Messages from Missa

2012-01-28T01:42:00.000-05:00

Are you on Pinterest? I had been hearing about it for a while, but had NO CLUE how addicting putting a bunch of pictures in different categories could be! If you're on there, follow me :-) I'd love some more friends on there!

gelcolor by Opi

2012-01-27T22:36:00.001-05:00

I just opened an e-mail from the day spa by my house and saw an advertisement for this new gelcolor by Opi nail polish.. I had the Light Concept Nails done there for my wedding, and kept them on for a little while after, but at $50 every two weeks to maintain them, it was too expensive. I love having polished nails, but for some reason, regular polish NEVER stays on my nails! Any time I've had nail polish put directly on my real nails, it's smudged before I leave the nail salon. I have been hesitant about getting the shellac because I heard it can damage your nails, so this seems like a great alternative! The price is awesome too! Only $25! Have you tried it yet?

**Disclosure--I didn't receive anything for this post. I am just curious to know if anyone has used gelcolor by Opi.**

It's been a while....

2012-01-27T22:17:00.002-05:00

I haven't been here since the summer, and a lot has changed. You all know my dad passed away in April, and that was rough. It still is. He was one of my best friends, and I still find myself wanting to pick up the phone to call him. In September, I started teaching middle school, all subjects. For the past five years, I've taught high school English, so it's been a huge change for me. I love my students, and teaching is something I don't think I'll ever get tired of. In December, almost 8 months to the day after losing my dad, my grandfather passed away. It was just awful going back to the same funeral home, the same church, and burying him right next to my dad. It was like losing my dad all over again. I think I'm finally ready to come back to blogging, and hope to be updating regularly again from now on.

Rest in Peace, Daddy

2011-07-05T17:27:00.001-04:00

I haven't been here in months. As my last update said, my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer in October 2010. We were told he would be ok, but really, he had Stage IV cancer and was not going to survive. After losing faith in his original doctors and a month in a horrible hospital, we were able to bring him to one of the best hospitals in NYC. Unfortunately, by then it was too late. He lived another month in that hospital, and the staff there was absolutely amazing. They allowed one family member to sleep there, so daddy could have a family member with him 24 hours a day....and for that month, me, my mom, two of my aunts and one uncle took turns spending every spare moment at the hospital with him. It was heart breaking to hear the doctors ask, "What do you know about what's going on right now" and to watch him fight back tears and say, "I'm going to die." He fought so hard, but six months after he was diagnosed, this world lost an amazing man. I am still devastated. We all are. No matter how much pain he was in, he would make jokes with the nurses and tell them he understood if they couldn't bring his pain meds right away because they were busy. He was such a sweet and loving person. I don't know why God chose him to go through such a horrible disease or why he had to leave us after only 57 years on earth, but I know he'll be at the gates of heaven waiting for me when it's my time.

Rest in Peace, Daddy
12-12-53 ~ 04-07-11

My "baby" brother, the blogger!

2011-02-03T19:47:00.000-05:00

My "baby" brother, who is now almost 20 and all grown up, has just started his own blog! He's a HUGE sports fan, mostly basketball, so that's what his blog will be about.

Check out the FReSH BLoG now!

Win a VTech LS6325-3 3 Handset Cordless Phone at Little Yaya's!

2011-01-09T12:43:00.001-05:00

My parents are probably the only people on the planet who still have corded phones in their house. When I saw this review and giveaway for the VTech LS6325-3 three handset cordless phone over at Little Yaya's, I knew I had to try to win it for them! Not only is it cordless, comes with 3 handsets AND a digital answering machine, it also has a push to talk intercom feature that would be perfect for the times my parents need my brother to help them. This giveaway ends on January 14th, so click here now to enter!

Update on my life

2011-01-04T22:07:00.000-05:00

I haven't been around much in a while, but I hope to change that. I had an absolutely fabulous cruise wedding on August 19th and married my soulmate. We had a beautiful ceremony and reception, and went on an 8 day cruise to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and Grand Turk. We were blessed to have a group of 19 of us on the cruise, including my parents and brother. who hadn't been on a vacation in 16 years. My brother is only 19, so he didn't even remember ever going on a vacation. Soon after we returned, in early October, my dad was sent to the emergency room in severe pain. Just a few days later, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. It had already spread to his liver by that time. His doctors couldn't understand why it wasn't caught sooner. He has ulcerative colitis, so he goes for regular colonoscopies. Everything happens for a reason though, and we thank God that he was healthy and able to enjoy my wedding and the cruise vacation before being diagnosed. Dad spent 3 weeks in the hospital, had surgery to remove the tumor in his colon and is now home undergoing chemotherapy every other week. His doctors are optimistic, and we are praying and keeping his spirits up.

My mom hasn't been feeling well lately, and since diabetes runs in our family (her dad and brother both had it, and she had gestational diabetes when she was pregnant with my brother), the doctor told her to check her blood sugar 3 times a day. It has been running high, and she will probably have to go for glucose test after seeing the doctor on Monday. I'm still dealing with migraines and vasovagal syncope, and hoping to find some kind of natural remedy for them so I can get some relief without having to stay on the meds I'm on. My husband and I want to have kids, and I'll have to go off of the meds completely before we can even start trying.

It's all frustrating and exhausting, but I know God wouldn't give us more than we can handle. We're a strong family, and we'll get through it.

Here's some pics from our wedding!

Win a George Foreman Evolve Grill from Latina on a Mission!

2010-12-30T14:47:00.000-05:00

I seem to have passed my love of shoes and cooking on to my little brother. The shoe obsession isn't so great for my parents, but they love that he has taken an interest in cooking. It started when our dad was diagnosed with cancer in October. He spent 3 weeks in the hospital, and when he came home, he wasn't able to do as much as he could before. Our mom works full time, and it turned out to be a blessing that my brother had taken time off of college. He wasn't too happy about having to learn how to cook, but to everyone's surprise, including himself, he began to enjoy it! He's now thinking of going to school for cooking! When I saw this giveaway at Latina on a Mission, I knew I had to try to win it for my brother. He would LOVE this grill! It does so much! Enter to win the George Foreman Evolve Grill from Latina on a Mission by clicking on this link. Giveaway ends on January 8th!

Win a $75 Gift Certificate to CSN Stores from A Hen's Nest!

2010-12-30T13:33:00.000-05:00

My parents really need a new microwave. REALLY! The big one they had was slowly dying for months before they got rid of it. It was so bad they were using a pen cap to hold the button down to keep it working! The one they have now is small, and old too. That one needs to go! My parents don't like to buy new things for themselves, so if I win this $75 Gift Certificate to CSN Stores from A Hen's Nest, I'm going to use it towards a new microwave for them! The giveaway ends tomorrow, December 31st, so hurry on over there for your chance to win!

Tweet and get $5 for Amazon Video on Demand!

2010-12-27T22:05:00.000-05:00

My husband and I have different work schedules, and he works weekends, so we don't go out much. My parents bought us the Roku player last year for Christmas, and we love it. We get much more use out of our Netflix subscription and can even rent and buy movies from Amazon Video on Demand. From now until January 1, 2011, at 11:59 PM PST, you can receive a $5 credit for Amazon Video on Demand just by sending one tweet! All you have to do is go here and follow the simple directions. You'll need to log onto your Amazon account before tweeting in order to receive credit for your tweet.

***Disclosure: I received no compensation for this posting. I posted it solely for the benefit of my readers, and all opinions are my own***

Ipod Shuffle 1000 Follower Giveaway at Me and Bella!

2010-12-18T19:41:00.000-05:00

My hubby and I have had gym memberships for a while now, but don't really use them. Our work schedules don't allow us to go together, so I need something else to motivate me. A new Ipod would definitely help! I have an old mp3 player from a few years ago, but I'd love to have the Ipod shuffle because I could just clip it to my clothes while working out. Courtney at Me and Bella has purchased one to give away to one of her readers when she hits 1000 followers OR on December 26th, whichever comes first. Isn't that soooo generous of her?! Go check out her blog and the giveaway!

Giving Back...

2010-12-10T22:07:00.000-05:00

Do you make contributions to several charities throughout the year, and then have to go through a ton of files to find the tax receipts at the end of the year? Stephen Paletta, the winner of Oprah’s Big Give, has developed a website making it so much easier to keep track of donations AND earn money for donations through online shopping! This website, GiveBack.org, was built to make everyone a big giver.

Registration is easy and takes only a minute or two. You can either log into your facebook account to register, or you can create a username and password. The verification e-mail comes right away, and your account is created! You even start out with $5.00 for the charity of your choice! Searching for a charity is simple. I chose the Colon Cancer Alliance, because my father was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. You will soon be able to create your own charity for raising money, which would be great for local charities. You can add your own money to your account, others can add money to your account or you can use the SHOPPING feature to have money added to your account. I love to shop online, so this is one of my favorite features. There are over 400 participating merchants right now, and I'm sure more will be added. You can earn up to 15% cash back on your purchases, though most merchants offer 2-4% cash back. For more information about the site, watch this video:

There are so many worthy charities out there who need our donations to keep running. I hope you'll check out GiveBack and donate to a charity that means something to you.

*I received no compensation for this post. I learned of GiveBack.org through my membership with One2One Network.*

Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce Winners

2010-03-07T18:08:00.000-05:00

Random.org chose the following two comments out of 93 total comments as the winners in the Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce giveaway:

Carie said...

I follow via google.

4:05 PM, February 10, 2010

#42

Lois S said...: 2 I blogged http://ljsin2win.blogspot.com/2010/02/enter-to-win-country-bobs-all-purpose.html; 9:19 PM, February 21, 2010

Congratulations! You've been e-mailed and have 48 hours to claim your prize. Thanks for reading my blog!

FINALLY....a diagnosis!

2010-03-05T19:27:00.000-05:00

I had a tilt table test on Monday, and it was positive. It was a HORRIBLE experience. I've never passed out, so that made the experience even worse. The electrophysiologist said I was feeling the symptoms before they even registered on the monitors, and that's why I haven't passed out, except during the test. She diagnosed me with vasovagal syncope, also known as neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS). My blood pressure drops and my heart rate increases when I stand for too long or when I do any kind of physical activity, even walking up the stairs. The EP put me on Toprol XL, a beta blocker, and told me to stay hydrated and increase my salt intake. I already drink at least 64 ounces of water daily, but increasing salt is proving to be a challenge because I don't really like the taste of it. I also had an EMG at the neurologist's office yesterday, because my feet get pins and needles and numbness. It was painful, but showed no nerve damage. The neurologist and the EP both said vasovagal syncope can cause circulation problems, so it's probably from that. I'm hoping the Toprol starts to work soon, because I am constantly feeling lightheaded and can't stand for more than a few minutes at a time at work. I take the bus to work and have to stop at my parents house on my way home if I have to stand because they live halfway between my job and my house and I can't make it all the way home. I haven't been able to sleep through the night in 2 weeks, and keep waking up with palpitations. I'm exhausted all the time and hope things will return to normal soon, or at least semi-normal! I am extremely grateful for my amazing doctors who were determined to find out what was causing me to feel this way. My primary doctor told me he was going to keep ordering tests until they found something. He even called the cardiologist when the first set of tests came back normal and told him to keep testing until something comes up.

I am off to take a nap now....I will pick the winners for the Country Bob's giveaway this weekend, I promise!

Health Update

2010-02-20T19:39:00.000-05:00

I posted here that I had I've been having tests done at the cardiologist and neurologist. So far, I've had two ekg's, an echocardiogram, an exercise stress test, a 24 hour holter monitor, a brain MRI, a brain MRA, a VNG, BAER test and an EEG. I'm scheduled for a tilt table test and an EMG for the first week of March. The EP specialist at the cardiology center seems to think it's vasovagal syncope. The symptoms of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome also match what I've been experiencing. I'm hoping I'll have an answer to all of this very soon! I am exhausted, and I'm starting to get stressed about not knowing what's going on with my health. I'm getting married exactly 6 months from yesterday, so I want this under control as soon as possible so I can enjoy our 8 day cruise celebration!

Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce Review & Giveaway CLOSED*

2010-02-09T22:25:00.002-05:00

Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce is truly an all purpose sauce. You can use it on steak, hambugers, chicken, fries...just about anything! My fiance usually doesn't pay much attention to the packages I get, since I get a lot of them, but this one was different. As soon as I opened the box, he took one of the bottles and opened it. He just HAD to try it right then and there, even though we weren't cooking anything. He poured some on his finger to taste it, and it immediately won Mr. Picky's approval! Go Country Bob! I added some sauce to baby back ribs, and they came out DELICOUS! Not only is this sauce great for all types of things, it's also gluten free!

Here's a little info about Country Bob Edson:

In 1968 Country Bob perfected the sauce of his dreams. After years of giving the sauce to friends and family he began to sell it in 1977. The reaction was overwhelming just as it is today. Almost everyone who tries Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce becomes a lifelong user. And why not, it is the perfect complement to practically any meal set on your table.

Country Bob's also has Spicy All Purpose Sauce, which I can't wait to try, Barbeque Sauce, and Seasoning Salt.

~BUY IT~

You can purchase Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce and other products at their online store: http://www.countrybobs.com/products.html

~WIN IT~

TWO lucky readers will each win TWO bottles of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce!

MANDATORY MAIN ENTRY

(YOU MUST DO THIS BEFORE ANY BONUS ENTRIES. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE THE MAIN ENTRY, BONUS ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED)

Visit Country Bob's Online and leave a comment telling me something you learned, found interesting or a recipe you'd like to try.

BONUS ENTRIES

*Subscribe to my blog e-mail and confirm (1 extra entry)

*Follow my blog publicly through google friend connect (1 extra entry)

*Follow me on twitter @hunniebee724 (1 extra entry...leave your twitter name in your comment)

*Tweet about this giveaway and leave the link in a comment (1 extra entry daily)

You may use this tweet: Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce Giveaway @hunniebee724 http://tinyurl.com/yk2lhuu Ends 2/28 TWO WINNERS!

*Leave a comment on Country Bob's Blog and leave a link to your comment here (1 extra entry)

*Blog about this giveaway. You must link back to this giveaway and leave the link to your blog in your comment. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

*E-mail about this giveaway if you do not have a blog. You must e-mail 5 people for this to count, and cc me at sweetmissa at gmail dot com. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

This giveaway will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 28th. Any comments received after that time will be deleted. Comments that do not follow my guidelines will be deleted as well. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents, 18+. Please leave your e-mail in your comment if it is not public on your blogger profile.

Disclosure: I was given the opportunity to review this book through my membership at The Product Review Place. I received free bottles of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce to facilitate my review. No other compensation was offered or received. The opinions in this post are my own and were not influenced by receipt of a free product.

Denise's Daily Dozen New Winner! UPDATE

2010-02-09T21:47:00.001-05:00

One of my winners of the Denise's Daily Dozen giveaway won on another blog, and offered to give her spot to someone else. The new winner, chosen by random.org is....

Comment #19

SheilaBee said...: Following via Google Friend.; 10:32 PM, January 21, 2010; Congratulations! I've e-mailed you. Please reply within 48 hours to claim your prize!SheilaBee also won on another blog and asked me to chose another winner...sooo here's the new winner! Comment #45electric island said...I actually want to win this book for my friend Laura who struggles with her weight alot due to diabetes.electricisland(at)gmail.com
1:28 PM, January 22, 2010

Denise's Daily Dozen WINNERS

2010-02-07T18:57:00.001-05:00

Random.org chose the following five comments as winners for the Denise's Daily Dozen giveaway! Congratulations to everyone! I've already e-mailed you. Please respond within 48 hours to claim your prize.

68 CLAIMED

hbokor said...

I follow publicly with Google Connect - hbokor. Thanks. heidibokor @ yahoo . com

11:03 AM, January 29, 2010

78 CLAIMED

wildcat32 said...: daily tweet http://twitter.com/5memb/status/8461051885 monster6236(at)gmail(dot)com; 1:33 PM, January 31, 2010

57 CLAIMED

traveler said...: Time to take fitness seriously and not put it off any longer. Weight and health is an issue. thanks for this chance. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com; 5:45 PM, January 27, 2010

8 LORI WON THIS BOOK ON ANOTHER BLOG AND HAS GENEROUSLY OFFERED HER WIN TO SOMEONE ELSE! THANK YOU LORI!

Lori Taube said...: Tweet: http://twitter.com/clctaube/status/8010240851 clctaube @ yahoo.com; 9:14 PM, January 20, 2010

42 CLAIMED

Anonymous said...: Followed you on Twitter! @bellanova85 greenlancer at comcast dot net; 6:11 AM, January 22, 2010

Tropical Traditions WINNER

2010-02-07T18:27:00.000-05:00

Random.org chose comment #27 of 164 comments as the winner. Congratulations! I've already e-mailed you. You have 48 hours to respond to claim your prize.

Anonymous said...

http://twitter.com/matt4melis/status/8309766567matt4melis at hotmail dot com

11:38 PM, January 27, 2010

Teddy's Pride WINNER

2010-02-07T18:21:00.000-05:00

Random.org chose comment #21 of 24 comments as the winner in the Teddy's Pride giveaway.

kathy pease said...: http://twitter.com/klp1965/status/8511315760; 2:52 PM, February 01, 2010; Congratulations! I've already e-mailed you. Please respond within 48 hours to claim your prize!

Totally Toned Arms WINNERS

2010-02-07T18:14:00.002-05:00

The following FIVE winners were chosen using Random.org.

You have all been e-mailed and have 48 hours to claim your prize.

Here are the lucky winners!

18 *CLAIMED*

Rebecca Graham said...: Following CoachRylan on Twitter: rhoneygee
12:45 AM, January 12, 2010

21 *CLAIMED*

Annette D said...: I am following you on twitter @annedoggett jedoggett@embarqmail.com; 10:25 AM, January 12, 2010

3 *CLAIMED*

Colleen said...: Tweeted: http://twitter.com/TalkingColleen/status/7650526773; 8:05 PM, January 11, 2010

88 *CLAIMED*

Oneangel said...: I learned there is a nutrition program included!; 5:45 AM, January 31, 2010

15 *CLAIMED*

Victoria said...: Following on google friend connect utgal2004[at]yahoo[dot]com; 10:06 PM, January 11, 2010

CONGRATULATIONS!

Giveaway Winners ARE Coming

2010-02-05T13:15:00.000-05:00

I know there have been several giveaways ending in the past week. I apologize for not having the winners announced and contacted, and will get that done by tomorrow night. I have been having some health issues, and have been to my general doc twice, my cardiologist twice and my neurologist once in the past two weeks. I have to have an MRI/MRA on Monday, and 3 different tests at the neurologist on Tuesday. Hopefully things will be back to normal shortly! I do have some reviews coming up, and will get them posted as soon as possible. Thanks for understanding!

Tropical Traditions Giveaway Update

2010-01-24T13:23:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure what happened, but comments were turned off for the Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil giveaway. I had no idea until someone e-mailed me about it last night (thanks again!). The comments have now been enabled. Sorry about that, and good luck!

A Note About Giveaway Entries

2010-01-22T22:19:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that any comments left for giveaway entries that do not follow the rules will be deleted. You may not enter ANY of my giveaways with a "please enter me" comment. Every giveaway has a mandatory main entry that requires you to visit a sponsor's website and/or answer a question. I've only had to delete a few entries because of this, but I thought I'd post a reminder.

Thank you to my readers who follow the rules!

Reading Glasses Shopper Winner

2010-01-22T22:09:00.000-05:00

Random.org chose comment #21 of 92 comments as the winner.

1993wel said...

I like the Boston frame.

2:30 PM, December 31, 2009

Congratulations! I've already e-mailed you. Please respond within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.

POM Wonderful Review

2010-01-21T18:24:00.001-05:00

My mom used to buy pomegranates when I was growing up, but it was such a pain to eat that she eventually stopped buying them. I was excited to be able to do a review for POM Wonderful. All that pomegranate goodness without the hassle of the fruit?! Sounds like a product for me!

A little about POM Wonderful:

POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice is a little bit sweet, a little bit tart and a whole lotta healthy. Bursting with superior levels of naturally occurring antioxidants and backed by $32 million in medical research, it’s also 100% authentic, 100% delicious and 100% pure, meaning there’s no added sugar, colorants or cheap filler juices. So raise a glass to life. And the pursuit of healthiness.

All of POM Wonderful Juices:

•contain no added sugars, preservatives or colors

•are a good source of potassium

•are gluten-free

•are flash pasteurized to retain both flavor and nutrients
•are certified kosher

You can find POM Wonderful Juices in the refrigerated section of the produce department of your local supermarket.

(http://www.pomwonderful.com/)

~MY THOUGHTS~

POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate juice is DELICIOUS! I drank a whole bottle in 2 days! I love that it tastes good and is good for me. I didn't know there were so many products offered by POM Wonderful, including an iced coffee! Hopefully my local supermarket will start carrying that so I can try it! The POM website has a ton of recipes, so you will never run out of ideas for your POM juice! I can't wait to try these yummy looking POM Velvet Cupcakes with POM Cream Cheese Frosting.

Want to keep up with Pom Wonderful?
Follow POM on Twitter!
Become a fan on Facebook!

Disclosure: I received complimentary POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate juice to facilitate my review. No other compensation was offered or received. All opinions are my own and were not influenced by receipt of a free product.

ReadingGlassesShopper.Com New Site Features

2010-01-21T17:46:00.000-05:00

Reading Glasses Shopper has recently added two new features to their website. If you're looking for information about various types of reading glasses, check out the reading glasses glossary! Do you know what hydrophobic is? I didn't until I visited! The second new feature on Reading Glasses Shopper is the eye health glossary. Here you will find all sorts of helpful information relating to eye health. Did you know that uveitis is an inflammation of the iris and pigmented tissues within the eye due to infection or an irregular immune reaction?

Don't forget....your chance to win a $20 gift certificate from Reading Glasses Shopper ends tonight! Enter here!

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post. I am posting it for the benefit of my readers.

Yes! To Cookies Winner!

2010-01-21T17:38:00.000-05:00

Random.org chose comment #2 of 172 comments as the winner.

Sara said...

Unfortunately between 1 and 3 percent of all pregnant women develop gestational diabetes and that frequency is on the rise.

2:16 PM, December 29, 2009

Congratulations, Sara! I've already e-mailed you. You have 48 hours to claim your prize, or another winner will be chosen.

Didn't win this time? Check out the giveaways currently running on my blog!

Ending TONIGHT ~ Reading Glasses Shopper $20 Gift Certificate

Ending 1/31 ~ Totally Toned Arms 5 Winners

Ending 2/1 ~ Teddy's Pride Pet Oral Care

Ending 2/2 ~ Denise's Daily Dozen 5 Winners

Ending 2/2 ~ Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil Review & Giveaway *CLOSED**

2010-01-19T20:59:00.035-05:00

I never thought I would find an oil that SMELLS GOOD! I can't stand the smell of oil, but my fiance loves food fried in oil. Now we can both be happy! I received the Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil in the 32 oz container. A little goes a long way, so this oil lasts a long time! I used it to cook chicken tenders. As I was heating the oil in the pan, I noticed a faint coconut smell (which is great...I LOVE the smell of coconut!). It remained a faint smell as I was cooking the chicken. You can use it just like you'd use any other type of oil. The chicken was delicious! There's a slight coconut taste, but I also didn't season my chicken very much because I wanted to see if the coconut taste would come through.

Cooking isn't the only use for Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil though! Here are some uses, from the Tropical Traditions FAQ Page: There are many ways to use coconut oil and incorporate it into one’s diet. Since it is a stable cooking oil, one can simply replace unhealthy oils in their diet with coconut oil. Since it is a solid most of the time at room temperature or when refrigerated, it can be a butter or margarine substitute for spreads or for baking. Any recipe calling for butter, margarine, or any other oil can be substituted for coconut oil. It is popularly mixed in with “smoothies.” Many people do eat it simply by the spoon full. If you refrigerate or freeze Virgin Coconut Oils the taste changes completely, and some describe it like a “candy” or “white chocolate.” Some people fill up ice cube trays with coconut oil and then store them in the freezer. Some people use it as a spread, and a lot of people put it into their coffee or tea. I heard coconut oil is great for the hair and scalp, so I'm going to try that next!

~WIN IT~

One lucky winner will receive a quart of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

MANDATORY MAIN ENTRY

(YOU MUST DO THIS BEFORE ANY BONUS ENTRIES. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE THE MAIN ENTRY, BONUS ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED)

Watch the video above, and leave a comment telling me something you learned.

BONUS ENTRIES

*Subscribe to my blog e-mail and confirm (1 extra entry)

*Follow my blog publicly through google friend connect (1 extra entry)

*Follow me on twitter @hunniebee724 (1 extra entry...leave your twitter name in your comment)

*Follow @Troptraditions on Twitter (1 extra entry...leave your twitter name in your comment)

*Tweet about this giveaway and leave the link in a comment (1 extra entry daily)

You may use this tweet: Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil #giveaway @hunniebee724 http://tinyurl.com/ylordrd Ends 2/2

*Become a fan of Tropical Traditions on facebook (1 extra entry...leave your facebook name in your comment)

*Subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Newsletter (2 extra entries...leave 2 separate comments)

*Check out FreeCoconutRecipes.com and tell me your favorite recipe. (1 extra entry)

*Blog about this giveaway. You must link back to this giveaway and leave the link to your blog in your comment. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

*E-mail about this giveaway if you do not have a blog. You must e-mail 5 people for this to count, and cc me at sweetmissa at gmail dot com. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

**Enter to win $1,000 using this link: http://www.williampaid.com/promo/freerentsweeps/?rfid=1286 (3 extra entries...leave 3 separate comments)

This giveaway will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, February 2, 2010. Any comments received after that time will be deleted. Comments that do not follow my guidelines will be deleted as well. This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian Residents, 18+. Please leave your e-mail in your comment if it is not public on your blogger profile.

Disclosure: I received a free product to facilitate this review. No other compensation was offered or received. The opinions in this post are my own and were not influenced by receipt of a free product.

Denise's Daily Dozen Review & Giveaway 5 WINNERS CLOSED

2010-01-19T20:05:00.003-05:00

~ABOUT THE BOOK~ Denise Austin shares the perfect plan for anyone who wants to live better and lose weight but can't seem to find the time. Denise's Daily Dozen covers a whole range of health and diet-related concepts managed in a no-stress, time-conscious program of "twelves" to keep you flexible, strong, trim, and feeling great about yourself. Denise knows these methods work because she uses them personally to stay fit and looking fabulous, and they've worked for countless others, too!

Organized into seven chapters--one for each day of the week--this perfectly balanced lifestyle program offers a three-week healthy meal plan with simple recipes and delicious foods. Each chapter also features a fully illustrated, total body workout of twelve simple and fun exercises you can do in just twelve minutes any time during the day. Cardio, fat-burning, toning, yoga: they're all here but in a way that maximizes effect while minimizing time. Denise also gives inspiring encouragement and advice in her numerous Daily Dozen tips, including ways to trim food costs as you trim your waistline, boost your energy level, get a better night's sleep, and inspire your family to join you. (Denise's Daily Dozen, back cover)

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

Denise Austin has been a health and fitness advocate for over twenty-five years and has sold over twenty million exercise videos and DVDs. She is a two-term member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Her show, Denise Austin's Daily Workout, has aired for over twenty-four years and is the top-rated fitness show in the history of television. Denise lives with her husband and daughters outside Washington, D.C. You can visit her website at http://www.deniseaustin.com/ (Denise's Daily Dozen, back cover)

~MY THOUGHTS~

I love this book! It's filled with healthy eating tips, food suggestions and easy to follow workouts. I can't do cardio right now (seeing a cardiologist next week to find out why I get extremely dizzy while doing cardio exercise), but the other workouts were perfect. The yoga is so relaxing...just what I need! I also love the fact that Denise doesn't make you give up wine, coffee or chocolate! I can't wait to try some of the recipes in this book, especially the Maple Glazed Grilled Salmon and the Blueberry Banana Smoothie!

~BUY IT~

You can purchase a paperback or e-book copy of this book on Amazon or at the various retailers listed here.

~WIN IT~

FIVE lucky readers will win a copy of Denise's Daily Dozen.

MANDATORY MAIN ENTRY

(YOU MUST DO THIS BEFORE ANY BONUS ENTRIES. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE THE MAIN ENTRY, BONUS ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED)

Leave a comment telling me why you want to win this book.

BONUS ENTRIES

*Subscribe to my blog e-mail and confirm (1 extra entry)

*Follow my blog publicly through google friend connect (1 extra entry)

*Follow me on twitter @hunniebee724 (1 extra entry...leave your twitter name in your comment)

*Follow @DeniseAustin_ on Twitter (1 extra entry...leave your twitter name in your comment)

*Tweet about this giveaway and leave the link in a comment (1 extra entry daily)

You may use this tweet: Denise Austin's Daily Dozen #giveaway! @hunniebee724 FIVE WINNERS! http://tinyurl.com/yzx7e6g Ends 2/2

*Become a fan of Denise Austin on facebook (1 extra entry...leave your facebook name in your comment)

*Blog about this giveaway. You must link back to this giveaway and leave the link to your blog in your comment. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

*E-mail about this giveaway if you do not have a blog. You must e-mail 5 people for this to count, and cc me at sweetmissa at gmail dot com. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

**Enter to win $1,000 using this link: http://www.williampaid.com/promo/freerentsweeps/?rfid=1286 (3 extra entries...leave 3 separate comments)

This giveaway will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, February 2, 2010. Any comments received after that time will be deleted. Comments that do not follow my guidelines will be deleted as well. This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents, 18+. Please leave your e-mail in your comment if it is not public on your blogger profile.

Disclosure: I was given the opportunity to review this book through my membership at The Product Review Place. I received a free copy of this book to facilitate my review. No other compensation was offered or received. The opinions in this post are my own and were not influenced by receipt of a free product.

Skin MD Natural Valentine's Day Giveaway Event

2010-01-15T19:27:00.000-05:00

Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion has totally saved my very dry skin this winter! My hands usually get so dry that they crack and bleed. Not this winter, thanks to this absolutely amazing lotion! You can read my review & giveaway post from December here. I love this stuff!

You can enter to win this huge prize basket from Skin MD Natural, valued at over $100!

Here's what you'll get if you win:

- Bottle of Skin MD Natural shielding lotion

- Bottle of Skin MD Natural + SPF 15 shielding lotion

- One pound of See's dark assorted chocolates

- Pack of Starbucks VIA Ready brew coffee pouches

- Kiss Me coffee mug

- A Cuddly teddy bear

- Lollipop Bouquet

Enter at http://www.skinmdnatural.com/forms/valentines-giveaway.php by February 8th!

Good Luck!

Disclosure: I will be receving one free bottle of Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion for my post. The opinions in this post are my own and have not been influenced by receipt of a free product.

Do you love giveaways?

2010-01-12T22:26:00.000-05:00

I'm a part of a new sweepstakes site called SweepsU thanks to Sondra at Simply Sondra!

Would you like to join? Just leave your e-mail address in a comment here, or contact me at sweetmissa(at)gmail(dot)com so I can send you an invitation!

From the SweepsU website:

SweepsU.com is an online sweepstaking newsletter and organizer that is currently under construction. We made our first public appearance at the 20th Annual National Sweepstakes Convention in Manchester, NH in July of 2009 when we took applications for the first round of closed beta testers.

We ARE currently accepting beta applications.

The anticipated production launch date for SweepsU.com is the first quarter of 2010.

What is sweepstaking?

For those who may not be familiar with this hobby, we thought we'd take a moment to explain.

On the face of it, it's probably obvious that it is the entering of sweepstakes. However, a few things that are not obvious:

•Along with a wide variety of random drawing type sweepstakes, there are also skill contests such as writing, video production, cooking and much much more.

•There is a very large community of individuals who participate in sweepstaking as a hobby on a regular basis. There is also an informal organization that assists in organizing annual national conventions.

•Sweepstakers span the entire spectrum of age, from pre-teen to individuals in their 90s.

•The sheer number of sweepstakes and contests running at any given time is astronomical. In the 10s of thousands for the US alone.

•There are those who have won 17 vehicles (current record for single individual), others have won an island, many have won houses, trips, cash, electronics, etc.

•This is a hobby; most sweepstakers hold full-time jobs, are retirees, stay-at-home moms, students, etc and just spend as much of their spare time as they see fit.

•Sweepstakers are consumers and make a point of purchasing and supporting the product sponsors who provide them with this phenomenal hobby.

What is a sweepstaking newsletter?

The most important tool for any sweepstaker is a good newsletter. It provides the information that is necessary for sweepstakers to find and enter promotions they would not have known about otherwise. Listed below are a few of the items you will find at SweepsU.com

•A listing of current sweepstakes and skill contests with the necessary information for entering.

•Sweeps Management System - a program that allows you to organize your sweepstakes and enter more in less time.

•Articles on subjects of interest to sweepstakers that will provide information and insight into the different aspects of the hobby.

•Blogs and articles from your editors, and industry and hobby personalities.

•Forums where new sweepstakers can ask questions and all sweepers can communicate directly with each other.

•A community that allows sweepers to get to know each other on a new, more personal level.

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this posting. Just wanted to share my love of sweeping with you all!

Your chance to be on a Cheerios box!

2010-01-11T21:39:00.000-05:00

With nearly 50 million Americans, including 17 million children, suffering from food insecurity last year, a 36 percent increase from the year before, leading nutrition and food policy expert Marion Nestle has identified “hunger” as one of the leading food issues of 2010. However, it’s not always easy to put a “face” on the devastating effects of hunger. Through creative expression, ShopRite Partners in Caring hopes this contest can not only raise awareness but propel people to get involved.

You could be one of six (individuals or groups) to be featured on a limited-edition Cheerios box and have your video featured on the ShopRite Partners In Caring website (http://www.shopritepartnersincaring.org/). In addition, ten honorable mention winners will receive a new video camera!

How to Enter:

· Electronically submit a video of an original song, poem, performance art, or dramatically read story that creatively describes the plight of the hungry or offers a solution to hunger.

· The video should compel others to become engaged in the fight against hunger in our communities.

· Enter by clicking the “Entry Form” button at http://www.expressionsofhunger.com/.

· You can see example videos on http://www.expressionsofhunger.com/.

Judging Criteria:

Up to a maximum of forty (40) points will be awarded by each judge for each valid entry based on the following criteria:

Originality (10 pts)

Creativity (10 pts)

Ability to evoke emotion (10 pts)

Ability to generate awareness of hunger (10 pts)

Prizes:

· Up to six grand prize winners in the Expressions of Hunger video contest will have their stories and pictures featured on a limited-edition Cheerios box available exclusively in ShopRite stores in September, 2010.

· Ten honorable mention winners will receive a video camera.

· All winning entries will be featured on the ShopRite Partners In Caring website and the Expressions of Hunger contest website, as well as on ShopRite’s YouTube page.

Additional Contest Details:

· All entries must be submitted by an adult aged 18 or over between January 1, 2010 and midnight EST, March 1, 2010.

· All entrants must reside in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland or Delaware.

· All videos should be a maximum of three minutes and no larger than 25MB.

· Entries are limited to one for each person or group.

· For additional contest rules please visit: http://www.expressionsofhunger.com/.

· Complete contest rules are available on http://www.expressionsofhunger.com/.

Disclosure: I posted this to spread awareness about hunger and for the benefit of my readers. I was not compensated in any way for this post.

Stinky Pet Breath....BE GONE with Teddy's Pride! Review & Giveaway CLOSED*

2010-01-11T19:27:00.003-05:00

This is Smokey, my brother's very adorable black lab puppy. He's sweet, funny, and LOOOVES to give a ton of hugs and kisses. How could you not love that face?! The only problem is his VERY STINKY breath!

Well, thanks to Teddy's Pride, stinky breath is no longer a problem! All it took was a few days of sprinkling Teddy's Pride Oral Care for Dogs and Cats on Smokey's food, and his stinky breath is GONE!

ABOUT TEDDY'S PRIDE ORAL CARE FOR DOGS AND CATS

Teddy's Pride is the first ever all-natural probiotics breath freshener and teeth whitener created especially for dogs and cats. Daily use of Teddy's Pride Pet Oral Care provides a quick, simple and effective way to naturally promote fresher breath and whiter teeth without the hassle, stress, and poor results of trying to brush your pets' teeth or investing in costly and potentially dangerous cleaning procedures requiring anesthesia at the veterinarian's office. Simply sprinkling Teddy's Pride Pet Oral Care--which has no taste and no odor--on pets' food once each day ensures that they will have naturally fresher breath and cleaner, whiter teeth.

BUY IT

You can buy Teddy's Pride online at TeddysPride.com. A 2 month supply is $24.95 plus $7.95 shipping and handling. Good oral care in pets is one of the key factors to having a healthy dog or cat, so I think the price is well worth it.

WIN IT

One lucky reader will win a two month supply of Teddy's Pride Oral Care.

MANDATORY MAIN ENTRY
(YOU MUST DO THIS BEFORE ANY BONUS ENTRIES. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE THE MAIN ENTRY, BONUS ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED)

Go to the Teddy's Pride website, then come back here and tell me something you found interesting.

BONUS ENTRIES

*Subscribe to my blog e-mail and confirm (1 extra entry)

*Follow my blog publicly through google friend connect (1 extra entry)

*Follow me on twitter @hunniebee724 (1 extra entry...leave your twitter name in your comment)

*Follow @TeddysPride on twitter (1 extra entry...leave your twitter name in your comment)

*Tweet about this giveaway and leave the link in a comment (1 extra entry daily)

You may use this tweet: Teddy's Pride Pet Oral Care #giveaway @hunniebee724 http://tinyurl.com/ykkajo8 Ends 2/1

*Become a fan of Teddy's Pride on Facebook (1 extra entry...leave your facebook name in your comment)

*Blog about this giveaway. You must link back to this giveaway and leave the link to your blog in your comment. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

*E-mail about this giveaway if you do not have a blog. You must e-mail 5 people for this to count, and cc me at sweetmissa at gmail dot com. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

**Enter to win $1,000 using this link: http://www.williampaid.com/promo/freerentsweeps/?rfid=1286 (3 extra entries...leave 3 separate comments)

This giveaway will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, February 1, 2010. Any comments received after that time will be deleted. Comments that do not follow my guidelines will be deleted as well. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents, 18+. Please leave your e-mail in your comment if it is not public on your blogger profile.

Disclosure: I was given the opportunity to review this product through my membership at The Product Review Place. I received a 2 month supply of Teddy's Pride to facilitate my review. No other compensation was offered or received. The opinions in this post are my own and were not influenced by receipt of a free product.

Totally Toned Arms Review and Giveaway 5 WINNERS CLOSED

2010-01-11T18:15:00.005-05:00

Some of my readers may know that I'm getting married in August. I found my dress a few weeks ago, and absolutely LOVE it. It's a halter top dress, so I am hoping to tone my arms up before the wedding. I jumped on the chance to review Totally Toned Arms: Get Michelle Obama Arms in 21 Days by Rylan Duggan, CSCS because I, as well as many others, have admired Michelle Obama's arms since she first appeared in the media.

ABOUT THE BOOK

"Since she burst into the public consciousness, Michelle Obama has proudly displayed her lean, toned, and sexy arms, which have become the envy of women everywhere. Across the country women are calling their personal trainers and saying, "I want Michelle Obama arms." Now certified personal trainer and body-sculpting authority Rylan Duggan presents his groundbreaking program designed to help you develop amazingly toned arms. This easy-to-follow three-week program will boost your metabolism, burn fat and build muscle." (Totally Toned Arms, Back Cover)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rylan Duggan is a practicing kinesiologist, certified personal trainer, and certified strength and conditioning specialist. He owns and operates Adonis Fitness, a kinesiology practice and personal training studio, in Vernon, British Columbia. He is also the founder of GoSleeveless.com and author of the Go Sleeveless e-book series. Rylan lives with his wife, award-winning photographer, Ashley Duggan, in Coldstream, British Columbia, Canada.

MY THOUGHTS

The exercises provided in this book are easy to understand and require only minimal equipment (free weights, stability ball and resistance bands). I don't have any of them right now, but will definitely be heading out to get them so I can begin these workouts. For many of the exercises, a gym version is also available so you could maximize your gym membership by doing these exercises there. In the Cardiovascular Training section, Rylan included a "Ratings of Perceived Exertion" chart so you can figure out you're level of intensity during a workout. I love the Nutrition Program that's included in this book. There's 10 nutritional commandments, food guidelines, meal breakdowns, tips on portion control and even a grocery list! I would recommend this book for anyone looking to tone up and eat better.

BUY IT

You can buy Totally Toned Arms from Amazon for $10.39.

WIN IT

FIVE lucky readers will each receive a copy of Totally Toned Arms.

MANDATORY MAIN ENTRY(YOU MUST DO THIS BEFORE ANY BONUS ENTRIES. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE THE MAIN ENTRY, BONUS ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED)

Check out the Go Sleeveless Blog, then come back here and tell me what you learned.

BONUS ENTRIES

*Subscribe to my blog e-mail and confirm (1 extra entry)

*Follow my blog publicly through google friend connect (1 extra entry)

*Follow me on twitter @hunniebee724 (1 extra entry...leave your twitter name in your comment)

*Follow @CoachRylan on twitter (1 extra entry...leave your twitter name in your comment)

*Tweet about this giveaway and leave the link in a comment (1 extra entry daily)

You may use this tweet: Totally Toned Arms #giveaway @hunniebee724 FIVE WINNERS! http://tinyurl.com/yz4bp47 Ends 1/31

*Blog about this giveaway. You must link back to this giveaway and leave the link to your blog in your comment. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

*E-mail about this giveaway if you do not have a blog. You must e-mail 5 people for this to count, and cc me at sweetmissa at gmail dot com. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

**Enter to win $1,000 using this link: http://www.williampaid.com/promo/freerentsweeps/?rfid=1286 (3 extra entries...leave 3 separate comments)

This giveaway will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, January 31, 2010. Any comments received after that time will be deleted. Comments that do not follow my guidelines will be deleted as well. This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents, 18+. Please leave your e-mail in your comment if it is not public on your blogger profile.

Mommy23Monkeys Chocomize Giveaway

2010-01-11T13:22:00.000-05:00

Mommy23Monkeys.com is also offering a Chocomize giveaway! One lucky reader will win a $40 gift certificate to make his/her own chocolate bars! This Romance bar, also under favorites, looks yummy too!

Enter at Mommy23Monkeys by January 15th!

Chocomize Giveaway at One 2 Try

2010-01-11T13:09:00.000-05:00

Chocomize is a company that lets you create your own chocolate bars! TWO lucky One 2 Try readers will each win a $40 gift certificate to make your own dark, milk or white chocolate bars!

This is called "Thats Nuts" under the Favorites section of the site. Doesn't it look yummy?!

Enter at One 2 Try by January 19th!

GlassesUSA Giveaway at Blessings Abound

2010-01-10T02:21:00.001-05:00

My parents and brother all need new glasses, so one of them will be the real winner if I win this giveaway! GlassesUSA has great styles for men and women, and has great reviews!

Enter at Blessings Abound by January 12th for your chance to win.

Amazon Kindle or Sony Reader?

2010-01-09T09:43:00.000-05:00

I've loved to read since I was a little girl. I currently have a 5 shelf bookcase overflowing with books, and 3 shelves of books still at my parents house. My small apartment just can't hold all of the books I want to read! I've decided it's time to get an e-book reader, but I can't decide if I want the Sony Reader or the Amazon Kindle. Do you have one? Which would you recommend?

WINNER! Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Women

2010-01-07T10:02:00.000-05:00

Random.org chose comment #19 of 191 comments as the winner of the Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Women giveaway.

Comment #19

Ann On and On... said...

Chicken Soup, What I learned from my dog.... That would be so fun to read. My mother, who I would give this book to for her birthday, would love this book! Thanks for the opportunity to win.

7:48 PM, December 26, 2009

Congratulations Ann! You've been e-mailed and have 48 hours to respond. I hope your mother enjoys this book as much as I have!

Book Review: The Sweet By and By ~ Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck

2010-01-05T21:02:00.001-05:00

When I saw the opportunity to review this book through Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger program, I had never heard of Sara Evans. I'm not a country music fan, but I chose to review this book because it sounded like an interesting story. The Sweet By and By is a redemptive story from multi-platinum recording artist Sara Evans.

Jade Fitzgerald left the pain of her past in the dust when she headed out for college a decade ago. Now she's thriving in her career and glowing in the light of Max Benson's love.

But then Jade's hippie mother, Beryl Hill, arrives in Whisper Hollow, Tennessee, for Jade's wedding along with Willow, her wild younger sister. Their arrival forces Jade to throw open the dark closets of her past--the insecurity of living with a restless, wandering mother, the silence of her absent father, and the heart-ripping pain of first-love's rejection.

Turns out Beryl has a secret of her own. She needs reconciliation with her oldest daughter before illness takes her life. In the final days leading to the wedding, Jade meets the One who shows her that the past has no hold on her future. With a little grace, they'll meet in the middle, maybe even before that sweet by and by.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The characters and situations in this book are realistic, and I could identify with various events in the characters lives. The storyline gets deeper and deeper as the book progresses, and I found myself not wanting to put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fictional story full of inspiration. As the author states, "It's about looking backward while moving forward." That's something we should all do...embrace our past, learn from it, and keep moving ahead.

Disclosure: I was provided with a free copy of this book in order to write a review. No other compensation was offered or received. The opinions are my own and were not influenced by receipt of a free product.

Keurig Platinum Giveaway at J. Leigh Designz

2010-01-05T18:50:00.001-05:00

Want a chance to win a Keurig Platinum Brewer? Check out J. Leigh Designz by February 15th!

New Bonus Entry for the Reading Glasses Shopper Giveaway!

2010-01-04T12:27:00.000-05:00

I just found out that Reading Glasses Shopper now has a twitter page! If you'd like to earn an extra bonus entry, follow them on twitter and be sure to post your comment on the giveaway post for it to count.

Rachael Ray Double Burner Griddle Giveaway at Leslie Loves Veggies

2010-01-03T18:02:00.000-05:00

I love Rachael Ray! I have almost all of her cookbooks and watched her show on Food Network all the time. Cablevision/Optimum io just dropped Food Network, so no more Rachael Ray. :-( Robby loves pancakes, but without a griddle, I always end up with cold pancakes by the time I'm finished! I could definitely use this griddle! Enter at Leslie Loves Veggies to win this Rachael Ray Porcelain Enamel 18" x 9.6" Double Burner Griddle in Orange {$49.95 Value}!

I need a button!

2009-12-30T23:42:00.000-05:00

I want a button! I have no idea how to make my own....any suggestions on where to learn, or where to go to get one?

Thanks!

~Missa~

Coupon Mom Show

2009-12-30T22:42:00.000-05:00

The Coupon Mom is AMAZING! If you're like me and constantly look for deals and coupons, her show is JUST what you need!

Stephanie Nelson, better known as Coupon Mom™, has appeared on numerous television shows (The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, and others) to share her remarkable tips and tricks for getting the biggest bang for your buck without sacrificing on quality! Now you too can learn the tips and tricks of strategic shopping and see how to save big money with the Coupon Mom Show!

With 1 new episode posted weekly until late April, you’ll know everything about saving from shopping at grocery stores and drug stores to eating at restaurants inexpensively and even entertaining on a budget. There are even a lot of fun hands-on challenges and an intensive savings boot camp! Perfect for any real family learning to save money! If you're hoping to save 25% or 50% or even up to 75% this show can help!

The first 2 episodes are already up on youtube. In the first episode, The Coupon Mom prepares a holiday dinner for 30 people for ONLY $43.66! In the second episode, she shares her secrets for eating out on a budget. New episodes will be up every Thursday, so be sure to check each week.

You can also post your own challenges for The Coupon Mom on the Coupon Mom Show website!

Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for this post. It is only for the benefit of my readers.

Reading Glasses Shopper Review and Giveaway CLOSED*

2009-12-30T21:45:00.007-05:00

When I found out about Reading Glasses Shopper, I immediately thought of my mom. My dad, brother and I have all worn glasses since we were children. My mom was the only one in the house with "good eyes." A few years ago, she started to need reading glasses, and since then has gone through countless pairs. She couldn't afford the "better" reading glasses, so she always bought them from a dollar store or Walgreens. Obviously, they didn't last long. She either lost them or they broke soon after she bought them. It was also hard for her to find the 4.0 strength that she needed in the local stores. When the wonderful ladies at Reading Glasses Shopper agreed to send my mom a pair to try out, we were both excited. She chose The Daytona Beach style in Red. She called me as soon as they arrived and said she loved the way they looked. She's been using them for about a week now and loves them! She said they're comfortable to wear and well made, so she's not afraid of breaking them. She also couldn't believe the price...less than $15!

Check the Women's Reading Glasses out yourself! Reading Glasses Shopper also has a facebook page. Become a fan so you can stay up to date on the latest offers!

~BUY IT~

You can purchase fabulous reading glasses, including bifocal reading glasses, at the Reading Glasses Shopper website. They also have styles for men, and ALL are UNDER $20!

~WIN IT~

One lucky reader will win a $20 Gift Certificate for Reading Glasses Shopper!

MANDATORY MAIN ENTRY

(YOU MUST DO THIS BEFORE ANY BONUS ENTRIES. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE THE MAIN ENTRY, BONUS ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED)

Go to the Reading Glasses Shopper website and tell me which style you would choose.

BONUS ENTRIES

*Subscribe to my blog by e-mail and confirm (1 extra entry)

*Follow my blog publicly through google friend connect (1 extra entry)

*Follow me on twitter @hunniebee724 (1 extra entry. Leave your twitter name in your comment)

*Tweet about this giveaway and leave the link in a comment (1 extra entry daily)
You can copy & paste this tweet: Reading Glasses Shopper #giveaway @hunniebee724 http://tinyurl.com/ylsqf96 Win a $20 Gift Certificate! Ends 1/21

*Follow Reading Glasses Shopper on twitter @RdgGlassesShopr (1 extra entry)

*Become a fan of Reading Glasses Shopper on Facebook (1 extra entry. Leave your facebook name in your comment)

*Blog about this giveaway. You must link back to this giveaway and leave the link to your blog in your comment. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

*E-mail about this giveaway if you do not have a blog. You must e-mail 5 people for this to count, and cc me at sweetmissa at gmail dot com. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

**Enter to win $1,000 using this link: http://www.williampaid.com/promo/freerentsweeps/?rfid=1286 (3 extra entries...leave 3 separate comments)

This giveaway will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 21, 2010. Any comments received after that time will be deleted. Comments that do not follow my guidelines will be deleted as well. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents, 18+. Please leave your e-mail in your comment if it is not public on your blogger profile.

Disclosure: My mom received a free pair of reading glasses to facilitate this review. No other compensation was offered or received. The opinions in this post are my own and were not influenced by receipt of free products.

Good-Bye 2009

2009-12-30T11:41:00.001-05:00

This year has been one of the most interesting years of my life.

Besides both of my parents being in and out of the hospital, here are some of the biggest ups and downs of the year:

January...Robby got into a car accident, totaled the car and hurt his back and neck pretty badly.

February 14th....After all that we'd been through, Robby and I broke up. YES on Valentine's Day!

February 22nd....Robby text me out of the blue and asked to talk to me. I told him absolutely not. I wanted nothing to do with him. I just wanted to move on. He asked again and again until I said fine. He came over and told me that he had a lot to say, and didn't want to forget anything, so he wrote it down in a letter. It's a good thing he wrote it down, because I would've never known what he said since I was hysterically crying after the first paragraph. At the end of the letter, he got down on one knee and PROPOSED...RING AND ALL! I was in so much shock that I couldn't say anything. After about 10 minutes he said, "Is that a yes?" I said yes, because I knew there were underlying reasons for the break-up that were not either of our fault, and because I knew that he wouldn't have asked unless he was 100% sure he was ready to get married.

April...I got laid off from my dream job. I was teaching at the high school I graduated from, which was in walking distance from my house. A week later, my Uncle Dom passed away.

May...Less than 2 weeks after Uncle Dom passed away, his sister, Zizi (Auntie in Italian) Rosie passed away. Robby and I booked a cruise wedding and sent out our save the dates.

June...My baby brother graduated from high school, and since I worked at the school, I was able to be on stage and give him his diploma. Robby moved in with me.

July....My brother and parents adopted a black lab mix, Smokey. As we were driving home from the adoption fair, we got into a car accident. Mom and I hurt our necks and backs, but Frankie and Smokey were ok.

August...I anxiously waited for a call from BHS asking me to come back to work for them, but it didn't come. I sent my resume to the charter high school connected to the university I attended for my BA and MA, and luckily they were looking for a Special Ed teacher.

November...I started doing reviews & giveaways on my blog. Dad finds out he needs kidney surgery AND cataract surgery. I found my wedding dress.

December...Kidney surgery went well, but he had complications and had to stay in the hospital longer than originally though. It was scary, but he pulled through. Cataract surgery was put on hold until January.

I am looking forward to saying good-bye to 2009, and welcoming 2010! I can't believe that when I write my good-bye 2010 post, I will have been MARRIED for 4 months!

Yes! To Cookies Review and Giveaway CLOSED

2009-12-29T12:09:00.004-05:00

Diabetes runs in my family. My grandfather and uncle both passed away due to complications of diabetes. My cousin has it, and my mother had gestational diabetes when she was pregnant with my younger brother. I have always had low blood sugar, hypoglycemia, but still need to watch my sugar intake. My dad has ulcerative colitis, and was on a gluten-free diet when I was a kid. When I saw Yes! To Cookies had no gluten AND no sugar, I thought these would be the perfect cookies for my family!

I was given the opportunity to try the ready to eat Strawberry-Banana Blitz and the Cocoa-Licious cookie mix. The Strawberry-Banana Blitz cookies taste just like a smoothie. I ate almost the entire box before remembering to send some over to my parents and brother to try! They thought they were good, but they're chocolate eaters, so they didn't think they were great. The Cocoa-Licious cookie mix was SO easy to make. You just have to add butter and 2 eggs to the mix, put them on the cookie sheet and bake! I expected more of a chocolate taste, but they were still good. My fiance doesn't like anything he thinks is "health" food, so he wouldn't try them. I sent most of the batch over to my parents and brother's house. My mom likes most things, so it wasn't surprising that she loved the Cocoa-Licious. My brother and father are pretty picky, but even THEY loved them! My brother didn't even know they were sugar free!

The story behind Yes! To Cookies

~BUY IT~

You can purchase Yes! To Cookies on the Yes! To Cookies website.

~WIN IT~

One lucky reader will win a Yes! To Cookies prize pack consisting of a container of ready to eat Strawberry-Banana Blitz, a container of ready to eat Cocoa-Licious, a Strawberry-Banana Blitz cookie mix and a Cocoa-Licious cookie mix. (Almost a $50 value!)

MANDATORY MAIN ENTRY

(YOU MUST DO THIS BEFORE ANY BONUS ENTRIES. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE THE MAIN ENTRY, BONUS ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED)

Go to the Yes! To Cookies website and tell me something you learned.

BONUS ENTRIES

*Subscribe to my blog e-mail and confirm (1 extra entry)

*Follow my blog publicly through google friend connect (1 extra entry)

*Follow me on twitter @hunniebee724 (1 extra entry)

*Tweet about this giveaway and leave the link in a comment (1 extra entry daily)

You may use this tweet: Yes! To Cookies review & #giveaway @hunniebee724 Ends 1/19 http://tinyurl.com/ylq8gbn

*Blog about this giveaway. You must link back to this giveaway and leave the link to your blog in your comment. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

*E-mail about this giveaway if you do not have a blog. You must e-mail 5 people for this to count, and cc me at sweetmissa at gmail dot com. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

**Enter to win $1,000 using this link: http://www.williampaid.com/promo/freerentsweeps/?rfid=1286 (3 extra entries...leave 3 separate comments)

This giveaway will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, January 19, 2010. Any comments received after that time will be deleted. Comments that do not follow my guidelines will be deleted as well. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents, 18+. Please leave your e-mail in your comment if it is not public on your blogger profile.

Disclosure: I received a box of ready to eat Strawberry-Banana Blitz cookies and a box of Cocoa-Licious cookie mix to facilitate this review. No other compensation was offered or received. The opinions in this post are my own and were not influenced by receipt of free products.

Last chance to enter the 4th Annual Softlips Picture Perfect Lips Model Search

2009-12-29T11:33:00.001-05:00

Last Chance to Enter the 4th Annual Softlips® Picture Perfect Lips Model Search; ends December 31, 2009! Somebody is going to win a $2,500 cash prize, a year supply of Softlips and more!

If you’ve been told you have great lips, don’t “kiss off” the compliment. Instead, enter the Softlips® Picture Perfect Lips Search, sponsored for the fourth year by the popular Softlips® lip conditioning line of products. The 2009 winner will receive a cash prize of $2,500, a year’s supply of Softlips® lip care products, the possibility of becoming a professional lip model, and the prestige of having the prettiest pucker in America, which will be posted online for all to see at http://www.softlips.com/.

In addition to the grand-prize winner, there are also ten runners-up chosen by the judges who will take home a year supply of Softlips® lip care products, including a variety of flavors of the original Softlips® lip balm line (with SPF 20) and the new 100% natural, USDA-certified-organic Softlips® PURE line.

For the 2009 contest, there is the addition of a special “Fan Favorite” feature, as well, allowing Web site visitors to vote on their top choices from all the entries. The “Fan Favorite” will have received the most votes online, winning a year-supply of Softlips® lip products, as well.

The Softlips® Picture Perfect Lips Search is open to legal female U.S. residents, age 13 or older, and entrants will be judged by a panel of expert judges, including Danielle Korwin, president of the Parts Models modeling agency in New York City, the only modeling firm in the U.S. that specializes in parts models only – lips, eyes, hands, feet, etc.

For a full set of rules and photo guidelines, as well as an official entry form, visit http://www.softlips.com/. Contest entries will be accepted online (with digital image) or via U.S. mail at: Softlips® Picture Perfect Lips Search, P.O. Box 675, Mount Kisco, NY 10549, starting today, through December 31, 2009. All winners will be announced and prizes awarded in January 2010.

Disclosure: This post is for the benefit of my readers. No compensation was received.

Sony Reader Giveaway at Fiddledeedee!

2009-12-28T22:15:00.000-05:00

I enjoy reading, but I don't like having books all over the place with limited space! This would be perfect, because I'd still be able to have all of the books I love, but they'd all be stored in this Sony Reader! You can enter for a chance to win a Reader Pocket Edition™ valued at $199 from Fiddledeedee.net Reviews! Ends January 4th at 9:00 EST.

Keurig Platinum Giveaway at Feisty, Frugal & Fabulous

2009-12-28T21:31:00.000-05:00

Feisty, Frugal & Fabulous has an awesome giveaway going on right now for a Keurig Platinum Brewer! Ends 1/11.

New Year, New Blog Design Contest

2009-12-28T12:21:00.000-05:00

A new blog design is JUST what I need!

You can win a custom blog theme/template for self-hosted Wordpress or Blogger, up to 15 credits in istockphoto images for the design, a 125 x 125 px banner and up to 3 revisions of the blog sketch!

Some guidelines for the blog design: 1. The design will include fonts that are free for commercial use. 2. The theme/template will include a credit link in the footer. 3. The prize does not include plugin customization, or anything like that outside the theme itself. Uploading content to the blog is your responsibility. 4. If you have images you want included in the design, you must own them, or have a license for them. Using images right out of Google or other places won’t be possible.

To enter, you must complete all except number 4, which is optional. Be sure to post all entries in one comment. 1.Subscribe to the Blog via RSS or email. 2.Post about this contest on your blog using the banner below, and LINKING to this post with the guidelines. 3.Come back here and leave me comment with a link to your post, and tell me what is/was your New Year’s resolution for 2010!! 4.If you use Twitter, retweet about this Contest in Twitter to get twice the chances (and remember to leave me your twitter username in the comment)!!

Click here to go to Gisele Jaquenod & Birdie to enter.

Contest ends January 20th, 2010.

Keurig Platinum Coffee Maker Giveaway at Mommy PR

2009-12-27T23:11:00.000-05:00

Enter at Mommy PR for your chance to win the Keurig Platinum Coffee Maker! I have a Keurig and absolutely love it. My parents and brother loved it too, but I took it with me when I moved out. They miss the convenience and taste of the K-Cups, so I really want to win one for them! Ends January 4th.

Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion Winner

2009-12-27T09:42:00.000-05:00

Random.org chose comment 44 out of 83 comments as the winner in the Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion giveaway!

Congratulations to:

SheilaBee said...
Email subscribed and confirmed.

12:45 AM, December 26, 2009

Thanks to all who participated!

Check out my current giveaway for a chance to win a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Women, ending January 6th.

Be on the lookout for new reviews and giveaways coming soon, including Yes! to Cookies, Teddy's Pride, Reading Glasses Shopper, Obstacles Welcome, The Sweet By and By, Denise's Daily Dozen and Tropical Traditions!

Halls Refresh $100 AMEX Gift Card Giveaway at The Not-So-Blog

2009-12-22T20:40:00.000-05:00

Check out The Not-So-Blog for your chance to win a robe and slipper set AND a $100 AMEX Gift Card! Giveaway ends on January 4th at 11:59 p.m. CST. Enter here!

Halls Refresh Giveaway at Prissy Green

2009-12-22T18:01:00.001-05:00

You can win a Robe and Slipper set, along with a $100 AMEX gift card by entering Prissy Green's giveaway!

Ends 1/4/2010.

DJ Hero for Xbox 360 Giveaway at She Scribes!

2009-12-22T10:44:00.000-05:00

She Scribes is having a giveaway for a DJ Hero bundle for XBox 360! I am determined to win one for my baby bro! Enter here by December 31st!

Kmart Bluelight Specials for December 26th and 27th

2009-12-22T08:19:00.001-05:00

Bluelight Specials for this weekend 12/26 - 12/27:

· Gen gemstone earrings (reg.$ 39.99) sale $9.99

· Mushabellies (reg. $24.99) sale $7.99

· Digital Photo Keychain (reg. $19.99) sale $8.99 ( 65% off )

If you're like me, you're still not finished with your Christmas shopping. I usually have my shopping done in advance, but not this year. Luckily, Kmart has extended their shopping hours to 6am-12am through December 23rd and 6am-10pm December 24th! Use the following link to tweet about the new shopping hours and enter yourself for the daily drawing of a $50 Kmart Gift Card!

Shop @KmartDealsnNews extended Holiday hours: 6am-12am until 12/23 and 6am-10pm on 12/24! #KmartBLS.

DON'T FORGET!

The last day to enter the #KmartBLS sweepstakes is December 23rd - So keep the tweets coming and use the #KmartBLS hashtag before the contest is over! All those following @KmartDealsnNews on December 23rd will be entered to win the Grand Prize of a $500 Kmart shopping spree! The winner will be drawn on the 30th. For full details, make sure to check out http://tr.im/kmartbls Good luck!

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post. It is just for the benefit of my readers.

Sealy Posturepedic Innerspring Signature 11 Series Giveaway at Mommy Mandy!

2009-12-21T18:12:00.000-05:00

My fiance and I could totally use a new bed! The one we have isn't terrible, but we bought it before we both hurt our backs in separate car accidents this year and the bed just isn't cutting it anymore. We wake up with back pain and stiff necks, and I often wake up with migraines. A new Sealy Posturepedic Innerspring Signature 11 Series bed is just what we need!

Want a chance to win? Check out Mommy Mandy's blog!

Win DJ Hero for XBox 360 at MomStart!

2009-12-20T17:44:00.001-05:00

Can ya tell I'm REALLY trying to win this for my baby (and only) bro?! MomStart is giving away a DJ Hero for XBox 360...get there before December 28th to enter! You can also check out My Coke Rewards for more chances to win DJ Hero!

Win DJ Hero for Xbox 360 at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous!

2009-12-20T17:34:00.000-05:00

Check out Feisty, Frugal & Fabulous by December 31st for your chance to win DJ Hero for XBox 360!

Win DJ Hero for XBox 360 on The Dirty Shirt!

2009-12-20T12:02:00.000-05:00

This is on my brother's Christmas list and my parents & I would LOVE to be able to buy it for him, but money is tight this year and we can't afford it. I'm hoping to win this at The Dirty Shirt for him, but you can try to win too by entering here!

Winners to Announce!

2009-12-20T09:15:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to all of the winners! Please respond to your winning e-mail if you haven't already.

THE DOVE SELF-ESTEEM FUND GIVEAWAY (ended 12/15)

CLAIMED!

Random.org chose comment #114 of 124 comments as the winner.

Stephanie said...
I blogged #4:
http://thegrantsgiveaways.blogspot.com/2009/12/messages-from-missa-dove-giveaway.html

6:29 PM, December 15, 2009

HEALTHY MOUTH...HAPPY MOUTH GIVEAWAY (ended 12/19)
CLAIMED!

Random.org chose comment #22 of 69 comments as the winner:

Hearts N Flowers said...

daily tweet

http://twitter.com/MistySunrise/statuses/6287354918

7:51 PM, December 02, 2009

SEVEN: THE NUMBER FOR HAPPINESS, LOVE AND SUCCESS (ended 12/19)

5 Winners

Random.org chose the following comment numbers out of 65 comments:

~~giggling kids said...~~

~~i SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOW!~~

~~1:19 PM, December 19, 2009~~

Heather responded to my e-mail and said she'd like me to choose another winner because she won this book on another blog. Thanks Heather! The new winner is:

54--CLAIMED!
packerfantimmy said...

Voted for C.A.R.E. NJ-tim hughes

entry #5

11:47 AM, December 19, 2009

30--CLAIMED!

gsm57 said...

I subscribe.

7:24 AM, December 18, 2009

31--CLAIMED!

Hotsnotty2 said...

I'm following your blog, thanks!

5:02 PM, December 18, 2009

18--CLAIMED!
Kerrie said...

I am a follower!
2:42 PM, December 09, 2009

10--CLAIMED!

Carie said...
I voted for C.A.R.E. Companion Animal Rescue & Education

Bayonne, NJ!

Carie Shane

3:24 PM, December 04, 2009

There are currently 2 giveaways going on right now at Messages from Missa...check them out!

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotions for Women (Ends 1/6)

Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion (Ends 12/26)

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Women Review and Giveaway *CLOSED**

2009-12-18T17:28:00.008-05:00

But I will sing of your strength,

in the morning I will sing of your love;

for you are my fortress,

my refuge in times of trouble.
~Psalm 59:16

I've been collecting Chicken Soup for the Soul books since I was in high school. I have an entire bookshelf devoted to my favorites, and also have several of them in my classroom library. My students love them so much that they ask for EXTRA silent reading time just so they can read another story!

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Women by Susan M. Heim and Karen Talcott includes 101 Daily Devotions to Comfort, Encourage, and Inspire Women. It also includes two bonus devotions and an inspirational foreward from Jennifer Sands, a 9/11 widow, Christian author and speaker. Reading the story of the loss of her husband, her faith, and her battle with breast cancer, moved me to tears. She is a wonderful example of the phenomenal strength God will give you if you believe in Him. The book has chapters on faith, motherhood, life lessons, illness, God's helpers, parenting, relationships, loss, service to others, marriage and self-esteem. Each story has it's own inspirational Bible passage, followed by a prayer.

I turned straight to the section on marriage, because I'm getting married in August and enjoy reading about Christian relationships. The Miracle of Acceptance was an especially inspiring story of a pregnant woman whose husband had just relapsed in his alcoholism. I won't give away what happened...you'll have to read it yourself!

I would absolutely recommend this book to all Christian women. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down! It has earned its place on my Chicken Soup for the Soul shelf, and I look forward to reading it again and again as the stories of marriage, motherhood and parenting become more relevant to me.

~BUY IT~

Amazon - $10.17

~WIN IT~

One lucky winner will receive a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Women by Susan M. Heim and Karen Talcott!

MANDATORY MAIN ENTRY

(YOU MUST DO THIS BEFORE ANY BONUS ENTRIES. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE THE MAIN ENTRY, BONUS ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED)

Check out Chicken Soup for the Soul and tell me which book is currently your favorite!

Bonus Entries:

*Subscribe to my blog e-mail and confirm (1 extra entry)

*Follow my blog publicly through google friend connect (1 extra entry)

*Follow me on twitter @hunniebee724 (1 extra entry)

*Tweet about this giveaway and leave the link in a comment (1 extra entry daily)

You may use the following tweet: Chicken Soup for the Soul Devotional Stories for Women #giveaway @hunniebee724 http://tinyurl.com/yavu7md

*Blog about this giveaway. You must link back to this giveaway and leave the link to your blog in your comment. (5 extra entries)

*E-mail about this giveaway if you do not have a blog. You must e-mail 5 people for this to count, and cc me at sweetmissa at gmail dot com. (5 extra entries)

**Enter to win $1,000 using this link: http://www.williampaid.com/promo/freerentsweeps/?rfid=1286 (3 extra entries...leave 3 separate comments)

This giveaway will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday January 6, 2010. Any comments received after that time will be deleted. Comments that do not follow my guidelines will be deleted as well. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents. Please leave your e-mail in your comment if it is not public on your blogger profile.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of the above book in order to do this review. No other compensation was offered or accepted. The opinions expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced by receipt of a free product. Thank you, Susan Heim, for the opportunity to review your amazing book!

A Giveaway to sell your "Soul" for at A Park Avenue Princess

2009-12-18T16:24:00.000-05:00

Check out A Park Avenue Princess for a chance to win your choice of either a Kindle 2, Sony Pocket E-Reader or the new Barnes & Noble Nook AND MORE! Grand Prize: your choice of either a Kindle 2, Sony Pocket E-Reader or the new Barnes & Noble Nook, with the Liquid Soul e-book included! Second Prize: (Two Winners) Hardcover copy of LIQUID SOUL *signed* and a Gift Card for $20.00 to Amazon.com! Third Prize: (Five Winners) A *signed* Trade Copy of LIQUID SOUL! Enter at A Park Avenue Princess...there's lots of ways to enter!

Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter Squares

2009-12-18T14:25:00.000-05:00

Have you noticed that most of the giveaways I post about entering have something to do with food? That's because I love food, ESPECIALLY chocolate! I can't go more than a day or two without having at least one piece of chocolate so of course I was excited to have the opportunity to review Ghirardelli Peanut Butter filled Milk Chocolate Squares from SheSpeaks! When it arrived, I tried to hide the package from my fiance, who is also a chocolate lover. That didn't last very long though! I was hooked from the first bite. These squares aren't as big as the chocolate bars we're used to, but they're so rich and delicious you don't need a big serving of it! The balance of milk chocolate, peanut butter and crunchy roasted peanuts is just right...I'm glad they sent me coupons because I will definitely be buying more!

Disclosure: I received a bag of Ghirardelli Squares from SheSpeaks.com. The opinions here are my own and were not influenced by reciept of a free product.

Start the new year off Eco-Friendly with She Scribes & Reduce Every Day!

2009-12-16T20:17:00.000-05:00

Reduce waste and drink water in style! Check out Reduce Every Day's Waterweek collection and other products!

You can win your own Waterweek set at She Scribes. Enter here!

Kmart Bluelight Specials for December 19th and 20th

2009-12-16T17:50:00.000-05:00

Christmas is almost here! With the holidays around the corner, Kmart has extended their shopping hours from 6am-12am through December 23rd and 6am-10pm December 24th. Below you will find the Kmart Bluelight Specials for this weekend:

· Boys/Girls Licensed Hoodies $8 (reg. $18.99)

· Essential Home 10 pc Sets $29.99 (reg. $49.99)

· Rollercade $49.99 (reg. $79.99)

Don’t forget to follow @KmartDealsnNews and use the #KmartBLS hashtag for a chance to win every day! For more info & rules: http://tr.im/KmartBLS. Good luck!

Win an HP TOUCHSMART!

2009-12-13T16:59:00.000-05:00

I would LOOOOOOOVE to have this computer! It does so much! Check out HP TouchSmart's features here.

Enter at the following blogs for your chance to win one! All giveaways end on Christmas Eve.

KELLY'S REVIEWS

TOTALLY TOGETHER REVIEWS

MCKGIVEAWAYS

BOO MAMA

NIENIE DIALOGUES

HP Envy 13 Laptop Giveaway at The Fashionable Housewife

2009-12-13T15:53:00.000-05:00

Check out The Fashionable Housewife for your chance to win an HP Envy 13 laptop with Windows 7! This would be a great gift for my parents, who don't have a computer and cannot afford to buy one due to overwhelming medical bills. It would also be great for my dad when he's stuck in the hospital for days. Enter here!

Expo Giveaway at Desperately Seeking Deals

2009-12-13T15:20:00.000-05:00

Thank you D, for letting me know about this giveaway! Want to win an Expo Low Odor Markers gift pack? Enter here! Giveaway ends on December 15, 2009 at 9:00 pm pst.

Win over $650 in coupons from Free Sample Momma

2009-12-13T10:36:00.000-05:00

Free Sample Momma is giving away over $650 in coupons! Hurry over there...Contest ends Monday 12/14/09 at 8 pm est!

Enter here!

Vitalicious Muffin Tops and Brownies Giveaway at The Not-So-Blog

2009-12-12T21:11:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to try these for such a long time, but they're a little expensive for my bride to be budget!

Vitalicious Foods Inc. has generously offered one Not-So-Blog reader a SuperSampler pack of their very own (ARV $35.99)! Enter here!

Virgo, She Did It Her Way by Vernon Samuel Book Review

2009-12-12T19:43:00.002-05:00

"In life, Virgo had two choices, living their way or living her way. She realized that she would lose herself doing it their way and began to wonder if she could take her life back doing it her way. Determined, she set out on a journey to find the answer.

Virgo put everyone and everything first and learned the hard way what unappreciation was. The day finally came when she took a long hard look in the "mirror" and realized she had to change.

The mirror told her that "only you can make you happy and everyone else contributes to your happiness." Now the challenge will be who you choose to put first." (from Virgo, She Did It Her Way)

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I saw my younger self in Virgo several times throughout the book, and it made me grateful that God brought the "mirror" to me before I got myself into trouble. Like Virgo, I put others before myself for far too long and it took a lot of work for me to finally be able to say no to people and do things for me. The choice of words in some parts of the book seemed a little repetitive, however, I would recommend this book to anyone who struggles with putting their own happiness first. The book is set up so that there's a "diary" page next to each written page so the reader can take notes, which is a nice feature.

Want to see inside the book? Check out http://www.bookrix.com/_title-en-vernon-samuel-virgo-she-did-it-her-way

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
Vernon Samuel is a motivational speaker and author of the book, “Virgo, She did it her way”. The book is based on his own life story. Mr. Samuel encourages and inspires individuals not to allow their past to determine their future. A survivor and witness of life’s twist and turns, Vernon Samuel is living proof that struggles and people do not have to tear you down. No matter what you go through or what has happened to you, only you can hold yourself back from achieving your dreams and wanting more out of your life. Mr. Samuel speaks out to various groups and organizations on subjects such as abuse, taking your life back, striving when enemies are holding you down and using “The Mirror”. He conducts workshops and seminars based on self growth topics.

http://www.vernonsamuel.com/

~BUY IT~
You can purchase Virgo, She Did It Her Way from Amazon or http://www.vernonsamuel.com/

Disclosure: I was given the opportunity to review this product because of my membership at The Product Review Place. I received a free review copy of Virgo, She Did It Her Way. The opinions here are my own and were not influenced by receipt of a free product. Thanks to Lisa at Wicked Crown, Inc., for the opportunity!

799 Bloggers Needed for Fiona Robyn's Blogsplash!

2009-12-12T12:41:00.001-05:00

Fiona Robyn is going to blog her next novel, Thaw, starting on the 1st of March next year. The novel follows 32 year old Ruth’s diary over three months as she decides whether or not to carry on living.

To help spread the word she’s organising a Blogsplash, where blogs will publish the first page of Ruth’s diary simultaneously (and a link to the blog).

She’s aiming to get 1000 blogs involved – if you’d be interested in joining in, email her at fiona@fionarobyn.com or find out more information at http://www.fionarobyn.com/thawblogsplash.htm.

Great Giveaways at The Mommy-Files

2009-12-12T10:23:00.001-05:00

Check out these great giveaways going on right now at The Mommy-Files!

Smucker’s Spreading Traditions Giveaway: Thanks to Smucker’s, 3 lucky readers on The Mommy-Files will win a fabulous Smucker’s Gift Basket! Ends December 18th.

1-800 Baskets Giveaway: Thanks to 1-800-baskets.com, 1 lucky reader on The Mommy-Files will win a Martha Stewart Breakfast in Maine Hamper! Ends 12/18.

National Brownie Day Giveaway: In celebration of National Brownie Day, 1 lucky reader on The Mommy-Files will receive a Brownie Sampler! Ends 12/22.

Hillshire Farms Giveaway: Thanks to Hillshire Farm, 2 lucky readers on The Mommy-Files will win a year’s supply of meat (12 coupons each) for FREE meat products! Ends 12/15

AUDIOVOX and RCA Giveaway: Thanks to Audiovox & RCA, 1 lucky reader on The Mommy-Files will win an awesome holiday package including the Audiovox 10.2″ Portable DVD Player, the RCA Small Wonder Camcorder, and the RCA LYRA “Slider” MP3 Player! Ends 12/17

I won a Wii from GivingItAway.ca!

2009-12-11T19:48:00.002-05:00

I am SOOOO excited to tell you that I won a Wii from GivingItAway.ca today!

Right now they're having a giveaway to Win A $150 Gift Card Of Your Choice so go check them out, and GOOD LUCK!

Win Expo Markers at She Scribes

2009-12-11T17:35:00.000-05:00

I'm a high school teacher in an inner city school with a small budget. I could DEFINITELY use some Expo Markers for my board! She Scribes is hosting a giveaway for Expo Bright Sticks Markers and a tube of their Expo Cleaning Towels. What a great prize! Check out She Scribes for your chance to win!

Kmart Bluelight Specials for December 12th and 13th

2009-12-10T12:14:00.000-05:00

Kmart Bluelight Specials for December 12th and 13th

· Essential Home Snug Sack 50% off (reg. $19.99)

· Jaclyn Smith Today Cashmere Blend Throw $12.99 (reg. $29.99)

· Kodak 7” digital frame $49.99 (reg. $79.99)

All day offers:

Saturday:

· Mens Boxed Gifts $5 (reg. 16.99-19.99)

· Die Hard Battery Bank BOGO Free (reg. $9.99)

Sunday:

· Fisher Price Fashion Separates $4.99 (Infant/Toddler) reg. $10.99-$18.99

· Hershey Snack size jumbo bags $3.50 (reg. $5.99)

Don’t forget to follow @KmartDealsnNews on twitter and use the #KmartBLS hashtag for a chance to win every day! For more info & rules: http://tr.im/KmartBLS. Good luck!

UPrinting.com Blog Sponsorship!

2009-12-08T14:28:00.000-05:00

I first heard about UPrinting.com when I saw several blog contests for a set of 500 business cards. I was lucky enough to win on Mom's Focus on Cyber World. I was excited to win because my fiance is in the music business and needed some business cards. They came out wonderful!

If you're a blogger, you can apply to have a UPrinting.com Sponsored Blog!

Here is an e-mail I received:

UPrinting.com has opened up a Blog Sponsorship Program! Everyone is welcome to apply. We are looking for bloggers who consistently produce excellent content and interact with their readership. We would like to invite you to apply! In addition, your blog is a great resource for other bloggers. Please share this blog sponsorship in the form of a post!

Apply @ http://www.uprinting.com/blog-sponsor-program/

The Language of Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs - Book Review

2009-12-06T15:13:00.001-05:00

My fiance and I learned very early on in our relationship that good communication is key. The first two years of us knowing each other were rocky because we were having trouble communicating. Luckily, we were able to figure it out enough to grow a beautiful friendship, relationship, and soon marriage. We can always use some more guidance, so I was glad to have the opportunity to review this book.

Dr. Eggerichs explains that men speak the language of respect, and women speak the language of love. He also presents an easy to use approach for how husbands and wives can learn to speak each other's languages. He talks about the three cycles of marriage: The Energizing Cycle, The Crazy Cycle and The Rewarded Cycle, and gives strategies to prevent getting stuck in "The Crazy Cycle."

I had a hard time staying interested in the book because it can be quite repetitive, but the lessons inside are invaluable to a strong marriage. I was able to notice things about myself that I need to change in order for my fiance to feel respected. My fiance will read this book and I'm sure he'll find things he could do differently in order for me to feel loved. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking to strengthen their relationship, because learning to speak the languages of love and respect will definitely be beneficial!

Disclosure: This book was provided to me free because of my participation as a Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger. The opinions stated are my own and were not influenced by receipt of a free book.

Win a Roku Digital Video Player at A Wrestling Addicted Mommy

2009-12-06T13:15:00.000-05:00

I've had a Netflix subscription for a few years, and definitely don't miss having to return movies to a video store by a deadline! Netflix also has a cool feature called instant movies where you can watch movies from your computer, X-Box or a digital video player such as Roku. I don't have a router, so if I want to watch an instant movie, I have to sit at my computer and watch it...not always comfy! I have been looking at the Roku since it came out, but money is really tight. Soooo I'm hoping to win one from A Wrestling Addicted Mommy! If you want to win, you'll have to enter by December 16th. While you're there, check out her Holiday Gift Guide too!

Win a Keurig B40 Elite & more at Riding With No Hands!

2009-12-06T12:51:00.000-05:00

I absolutely LOVE my Keurig, so I'm hoping to win one to give to my parents. Shoffee.com is one of my favorite sites to shop for K-Cups, and they are running a giveaway on Riding With No Hands! The winner will receive: a Keurig B40 Elite Brewer, a Keurig K-Cup Carousel and one pack of 27 assorted K-Cups! This giveaway ends on 12/9, so hurry for your chance to win!

Huge Mary Kay Giveaway at Simply Sondra!

2009-12-06T11:54:00.000-05:00

Wouldn't Mary Kay products be a great Christmas gift for yourself or a loved one? Head on over to Simply Sondra for your chance to win one of SEVEN prizes! She's giving away one $100 shopping spree, one $50 shopping spree, two $25 shopping sprees and three $10 shopping sprees! The giveaway ends on December 10th, so hurry!

Flirty Apron Giveaway at J. Leigh Designz!

2009-12-06T10:34:00.000-05:00

I always get something on my clothes when I'm cooking or baking....I could definitely use an apron! Flirty Aprons has the cutest designs, and you could win one over at J. Leigh Designz! I'd choose the Original Chic in Pink if I won!

Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion Review and Giveaway Ends 12/26 CLOSED

2009-12-05T12:25:00.006-05:00

I've had dry skin for as long as I can remember. My hands and face suffer the most, especially with the cold New Jersey winters. It gets so bad that the skin on my hands actually cracks and bleeds during the winter. I was excited to have the opportunity to review this product, but my hopes weren't exactly high. I've tried almost every lotion there is for dry skin. The thick lotions that "lock in moisture" may work, but I can only use them at night when I don't need to use my hands. I don't like part-time lotions. I want something that I can use ANY time my skin feels dry.

When I used the Skin MD Shielding lotion for the first time, I honestly didn't think it was going to work. It's a thin lotion, so I was curious to see how it was going to "shield" anything. Well...I was pleasantly surprised when I used it on my hands and face and they were still moisturized at the end of the work day! I'm now a believer!

~BUY IT~

You can buy Skin MD Shielding Lotion here for $18.00 for a 4 oz bottle. It may seem expensive, but that 4 oz bottle will last you 1-2 months with daily use. You only need a very small amount!

~WIN IT~

One lucky winner will receive a full sized (4 oz) bottle of Skin MD Shielding Lotion.

MANDATORY MAIN ENTRY
(YOU MUST DO THIS BEFORE ANY BONUS ENTRIES. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE THE MAIN ENTRY, BONUS ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED)

Visit Skin MD Natural and tell me one thing you found interesting.

Bonus Entries:

*Subscribe to my blog e-mail and confirm (1 extra entry)

*Follow my blog publicly through google friend connect (1 extra entry)

*Follow me on twitter @hunniebee724 (1 extra entry)

*Tweet about this giveaway and leave the link in a comment (1 extra entry daily)

You may use the following tweet:

Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion #giveaway @hunniebee724 http://tinyurl.com/ykgdc8s Ends 12/26

*Blog about this giveaway. You must link back to this post AND Skin MD Natural. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

*E-mail 5 people about this campaign and giveaway with a cc to me sweetmissa at gmail dot com (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

*Enter to win an Amazon Kindle using this link:

~~http://www.noobie.com/kindle-giveaway?ref=1118587976~~

~~(3 extra entries...leave 3 separate comments)~~

*~~Vote for C.A.R.E. NJ to win $10,000 to improve their animal shelter! Use this link:~~ ~~http://www.care2.com/animalsheltercontest/74981?refer=24883.04.1259345626.516566~~

~~(5 extra entries....leave 5 separate comments. You must include the name you used to vote.)~~

*Enter to win $1,000 free rent using this link: http://www.williampaid.com/promo/freerentsweeps/?rfid=1286

(3 extra entries...leave 3 separate comments)

*~~Vote for Smokey in Hallmark's "A Dog Named Christmas" Cutest Dog of the Season Contest:~~ ~~http://shar.es/aE0V2~~

~~(1 extra entry for each vote...can be done DAILY)~~

This giveaway will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, December 26th. Any entries received AFTER 11:59 p.m. EST will be deleted.

Winner will be chosen using random.org and will be contacted via e-mail. Winner has 48 hours to respond to e-mail or another winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: I received free samples of this product for review. No other compensation was offered or received. The opinions in this post are mine and were not influenced by receipt of free product. Thank you Skin MD Natural for the opportunity.

This giveaway is now closed. The winner, chosen by random.org is....

Comment #44 out of 83 comments

SheilaBee said...

Email subscribed and confirmed.
12:45 AM, December 26, 2009

April Showers Blog Design Giveaway

2009-12-05T08:50:00.000-05:00

April Showers Blog Design is having a HUGE giveaway and celebrating her OPEN waiting list that starts January 1st! April not only does blogs - but also invitations, announcements, calendars, cards, business cards, custom illustrations, and so much more! Just by pasting this paragraph on my blog I'm a winner! www.aprilshowersblogdesign.com

Seven: The Number for Happiness, Love, and Success Book Review and Giveaway 5 Winners CLOSED

2009-12-04T07:51:00.006-05:00

I've always heard that 7 was a lucky number, but never knew why. I was seven pounds when I was born in July, the seventh month. I've always been pretty lucky....is it coincidence, or is there really something to that number? My great-grandmother is from Italy, and we always ate a seven fish dinner on Christmas Eve for the seven sacraments in the Catholic faith. I was always curious about lucky number 7, so I was happy to have the opportunity to review this book.

I really enjoyed reading Seven: The Number for Happiness, Love and Success. It's an easy read, and very interesting. The book is divided into seven chapters, of course.

Here is one of my favorite "Sevens" in the book:

Seven Simple Ways to a Smarter, Simpler Life:

1. YES: Ask for help, pay for help, or say yes to an offer of help.

2. NO: Learn how to say no to too many social engagements, too many favors, too many extra projects at work; too many irrelevant solicitations from spammers and direct mailers.

3. STOP: The clock. Life isn't a 24/7 merry-go-round. If it were, you wouldn't get the seven hours of sleep necessary to keep you fit and sane.

4. GO: Keep in shape with an exercise routine you can stick to.

5. START: Use technology so it doesn't ues you up. Online banking, for instance, will save you time, money, and stress because your mortgage will be paid automatically.

6. END: Clear the clutter, trash the trivial stuff. Get organized.

7. BE: Make time for friends, lovers, family. Learn how to breathe and daydream. Be your true self and find your humanity.

(page 33)

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

Media guru JACQUELINE LEO has held a number of high-level positions in publishing and television. She founded and launched Child magazine in 1986, and went on to be editor in chief of Family Circle magazine and editorial director of the New York Times Women's Magazine Group, where she launched Fitness magazine. She was senior producer and editorial director of Good Morning America, editorial director for Consumer Reports, and vice president and editor in chief of Reader's Digest. She is currently director of digital operations for the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. She lives in New York City.

~BUY IT~

You can buy Seven: The Number for Happiness, Love, and Success at Amazon for $17.27.

~WIN IT~

FIVE lucky winners will receive a copy of Seven: The Number for Happiness, Love, and Success. Yep....FIVE WINNERS!

MAIN ENTRY (THIS MUST BE DONE BEFORE ANY EXTRA ENTRIES. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE THIS ENTRY, ANY ADDITIONAL ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED)

Subscribe to my blog by e-mail (must confirm) OR follow my blog publicly. If you already follow/subscribe, tell me that you do.

Extra Entries:

*Follow me on twitter @hunniebee724 and leave your twitter name (1 extra entry)

*Tweet this giveaway and leave the link here (May be done daily, one extra entry per tweet)
Book #giveaway - Seven: The Number for Happiness, Love, & Success *5 Winners* @hunniebee724 http://tinyurl.com/yzbg8pj Ends 12/19

*Subscribe to my blog by e-mail (must confirm) OR follow my blog publicly...whichever you did NOT do for the main entry.

*Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

*E-mail 5 or more people telling them about this giveaway. CC me at sweetmissa at gmail dot com (5 entries...leave 5 separate comments)

*Enter to win an Amazon Kindle using this link: ~~http://www.noobie.com/kindle-giveaway?ref=1118587976~~ ~~(3 extra entries...leave 3 separate comments)~~

*Vote for C.A.R.E. NJ to win $10,000 to improve their animal shelter! Use this link: http://www.care2.com/animalsheltercontest/74981?refer=24883.04.1259345626.516566

(5 extra entries....leave 5 separate comments. You must include the name you used to vote.)

*Enter to win $1,000 free rent using this link: http://www.williampaid.com/promo/freerentsweeps/?rfid=1286

(3 extra entries...leave 3 separate comments)

*Vote for Smokey in Hallmark's "A Dog Named Christmas" Cutest Dog of the Season Contest: http://shar.es/aE0V2
(1 extra entry for each vote...can be done DAILY)

This giveaway will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, December 19th. Any entries received AFTER 11:59 p.m. EST will be deleted.

Winner will be chosen using random.org and will be contacted via e-mail. Winner has 48 hours to respond to e-mail or another winner will be chosen. Open to winners in the United States and Canada only. No P.O. Boxes.

Disclosure: A free copy of the book was provided by The Hachette Group. No other compensation was offered or received. The opinions in this post are my own and were in no way influenced by the receipt of free products. I was given the opportunity to review this product because of my membership at The Product Review Place.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS!

Random.org chose the following comment numbers out of 65 comments:

56

~~giggling kids said...~~

~~i SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOW!~~
~~heatherstamper09@aol.com~~
~~1:19 PM, December 19, 2009~~

Heather responded to my e-mail and said she'd like me to choose another winner because she won this book on another blog. Thanks Heather! The new winner is:

54
packerfantimmy said...

Voted for C.A.R.E. NJ-tim hughes
titletowntreasures(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
entry #5
11:47 AM, December 19, 2009

30

gsm57 said...

I subscribe.
7:24 AM, December 18, 2009

31

Hotsnotty2 said...

I'm following your blog, thanks!
Hotsnotty2@hotmail.com
5:02 PM, December 18, 2009

18

Kerrie said...

I am a follower!
kerriekg@yahoo.com
2:42 PM, December 09, 2009

10

Carie said...

I voted for C.A.R.E. Companion Animal Rescue & Education
Bayonne, NJ!
Carie Shane
3:24 PM, December 04, 2009

JVC Picsio Pocket Video Camera at The Not-So-Blog

2009-12-03T20:51:00.000-05:00

This would be PERFECT for me to take on my wedding celebration cruise in August! Want a chance to win? Check out The Not-So-Blog for your chance to win a JVC Picsio Pocket Video Camera!

Kmart Bluelight Specials for 12/5 and 12/6

2009-12-03T19:45:00.003-05:00

Bluelight Specials for 12/5 to 12/6:

· All 14k gold Birthstone Baby Charms $29.99 (reg $69.99)

· Mushabellies $14.99 (reg. $24.99)

· 4 piece table tennis table $99.99 (reg. 149.99)

All day offers:

· Saturday: Small Wonder Blankets & Wonderkids Thermals – BOGO Free

· Sunday: Men’s 3pk Fashion Brief or 2pk Micro Knit Boxers or Musical Card Boxer $5 (reg. 9.99-12.99)

Don’t forget to follow @KmartDealsnNews and use the #KmartBLS hashtag for a chance to win every day! For more info & rules: http://tr.im/KmartBLS. Good luck!

Disclosure: I posted this for the benefit of my readers. I received no compensation for this post.

Certain Dri Giveaway Winner

2009-11-30T13:03:00.000-05:00

Random.org chose comment #14 of 46 comments as the winner.

Lisa said...

I follow your blog.

6:49 PM, November 28, 2009

Congratulations Lisa! I've already e-mailed you. You have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

The Dove Self Esteem Fund Giveaway CLOSED

2009-11-30T12:19:00.004-05:00

I'm sure we can all remember a time that we didn't feel good about ourselves. I spent a large part of high school trying to lose weight. Even when I got down to 105 pounds, I felt like it wasn't good enough. I would spend countless hours exercising, trying to find the right outfit, trying to get my hair and makeup perfect. All of this time, I should've been focusing on homework. I'm 28 now and nowhere near 105 pounds, but I've finally accepted who I am and my body. I feel good about myself. I've accepted that my butt is big and my stomach isn't flat. I've also learned that my body doesn't have to be what the media portrays as perfect to be beautiful.

I remember seeing the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty ads a few years ago and thinking, FINALLY! FINALLY a company is showing the world that BEAUTY comes in all shapes and sizes!

The Dove Self-Esteem Fund (DSEF) was established as an agent of change to inspire and educate girls and young women about a wider definition of beauty. The DSEF is committed to help girls build positive self-esteem and a healthy body image, with a goal of reaching 5 million girls globally by 2010. It has already reached 2 million young women.

The Dove Self-Esteem Fund is part of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, a global effort designed to widen today’s stereotypical view of beauty. In the U.S., the DSEF supports the Boys and Girls Club of America and the Girls Scouts of the USA to help build confidence in girls 8-17 with after-school programs, self-esteem building events and educational resources. In the United Kingdom and other countries, the Fund supports Body Talk, an educational program about body image and self-esteem in schools. Since 2006, the Dove brand has conducted nearly 2,700 self-esteem educational workshops around the world.

~HOW YOU CAN HELP~

From now until December 15, 2009, The Dove Self-Esteem Fund is donating $1 to inspiring self-esteem programs for girls for every Dove UPC entered here: http://www.dove.us/#/cfrb/selfesteem/default.aspx/

If you don't have a UPC, you can still help, because Dove will give you a free UPC code. Just click on "I Don't Have A Dove UPC" after clicking on "Enter UPC."

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!

One lucky reader will win two "True You" workbooks (a mother-daughter guide), a plush terrycloth spa robe plus two Dove products!

MANDATORY MAIN ENTRY
(YOU MUST DO THIS BEFORE ANY BONUS ENTRIES. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE THE MAIN ENTRY, BONUS ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED)

Visit Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty website and tell me one thing you learned.

Bonus Entries:

*Subscribe to my blog e-mail and confirm (1 extra entry)

*Follow my blog publicly through google friend connect (1 extra entry)

*Follow me on twitter @hunniebee724 (1 extra entry)

*Tweet about this giveaway and leave the link in a comment (1 extra entry DAILY)
You may use the following tweet:
Dove Self-Esteem Fund #giveaway @hunniebee724 http://tinyurl.com/yfys3sg Ends 12/15

*Blog about this giveaway. You must link back to this post AND Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty. (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

*E-mail 5 people about this campaign and giveaway with a cc to me sweetmissa at gmail dot com (5 extra entries...leave 5 separate comments)

*Donate $1.00 by entering a UPC or getting a free UPC--See post for info (1 extra entry)

*Enter to win an Amazon Kindle using this link:
~~http://www.noobie.com/kindle-giveaway?ref=1118587976~~
~~(3 extra entries...leave 3 separate comments)~~

*Vote for C.A.R.E. NJ to win $10,000 to improve their animal shelter! Use this link: http://www.care2.com/animalsheltercontest/74981?refer=24883.04.1259345626.516566
(5 extra entries....leave 5 separate comments. You must include the name you used to vote.)

*Enter to win $1,000 free rent using this link: http://www.williampaid.com/promo/freerentsweeps/?rfid=1286
(3 extra entries...leave 3 separate comments)

*Vote for Smokey in Hallmark's "A Dog Named Christmas" Cutest Dog of the Season Contest: http://shar.es/aE0V2
(1 extra entry for each vote...can be done DAILY)

This giveaway will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, December 15th. Any entries received AFTER 11:59 p.m. EST will be deleted.

Winner will be chosen using random.org and will be contacted via e-mail. Winner has 48 hours to respond to e-mail or another winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. Giveaway package will be sent directly to winner from PR Company. I believe in this cause and posted this for the benefit of my readers.

Random.org chose comment #114 of 124 comments as the winner.

Stephanie said...

I blogged #4:

http://thegrantsgiveaways.blogspot.com/2009/12/messages-from-missa-dove-giveaway.html
6:29 PM, December 15, 2009

Congratulations Stephanie!

Shoffee.com Cyber Monday Deals and Giveaway!

2009-11-30T08:21:00.001-05:00

Shoffee.com is my favorite online coffee shop. Their customer service is outstanding and they have a huge selection of Keurig K-Cups to choose from. Their prices are great, but even better today!

The following deals are valid until 12 p.m. EST today, Monday, November 30th.

Coffee People Santa's Buzz $8.99

Gloria Jean's Holiday Traditions $8.99

Timothy's Winter Carnival $8.99

Green Mountain FT Holiday Blend $8.99

Green Mountain FT Spicy Eggnog $8.99

Green Moutain FT Gingerbread $8.99

On top of these great deals, anybody who places an order today will be automatically entered to win an Amazon Kindle!

So head on over to Shoffee and place your order! You won't be disappointed!

Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for this posting. The opinions are my own and this was posted for the benefit of my readers.

Please Vote for Smokey!

2009-11-29T18:09:00.001-05:00

This is Smokey. He was adopted from C.A.R.E. NJ in July and is such a sweetie! Please vote for him in Hallmark's "A Dog Named Christmas" contest! You can vote once per day!

Part of the Grand Prize is a $1,000 donation to the animal charity of our choice, which would be C.A.R.E. NJ of course!

Smokey Essex | A Dog Named Christmas

Posted using ShareThis

Ultimate Cloth Review and Special Offer

2009-11-29T15:37:00.001-05:00

When I was asked to review The Ultimate Cloth, I was excited, but also skeptical that this cloth would be able to clean without using any chemicals. The first thing I noticed when it arrived was the size of the cloth. It's nice and big! They also have a super-sized version of The Ultimate Cloth called The Ultimate BadBoy....it must be huge! I decided to put it to the test right after I spent two days cooking and baking for Thanksgiving. My kitchen was a MESS! I wet The Ultimate Cloth and started scrubbing. To my surprise, it got my kitchen clean with JUST WATER! I also used it to clean my bathroom mirror and guess what?! NO STREAKS!

Here's how it works, according to http://www.ultimateclothamerica.com/:

Ordinary Cloth Fiber tends to simply push dirt and dust. Residue is left behind on the surface you are cleaning. Lack of interior spaces makes ordinary cloth hold very little dirt or moisture.

MiraFiber™ Technology has open spaces between fibers that act as millions of tiny 'scoops' that pull dust, dirt, oil & other contaminants into the cloth and hold them until washed away with mild soap or detergent. (Can also be bleached for disinfection.)

Results are spotless, streak free surfaces. Water simply acts as a 'lubricant' which helps emulsify dirt & oil making it easier for the MiraFiber™ technology to pick the dirt, grease & grime from your surfaces.

Spaces also allow large amounts of moisture to be collected into the cloths making them very absorbent in quickly picking up spills. It also allows for quicker drying time eliminating much of the bacterial growth found in slow drying cloths.

The process that it takes to produce the MiraFiberTM patented technology cannot be reproduced! Not only has it won international acclaim for its extreme green cleaning abilities; but it has also won international awards for its patented eco-friendly manufacturing process. Ultimate ClothTM made with revolutionary MiraFiberTM is the advanced, high-end cleaning technology for the 21st century.

Check out http://www.ultimateclothamerica.com/ for more information!

~BUY IT~

The Ultimate Cloth and The Ultimate BadBoy can be purchased online at http://www.ultimateclothamerica.com/purchase.html

~SPECIAL OFFER~

Ultimate Cloth America is offering my readers a special deal. Instead of paying $6 plus shipping and handling, you can get your own Ultimate Cloth for just ONE PENNY plus $2.98 shipping and handling. That's HALF PRICE! Click here to take advantage of the special offer: http://www.ultimateclothamerica.com/free.html

Disclosure: I was given a free product in order to do a review. The opinions in this post are my own and were not influenced by receipt of the free product. No other compensation was offered or accepted.

Enter to win FREE RENT!

2009-11-29T13:29:00.000-05:00

WilliamPaid.com is giving $1,000 in free rent to THREE different renters each month! Who couldn't use the extra money, especially during the holidays?!

Enter here for your chance to win!

CharcoCaps Homeopathic Antigas Giveaway Winner

2009-11-29T11:37:00.000-05:00

WINNER IS:

True Random Number Generator

Min: 1

Max: 11

Result: 3

Comment #3:

Stephanie said...

Non-smelling flatulence results from swallowed air.

12:00 PM, November 16, 2009

Congratulations Stephanie! I've already e-mailed you. You have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Thanks to all who entered!

Another chance to win a Sleep Number p5 bed!

2009-11-28T15:31:00.000-05:00

Want another chance to win the Sleep Number p5 bed? Head on over to Lizzy Dear's Life for more chances!

Win a Sleep Number P5 Bed at Our Ordinary Life!

2009-11-28T15:18:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't want a nice comfy bed?! Check out Our Ordinary Life for a chance to win this beautiful bed!

Messages from Missa

Pinterest

gelcolor by Opi

It's been a while....

Rest in Peace, Daddy

My "baby" brother, the blogger!

Win a VTech LS6325-3 3 Handset Cordless Phone at Little Yaya's!

Update on my life

Win a George Foreman Evolve Grill from Latina on a Mission!

Win a $75 Gift Certificate to CSN Stores from A Hen's Nest!

Tweet and get $5 for Amazon Video on Demand!

Ipod Shuffle 1000 Follower Giveaway at Me and Bella!

Giving Back...

Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce Winners

FINALLY....a diagnosis!

Health Update

Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce Review & Giveaway **CLOSED***

Denise's Daily Dozen New Winner! **UPDATE**

Denise's Daily Dozen WINNERS

Tropical Traditions WINNER

Teddy's Pride WINNER

Totally Toned Arms WINNERS

Giveaway Winners *ARE* Coming

Tropical Traditions Giveaway Update

A Note About Giveaway Entries

Reading Glasses Shopper Winner

POM Wonderful Review

ReadingGlassesShopper.Com New Site Features

Yes! To Cookies Winner!

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil Review & Giveaway ***CLOSED****

Denise's Daily Dozen Review & Giveaway *5 WINNERS* ****CLOSED****

Skin MD Natural Valentine's Day Giveaway Event

Do you love giveaways?

Your chance to be on a Cheerios box!

Stinky Pet Breath....BE GONE with Teddy's Pride! *Review & Giveaway* **CLOSED***

Totally Toned Arms Review and Giveaway *5 WINNERS* CLOSED

Mommy23Monkeys Chocomize Giveaway

Chocomize Giveaway at One 2 Try

GlassesUSA Giveaway at Blessings Abound

Amazon Kindle or Sony Reader?

WINNER! Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Women

Book Review: The Sweet By and By ~ Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck

Keurig Platinum Giveaway at J. Leigh Designz

New Bonus Entry for the Reading Glasses Shopper Giveaway!

Rachael Ray Double Burner Griddle Giveaway at Leslie Loves Veggies

I need a button!

Coupon Mom Show

Reading Glasses Shopper Review and Giveaway ****CLOSED*****

Good-Bye 2009

Yes! To Cookies Review and Giveaway ***CLOSED***

Last chance to enter the 4th Annual Softlips Picture Perfect Lips Model Search

Sony Reader Giveaway at Fiddledeedee!

Keurig Platinum Giveaway at Feisty, Frugal & Fabulous

New Year, New Blog Design Contest

Keurig Platinum Coffee Maker Giveaway at Mommy PR

Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion Winner

Halls Refresh $100 AMEX Gift Card Giveaway at The Not-So-Blog

Halls Refresh Giveaway at Prissy Green

DJ Hero for Xbox 360 Giveaway at She Scribes!

Kmart Bluelight Specials for December 26th and 27th

Sealy Posturepedic Innerspring Signature 11 Series Giveaway at Mommy Mandy!

Win DJ Hero for XBox 360 at MomStart!

Win DJ Hero for Xbox 360 at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous!

Win DJ Hero for XBox 360 on The Dirty Shirt!

Winners to Announce!

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Women *Review and Giveaway* ***CLOSED****

A Giveaway to sell your "Soul" for at A Park Avenue Princess

Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter Squares

Start the new year off Eco-Friendly with She Scribes & Reduce Every Day!

Kmart Bluelight Specials for December 19th and 20th

Win an HP TOUCHSMART!

HP Envy 13 Laptop Giveaway at The Fashionable Housewife

Expo Giveaway at Desperately Seeking Deals

Win over $650 in coupons from Free Sample Momma

Vitalicious Muffin Tops and Brownies Giveaway at The Not-So-Blog

Virgo, She Did It Her Way by Vernon Samuel Book Review

799 Bloggers Needed for Fiona Robyn's Blogsplash!

Great Giveaways at The Mommy-Files

I won a Wii from GivingItAway.ca!

Win Expo Markers at She Scribes

Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce Review & Giveaway CLOSED*

Denise's Daily Dozen New Winner! UPDATE

Giveaway Winners ARE Coming

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil Review & Giveaway *CLOSED**

Denise's Daily Dozen Review & Giveaway 5 WINNERS CLOSED

Stinky Pet Breath....BE GONE with Teddy's Pride! Review & Giveaway CLOSED*

Totally Toned Arms Review and Giveaway 5 WINNERS CLOSED

Reading Glasses Shopper Review and Giveaway CLOSED*

Yes! To Cookies Review and Giveaway CLOSED

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Women Review and Giveaway *CLOSED**

Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion Review and Giveaway Ends 12/26 CLOSED

Seven: The Number for Happiness, Love, and Success Book Review and Giveaway 5 Winners CLOSED

The Dove Self Esteem Fund Giveaway CLOSED