Hi everyone, and thanks for stopping by! Give-away day is fast becoming an annual favorite and I’m so excited to go and see what all the other bloggers are giving away today! Check out this link for a list of all the participating blogs – there are lots, so settle in with a cup of tea for a couple of fun hours of blog surfing!

As for my corner of cyberland I have a fun little gift to give out to one lucky reader. A festive set of eight handmade coasters! These coasters are so cute and could be made up in so many different color combinations that I highly recommend making some for any and all special occasions! Click here, here, or here for some great links to make up a similar batch of your own… But first, leave a comment to this post sharing your favorite holiday treat for your chance to win this lovely set! All you need to do is leave a comment by Friday, December 11th and then I’ll randomly select a comment from the entries and announce the winner here on Saturday, December 12th!

Until then, I thought it would be fun to post some recipes for my favorite holiday drinks as nothing begs for a festive drink more than festive coasters! So without further ado, here are my top three favorite holiday drinks!

Eggnog

serves 12

Ingredients
4 cups milk
5 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups light rum
4 cups light cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions
1. Combine milk, cloves, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and cinnamon in a saucepan, and heat over lowest setting for 5 minutes. Slowly bring milk mixture to a boil.
2. In a large bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar. Whisk together until fluffy. Whisk hot milk mixture slowly into the eggs. Pour mixture into saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 3 minutes, or until thick. Do not allow mixture to boil. Strain to remove cloves, and let cool for about an hour.
3. Stir in rum, cream, 2 teaspoon vanilla, and nutmeg. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

Creamy Hot Cocoa

serves 4

Ingredients
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup half-and-half cream

Directions
Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn’t scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil! Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.

*Add a candy-cane to each mug for peppermint hot cocoa, or add a cinnamon stick or two with the cocoa, sugar and salt to make Mexican hot cocoa (remove cinnamon stick before serving).

Caroling Wine

serves 8

Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups pineapple juice
1 cup orange juice
6 whole cloves
3 whole allspice berries
2 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups red wine
2 oranges
8 cinnamon sticks, garnish

Directions
1. In a large non-aluminum saucepan, combine water, brown sugar, pineapple juice, and orange juice. Season with cloves, allspice, 2 cinnamon sticks and salt. Cut the rind of 2 oranges into strips and stir into the mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Pour in the wine. Heat to just boiling and remove from heat. Serve hot with a cinnamon stick for garnish.

…for my first give-away!! That’s right, I’ve got some good to give you so that you can pamper yourself or someone you like this holiday season.

I use to sell Arbonne products on the side. Arbonne is kind of the same as Mary Kay. I gave it a try when I was living down in San Diego because I loved their products and that they were vegan, hypoallergenic, and water (instead of oil) based so they absorb into the skin better. I was also hating my job at the time and was getting ready to move to CT, so I thought it would be a little income coming in when I was “in transition”. I actually did make a few bucks!

Anyways, one lucky person will win the items pictured below.

Here is what the loot is:

• Hand Cream (great for those winter dry hands)
• Herbal Muscle Massage (relive your minor aches and pains from exercising off those cookies)
• Lip Gloss (to shine your pucker up for all those holiday parties)
• SPF 30 Lip Balm (moisturize while you protect yourself from the suns harmful rays)
• Pampermint Foot Scrub and Foot Cream (your dogs will smell great and feel relieved after a day of holiday shopping)
• Gold Carrying Case

So how can you win this fabulous loot? Easy…there are two ways! If you do both, you will be entered twice to win.

just leave me a comment telling me how you relax during the holidays

or

post on your blog about this give-away and leave me a comment letting me know!

I’ll be using a random number generator to pick the winner and the contest ends on Monday, December 7th. Good luck!!

Tis’ also the season for lots of parties and eating! How do you plan to stay on track? As far as eating, I have been doing pretty good so far, but I have to admit that I have regressed a bit with my positive body image thinking and have been really negative about myself lately. I think a lot of it is due to not being able to run. The other part of it is admitting that I have a disordered way of thinking about myself and really need to confront it head on. It’s scary admitting that you have a problem, but I think I am ready to do it. I’m tired of having my thoughts ruin my self-esteem and my overall attitude. I plan on writing a longer post on this later when I have more time…back to the fun stuff…the parties!!

This month Self Magazine wrote an article about Eating, Drinking, and staying Slim! Sounds great doesn’t it! Their main tip is to make bite size healthier versions of your fave’s so that you can have a taste and not feel deprived. If you are planning a party this is a great idea and they have some awesome recipes for mac & cheese mini’s, quiche in prosciutto cups, and pumpkin pie cupcakes.

Here are some other tips that I have read in magazines before and what I try to do at parties:

• Don’t stand near the food table, mingle around the room!
• Stick with wine instead of fancy cocktails that pack a calorie punch!
• Have a snack before the party so you don’t arrive ravished and ready to devour anything in site
• Load up on the veggie platter, but not on the ranch or other dipping sauces!
• Don’t sample everything, choose a few of your favorites and then step away. When you have a lot of different tastes and flavors you tend to eat more
• Save yourself for the desserts that you really love…are those store bought cookies really worth it??

So there you have it…my first give-away and some tips for staying healthy over the next month!

The winner of the November Give-Away, a signed copy of NOVEL SHORTCUTS, is P.E. of Grants Pass, Oregon.

For December the Give-Away is a signed copy of THE FETCH. Email your name and address via my website (www.laurawhitcomb.com) before New Years. (Let me know if you do NOT want to be on my snail mail list for the sending out of groovy things like bookmarks and postcards when new books come out.)

I hope all you Nanowrimo contestants had great results. Although I didn’t get 50K words, I did write 115 pages on UNDER THE LIGHT.

Have you seen the new look of Melanie Reyes Photography Website? Here’s your chance, and you’ll be a winner for just stopping by!

In honor of my new website! Please read below for instructions for a unique TREASURE HUNT!
To play, go to the following link: http://www.melaniereyesphotography.com  Take a good look at the website and all the links.  Your goal is to FIND THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS and BERRIES photo inside one of the many portfolios on the website.

Once you know which Portfolio contains the CHRISTMAS LIGHTs and BERRIES photo click on CONTACT and send me an email with the name of the PORTFOLIO as the subject. (feel free to say hello in the message as well ) Each email received (only one per person, please) will receive a coupon code for 20% OFF their next order.  Don’t live near me?…Wait, there’s more!

For every 50 entries I will give away a choice of the following prizes:
*$25 gift certificate to AMAZON
or
*$75 gift certificate to Melanie Reyes Photography

So spread the word, the more entries the more gift certificates I will give away!

Contest runs from today: December 1, 2009 until December 10, 2009 at midnight.  Only one entry per person. Feel free to tweet, facebook, email, tell friends, spread the word. And as always, thanks for stopping by and supporting Melanie Reyes Photography!

Thanks everyone that shared their favorite birthday cake… I can’t believe how popular confetti/funfetti cakes are! I am please to announce that the winner of my little give-away is none other than my dear friend Shannon! It’s ironic that Shannon is the winner as her blogging is what inspired me to start my own blog! So, congrats dear friend and you can expect a fun little package to come your way in the next few days…

As for the rest of you, (and Shannon too!) there is going to be yet another chance for you to win some great giveaways coming up on December 2nd as Sew Mama Sew will be hosting the second annual Give-away Day! Yours truly will be participating along with lots of other great bloggers. You can find all the details here where participating blogs will be listed along with links to their give-aways. I hope you all can give them a good perusal – last year was a ton of fun and I’m sure this year will be even better!

Back when I had a family to cook for and I had an organic farm and homestead, I cooked mostly from scratch. Now that I’m single and lower income, the menu is determined by what I got from the food pantry, what I bought on sale and how much energy I have to cook that day. It’s called adapting to my circumstances. I love having my garden here and use as much as I can fresh and frozen out of the garden.

For some reason, Bisquick-like baking mix and pancake mix is plentiful at the food pantry. In the “old days” I preferred to make these things from scratch. Here is my all-time favorite pancake and waffle recipe. I always had a gallon jar of it on the shelf….

http://peaceandcarrots.homestead.com/WholeGrainPancakeandWaffleM.html

I write my blog according to the circumstances I am in. Life is full of changes. I guess this is my disabled, apartment dwelling phase. Now I write about what that reality is like for me….including mental, physical, financial and spiritual struggles and triumphs. Sometimes I am a wanderer upon the land, sometimes a gardener or homesteader. You never know….

Purse Blog has partnered with Fab Sugar and Portero Luxury to GIVE AWAY A BIRKIN!

Yes, you read right.  All you have to do is sign up for the PopSugar Network, PopSugar Daily, Portero.com, and ThePurseBlog’s emails to win.

The Birkin “black evergrain (feels like butter!) leather 30 cm Birkin, with palladium hardware, pre-owned, never worn (valued at $8,350), compliments of Portero Luxury.”

Click here to sign up.

Good luck!

-Septembre

The three give-away winners were chosen yesterday! Hooray!

I would’ve posted this earlier, unfortunately, we had some behavioural issues with Lydia and spent the majority of our evening off-line. She was relatively good for the 3 minute video, as she hates having her bad antics caught on tape. Joe has threatened to install security cameras throughout the house… lol

So here are the results of the drawing:

The first prize, an original acrylic painting of a kimono/geisha cat, is going to: John Harper!
(He will have the ability to select the cat breed, color scheme, and kimono design)

The second prize, a fantasy photo-manipulated portrait, goes to: April Carty!
(Using one of her photographs, I will create a digital collage in a theme of her choosing)

The third and final prize, an open-edition art print from my Etsy shop, belongs to:
Ginger Scharnhorst – a.k.a ILoveHelloKitty on Etsy!
(she may choose one of my pieces printed on archival paper, and
listed for $15 or less)

I will contact the winners today, to request their preferences for the portraits/prints as well as to receive shipping addresses for mailing their prizes.

I really appreciate everyone who answered my call for entries, promoted on my behalf, and for my established fans who came forward to take advantage of this great offer… I’d like to give everyone a token of thanks… so I will give all my Facebook fans Free Shipping for the month of December (applies to my Etsy and Artfire shops… I can’t control Zazzle, unfortunately).
Those of you who haven’t yet used the 50% off coupon you received upon joining, are still able to use it as well for an even sweeter deal.

To use your free shipping and/or 50% off code:
When checking out in my Etsy shop, type the code into the “message to seller” box. You can also remind me with “free shipping for a fan” in the box… though I typically check my roster of names to see if you’re already a fan. lol
Please DO NOT pay the invoice Etsy prompts you with…
Etsy will alert me via e-mail that I have a sale (but the buyer hasn’t paid yet)… I will re-adjust your invoice in PayPal to reflect the discount and/or free shipping, and will e-mail the revised invoice through PayPal. You can still leave feedback etc…

My Artfire shop will accept your 50% off coupon code automatically through their awesome check-out, however they won’t allow multiple deals/coupons to be used on one order.. so for Artfire purchases, Facebook fans will have their shipping refunded.

Again, I’d like to congratulate the winners, and look forward to keeping myself busy with projects over the next few days… and I’ll have some awesome new artwork to share with everyone.

Here’s what I got TOTALLY free!

I bought the train picture frames with no money at all

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ALL GONE. Their servers crashed due to demand. They say they are doing this again next month. Keep your eyes peeled for good deals….and let me in on them!

FREE $25 GIFT just by shopping with any of the OpenSky Shopkeepers and mentioning the coupon code at checkout.

If only my blog came with a drum-roll button…

I’m excited to announce the release of Birthing Ourselves, the journey to conscious parenting. Originally a live tele-series, Birthing Ourselves was created to guide an inspire you on your parenting journey today. Whether you are an expectant mom for the first time or a seasoned veteran with multiple children, you’ll be supported and inspired to pay attention to your inner wisdom and witness the effect on your relationship with your children.

As a special thank-you to my readers and radio show listeners, I’m offering 2 chances to win your own copy.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Follow/subscribe via RSS feed
2. Leave a comment on this post.

For extra entries:

1. Ask a pregnancy/labor/postpartum question here or via email (intentionalbirth at yahoo dot com)
2. Comment with a suggestion for topics for the Radio Show (2 entries)
3. Tweet “I just entered @KarenAngstadt’s giveaway for the Birthing Ourselves 4 CD set http://snipurl.com/te0wq #IBBO”
4. Become a Fan on Facebook
5. Link to the giveaway on your Facebook page (comment with link)
6. Post about this giveaway on your blog (leave a comment with link to your post)

The Contest Ends December 7th at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

You wouldn't lie to me would you?

Hello ManCry followers!

Well seeing as it’s the seasonal month of giving tomorrow, I’m in a giving mood. I would say it’s competition time but you don’t even have to answer any questions correctly- It’s a give away!

Here’s your chance to win : ( you guessed it) -  A DVD direct to your door of Field of Dreams – new and unwrapped ! Voted and considered by many as the ultimate ManCry film – if you haven’t got this on DVD here’s your chance.  All I ask from you to be eligable to win is to do the following :

1. Subscribe via  e-mail (top right of website) to keep updated on the latest ManCry posts

2. Become a fan on facebook if you have it

3. Tell a friend(s) about ManCry!

(I have no way of telling if you decide not to tell your friends about ManCry but just remember this – I won’t judge you, Kevin Costner will !)

That’s all you have to do! It’s hardly hard work from you and you could win the best ManCry film on DVD direct to your door. Competition ends on Friday so you have 7 days to get the above done. Winner will be picked by e-mail entered below at random and posted on the site.

Good luck to you all!

Also : Field of Dreams soundtrack and ManCry review here – enjoy it again, might aswell

P.S. Don’t forget to sign the Guestbook if you have 2 minutes spare, love to hear your comments and favourite film.

Ok so just tonight , I went to Toys R Us and got the Collectors edition of the Card Jitsu Pack! So now I am going to be giving 1 Card Jitsu Code out to all of you PDN fans! What I will do is just simply give the code out! Here is the information:

The code will be given out on December 6 (In 7 days).

The code will be given out sometime in-between 10:00 am PST – 10:30 am PST

Tell ALL of your friends to come to http://penguinsdailynews.com at that time period! I would hope to get at least 5 people on this website!

Code:                                                

                                                      -Mxz7000

Hi yous…

Today I want to tell and show you about a good friend of mine: maedchenmitherz.

Katja.

It’s just amazing how creative she is… all the time she has some cute new ideas.

Until Sunday evening she has a cute give-away for you. If you check her blog and tell her what you like about it, her or about her crafting, you have the chance to win great stuff like this coffee-to-go brooch

or this colourful autumnally headband…

Oh before I forget… you can buy her beautiful art… here

And I want to show you my words for her <3 :

“… I love and really respect how you manage to blog something cute every day! You are kind of my role model with this

For me would be great to see and read about how to make so wonderful and cute selfportraits

It’s late now and I have to catch some sleep.

Tomorrow we will finally watch New Moon in the cinema and I’m sooo nervous, nearly can’t wait anymore…

Have you seen it yet? Did you like it??

Goodnight… :-*

Tessuti are celebrating their 2nd birthday with a $100 giveaway.  Just leave a comment about your favourite pattern to be in the running.  I have their storm scratching, raining petals and a couple of fun cottons queuing up for the miele.

Tell me about your craziest, zaniest, or absolutely worst busy retail shopping experince!!

You may enter by posting your comment below.

Please enter (comment) only once, a winner will be drawn randomly at 8pm Pacific time tonight.

The winner will receive a Balm or Stain and any single Eye Shadow in stock from Sobe Botanicals!!  You can read my review of her lip products here.

To kick things off I’ll tell you my zaniest retail experince…

Years ago I worked at Target, paying my way through school.  Needless to say, carrying a full load at college and working almost forty hours a week,  I was usually really tired.  Normally, being in Personnel, I didn’t work on the floor.

One day, just a week or so before Christmas I was working in Electronic and some crazy customer spotted a TV they HAD TO HAVE on of the top shelves.  She wanted THAT ONE, not the ones on the end caps (they were on sale for a really good price) and she wanted one that ‘hadn’t been out’.  Before I could react she’d managed to pull the thing down just enough that it was teetering there.  She quickly moved out of the way, but it fell right on my head.

Fast forward to me at the emergency room with a concussion.  One of the other Team Leads was with me in the hospital and OUR boss was going to drive my car home for me, because I wasn’t able to, and the someone would take him back to the store from there.  So as I’m sitting there waiting for my MRI or whatever to get read my co-worker tells me the plan and ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT it what I left on the radio in my car.  I had this song BLARING on the way to work.  I KNEW that when he got in the car it would still be on.

I heard about it for about a year after that.  It did NOT fit the image of me my boss had, he was SO shocked that the normally poised and demure me would even know that song existed.

Now it’s your turn.

UPDATE :

True Random Number Generator Result: 13
The winner is Sarah!!

I’ll be contacting you tomorrow with more info!!
Congrats and thanks to everyone for the amazing stories!!

The Holidays has come early this year!

Here is the Scoop

On Tuesday Dec 1st, you can call-in during Sunny Side Up with Adam and Kim and win an exclusive double pass to the Montreal Premier of  the new George Clooney film Up in the Air.

All you have to do is listen to the show on tuesday between 10 and 11 a.m. and call in  [514-848-7471] and answer the question of the day.

Good Luck and Happy Holidays!

Today is the day that we give thanks. But why do we minimize our gratefulness to just one day out of the year? We should be giving thanks every day. We really should. And I believe today will be the first of many days in which I will embark on my journey.

Sometimes by the end of the day I’m so exhausted that I don’t even say my prayers. Sometimes I get so upset that not only do I dwell on the negative but I can’t even foresee the positive. Some days I don’t want to make three meals a day, plus snacks, and yet I don’t even think of how lucky we truly are to have the resources for three meals let alone one.

But today is different. It’s not just a day where we remember the Pilgrims and Indians, but a day to make peace within ourselves. I think highly of Thanksgiving. Maybe because I was born on Thanksgiving in 1980 and I figure that somewhere in the scheme of things that there was some kind of reason I was born on that day. (My birthday doesn’t fall on T-day this year, but tomorrow.)

Today will be filled with smiles.

Today there will be much to be grateful for.

• My husband and my children.

• The good health of my family. Recently I called both my grandmothers, who live in Illinois, who I haven’t spoken to for nearly 12 years since my grandpa died. They are doing excellent as is the rest of the family. I miss them so much and I wish them well.

• My friends. This means you. I don’t have many in real life friends but my blogging buddies, all of you, are like my best friends.

• I’m grateful for my new best friend, Rogue. Ever since having to give up Scarlett it’s been very hard for me. But Rogue has come here to replace her in some ways and for that I’m truly thankful.

• For the gifts that have been bestowed upon me. I’m thankful that I’m smart, knowledgable, and talented. What I’d do without my knitting or sewing I really don’t know.

And because I am feeling so grateful, I’m feeling a bit generous and I have a give away.

{Owl felt kit by Paper and String.}

I absolutely love this kit and have a feeling that I will be purchasing many more of her patterns in the future. They are all just. too. cute. I made this second one for Scout because you know if I make one then I really need to make two.

So as a give away prize I will be naming one winner and gifting them an owl in the color of their choice. Just leave a comment and tell me what you are grateful for. I will choose a winner on Saturday, November 28th at 5 p.m. PST.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

This December, Bedbug.com is giving away a free bed bug laundry bag and mug to every one in ten people who submit their personal bed bug story to the customer service email address that can be found by going to the bedbug.com contact us page.
Hurry, this offer is only good for the month of December, and only while supplies last. And every 1 in 10 wins! So go ahead, get out your pen, and make it a bed bug free year!

I typically do like to finish the bulk of my shopping before Thanksgiving.  But usually I still have the boys and Rob to shop for.

Well, thanks to some great friends, I 95% finished shopping for everyone by Monday.  Then yesterday another great friend watched B. while  I wrapped everything I have bought.  I didn’t put tags on anything, rather I wrote numbers on them and have a list with what the numbers are and who they are for.  Then I hid them pretty well in my closet, way up high.

All I can say in regards to presents, is it is so much easier to buy things for a 4 year old than an 11 year old.

Not only that, but I have ordered my Christmas Cards and just finished writing our Christmas letter and will print those today.   Maybe I will do the labels for the cards too?

Seriously, I am worried, when will I crash?  What has possessed me?  What am I going to do in December?

Oh, wait!

• I am in charge of designing and printing the family calendar.
• I have 2 doula clients due.
• Singing in Sing Noel.
• Volunteering at the live Nativity, Follow the Star.
• 3 different Book Club Christmas Parties.  (Yes, I belong to 3 book clubs)
• Teaching a Hypnobabies Series.
• Decorating a Gingerbread house and a Gingerbread Train.
• Decorating our real house.

I guess I will stay busy.

I will say that one very inspirational find I have is a new Christmas CD! Every year for Sing Noel Victoria writes a Christmas song for the concert.  They are always my favorite, but when we get the CD of the concert, it is always hard to hear either the singer or the pianist.

So I was THRILLED to hear she produced a CD of her songs. All About the Baby.

I got it on Sunday and I LOVE it.  I haven’t found a Christmas CD I love since Harry Connick Jr Christmas CD, which came out in 1993.   Maybe this new CD is what has inspired my Christmas Preparations?  (Here is a link to my favorite song on the CD)

I think in my Christmas Frenzy I shall do a give away! So if you want to win a copy of All About the Baby leave a comment.  I will pick a winner December 1st.

Out of curiosity, does anyone have any big shopping plans for Black Friday?

Me?  I’m sleeping in.  When I eventually do roll myself out of bed I’ll be hosting an amazing Black Friday Give Away, sponsored by Sobe Botanicals.

So I hope despite your plans, you stop by for a chance to win!

Lotta’s Himmelrom har en Give Away på bloggen sin Og jeg er med. Dette er en utolig inspirerende  bloog, som man får mange gode ideer hos. Hun har passert 20 000 besøkende og vi lfeire det med å gi bort et gave kort på Home & Cottage Bli med du også