I like....this blog lots!

Check out the Big Paw Designs giveaway going on now at I Like; your furry friend gets your choice of cute charm. Deadline: 6/7

Winner Announcement: Carolina Pad Giveaway

and the envelope please:

quiltingreader said... 113

following your blog
May 12, 2009 11:33 AM

Congratulations to the winner, I'm sending you an email for your information. Big thanks to everyone that entered, I wish I had prizes for every one of you.

What's news in the world of giveaways

Pour Some Sugar on Me is giving one commenter a Hip-T in their choice of color/style. Deadline: 5/23

Bookroom Reviews has a free 6-month membership to Sensei and a $50 Whole Foods gift card for three winners. Sensei is a great program to help you lose weight; it's like having your own virtual weight loss coach and provides planning and tips even when you're dining out. Deadline: 6/15/

A Simple Kinda Life has a Sun Chips gift package. Deadline: 5/29.

Chic Shopper Chick has a $100 gift certificate to Lands End so you'll be styling at the beach this summer. Deadline: 6/2

So Much More Than Mom is giving away a $75 gift certificate to Jumeau Bags, they have some great, unique handbags. Deadline: 6/1

Support the Fit Kids Act and learn all about IU2U.org and their campaign for healthy kids at An Island Life and you could win a $100 Visa/MC gift card or some coupons for healthy snacks for your family. Deadline: 5/31

The Giveaway has, what else, a giveaway for a beautiful Obrien & Schridde floral design frame in your choice of 7 colors with an arv of $147. Deadline: 6/6

Stop by The Product Pasha and enter to win a pair of eye-catching and funky yoga pants from Shining Shakti. Two winners. Deadline: 6/12.

Do something great for your skin and win the Baby Quasar giveaway at Forever and Always. Deadline: 6/11

A Couch with a View has a Hip-T giveaway...no more "view" of the granny panties! Deadline: 5/31

Any Lucky Day..maybe today!

Only hours left to stop by Any Lucky Day and comment to win a Keurig Platinum Brewer, another fantastic find for Father's Day! Ends at 11:59pm tonight

A new one is up at Any Lucky Day for a Kicker ik500 iPod Dock with an arv of $249.99. End:5/25.

Fantastic finds for Father's Day

Stop by Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous and enter the giveaway sponsored by 191 Unlimited. It's time for dad to ditch those ripped, stained tees and step out in style. 10 winners will make someone's Father's Day a whole lot more fashionable. Deadline: 6/15.


The Dirty Shirt is giving away the Taj Mahal of tents courtesy of Eureka. Dad won't mind being in the dog house if he's sitting in this. Deadline: 6/1.

And give yourself another shot at My Charmed Life. You'll win the Eureka Father's Day Remote Power Camping set. Deadline: 6/5.

The Fairy Blog Mother will help dad organize all those pictures he takes and get them out of the shoebox he keeps them in. Win a 6-Section Photo Storage Tray from Vat19 so he can pitch the Puma box. Deadline: 6/1.

Life in a House of Blue has a JVC Everio Hybrid Video Camera giveaway. Dad can capture all those memories on film if you win. Deadline: 6/6

How about a computer companion for Dad? My Charmed Life is giving away your choice of Mimobot Designer USB Flash Drive. Deadline: 6/5.

Ever just want a cup or two of coffee and don't want to waste a whole pot? How about a Keurig Mini Brewer...Short Pump Preppy has one up on the blocks. Deadline: 6/15

Does Dad love watching TV? How about making his tv an all-in-one media center? Bind that PC right to your tv and watch all your videos through your home theater. The Dirty Shirt is giving away a Seagate FreeAgent Theater. Deadline: 6/3

My Mom's View has a cute art cabinet giveaway courtesy of Vat 19. Display your child's favorite artwork that Dad can hang on his office wall. Deadline: 5/28.

The Dirty Shirt is giving away a Clarisonic skin care system for dad. Deadline:6/11

Barefoot Mommy is going to make two lucky dad's smell pretty fine. Win a Bellagio gift set or a Masculine by Dolce & Gabbana gift set courtesy of 4 The Love of Couture. Deadline:6/14

Mom in the City has a $100 HP gift card for one lucky dad. Deadline: 6/15.

Goodies for Mom has a goodie for Dad, too: your choice of Sub_Urban Riot tee. Deadline: 6/10.

Check out the cute giveaway at Fancy Schmancy Designs

Stop by Fancy Schmancy Designs and enter to win this gorgeous personalized platter. She's letting you choose your colors! It's her first giveaway, show her some love and enter. May 24 is the deadline.

I got an award!

I'm touched and honored to receive this award, One Lovely Blog, from Deb of Debs Here. It's like being the shy girl in high school, standing in the corner, and the captain of the football team asks her to the dance! What a great Sunday surprise. Best of all, I get to pass it on to 15 other blogs. The competition is fierce because there are so many fantastic blogs I love to visit. But first, the rules (props to Amy according to Deb):

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

And here they come in no particular order since they're all important to my heart:

1 & 2) Tammi from If You Could See What I See and Funnel Full of Soup
3) Jessica from I Like
4 & 5) Carolyn from Carolyn in Carolina and The Art of Random Willy-Nillyness even though she's not an Andy Garcia fan.
6) Gena from The Morris Bunch Blog.
7) Shannon from Potamus Prefers
8) Cherrie from I'm a Hot Mom
9 & 10) Carma from Carma Sez and Carma Sez More (not just because of her writing, but she rocks the cheeseballs, baby).
11) Suzanne from Ebay Selling Coach because eBay can be a dark, spooky place and I need some hand-holding sometimes.
12) to be continued....

Today's your day! I appreciate your blogs and the work you put into them. Someone likes YOUR work. Feel free to snag the button ladies and pass the love on, make someone else the belle of the ball today. (Note this is my first attempt at creating a button with a text code box underneath! You can snag the code and change the web address to your own; you can leave the image url, it's public in my Photobucket account for you to use).




<center><a href="http://auntiethesis.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/shel704/public-shel/one-lovely-blog-award-150x150.jpg"/></a></center>

The Broke-Ass Bride: Giveaway: Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac!

The Broke-Ass Bride: Giveaway: Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac!

Good fortune awaits....

My middle child just graduated from college last weekend. I just stumbled upon a few giveaways for the perfect table favor for his party. Fancy Fortune Cookies.



Pick your flavor, add your personal sentiment and you've got the perfect party snack for the tables at any party you host. So who's got the giveaways?

The Dirty Shirt: $50 gift certificate. Ends 5/29.

A Wrestling Addicted Mommy: $50 gift certificate. Ends 5/20.

Robyn's Online World: 100 cookies of your choice. Ends 5/15.

The Giveaway: 100 cookies of your choice. Ends 5/16.

Fairy Blog Mother: $50 gift certificate and another for a giant personalized fortune cookie. Ends 5/15.

Life is Sweet Reviews: your choice of a large fortune cookie or a collection of small ones. Ends 5/20.

Thrifty & Chic Mom: $50 gift certificate. Ends 5/22.

Frugal Mommy of Two Girls: 100 personalized fortune cookies of your choice. Ends 5/26

The Girl in Paradise: $50 gift certificate Ends 5/29

Life Starring Ellie & Eve: $50 gift certificate. Ends 6/1

My Charmed Life: $50 gift certificate Ends 6/5

Giveaways around the Blogosphere Part 2

Mommy Goggles has a $200 gift certificate to AllPopArt.com up for grabs. Create a custom piece of canvas from your photo. Deadline: 6/1.

Make sure you stop by Get The Bean and enter for a chance to win a free 1lb of your choice of coffee from their infinite selection. Chocolate Creme Brulee, Chocolate Marshmallow, or Caramel Apple Pie..you're doing the picking! Winner is picked tomorrow, so hurry! Deadline 5/15.

Stop by the Candy Dish Blog because CandyUSA has a prize pack of the newest candy around for five winners. Deadline: 5/26.

Check out An Island Life, there's a sweet giveaway going on for F-Secure Internet Security software. Two winners will get the software, a 1gb memory stick and $125 gift card to ....wait for it...wait for it....Target! Deadline: 5/23

How about a copy of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac? Five winners get their own copy at Broke-Ass Bride. Deadline: 5/20.

Cool Baby Kid has a giveaway for $100 to KidsSwimwear.com and Julbo baby sunglasses. Deadline: 6/3

Win an Ergo Baby Carrier HandsFree System at Go Graham Go. Deadline: 6/3


Mom Most Traveled has a Recaro Vivo Child Booster seat for one winner. Deadline: 5/29.

Who wouldn't adore Flor on their floor?

Stop by Eighty MPH Mom and enter for your chance to score a Flor rug of your choice. Get your comment in before 5/21.

**CLOSED**GIVEAWAY: Carolina Pad Fashion Office Supplies

I admit, I'm an office supply addict. I could lose myself in the office supplies aisle of any store, perusing the pens. Give me a new pack of sticky notes and I'm in heaven. Being a sweepstaker, I'm also forever in search of decorative No.10 envelopes for mailing snail-mail entries. A few months back my husband and I were shopping in Walmart. While he headed toward the Automotive section to buy car wax (about as much fun for me as clipping my toenails), I beelined for the Office Supply section. There I found pure bliss: an entire section of Carolina Pad office supplies; notebooks, folders, post-it notes, pens and best of all, pretty No. 10 envelopes appropriately named "Eye Candy". That's where he found me 10 minutes later; dozens of Eye Candy envelopes clutched to my chest in a Kung-Fu death grip, as many as I could hold. I bought out every package on Walmart's shelf that day. I later mailed a few packages to my sweepstaking pals across the country but I've got a stash saved for those special snail-mail entries.

Carolina Pad is no new kid on the block. Founded in 1945 their core philosophy is "service, reliability, and quality at a fair price.” In 2000, after decades of producing high-quality school supplies, Carolina Pad expanded, developing fashion school and office products for women and girls. You can now find Carolina Pad supplies at major retailers: Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Harris Teeter, and Staples, to name a few. You can also buy directly from Carolina Pad Online. Right now, save 10% on your online order with promotional code: GRAD.

We're a little crazy when it comes to design, but that's how we roll.

Funky, fashionable, fun and functional: Carolina Pad products are all that and more. Affordable, quality products with flair, and just about every product imaginable too! You can choose from magnets, portfolios, laptop sleeves, address books, calendars, pens and envelopes; the list is endless!

I've got a special surprise just for you. Carolina Pad has offered one reader the chance to win a whole stash of their best fashion office supplies. You get to choose from two of their finest collections:

Eye Candy



or

Simply Chic






The collection you win will be whole smattering of style from the collection you choose worth $150. Carolina Pad will ship directly to the winner and just in time to save you some money on that upcoming school supply shopping trip.

RULES


Initial Entry:

1) Visit Carolina Pad and pick you favorite collection other than the two mentioned above. Leave a comment with your answer (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

Extra Credit Entries:

1) Follow my blog (1 entry, leave 1 comment).
2) Follow Carolina Pad on Twitter (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your Twitter ID).
3) Twitter this giveaway, can be done daily if the spirit moves you. (1 entry, leave one comment with your Twitter ID or URL to your tweet).

Easy tweet you can use:

Fun & functional office supplies giveaway. Win $150 worth of Carolina Pad fashionable office supplies http://tiny.cc/Mbdbn pls RT

4) Join the Carolina Pad Insights Panel. Want a chance to preview new Carolina Pad products and take them for a test drive? You may get the opportunity to receive free samples for your opinions. (1 entry, leave 1 comment).

5) Become a fan of Carolina Pad on Facebook. (1 entry, leave 1 comment with your Facebook name).

6) Blog it. It doesn't have to be long or wordy, just link to Carolina Pad and this giveaway. (3 entries, leave 3 comments with the direct link to your blog URL). No blog? Email 3 friends about this giveaway and cc me at shel704 at aol dot com and leave 3 comments on this post that say "I emailed".

US residents only (sorry).Please leave a separate comment for each entry and take those entries if you already do any of the above even before entering this giveaway. Your deadline to enter is Monday, May 25 at 11:59pm EST. I'll draw the winner using Random.org and notify him/her via email, so please make sure you email address is visible in your blogger profile or leave it in code for me in your entry. If I can't contact you, you can't win. Winner will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address before there's a do-over. Items will be shipped directly to the winner from Carolina Pad, I'm just the middle-man.

Super skin just a click away

The Wishing Penny has a fantastic giveaway going on where you can win a Baby Quasar photorejuvenation tool. Have younger, smoother-looking skin at home without the expensive spa treatments or visits to the doctor's office. I'd be saying good-bye to my chicken neck and those tiny "laugh-lines" that are anything but funny. Deadline: May 12.

Give Mom a Seagate Replica this Mother's Day

Give your high-tech mom something she'll really enjoy this Mother's Day when you win the Seagate Replica giveaway at Vanilla Joy. The Replica is an automatic back-up system for your computer so mom never has to worry about losing any photos of precious memories again. Deadline: 5/7

After you enter, stick around Vanilla joy and check out the articles on craft room organization, scrapbooking furniture, and discipline for children.

We're going to the dogs

..tomorrow, May 7, at 9pm on Twitter! Gather your furry friends and gear up for the next round in the Barkhunt. What is Barkhunt? It’s a great online scavenger hunt with each round played via Twitter. During each round of play, you & your pawed pals can earn great prizes courtesy of the Barkhunt’s generous sponsors. How, you ask? By answering trivia questions about the Barkhunt sponsor sites and uploading some fun photos & videos, so charge those batteries now because the next round is May 7. Each of these tasks can also earn you points that accumulate toward the Grand, Second and Third prizes that will be awarded on June 18. There are additional ways to earn those points, so those of you that are late to the party can still earn pointage toward those end-game goodies. You’re going to want to familiarize yourself with TwitPic before the game starts for uploading those photos you’ve just taken in answer to the challenge. Your dog in antlers with #barkhunt written on paper in front of him? How about a picture of your favorite book tagged #barkhunt? A video of your dogs saying “Barkhunt”. Those are just a few of the tasks asked during the last round of Barkhunt. BarkHunting season officially opens on April 23rd at 9 PM EDT and runs every other Thursday, with the second hunt on May 7th, the third hunt on May 21st, and the final hunt of the season on June 4th. My daughter and I had a blast trying to complete the tasks with three dogs that didn’t feel like cooperating without a cookie incentive and we won the doggage some great treats from Best Bully Sticks, vitamins and toys from ILoveDogs.com, and huge can of nutritional supplement from PawLuxury! So, check out the official Barkhunt site and follow @askSpikeOnline on Twitter and all the Barkhunt partners listed: @PawLuxury, @FourLeggedMedia, and @BestBullySticks, charge those batteries in your camera & camcorder, log onto Twitter before 9PM on May 7 and you’re in it to win it!

Super Swag Giveaways:

Stop by Days Like These and enter to win a 3-month supply of Dropps Laundry pacs. No mess, no measuring, no waste and super-safe for HE washing machines. Deadline: 5/11

So a Blonde Walks into a Review has a gift basket of orange goodies courtesy of Carl Jr. The gift crate includes:

* Carl’s Jr Orange Cream Shake Coupons
* Citrus Bath & Body Works Lotion (8 oz), Shower Gel (10 oz)
* Citrus Fragrance Bulb
* DVD of the First Season of “The O.C.” TV Show
* Polaroid POGO Camera

Deadline: 5/12

Another gift crate, another shot at winning Carl Jr orange goodies at An Ordinary Life.
Deadline: 5/14

Want some Switchflops? They're the neatest thing ever..sandals with interchangeable straps in the cutest colors/patterns/styles. Wish granted at the Fairy Blog Mother for 5 of her loyalest subjects. Deadline: 5/19

Have you seen Luvali Convertibles? Choose your handbag and then choose a reversible pattern for it and you've got two purses in one! Enter to win one of your own at My Mom's View. Deadline: 5/11.

And since I've given you sandals and a handbag giveaway, how about something to wear under your shirt? There's a Hip-T giveaway going on at Annie's Home, a clever little garment worn under too-short shirts or shortie sweaters so your granny panties don't show. Deadline: 5/12

And if you've got the "time", click over to Save Your Money Mama and enter to win your choice of any Tech40 Pedometer Watch from their website, up to a $149 value. Deadline: 5/29.

For all you coffee-loving moms, there's a Keurig Platinum Brewer giveaway up for grabs at Busy Mom. Keurig brewers use these cute K-cups which are perfectly proportioned cups of goodness with a myriad of flavors to choose from. My favorite would be Creme Brulee by Van Houtten. Deadline: 5/24

Keep your laptop safe and looking great when you win the Melissa Beth Designs Metro 9-2-5 laptop bag giveaway at Life Starring Ellie and Eve. Deadline: 5/16

It's a huge summer block party with giveaways

Check out the giveaways going on in the huge Summer Block Party event hosted by The Mom Buzz, Life in a House of Blue, Look What Mom Found, and As They Grow Up. One great giveaway is a Bumbleride Flyer stroller at The Mom Buzz. Deadline: 5/30.

Buzz over to The Mom Buzz and enter for a great Casio EX-S12 Digital Camera. You'll be shooting your summer memories in style. Deadline: 5/30

Super Quick Pepsi Retro Giveaway

Hurry, ends at 9am on 5/7. Cool Pepsi Throwback prize pack at Table for Five.

The Be-All-End-All..Lands' End

Check out the great swimsuits available at Lands' End this year. You can mix and match tops and bottoms or opt for a great ensemble like this one (my favorite):



Want to score one for free? You can if you win the great Lands' End giveaway at Goodies for Mom. Winner gets $100 to spend at Lands' End. Deadline: 5/11

Wake up and smell the coffee with Keurig

So much more than a coffee maker, Keurig comes with these cute K-Cups in a myriad of flavors of coffee, tea and hot cocoa. Want a chance to win your own Keurig Platinum Brewing system? A Daily Dose of Toni has one up for grabs. Deadline: 5/23

You can also find another Keurig giveaway at 3 Kids and Us. Deadline 5/31.

Mom will Flip

if you win her this Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder from Mom of 2 Dancers Reviews. Deadline: May 17.

Here's the Skinny- Skinny Cow Review

Back in my teen years, I didn't worry about things like "calories", "fiber", "fat". Looking back now, I, like most teenage girls, thought I was fat. I wasn't. I wore a size 1 in jeans. Thinking I was fat didn't alter my eating habits back then. I consumed what I wanted, when I wanted..calories be damned and pass the nachos. Exercise was a foreign concept. What? Me run? Sweat? My least favorite class in high school was gym. I faked my period more times than was humanly possible in order to avoid having to suit up, get sweaty, shower in public and ruin my hair; I'm sure my gym teacher thought my condition needed medical attention.

Then I had children and got older and evil things happened to my body. No longer could I consume half a Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Cake for breakfast and be able to button my jeans without great personal discomfort later. The pounds crept on and the clothes got bigger and bigger until I was finally forced to start doing my clothes shopping at the dreaded Lane Bryant, AKA Lame Giant. Yes Virginia, I bought jeans with an elastic waistband because if I didn't I'd be sporting a red ring around my waist that always reminded me of Saturn except with a lot more pain and discomfort. I avoided shopping and especially disrobing in front of mirrors. There were times when I'd catch a glimpse of myself in a store window and think "Who the f&*k is that fat woman wearing my clothes?".

Last year I joined Weight Watchers and within 8 months I lost 30 pounds. That's not my goal weight and I'm not actively going to meetings anymore. I do, however, watch what I eat because I don't want to go back to where I was..207 pounds when I stepped on the scale at my first meeting. Tears fell from my eyes because I couldn't believe I'd gotten that heavy. Now I avoid things that were always my pitfalls over the years: white bread and cheese for one, known to me as "Satan and his demon". But I can't give up the sweets, not totally. Ice cream has always been one of my favorite snacks, especially when I was in search of some "comfort" food. Bad day? Come to Papa Ice Cream, he'll make it all better..and how about a hug from Mama Hot Fudge? During those eight months, I avoided ice cream because diet ice cream tasted like cardboard to me. I'd rather go without than have something that doesn't taste like real ice cream.

Imagine my surprise when I bought a box of Skinny Cow French Vanilla Truffle Ice Cream Bars the other day. I was given a coupon to purchase any Skinny Cow product I wished and those caught my eye. I'd like to give you a blow-by-blow of all six bars in the box, but I only managed to scavenge one for myself. By the time I dug into the box my children, whom my husband and I refer to as "the locusts", had managed to scarf down five bars. I consider myself lucky that they left me one.

I have to say it was good bordering on excellent. I would have never guessed it was diet ice cream if I didn't know any better. The French vanilla was creamy and full of flavor and the chocolate covering the bar tasted just like regular milk chocolate. The only nasty taste was when I was sucking on the wooden stick trying to get every last bit of the ice cream off it. The only thing small about these Skinny Cow bars are the calories, this is a full size bar of ice cream..more than enough when you're looking to quiet your sweet tooth.

Serving Size: 1 Bar
Calories 100
Calories from Fat 25
Total Fat 2g
Dietary Fiber 3g

Take a look at those stats. Pretty Weight Watchers friendly, no? I didn't realize until I was looking at the Skinny Cow website that they also sell Chocolate Truffle Bars, be still my heart. Obviously my local grocer didn't have them when I was there or they'd have been in my freezer for this review. I'm planning on confronting the store manager on my next visit if those babies aren't in the store cooler; it could get ugly.