Snag a Sweet Elliott Lucca Handbag

Momma In Flip Flops2 has a sweet Elliott Lucca handbag giveaway going on right now until March 6. Remember, it only takes one quick comment to win!

Crazy Dog tees...hey look!

Get a chance to win a the tee of your choice from Crazy Dog T-Shirts by entering at Look What Mom Found. Shoot over there and enter before March 9 and you could be the lucky winner of one funny t-shirt.

Love, Life, Family and....AVON!

Love, Life, Family and then Some is giving you the chance to win your favorite Avon products up to $25 (and that buys a whole lot of great Avon products). Comment for your chance before February 28.

Epson Stylus is stylin'!

Check out the review of the Epson Stylus NX400 All-In-One printer at Living Life One Day at a Time. Printing photos, scanning, greeting cards, school projects..the list is endless with this stylin' printer from Epson. One lucky winner also gets the chance to make it his/her own, as well. Comment before March 6 for your chance at owning this top-of-the-line printer for all your home printing projects.

CybeleSays -Grammy-Glamorous locks for you!

Stop by CybeleSays for your chance to win a Grammy gift pack of TIGI hair care products to make you hair Grammy-Glamorous! It's a Rockaholic hair package worth $100 including the following:
TIGI 'Rockaholic' kit, which includes Livin' the Dream Sulfate-Free Shampoo (8.45oz), Livin' the Dream Daily Conditioner (8.45oz), Rocktastic Hardcore Spray Gel (8.45oz) and Punk Out Molding Gunk (2.65oz).

Lovely locks, here you come! You've got until 6pm on March 3 to be in it to win it!

Snag-a-bag: Eenamaria

Momstart has a great Eenamaria bag up for grabs. You've only got until February 28 to enter for your chance to tote your haul in style.

and check out Barefoot Mommies for another chance to snag-a-bag from Eenamaria. You have until March 9 to enter.

One Hot Mimobot Giveaway

and what's a Mimobot you ask? Well only the coolest USB Flash Drive on the market and one lucky winner gets one of their very own if they win the giveaway at From Son Up to Son Down. There's no bland, boring flash drives here!

It's a Birthday Bash with gifts for YOU!

How great is it when you go to a birthday bash and YOU'RE the one landing the gifts? You're invited to I Never Grew Up's Birthday Bash celebration and the prizes are yours if you win one of the great giveaways going on!


Just click the link above and the door is open for the chance to win some fantastic prizes.

Mommy D Jane and Plantronics

Hands-free cell phone...deal me in! Mommy D Jane has a giveaway going on for a Plantronics Bluetooth in pink! Giveaway ends this Sunday, 02/22.

Whitney Caroline Designs

As a "Thank You" for voting, Whitney Caroline Designs is giving you the chance to win a large size board in the color of your choice: white, pink or black. If you follow or fan, there's something extra in it for you, too. Blog about the giveaway and you'll be glad you did! Entries accepted until 2/26/09.

Do You Adore Flor?

even more when it's free? Barefoot Mommies is giving one lucky winner the opportunity to win a 5x7 Flor rug in their choice of three great color styles. The giveaway ends on March 4.

There's another chance to win a Flor rug at The Mom Buzz. The winner gets a Patch Me If You Can - Spicy 5 x 7 rug that would look great in any room of your home. You've got to be in it to win it before March 6.

And be quick because there's another shot at winning a Flor rug at Double Bugs. You need to lay your cards on the table before February 23!

Flip Notes Winners

Winners are:
1) #40- Jennifer from The Dirty Shirt blog

2) #100- Nancy

I'll email the winners who have 3 days to respond before do-overs. Congratulations and thank you for all the entries.

Are you protected?

I can tell you from experience that having a sturdy antivirus program is a must when web-surfing. A few years ago I had to go through a complete overhaul of my old computer when it became infected with a trojan and spyware changed my registry. Imagine booting up Internet Explorer and surfing straight to a porn site complete with video and audio already rolling. My poor daughter got an eyeful of something I'd rather her not have seen.

Technoheads.org has a great review and giveaway for CA Antivirus 2008 courtesy of Staples and they're giving away two licenses so you can have the program...FREE (my favorite word). Sure it's last years model but it runs just fine and it'll keep you protected until 2010.

Going nuts over bananas and Cheerios

In honor of Carol's Saturday Stirrings Cheerios gift basket giveaway at "I Throw Like a Girl", I'm posting my favorite recipe which just happens to include bananas and nuts:

Banana Toffee Crunch Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups of ripe mashed bananas
1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
5 milk-chocolate-coated toffee bars, 1.4 ounces each, crushed to small chunks.**
2/3 cup slivered blanched almonds, chopped and toasted

Chocolate Glaze

3 ounces of semisweet chocolate
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 12 cup Bundt pan or fluted tube pan. Lightly dust with flower and tap out excess. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, stir together bananas , milk, and vanilla until blended. In a large bowl, using a hand-held mixer, cream together butter and sugar until blended. One at a time, add eggs to butter/sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. In three additions each, alternately beat in flour mixture and banana mixture, until just combined. Stir in toffee chunks and nuts.

Spread evenly into prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Remove pan to wire rack to cool. Cool 10 minutes before inverting cake onto cooling rack. Finish cooling on wire rack.

Prepare Glaze:
In a small saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring often until mixture is completely smooth with no streaks. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Pour evenly over cooled bundt cake. Place cake in refrigerator for 30 minutes to set glaze. Store cooled cake in an airtight container in refrigerator. Allow cake to reach room temperature before serving.

I'll be you could add some crushed Banana Nut Cheerios cereal on top of the chocolate glaze for some extra taste.

**My tip for crushing the toffee bars. Put the toffee bars in the refrigerator for a few hours before crushing them. I put them into a large Ziploc freezer bag, lay a dishcloth over the bag, and use the flat side of a meat tenderizer to crush them. Cooling them before you beat them means less chocolate rubs off onto the Ziploc.

A little bloggy love.....

I'm giving up a little bloggy love upon the wise suggestion of Linda at My Trendy Tykes for my blogging pal Jessica at I Like. Jess is just getting her blog off the ground and could use a little bloggy love. Jess also has the most adorable dog, Davey; a huge cat, Chloe; and a fantastic partner, Tracy. Not only are Jess and Tracy my good friends but they're the pseudo-moms for my son, Jared, since I'm in Cleveland and Jared is in college in Chicago near them. Should Jared give me any lip, I can enlist the ninja skills of Jess and Tracy to put him back in line thereby saving me a 6 hour butt-kicking car trip.

Touch His Heart with an iPod Touch

Today's the last day to enter for your chance to win an iPod Touch at Skimbaco Lifestyle. The prize includes a $10 gift card to Walmart. Winner will be announced on Valentine's Day so you can surprise your honey with a "Look what's coming your way" valentine.

I always wanted to be a Tarte

Actually, what I'd love is some Tarte Cosmetics and there's a shot at winning some at Raging Rouge. Three lucky winners will split $250 in Tarte Cosmetics. Each winner will receive ReCreate: $37, the eraser: $19, clean slate: $27 in their color choice.
US residents only and the winners will be drawn February 16, 2009 at midnight.

Sweet Bag up for Grabs at The Sweet Jelly Bean

You have to see the bags at the Satchel Studio and the one up for giveaway at The Sweet Jelly Bean. You're going to fall in love, I swear to you! I refuse to post a picture because I want you to see for yourself. Be quick, it ends today at noon.

Happy Valentine's Day to The Goob

I clearly remember that Valentine's Day when my daughter was 5 years old. I remember her being upset because Daddy bought Mommy something for Valentine's Day but she got a rock from her parents. Oh, she got those cute SpongeBob and Barbie valentines from her classmates along with a gross of cookies and candy; but she didn't get anything from her Mom and Dad. Bad Mommy. Bad Daddy. I remember standing in front of the Grand Inquisitor pleading my case: Valentine's Day is a Mommy-Daddy holiday. I was holding a leaky bucket; it wasn't holding any water. Her answer was "Isn't Valentine's Day about love, Mommy?". To that, I had no answer.

Since then, we've made a stink over Valentine's Day. She's 12 now and she still looks forward to Valentine's Day. I don't think she'll ever stop loving the holiday and my greatest wish for her is that when she's all grown-up, she'll find someone who loves her and continues to make a stink over her; not just on Valentine's Day but all the days they are together.

As part of From Dates to Diapers and Beyond's Ipod Touch and $10 Walmart gift card giveaway sponsored by Walmart and the ElevenMoms, Christine is asking for ways you include your kids in Valentine's Day celebrations.

So how do we celebrate this holiday of love? Well my daughter's school decided that sixth grade is "too old" to exchange Valentines (kill-joys) but before that, we always tried to decorate our Valentine's Day box that she took to school in something unique. One year we decorated a shoebox in a monkey theme. I got some great monkey wrapping paper from Walmart and we wrapped both the top and bottom of the box separately. We also bought some glitter letters and not only decorated the box with her name but added "I'm going APE over you". I had a tough time finding Valentine's Day exchange cards with monkeys on them; the trick is to shop early before everything is picked over.

Every year my daughter looks forward to our baking day. A few days before Valentine's Day, my daughter and I break out the cookie cutters and bake away. I always let her do the final decorations. We bake enough for the classroom party as well as a special bag of cookies for Daddy from "The Goob".

I no longer have to help her make her own Valentine's Day cards. She always makes home-made cards for her Dad, Me, her grandmother and her brothers. I've saved these over the years as well as taking a picture of her every year on Valentine's Day in her special dress-up outfit for school. I've saved my cards and pictures and someday I'm planning on making a Valentine's Day scrapbook for her and I.

And every year now, her dad and I buy her a special Valentine's Day gift from both of us. It's never something big, but just a little token of love for Valentine's Day. This year, we bought her a pair of dangling heart earrings from her favorite store, Claire's. She has a dance to attend on Valentine's Day at school in the evening and I think she'll wear these with her new dress. This is her first pair of "dangley" earrings. It's also her first boy/girl dance; her father weeps in the corner as we speak.

**CLOSED**GIVEAWAY HERE: Flipping over Flip Notes

I call my purse The Black Hole of Hudak. As I've gotten older, my purse has gotten bigger. I've now moved into a great smuggling bag from Guess dubbed the "Shopper's Tote". It's more like black patent-leather Samsonite with a shoulder strap. It's capable of bootlegging two 20-ounce colas and a king-size box of Raisinetes into the movie theater past the most probing teenage ticket-taker. Consequently, finding anything inside the purse makes me yell "Cover me, I'm going in!" while frantically digging with one hand. In the grocery store, I've been known to move to an end-cap and start removing contents in order to find that elusive pen or one of the 10,000 frequent shopper cards I've accumulated that never seem to stay put in my wallet. No notepad has been known to survive the turbulence that ensues by riding inside the dark abyss that is my purse. They end up being bent, twisted and ripped. Not anymore!

Welcome to Flip Notes. What are Flip Notes? Well, the Wellspring website says it best:

Flip Notes are Wellspring's #1 best-seller and are available in over 30 chic designs!

Flip Notes are perfect for notes on-the-go as they fit snugly inside pockets, purses, or briefcases! Flip Notes make perfect gifts for loved ones, teachers, hosts & coworkers.

Each Flip Notes features a stylish debossed metal spring-loaded case with a blank white note pad and a retractable pen.

When you run out of paper or ink, Flip Note refill pads and pens are also available.

I was sent this beautiful Pink Ribbon Flip Note.


In a nutshell, it's a hard metal case that contains a white notepad inside. It locks closed via the small pen that comes with each notepad. Flip Notes don't open until the accompanying pen is removed. That metal case is stronger than a Kevlar vest. Nothing will penetrate and demolish your notepad with the case as protection. It's a sentry for your scribbles.

Flip Notes are thin enough to slide into your wallet and they're very lightweight. Flip Notes aren't just for moms! There are plenty of styles suitable for men and so slender that they'll fit perfectly into a shirt pocket without weighing it down in the least.

The notepad inside is perforated at the top, making it a breeze to rip out the note you just wrote. Refills are available on the Wellspring website. The outside metal on my Pink Ribbon Flip Note is a shiny pink and the ribbon is raised making it look very stylish. I can tell you that when I'm diving in blind into my purse, that raised ribbon is better than Braille when I'm trying to find my Flip Notes. No more frantically searching for a pen either, it's locked into my Flip Notes. I can finally throw out all those receipts I keep in my purse as scrap paper. Maybe I can read the calendar on the back of my check ledger since I won't be using it to scribble down the titles of the books I want to borrow at the library when I see them in the store.

I'm sure your big question is "But Auntie, how much does it cost? Will I have to take on a second job to buy one?" No, no my friends....Flip Notes are $9.99 making them the perfect gift for co-workers or Christmas gift exchanges.

And the best part, you could land one for free! I've got two great Flip Notes to give away to anyone who's bothered to read this far into my post.

I have an Amethyst Flip Notes:



and a Word Art Ideal in blue:



How cool is that? Read on for the rules:

1) Spring over to the Wellspring Gifts website. Peruse the 30 different styles of Flip Notes and come back here and tell me one that makes you swoon and who you'd give it to. It's perfectly fine to say "It's mine...all MINE!"

In this same comment,also specify which of the two pictured above Flip Notes you want if you win. You can just say PURPLE or BLUE.

This is the only required entry. You must do this in order for any extra entries to count. I have the power to delete your comments MUHAHAHAHA..don't make me use it.

EXTRA ENTRIES (leave an additional comment for each entry you earn):

1) Follow FlipNoteFan on Twitter. Leave me a comment with your twitter name.(one extra entry)

FlipNoteFan is the generous sponsor of this great giveaway. You want to hear all about any upcoming Flip Notes giveaways, yes? (that's a hint people) You can also check out his website FlipNoteFan.com. Did you know Flip Notes appeared on Ugly Betty? That Nicholas Cage was sporting one in Bangkok Dangerous? Flip Notes are note-orious! (that's my attempt at a pun)

2) Tweet this giveaway on Twitter. For those of you who are my kindred spirits and can never think up a clever tweet under pressure, feel free to copy/paste the following:

I'm flipping over this Flip Notes giveaway. Enter to win one for yourself! http://tiny.cc/KYSiz

Come back to this post and leave me your twitter name or the url to your tweet.(one extra entry & you CAN do this daily if the spirit moves you. Leave a comment each day you tweet)

3) Facebook the url to this giveaway and leave me comment on this post with the link to your profile.(one extra entry)

4) Email a friend and cc me at shel704 at aol dot com. Leave a comment on this post so that I can keep track and properly credit your entry.(one extra entry)

5) Blog it. It doesn't have to be long or verbose but you've got to link to my site. Leave the direct url to your blog blurb on this post.(three entries since it's a pain in the posterior, leave three comments as entries)

***Make sure to leave your email in your entry IF it is not visible in your blogger profile. I beg you, please do not to make me go on a search & destroy mission to find you if you win. You can pretend you're Nicholas Cage in Windtalkers and leave it in code, but leave me a way to contact you***

US residents only. This giveaway will end on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 11pm EST. The Mighty Randomizer decides the winners. You must do rule #1 in order for your entries to count, any additional entries are gravy and you can do one or all of them..just make sure you don't rip yourself off..leave separate comments for each entry that you've earned. I am lazy and I don't count well--unfortunately, you can't rely on me to credit extra entries. The prize will be mailed the following week to the winner provided the weather isn't yucky and there isn't anything good on tv. First winner drawn gets their choice, #2 gets leftovers. Winners have three days to respond with their mailing information before there's a do-over.

Don't Suck It In

Instead of sucking it in all day and holding your breath, enter to win some great shapewear from N-fini at As They Grow Up. Three winners are getting their choice of shapewear at the N-fini site. End date: February 18.

Mommy Brain Reports - Win an iPod Touch

Mommy Brain Reports is one of the ElevenMoms offering one lucky winner an iPod Touch and a $10 iTunes gift card. You'll need to listen to one of her Blog Talk Radio shows (they're archived) and snag the secret code word for the entry form. Entries are accepted until noon on Friday, February 13 (which just might be a lucky day for you!).

There once was a giveaway...

at There Once Was a Girl and it was for a $50 gift card to Old Navy . The winning poster entered before February 14, 2009, and then lived happily ever after in some great new clothes!

I adore Flor

even more when it's a giveaway! Double Bugs has a Flor Seagrass Rug for one lucky winner. Get in before it ends on February 23.

I hear a giveaway calling my name

Mom's Most Wanted has a ChicBuds giveaway going on starting today. They're offering 5 lucky winners the opportunity to win 2 Chicbuds ($49.00 retail value EACH), 2 Rockbuds ($29.99 retail value EACH) and a pre-release Pinktooth ($59.00 retail value). There are multiple ways to gain an entry before it ends on 2/19/09.

Hooray for the Hybrid Fruit-Cuties

What's a Cutie, you say? In a nutshell, or in this case a peel, it's a cross between an orange and a Chinese mandarin. Small in size, sweet in flavor and super-easy to peel, Cuties are the perfect snack for kids...and moms. Skinny Habits for a Skinny Life is giving you a chance to sample their sweetness by offering 5 winners a 5lb box of Cuties. This super-sweet giveaway ends on February 13.

And while you're there, check out the site. For all us Weight Watchers fans there's some great recipes and information. Thanks to Weight Watchers, I lost 30 pounds on their program last year.

A Sonnet of Style-The HP Mini Vivienne Tam

Violets are blue and roses are red
Rather than a love letter, I’ll pen a poem instead.
The HP Mini Vivienne Tam is so versatile
It looks like a designer clutch with a high-tech style.
I adore the peony design that graces the cover
Open it up, there's so much to discover.
Intel Atom Processor inside for web surfing with ease
The Infinity Display makes me weak in the knees.
Is it a purse or a clutch? I'm sure many will question
Once they see what it is, they'll share my obsession.
And why should I have it? Call me notebook-deficient
The ancient desktop I have is far from efficient.
It's certainly not portable, nor is it pretty
All my tech-savvy friends look upon me with pity.
Could you see their faces when I show up tech chic?
With a notebook they think came from a designer's boutique.
How much does it cost? I'm sure they will inquire.
The reasonable price will just give them more to admire.
The HP Vivienne Tam inspires my love and my passion
The best of technology entwined with designer high fashion.

Land Adobe Photoshop Elements

I love taking digital pictures; we take our camera everywhere we go. One thing I've always wanted to try is Adobe Photoshop. I've often thought of all the neat things I could add to pictures or, as in the case of those pictures of my ex-husband, suck right out of the picture. Reviewin' It Up! has a giveaway going on now for a copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 and Premiere Elements 7 for one winner. The winner will be chosen on February 10th.

I love trying new shampoo...

There's nothing I like more than browsing the shampoo aisle at Target or standing in front of the display of shampoos at the hair dresser, flipping caps and unscrewing lids, and sniffing each one until I find a scent to try. While I won't be able to do my customary "pre-sniff", I'm going to trust Valerie at Sweeps 4 Bloggers when she says she loves Nurture My Body's Volumizing Shampoo. Valerie has a bottle to give away to one of her readers. Just comment to win on her blog before February 12 at 8pm Pacific Time.

A post with a purpose

I'm really posting this so I can push today's previous post down on the page. This way no one can see the incredible colony of dust bunnies that live behind my computer desk which I posted because I took half a Vicodin for my backache and I am lacking any sense of shame.

If you happen to venture down this page (don't..really..don't do it for the love of God!) you'll see exactly why I entered to win a Hoover FloorMate over at Mommy Brain Reports. The deadline for entries is February 15th at noon.

Look Ma, No Wires!

You've only got until February 3 to enter for your shot at winning an HP Photosmart All-In-One printer from The Mayhew Review. It prints, it copies, it scans and it does it all without cords!


And since an extra entry is garnered by submitting your worst cord photo and I am sporting a big, fat zero in the shame department, allow me to show you the black hole that is the area behind my computer desk.



Yes Virginia, there really is a colony of dust bunnies living behind that desk. I also wish to extend my thanks to The Mayhew Review for encouraging me to move my computer desk and find that tennis shoe I lost in September. I am really glad my neat-freak grandmother has no clue how to turn on a computer and surf the net lest she discover this picture and have an aneurysm over the filth...I should have bought Photoshop when I was at Best Buy last week. I believe the last time I moved the desk and cleaned was when the guy from AT&T was coming to install my cable internet; now I know how I'm going to have to spend my vacation this week.

Cover that Crack..the sequel

For those of you that haven't purchased one of those great Hip-T's yet or haven't been lucky enough to win one, you have another chance.

Mommies Angels is having a giveaway and the much coveted prize is one of those great Hip-T's.

Get your entry in before the February 13 deadline. Winner chosen on Valentine's Day, what a great gift for you.

Eenamaria Handbag-say WOW!

Check out the giveaway going on at Thrifty Jinxy. Winning commenter receives their choice of handbag from the Chelsea Boi Collection by Eenamaria Handbags. There's some great bags to choose from and I've got my eye on the Eenamaria Workin' Weekend Baby Tote


Giveaway ends on February 14, 2009 at 11:59pm CST.