Red Letter Words Giveaway!

Just not on my blog.
BUT, you can go to Traci's blog here and enter her giveaway for one of Dee's pieces. The contest runs until this Friday, so hurry on over!

FYI for Friday

Organizing Mommy, my swap partner for the Blue and Brown Swap, is hosting a giveaway. Go over to Organized Everyday to check it out!

EA Sports Active

Jenn over at Frugal Upstate is hosting an EA Sports Active (Wii) giveaway! The giveaway is for the game and accessories, not the Wii itself. She is offering everyone a maximum of 6 chances to win, so feel free to check it out and enter yourself. Or not, because the fewer people that enter the contest, the greater my chance is of winning ;)

Check out this Giveaway!

Debbie over at Jadehollow is hosting a giveaway! To enter for a chance to win, click over to her blog here. The contest ends May 22nd at midnight. Good luck!

Dry Cleaner's Winners

Congratulations Renee and Funky Kim! I'll be sending you an e-mail to get your addresses. Thank you to everyone who entered!

Dry Cleaner's Secret Review

I was recently given the chance to try out Dry Cleaner's Secret for free in exchange for my review of their product. Seeing how I love free, I quickly agreed. Before my free package arrived, I checked out the product's website to see what exactly I would have to do. I knew of other dry cleaning products that involved several steps and special bags, so I was surprised at how easy the directions were for the product.
Each box has 6 individually sealed packages, with each package containing one moist sheet. To dry clean your clothes at home, all you have to do is open the package, treat any stains with the sheet, then place the clothes and the sheet in the dryer on medium heat for 20 minutes. Simple! There is no rounding up clothes, driving to the dry cleaner's, waiting, and and then driving back to pick them up. I don't have to worry about lost clothes or missing buttons.
Most of my dry-clean-only clothes are dresses, which is what I used for my trial. The dresses had been worn last summer and then packed up for the winter. A big no-no, I know. You NEVER put clothes that have been worn away for the season without cleaning first. But like I said, I hate going to the dry cleaner's and I never got around to taking the dresses. I also figured that these dresses would present more of a challenge for the product.
I was VERY pleased with the results! Both dresses smell lovely, the small food stain on one dress is gone, and both dresses are wrinkle-free. I followed the directions exactly as given, and it really couldn't have been easier. If you would like to try Dry Cleaner's Secret for yourself, here's your chance! The company has graciously given me two boxes to give away to two of my readers. If you would like to win a free box of Dry Cleaner's Secret, leave me a comment below. I'll draw and announce the winners on Monday.

Giveaway Winners!!!

The results are in! The winner for the first gift set:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

20 

Timestamp: 2009-04-05 03:19:02 UTC

Is Sarah at Life in the Parsonage! Congratulations! I'm sending an e-mail to you; if you'll respond to the e-mail with your address, I'll ship it out.

And for the second prize:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

25 

Timestamp: 2009-04-05 03:19:38 UTC

Is Hotpants! I'll send you an e-mail as well asking for your address.

Thank you to everyone who left a comment. Please keep reading!

300th Post and a GIVEAWAY!!!

Welcome to my 300th post! I can't say how much I appreciate every comment that you all have left on my posts. I never thought that I would enjoy writing enough to make blogging a hobby. This would not be much of a celebration without presents, and I have 2 sets of gifts that you can enter for a chance to win.
The first set of gifts includes:

1) 8 oz. Bath & Body Works Cucumber Melon body cream
2) Yankee Candle Car Jar air freshener in Sage & Citrus
3) spiral-bound notebook, 5"x6"
4) 4 oz. Olive Oil candle, Egyptian Cotton scent
5) 11 oz. bag of Dunkin Donuts dark roast coffee (if you win this and you don't like dark roast, I'll be happy to switch it for another type)
6) Scrubbing Bubbles fresh brush starter kit
7) Spring 2009 issue of do it yourself magazine (brand new; they sent me 2 copies for some reason)
8) 8 oz. bag of Olde South decorative potpourri, Crisp Cotton scent
9) my favorite - a $10 gift card to Target

The second set of gifts is more for the kids, although if your kids are like my son, a new toy will entertain them long enough for you to have some peace and quiet. This set includes:
1) brand-new in box Chutes & Ladders board game
2) jump rope
3) Slinky Jr.
4) Ultra-catch velcro gloves and ball (2-player game)
5) sidewalk chalk
6) Yankee Candle Car Jar air freshener in Sage & Citrus
7) magnetic-backed Babysitter's notepad
8) $15 gift card for iTunes
Here's how to win:
1) Enter a comment on this post.
2) Follow me, and leave me a comment saying that you are now following me. If you have already been following me, leave me a comment telling me that you've already been following me.
3) Leave me a comment on this post telling me which one of my blog posts is your favorite, or which one of my blog posts you found meaningful.
4) Blog about my giveaway on your blog and leave me a comment telling me that you did so.
Please note that all comments must be left on this post. I will close comments on this post at 11:00 PM (EST), April 4th. Winners will be announced Sunday, April 5th on this blog, and will also be contacted via e-mail. In the event that the same person is drawn as the winner for both contests, I will draw again for a second name. In the interest of keeping things simple, the first name drawn wins the first set, the second name drawn wins the second set.
Good luck!

Modesty and a Giveaway

Keep reading until the last paragraph for details on a giveaway, or (better yet!) click on the blog below for all of the details!
Sarah Mae over at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee is posting an on-going series about modesty. I encourage all of you to check out her series. Modesty is not something addressed much in the church today, and it should be. I seek a lot of outfits in churches nowadays that would have been scandalous a generation ago. I know that times and styles change, but good taste doesn't. We shouldn't lecture men about staying pure and then encourage them to lust by what we wear.
The world's point of view has so steadily crept into the Christian's way of thinking that even many believers think of frumpy and outdated clothing when modesty is mentioned.
I believe that I always dressed modestly growing up and as a young adult. For me, the struggle with modesty didn't occur until I was pregnant with BB. I had to buy maternity clothes, and let's face it, the stomach isn't the only body part that grows with pregnancy! I loved having new clothes and buying new clothes. So what if my pregnant belly showed a bit when I reached for something, or a shirt was a tad revealing? I was pregnant! Before this, I had never really been into clothes shopping. I would buy a piece or two of clothing here and there, or an outfit for a certain event. I was simply not into fashion.
Once BB was born and I was a SAHM, I felt so out-of-it, and I missed having an excuse to buy clothes. In a decidedly not-frugal moment, I gave most of my clothes to Goodwill and I bought new clothes. I traded in my high-waist jeans for mid-rise, and my 2XL t-shirts for ones that actually fit. While I certainly didn't become a fashion plate, I could at least say that my clothes were new, instead of hand-me-downs that I'd kept from junior high (not an exaggeration)! I felt better about myself when I wore the new clothes. That is, except for the occasional moment when I would sit down, bend over, or reach up - you know, moves that a mom never has to do in everyday life. I told myself that I was just overreacting and I needed to stop being paranoid.
Around the time BB was born, my parents bought a camcorder. We also started taking a lot more pictures. When I started seeing the pictures and watching the videos, I caught glimpses of me that I knew other people were seeing as well. Nothing too much, but still something.
From then until now, I haven't done anything about the clothing problem except to buy some long tank tops. These (when I remember to wear them) are to wear under my shirts and to tuck into my jeans. That solves one problem, but tank tops aren't cut very high, which leaves another problem. I also realized recently that if I have to plan all items of clothes based on what shirt I am wearing, that is probably a sign that my shirt is too form-fitting.
Part of me really has a problem with these realizations. I like knowing that the clothes I am wearing aren't frumpy. I know that I will never be a trend-setter, but do I have to go back to mom jeans and baggy t-shirts? Or button-up shirts that go to my neck? Yes, I know that there are labels that offer modest clothing, but most of those labels are, in my humble opinion, for mature women. I've seen some pictures of what other people are doing to solve the modesty problem, and I don't have the sewing talent to add onto necklines and waist-bands of stylish clothing. What to do?
Here's one solution: Christa Taylor. Her site is full of stylish and modest clothing, with reasonable prices. Not Goodwill prices, to be sure, but definitely prices comparable to JC Penney's or Target. Best of all, with her clothes, I won't have to worry about dressing inappropriately for my age. If you go over to Like a Warm Cup of Cofee to this post, Sarah Mae is offering a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Christa Taylor. The contest ends Friday, January 16th, at midnight, so head over now!

We Have a Winner!

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on my 200th blog post! I would love to give everyone a prize, but that would be expensive. I had 10 people leave a comment and therefore enter the contest. I thought about using the random number thingy a lot of people use for their giveaways, but I figured I could just as easily number some paper 1-10 and draw a number. To be perfectly unbiased, I had BB draw the number:

The winner is commenter #4, who happens to be Renee! Congratulations! I will most likely do another giveaway near Christmas time for some Christmas jewelry, so stay tuned!

#200 - Ta Da!

Happy 2ooth post to me! As promised, you have a chance to win a prize with this post. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post by midnight, Saturday, October 18th. I will then draw a winner from those comments and announce the winner sometime on Sunday, October 19th. I thought about making you work for your chance to win by telling me your favorite post on my blog, but I had compassion on my readers.
As for the prize- sorry fellas, this is a girly prize. You can enter the contest, though, for a chance to win your sweetie some goodies. If your sweetie just happens to read my blog and enter the contest also, well, that's 2 entries for your household.
Now for the big reveal. I wanted the giveaway to reflect some of my favorite things. In no particular order, the winner will receive:

• 1 Burt's Bee's lip balm - better than chapstick, and better for you, too!
• 1 Victoria's Secret Heavenly Angels Nourishing Hand Balm - this smells SO good, and it is the only reason I ever go in that store.
• 1 Bath and Body Works Honeysuckle hand sanitizer - I'm not a big fan of B&B stuff, except when it comes to their Honeysuckle and Lavender lotion and sanitizer. A close third would be the Japanese Cherry Blossom. I'm too cheap to buy this as a regular for myself, so I ask for this at holidays and then stretch it out with cheaper unscented lotion mixed in.
• 1 Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate - I love chocolate. Any kind of chocolate, except for white. But dark chocolate is my favorite. All the studies that prove dark chocolate is full of antioxidants that are good for you is icing on the cake!
• 1 Juicy Fruit gum - I love Juicy Fruit! It's too bad they don't make a sugar-free version, because I would chew it all the time. Instead, it's a welcome break from my usual sugar-free peppermint gum.
• 4 Yankee Candle votives - in Macintosh, Autumn Wreath, Cinnamon Stick and Harvest. Candles add such a cozy atmosphere to a home, especially when the candles are a seasonal scent. I love fall, and I don't get to experience much of the fall season living here in Georgia. Instead, I have to burn fall-scented things and pretend that I'm not still wearing tank tops and shorts in mid October with the air conditioner running.

Here's your chance! Start leaving comments, and check back on Sunday for the winner! I will also notify the winner by e-mail and ask for a mailing adress. Good luck!