means a lot. And yes, I agree! Sharing a sister-in-law is neat. 🙂 Haha, that's funny about the Aidyl thing. A lot of people in real life and online have been confused, unfortunately… 😛
Thank you so much for the encouragement and cheer!
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Wow, two years? That's great! I know you've commented and emailed from time to time, and that makes me happy. I didn't know how long it had been though. 🙂
I'm so very happy to hear the blog has inspired you. That's one of my big goals with Noveltea and it's amazing to know I can help touch and inspire people even when I have so many failings.
Thanks for your question! 🙂
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Thank you, Esther!
It's really cool that you found me through GTW. That's where I found several of my favorite blogs. 🙂
It's good to hear what posts you like, because sometimes I think I'm being too redundant or boring.
Thank you for the question!
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Aww, Cait! Thank you for dropping by. It always makes me happy to see such a successful blogger in my little sphere of the internet world. 🙂 I'm already amazed by all the blogs you *do* visit and comment on… Right now my blog reading list is fluctuating between 1 and 2.
And yes, I know I found your blog quite a while ago from GTWs, but I'm not sure how long ago it was… I'm pretty sure it was before you were on my blog though.
Thank you for your happiness and cheer!
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Little Miss Hosanna!!! I'm so glad to have you break the silence and comment. It makes me so incredibly happy to have you as my blogging buddy and let me rant and whine to you when a post isn't coming together. You have quite the backstage view of these blog posts and are instrumental in helping keep me on task (and sometimes distracting me). Thank you for sticking with me and hanging out and being such an encouragement! =)
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Oh wow! I didn't know that's how we got connected. I've enjoyed reading Clever Bunnies posts over the last few years. =) Thanks for hanging out here, I'm glad to know you like the posts. That means a lot.
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Hey Amanda! Thanks for commenting. 🙂 I'm happy to be able to give you a view what it's like to be a writer and I'm glad you find it interesting even though you don't do much of it yourself. Yes, Matthew West is amazing! This CD helped me through some difficult times.
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I go in phases when it comes to following other blogs. Sometimes I read a list of them (mostly writing or reading related) dedicatedly for months at a time, and other times I only keep up with one or two. I'm glad my quirkiness is interesting. 🙂 I enjoy your comments; comments are very rewarding as a blogger. =)
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Aidyl! 🙂 It's so exciting that novelty a is 4 years old! Wow… and the giveaway I'm most excited about it Love Does by Bob Goff! I have read it and LOVE it, but having my own would be nice. 😉
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Four years! Wow that's exciting. I'm going to celebrate my fourth year blogging this summer! ^ ^ I hope you have many bloggy years to come. I know I've followed you for a long time, but I don't remember how long. XD At least two.
storitorigrace.blogspot.com
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I think I have been reading this blog for about two years now.
I found your blog through friends and I think google+. 🙂
I really enjoyed the “When Life Hands you Lymes” posts and I am really enjoying the current “Around the World” series.
https://thestoltzfussisters.wordpress.com/
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Hey I have a question for you, Lydia. What do you do to get inspired when you're not feeling inspired? (About writing, life, work you have to do, etc) Or, maybe you NEVER have those days?? 😀 I always love your oozing creativity that comes out in your thoughts and ideas. I'd love to hear the answer to that question sometime…if not here then next time I visit you. 😉
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Thanks for stopping by, Su! And yes, “Love Does” is such an amazing book! I'm excited about seeing who wins it. 🙂
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Yay! Happy almost-birthday to your blog. 😉 It's cool that our blogs are close to the same age. And yep, I know we've hung around each other's blogs for quite a while now… 🙂
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Nice! It's amazing to me how many people have been reading Noveltea for two years already! That's pretty cool and so rewarding to me as a writer. 🙂 I'm glad to know you like my series. Sometimes they just seem like so much work, so to know people are enjoying them means a lot.
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A few weeks ago I would have been like “Well, I hardly *ever* have any of those non-inspired days.” but I'm currently in a deep inspiration-slump. 🙂 I'm going to have fun answering this question though, because I've begun putting together an exciting, and fun, way to kick my imagination, creativity, and inspiration into gear.
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