Zip-a-dee-doo-dah = #atozchallenge

Today's song is Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah from Disney's 1946 live-action/animated film "Song of the South".  Let's see what the Muppets do with it!

~~~oOo~~~ And, the A-to-Z-inizer's 2016 swang song:
GOODBYE A TO Z
Goodbye A to Z, it's been a great year
My oh my, I could shed a few tears
Thanks to the hosts, co-hosts, minions I mean
Will see you back here in 2017.

Tomorrow we will want to write more
It could happen, you know
Good to keep good habits, let's go

So long A to Z, I just want to say,
I hope we all have a beautiful day!

~~~oOo~~~

Many thanks to Jeremy at Hollywood Nuts! for the letter graphics.
Thanks also to the behind-the-scenes folks who help things run smoothly, and to all the participants for the many wonderful posts!
Click on the main A to Z button at the top to go to the participant list!

Yellow Submarine - #atozchallenge

Today's song is "Yellow Submarine" by the Beatles:



~~~oOo~~~

Running it through the A-to-Z-inizer, we get

A TO Z

In the month of April we
Participate in A to Z
Lots of new blogs we will find
Lots of bloggers come to mind
So we went and visited
Blogger friends by the hundred
Of comments we did not lack
Going forward, not looking back

We all write in the A to Z Challenge,
The A to Z Challenge, The A to Z Challenge
We all write in the A to Z Challenge,
The A to Z Challenge, The A to Z Challenge.

~~~oOo~~~

Many thanks to Jeremy at Hollywood Nuts! for the letter graphics.
Click on the main A to Z button at the top to go to the participant list!

Xanadu - #atozchallenge

Today's song is "Xanadu" by Olivia Newton-John



~~~oOo~~~

Running it through the A-to-Z-inizer, we get:

A TO Z

A feat, which nobody dared to do
To blog every day a month, through
We call it A to Z.
And now, mid-three figures bloggers write
In April  day or night
We call it A to Z.

A million posts are published
And here we go, you have to know
New blog friends you will find
New subscribers, new followers too
A to Z, A to Z
(Now we are here) in A to Z
A to Z, A to Z
(In the home stretch) of A to Z
A to Z,  thanks to the
Admins again, A to Z!

~~~oOo~~~

Many thanks to Jeremy at Hollywood Nuts! for the letter graphics.
Click on the main A to Z button at the top to go to the participant list!

What Do Ya Think About That - #atozchallenge

The song for today is Montgomery Gentry's "What Do Ya Think About That".  It's one of those that is 'disabled by request' but if you'd like to view it, you can do so here.  This is one of my all-time favorites.

~~~oOo~~~

From the A-to-Z-inizer, we get:

I WILL GET PUBLISHED SOME DAY

Now I logged into Twitter

And saw some blogger didn't like my A to Z.

How'd they find out about it

When it hasn't even posted

Is what just puzzles me.

Now I could go to war on Twitter, that's for sure

But what good would that do.

I don't want to waste my time

I've got matters more sublime

To turn my attention to

There will always be people who have to see

Others brought down low.

I'm not going to worry

'Bout the ones who say "no" 'cause that don't make it so

I will not feel down about people who frown

And try to discourage me

I won't be down long, my heart still holds a song

I will get published some day.

~~~oOo~~~

Many thanks to Jeremy at Hollywood Nuts! for the letter graphics.
Click on the main A to Z button at the top to go to the participant list!

Vacation - #atozchallenge

Today's song is "Vacation" from the Go-Go's:



~~~oOo~~~

From the A-to-Z-inizer, we get:

A TO Z SUNDAYS

Can't seem to concentrate on writing
So many distractions emerging
Now my door is locked
And I'm ready to rock
Tomorrow, a day that I am looking forward to

Sit at a blank screen
Wonder what I
Will write and then the lightbulb
Goes on and the words will start to flow

[Chorus]
A to Z
Sundays, what a breather
A to Z
Sundays calling me
A day to
Charge up for the week ahead!

~~~oOo~~~

Many thanks to Jeremy at Hollywood Nuts! for the letter graphics.
Click on the main A to Z button at the top to go to the participant list!

U Got the Look - #atozchallenge

The song for today is Prince's "U Got the Look".  RIP, Prince.

See all music videos Prince

(I don't know if the video above is one of those things that will only show up when you post or what, but I couldn't find Prince performing this song on YouTube.  Here's the direct link if you are interested.)

~~~oOo~~~

Out of the A-to-Z-inizer comes:

U GOT THE BLOG

We're A to Z
We fear the letter U
Q, and X are letters that we speak not of
Tell me, have you go the blog?

You made a post, people read
I've never read a post quite so
Int'resting, blogger
You got that blog!

So write what's in your heart
Write with passion from your soul
Readers will find you out there

You've got the blog (you've got the blog)
You sho'nuf writing words that make me
Subscribe to your blog
And maybe even
On Twitter follow planin'
if blog's so good
Let's get to readin'

You got the blog.
You got the blog.

~~~oOo~~~

Many thanks to Jeremy at Hollywood Nuts! for the letter graphics.
Click on the main A to Z button at the top to go to the participant list!

That's How Country Boys Roll - #atozchallenge

Today's song is Billy Currington's "That's How Country Boys Roll":



Putting it the A-to-Z-inizer, we get:

THAT'S HOW BLOGGERS ROLL

We wake up at all hours
And we start our coffee pot
We turn on the laptop
No matter if it's cold or hot
We check our stats to see if
Some of our books have sold
That's how bloggers roll!

Yeah, we write, write, write
Till we reach our word goal.
For the day, week or month
So the project does not go cold
In April we A to Z
With a lot of soul,
That's how bloggers roll!

~~~oOo~~~

Many thanks to Jeremy at Hollywood Nuts! for the letter graphics.
Click on the main A to Z button at the top to go to the participant list!

Safety Dance - #atozchallenge

My song for today is 'Safety Dance' by Men Without Hats.  My daughter suggested using this song. :O)


So, plugging this into the A-to-Z-inizer, we get:

WRITING DANCE

Ah, we can write if we want to, cause we like to play with words
Cause your friends don't write and if they don't write
Well that's just for the birds!
I say, we can blog if we want to, in April we all A to Z
And we can blog every day 'cept on Sunday we're free
And we like to chat you see.
And we can write.

We can write if we want to, we can even have a chat
Cause your friends don't chat, and if they don't chat
Well we're just not down with that!
I say, we can blog if we want to, we can visit other blogs
And we can eat and drink our snacks and other things
And nobody will see
Us when we write.

~~~oOo~~~

Many thanks to Jeremy at Hollywood Nuts! for the letter graphics.
Click on the main A to Z button at the top to go to the participant list!

Rain is a Good Thing - #atozchallenge

Today's song is "Rain is a Good Thing" by Luke Bryan.  Yup, it's another country song. :O)  My favorite video is here, and cannot be embedded.  However, I did find a version where someone had made slides of the lyrics, if you want to see that way.

~~~oOo~~~

Putting them through the A-to-Z-inizer, we come up with:

COMMENTS ARE GOOD THINGS!

The bloggers spend their time writing new content
They swear and wonder where all their readers' comments went
But if you really want to bring the comment rain
You have to give some first, comments are good things!

Chorus:

Go and visit, visit then read
Read and comment, plant that seed
Set aside some time each day
To visit others that's the way
Comment one time or three, and very soon you'll see
Your comments rising steadily
Comments are good things!

~~~oOo~~~

Many thanks to Jeremy at Hollywood Nuts! for the letter graphics.
Click on the main A to Z button at the top to go to the participant list!

Queen - #atozchallenge

OK.  So I couldn't find a familiar enough song starting with Q for today, so I did the next best thing, went with a group that started with Q!  Today's song is "We Will Rock You".



Today, the A-to-Z-inizer brings us:

WE WILL A TO Z YOU!

Writers sit on down, with your snacks around
You, gonna write those blog posts to astound
We'll start with A, and make our way
Over to Z on the final day!  Singin...

We will A to Z you!
We will A to Z you!

A couple weeks in, your head it's gonna spin,
Maybe wonderin' if you should cash on in,

But you think heck (!) no, to Z I'll go
Gonna make bloggy friends and we all will win!

We will A to Z you!
We will A to Z you!

~~~oOo~~~

Many thanks to Jeremy at Hollywood Nuts! for the letter graphics.
Click on the main A to Z button at the top to go to the participant list!
Follow me here or on social media? Let me know so I can follow you back.
Do you have a favorite Queen song?

Pop Goes the Weasel - #atozchallenge

Today's song is 'Pop Goes the Weasel':

~~~oOo~~~

And the A-to-Z-inizer brings us:

OH!  HOW EXCITING!!

All around the blogosphere

In April, folks are writing

Posts that start from A to Z

Oh! How exciting!

Paper airplanes, puppies, peace

Are topics that start with the letter "p"

Go and write a masterpiece

For people to read

All around the blogosphere

In April, folks are writing

Posts that start from A to Z

Oh! How exciting!

Ob La Di, Ob La Da - #atozchallenge

You know the Fab Four had to come around eventually, right?  Today's song is 'Ob-la-di, Ob-la-dah' by the Beatles.

(copyright information available on YouTube)

Putting the lyrics through the A-to-Z-inizer, we come up with:

A TO Z, A TO Z

Arlee starts the challenge in 2010.

Many bloggers clamor to take part

Soon they need co-hosts and even minions too

In April each year bloggers make word art.

A-to-Z, A-to-Z, writing's for me

La la writing is for me

A-to-Z, A-to-Z, writing's for me

La la writing is for me

First step is to plan or to a 'pantser' be

Second's yes or no to choose a theme

Next choose a time to daily some comments leave

April 30th you'l be living the dream

A-to-Z, A-to-Z, writing's for me
La la writing is for me
A-to-Z, A-to-Z, writing's for me
La la writing is for me

Netherlands - #atozchallenge

The original song for today is Dan Fogelberg's Netherlands.  The visuals on this mix are very nice and the lyrics show up on the video as well.  I didn't remember Fogelberg's voice being that high, but it was a long time ago.  This is probably one of my top 10 all-time favorite songs!

Let's see what randomness the A-to-Z-inizer have for us today, shall we?

A TO Z LANDS

Here at the computer,

I sit down to write,

My "N" post for the A to Z

We are halfway through

I'll continue with you

To the X,

and the Y,

and the Z!

Hard to keep going

Hard to keep up

Harder still to publish each post.

And I wonder which letter the readers

Will like the most?

Why do we start and then

not carry through.

Sometimes we are our worst foe.

I'm learning to realize

That I'm looking with eyes

Wondering which way to go?

I want it perfect

From the very first word

But I know it won't work that way

So I will write what's in my heart

for an hour each day.

~~~oOo~~~

Many thanks to Jeremy at Hollywood Nuts! for the letter graphics.

Click on the main A to Z button at the top to go to the participant list!

If you follow me here or on social media, let me know so I can follow you back.  Let's DO THIS THING!

My Town - #atozchallenge

The song I start with today is Montgomery Gentry's "My Town".  I have to admit having a soft spot for the duo, because they are both from Kentucky. *GO BIG BLUE*



Putting it through the A-to-Z-inizer, this is what came out:

MY BLOG

Well, I started blogging in 2007,
I was looking for a creative outlet.
I didn't post what you would call regularly
But the blowin' of the winds of change was set.
In 2014 I started reviewing
Books, and it looks like I'm not done quite yet
And this is my blog

(Na, na, na, na, na)
Yeah, this is my blog.
(Na, na, na, na, na)
Hey!
Where I read books, then review them,
Don't forget to post to Amazon
I stop posting when I am tired,
Then I drink coffee to come back wired
I flex my fingers and sit down
Afterwards I go to town,
This is my blog
(Na, na, na, na, na)
Yeah, this is my blog,
(Na, na, na, na, na)
My blog.l

~~~oOo~~~

Many thanks to Jeremy at Hollywood Nuts! for the letter graphics.

Click on the main A to Z button at the top to go to the participant list!

If you follow me here or on social media, let me know so I can follow you back.  Let's DO THIS THING!

Lady Marmalade - #atozchallenge

The song I'm starting with today is "Lady Marmalade", written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, performed in the following video by Patti LaBelle.  Back in those days, they would not let them use "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi..." on the television, so they turned it into "Voulez-vous dancer avec moi...."

When I put them to the A-to-Z-inizer, this is what came out:

A TO Z-ERS

Hey writer, go writer, more writers, go writers
Blog writers, book writers, song writers, poem writers

In January we signed up for A to Z
Would we use a theme or not
Hosts and co-hosts
Hordes of minions we got.

Give your, get your comments bloggers
Give your, get your comments here,
Mocha latte sittin' by ya
And an ergonomic chair

Voulez-vous écrire avec moi, ce soir?
Voulez-vous écrire avec moi?

~~~oOo~~~

Many thanks to Jeremy at Hollywood Nuts! for the letter graphics.

Click on the main A to Z button at the top to go to the participant list!

If you follow me here or on social media, let me know so I can follow you back.  Let's DO THIS THING!

Kung Fu Fighting - #atozchallenge

The song with which I am starting today is "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas.  I found the original music video on YouTube.com.  The tune may be familiar from the movie, "Kung Fu Panda".

A TO Z-ING

Everybody was A to Z writing
Those fingers typed like lightning
The number of bloggers climbing
The chats are for good timing

There were blogs about movies, and blogs about stories
Blogs that had an artistic bent
Some blogs with adult content
We are blogging around the world
On every continent
Except for maybe Antarctica
We find sisters, we find bro's

Everybody was A to Z writing
Those fingers typed like lighning
The number of bloggers climbing
The chats are for good timing

~~~oOo~~~

Many thanks to Jeremy at Hollywood Nuts! for the letter graphics.

Click on the main A to Z button at the top to go to the participant list!

If you follow me here or on social media, let me know so I can follow you back.  Let's DO THIS THING!

Jack and Diane - #atozchallenge

Today's song is John Mellencamp's song "Jack and Diane".

Write A to Z

A little ditty 'bout A and 'bout Z
Two letters in the English alphabet, don't you see
A's the first letter, opens the show
Z is the last letter, and we want you all to know

There's not many words starting with the letters Z,
Q, X, gotta write creatively
I help you and you help me.
And we say:
"Try to keep the post length down to 300 words,
Commentaters will come in herds
I visit you, and you visit me
Sayin' oh yeah
Writing goes on, long after the warmth of the coffee is gone,
Sayin' oh yeah,
Writing goes on, long after the warm of the coffee is gone.
We write on.

Bloggers sit back, collect their thoughts for a moment
Scratch their heads, and they sit down to key
Well, now then, there, bloggers, we ought to do another thing
Practice says:
"Not until the little bell rings."
We want to say:
"Oh yeah, writing goes on, long after the warmth of the coffee is gone.
Oh yeah we say: Writing goes on, long after the warmth of the coffee is gone.

Oh, let the A's, let the Z's
Let the words from my pen flow freely,
Hold on to the good ideas as long as you can,
April's coming 'round real soon,
Our blogs others will read.

A little ditty 'bout A and 'bout Z,
Two letters in the English alphabet, don't you see
A's the first leeter, opens the show
Z is the last letter and we want you to know.

International Harvester - #atozchallenge

My song today is "International Harvester" by Craig Morgan.  Unfortunately, I can't embed the video here because it has been restricted, but you can see it on YouTube by clicking here.

~~~oOo~~~

I'm the daughter of an avid reader,

Been married 19 years to an avid writer

I'm an A to Z, wannabe, mystery author

Hogging the computer from my sons and my daughter

Chug-a-lug-luggin 5 cups of coffee

Trying to publish my debut novel.

3 hours of staring at the blank page

Want to badly indoor rage

I go on back and read my notes 

Neighbors phone, kids come home

Gotta concentrate or I will explode!

I'm the daughter of an avid reader,

Been married 19 years to an avid writer

I'm an A to Z, wannabe, mystery author

Hogging the computer from my sons and my daughter

Chug-a-lug-luggin 5 cups of coffee

Trying to publish my debut novel.

~~~oOo~~~

How do you combat the 'blank page' syndrome?

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes = #atozchallenge

So, here we are at the end of the first full week of the 2016 A to Z Challenge (the 8th day).

Weekends are supposed to be fun, so I thought I'd pick a fun song for today, and it's also simple enough to get the A to Z 'Next Gen' involved!  So, without further ado, the song that I will be changing today is "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes"

~~~oOo~~~

THE A TO Z MINI-WORKOUT

(all verses use the same basic tune)

Shrug your shoulders, blink your eyes,

Shrug your shoulders, blink your eyes,

(blink your ey-ey-ey-eyes)

Stand up, stretch your arms out wide

Shrug your shoulders, blink your eyes!

Turn your head to your left,

Turn your head to your right,

(to your ri-i-i-ight)

Squeeze those glutei real tight

Turn your head to the left and right!

Stand with your feet shoulder-wide, shoulder-wide

And bend your body to the side

(to the si-i-i-ide)

Bend it to the other side,

Stand with your feet shoulder-wide, shoulder-wide

Give yourself a pat on the back,

Give yourself a pat on the back,

(on the ba-a-a-ack)

Sit back down, and you will see,

Finishing that blog post is quite E-Z!

Get Off Of My Cloud - #atozchallenge

That's right, no musician is safe!  Today's song is a parody of Get Off of My Cloud by The Rolling Stones.

IT IS MY WEEKEND

I've written an A to Z blog for every day - of this week
Now I'm at my computer and I wonder
How I accomplished this feat.
It's Sunday and I'm going outside - and dance in bare feet
Then I get dressed, some of my writing friends - to meet.

[Chorus:]
We say, Hey! You! It is my weekend
Hey! You! I'm out with my friends
Hey! You! The fun never ends!
We're fueling up for another week
Of writing fun!