{SQT} Link-toberfest!

On October 2, 2008 my friend and blogger Jennifer Fulwiler hit ‘Publish’ on the very first Seven Quick Takes post at her blog Conversion Diary. A few weeks later on November 14, 2008 she made it a link up for all the cool blogging cats to join.

In honor of SEVEN years of continuous SEVEN Quick Takes, we’re going to party like it’s 2008 all month!

Enjoy this sweet playlist as you read along!

1.Forty bloggers linked up with Jen on that Friday so many years ago. Back in the days before iPads, Pinterest and Instagram, it’s amazing that so many people could pull themselves away from ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ long enough to write. I clicked through the whole list and found that while ten bloggers where still writing, the remainder of blogs had gone dormant, were no longer available or had been acquired by an Indonesian company selling cheap imports (exports?? I can’t be sure since I don’t read Indonesian.)

2. I only recognized a few of the bloggers, and none had linked up to Quick Takes in recent history (but I don’t hold it against them.)

Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Sarah at Snoring Scholar

Catherine at A Spirited Mind

Elizabeth Esther

Melanie at A Wine Dark Sea

Jessica at Homemaking Through the Church Year

Melanie at Springs of Joy Homeschooling

The Duchy of Burgundy Carrots

Angela at Three Plus Two

Teri at I May Be Overthinking This

Stop by! Tell ’em hi and thank them for being the hipsters of Seven Quick Takes.

3. My first Quick Takes post was on March 3, 2012, and was titled ‘Bullets to Balls‘. I’d only been blogging a week and when my stats jumped into the double digits, I got really excited. Jen herself had tweeted my post! It’s amazing she even found it since I didn’t actually link up. For some reason, I didn’t officially join until my April 13th post. Thank goodness I understand InLinkz better now.

4. As a new blogger, the Seven Quick Takes link up was how I found and made friends. Everybody, and I mean everybody, linked up on Fridays. If you scroll through my blogroll, most of the blogs listed I found through Quick Takes. Today, the Quick Takes link up is how I discover new bloggers and catch up with my favorites. Quick Take bloggers are their own community; a great and supportive one at that.

5.  So let’s celebrate everyone and everything that make Quick Takes so great!!! Today kicks off Link-toberfest! (You can thank my husband for the catchy name.) Every Friday this month will feature Quick Take bloggers old and new, favorite Quick Take posts and a huge giveaway for bloggers and readers! I have four collections of prizes; two for bloggers and two for readers. They contain all sorts of great items from fellow bloggers (Quick Takers!) and crafters!

Books! The Best Laid Plans Planner, Rosaries Aren’t Just for Teething, The Little Oratory, Teaching in Your Tiara, Head and Heart, Catholic Through the Year 2016 Calendar, Don’t You Forget About Me, Through the Year With Mary

Art! from Rakstar Designs, Hatch Prints, Catholic All Year, and With Joy Calligraphy

And more! Blogging Consultation, a child’s bedroom banner, a pocket rosary, Rosary Roses, Budget Binder Printable Pack, a Faith and Fabric Design pattern, Call Her Happy necklace or book, and a Lila Rose hair accessory.

6. THE FINE PRINT!! This is how it will work; link up your blog for an entry. Link up a Seven Quick Takes post every week between now and October 23 for up to four chances. Readers, leave a comment for an entry. Leave comments here every Friday between now and October 23 for up to four chances. Bloggers, for a bonus entry, answer the featured question in your takes each week, and leave a comment here so I know. Readers, for a bonus entry, Tweet me @kellymantoan with your favorite Takes of the week, up to four times between now and October 29th. Winners will be selected at random and announced in the October 30th Quick Takes.

The featured questions for each week are:

Oct.2-8 When did you post your first Seven Quick Takes? Be sure to include a link!

Oct. 9-15 How many Seven Quick Takes posts have you written?

Oct. 16-22 Who is your favorite blogger that you discovered through Seven Quick Takes?

Oct. 23-29 What was your favorite, or most popular, Seven Quick Takes post?

7. Now go forth and link up! And click through! And comment! Encourage all your blogging friends to get back into the Quick Takes habit, if just for one month. (Never underestimate peer pressure!) I’m going to work extra hard to read as many posts as possible and comment more frequently. Find a post or blog you really enjoy? Be sure to share it! Follow me on Facebook and Twitter to learn my favorite reads throughout Link-toberfest. It’s going to be the Catholic blog-o-sphere’s biggest party, just in time to stave off Papal visit withdrawal!

You know the drill! Link up below and be sure to include a link back to this post so your readers can find the rest of the Seven Quick Takes… and of course, the awesomeness of the Link-toberfest!