Thermal - Just A Lot Of Hot Air
...a guest review by Starrlight

The Scottish Are Coming! And at least one of them is getting an award when they get here! Today's pick for Bestest Blog of The Day is Thermal - Just A Lot Of Hot Air. I love this Blog. Chris has done a great job making it fun and user friendly. Topics can range from candy to kids. The look of the Blog is clean and user friendly and makes me feel like housecleaning my blog, but in a good way! Here is what Chris has to say for himself,

"Hi, I'm Chris Lodge, I live in the county of Aberdeenshire in the country of Scotland, which is part of the UK. I'm married, with twin boys born in 2001, and have (gladly) given up real work to look after them. I don't miss it at all. Being an opinionated kind of person, I though I'd start a blog (along with everyone else on the planet!) and see what happens. I like music, reading, walking in the Grampian mountains and the ancient Stone Circles of Britain - I have a website on these circles Bigstone-Stone Circles Of The Uk."

One of the coolest things at Thermal is the recognition given to his faithful readers. I love a Blog that is has an offbeat range of posts and Thermal has that down. Recent topics have included nasty candies we remember from childhood, licorice in this case,

Thermal brings you News of the Weird and occasionally painful

Thermal provides the public with services as well such as helpful tip on eating abroad.

And the time waste management post like Isotope are always appreciated! So go on and Cross the Pond and visit Chris at Thermal - Just A Lot Of Hot Air and tell Chris that Starrlight and Bestest Blog of All-Time sent you!

THIS POST IS A PAID ADVERTISEMENT FROM PAYPERPOST. THEY PAID ME TO DO IT!!! EVEN THOUGH THIS ALREADY SAYS SO BELOW, "AM" WANTED ME TO POST IT MORE VISIBLY OR SOMETHING. ALSO THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY MADE ON JANUARY 31ST.

Ms Maggie Moo Talks 2 U
...a review by Skittles!

The first time I visited Ms Maggie Moo Talks 2 U I was hooked. She went right into my links list and will stay there. Mags is such a breath of fresh air in this Blogosphere!

She is an extremely interesting lady and is not afraid to discuss her past heartbreaks as she shows in Swan Umbrella And Doritos. It's a very poignant post about an unrequited young love. In her post Crescendo, she's again in her childhood, but this time talking about how sometimes good intentions don't always work out the way you hoped.

She touches on her problem with skinny people thinking they are overweight in Weebles Wobble and since at times she has thought of giving up dating altogether, she gives funny hints on how to end a bad date in Simple Suggestions.

Mags is from Connecticut and is in culinary school and expects to graduate in June. She does some catering and in-home cooking classes besides working in a restaurant once a week as part of her internship. Check out this bowl of Green Goddess Ice Cream. (Made with avocados!)

Please drop by Ms Maggie Moo Talks 2 U soon. Tell her Skittles and the Bestest Blog sent you.

Hey guys, the deadline for the next carnival is QUICKLY approaching (it's on Wednesday!). The theme this time around is "EMBARASSMENT," as always the theme is open to interpretation (it doesn't necessarily have to be an embarassing story about yourself). We haven't had many submissions at all compared to previous carnivals...are you guys too embarassed to submit one?

Well, if you get over your embarassment, submit your post for the next carnival here and check back next Saturday when the carnival will be hosted at Ramblings of an Undisturbed Mind.

Peggy, as she is
This guest blogging pick comes to us from Ms. Peanut at "Peanut, Peanut Butter...Jelly!"

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(Insert drum roll here) "And the winner of ‘Bestest Blog of the Day for September 14th, 2006’ is ‘Peggy, as she is’!"

Mommy Dearest, Boy, and Elsie’s mother complicate Peggy’s life on a regular basis-- from denial of visitation to not minding her own business. Between having a 2- and a 4–year old, running an eBay store, dealing w/ MD, and life in general, I don’t know how Peggy does it.

I especially love her rant about advertising on PBS and her rant about Mommy Dearest’s attempt at visitation denial.

You never know what you're going to read next with Peggy. It could be about PBS, Mommy Dearest, her secret admirer, or even garbage bags! So please check out Peggy at "Peggy, as she is" and tell her that Bestest Blog and Peanut sent ya!

...are complete! Only 79 new blogs this week. Wow, I can honestly say that I never imagined that I would ever be saying that I ONLY linked up with 79 new blogs in a single week. But after two weeks, both above 100, 79 seems a little small! But I shall persevere. Check them all out on the Recent Additions page.

Also, I must mention the 6 blogs that fell out of the top 100 this week: S Nicolas Originals, Brave New Word, A Homesteading Neophyte, Twenty-three and Counting, To Love, Honor, and Dismay, Dr. Blogstein

This recent update makes it official...the Top 100 Premium Blogs all have donations over $5! That means that 100 people have found my site useful enough and worthwhile enough to donate OVER $5. This is both flattering and kinda scary at the same time. Sometimes I don't take the time to realize and appreciate how well this site is doing, but when I take a step back and look at facts like this, I can't do anything but utter "wow" to myself. Thanks everyone!

There's only a few hours left on the auction for "Bestest Blog of the Month". The total is already about as big as it has ever been...but, hey, that makes sense. The site is as popular and getting as many hits as it has ever been. Don't miss out on your chance to boost your blog's traffic into the big time!

Also, stay tuned later as I am also working on this week's updates.

The Cedar Chest
...a review by Jessie

When searching for a good blog I look for several things. Do I connect with the blog in some way? Is it well written? Do I feel better after visiting than I did before? And does this blog connect with other blogs by way of links, comments, shoutouts... All of these things are true for The Cedar Chest so that's why it is The Bestest Blog of The Day.

Elie thoughtfully describes her blog in this way. "At the foot end of our bed sits a cedar chest and in this cedar chest are many items that I hold dear to my heart. There are homemade quilts, baby clothes our kids wore and graduation cap and gowns among other items. Each one having a story of it's own. My hopes are to put into this blog what I can't literally put into my cedar chest. I am hoping that my blog will have as wonderful an "aroma" as my cedar chest has each time I open it and put new words and memories into this blog."

Elie does a fantastic job of sharing her memories, feelings, and life with her readers. She is a loving mom to her children. What I love is that while she obvioulsy adores her children she also shares her struggles as a mom. She talks about her son and his slight problem with The Cedar Chestspeeding. She shares about how her daughter has changed over the years and how she offers Elie some encouragement when she needs it.

Elie does a great job of reaching out to other bloggers and forming connections. On the weekend you can find a Weekend Wink from Elie. She will pick a blog she enjoys and writes a very detailed description of that blog to share with her own readers.

In a lot of ways Elie reminds me of my own mom. When I visit Elie's blog I feel safe and secure and happier for having visited. That's how I always felt with my mom. So pay Elie a visit. I promise it will give you feel good moment and we all need those from time to time. Don't forget to tell Elie that Jessie and the Bestest Blog of All Time sent you!

The Ice Box
...a review by Starrlight

Today's Bestest Blog of The Day is The Ice Box brought to us by Desert Songbird who describes herself as a "Work-from-home mother, wife, writer, singer, and all-around jill-of-all-trades coming at you with musings from the desert."

I love the name of this blog. Ice Cream lives in an Ice Box and that is just what this blog reminds me of. 31 Flavors of Blogging Fun.

For a scoop of strawberry, check out her Project 365 to get a daily look at her world. Who knew it rained in the desert like this?

You scoop of chunky monkey comes with a sports report on Desert's beloved Colts.

For a scoop of Mint Chip, take a peek at the many weekly carnivals and meme that Desert participates in, such as the latest
Thursday Thirteen ?

And if you are looking for a scoop of Rocky Road, look no further than The Wickedness Fine to see just what you will be paying!

The Ice Box has something to offer in all 31 Flavors. Head on over and be sure to tell Desert Songbird that Starrlight and The Bestest Blog Of All-Time sent you!

Thought you guys might be interested in checking out an interview I did at the blog, For Your Success. It was a lot of fun to do, and I thank "The Success Coach" for the opportunity!

It's About Time
...a review by Skittles!

Since this is my first time as a guest reviewer I thought it only fitting that I pick one of the first bloggers ever to comment on my blog! That blogger is none other than Mau from It's About Time!!!

I had posted about Taylor Hicks from last season's American Idol show and she commented that she liked him, too. In her post called Bonus she calls it a "Woo Hoo Day!" because she'd bought a People magazine that had articles and pictures about him along with her other interest Prince William.

Be sure to read her hilarious post called Look Through Any Window where she tells about something disgusting she oversees her neighbor doing! In her Creep Who Came To Visit post, she tells about a visitor nobody would want to have.

Mau is from Ontario and enjoys exercising, sometimes with very embarrassing results, as you'll read about in Cracker Jack. (She's not going to be happy with me for listing THAT post.. haha!) She and her husband enjoy boating and other activities.

She was one of my first blogging friends to transcend the line to real friend and we have make more than a few phone calls! Please drop by her blog and tell her congratulations from Skittles and The Bestest Blog!

87 new links up that can be checked out in the Recent Additions.

This week something amazing happened. The stars all aligned and a lot of my faithful readers decided this would be the week they made a generous donation. Well, in this past week, if you count the eBay auction and my PayPerPost payments, I actually made MORE from this blog than I did teaching high school. I know what you're saying, "High school teachers aren't paid very well." Well, duh, that's part of the reason I run this blog in the first place. Still, I think it's pretty awesome! Below are some details on this week's donators.

New to the Top 100:
4. And as the World Turns, 12. To Love, Honor, and Dismay, 17. Smiling Sunflower, 47. Hippie Spelunker, 54. Infinite Monkeys, 59. Celebrity Scoop, 60. Tricia's Musings, 61. Odd Planet, 62. Breath of Life Photography, 63. As the Garden Grows, 70. The Shopping Duck 98. Maine Stay Inn

Dropping out of the Top 100:
-I Am Woman, See Me Blog, -Words That Flow, -Blog About Your Blog, -Life is falling to pieces: an illustrated journal, -A Day in the Life..., -Money, Matter, and More Musings, -Wise and FoolishFmythoughtsideasandramblings.com/" title="$7.00, Personal">My Thoughts, Ideas, and Ramblings, -Heroines and Heroes (Blogger Poem), -Blog About Your Blog, -Life is falling to pieces: an illustrated journal, -A Day in the Life..., -Money, Matter, and More Musings, -Wise and Foolish

Bestest Blog Carnival 1.5 is up and running over at Mimi Writes. The theme this time around was "Your Favorite Meme." Please go and check it out, the end result is pretty awesome!!

Remember, if you joined the carnival, PLEASE put up a link and direct a few people over! Feel free to use this awesome banner (created by Janna) in your post.

Well, only a week left in January, so that means it's time for another Bestest Blog of the Month eBay auction! As always, bidding starts at only a penny! It's been a really great way for some blogs to boost their traffic big time in only a single month. Not only do you get the big link, but you get a boost in the Random Blog button and more. Click here to read the full details of what you get! Bidding ends in a week, but it starts right now at only a penny. Good luck!

Well, we tied the record with 115 new link exchanges again this week! Check em all out in the Recent Additions.

You might notice that I've changed the right sidebar around. Before, it used to be the top 100 blogs sorted by category. Now it's the top 100 blogs sorted by donation amount. The previous order didn't seem fair to those who were pretty generous, but didn't happen to be a personal blog. Remember this order when you are making a donation! For example, a donation of $10.25 will get you significantly higher than a donation of $10.00, since there are so many $10 donations already (#57 though #81).

Here are the blogs that fell out of the Top #100 this week. Remember guys, you can always add to your previous donation! And you still get all the other perks of being premium, except being in the sidebar:
Controlled Chaos, And Another Thing..., meloncutter musings, A Dog A Day, Memoirs of a Gouda

Sorry to those of you who stopped by to check out a rerun. I am still away from my home computer and do not have my master list of who has been rerun already and who hasn't! Check back next Sunday for another rerun (after of course a week of non-reruns).

Today's the last day to get your submissions in for the next edition of the "Bestest Blog Carnival." The theme this time around is "Your Favorite Meme" and submissions are due by midnight tonight! Click here if you are ready to submit...then check back Monday for all the magnificent memes!

Cozy Reader
...a review by Jessie from "Who Are We"

The Bestest Blog of the Day is Jane's blog, Cozy Reader. I love the name of this blog! And the blog lives up to it's name! It is a cozy, comfortable, feel good kind of blog. Whenever I go and pay a visit I feel relaxed. It may be the great layout, it may be the great pictures, heck I think it might be the great writing... Whatever it is I'm glad I found it because the Cozy Reader makes me feel cozy!

Jane is married and has children. She likes to read and likes her friends. She is like a lot of us. She has her share of frustrations. But she also has her share of good things too. In fact she has quite a bit to be thankful for!

Jane loves and I mean loves Venezuela and will be going for another visit this Saturday! I think she is pretty excited about it. Hopefully when she returns she will fill us all in about her trip. Jane's son actually married a Venezuelan woman and Jane really loves her two. In fact they are expecting a baby which is another thing for Jane to get excited about!

If you are on a weight loss journey of your own this is another blog to add to your blogroll! Jane has lost a remarkable 34 pounds! She is committed to losing weight and keeping it off. So stop by and cheer Jane on! Take your time so you can get cozy when you visit the Cozy Reader. And don't forget to tell Jane that Jessie and The Bestest Blog of All Time sent you.

Hey guys...I am currently out of town for a long weekend. I have access to a computer, so I should be able to make my regular postings. If not though, you know what happened!

Don't forget that the deadline to enter the next carnival is this Saturday! The theme this time is "My Favorite Meme." If you have a post all picked out, click here to submit it!