Mother's Day Giveaway Event with PictureOnGold

Everyone loves their mom and always wants to find the best gift to make her feel loved and appreciated. These are the gifts I have found and would love to share with you.

After you enter my giveaway head over to Makobi Scribe to see her mothers day gift ideas worth over $3000. Then stop by Sason & Pobi to enter the grand prize drawing of a Toshiba 32SLV411U - 32" class 720p 60Hz TV/DVD Combo!

A couple of months ago I won this amazing Sterling Silver Sweetheart Locket from PicturesOnGold.  I was so excited.  I don't have a locket with pictures of my kids in it.  And this one???  Amazing.  They use photo engraving in their photo jewelry that is guaranteed to last a lifetime!

This is how it was packaged.  (The anticipation was killing me!)

The outside of the locket was engraved with my kid's names on it.

And here's the inside.  How cute are those kiddos?  (My kids when they were both one.)

They have so many different lockets in every style you can imagine!  And they all are so beautiful!  What Mom wouldn't love one for Mother's Day?

Now is your chance!  PicturesOnGold was wonderful enough to give one of my readers the same Sterling Silver Sweetheart Locket!  And that's not all.  They will engrave it for you and add pictures on the inside!  That's a value of $155 to one of you!  Happy Mother's Day!

While you're visiting PicturesOnGold, don't forget to enter their Cutest Baby Photo Contest.  They are great for Mother's Day gifts, Religious jewelry, Father's Day, Graduation and Sports.  Use code Patty 51 at checkout for your 5% discount!

To learn more about PicturesOnGold visit them online, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.
 
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Win a Kitchen Aid Mixer for Mother's Day {Giveaway}

WELCOME TO THE KITCHEN AID MANIA GIVEAWAY!

Who likes to cook?  (My hand is raised!)  Who likes to bake?  (My hand is raised?)  Who has a Kitchen Aid Mixer? (My hand is raised.)  WHo's Kitchen Aid mixer is 20 or more years old?  (My hand is raised.)  Do I have 4 hands???  Kitchen Aid Mixers last a lifetime but who doesn't want a new one to replace the one purchased in 1970?  What?  You don't have a Kitchen Aid???  Holy smokes.  Here's your chance!

We are giving away a white KitchenAid KSM150PSWH Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer to one lucky reader! This is a perfect Mother's Day gift!  Or heck, the perfect Mother's Day gift for you. 

This was made possible by Bay Area Mommy, American Family and some of the most awesome bloggers!  

KitchenAid KSM150PSWH Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer - Retail Value: $349.99 - Color: White - 325-watt mixer with 10 speeds; 5-quart stainless steel bowl - Tilt-back head for easy access to mixture - 1 piece pouring shield with large chute for adding ingredients - Includes flat beater, dough hook, and wire whip - Measures 14 by 8-2/3 inches by 14 inches; 1-year warranty 

Giveaway will run from April 29 at 12AM EST to May 9 at 11:59PM EST. Open to the US only. Must be at least 18 years old to be eligible.

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Newmans Own Organics Review and Giveaway

Thanks to Coupons In Motion for this Review and Giveaway.

Newman's Own Organics

This is a familiar image that everyone should recognize as being synonymous with Newman's Own and Paul Newman. Newman’s Own Organics was established as a division of Newman’s Own in 1993, and became a separate company in late 2001. Paul Newman has given over $200 million to thousands of charities worldwide since 1982.

Posted on Newman's Own Organic (NOO) website:

WHAT IS ORGANIC?

It's a pretty common question. Here are the basics. The materials below were developed by the USDA National Organic Program in 1994 and serve as a general outline of the definition of Organic as it will be used in the United States. DEFINITION Organic agriculture is a holistic system with the primary goal of optimizing the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals, and people. Management practices are carefully selected with an intent to restore and then maintain ecological harmony on the farm, its surrounding environment and ultimately the whole planetary ecosystem. PRINCIPLES Organic production systems seek to provide food, fiber and herbal products of the highest quality in sufficient quantities.

   

Do you like licorice? NOO licorice is like none other. Sour Licorice! And yes, they are organic.

Newman’s Own Organics introduced the first sour licorice twist made with organic ingredients. Their Licorice twists have organic sugar and sour crystals, derived from natural citrus sources, on the surface of the twists. YUM! You will definitely want to try these. They are definitely unique and delicious. They come in Sour Strawberry, Sour Cherry, Sour Mango and Sour Cherry flavors.

They also have pretzels, popcorn, chocolate, coffee, mints and more. You can see all the products on Newman's Own Organic website. You can also join Newman's Own Organics on Facebook.

Last but not least are their pet products. They have dog food and cat food, both dry and canned, and dog treats. 

From their website:

Raising the Bar on Organic Pet Foods – Newman’s Own Organics® Launches New Formulations for Dogs and Cats We are pleased to introduce four new holistic formulas based on the newest concepts in animal nutrition. • ADULT DOG CHICKEN & RICE FORMULA for dogs of all ages Protein - 21.0% min; Fat -12.0% min; Fiber - 4.5% max • ADVANCED DOG CHICKEN & RICE FORMULA for puppies, active dogs and healthy seniors Protein - 24.0% min; Fat -10.0% min; Fiber - 5.5% max • ADULT CAT FORMULA – for cats of all ages Protein - 32.0% min; Fat -10.0% min; Fiber – 3.0% max • ADVANCED CAT FORMULA for kittens and healthy seniors Protein - 34.0% min; Fat -10.0% min; Fiber – 3.0% max Each food is a unique blend of proteins, whole grains, vitamins and minerals that maximize palatability, digestibility and nutrient assimilation. All Newman’s Own Organics pet foods are complete and balanced and formulated to exceed the nutrient requirements established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Nutrient Profiles.

Newman's Own Organics has agreed to sponsor a giveaway prize for one of my readers. The winner will receive a total of 4 products from NOO. The products you will receive are the following (one package of each): Fig Newmans, Licorice, Newman O's, and Dog Treats. (I will check with the winner to determine the exact flavor of product they would like to try.) In addition, NOO will also send the winner a "surprise product". So that's a total of 5 products.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Enter for your chance to win on the Rafflecopter Form below.

All entries will be verified.

Good luck to all!

 

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Eraselets - the Bracelet That Erases Review & Giveaway

Have you heard of Eraselets? I hadn't either until I read about them on a giveaway I entered. Totally cool!!! They are bracelets that erase! Yes, you read that right. Bracelets that ERASE! Su-weet! Totally up my kids alley. So I contacted the company (which is amazing, by the way) and they were sweet enough to send my a pack of their eraselets to try. And even better? A pack for one of you too!

Still confused? Let me explain.  This video might help too. Cute, right?

Eraselets are wrist bands (the kind ALL the kids are wearing these days) that are also erasers.  So you can erase with them.  My kids love them!  Here's my son doing his homework.  How many wrist bands can one kid wear???  The answer?  A LOT!

Bryan Ricci invented Eraselets after helping his youngest daughter with homework and asking her "where are you erasers?"  How many of us have a billion pencils in our house with no erasers on them???  If you have kids your hand is probably raised.  I have a ton so I can understand his frustration.  His response... "I'm just going to take an eraser on you."  And viola - the genius idea for Eraselets.

Bryan and Kimberly are amazing.  They wanted to use their blessing to give back so they started a non-profit called Erase World Hunger.  10% of their profits go to end world hunger.  Amazing!

Want to check them out some more to see what I'm talking about?  Visit Eraselet.com and look at all the patterns there are.  They also make custom orders for fundraising events, schools, churches, etc.

Do you want to win your own pack of Eraselets for your kids?  Come enter here for your chance to win Eraselets and 24 other amazing prizes!

 

Simply Sensational Giveaway - 25 Winners!

WOW! Thanks to everyone's love and support,

*Couponin Momma from TX* and Save More Spend Less with Heidi have hit great milestones and we are celebrating it with our fans!*Couponin Momma from TX* has reached 6,000 fans and Save More Spend Less has reached 7,000!We have joined forces with other amazing bloggers to celebrate with the Simply Sensational Giveaway!!

There will be a total of 25 winners!!

Here are the prizes you could win:

~~~~~

Soda Stream- Fountain Jet
Winner’s choice of color (black/silver, red/silver or white)
1 carbonating bottle, reusable for up to 3 years
Variety 6-pack of popular sample-size flavors - 3 full-sized flavors of the winner’s choice

$25 Bob Evans Gift Card

$10 Sephora Gift Card

$25 Blockbuster Gift Card

Necklace with charm $19 Value

Beauty Spoon $9.99 Value

Tree Hut Mango Scrub and Lotion--$12 Value

Baby Magic Lotion and Wash Set $12 value

Eraselets $5.00 value
2 AmorePacific Products (Moisture Bound & Treatment Cleansing Foam 1.0 fl. oz. each)

$10 Starbucks Gift Card

3-$5 Amazon Gift Codes

12 month subscription to Allure

$10 GC to Simple Mind Shop

$5 Gift Certificate to One Stop Shop

Sheet of Jamberry Nails

NOse Offense Combo 2' (8oz with Sprayer & 32oz Refill)

Bow Tie from DelGuzzo Designs
$15 Michaels Gift Card

2 Burt's Bee's Lip balms (one prize)

$10 Kmart Gift Card

$30 Paypal CASH

$25 Amazon Gift Card

~~~~~
I hope you are as excited as we are!

What are you waiting for?!

♥ Just fill out the simple rafflecopter form below. GOOD LUCK ♥

* This is opened to US citizens only. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook!

This giveaway will run through 12:01 a.m. EST on May 12th.*

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Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Pasta Salad

This is one of my absolute favorite pasta salads! It's amazingly delicious and I can eat the entire bowl in about 3 days. (Should I not be saying that???) But I can. It's that good! I got the recipe from my Mom after she made it years ago and I've been making it ever since.

Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Pasta Salad
Source: Wives With Knives

*6 Tbsp. mayonnaise
* 1 1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
* 1 1/2 Tbsp. sour cream
* 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
* 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
* 1 Tbsp. tarragon
* asparagus, steamed but still firm
* smoked salmon
* 8 ounces cooked Penne pasta

I didn't have any Penne pasta so I used elbow. It's not as pretty looking but it tastes the same =o) I also don't add the poppy seeds. I have a thing about poppy seeds ever since I babysat a little guy (like 33 years ago) and he ate a giant poppy seed muffin. Then I had to change his diaper. You got the picture. So, ever since... no poppy seeds for me.

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Yep, it's that simple!

Enjoy!

I'm linking to the linky parties on my sidebar!

Wii Giveaway Blogger Sign-Ups

Wii Giveaway Blogger Sign-Ups

Do you think your fans would love a Wii gaming system? Who wouldn't?

Join us for this amazing event and make your readers very happy too :)

There will also be a blogger prize for most referrals!

Here's what the prize package will include

• Black Nintendo Wii
• Black Remote & Nunchuck
• New Super Mario Brothers
• Nintendo Music CD
• 4 Games
• All Participating Blogs get backlinks to their site.

$8.00 for 3 links. $1.00 each additional link.

SIGN UP HERE

The Ultimate Chocolate Lover's Giveaway

I have teamed up with some fantastic bloggers to give you a chocolate giveaway. Yep, you read that right... CHOCOLATE!!!! The giveaway is for a bunch of chocolate candy! Who doesn't love candy!

The picture above is what you will win. What's that? You want to see it again? Okay - here it is!

This giveaway is for the U.S. Residents only. Good luck to everyone!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Secret Recipe Club} Puff Pastry Mini Apple Bites

Yeah!  It's that time again.  Time for The Secret Recipe Club's big April reveal day.  I just love this day.  I love looking through all the blog posts and learning about each of the amazing bloggers that are participating in group C (that's today's group.)

Amanda, from Amanda's Cookin', started The Secret Recipe Club almost a year ago.  It's now grown so much there are 4 different groups (all posting on a Monday in the month) and each group has their own host to help out.  The host for today is Angela from Big Bear's Wife.  Thanks Angela for helping us all out!

My blog assignment this month was Simply.Food, an amazing blog written by Nanya.  Nanya is also a featured recipe author at @City Connect. How cool is that?!?!

Nanya has so many amazing ethnic dishes on her blog, from Puffed Rice Khichdi to Sago Muruku to Boondi.  Absolutely delicious looking!

She also has amazing giveaways on her blog (and we all know I'm a lover of giveaways!)

I am a huge lover of tzatziki dip so I was debating for days if I should make Nanya's amazing tzatziki dip (and eat the entire batch with french fries.  Yes, french fries - don't judge me!)  But I am a sweet lover.  Yep, I am.  Is that news???  So her Nepalese Chai (tea) Cookies looked absolutely amazing and were starting to call my name.  And then her Piece Montee started calling it even louder.  Aaahhhhh!  What to chose???!!!

As soon as I saw her post on Puff Pastry Mini Apple Bites I knew that was what we were going to make.  They looked delicious and easy to make.  ( I am needing a little easy in my life right now.) And my sonis on an apple pie kick.  So this was perfect!

Puff Pastry Mini Apple Bites
Source: Simply.Food

* 1 sheet ready to roll puff pastry
* 2 granny smith apples
* 4 Tbsp. sugar
*  1 tsp. cinnamon

We used Honey Crisp apples because they are my absolute favorite apple EVER!

Peel and grate the apples.  Add the sugar and cinnamon to the apples and mix well.  I decided not to peel my apples because I love the skin.  It made them pretty cool looking with the red int hem but next time, I will peel them.)

Place the puff pastry in a flat surface that is lightly dusted with flour.  Pour the filling onto the pastry rectangle and smooth out to the edges.

Starting at the long edge of the pastry rectangle, begin rolling tightly until you reach the middle of the pastry.

Do the same thing to the other side of the pastry (making a heart shape.)  I'm not sure why it was so juicy - maybe because of the apples I used.

Cut into 1 inch pieces and place on a lightly greased cooking sheet.  Reshape so that it looks like hearts.

Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and immediately transfer to a cooling rack.

Dust with powdered sugar (if desired) and enjoy!  I drizzled ours with a powdered sugar and milk glaze.  Oh man!  My son said "delicious!!!"

Now let's take a look at the other bloggers recipes!








I'm also linking to the parties on my sidebar.

PG 13 Cookies

I know.  I'm sorry.  I had to do it.  They were so stinkin' cute.  Right?  And are they even PG 13 anymore anyways?  Heck.  This is close to G rated now.  So maybe I'll re-name them "Rated G Cookies Because It's 2012".  That works.

I used my favorite sugar cookie recipe found here.

I used a heart cookie cutter and cut off the bottom portion.  See?

Then frost them anyway you would like.

I know, you can say it... adorable!  My daughter loved them except she said "her booty is showing too much in these, Mom."  Ha!

I'm linking to the parties on my sidebar.

Wholesale Costume Club Review

The best thing about working in a middle school is the kids. This is such a fun age! For lots of kids this is a hard time with hormones and home and school work, etc. But they are, for the most part, a ton to work with. The other totally cool thing about working in a middle school? It's the perfect atmosphere for the staff to be goofy and fun and "let our hair down" when it's appropriate. (See how I added 'appropriate'? I don't want to get in trouble.) =o)

My favorite school days are dress up days. We have a dress up day every month and it's so much fun. They vary every year depending on what the kids voted on. Usually they include comfy cozy day (my absolute fav!), Super Hero Day, favorite character day, sport and hobby day... Things like that. Cool, right?!

Is it weird that I have an attic full of costumes? I love them. I have a big Spongebob costume, a clown, prisoner, Raggedy Ann, one of those costumes that takes batteries and blows up (it's a horse), Fiona from Shrek and so many more. Heck, I still have every single Halloween costume my kids have worn.  Is that super cool or super weird??? I'm going with super cool!

So when I was asked to do a costume review.  Whoo hoo!

Wholesale Costume Club is a great online resource for costumes.  I always buy our costumes online because every time we go to Fred Meyer or Target or anywhere else, they are usually sold out.  I hate that.  And I hate having every girl in the neighborhood in the same costume.  I want my kids (and me) to be original.  =o)  And I am constantly amazed at how expensive costumes cost when you go to the store to buy them.  I can find the same exact costume online for a better price.  That's what first sold me on the idea of internet shopping for them.

I immediately went to the girls costumes and looked around but then thought I'd better look for boys costumes instead.  My daughter has been getting most of my giveaway winnings, since they are "girl" related and I didn't want my son to feel left out.  It didn't take me long to figure out which costume he would love... the Stealth Ninja Costume!  How cool is this?!?!

My son loved it!  The costume included a jumpsuit with formed "abs" on it (so cool), a red sash belt with foam ninja stars and red arm ties and black leg ties.  It also came with a mask to cover your nose and mouth (if you wanted to go completely undercover.)  =o)

The best part... my son went running outside to get his friend (who also put on his ninja costume) and they jumped on the trampoline for hours in them.  They did all of their karate moves and thought they were pretty darn cool.

The selection of costumes is amazing.  I found an adorable Hello Kitty costume for my daughter and, of course, I am all about the Smurfette costume =o)  Wouldn't that be fun?!

You can also find them on Facebook to get updates and discounts.

Definitely where we are going to get our Halloween costumes this year!

Thank you to Wholesale Costume Club for sending us this awesome Stealth Ninja Costume to review!  And, although we didn't have to pay for the costume, the opinions expressed in this review are ours and we were not influenced by others. 

Giant Teacher Pencil Filled w/ Goodies {Teacher Appreciation}

I totally get them importance of thanking your teacher.  They do so much work and in today's world...l they do way more than just teach.  Believe me!  I work in a middle school and the things we have to deal with daily are not just math, reading and writing.  

And isn't this a cool way to say thank you to a teacher?  I just loved it!  And they weren't hard to make at all.

Altered Pringles Can Pencil

Source: Glue Sticks & Tape

What you will need:

* empty Pringles can

* card stock (yellow, pink, tan, black and silver)

* Mod Podge

* hot glue gun

* paper crimper

* circle cutter

I used an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of bright yellow card stock for the "pencil".  It's okay that it doesn't go all the way to the bottom of the can because that will be covered up by the "eraser".

Use mod podge to glue the paper to the Pringles can.

To make the eraser, cut a pink strip of paper 11" x 1 3/4.

To make the metal band, cut a silver strip of paper 11" x 1".  Use your paper crimper to crimp the silver paper.

Glue the pink paper to the bottom of the can with mod podge.

Now glue the silver piece of paper (overlapping the pink paper a little) with mod podge.

Now cute a yellow strip of paper 11" x 1".  Carefully tear it in half (making it 1/2 inch wide).  This will make the pencil look like it's been sharpened.

To make the "pencil lead" you will need to cut a 5" circle out of tan or caramel card stock.

Cut a 3" circle out of black card stock.  Glue the black circle onto the tan circle (in the middle.)  Make a cut in the circles from the edge to the middle.  Now make a cone shape with the circle (making sure it's the exact same size as the Pringles lid) and glue together.

Glue the cone to the Pringles lid.  Now glue the torn yellow piece of paper to the edge of the Pringles lid so it looks like this.

 Voila!  Giant pencil!

Now fill the cans up with delicious goodies for the teacher!  We chose chocolate of course =o) 

If you want to add No. 1 (instead of No. 2 - get it???)  =o)  I used my cricut machine and cut out the letters/numbers.  I also cut out "Ms. Z" but after gluing it on I didn't do it for the other teachers.   I had a hard time keeping it straight!

I think they turned out great!

How are you going to celebrate your teachers?

I'm linking to the parties on my sidebar.