Winner, Winner, Cake Square Dinner

Well, with 20 cake square coupons, you could certainly fill up!  (Though probably not recommended!)

I took nine slips of paper, wrote a name on them for every comment received, folded them up, then let my kids draw the names out of a basket (sorry, no photographic evidence...), and the winners of this giveaway are:

• Amanda (I'll bring yours to church!)
• Meredith (I know where to find you...)
• Sarah (please leave a comment here with your email address - name - at - email - dot - com style and I'll contact you for your mailing address)
• Rosalind (I have your mailing address already)
• Angela (email me your mailing address)

Don't feel left out, Patrice - I'm going to send you a little something, too! 

Thanks, y'all, for entering!

Local Helping Hand {giveaway!}

I enjoy keeping up with local bloggers and tweeters - it's been a great way to learn more about the city we call home (since we didn't grow up here), and a way to make some fun local connections.  Not too long ago, I got connected to our local Ronald McDonald House (web, blog, twitter, Facebook) as they were celebrating a recent expansion.  Just a few days after I started following on twitter, I got the message that they were in need of some pantry items.  As it turned out, our entire family was in Costco at the time, so we added a few things to our cart and made plans to visit the House!

So glad to be here!

Getting ready to unload our goodies!

And now, the RMH has given me some goodies to share with you! 

Yes, those are coupons for free cake squares from Dewey's!  I've got five sets of twenty coupons each, and all you have to do is leave a comment!  I'll award a coupon book to each of  five winners!


To enter:  I'd love to hear ways that you try to teach your children about giving, but any old comment will do.
Extra entries (leave me a separate comment if you do 1, 2, or 3): 
1) Follow @RMHWinstonSalem on twitter
2) Subscribe to the RMH Winston-Salem blog
3) Like the Ronald McDonald House of Winston-Salem on Facebook
4) Send a friend over to leave a comment and enter the giveaway!  If they let me know that you sent them, you will get an extra entry!
The fine print: The coupons have no expiration date (yay!), but since Dewey's is a local business, this giveaway is open to local folks (or those willing to drive here to use them...). 


If you don't know me in real or bloggy life, be sure to leave a way for me to contact you (name at email dot com).  I'll draw the winners on Thursday, December 16th (or maybe use random.org, but I think my kids would have fun drawing the names), and try to contact you by the 17th for your mailing address.  I'll post the winners here, too - so if you didn't win, you know who you need to meet at Dewey's for coffee and cake squares!


By the way, if you don't win - or if one pack just isn't enough - these coupon books are also for sale at the Ronald McDonald House through Christmas.  The booklets are $5 each (remember: 20 coupons in each booklet) and all of the proceeds go to the RMH!  I sent them to school for my son's birthday (no cupcakes allowed at school, but these were a fun substitute!), and they would also make great teacher gifts or stocking stuffers!


Best of luck, readers - I'll be waiting for the comments to start rolling in!

Winner!

It's time to announce the winner for the Uprinting.com custom label giveaway!

You're wondering what could keep me from wrapping this up and letting you know, aren't you? A busy week (I worked about 4x more hours than usual for my at-home, part-time job) and WARM WEATHER! Well, relatively warm.... It was close to 60 here yesterday! So, we did more than just hibernate, watch the Olympics, and surf the 'net. Without any further delay, though, here are the results:

Thanks to the random-number generator at random.org, the winner is ...

Commenter #5 - Jane Anne! Congratulations!

Thanks to everyone who entered! I hope to have another giveaway for you soon!

It's Giveaway Time

It's giveaway time again, thanks to Uprinting.com!

I am so happy with the postcards I had printed after my last giveaway, and now I am imagining how I could use custom-printed labels.

That's right - this time, the lucky winner will get 250 custom stickers! I can't even slim down the number of ideas that I have for how I would use custom labels - funky return address labels, a festive decoration for greeting card envelopes, to-from labels for gifts, bookplates, the list goes on!

Entering this contest is EASY! Just tell me how YOU would use 250 custom stickers! Here are the giveaway details:

• ONE lucky winner will receive 250 full-color custom stickers/labels, printed on 70lb matte label paper
• The winner can choose from three different sizes - 2"x3.5", 2"x4", or 3"x3"
  
• Turnaround time - 4 business days from the time you approve your proof
• Free UPS shipping
  
• NOTE: only US residents are eligible to enter this giveaway

This giveaway will be open for two weeks, so be sure to get your comments in by the 17th! I'll randomly select a winner and post the results soon after. (Anonymous commenters, leave a way that I can reach you - for example, name(at)email(dot)com.)

I'm so excited to read your ideas!

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
- No Boundaries 5K class
- LL Bean Town and Field Rucksack in Dark Brown or Black
- New spatulas and measuring spoons
- Aveda Hand Relief
- Time to finish the whole-house cleaning and reorganization project

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
- A hand-crocheted doily that we received as a wedding gift (I'm sure there are more, but I finally put this out on display and I get to enjoy it a little bit each day)

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
- I've always wanted to send handmade Christmas cards. Technically not a gift, but since we send close to 200 cards it's the only 'gift' we send some folks.

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
- Every year had some special surprise, but my most treasured items are my yearly Christmas ornaments.

5. What items are on your kids' wish lists this year?
- Miss M wants a pink Leapster, a pink umbrella, and two princess dresses; Mister J wants Leapster games, Bakugan, and a Transformers calendar.

6. What is your favorite holiday food?
- cheese straws

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
- Covered journals for the kids' teachers (I hope they aren't reading!). I'd like to do more, but instead I'll focus on shopping locally and buying handmade when possible.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
- I don't really have one. I try to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" each season, but have never made it through the entire movie in one sitting.

9. Favorite holiday song?
- Silent Night

10. Favorite holiday pastime?
- Wrapping gifts. It's my favorite thing about Christmas!

Head on over to TodaysMama to learn more about the contest. You may decide you want to enter, too!

Lisa Leonard Giveaway

Hop on over to Simple Mom for a jewelry giveaway!

Lisa Leonard's jewelry is SO pretty! I haven't ever bought any, but I think I might have to put it on my Christmas wish list! The new Family Crest necklace is lovely, but I keep coming back (over and over) to the Sweet and Simple Birdie necklace. The Oval Monogram, Wish, and Family Tree necklaces are lovely, too. Oh, who am I kidding? You really couldn't go wrong! She also has other jewelry, keychains, and baby spoons. I really could break the bank there!

Don't forget - pop on over (link above) to enter Simple Mom's Lisa Leonard giveaway!

Yippee!

Check out my 1st runner up entry in a local photo contest! The winner is a friend of mine - so a double yippee is in order!

Postcard Winners!

(of this contest)

Congratulations to Marsha and Sarah, who have each won a set of custom postcards from Uprinting.com!

Ladies, send me your email addresses so I can get your coupon code to you!

Thanks to everyone who commented - I hope to have another contest soon!

Hiatus: A Contest

No, I'm not going away again - so what does a hiatus have to do with a contest? Let me explain....

A few years ago, I made a New Year's Resolution to begin sending birthday and anniversary cards to all of our friends and family members for whom I had date of birth and/or anniversary and an up-to-date address. With the exception of one month a couple of years ago when it all just fell apart, I kept it every month - until this past June, when it all fell apart again. After a month off, it was easy to let my unplanned hiatus continue right on through the (hot, busy, and fun) summer. Conservatively, I kept up that resolution for the better part of 5.5 years. I'm trying to get this practice back into my routine, though, because has become so important to me.

Looking through my book of days, writing a brief note and signing cards, addressing them and adding a stamp.... This quiet time allowed me the chance to think about the many people who have come into my life. To be thankful for them and to stay connected, in a way, to all the parts of my life that make me who I am today. This practice also helped me to remember those whose birthdays are listed, but who are no longer with us. It was a reminder to me to celebrate them, too - not with a card, a note, and a stamp, but with a prayer of thankfulness of the time we had with them.

I'm ready to start again, but I need to streamline part of the process. I can't streamline looking through my book of days - I am not willing to lose that quiet time to reflect and be thankful. I can't streamline the note-writing and addressing - even though I blog and email and facebook, I still adore sending and receiving mail. But I can streamline my shopping time by creating custom postcards or custom greeting cards. I've found that I barely spend time picking out the 'perfect' card anymore, so I'd rather create my own 'perfect' message instead. And, I'm having a little contest so you can do the same.

Thanks to the generous folks at UPrinting.com, two contest winners will receive 200 custom postcards!

• choose your size: 4x6, 4.25x6, or 5x7"); 14pt gloss or matte, 13pt uncoated
• full color on both sides (4/4)

The fine print: Valid for US shipping only, winner pays shipping (your coupon code will be sent directly to you via email).

To enter, leave a comment below, letting me know what you would do with 200 custom postcards. Invitations? Save the Dates? Birth announcements? Christmas cards? Promote your business? I've got birthday cards on my mind, but I'd love to get some inspiration and ideas from you!

Invite your family and friends to leave their ideas - who couldn't use a little inspiration? Just tell them to do it soon! Contest ends next Saturday, August 29th, at 10:00PM Eastern Time.