Woven by Words

iPad2 #Giveaway US Only

2012-01-29T01:17:00.000-06:00

Here's your chance to start your new year off on a great note with a brand new iPad2!

23 bloggers have come together to offer an iPad 2 to one lucky winner! The iPad we'll be giving away is the WiFi 16gb iPad 2 in your choice of white or black. The iPad 2 features:

16gb storage
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
Back camera: Video recording, HD (720p) up to 30 frames per second with audio; still camera with 5x digital zoom
Front camera: Video recording, VGA up to 30 frames per second with audio; VGA-quality still camera
Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system
Audio formats supported: HE-AAC (V1 and V2), AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
AirPlay Mirroring to Apple TV support at 720p

In the box:

iPad
Dock Connector to USB Cable
10W USB Power Adapter
Documentation

Enter for your chance to win! Be sure to follow all the blogs participating for more chances!

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#Bertolli Weeknight Meal Special Challenge & Giveaway

2012-01-28T09:55:00.003-06:00

As a single parent, I find myself eating meals with my boys that aren’t so “adult” focused”. I have to admit, I get a bit tired of chocolate chip pancakes or hot dogs. Some nights, I’d like to have a meal more for my taste buds, but never want to go through the work of making anything.

A couple days ago I found out about a soup line from Bertolli! I’ve had their frozen meals before and found them to be delicious so when given the opportunity to try out the new soups, I was excited! I headed to my local store to search them out. I actually went to the soup section first because I wasn’t sure if it was frozen or dry packaged. Turns out they were in the freezers.

I know they have 4 selections:

• Chicken Minestrone - Roasted white meat chicken, beans, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, tomatoes and pasta in a hearty vegetable broth
• Roasted Chicken & Rotini Pasta - Roasted white meat chicken, pasta, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots and celery in a savory chicken broth
• Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken - Cheese-filled tortellini, white meat chicken, spinach and tomatoes in a rich tomato bisque with a hint of basil
• Tuscan-Style Beef with Vegetables - Tender beef, mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini, carrots and celery with bowtie pasta in a savory broth

Unfortunately, I only had two choices of Chicken Minestrone and the Roasted Chicken at the store I went shopping at. Wish I could’ve seen the other options just for the heck of it. I went with the Roasted Chicken!

Tonight was kind of a free for all with dinner. None of us wanted the same thing so I decided this was the perfect night for soup. It had snowed for much of the day and a hot, steamy bowl of soup sounded like a perfect way to end the day!

As soon as I poured the soup into the pan I knew this was going to be yummy! It was cooked in under 10 minutes. I also baked some garlic bread to go along with my soup!

I have to be honest, if I had to give a review of my first bowl of soup I wouldn’t be able to. I actually ate the whole thing without thinking about my review. It was so good and I was really hungry. Thankfully, It’s soup made for two so I had plenty left. I got another heaping spoonful so I could dissect it a bit more!

So, after the second helping, I can honestly tell you my opinions. The vegetables were still crunchy! Loved that. I hate soggy vegetables in soups! There was plenty of chicken. I liked that they weren’t in super big chunks because they fit into each spoonful along with noodles and veggies. The noodles weren’t mushy, but still rings! The flavor was just as described, roasted. Had a wonderful seasoning that enhanced each bite! I’ll tell you, this was a very hearty meal and the garlic bread was a nice side!

I’ll be taking my leftovers to work for dinner tomorrow night. My plan is to make my way through all 4 soups. I just have to find out where I can purchase the other two!

Make sure you keep up with everything Bertolli by following them here:
Facebook: facebook.com/Bertolli
Twitter: twitter.com/Bertolli
Website: villabertolli.com
*I am being compensated for this post and the coupons for the giveaway have been provided to me.

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One For The Money Girl's Night Out! Sweepstakes

2012-01-27T19:35:00.000-06:00

Enter to win a Girls’ Night Out courtesy of Katherine Heigl’s new film ONE FOR THE MONEY in theatres 1/27! One lucky winner and up to three guests will receive a night out on the town with a limo, dinner, and tickets to the movies. The lucky winner also receives a $500 Amazon Gift Card and a donation to their local library in their name!! Enter here: http://www.girlsnightoutsweeps.com/

Fed Up With My Motorola Droid2

2012-01-27T13:50:00.000-06:00

Just over a year ago, Oct 2010, I got my first smartphone! I was so excited because my blogging had started to take off and I was starting to go to blogging events! I had considered waiting for the iPhone 4, but wasn't super convinced Verizon would actually start carrying it.

Of course, just a few short months later, yes INDEED, Verizon put out the iPhone 4 and I was totally bummed. Oh well, I still had my Droid and was enjoying it and all it's functions!

Source: news.cnet.com via Mimi on Pinterest

Well, as we headed into Spring, my "smart"phone started acting totally stupid. It was constantly freezing and getting super hot in the back by the phone. So, Verizon sent me a refurbished one. Yah, that was having the same issues. I only waited for a month or two before I called them up again to tell them, "Houston, we have a problem!" They sent me another refurbished phone. You guessed it, still having issues.

They decided the 3rd time would be a charm and sent me a battery instead to see if that might be the issue. I used it with my 3rd refurbished phone and it was good for a couple of months. Then my phone started freezing again. I wanted to be DONE with this dumb smartphone, but the time got away from me and my year went by.

Now, I want to throw it out the window of my moving van pretty much on a daily basis! What's a girl to do? I need to have my smartphone as a blogger. It's been life changing and has made my life so much easier.

Source: product-reviews.net via Mimi on Pinterest

My options seem to be endless and everyone has their opinion on what phone is the best. I love the iPhone because of their pictures. LOL Yes, something that might seem inconsequential, but as a blogger who is out and about all the time, this could come in handy. And the Instagram app is SO cool. I could care less about Siri. I don't need a phone that talks to me. Besides, she'd probably talk back to me like my kids.

I'm pretty sure I'll stick with the Android platform. But, do I wait for the Droid 4 or go with the Motorola Razr? Looks like it might only be a month or so before the Droid 4 comes out and now there's also the Razr Maxx with a longer batter life! Too many choices and all from Motorola!

What smartphone do you have? Any suggestions as to what I should go with?

$20 Fast Cash Giveaway Friday

2012-01-26T22:59:00.000-06:00

Yes, indeed, it's that time of the week again! Time to win $20 from the Fast Cash Giveaway! This week, you get to like our Facebook pages. That way you can stay up-to-date on all the fun things we do on our blogs, like reviews, giveaways and talk about daily life!

Have a great weekend and good luck!

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Walgreens Prescription Savings Club

2012-01-26T15:00:00.001-06:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was so excited to see a new Walgreens come to the town where I work! I've never had one close to me, but have always known what a great store they are. As a mom of 4 kids, 2 boys still at home, I know there is always a need for one prescription or another to be filled. My son and I are both on monthly medications and finding an affordable pharmacy is definitely a must!

So, they now have a Walgreens Prescription Savings Club! For $10 a year you can cover the entire family! This means my college age daughters would still be able to be covered with me! And, what would've been nice if I had joined this before? My dog Rugby, who cost more per month for meds than myself and my son put together would've been covered, too! Yes, this includes your pets!

If you don't have a family and are looking to get discounts, you can also join as an Individual and it only costs $5 a year. It's amazing to me how affordable this is! And get this, they have over 400 generic medicines that cost $12 for a 90 day supply!

To learn more, make sure you read their brochure and FAQs. They were extremely helpful to me when I read them and explained how the Club works! Make sure you stay up-to-date with Walgreens by following them on Walgreens on Twitter and Walgreens on Facebook! That way you won't miss a thing!

I Filed For Divorce Today

2012-01-26T00:39:00.000-06:00

Today was a pivotal day in my life. After being separated for over 5 yrs, I filed for divorce!

Source: pinterest.com via Mimi on Pinterest

We were at the Clerk's desk and we had to keep swearing that information was true, blah blah blah and at one point she said something about filing other papers and that if we wanted to take that time to think about "it" that was OK. I was like, "Are you kidding me? No, we're getting divorced!" He on the other hand was more like, "Yah, you should listen to her. She knows what she's talking about."

My response, "Any way we could expedite this?" *grin*

We had to run (yes I literally speed walked) to another part of the courthouse to drop off papers with a different office and then go back to the clerk again to have her file them with our other stack. Trust me, the "ex" could barely keep up. I think he was a bit surprised at how excited I was through the entire process. He shouldn't have been. Trust me. He knows this has been coming for such a long time.

Well, my excitement turned to disappointment when in the afternoon I received a call letting me know we were going to have to pay the full filing fee instead of having it waived. So, that means tomorrow I have to go slap down $400 to get the divorce on the record books and get a date!

Yes, for me that will be a significant amount of dough with all the things I actually "need" it for. But, I NEED this divorce. I need to move on with my life. I'm ready for it. I've lost 5 yrs of my life, gone into my 40s while waiting. Waiting for God to change my heart or to allow me to leave. I've been allowed and I'm running for the door!

This won't be easy by any stretch of the imagination. I'm excited to have closure on this painful part of my life, but it's also scary. I have to trust him to be a man of his word. Something he's had a very hard time doing. I believe that he loves his boys enough to continue to do the right thing. Time will tell.

Yep, this marriage, I'm outta here! C'est la vie!

Wordless Wednesday: KREO

2012-01-24T19:32:00.000-06:00

My son is a shutterbug

One of his KREO sets he got for Christmas

He took a lot of pictures!

My Pinteresting Week (LINKY)

2012-01-22T20:27:00.001-06:00

Sorry I missed posting this yesterday! I know, you missed it. LOL Here are the pins I did this past week! If you aren't following me there already, you can find me at Pinterest!

I love these bangs. Not sure they'd work on me.

Source: weheartit.com via Mimi on Pinterest

This cat looks like our Simba

Source: generationsofsavings.com via Mimi on Pinterest

I have a thing for cars!

Source: g8board.com via Mimi on Pinterest

Awesome idea for LEGO storage!

Source: raisin4.blogspot.com via Mimi on Pinterest

Valentine's Date Night $300 Cash #Giveaway Event

2012-01-21T23:04:00.000-06:00

We're already nearing the end of January, so that means we're looking ahead to Valentines Day! Have you seen the stores gearing up for it? Well, if you and your honey want to enjoy it more than usual, THIS is the event to enter so you can do just that!

Check out the generous bloggers involved in this event

The Freebie Junkie
Children Teaching Mama
Simply Stacie

Sonya's Happenings
The Mama Report
Callista's Ramblings
The Frugal Dietitian
About a Mom
Keenly Kristin

Full Price Never

Retail Therapy Lounge
Misadventures with Andi
Diva Fabulosa
Mommy's Coupon Train
To Sew With Love
Family and Life in Las Vegas
MI Savings Mama
Momma Knows Best
Woven by Words
We Have It All
Our Kids Mom
The Penny-Wise Mama
Tatum's Family Reviews
{Not Quite} Susie Homemaker
Grinning Cheek to Cheek
Happenings of the Harper Household
Mom and More
The GiveAway Car
Rockin' Deals
Joy Of Momma Joyner
Libby's Library
Mina Slater - Fab Awesomeness
jbmthinks sportsparenting
Travel Mommy
Shopaholic Mommy

The cash giveaway is open to all worldwide and will be paid directly into your paypal account

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Featured at Simply Stacie

2012-01-21T13:47:00.000-06:00

I'm SO excited to share with you that Woven by Words is being featured over at Simply Stacie! I've been following her for a couple of years and she is one of my favorite bloggers. She always has fantastic content and has giveaways galore! There's something for everyone!

If you're a blogger and wanted to be featured, make sure you fill out her form when you check out her Saturday Featured Blog and at the top, you can fill out her form. It'd also be awesome if you'd leave a comment while you visit there, too! =)

$20 Fast Cash Giveaway

2012-01-19T23:00:00.001-06:00

Yes, indeed! We're back with another Friday of Fast Cash Giveaway! This week we're asking you to follow us on Google +. Have you started using Google + yet? I'm slowly working my way into it! I'd love to try one of those Hangouts sometime! I've heard you can chat with a lot of people at once on video with Hangouts! Every try it? What did you think?

LOL I know, you could care less about what I'm saying. You just want to enter to win! Ok, have at it!

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3M Command Brand Casting Call

2012-01-19T18:56:00.000-06:00

Calling all Command Brand enthusiasts!

Command Brand from 3M is hosting a casting call to discover the star of their next commercial! So, if you are a fan of the brand and ready to make your TV debut, simply log onto the Command Facebook page and submit a short essay (500 words or less) telling us:

Why you love Command Brand products
What the brand means to you
Your favorite project including Command Brand

The deadline to enter is January 26, 2012.* Upon submitting your essay, you will also be entered for a chance to win a Command Brand products prize package.

*For more information on rules and eligibility, please review the Terms and Conditions on the Command Facebook page.

* I have not been compensated in any way for sharing this.

Wordless Wedcnesday: Basketball and K-Cups

2012-01-17T20:24:00.002-06:00

Buddy had a great game last week! He made a basket and a free throw. That’s big in his book! It was his team’s first win and he was so happy to have contributed to the points.

I’ve bribed him the last couple of years. For every shot he makes, he gets a candy bar and for every two fouls he gets a candy bar! I got this idea from Smooch’s friend’s mom who would bribe her daughter with those massive pickles you get at basketball games. Candy speaks more to my kids! =)

AND…how much does my mom love me? We just got our Christmas presents this week and here’s what I got… 80 k-cups!!

Greatest Show on Earth Ticket G!veaway! @BrdgstoneArena @RinglingTweets

2012-01-17T17:04:00.000-06:00

Step right up! You will believe your eyes…

aerial acrobatics,

human cannonballs, sword swallowing feats, what an exhilarating experience!

There is just something about the circus that keeps us all childlike…

I

still remember school fieldtrips and attending with my mom and big sister.

I

can’t find it but I still have an old Polaroid of my sister and I getting to

ride a circus elephant...it's one of my most prized moments of childhood.

I can smell the air….it’s full of popcorn, hay, animals, and musk.

Ahhh, Good times………..vicarious nostalgia.

If you’re like me, the idea of the circus being in town

instantly put a smile on your face.

Well Nashvillians…..go ahead and crack that grin because the

circus is in town!

Not just any circus either. The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey will

roll out the greatest show on earth in Music City’s Bridgestone Arena Jan.

26-29.

If you don’t live in the Nashville area….don’t fret because they are coming to you soon and if you don’t have your tickets yet—What are you waiting for?

You need to seriously consider it. It's not called the "Greatest Show on Earth" for nothing, after all!

Check out event locations, dates, times, and make plans now!

For those of you in the Nashville area I hope you’re excited because it gets better -- they’ve got a $12 kids ticket for the Friday 10:30am showing, just use the code KIDS12. It’s available on all $15, $21 and $26 tickets – which is a pretty good deal.

Want a little bit more to get giddy with…how about a giveaway?

That’s right Closer to Lucy’s peeps will have a chance to win a total of 20 tickets! Thanks to the generosity of the peeps over at Ringling Bro. and Barium and Baily, I’ve got 4 sets of 4 passes to the greatest show on earth!

I received no prior compensation for this posting, I have been offered tickets to the event but have not decided if I will be attending. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally use and believe will be a good match for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with Closer to Lucy's legal disclosure and the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Thank you to Ringling Bro and Barnum and Bailey for supplying the Giveaway Prize. Prizes shipped by sponsor I hold no responsibility. This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook in anyway.

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#DadChat is #Dads vs #Moms This Thursday!

2012-01-16T21:26:00.001-06:00

Yes, I love twitter. So many discussions, so little time. Well this Thursday you have GOT to make time for #DadChat hosted by @BruceSallan. He has some very lively discussions and this week, I’ll be co-hosting!

Don’t know Bruce Sallan, well, now is the time to get to know this great guy! You can check out his post of our upcoming chat here!

Bruce Sallan, author of “A Dad’s Point-of-View: We ARE Half the Equation” and radio host of “The Bruce Sallan Show – A Dad’s Point-of-View” gave up a long-term showbiz career to become a stay-at-home-dad. He has dedicated his new career to becoming THE Dad advocate. He carries his mission with not only his book and radio show, but also his column “A Dad’s Point-of-View”, syndicated in over 100 newspapers and websites worldwide, and his dedication to his community on Facebookand Twitter. Join Bruce and his community each Thursday for #DadChat, from 6pm -7pm PST, the Tweet Chat that Bruce hosts.

I’ve been to a number of his #DadChat’s and I have never left disappointed. There are always new people (it’s growing each time) and everyone brings a different perspective to the chat.

Source: dailymail.co.uk via Ellen on Pinterest

This week’s topic will be Dads vs Moms. HA! Really? Do dads have anything on us moms? I SOOOO don’t think so.

When the kids are sick or the hubby is sick, who takes care of them while still puking her own guts up?
Who’s the taxi for all the kids while the dad sits at home watching the NFL?
Who does the dishes, laundry, vacuums, scrubs toilets, etc while the dad hangs out in the garage playing with his tools?
Mom is breastfeeding! Woo Hoo that means the dad gets off scott-free right? No midnight feedings for him!

I know, these questions barely scratch the surface of what moms think about dads. Do you have a different opinion? Think dads do the lion’s share? Well, make sure you add your 2 cents to our discussion!

Thursday, January 19 from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m., PST

Not only will I be taking on @BruceSallan, he’ll have a giveaway also of 5 copies of Outwitting the Devil, by Napoleon Hill (author of the monster best-seller Think and Grow Rich), annotated by Sharon Lechter. All you have to do is answer specific giveaway questions!

Looks like we’ll also have Sharon Lechter author of the book that is subtitled, "The Secret to Freedom and Success." So, one more reason you should be joining the chat. We seriously need to get the ladies represented at #DadChat!! Don’t fail me moms & ladies!

My Pinteresting Week

2012-01-14T01:23:00.002-06:00

When I first started playing with Pinterest, I didn’t give it a heck of a lot of thought. I pinned a couple of things and that was about it. Well, the past couple of months I’ve been pinning and re-pinning quite a bit. =) I’ve found it can be very addicting.

How about for you? When you started on Pinterest did you realize it was going to grab so much of your attention? LOL

How great would this be coming in from the garage?

Source: decorpad.com via bigguysmama on Pinterest

I love how playgrounds are designed these days! The company, Landscape Structures, Inc., that designs these playgrounds is local!

Source: playlsi.com via bigguysmama on Pinterest

For real, I want these Dr. Marten's! Femininely rugged!

Source: dmusastore.com via bigguysmama on Pinterest

This quote is at the bottom of all my emails.

Source: quotesfactory.com via bigguysmama on Pinterest

International Delight Surprise #cbias

2012-01-13T14:24:00.001-06:00

One of the reasons I’ve continued to blog is the other bloggers I’ve met in the different blogging groups and on different sites. I know there are stories of bloggers treating each other not so sweetly, but I tell you what, I’ve got a great group of ladies who love supporting and encouraging each other.

Johanna from Mama Chocolate did a post about International Delight's Iced Coffee. I hadn’t seen these before and personally love iced coffee, especially if it’s with crushed ice! YUM! So I read her post and told her I was going to go searching for it when I went shopping next.

A couple days ago, I came home from work to find that my son had brought in a box that had been delivered during the day. I went to the refrigerator (because he’d already busted into it). Guess what was there?! Three 1/2 gallons of International Delight Iced Coffees!!I was so extremely excited! It was so unexpected and so wonderful!

It’s so sweet to know someone thought of me. I mean, Johanna could’ve picked anyone from the Social Fabric website that she had this opportunity with, and she chose me.

I would like to thank Johanna for blessing me with my International Delight Iced Coffee. You made this chick very happy!

$20 Fast Cash Flash Giveaway

2012-01-12T22:59:00.000-06:00

Hooray! It's time for another $20 Fast Cash Flash Giveaway! This time your chance to win the $20 is by following on Twitter! If you've read any of my post about Twitter, you know of my deep love for all things Twitter...so FOLLOW me! Woo Hoo and once you do, make sure you let me know (just for fun not as an entry) that you followed via this giveaway so I can make sure I follow you back. =) Have fun and good luck!

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Divorce Is Never Easy

2012-01-12T01:39:00.002-06:00

I’ve been separated from my soon-to-be-ex for over 5 yrs. The journey to the point of finally getting divorced hasn’t been an easy one and there were many times I was ready to throw in the towel. I won’t go into details as to why I didn’t divorce sooner, but suffice it to say, I was waiting on the Lord.

A year ago, it was clear to me I was being released from this marriage. I guess it helps when your husband is asking another woman out on a date. I had hoped to start divorce proceedings back then, but I didn’t have enough information to get started. Plus, I was overwhelmed with the thought of doing it all myself.

There was no way I was going to be able to afford a lawyer. I knew he wasn’t going to pay for one so it was left to us to figure all of it out. My “ex” has always taken care of the finances. In fact, he still pays all the bills. In that, I have been blessed. Pretty much ONLY in that, but for me, it’s enough.

Since the Spring I’ve been waiting for him to get the paperwork moving. He said he would. Summer came and went, I kept asking if he was getting it done. He was busy. Stuff was always coming up. I imagined there was SO much to fill out it was going to take forever.

Well, October came and I found out some new information and I told him that by weekend’s end, the divorce papers would be finished, if I had to do them myself. Yah, turns out that’s exactly what happened. So, I threw my big girl panties on and started going through all the papers I found online to complete a divorce.

Guess what?! I was done…in TWO HOURS! Yes, you read that right, TWO stinking hours. He sat on these papers for months when we could’ve moved on with our lives. Well, he was apparently while I sat back like an idiot thinking he was working on stuff. My faithfulness certainly never paid off with him!

Unfortunately, me getting them done in two hours didn’t get the paperwork turned in very fast. He had to look them over. We sent them into the County Law Library to have them look them over. I went back and forth with them a few times for clarification.

This past week he and I went to the law library to meet with a lawyer for about 15 minutes. They are pretty big sticklers when it comes to free time and lawyers. =) Well, the guy we ended up working with gave us basically a 1/2 hour consultation and acted as my lawyer! How rockin’ is that?

Too bad he gave us an entirely NEW set of papers to fill out, but pretty much mirror what I already had done with our first stack! Thank God! So, I’ve got the papers all printed. I delivered them yesterday, but didn’t hear back on any changes. Sent a message today asking for them to be looked over and that I wanted to have them submitted by Friday.

Got a message today, while I was at church that he wanted to go over the papers. Yah, he knows I’m at church Wednesday nights! Ugh. Then I get home to talk to him and he’s going to bed. This run around is tiring and I just want it to be done with.

If you’ve been through a divorce, has it felt like you’re chasing your tail at all? How did you get through it without losing your mind?

Spring Fever Event Blogger Sign Ups!

2012-01-11T09:24:00.000-06:00

I have to admit, I love doing blog giveaway events like the one I did just before Christmas! Now I'm looking forward to this coming Spring and thanks to Shell at {Not Quite}Susie Homemaker I'm part of another one! 100 bloggers will be part of the "Spring Fever" event!

Here are the details:

There's a $5 entry fee. You have until the week before to make the payment and sign up. The sooner you sign up the higher on the list you'll be!!
You need to have a giveaway package of $50 or more.
You need to fill out the "application"
Event will run April 15th-21st
Giveaway for Event such as: the person who refers the most bloggers to the event will get $50 & there will be at least 1 person chosen at random from the event to win some money as well (these are still in the works)

So, if you decide to join the Spring Fever event, I'd love it if you let Shell know you're signing up via Mimi Baker. That would be totally awesome and I'd love you forever. =) Make sure you check out Shell's blog to keep up with all the details!

Wordless Wednesday: We Are Family

2012-01-10T20:18:00.000-06:00

It was so nice to have both of my girls home from college last week. We finally celebrated Christmas together as a family. I was so blessed to have all 4 kids under one roof again, if only for a few hours.

@Rafflecopter Launch iPad and #Kindle #Giveaway

2012-01-10T00:50:00.002-06:00

Nine months ago, I received an email from a guy named Greg who started talking to me about a new site that was being created called Rafflecopter. He couldn’t see my face, but it was kind of like, =/

I mean, you hear about people pitching ideas all the time. How many of them actually stick. I went ahead and made an account and then sat back to watch what would happen. Turns out I was the 2nd person to make an account there.

Unfortunately, I was probably one of the last hold-outs this past year. I didn’t use it very much on other people’s giveaways. I was torn between the old way of doing it…making everyone enter with the layout I had created, or change to this new fangled way of giving people ways to enter my giveaways. Have I mentioned I don’t like change?

Well, this was one of those changes that, after I made it wondered what I was ever thinking by waiting. Yes, you have GOT to try out Rafflecopter. It’s not open to the public. If you’re a blogger who does giveaways, don’t wait another giveaway to try it out. It will make your life so much easier.

Not only will you like how easy it is, those who are entering your giveaways will adore you all the more! You’ve just made their part that much easier and they get done with the entries SO much faster. It’s truly a win-win situation!

Now, here’s the really, REALLY cool part! Rafflecopter is going to give away a 16GB Apple iPad2 and several Kindle Fires. The giveaway starts Monday 1/9 at 12:01 a.m. and ends 2/9 at 12:01 a.m. EST.
What would be awesome is if you used me as your referral! If I refer the winner, I win a Kindle Fire for myself. How totally rockin’ is that? Boo Ya!

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Tangled Ever After

2012-01-09T20:06:00.000-06:00

This past weekend my Doodle mentioned something about Tangled Ever After to me and my other son, Buddy. Buddy and I looked at each other like he was crazy and said, "what are you talking about? There's no movie with that title."

I went out later that night and while I was gone, received an email from Disney about...Tangled Ever After! bwahahahahaha I called Buddy right away to tell him we were about to eat crow. =)

A newly released clip from the all-new short Tangled Ever After playing in front of Beaty And The Beast 3D. Check it out!

"Like" BEAUTY AND THE BEAST on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DisneyBeautyAndTheBeast.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST returns to theatres for the first time in 3D on January 13th!

My Pinteresting Week

2012-01-07T15:22:00.000-06:00

I have really been enjoying Pinterest! Have you all started playing there yet? I am not a crafter or a designer so I'll probably never do a single thing from the site, but there are some great ideas and beautiful photos. I'm going to try ("try" being the operative word here) and share a few of my pins and repins from the week every Saturday. I'm not making it a link yet, but if I get enough interest, we could all link up together.

Are you on Pinterest? If so, leave me a link to your Pinterest boards. Here's mine: http://pinterest.com/bigguysmama/ If you're not on Pinterest and would like an invite, let me know and I'll get you connected.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars

Source: annies-eats.com via bigguysmama on Pinterest

Photo day with the kids

Source: ashleeraubachphotography.blogspot.com via bigguysmama on Pinterest

Super Bowl Game Day Ideas

Source: 20goingon80.com via bigguysmama on Pinterest

I'm Not Arguing Quote

Source: icanrelate.info via bigguysmama on Pinterest

Why don't you share a link to your favorite post this week!

$20 Paypal Fast Cash Flash #Givewaway Friday

2012-01-05T22:58:00.002-06:00

I've joined up with a group of bloggers and we're going to be giving away $20 Paypal cash for the next FOUR Fridays! Yes indeed! We're going to start your New Year off right! You've only got 24 hours so make sure you get your entries in now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Quick Dinner With #TysonGoodness #Cbias

2012-01-04T01:10:00.001-06:00

My boys are always busy after school. This time of year it's basketball and more basketball for them. One right after school and the other after school until almost 5pm. Then there are game nights for my oldest. When they're in town for a game, I grab my youngest little guy and we head to the game. Unfortunately, the games can go pretty late which means dinner is put on the back burner (no pun intended).

When I went shopping at Walmart after I got home from work this weekend, I had to keep in mind that the games were going to get into full swing for the next two months. I need meals that are going to be fast and easy. Mostly for Doodle and myself. Buddy isn't a chicken patty eater and since he's at the games he has to eat foods that are able to go to school with him.

I know the last few years of traveling basketball means we're gone for a long time at night. If Doodle and I are going to go to any away games, we needed to find something that we can make really fast and have on the go for dinner. We don't want to miss any of Buddy's games.

I started shopping needing to drop off a couple of Redbox movies and a Wii game. I also had a massively large plastic bag filled with collected plastic shopping bags to recycle. I love that Walmart has the recycling bins right when you first walk in!

I started off stocking up on Honeycrisp apples. If you haven't tried them, they're a Minnesota favorite! Then I started searching for the Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches. I wasn't sure where to find them because there are so many frozen food sections. I started off with the open cases because they were the first ones I came to. After not finding them there, but seeing some really yummy chicken strips, I headed over to the closed in freezers.

Success!! Found them next to the Anytizers made by Tyson (which I also think are yummy!). I didn't know there was the option of getting a Tyson Mini with cheese on it! I decided to wait on that one because I wanted to make sure the "plain" ones were a hit.

From there I went about the rest of my power shopping trip grabbing some extra snacks for basketball games and midnight munchies. I hadn't planned on getting much, but I think I was shopping while I was hungry and needed to grab a basket half way through the store! LOL

Today school started up again, and the first game will be this Friday. I figured the best time to try out the sandwiches was before we needed them so while Buddy was still at practice, I made all 4 packages. Unfortunately, I'm not so hot at reading instructions right away so I opened the plastic wrapping around the first set of sandwiches. Oops!

Got the rest done and after I got Buddy home we started to eat. What I didn't realize, because I've never made these before is, Buddy doesn't like chicken sandwiches. Oh, ok. Well, I wondered if he'd even try one. Yah, took one bite and asked for something else. Ugh...fine.

Then I turned to Doodle, not excited to hear what he might think. Guess what? He loved them!!! I was so excited. I did offer him toppings to put on it, but he likes everything plain as it comes so he went without any extras. I on the other hand love to load up my food. Unfortunately, I forgot I was out of spinach and tomatoes. A travesty, right? But guess what? I had avocado so that more than made up for what I'd forgotten. So I added Miracle Whip and avocado and dug into my quick dinner.

I was honestly surprised at how flavorful they were! I was imagining mine loaded with other toppings and I ended up eating the other two sets Buddy didn't eat. Yes, I can be a bit of a piggy, but these were seriously good. They were super quick to make. 45 seconds on each side in my microwave did it for us. The first one I made was a bit moist on the bottom, so we just kept flipping them over on the plate until it dried off from being in the bag.

These Mini Chicken Sandwiches are going to be perfect with us being on the go through the winter! I think they'd also be perfect at work on my 10 minute breaks. Seriously, you can't cook much in under 5 minutes and these would give me time to eat and not rush and give me that fill to make it through the rest of my day!

Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches Offer: Buy 2 Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches at a participating Walmart and receive a $5 Walmart Gift Card. http://bit.ly/vHyJS3

What craziness do you have going on in life right now that leaves you scrambling for something quick to eat? Let me know and check out my entire shopping trip!

*This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias all opinions are my own and are never influenced by the company

Wordless Wednesday: Another Tweet-Up

2012-01-03T21:32:00.000-06:00

I love Tweet-ups! So fun to connect with people face to face.

@stephencaggiano @libbytalks and @sumnermusolf

@sumnermusolf and @MimiBakerMN

Have you ever done a tweet-up or met people you're friends with online? I want to thank @libbytalks for sharing these pictures with me from our lunch today!

Walt Disney Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures Looking for Mom and Dad Bloggers!

2011-12-30T19:06:00.000-06:00

I've been working with WDP and DreamWorks for the past half year or so. It's been so awesome learning about upcoming movies and being able to do a giveaway here and there! I have to admit I love seeing the artwork and trailers early! There are several movies coming out this year I'm so excited about!

So, have you been wanting to get connected with Walt Disney Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures as a blogger? Here's your chance to get in on the action! Fill out the following information and email it to walt.disney.studios.publicity@disney.com:

WEBSITE:
E-MAIL ADDRESS:
FIRST NAME:
LAST NAME (optional):
STREET ADDRESS (optional):
SUITE / APT # (optional):
CITY:
STATE:
ZIP CODE:
PHONE # (optional):
T-SHIRT SIZE (optional):

For now, check out the movies that are slated to release this coming year:

January 13: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 3D, also in Disney Digital 3D

February 17: THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY

March 9: JOHN CARTER, also in Disney Digital 3D and IMAX 3D

April 20 (Earth Day): CHIMPANZEE (Disneynature)

May 4: MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS, also in 3D (Marvel Studios)

June 22: BRAVE, also in Disney Digital 3D (Disney/Pixar)

August 15: THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN

September 14: FINDING NEMO 3D (Disney/Pixar)

October 5: FRANKENWEENIE, also in Disney Digital 3D

November 12: WRECK-IT RALPH, also in Disney Digital 3D (Walt Disney Animation Studios)

*I have not been compensated for sharing this information!

Wordless Wednesday: Ladies Day Out

2011-12-27T23:53:00.000-06:00

My sister-in-law, Liz, and I went out for some last minute running around with our daughters. We had such a great time! Here we are at the end of the day at Caribou Coffee enjoying the Christmas music, singing aloud to some of it, and just enjoying our time.

Me and Liz

Liz's daughter 'Nae and Baby

My peppermint latte...num

Bloggers Wanted! HUGE iPad giveaway hosted by 25 blogs!

2011-12-23T08:19:00.001-06:00

4 more bloggers needed

Hi everyone! Our Kindle Fire + $50 Amazon Gift Card giveaway was such a HUGE success that we’re working on setting up another huge giveaway… this time for an iPad 2! The prize will be an iPad 2 16gb WiFi in choice of white or black and choice of free engraving! The giveaway will run January 29 through February 12. Each blogger will pay a participation fee of $21.35. Lisa is not collecting payments until January just in case the cost of the iPad comes down after Christmas… we can hope, right? She figured out the participation fee by the cost of the iPad – $499 + shipping and tax which came out to just over $30/ She will order from Apple.com.

Each blogger gets up to 3 forms of entry method – Follow on Google Friend Connect, Like on Facebook, and Follow on Twitter. If a blog doesn’t have one of these then we can substitute something else such as Adding on Google+ or subscribing by RSS. There will be one mandatory entry asking which blog they are entering from.

Once Lisa receives all payments in January she will set up a Rafflecopter widget with all forms of entry and send out the code to everyone participating. We will all schedule our posts to go live at 12:01am EST on January 29 and it will end at 12:01am EST on February 12. There is a Facebook group Lisa created where we can all ask questions and give feedback. The Facebook group was very helpful with the Kindle Fire giveaway when it came time for posting and some people needed help.

If interested in participating, please email Lisa at Lisa@mommyandmegiveaways.com with subject “iPad Giveaway” and she will add you to the list. The sooner you email, the higher up in the Rafflecopter widget you will be! Lisa will be sending out payment information at the beginning of January and once she receives all payments she will send out the code for Rafflecopter and post details.

With the Kindle Fire giveaway, participants have reported anywhere from 400 to 600 increase in followers on GFC, Twitter, and Facebook! This is a great way to help your blog grow!

This information was copy and pasted with permission from Lisa from her blog Mommy and Me Giveaways.

Wordless Wednesday: Holiday Train

2011-12-20T21:08:00.000-06:00

I was so bummed that I forgot about the holiday train that stops in our little town every year. They do food collections at each stop for local food shelves. I haven't been getting our local paper this year so didn't even realize the train was coming...until I drove into town to pick Buddy up from basketball practice.

It's really cool because they put on a musical show inside one of the cars for about 1/2 an hour. It's a wonderful night for families. Next year!

Helping Save A Historic Site

2011-12-20T14:14:00.000-06:00

Why would anyone want to destroy a historic German settlement in Ohio? Our federal government, that's who. Zoar was founded in 1817 by German religious separatists to set up a communal society in a new way of life. Zoar is unique in the way it is preserved. A walk around Zoar is like stepping into a time machine. Everything is pristine, and you will be taking a stroll though our history.

Little Man, my grandmother, and I had a great time in historic Zoar- we checked out a metal-working shop, amazing gardens, a bakery, a tin shop where the town's cups, bowls, etc were made. We saw the actual artifacts that the residents used, and were led on a tour by a descendant of the people of Zoar- her father had lived and worked there all his life. A quiet, hardworking, unassuming people who came to America for a better life and an opportunity for their families, they were often separated from each other for months and years at a time trying to pay back the loan from the land.

Take a look at more of our photos from our trip to Zoar here- and let me tell you, fall is a great time to visit.

These people wasted nothing- and especially not time- and did not have easy lives. These German separatists, mostly farmers, were persecuted in their own land and came here to live and work freely. Zoar is a living, breathing testament to the American dream and the values that we claim to hold dear. As a young country, it would be a shame to allow a historical settlement to be flooded- we may not have the history that England or Spain does, but that doesn't mean it is not just as important. Here is where your hand is needed.

The current issue is, the levee which is at the base of the town. This levee is in dire need of repairs according to US Army Corps of Engineers reports, it has a Dam Safety Action Classification 1 rating, the worst rating possible. The USACE has three options: Repair the levee, tear down the village and let the area flood or relocate Zoar to higher ground. The only option that makes sense is repair the levee. Tearing down or trying to relocate the village would destroy this historic treasure. Repairs would help keep this village alive well into the next century for our grand children to enjoy as well.

Take a look at this petition - please sign it if you agree. Get the word out, Save Zoar!!
You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter as well.

Please email me at kangabunnie@gmail.com to share this on your site. Don't forget to sign it, too! We can all help save Zoar.

Marie Callender’s Pot Pies

2011-12-19T21:47:00.001-06:00

I have this thing about comfort food when it gets cold outside. I love it big time. When fall turns to winter and the temperature drops around these parts, evening dinners take the shape of comfort food. Marie Callender’s fits this bill nicely.I remember when my daughters were growing up, one of their favorite dinners to eat was Marie Callender’s Chicken and Broccoli Pot Pies. We were so bummed when they stopped making them. Of course, this caused us to try other ones to find a new favorite!

Now it’s me and my boys and trying to find a wintery dinner we’ll all enjoy is next to impossible. Well, the other night I brought home a couple of Marie Callender’s Pot Pies and had a go at their taste buds.Doodle was up first. Doodle and I decided to try the Beef Pot Pie. He wasn’t thrilled because he always has preconceived ideas about the foods he’s going to try…that he won’t like them. So, I asked him to try the tiniest bit of the beef. HA! He liked it. Take that little one! =)

I love it when I give my boys something they think they won’t like and they end up really liking it!

The beef pieces were nice and big! When I get a pot pie my biggest gripe is that the meat is chinsy and not worth it! That’s NOT the case with any of the Marie Callender’s Pot Pies! The meat pieces and the veggies are all very well sized. No microscope needed.

I also love the crust even when cooked in the microwave! This is a meal I’m always too rushed to put in the oven and having a flaky crust from a microwave is pretty close to a miracle in my book.

Selfishly, I decided to eat the Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie. What can I say? I didn’t want to wasted it on two boys who would’ve snubbed their noses at it. First of all, it’s definitely creamy and rich. I could actually make two meals out of this it’s so filling! I’m a grazer so this would be fantastic as leftovers!

I have to admit though, it’s so yummy I had a hard time listening to my belly telling me it was full. I really just wanted to keep eating each morsel!

Marie Callender’s Pot Pie varieties include:
Chicken Pot Pie
Turkey Pot Pie
Beef Pot Pie
Creamy Mushroom Chicken Pot Pie
Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie
Honey Roasted Chicken Pot Pie
Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

With cooler weather moving in, busy moms looking for delicious comfort food for the dinner table can turn to Marie Callender’s Pot Pies. They are made with no preservatives and can save moms time and energy while warming the kids up after a day of playing in the snow.

Marie Callender’s Pot Pies are available for a suggested retail price of $2.10-$2.99.

Marie Callender’s meals are available in grocery stores nationwide. Product lines include Complete Meals, One-Dish Entrées, Fresh Flavor Steamers, Fresh Mixers, Multi-serve Bakes, Pot Pies, small Fruit Pies and Dessert Pies & Cobblers.

For more information, visit http://www.mariecallendersmeals.com

What do you consider winter time comfort food? Do you have a favorite cold weather meal that your family loves?

*I have been compensated by The Motherhood for this post. The opinions expressed are my own and are never influenced by the company.

Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol in Imax

2011-12-17T19:55:00.001-06:00

The only time I've ever been to an IMAX is to watch an educational movie with a school field trip. To see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol at an Imax would be intense! I mean, that screen is HUGE! Can you imagine the all the action happening that loudly and largely? Yes, it would totally rock!

Starting December 16th, a full five days before its North American premier, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol will be shown in a mind-blowing IMAX experience in 300 theatres across the country. Join Ethan Hunt and his team of rogue IMF agents, in this awesome spy adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. With 30-minutes of scenes shot with IMAX cameras, fans will be able to enjoy certain sequences of the movie in larger than life proportions. You will be right in the action as Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) scales the world愀 tallest building; the Burk Khalifa Tower in Dubai, as this and other thrilling moments expand to fit the entire IMAX screen. As an added bonus, IMAX will offer the first previews of the upcoming Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, prior to Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol.

I've seen all of the other Mission Impossible movies and it never ceases to amaze me the stunts Tom Cruise will do. In the trailer, which you have GOT to watch, they talk about people getting vertigo because it's so real while watching it in IMAX! How cool is that? I have SO got to see this movie at an IMAX! Ours is at the Minnesota Zoo, so I know exactly where to get a crew of us to have a night out!

Make sure you check out the Imax Facebook page to keep up on all the activities they have going on!

Have you ever been to an IMAX movie that wasn't educational, but on the scale of something like Mission Impossible? If so, what was it and how was your experience? Would you suggest I see it on the IMAX screen?

Partylite Home Party & Sweepstakes

2011-12-17T03:01:00.001-06:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PartyLite Simple Pleasures Holiday Sweepstakes for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Since I've lived in Minnesota, I have yet to be invited to a PartyLite party. I had been invited, and attended several when I lived in Washington. I'm not sure if there just aren't very many Partylite hostesses in my area or if I'm just not connected with the right people to garner an invite!

I've hosted other in-home parties before and tend to enjoy them. Partylite sounds like it offers hostesses free products!! Who doesn't love free?! If I were to have a party, I think I'd actually try and have two. The first party would be all my friends from church. The second party would have all my friends and co-workers from work.

What I was most excited about was the PartyLite Simple Pleasures Holiday Sweepstakes. It already ended on the 15th, but I like the extra bonus they throw in on occasion for people who sign up to host a party! Now that's an incentive, isn't it? I mean, 60,000 people selling Partylite and 12 million attending parties every year shows they are a fantastic company!

I went through their catalog the other day as I was looking for some holiday decor! I need to go back today to check out their new Winter/Spring 2012 Catalog to see if they've added any new items! I always feel like a kid in a candy shop when I peruse their catalogs. Making a list and checking it twice! So far I really like the Clearly Creative Collection because you can change the contents of the glass for different seasons or holidays. You can check out more of their Collections on the PartyLite Facebook page! You'll be able to find some great ideas and keep up with all their events and happenings!

If you've checked them out, what Collection do you like the most? Have you gone to any Partylite parties lately?

Tabletop Decorating Via #KmartHoliday #Cbias

2011-12-16T01:12:00.002-06:00

Shopping is one thing. I can do that. Decorating on the other hand…not a strong suit. I went shopping at Kmart and found some great decorations for my table, now I just have to hope it all comes together.

I emptied out all of the things I bought: table cloth, napkins, napkin rings, candles, goblets, candle hurricanes, and a table runner. Will any of it match and even if it does, will I put it together so it looks right? LOL
Right now, most everything in the holiday shop is on sale. Much of what I bought was 60% off…already!! I know, crazy. Stretched the dollar though.

Ok, so I realized I made a bit of a counting mistake. I only got 4 napkins and 4 napkin ring holders. I know those go together, but I got 6 placemats to go along with our 6 chairs. Looks like I might have to go back!

My table has one of the leaves in it, but after I put the table cloth on, I realized it was a bit long which means when I do need to put my extra extra leaf in it’ll still fit perfectly! SCORE!

Out came the placemats, napkins and napkin holders. Lo’ and behold, they worked! Success!! I mean, you really can’t go wrong with red, green and cream. I should’ve put the table runner on before the other linens, but I got it on. Then I put out my 3 poinsettia doilies. They are such a cute accent.

Next I grabbed my 2 boxes of 3 sets of Goblets. I also had bought a 9 pack of cinnamon scented candles to go inside the Goblets. Ahhh I just realized one set of the Goblets is poinsettias! Perfect with the doilies! Dontcha love it when a plan comes together?

I have to admit, I was so excited when I got this table put together. All of a sudden I felt like a grown up. I mean, this layout really looked good in my humble opinion!

After I had my grown up moment, I wanted to try out my semi-woodsy idea, too. I had also bought 3 Hurricane candles and a bag of cinnamon scented pinecones. Now, for the record, these pinecones should come packaged in something other than netting. This is the messiest stuff in the world!

I poured the pinecones into the hurricanes, put the candle holder on and the candles inside. Next I grabbed two pillar candles that I also bought. They have a cute sisal rope around it with mini pinecones as an accent. Look at this coming together!! Woo Hoo It’s nice to know I can change the feel of my dining room.

So, there I am, all grown up in my Kmart decorated dining room. It’s a first for me and I have to be honest, I could go hoity toity in a heart beat. Who knew?

Ok, what set do you like most? Do you like the goblets or hurricanes better? I kind of like them both…a lot!

Make sure you come take a look at my entire shopping experience at Google+. It's a fun way to see how it all went from beginning to end!

*This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All opinions are my own and never influenced by the company.

Kmart Tabletop Holiday Decorating #Cbias #KmartHoliday

2011-12-14T15:24:00.001-06:00

Ok, I have a confession. I haven’t done a single thing to decorate for Christmas. Yep, not a single thing. My 12yo son on the other hand got tired of me waiting and brought his tinsel Christmas tree that he made in 4th grade into the house. It’s our only decoration.

Well, I just got a phone call from a good friend asking me if I wanted a Christmas tree. This year I was going to forego it since we’re heading out of town for Christmas, but since the boys have been asking me when I’m going to decorate, I decided we’d take the tree.

Then I had the opportunity to go shopping at Kmart for tabletop decorations. I have to be honest here. I’ve never decorated a table for Christmas. I know, my life has been so empty until now. I just don’t know how to decorate and always think what I come up with isn’t going to even match.

Before I went, I headed to Kmart online to get some ideas of the choices I would have before I got to the store. I wasn’t even sure what I’d want to decorate a table. Thankfully, I got some really great ideas and couldn’t wait to check out the centerpieces!So, today I decided it was high time to figure out what the heck I was doing and find some gene inside me that could make decorations match. Today I’ll just be sharing my shopping trip. My next Kmart post will show you the end result!

I’m lucky to even have found Kmart today with all the fog. The picture you see here is from another time I shopped at Kmart because I couldn’t even see the sign!

Right I walked in, there was Christmas product and signage! Thankfully, Kmart keeps their holiday products in the same area so I headed to the other side of the store. See, I was heading in the right direction!

I got to the holiday section and the first thing I find is their centerpieces. Unfortunately, it’s so late in the season my options were pretty limited. I know, sad, but it’s my own fault for waiting for so long! I perused what they had and decided I’d come back after I did more window shopping before my cart shopping.

What I was also really interested in was linens. I don’t have a single table linen in my home. Nope, not a one. Not even NON-holiday linens. I’m telling you, I’ve lived a sheltered life.

I walked around the holiday section trying to find other items I could add to my tabletop. A lot of what I found initially would be perfect for the kitchen. I would’ve purchased some of those if I even thought I’d have the time to clean and decorate in there. I was tickled to find a lot of Star Wars themed items and I’ll be going back to get a couple for those boys of mine.The more I went into the holiday shop, the more I found for the whole season! There was wrapping paper, gift bags, storage totes, food, paper products, and candy galore!

I was still intent on finding table linens so I asked one of the employees and she gave me easy directions. But, before I headed anywhere, I wanted to make sure I grabbed some decorations. I was pretty indecisive so I grabbed two 3pc Goblet Sets: Poinsettia Stem Set and . I’m thinking my table is big enough that I could put one on one end and the other set on the other.I wasn’t sure what candles I wanted to I decided to come back after I mulled it over for a bit.

I was happy to find the table linens exactly where they were supposed to be. Now was the time to panic. What goes together? I wish the packaging would’ve show a complete dining table totally decorated.Do I go with all the same colors? All red, all green, or all cream? Do I mix and match to make it more festive? People, I had no idea what I was doing! And there were so many accessories: napkins, napkin holders, doilies, table runners, etc.

So, I decided to do a cream table cloth. I know, what would anyone in their right mind be doing getting a cream table cloth? Well, there were enough of the other colors so that I would have a full set of what I think I need!Then I got a green table runner, red napkin holders, red placemats, green napkins, and poinsettia doilies. For some reason this got my thinking cap really smoking and I wanted to buy one of everything! I kept my spending to a dull roar, but decided to go back to the holiday section to see if there were more that I wanted to add to my loot.I decided on a 3pc hurricane set that isn’t as fancy as the other 2 sets of Goblets. Who knows, I might want to be a bit less hoity toity. I also added some cinnamon scented pinecones that I’d put into the hurricanes for wintery decoration.

My shopping cart filled up very quickly and my brain was on overload. All I could do was hope that when I got home everything in my cart would come together in perfect harmony! We’ll have to see in my next Kmart post if it all worked out!

Do you typically go all out when it comes to decorating? Is every room decorated in some fashion?

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All opinions are my own and are never influenced by the company.

Wordless Wednesday: Family Game Day

2011-12-13T22:32:00.002-06:00

Can’t believe I missed Wordless Wednesday last week. Life has been so crazy since Thanksgiving. Is it just me or everyone else, too?

Last Sunday the boys and I headed to the Cities for an event that didn’t turn out the way I had expected, but they had a fun time. I had an idea of what was going to be happening and it turned out to be something different.

The gal that did the face painting was stellar. She did it so fast, but man, she was good!

I also had the bonus of seeing Amy from Grinning Cheek to Cheek! Two days in a row I got to hang with her for a little bit.

Torani Syrup Flavors Giveaway #SSTorani

2011-12-12T18:26:00.002-06:00

I have been a huge fan of Torani Flavored Syrups for about 15 yrs. My first experienced with Torani was when I lived in WA and would have latte’s at Starbucks. Then I got my own espresso maker and had to get a selection of syrups. I’ve never used anything other than Torani. Those are the flavors I already had in my cupboard: Caramel and Hazelnut.

Torani isn’t exclusive to coffee beverages. They’re perfect for Itialian Sodas, Cocktails, and Flavored Lemonades & Iced Teas. My close friend loves making Italian Sodas so she has a fantastic selection of Torani Syrups as well.Torani Syrup Flavor Varieties: Torani flavored syrups are available in over 122 flavors, which include regular and sugar free varieties. Please go to www.Torani.com to see all flavors.

One of my favorite syrups to have on hand is Hazelnut. It’s such a smooth flavor and always makes my latte’s a delight to drink. I was sent the Pumpkin Pie and Sugar Free Vanilla Flavors. Now I have to admit, I haven’t tried the Sugar Free Vanilla because I honestly can’t stand anything Sugar Free.The Pumpkin Pie on the other hand was perfect for this time of year! Some other flavors that sound like they’d be delicious this time of the year? Gingerbread, Peppermint, Toasted Marshmallow, and Brown Sugars Cinnamon. One of the flavors I’ve had before is the English Toffee and that was yummy!

Torani syrups are primarily used at coffeehouses and restaurants in over 40 countries. Within the retail flavored syrup category, Torani has a dominant market share exceeding 60%. At US retail outlets, Torani is available at stores such as:

Cost Plus World Market
BevMo
Walmart
Smart and Final
Most major grocery stores
Amazon.com (wide assortment of flavors)
Torani.com and Shop.Torani.com (widest assortment of flavors)

About Torani:

Since 1925, family-owned Torani has been crafting great tasting flavored syrups that coffeehouses use to make their flavored drinks taste so delicious. With over 120 flavors in regular and sugar free varieties, Torani flavored syrups are perfect for flavored lattes, mochas, coffees, cocoas, Italian sodas, teas, lemonades, cocktails and smoothies. Coffeehouse professionals choose Torani flavors because they are expertly crafted and made with the highest quality ingredients, like natural flavors and pure cane sugar. The sugar free flavors have no calories and are sweetened with Splenda. Now, Torani Flavored Syrups are widely available at retail so you can easily create authentic coffeehouse quality drinks at home.

Here’s the chance for 5 lucky people to each win ONE coupon for a free bottle of any flavor Torani Syrup!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bobiam Streetwear Giveaway

2011-12-11T15:13:00.002-06:00

This past Fall I’ve been finding some really awesome local companies that I’m excited to share with my readers! One local company is Bōbiam. Here’s an introduction to them via their website:

“Bōbiam is an Artistic and UVSmART streetwear company. We are unique in that we feature youth artists only, as young as 5yrs old. Tremendously passionate leadership who are committed to the long-term success of the Bōbiam brand backs us. Our owner's started this business in their home, inspired by their 8yr old son's art creations. The company is named after that very artist, who's nick name is Liam Bōbiam or just Bōbiam. At Bōbiam, kids, charity and ideas trump profits. We want to make a difference!”

How awesome is that? I’m thinking about having my boys who are 8 and 12 do some designs and send them in. Wouldn’t it be fun to see your kid’s design on someone’s clothing?

When I got my tube with my shirt in it, I was impressed immediately with the fact that my shipping label was written by hand. It wasn’t a computer generated label! So, it’s personal right from the get go.Included with my new shirt was a Bōbiam stretchy bracelet. In fact, with sales of these bracelets, $4 from the $5 sale go to charity! WOW!

One of the first things I noticed about my new Bōbiam was how soft it was. I also loved the fact that as a woman’s shirt, it fits my shape. I find it so hard to find t-shirts that fit a female shape instead of being generically large all around, which I find highly unattractive. Just my opinion is all.

I put this shirt on, a medium, and it fit like a glove! It was really comfortable. I won’t go overboard, but I’d just like to say how well it fit. =) The arm length was probably my favorite part. I find it nearly impossible to find a long sleeve shirt that has sleeves that extend at least to my wrist, if not just a bit past. Sleeves that go up my forearm when I stretch is so irritating! For me, the length was perfect!

My shirt, only because pink isn’t my color, will be going to my oldest daughter for Christmas. She will absolutely fall in love with this shirt as she loves all things pink and it will fit her like a glove. Color me jealous! Here are the shirts I wish I had (hint hint for Christmas):

View Full Album

Now’s the opportunity for you to win a $30 gift code to Bōbiam for your item of choice.
I was sent a Bōbiam shirt for review. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Meet-Meme Social Trading Cards

2011-12-08T09:50:00.001-06:00

I love Twitter for oh so many reasons. One of those reasons is Social Media chats that are always happening! One such chat last week had to do with Meet-Meme Social Trading Cards. I hadn't heard of them before and figured I'd go check them out so that I knew what we'd be discussing.

Oh boy, I barely got back to the chat at all I was so taken in by their Trading Cards. They're pumped up business cards! From page one you'll see what I'm talking about. You get to start off picking either a color or theme for your card. And the cool part about picking your color? You can choose more than one! AHHHH! No having to stick with the same looking business card day after day. You can have all the same information on cards with different colors or different designs.

The Meet-Meme Cards come in packs of 10 packs up to 50 cards. 100 packs come in 2 boxes of 50 cards each. So, that means you can choose how ever many colors you want and they'll separate them evenly! How stinkin' cool is that? Where else could you do that?

Ok, moving on to more coolness. The next section you get to add Social Media sites! I have a LinkedIn account, but it doesn't do anything for me as a blogger and I never use it so that's the only SoMe site I didn't connect with. Maybe I should have?

Section 3 requires you to put on your thinking, creative cap. You get to add your bio (mine is quite bland because I'm not creative), a Special Power, and a Quote/Hobby/Nemesis. On the same page you get to add info about how people can reach you; your typical business card info.

Finally you get to check out what you've created! It's so cool! It even adds a QR code so people can scan it with their Smartphones and get your info instantly!

Here are some tips before you do what I did and just dive in make your cards and place your order. Check out the top of the site. The "Personal" tab will give you an idea of what your card will look like and what you can add. If you scroll down the page, you'll find a link to check out some of the members. What I like about checking out the other members is seeing the cards finished and seeing how fun and creative people can be.

If you want to break out of the boring, same ol' routine of handing out "blah" business cards, Meet-Meme is going to change all of that for you! Go check 'em out. You know you want to! Make sure to follow them on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with all the happenings!

I was given a code for free cards, but they had no idea I was going to do a post. The opinion expressed is completely my own and was in no way influenced by the company.

Replica Toy Fish Giveaway

2011-12-07T20:54:00.003-06:00

My boys love fishing. I think if you’re born in Minnesota, it’s a gene that’s given to you at birth. When I heard about Replica Toy Fish I knew that my boys would totally dig their products.

We were sent a fantastic selection of fish for my boys to play with and study. Trust me, the study part was more intense than the playing. There’s something about knowing exactly what a fish looks like that makes a boy happy.When my boys get a fish on the line, their first question is, “What kind of fish is it?” Then there’s always the big debate on what it actually is until they pull it onto the boat and can see close-up!The detail in design and coloring is fabulous. They’re well made and are Phthalate Free!
What I love about Replica Toy Fish is that you can get fish from all over the United States like: Midwest Tackle Box, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, South Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia. Also you may select 5 of any one of the available species of your choosing.

They also have Party Packs which would be fantastic for a goodie bags! The pictures on the website let you know what fish come in each pack so there’s no trying to guess what the kids might be getting!I talked with the boys and we’re going to share some of the awesome fish we received with their cousins as Christmas presents. My youngest is 8 and his cousin, who is also 8 loves fishing about as much as my boys. He also loves to collect animal figures.
Now it’s your chance to win your choice of:

1 State Tackle Box

3 Large Size Replicas

*I received the product for review purposes. The opinions expressed are my own and are never influenced by the company.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked PreScreening Minneapolis Tickets Available

2011-12-07T15:44:00.000-06:00

Come join me at a prescreening of ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED on Saturday, December 10^th (10:00am) at AMC Southdale. Passes will be first come first serve and are family four packs! Make sure to use this code at the gofobo.com website:

MOMSBXF0

http://www.gofobo.com/rsvp/promotion/d174e47a5649b564990247234715c5f9

I will be attending this event thanks to alliedim.com

GourmetGiftBaskets.com Give To The Walter Reed Medical Center

2011-12-06T23:09:00.000-06:00

Earlier this year I heard about GourmetGiftBaskets.com for the first time. I was taken in by the plethora of baskets that are available. I was able to get one that was perfect for my daughter who headed off to college this Fall. Well, now that it's Christmas time, I'm thinking about those I love dearly and want to show them in a unique way I'm thinking of them.

Jingle All The Way™ Holiday Gift Basket

Holiday Sweets & Treats Snowflake Tin™ – Christmas Gift Basket

There is a fantastic selection of baskets for anyone and everyone on your list in the Christmas Basket category! Definitely no way you can go wrong when you send a basket that lets someone know you had them on your mind.

Christmas Care Package

Nutcracker Drum™ Christmas Gift Basket

What I'm so excited about is that by working with GourmetGitBaskets.com they're sending two, count 'em TWO care packages to the Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. This means so much to me because although I don't know anyone who's ever been injured in a war, my brother joined the Army Reserves last year.

My brother

I am so proud of him and every other man and woman who serve in the Armed Services. There isn't any tangible way for me to let those who are my HEROES to know how much I appreciate them, so this chance to have 2 baskets sent because of sharing about GourmetGiftBaskets.com is priceless in my estimation!

I want to thank GourmetGiftBaskets.com for working with me again and sending these baskets to those who have given so much because I've written some simple words. It really means the world to me!

You can keep up with GourmetGiftBaskets.com here:

Facebook

Twitter

Blog

*I didn't receive any compensation or products for this post.

Kindle Fire G1veaway

2011-12-04T00:04:00.000-06:00

25 bloggers have teamed up to bring you all a huge giveaway! Here is your chance to win a Kindle Fire and a $50 Amazon Gift Card to buy Kindle books!

The Kindle Fire is the newest design in Kindles and features:

WiFi
7" touchscreen
8GB internal (approximately 6GB available for user content). That's enough for 80 apps, plus 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.
Amazon Cloud storage
8 hours continuous reading or 7.5 hours video playback
3.5 mm stereo audio jack, top-mounted stereo speakers
Fully charges in approximately 4 hours via included U.S. power adapter. Also supports charging from your computer via USB.

You can read books, watch movies, play music, download apps, and browse the internet on the Kindle Fire. Plus if you have Amazon Prime, Amazon has started their new Kindle Lending Library where you can borrow books for free!

You can enter to win here or on any of these blogs:

#Crocs Grand Opening at the Mall of America #Giveaway

2011-12-01T22:06:00.002-06:00

CROCS!! I know, how much do you love hearing that word? Let’s start off with a bit of honesty, shall we? I don’t own a pair of Crocs. I know, it’s a travesty. See, here’s how the life of a single mom works.

A couple of days before you’re given the blessing of working with Crocs, your 20 year old daughter tells you she needs winter boots. Then you remember last year she had to borrow yours while she was away at college and you had to work in the snow in hiking boots.

So, you get on Facebook and message her roommate to get her opinion on what boots she’d like best. You guys choose the same boot and place your order, knowing that this is a good thing! She’ll be so surprised!
This is just a sample of what life is like daily. Hence, my lack of owning my very own pair of Crocs. There’s are the boots my oldest will be getting…The Berryessa
So, the chance to go to the Mall of America’s Grand Opening of the new Crocs store and the opportunity to get your very own pair of Crocs goes to the wayside as you realize your daughter will be getting a new pair of winter boots and you’ll still not own any variety of Crocs. Have I mentioned that this same daughter bought her very own pair of original Crocs a few years ago? How’d she get so lucky?

The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. is one of three stores that will be opening. The other stores are located at Barton Creek in Austin, Texas; and Streets at Southpoint in Durham, N.C.

If I had a shoe rack that I could put any Crocs I wanted on it, here is just a sampling of what I’d choose:
Keep an eye out on Saturday, December 3rd for all of us attending the Grand Openings. We’ll be tweeting out using the #crocs hashtag. You’ll want to keep up with all our great discoveries!

Saturday (December 3rd): 9am

Stash and Dash: 5 people will randomly win 2 minutes to grab FREE Crocs gear
Watch the Stash and Dash at our Lenox Mall Store here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Ls9hXG8Zg&feature=youtu.be

All Weekend (December 3rd & 4th):

Get a chance to win a FREE pair of shoes or savings up to 50% off a pair of shoes!
Get local’s favorite Jibbitz™ packs, Crocs bags, and more! While supplies last.

And make sure you print the 20% off coupon before you head out to do your Crocs shopping! It’s good through 12/31/11

I received compensation for this post thanks to Business 2 Blogger and for using social media during the Grand Opening.

World Vision Gift Catalog Giveaway

2011-11-30T21:39:00.003-06:00

Christmas is just around the corner and as we all know, this is a time of giving. When we look outside of ourselves and think of others. World Vision is a perfect organization to give to during the holiday season and beyond.

World Vision’s Gift Catalog “offers items that change lives around the world.”
The catalog offers more than 250 gifts online and in the print version ranging in price from $16 to $39,000. These gifts can be purchased in the name of a family member, teacher, co-worker or child, including many affordable items under $50. Gifts available include, but are not limited to:

· Goats ($75): One of the most popular gift items because its milk provides protein for children and the surplus can be sold. More than 20,000 goats were purchased last year.

· Feed a family in the US for a day ($16): Here in the United States, 1 in 5 children lives in poverty. Gift givers can help restore hope to families that have been struck by disaster, homelessness or job loss.

· A child’s education ($32): Supplying school fees, textbooks, paper and pencils will help a child reach their full potential.

· Beehive ($150): Beekeeping is a sustainable, year-round way to generate income and is a great source of nutritious, medicinal honey and beeswax.

· Traditional water well ($13,700): A well can provide more than 2,800 gallons of fresh water every day – enough for up to 300 people – for years to come.

The best part about these gifts is that they are self-sustainable. For example, goats given to communities in Africa are purchased in Africa. This allows transformational community development within the most poverty-stricken villages. The gifts can also sometimes double or even triple, as shown in the box below on the right (The World Vision Difference).

World Vision has also designed a way for donors to see these self-sustainable gifts in action in real time through “The True Spirit of Christmas Tour.” For the third consecutive year, World Vision staff will be traveling across the world this December to see the impact that goats, sheep and other gifts have on families and children. Donors can follow “The True Spirit of Christmas” on Facebook at www.facebook.com/truespiritofchristmas.

I absolutely love Word Vision. They are at all the Women of Faith conferences to allow us to bless children around the world by choosing one to support.
I received a beautiful Artisan Multi-colored Necklace as an example of the creations that are made. This necklace helps fight human trafficking. “Every 48” strand is a one-of-a-kind creation that can be worn long or short, as a bracelet or even a belt.”

The first night I wore it, to our church’s Thanksgiving Pie Social, I was asked about my necklace! What a great way to initiate a conversation!

I love the hearts at the bottom when I wear it as a necklace, because I’m always playing with them and it reminds me why I’m wearing the necklace.

What’s also nice about this necklace, is that if you donate $100 to the Maximum Impact Fund you will get this necklace for free! There are other price levels and items you can choose as well.

Now you have the opportunity to win this very same necklace.

*I received the necklace for review purposes. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company/organization

Wordless Wednesday: Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T21:37:00.000-06:00

Its always so wonderful when we can get together as a family. I miss having my daughters live with me. This is the first year I haven't had my 2nd daughter with us for Thanksgiving because she had to work. =(

Candle Warmers Giveaway

2011-11-29T02:27:00.001-06:00

I absolutely love having a beautiful fragrance flowing through my home. It can set the tone for family atmosphere. Candle Warmers not only give a wonderful array of scents, their beautiful warmers.

I received the beautiful Candle Warmer Cross. As much as I like to share with my family (my boys) I brought this down to my room so I could enjoy it downstairs. I have used my Cross Warmer every single night since I received it! I decided to go with the Christmas Day Wax Melts. It makes my room smell so wonderful and cozy.

I was just looking through the Candle Warmer site and realized these would be perfect for college dorm rooms. My daughter can't burn candles and since Candle Warmers come with a light and are electric, it would make a perfect gift for her and her roommate!

I have wanted to try the Peppermint, but I'm not exactly sure what to do. I'm kind of in a quandary. I don't know what I'd do with the wax melt that's already in the Warmer lid. The site says they can be remelted time and time again so I'm thinking it can be poured back into the packaging it came in. And yes, folks, it works just like that! Was easy to pour back into the mold!

I'm loving how beautiful this Cross Warmer is and love having it in my room, all to myself! Now to make my room smell like Peppermint!

Got candles? Love wickless candles? Love fragrance? Candlewarners.com probably has a warmer, a candle holder, and a scent to fit just about anyone's decor at pretty decent prices!! These make wonderful gifts!!

Candlewarmers.com originated in 2001 and has grown rapidly since. Candle Warmers, Etc. commitment to enhancing the home with affordable and safe candle warmer appliances and accessories has contributed to its success with several varied product lines. Among the Candle Warmers, Etc. product categories are: traditional plate candle warmers, candle warmer lamps and lanterns, the Jamie Clair line of wicked/wickless candles, candle warmer lamp accessories.

Candlewarmers.com has offered to send three winners selected from one rafflecopter across all of the gift guide blogs each an Aurora Candle Warmer Lamp(winner's choice) with winner's choice of candle fragrance- a $54.98 value!!
Enter the rafflecopter form below to win one of THREE Candlewarmers.com prize packs!!

ScentSicles Scented Ornaments Giveaway

2011-11-27T19:07:00.001-06:00

I love the smells of Christmas. They bring to mind all the wonderful aspects of the holidays. ScentSicles are a wonderful product to bring the smells of Christmas into your home.

When my boys were opening the box they came in, my youngest kept saying, "it smells so good." LOL he knows what smells good! Immediately we opened up the ScentSicle Ornaments to get a better idea of what they smelled like individually. I love that without opening up the top, you can squeeze the container and the scent will waft out of the small hole in it.

My first thought of the Fresh Cut Fir was that it would be perfect to put into an artificial Christmas tree. It's a very strong scent and would make the tree smell perfect! Next was the Cinnamon Stick and that was my favorite. It's one I plan on hanging in various rooms around the house. I'll put a little hook on the top, that's included with the tube of ornaments.

Made of natural fibers sourced from sustainable resources and infused with pure fragrance, ScentSicles offer a no-mess, no-flame, simple way to make artificial holiday greenery smell real, enhance the scent of a live tree, or just add scent as a decoration to any room. They are perfect for Secret Santas or ideal for hostess gifts. When friends and family gather at your home for parties or for the big day, ScentSicles are a great way to add a quick boost of holiday spirit to your home. ScentSicles come in four inviting holiday scents: Fresh-Cut Fir, Fresh-Cut Pine, Fresh-Cut Spruce and Cinnamon Stick.

ScentSicles are available seasonally at Wal-Mart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Lowes, Michaels, Cracker Barrel, Hallmark, select Home Depot stores nationwide and several other fine retailers.

*I was given samples for review. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Bodycology Giveaway

2011-11-27T14:15:00.001-06:00

I love when the holidays come around and it's time to start picking out gifts for those near and dear. Sometimes it's the little gifts that let them know they've been thought of. And when it comes to my girl friends, I love to give girlie gifts. That's where Bodycology comes in so handy.

They have the cutest gift ideas and stocking stuffers! I've used Bodycology products in the past and enjoy sharing them as little gifts to let people know they've been thought of.

Starting in November, shoppers will be able to build their very own bodycology gift set in several Walmart locations nationwide. You will have the pleasure of choosing from several festive colored gift bags (which includes tissue paper) as well as a variety of our favorite fragrances and products in order to build that perfect gift set for someone special— and all at an affordable price. The gift bag retails for .50¢ while the products retail for $3.97 a piece. We’d love for you to get the word out and share this with your readers!

In addition, bodycology has two pre-packaged Gift Sets available this holiday season including their Mini Stocking Stuffer and Mini Bath Bundle.

Now you have the chance to win one of 9 Bodycology Mini Bath Bundles!

I received the product for review. The opinions expressed are my own and are never influenced by the company.

Carmex Healing Lotion Collection Giveaway

2011-11-26T14:20:00.000-06:00

As I've shared in the past, Minnesota can bring out the dry skin in the most moisturized person you could ever meet. Work is always the worst for me because I'm constantly washing and drying my hands. Carmex is now a staple in my file at work.

I carry a bottle in my purse, leave one in my van and have another at home. Seriously, you can't live without healing hand lotion and live in Minnesota. Well, I can't at least.

So, what have I learned about Carmex® after the last few weeks of use? I know that the Carmex® Healing Cream is best at work on my hands. It's rich and thick and exactly the kind of protection I need in that dry atmosphere. The Carmex® Healing Lotion is perfect for applying throughout the day when I'm at home or just futzing around. Neither of these lotions leaves a greasy feeling after applying which is important for me because I'm always touching stuff like my face and papers. Who wants to leave a greasy smudge somewhere?

Carmex Healing Cream

Use on your driest skin— especially hands, feet, elbows and knees; available in tube or NEW handy little tin
9 healing ingredients penetrate and help repair your very dry, rough or cracked skin
Concentrated—use a small amount
Absorbs fast for a non-greasy feel; has a light, pleasant scent

Carmex Healing Lotion

Use anywhere skin feels dry;
available in tube or NEW pump
Daily use will help protect skin and keep dryness away
Rich healing ingredients, including Aloe and Vitamin E, nourish and moisturize skin
Absorbs fast for a non-greasy feel; has a light, pleasant scent

At work yesterday, I had just finished lathering my hands with Carmex® and my coworker came by and said, "Someone just put on Carmex®!" I laughed and wondered how she knew that and she said her husband lives by the stuff so she knows what it smells like. I wasn't sure whether that was good or bad, so I said, "Sorry," in which she replied, "No, I love it!" =) I have to admit, I do, too. The scent is very light and not overwhelming like some perfumed hand lotions can be.

Now it's your chance to win:

1 Carmex Healing Lotion
1 Carmex Healing Cream
1 Travel size Carmex Healing Lotion
1 Travel size Carmex Healing Cream

*I'm a Carmex blogger and received these same products for review. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Young Justice: Season 1, Volume 2

2011-11-23T13:28:00.000-06:00

My boys absolutely love Young Justice! When they started watching it earlier this Fall, I was happy that they'd found a Super Hero show to watch. To be honest, my boys watch a lot of shows that I think are plain weird. I've tried to watch with them before to no avail. So mindless.

On the other hand, with my oldest son, Buddy, being a tween a show that fits his age group is something he needs. Sure, it's a cartoon, but they still deal with issues while saving the world. I'd love for my boys to have Super Hero mentalities. =)

So, here's what Young Justice, Season 1 Volume 2 is about:

In Young Justice, being a teenager means proving yourself over and over—to peers, parents, teachers, mentors and, ultimately, to yourself. But what if you’re not just a normal teenager? What if you’re a teenage super hero? Are you ready to join the ranks of the great heroes and prove you’re worthy of the Justice League? That’s exactly what the members of Young Justice—Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis—will found out, whether they have what it takes to be a proven hero. Based upon characters from DC Comics.

It was funny, because I know both of my boys have seen the Young Justice shows numerous times and when I hesitantly asked them if they were ok with watching it again their response was, "Yah, we love that show." Not kidding! When you have older kids you never know what kind of response you're going to get and this was what I was hoping for!

Young Justice: Season 1, Volume 2 came out on DVD October 25th! If you're looking for a fun gift for the kids, this would be a fabulous idea!

Did you used to watch any Super Hero cartoons when you were a kid? My Super Hero was Mighty Mouse!

Connect with WB: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

*We received the Young Justice DVD for review purposes. The opinions expressed are my own, and one from my boys, and are never influenced by the company.

Wordless Wednesday: Cardinal Football

2011-11-22T19:31:00.000-06:00

Our rinky dinky little town has had success the last couple years with different sports teams going to State Competitions. This year, last Friday, our football team made it to State and they let school out early so the town could attend. Buddy went and had a blast! Unfortunately we lost, to another Cardinal team, but there was so much excitement that we'd finally made it!

Jersey Numbers

Doodle

Buddy

Make sure you check out these Wordless Wednesday participants:

Flash Giveaway $10 PayPal

2011-11-21T23:15:00.001-06:00

With Christmas just around the corner, I wanted to do a 24 hour Flash Giveaway! Yes, it's $10, but it's $10 more than you might have had before you had the chance to win! This giveaway will end tonight at 11:59pm EST.

Sibu Review & Giveaway

2011-11-21T21:53:00.002-06:00

I was sent Sibu Beauty products to try out. I've said this in other posts that my skin is super sensitive. I'm not afraid to admit I don't use any cleaning products on my face. I use water, that's it. When I was younger, into my late 20s, I'd try all different kinds of products to keep my face clean and moisturized, but I was constantly breaking out.

I finally threw my hands in the air and figured nothing is better than what's happening now. Since then, my face has been acne free. I know, who'd have thought, right? Only problem is, finding a product to moisturize my face and to repair damage that's been done over the years.

I was sent the Sea Buckthorn Repair & Protect facial cream, Sea Buckthorn Hydrating Serum, and Sea Buckthorn Facial Soap. This three are sold individually as well as a trio in the Repair & Protect, Cleanse & Detox Combo!

The Sea Buckthron Hydrating Serum has absolutely made my face feel refreshed. When it says it hydrates, that's exactly what I feel has happened after I've used the product. Even hours later I can still feel the lasting effect. I actually have to keep from rubbing my face to feel the smoothness.

The Sea Buckthorn Repair and Protect has the most wonderful citrus scent to it. Honestly, who wants to put a product on their face that has a bad smell? I use it every morning before work and love how light it feels on my face.

I haven't used the facial soap yet. I have to be honest and say that I've been nervous. It's a cleanser and that means "breaking out" to me. Yes, call me a chicken, but the other products have worked so far without me breaking out. I figure I'll give them a couple more weeks to see if I'll actually break out the soap.

Of course, one of my favorite aspects of Sibu is it's Paraben-FREE and Cruelty-FREE. No dairy, wheat, gluten, sodium, yeast or preservatives. Our sea buckthorn is sourced through fair trade agreements with local harvesters in Tibet. How amazing is that?

Our sea buckthorn facial cream, with omega 7 fatty acids, helps boost collagen production and creates the perfect barrier to moisturize, rejuvenate, repair and protect. This light, non-greasy cream is ideal for daily use and offers a pleasing, light citrus scent. It is paraben-free and cruelty-free, and contains NO dairy, yeast, wheat, gluten, sodium or preservatives.

Experience the ultimate in skin hydration. This light, non-oily serum will flood your skin with moisture an help deeply hydrate your face ad next to eliminate the tight, dry feeling caused by dehydration. Infused with vitamins and sea buckthorn extract, this serum fortifies the skin against the aging process and helps repair damage at a cellular level.

Awaken your skin and wash away a day of stress and pollutants with pure, simple and effective Sibu Beauty sea buckthorn facial soap. Lathers thick and rich to cleanse, moisturize, repair and detoxify the skin, while creating a protective barrier against UV rays and cell damaging free radicals. It is paraben-free and cruelty-free, and contains NO dairy, wheat, gluten, sodium, yeast or preservatives.

I'd like to thank Sibu for sending me sample products. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Scandle Body Massage Candle Giveaway

2011-11-18T19:03:00.002-06:00

Who doesn’t love massages or having moisturized skin? I have a dear friend who was a masseuse and she gave the best massages ever! Scandle Body Massage Candles would’ve been the perfect massage oil for her to use!
I’ve also had a handful of pedicures and after using Scandle know how delightful these massage oils would be for those as well as manicures.

Let me say that I live in Minnesota and the weather becomes extremely dry October-April. My hands suffer big time, especially at work. Well, after burning my Scandle Candle and using a bit of the wax oil, my hands are smooth and supple. I could feel a change immediately. Now, I know most people use Scandles for massages at home, but I don’t have that luxury right now. No one to give a massage to and not one to give one to. Sad, I know, but I hope to rectify that at some point. *grin*

I received a Scandle Tin in Marguerite. I liked the scent well enough, but it probably wouldn’t be my go-to scent. I’m probably more of a Gardenia, Green Tea Aloe, Autumn Harvest kind of girl.

I like the idea of the Scandle lamp. It allows you to extend the burn of your candle without having to light it. I also like that you can use it to warm up the Scandle enough to put the fragrance into the air.

One of the items that looks very enticing to me is the Scandle Sea Salt Soak & Scrub They have an entire line of Unique Spa Treatments! What I love about the Soak & Scrub is that it’ll exfoliate which is perfect for winter skin flakiness!

Here’s a little more about the company:

“Made with 100% natural ingredients & plant derived essential oils, Scandle® Essentials burn 2 degrees above body temperature to produce a soothing oil that can be used for massage, manicures/pedicures, or as a daily moisturizer. 10oz, 4oz, and 10oz refills.”

*I received a Scandle tin for review. The opinions expressed are my own and are never influenced by the company.

Through a Child’s Eyes on Metro Cable Network

2011-11-18T13:25:00.001-06:00

Staying in the Twin Cities for Thanksgiving? Going to have a houseful of kids needing to be entertained? Metro Cable Network – Channel 6 is offered 30 minutes of respite for harried hosts.

Throughout Thanksgiving Week channel 6 will be airing the premier episode of “Through a Child’s Eyes.” The concept of the locally produced program is to help kids ages 3 to 13 find new worlds to explore in the Twin Cities. After checking out a location they rate it based on: 1) If they had fun; 2) Did they learn something; and 3) Would they come back.

The cast takes a hands-on approach to exploring each venue. The initial installment features the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, which the kids rate a kid-friendly success. It can be seen twice on Thanksgiving Day at 10:30 AM and 5:00 PM.

The program is the brainchild of former newspaper executive Tom Losey. “I’ve always considered myself a story teller.”

His “stories” included features for his college newspaper and reporting about city council and school board meetings after he graduated. As Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Sun Newspapers he created the Twin Cities chain of suburban newspapers marketing and promotional programs. After he left the newspaper world he went on to write business and finance plans for local businesses.

“In each case my goal was to find a compelling way to get the facts out to the reader,” Losey recollects. “I was good at it.” When other business opportunities removed the function of “Story Teller” from his portfolio, he concluded he really missed the challenge.

“I wanted an opportunity to go back to basic reporting, creating stories on a more a personal level, how I started out in the newspaper business.” He found what he was looking for at SCC-TV in White Bear Lake. Suburban Community Channels has been recognized, two years in a row, as best in class of the nation’s community access stations.

Like the score of other public access studios that dot the metro, SCC provides independent producers the equipment and facilities necessary to create non-commercial TV programs. The programs are then cablecast to the homes in a particular geographic area. SCC’s channel 15 provides programming for 12 northeastern suburbs from Grant to North Saint Paul.

After taking classes to learn how to use cameras, lights, and editing applications, Losey started working on the programs of other independent producers. He was soon bored working on the “talking heads” community affairs programming that make up much of public access fare.

When a fellow producer asked him to produce the field segments his show, Losey found his niche. “Outside covering classic cars, air shows, eateries, horses, and llamas.” He nods, “The kind of stories I longed to tell.”

Creating programming for children was a natural outgrowth of his age according to Losey. “I’m old enough that my kids have kids of their own. When Linda and I combined households we ended up with eight grandkids.”

Tillie and her cousins Nanna (Easier to pronounce than Rhyanna) and Ayden explore the Arboretum’s Big Build. Artist Patrick Dougherty along with more than 80 volunteers and Arboretum staff built the two story stick palace in the spring of 2010. It is made up of thousands of twigs, branches, and saplings woven or twisted together. Not a single nail or peg was used in the entire structure.

On the occasions they find themselves with one or more sets of grandkids, he and Linda usually try to find someplace to visit where the kids can explore and learn new things. “In fact, the Arboretum is one of our favorite haunts for that reason.”

This summer they found themselves with two of the kids for a weekend. It dawned on Losey that a visit to the Arboretum through a child’s eyes might make for entertaining TV. Two grandkids were expanded to six, a couple of neighborhood kids were thrown in for seasoning, and “Through a Child’s Eyes” was born.

For more information about “Through a Child’s Eyes” and a schedule for all the Thanksgiving Week airings, join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ThroughAChildsEyes.TV

Kor Water Bottle Giveaway

2011-11-17T23:16:00.001-06:00

At work, I’m constantly in need of hydration. It’s extremely dry at my store and I’m either visiting the water fountain or using a disposable water bottle. I prefer to use a reusable bottle and this is where the KOR Delta has fit the bill.
There are a lot of features that I absolutely love about this unique water bottle!

The stone I can replace with other uplifting words
The design that fits perfectly in my hand
The non-slip base
The lockable lid

Here’s what KOR has to say about the KOR Delta:
“KOR Delta incorporates everything we've learned about the art of high style, high performance hydration. It's an on-the-go vessel with a confident personality and groundbreaking new features. The versatile Delta features an easy-to-open, push button cap with ergonomic handle, KOR's Perfect Spout™, and a new safety latch for worry-free closure. The cap and vessel separate with a simple twist for easy cleaning.”

There are so many gorgeous designs I’d have to honestly say I’d like one from each collection. Is that too much for a girl to ask?

I have several personal water bottles, but another point that stands out to me is the mouth piece where we drink from. It’s gentle on the lips. I’m used to having a somewhat sharp edge and this one is rounded and “gentle”.

The KOR Delta Hydration Vessel Brings Change from KOR Water on Vimeo.
There really is so much more to love about KOR than their water bottle designs. “KOR has selected four nonprofits for the Thirst for Giving™ program based on the extraordinary work they are doing for the causes KOR supports.”

Ocean Protection (blue bottles)
Watershed Protection (green bottles)
Bottle Container Recycling (orange bottles)
Global Water Crisis (pink bottles)

I also think it would be really awesome to be so big some day I can get KOR water bottles with Woven by Words printed on them! Wouldn’t those be awesome to hand out at blogging conferences? Got your wheels turning now haven’t I? If you’re a blogger/business, check out the Co-Branding page for more details!

*I was sent a KOR Delta bottle for review. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

War Horse by Dreamworks Pictures

2011-11-17T00:32:00.000-06:00

DreamWorks Pictures’ “War Horse,” director Steven Spielberg’s epic adventure, is a tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War. “War Horse” begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets—British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter—before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man’s Land.

The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse—an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure. “War Horse” is one of the great stories of friendship and war— a successful book, it was turned into a hugely successful international theatrical hit that is currently on Broadway. It now comes to screen in an epic adaptation by one of the great directors in film history.

“Like” WAR HORSE on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/warhorsemovie

WAR HORSE rides into theaters on Christmas Day, December 25th!

The Song of Unmaking by D. Barkley Briggs & A G1VEAWAY

2011-11-16T08:33:00.000-06:00

The Song of Unmaking
by D. Barkley Briggs
Publisher: Living Ink Books

About the Book:

He was once the greatest champion in the land. Then he disappeared. With Nemesia's defeat, the Barlows have helped turn the tide in the Hidden Lands. But the victory is short-lived. An even greater evil stirs in the north with a fierce new army bent on destruction. As the twins, Gabe and Garret, discover their own special powers, a thin thread of hope emerges: long ago, a fabled king was rescued from death on our world and hidden on Karac Tor. Who is he? Each brother has their part to play. Hadyn must travel north to warn the land rulers, which leaves Ewan with a bitter choice. Will he sacrifice what is most precious to discover whether Corus lives? Even more important, if Corus is alive, can he wake the Sleeping King of legend...before it's too late?

My Review:

I have to be honest, I've been waiting for this book to come out for a long time! Briggs does NOT disappoint. I grew up reading fantasy/sci fi so I have a somewhat high standard when it comes to that genre. Even more so when it's a Christian novel. Making sure that it's clear about good vs evil, that there is a God and not all hocus pocus is an important point for Christian fantasy.

Now, this is book 3 in the Legends of Korac Tor and it would behoove you to read the first two. There are people, places and words that you'd familiarize yourself with and be able to understand the dynamics between the characters.

The brothers are still clinging to hope that one day an answer will be found and they'll make it back to their world. As the brothers go about living in this world I try to imagine what it's like for Ewan to have traded away his powers while his brothers continue to harness theirs. Briggs certainly helps us empathize with Ewan's plight.

The Goths are on the attack and Odessa is trying to keep them at bay. She knows she only has so much time and all could be lost, but she holds out hope, barely.

Then there's the machine that is being built throughout the story. As the brothers try to find a way to stop it there's a few bumps and bruises along the way!

As you weave your way through The Song of Unmaking, you will be drawn into this world and find it hard to leave behind! I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have another D. Barkley Briggs book in my hand. He knows how to tug at your emotions and have you pulling for the good guys! I can't wait for my boys to get a bit older so they can dive into this series!

About the Author

D. Barkley Briggs is an author with a background in radio, public relations, product development, and-for eleven years-pastoring. He and his wife Jeanie, both previously widowed, live in the Midwest along with their eight children. (Yes, we are regularly amazed, too.) Learn more athiddenlands.net

About the Giveaway:

“The Fantasy Prize Pack Giveaway" contains forty-‐eight (48) of the best YA Christian fantasy novels on the planet, plus a brand new Kindle Fire™...FREE! But that's not all. Second Place gets a FREE iPod™ Shuffle. Briggs has also collected several mini-‐prizes, including dragon jewelry and children's books.To
enter, participants must upload at least one photo of themselves reading a book from Briggs’ Legends of Karac Tor series (The Book of Names, Corus the Champion, or The Song of Unmaking) to his Facebook page. The contest launches Nov. 1 and concludes Nov. 30. For official rules, visit deanbriggs.com.

I receive this book for review. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Wordless Wednesday: November Raspberries

2011-11-15T19:48:00.001-06:00

I have no idea what happened to my first post! WOW

I went out to cut back the raspberry bushes the first week of November and this is what I found! We felt like we'd hit the jackpot! What a great treat for so late in the year!

Make sure you visit these other Wordless Wednesday participants:

The UPS Store iMemories #preservingmemories

2011-11-14T23:55:00.002-06:00

After having life on videotapes for the last 20 years, when presented with the opportunity to use The UPS Store's iMemories, I jumped at the chance! I've had a serious fear of something happening to my priceless videos and losing all those wonderful memories.

As a new mom back in 1991 I started taking videos of nearly everything my daughter did. Along came daughter number two and more full sized video tapes were created with the beast of a VHS camcorder I hauled around with me everywhere we went! Even when my 3rd child, Buddy came along I was still using the full sized video camera. That is until I ran it over. From there we moved to an 8mm video camera. Sure made toting a recorder around much easier!

I have so many VHS tapes that I knew I wanted to start with the oldest ones first to transfer over to DVD. I grabbed Baby's first VHS recordings from when I had my ultrasounds. Worked my way to Smooch's birth. The one thing I didn't do before I headed to The UPS Store was find out how long my videos were.

After Bible Study I went to The UPS Store in St. Cloud, MN. I walked in and didn't see a thing about iMemories. I asked and the gal there said it was a pretty complicated process and they didn't have it at their store. Oh boy, that did NOT sound good, especially since St. Cloud is such a huge city. I wasn't sure that the town I work in, which also has The UPS Store, would do it then.

A few days later I headed into The UPS Store by my work and lo and behold, I saw several signs about iMemories! My hopes were raising. The store manager came over, brought me a box, I filled out the paperwork and got ready to send in my videos.

Since I had no clue how much time I had on my VHS tapes I just had to guess at how many I could send. This was a total fail on my part. I wasn't sure how many to send so I just guessed that both video tapes were full and only sent two out of the 6 or so I brought with me.

I decided that I wanted the videos transferred to DVD and not just made digital. I was a bit confused by what it meant to just be digital. I kind of am still. I'm thinking that it means it's just available online? I need to contact the company to find out more. I want mine on DVD so that I have it in my grubby little hands. To ship the two tapes, the cost was just over $17.

I received confirmation that my Videos shipped from The UPS Store. I had no idea that it was going to be so nice and easy to follow! Six days later I received another email letting me know my package had arrived safely! Seven days later I got confirmation of my order. I was also asked to finalize the order online and that's when I realized I might not be getting them transferred to DVD. The total was only like $20 so I realized they were only transferring digitally. So, I contacted iMemories to make sure that they were doing what I had asked for on the order form.

I emailed them letting them know I had placed an order initially for a DVD to be created out of my VHS tapes and asked if they could look into it for me. I was contacted the SAME day and within 2 days my tapes had been converted to DVDs and was told they'd be shipped out 5 days later. I also wanted to make sure that I'd be getting my VHS tapes back as well. Yes, I would be. Hadn't thought to ask about that before I'd sent anything in and don't recall this being referred to anywhere. When I was able to process the order for the DVDs, the total became approximately $40.

On the day that the gal I had emailed said my DVD would be shipping, I received confirmation that yes indeed they'd gone out! Now all I had to do was not wait at the door hoping for the package every afternoon! I received my box a couple of days later. And couldn't wait to watch the new iMemories video of my girls!

I loved that they have shots of the different part of each VHS video on the cover and back of the video case! I've never seen anything like that! I don't have to wonder what's on them and don't have to write anywhere on the case or in it!

The video on DVD turned out wonderfully! I hadn't watched these videos in ages and to go back and not be concerned that the tape might be too brittle means I can watch the DVD over and over again if I want! I am still waiting to get the VHS tapes back and can't wait to have the originals again.

You can also check out my shopping experience on Google +!

Have you ever transferred your VHS tapes over to DVD? If so, how was the process? If you never have, what's stopping you?

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Monopoly Streets for Wii Giveaway

2011-11-10T00:03:00.000-06:00

This past Spring we got our very own Wii! Yes, we're one of the last families to get one. Even my parents had one last year! Sheesh! So far we only have a couple of games, but the boys are looking to expand their game library this Christmas! Thanks to EA Play they recently added Monopoly Streets!

When we got it in the mail, it only took minutes for Doodle to put it into the game console and off they went. I typically don't allow the boys to spend too much time playing these games, but since it was new and for a review, I let them spend as much time as they wanted learning the game.

Well, the next thing I knew, the boys took the game and ran over to the neighbor's house to play with the two boys there! They didn't come home for a couple of hours! Apparently the game was a hit with the neighbors, too. It didn't stop there because then the kids behind us got wind of our new game and the youngest daughter made her way over. She made numerous trips to our house of the next week!

Doodle and Buddy have been playing quite a bit. It baffles me as I watch them to know how they figure out what to do. My mind doesn't work that way, but they've been playing console games for ages and know what to look for.

Of course my son has wanted to teach me how to play, but as I stated earlier, that's going to be next to impossible! He'll give it a try, so we'll see what kind of a teacher he is. Who knows, I may get addicted!

I'd like to thank EA Play for providing me with 2 Wii games, one to keep and one to giveaway. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Tonka XT Ricochet Tricksters

2011-11-08T22:30:00.001-06:00

My boys really dig remote controlled cars. Unfortunately, we haven’t had any that are worth playing with. Not an exaggeration by any means. They’ve either been cheap or required massive batteries. So, when I saw that BzzAgent was giving me the opportunity to try out the Tonka XT Ricochet Trickster I jumped at the chance.

We received the Trickster and the boys immediately ripped into the packaging. Got our batteries out and they tried playing with it. Oops, boys, let’s read the instructions and see that the remote needs to be plugged into the car to give it a charge.We got the car charging and the boys went about their day for a couple of hours and then wanted to try the car out again. I let them and only one wheel would spin. They tried this for about half an hour. I told them we needed to let it charge overnight, figuring the first time it charges it must need some extra time.

The next day the boys got home from school excited to try out the Trickster. Nothing. Nada. It just sat there. It would budge slightly, but there was no forward movement. They kept trying again for a while and finally I told them to just put it on the counter and I’d have to get in touch with BzzAgent.

BzzAgent and I shared a couple of emails, but what it came down to was, this is my experience with the car. If it doesn’t work, then I need to share my experience. Made sense to me. Bummed, but made sense.

A few days later Doodle noticed the Tonka XT Ricochet Trickster sitting on the couch and decided to give it a try again. Lo and behold the thing moved! Not only did it move, it seriously went fast! Trust me, my boys were elated and I was relieved.

They have had fun trying to learn how to control it and make it do tricks. They’ve used books and chairs around the house to create obstacles. The Trickster can zoom over lots of different stacks my boys set up.One of the down sides is that the charge doesn’t last long. My boys would set up a course for the car, practice it, tweak it and then I’d run over to get video and would leave empty handed because the batteries were dead. The good thing is, my boys are getting creative when it comes to what they build!

I’m not sure that we’ve found the perfect R/C car, but the boys are enjoying it while it’s charged!

I’m a BzzAgent and received a free Tonka XT Ricochet Trickster. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Wordless Wednesday: In the Kitchen With Grandpa

2011-11-08T19:00:00.004-06:00

Grandpa and Grandma came over to cook the Northerns the boys had caught about a month ago. Doodle really wanted to help and asked so many questions! It was so cute to see him with Grandpa!

Women of Faith ~ After the Conference

2011-11-08T00:25:00.000-06:00

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the Women of Faith Imagine Conference at the Xcel Energy Center. I have been going to WOF conferences off an on for about 15 yrs. It's always fun to find out which speakers will be at the conferences I attend since it's different every time. I was also excited to find out who will be singing!

Let me just say, the music was spectacular. I always enjoy the Worship Teams. They really get us ready to worship and hear the speakers. This year Mary Mary and Natalie Grant were there to share their music with us. I can't begin to tell you how out of our seats they made us! We were seriously rocking the Xcel Energy Center! Yes, Christian women can get their groove on!

Sheila Walsh

We were blessed to have:

Dr. Henry Cloud
Sheila Walsh
Luci Swindoll
Nicole Johnson
Lisa Harper
John Branyan
Angie Smith
Natalie Grant
Mary Mary
Imagine Worship Team

Being in a Center full of women who are singing praises and having their hearts turned toward their Savior is one of the most amazing feelings we can experience. Each speaker touched my heart in a new way.

I spent my time tweeting during the conference because there was so much wonderful thoughts to share with all of my twitter friends. You'll find the Imagine Conference on Twitter using the #wofimagine hashtag. It was somewhat amusing when the conference attendees were asked if anyone used Twitter. I think about 10 of us "wooted".

For me the overriding theme was that I matter, each of us matters to our God. It's a hard concept for me to claim because having a hard time believing I matter here to earthly people can make it even harder to believe that I'd matter to the Creator of the universe.

One of my friends on Twitter @stevegutzler encouraged me to write down 3 things I want to focus on from the conference. Here are the 3 that stood out to me:

Do I know God loves me passionately the way I am?
God will take the broken pieces and make them beautiful ~ trash into treasure. All we can do is bring our pieces to Him.
If I get lost out there, He will know where to find me. Say to myself, "Which girl does Jesus love? This girl."

I was happy to know Angie Smith was going to be speaking as I had read her story on her blog and knew her story somewhat. This is her first year with the Women of Faith tour. When she got up on that stage, she was so transparent in how hard it was to stand in front of all of us. I wanted to go up and just give her a reassuring hug. Of course I didn't because people would've thought I was nutty.

If you love comedy, John Branyan is THE guy to see. First time hearing his material and he had all of us in hysterics! This guy knows women and even with him making fun of how quirky we can be, we totally saw ourselves in his routine! Watch this video to get an idea of one of the spots he did.

Mary Graham, President of Women of Faith with me!

I love that at each Women of Faith event, World Vision is promoted and each person is able to impact the life of a child.This year they were really encouraging the ladies to find a boy to sponsor. If I weren't a single mom, I would absolutely do this as my boys would love having such a far reaching affect.

If you've ever considered attending a Women of Faith Conference, I would highly encourage you to get tickets for the next event in your area. This was the first year I've ever attended by myself. It was different, and I would suggest you go with a group of your girlfriends. While you're waiting for the next conference, make sure to follow them:

Twitter

Facebook

YouTube

I'd like to thank Thomas Nelson for providing my ticket to this years Women of Faith Imagine Conference. I was not compensated in any other way. The opinions expressed are my own and are never influenced by the company.

Hillshire Farms Gourmet Creations #Cbias #GourmetCreations

2011-11-04T17:50:00.001-05:00

I have to admit, when I get the opportunity to try new food I’m usually jumping on whatever bandwagon is available! Hillshire Farms Gourmet Creations was the newest item up to try this past week!

As I usually do, I went shopping after work. I have no desire to drive a half an hour home, pick up the boys, just to turn around and drive back another half an hour, shop with them and then drive back home. Oh how I love shopping on my own.I went first to the frozen foods because I have to be honest, I wasn’t sure what I was even looking for. I’d forgotten to visit Hillshire Farms online to take a peek. Nothing in the frozen foods. So, instead of wandering aimlessly, I dug out my phone and went online. SCORE! Turns out they were going to be found in the deli meat aisle.

I headed over a couple of aisles and there they were with all the other Hillshire Farms sausages. Oh my gosh, I looked at the four packages they offered and knew that I was going to have some really yummy meals! Looking around I didn’t find anything that was as appealing. The four flavors I found:

Beef and Bacon
Chicken and Apple
Beef and Jalapeno
Spicy Italian Sausage

I was shopping on an empty stomach so I stuck the first three in my shopping cart. As I had hoped as I continued thru the store, Hillshire Farms had some recipe ideas inside the cardboard packaging. That certainly helped me shop for all the other items I might need for the meals I was going to prepare. Unfortunately when I got to the checkout line, I forgot to tear off the $ .55 coupons that were attached to each of the packages! It was a V8 moment when I got home and saw them still attached!My first thought was to use the Beef and Bacon in an egg bake so that meant I needed eggs and cheese. The rest I would have at home. The next meal would be a Mexican dinner so I needed some black beans, tomato, and olives. I already had the cheese from the first meal I was going to create and I had tortilla chips at home. The third meal was giving me a bit of a pause. I’m not so hot when it comes to making meals out of my own head. I thought I’d either make a salad or a sandwich which meant I needed some good rolls and apples.I got the rest of my groceries and headed home to do some cooking. It was late afternoon and I hit allrecipes.com for a good sausage and egg bake. I found and Easy Sausage Strata and set about putting it together. What I didn’t realize, the recipe was supposed to sit in the fridge overnight. Well, ok then.I got that meal totally together and set about making myself something for lunch and decided to use the Chicken and Apple sausage. I cooked up one of the sausages, and when I pulled it out of the pan it had a great aroma of apple! I had cut slices of apple very thin, put the sausage on one side of a bun and the apple with cheese on the other half. Then I broiled the sandwich for about 5 minutes. When I pulled it out I added tomato, spinach and Mayo. I was so bummed that I had no avocado! Man that was one good sandwich. The apple in the sausage was enhanced by the apple slices on the sandwich.The next day we had the Sausage Strata for dinner. I mean, who doesn’t love eating breakfast for dinner. My boys looked at it a bit skeptically, but once I mentioned that the sausage was Beef & Bacon it didn’t take much coaxing to get them to dig in! My Doodle said, “My favorite part is the sausage.” Yes! The strata really filled us all up pretty quickly.

My next meal will be the Mexican bake. That will be made this week sometime. My boys love Mexican food so this should be a hit as well. Make sure you check out the entire shopping and meal photos and story at Google +.

When you buy a new product do you get an idea of what you’re going to create right away or do you have to search through recipes to come up with something?

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions are my own and never influenced by the company.

Win Your Gifts Hop $119 and 6 Winners

2011-11-03T02:10:00.003-05:00

How excited are you that Christmas is just around the corner? To help you get started on your holiday gifts, I have 6 prizes to giveaway to 6 lucky winners!

Here’s what you have a chance of winning:

$25 Think Geek Gift Certificate

Umbrella from Kidorable (RV $13.50)

$15 iTunes Gift Card

$25 Macy’s Gift Card

Krups Coffee Grinder (RV $20)

Angels4Epilepsy Tutu (only not leotard) size infant-10 girls (RV $20)

Wordless Wednesday: Candy Score

2011-11-01T18:16:00.002-05:00

My Doodle doesn’t like certain candy, so I’m the one who scores it!

He either hid after he knocked or struck a pose ninja style.
Make sure to check out these other Wordless Wednesday participants:

Too Old To Trick Or Treat?

2011-10-31T21:34:00.001-05:00

So, we've hit a crossroads with my 12yo son. Last week I started hearing murmurings that he might not go trick or treating because he was too old. I'm not sure where he got this, other than from his classmates. I certainly would never tell him to not go...unless he was 30.

The other day I told him to go and enjoy it because we grow up to quickly. His 8yo brother agreed. Unfortunately, they have no hindsight at this age. They understand only to a small degree how fast life passes by.

Today as Doodle was getting ready, I tried my best to encourage Buddy to go with us. I told him he needed to make a decision...all the while he's put on his costume and is walking around in it.

In all honesty, I was getting frustrated. I don't want him to care so much what others think of him. I want him to embrace the decisions he makes. To stand firm. He needs to have enough confidence in himself to have his own thoughts. Tonight wasn't going to be that night it seems.

He wore his costume and kept finding fault in it. He wanted to know if I could tell it was him. (Oh sweetie, who cares?) His mask was pressing his nose down. (no one will notice) He tried to use a mask to cover his face and then use the real mask. (it just isn't working pal)

As we drove around the neighborhood in town, Doodle went door to door gathering up all kinds of sugary goodness, along with a sample toothpaste, popcorn and pencils, Buddy sat in the back seat watching. I kept asking him if he wanted to get out (ya, kinda), and encouraging him to go have fun, he never moved out of his seat. In fact, by the time we were done, he had a throbbing headache and wanted to go home so he could go to sleep.

Have you hit the tween stages? Did yours go trick or treating this Halloween or have they given it up?

Puppies vs Babies Online Contest

2011-10-31T09:03:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Puppies vs. Babies for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I absolutely love it when people share photos of their puppies and their babies. Honestly who doesn't just "oooo" and "ahhhh" when you see photos of either? Puppies frolicking in a field, a baby giving a first smile, don't they just grab your heart?

I have to be honest, I'm not sure which I think is cuter. How can one choose? I think the only way is by going by the merit of each photo and not comparing them to the other. At least not until we get to the very end! That leads me to the reason for this post! There's an actual contest to see which is actually cuter: Puppies vs. Babies!

Starting now, you can vote until November 23rd for the puppy or baby of your choice. Can you imagine how hard this is going to be? My kids are older, but I still have some seriously cute photos that could rival any puppy photo out there...aside from the photos of my dog, Rugby, who was absolutely the cutest puppy EVER!

Are you ready to head over and start voting at the Puppies vs. Babies online contest? This is going to be quite the show down between puppies and babies! who do you think you'll vote for? Do you have a propensity to lean towards puppies because they're just so darn cute?

I can't wait to hear who you voted for and what the results end up being!

Sante Nuts Review

2011-10-29T16:42:00.001-05:00

My boys and I have an affinity for nuts and when I had the opportunity to try Sante Nuts, I jumped on board! Since I’m always looking for new snacks that are healthy for my boys to eat, I was willing to try these and hope they enjoyed them!These nuts didn’t just come in any old box. No they came in a very cool display so that we could be more mindful on how we tried them! I liked that because the boys didn’t just dive in with nuts flying everywhere.

Buddy tried the Candied Walnuts to begin with. From there he went to the Candied Pecans. I knew of all four flavors, if they were candied, he’d probably like them. Unfortunately, they weren’t a big hit with him.

Next came Doodle’s turn to try them. He also tried the candied nuts first. I knew neither of them would care for the Roasted Salted Pecans or the Garlic Almonds. He absolutely loved the candied nuts! He and I pretty much finished both bags within a few days! They were very hard to put down and not eat more than a handful!

I liked the Roasted Salted Pecans, but they didn’t seem much different than a pecan nut you’d get anywhere else. The Garlic Almonds were probably the ones that I didn’t gorge my way through. Not because I didn’t like them, but because they weren’t my favorite. I liked the flavor, but I think I’m more of a candied Pecan/Walnut girl.

Here’s a little bit about Sante Nuts:

“Our meticulous process eliminates any trace of bitterness in the nuts and, most importantly, helps minimize absorption of the organic canola oil we use for roasting. This technique has lots of benefits:

• A lighter nut with amazing crunch
• Less oil = less fat per nut = a healthier nut
• Gives the nuts a perfect, wafer-thin coating of pure cane sugar
• More nuts per ounce than other brands

We always roast by hand in small batches (with lots of care and love) so that every nut in every bag is consistently delicious.”

Check out the rest of the Sante Nuts story here.Thankfully, Sante Nuts has created a unique coupon code that all of you can use to get a 25% discount on any order at SanteNuts.com. All you need to do is enter this code during check out: 2011-Blog-079 This code is good thru December 16th, 2011.

I received these Sante Nuts for review purposes. The delicious opinions are mine and never influenced by the company!

Wordless Wednesday: Faith

2011-10-25T20:36:00.002-05:00

Last week I got a wild hair and decided to paint my entryway. After I painted it I put up this saying “Faith makes things possible, not easy”. Boy that sure is true!
During the day it doesn’t look so green, more blue believe it or not!
Make sure to check out these Wordless Wednesday participants also:

Godiva Coffee Giveaway

2011-10-24T23:42:00.002-05:00

My best friend came over earlier this month for a Saturday morning coffee taste testing. So fitting since this giveaway is part of the Friends You Love month! We settled in to try out Godiva Coffee for the first time!

I know she loves these cold weather coffees and she’d be the perfect person to try them with me. We started our morning with the Caramel Pecan Bark. I loved it. It was so smooth and the creamer I had only enhanced the flavor. LP had hers black and really liked it. She said it didn’t need anything added.Next we tried the Pumpkin Spice. It had a very strong flavor and LP liked this one even more. Now, I am not a big fan of spices like nutmeg or cloves, which go perfectly with this type of coffee. Needless to say, it was a bit strong for me even with a creamer. But like I said, LP loved it!

Here’s what Godiva has to say about their coffee:

“Priced just under $10, Godiva Coffee is offering 12-oz. bags of ground coffee at grocery stores nationwide. They are pleased to introduce a variety of everyday favorites and seasonal blends that combine the quality of medium-roasted, 100 percent Arabica beans with flavors inspired by the Chocolatier’s most popular truffles. From everyday brews like Chocolate Truffle and Hazelnut Creme to fall flavors like Pumpkin Spice and wintery Peppermint Mocha, treating your friends to a delicious treat is effortless!”

I tell you what, I’m keeping my eye out for the Peppermint Mocha!

Here’s your opportunity to win a full size bag of Pumpkin Spice and Caramel Pecan Bark! Be sure to get the $2 off coupon for your next purchase!

Forgetting To Keep Score Guest Post by Amy from As The Bunny Hops

2011-10-24T12:41:00.005-05:00

I met Amy through the numerous Twitter parties we attend. We kind of have this thing for Twitter. Some people call it an addiction, we just call it love! I can't really think of anyone on Twitter who's made me laugh harder than she has!

Bio:

Amy blogs about the things she loves at As The Bunny Hops. This includes (in no particular order) travel, shopping and making ridiculously complicated cupcakes. She can also be found far too often on Twitter and ocassionaly updating on Facebook.

Keeping score has it's place. In sports. In games of scrabble. I'm pretty sure Mimi would say it's vital in Fantasy Football.

But there's a place keeping score doesn't belong, and that's in friendship. I can't say I've never kept a friendship score. I can't even say I never do it now. But it is something I try to avoid. And I've been so much happier-and I think a better friend-since I stopped keeping score.

What do I mean by keeping score? If you know how many times you've hosted your friend as opposed to her hosting you. If you know who bought the last five lunches. If you know the difference in prices between the last few Christmas gifts you've exchanged. Those mean you're keeping score.

I've certainly driven myself a little batty in the past, watching a friend who borrowed money and hadn't paid it back treat herself to something I couldn't afford. I've wondered why I was the one who was always calling or inviting someone over and I've let myself feel resentful in the past. Then I had to ask myself why. Why did I loan money in the first place? Why did I invite someone over? It was because I cared about them and wanted to help them out. Or I wanted to spend time with them because we have fun together. I wanted to be a friend.

Now when I give a friend money it's just that, a gift. If I buy lunch it's because I wanted to buy lunch. I don't expect to have things reciprocated in the same way. If you're my friend it's because I find value in our friendship and that's more than enough for me. Perhaps you always short on cash but you can make a killer blueberry pie (and when you're baking you always make an extra one for me). Maybe you don't really want to entertain in your home but you're always ready to drop anything and be there for a friend in need. All of these things have value, as do so many other things that I couldn't even begin to list them all. And there's really no point in trying to list them all, anyway. I refuse to keep score...

Thank you so much Amy for contributing to today's Friends You Love Guest Post! Make sure to check out other posts about friendships at Friends You Love! Do you have a guest post for today? If so, link it up and be entered to win a prize!

Simply Charmed Giveaway

2011-10-24T00:06:00.001-05:00

When I first heard about Simply Charmed, I didn't see how they would fit me or my family. I mean, we don't drink wine. I've seen wine charms before. What use would I ever have with them.

Then I talked to Kristin from Only Parent Chronicles and she told me she was using them on a regular glass. I couldn't understand because I hadn't actually looked at my charms yet! I guess that would've been my first step!

I ran over and pulled them out of the packaging and voila! These were charms I would actually USE!! Go figure! They weren't at all what I thought they would be and as soon as I looked at them I started going thru my mind who would love these as a gift. I say that because the moment I saw them I knew my 20yo daughter would be taking them from me!

Their site has so many great groups of charms:

Sports
Nature
Special Occasions
Hobbies & Professions

That's only scratching the surface!

The charms are magnets. The charm goes on the outside with one part of the magnet. Then on the inside of whatever glass you choose, goes the mini-magnet. And let me tell you, that magnet is powerful!

Make sure to check them out on Twitter and Facebook!

The Mighty Macs In Theaters October 21, 2011

2011-10-22T20:29:00.000-05:00

The film is based on the incredible true story of the 1971-72 Immaculata College team that started in obscurity but became the original Cinderella story in women's basketball. This team of pioneers went from barely making that inaugural tournament to the first dynasty in their game.
The all-star cast includes Carla Gugino, David Boreanaz, NBA referee Ed Rush, Marley Shelton, and Academy Award and Tony Award winner Ellen Burstyn.

Tweet with us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MightyMacsMovie

Here’s our Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/themightymacs

Freschetta Breast Cancer Awareness Giveaway

2011-10-21T20:47:00.026-05:00

I was sent two sets of pink headphones from Freschetta along with a coupon for a free pizza! I don't think there's a person alive who hasn't had their life touched in some way. Either we have family or friends who have been affected by this disease. When I received these headphones, my first thought was to give them to my daughter. I mean, they ARE pink, and that's her favorite color.

Then I began to realize, I need to give her more than just pink headphones. I need to give her education. Those headphones need to be a reminder to her that she needs to be aware of her breast health. She's 20 yrs old and now is the time to get into the habit of checking herself monthly. She needs to familiarize herself with her body.

Freschetta wants to share their Proud To Support Pink Program! Since October is National Breast Cancer awareness month, they've started this program! Through the rest of October when you purchase specially marked packages of Freschetta pizzas and Artisan Pizza Crusts you'll help them reach the goal of $50,000 that they'll be donating to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. They'll donate $1 to support breast cancer research up to $50,000.

Do you have a breast cancer story or one of someone you know? You can share them at the Freschetta site and they'll post them at www.ProudToSupportPink.com and on their Facebook page! To top it off, they're giving away 50 pink iPod Shuffles every week in October. They'll also be donating 50 iPod Shuffles to four cancer centers around American to be enjoyed by breast cancer patients during treatments.

Now you have the chance to win what I received:

A coupon to try a Freschetta pizza, 12oz or larger
Two (2) pairs of Freschetta Proud To Support Pink earphones: 1 to keep, 1 to giveaway

Wordless Wednesday ~ The Apple Orchard

2011-10-18T19:51:00.003-05:00

…where there were no apples left on the trees, there were tons of people, but my kids were able to get pumpkins! It was also SO windy I couldn’t see much in front of my face because of all the hair!

Make sure to link up to these other Wordless Wednesday participants:

Friends You Love Guest Post by Kristin at Kadbury Is...Thinking Out Loud

2011-10-17T17:56:00.004-05:00

I met Kristin at the Minnesota Blogging Conference #MNBlogCon this summer. I was immediately drawn to her. Her sense of humor rivals that of any well known comedian! I'm so thrilled to introduce you to my new blogging friend!

HI! I’m Kristin from Kadbury Is… Thinking Out Loud. Over at my place I focus on sharing stories about my life and hearing what you have to add to the conversation. So far, I’ve shared about how rodents nearly ruined my Easter, how I trick my kids (known as The BLT) into believing that I have not, in fact, eaten most of the monkey bread, how not to spend a hundred bucks on a Pottery Barn lampshade, and why Katy Perry makes my head spin. Today I’m going to share how I’m just a generally horrible friend . Hang with me… I’ll explain:

I’d like to think I’m an awesome person, the kind of girl everybody wants to hang out with because I’m just so dang cool. But the reality is this: people want someone they can rely on, someone they can trust to come through in a tough spot, someone that will always have your back.

And sometimes, I am not that person.

Not because I don’t desperately want to be, mind you. I like to blame my goldfish-like memory and lack of organization. I simply can’t remember what the heck it was that I was supposed to be doing 9/10ths of the time.

Please know that’s not an excuse. It’s more like a ‘the first step is admitting you have a problem’ kind of thing. But wait, there’s more! Another reason I’m a bad friend: I love to be there to help you through your problems and issues, but if I have a problem… I hide. From everybody. Including my closest friends.
I won’t answer your calls and I won’t call you back. It’ll get so weird that you’ll begin to think you did something to make me mad and not have any idea what it could be. Eventually, you’ll get mad at me for thinking I’m mad at you and not knowing why I won’t just answer your call so we can patch things up.

Yep. I’ve done that.

I’d love to be able to say that I’ve grown up and matured and become a wonderful, caring, reliable friend. Truth is…

When I moved from Arizona to Minnesota three years ago, I left behind some of the most awesome girlfriends on the planet. They were understandably distraught (I hope you’re reading the sarcasm there) at my departure. Truthfully, we were all sad, did the goodbye dinners and such and then I moved to the Frozen North with my family. My girlfriends called me regularly and left sweet messages, asking how things were going and what our plans were.

I really, really meant to call them back. To keep them filled in on our Adventures in Minnesota. But I was always confounded by the time difference and I could never find the right time. And… I didn’t want to bother them with my problems. So… I didn’t. It got to the point where I felt horrible about not calling them back, and went into hiding instead.

I knew how badly I had blown things when it came time to visit Arizona, and I just couldn’t make the call to get my girlfriends together for a night out. I had let a huge amount of time pass without calling to check on them and their lives. Instead, I just put a small, ‘hey, headed to Arizona’ status on my Facebook and slunk into the shadows.

To show you just how awesome my friends are: when I arrived in Arizona, most of them acted like nothing happened. Sure, we discussed my lack of communication, but otherwise, they treated me as they always had.

Incredible. Obviously I am the most awesome human to walk the planet…

Please disregard the previous statement. Obviously, I have the most amazing, caring and forgiving friends on the planet.

Because we’ve been friends for over fifteen years they know me and they know my heart. I may not be the most reliable friend ever, but they know I would walk over hot coals for them. And that’s what has held our friendship together through my move halfway across the country. I’m may be horrible at sharing my feelings or keeping in touch, but usually I don’t have to because they can tell something’s wrong without me saying a word.

Maybe that’s how friends work… or maybe that’s just how my friends work. We pick up where the others are lacking. I know if I need some organizing to be done, I can count on Melanie. Rachel is the best listener ever and Katie is just plain fun. Me? I’m usually the go-to for artistic stuff. Well, in truth, I’m probably the comic relief. But I’m okay with that because it works. We each fill a need in each others lives.

Since moving to Minnesota, I’ve made some awesome friends up here that I now love dearly. I know it’ll take time to build the relationships up to the level that I have with my Arizona friends. And I’m really hoping they’ll put up with me long enough to find out that I’m an okay friend after all.

--
Kristin D

Kadbury Is... Thinking Out Loud

Twitter

Facebook

Be sure to check out all the other wonderful Friendship posts at Friends You Love.

Mars BOO Bags #DontBeTheDarkHouse #Cbias

2011-10-17T02:47:00.004-05:00

We don’t typically do much more for Halloween than go trick-or-treating. For the first time this year, I heard via Twitter that people were being “BOOed”. I kind of made a face wondering what everyone else knew about and I once again DIDN’T.
Turns out at the beginning of October people begin BOOing each other. One person sneakily leave a poem for another person with some little Halloween treats and don’t let them know who’s done it.
Well, I had the chance to finally BOO someone this coming week! I headed to Walmart to grab some goodies to make and add into the BOO bags!When I first got there, the guys were stocking the shelves so I headed to the Seasonal decoration aisle to see what I could come up with! I was SO shocked at all the goodies they have for parties and BOO bags!
They had straws, bubbles, pencils, stickers, and much more! One could seriously go crazy over stuffing bags!
I grabbed a package of cellophane bags for my boys to decorate and then had to come up with a couple of fun toys all the while remembering that I’d need to add some candy as well.
I walked up and down the aisle trying to figure out what would be fun for the kids. I grabbed pencils, crafting necklaces, spider rings cellophane bags and stickers to decorate them with.
After I grabbed all the Boo supplies, I headed back to the candy to see what yummy options I would have! An entire aisle of candy on either side is pretty much heaven in my book!I found the Mini Snickers in a small package and a big package. Those were surrounded by 3 Musketeers, M&Ms and Milky Ways. If I’m going to buy candy on any given day it’s going to be a bag of Peanut M&Ms. Those are my go-to candy typically.
I grabbed Snickers, 3 Musketeers, and my favorite Peanut M&Ms! =) Of course, I didn’t want to forget the mama of the brood who will be receiving these BOO bags. I got a yummy Dove candy bar for her.
When my daughter came home this weekend, we all decorated the bags. What I had no clue was, once the glitter glue dried on the cellophane bags, the glue would fall right off! LOL Who knew? We may have to grab a package of paper bags to make sure the BOO bags are properly decorated, glitter and all!We all did a bag with the stickers and glitter glue. I love how my kids get into these activities! I’m hoping next year I’ll remember this and have our kids BOO our neighbors and I might even do the same thing at work!

Have you ever BOOed someone? Have you ever been BOOed?

Check out my entire shopping experience at This Moment!

*This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

#blogstars Twitter Party

2011-10-16T15:07:00.001-05:00

Join us every Tuesday for the chance to win some GREAT prizes!

This weeks prizes will be:

Coupon Mamacita- Envelope FULL of coupons

Woven By Words- $10 Paypal CASH

Racing and Saving Mama- Halloween Candy

Blessed Elements- T-Shirt

Cute-Ecakes- Halloween Candy

Conversations with Carolyn- Envelope FULL of coupons

HINTS will be posted on our Facebook pages all week-end!

Racing and Saving Mama

Avon Products by Carolyn

So- Go check out the hints and be more prepared to WIN, and RSVP here!

Click HERE to read how Twitter Parties work!

Footloose ~ Not Your Every Day Remake

2011-10-15T23:45:00.001-05:00

So, right now it’s the last day of August and I just finished watching the new Footloose. I was a bit apprehensive as I was a young teen when the first one came out with Lori Singer and Kevin Bacon.

I knew this one would be different in that the sexual tension would be heightened and there’d be more swearing. I know, I’m a prude. Get over it.

Let me say I loved the original Footloose and even though it’s been remade, it can’t be replaced. So here’s my review!

First of all, I LOVE that they used so much of the original Soundtrack! Right from the get-go you know that you’re going to love this movie. Almost like they are giving a gift to us old-timers saying, “we loved the original, too”.

It’s been a long time since I saw the original Footloose and as we watched the movie, it would come back little by little and I started to have expectations of what else would be reminiscent of the first.

There was the car Ren drove, the old VW Beetle, his pal Willard he meets at school is as bumbling and adorable, the girl is supposed to be good, but has a bit of a wild streak, and all they want to do is DANCE! When Ren teaches Willard how to dance. Of course it wasn’t exactly the same, in fact this one part was much cuter, but I remember Kevin Bacon teaching Chris Penn to get the beat by snapping his fingers, and of course the angry dancing in the granary, wearing the red jacket to the dance at the end of the movie…

I really had goosebumps throughout the movie. It was like deja vu.

Julianne Hough’s performance was good. I was surprised that she could act so well. Her emotional scenes left me wanting, but she had so much enthusiasm throughout the entire film. I wasn’t a big fan of Lori Singer in the original, so what Julianne brought to the character of Arielle won me over.

I really enjoyed the new Ren played by Kenny Wormald. He had a good ol’ All-American boy feel about him. Kevin Bacon’s part was going to be hard to compete against and I think it was stellar to bring in someone who is somewhat new to the Hollywood scene to play this role. And Kenny can dance like nobody’s business and I felt he was very much equal in this area to Julianne’s Arielle.

Dennis Quaid’s character wasn’t as “hellfire and brimstone” like John Lithgow’s performance. So that was a departure from the original. Quaid was still a stern father, but he didn’t bring the same harshness.

I love that Craig Brewer put his own spin on this movie. He changed it enough that I felt like I was watching a mostly new movie. I had concerns that it would have a High School Musical feel to it since it had the dancing element and I wasn’t sure who their target audience was going to be. It could’ve gone spectacularly wrong.

Thankfully, the dancing was amazingly well choreographed, but it wasn’t a musical. Brewer made sure the storyline was the move, not the dancing. I was so pleased with how the movie was remade that I hope to see it again in the theater with my best friend this week!

*I was given passes to see the movie in August. The opinion expressed is my own and never influenced by the company!

Woven by Words

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