Adventures in bread making!

I have decided to give bread making a try! I've been on a kick on making everything homemade-ditching processed foods and what not. I scoured this article and decided that this was going to be my plan-taken from the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.
Preparing the dough wasn't as hard as I thought, but I don't think my dough was wet enough. Despite my uncertainty, I let the bread sit for hours in the fridge. The best part of this recipe is NO KNEADING! You don't even need a bread machine or a mixer w/ a bread hook (which I have neither!)
The kids went down for a nap and I got started, I dont' have a bread stone, but I do have a pizza stone which I'm told by my friends will work just the same!
I made a small loaf just to try, and MMM it was good! It was a bit heavy, I don't think I let it bake long enough but I just couldn't wait to try it so I took it out of the oven early.

Not bad for my first try!

So does anyone have any recipes they love and are willing to share? I'd love to stop buying store bought bread (eventually :D) so please share any and all bread recipes you have tried and love!

Kidorable Review and Giveaway!

I love Kidorable's products and their amazing customer service. My sons just LOVE their umbrellas and raincoats. This review is special, as I was given the opportunity to review Kidorable's new Ballerina collection, and my boys are not ballerinas so I asked one of my friends to help me out with this review!

My friend Paige and her beautiful daughter reviewed the Ballerina Rain Coat, and here is her take!
I was pretty excited when Heather gave me the opportunity to review this Kidorable Ballerina Raincoat. The color pink and Ballet are two of my daughter's favorite things, so I knew she would love it. I didn’t tell her it was coming so she was thrilled to open the box and see a shiny pink raincoat. And with all the cute details this coat has she kept discovering new things to get excited about. The ruffled skirt was her favorite part; the cute little flower on the hood was mine. She couldn’t wait to put it on and I couldn’t wait to take a million pictures of her in it. While her little brother was distracted playing with the wooden clothes hanger that came with it, we tried the raincoat on. She’s 4 and the 4T was slightly large on her, but she’s petite for her age so I expected that and it gives her room to grow into it. It’s well-made and looks like it will have no problem surviving the rainy-day adventures of an energetic little girl. We’re both looking forward to spring, when we can give it a good test run (and show it off), and in the meantime I’m having a very hard time not ordering the matching umbrella.

Could she be any cuter?!?

I just want to say a huge THANK YOU to Paige for taking part in this review!

Kidorable has a special Valentine's Day special going on now through Valentine’s Day, February 14th, Kidorable makes it easy to say ‘I love you’ to the special children in your lives with a FREE pair of our adorable Heart Gloves. with any $20 order!!  There is so much to choose from, I know I could EASILY spend $20 at Kidorable!! 

To take advantage of this deal, visit Kidorable and use coupon code LOVEYOU at checkout to get your FREE pair of Heart Gloves.  Be sure add the heart gloves to their cart first :D

Buy it! You can buy this adorable Ballerina Raincoat and many other adorable accessories at www.Kidorable.com, or go HERE to find a store near you that sells all things Kidorable!

Win it! Win an awesome Kidorable Umbrella of your choice!

Mandatory Entry: Please visit the Kidorable Facebook page and "like" their page! If you are already a fan, just say so in your comment. Please leave an email contact in this comment!

Extra Entries:To qualify for extra entries, you must first complete the Mandatory entry. Please put each entry in a separate comment. (and for example, if you are already a FB fan, just leave a comment stating :i'm a fan on FB)


*Fpr 2 entries, Follow Kidorable on Twitter
*For 3 entries, Add my button to your blog, located near the top left side and leave a link to your blog in your comment-leave 3 separate comments
*Become a FB fan of Life with the Stevens
*Follow Life with the Stevens on Twitter
* For 2 entries, Tweet about this giveaway "I entered to win a @Kidorable umbrella from www.lifewiththestevens.com @hlstevens" You can tweet once a day for a daily entry.
*For 2 entries, Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect, located on the right hand side of my blog *Vote for my blog by clicking the "We're on the Fence" button on the right side of the blog, above the counter. Each click of that button gets me a vote! Vote once per day for a daily extra entry.

Entrants from the USA only are eligible. Contest Ends on February10 th at 11:59 pm EST. Winners will be chosen by random.org and announced February 11th, 2011. Winners will be notified by email with “You Have Won the Kidorable  Giveaway” in the subject line. Winners will then have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Disclosure/Disclaimer: I received a product for review, Kidorable will be responsible for prize distribution. For more information on this blog and my posting practices, please refer to my disclosure policy.

Pre-K Parent/Teacher Conferences

It feels a little strange to think about going to Parent/Teacher Conferences, especially for preschool. I can't believe I have a child old enough to be school aged, it doesn't seem like that long ago that my mom was going to my P/T conferences when I was in school. Preschool P/T conferences are a little funny, I think. I mean, I know it's important to see how your child is developing and how he/she is interacting with the other children (and my son is doing amazing, I'm so proud!!) but when I think of P/T meetings, I think of the teacher telling the parent that their child is really struggling with Calculus or isn't focusing during group projects, etc-not "your child does well coloring in between the lines" or "your child cleans up after themselves very quickly"!
We love our preschool, and the teacher is beyond amazing-I'm glad to have my son in her class and to have him doing so well. I think it seems strange to me b/c it's such a foreign process to me-being a parent of a school aged child. I think preschool P/T conferences are not only for sharing your childs progress, but are a good teaching tool for parents, to prepare them for the future with a child in the school system!
Did/does your preschool do conferences?

Where are my mamas at?

Sometimes I feel like I am the only one in my town that has even heard of the benefits of extended breastfeeding, or know the ease of safe babywearing or the joys of safe co sleeping. Luckily our ped. is very supportive of breasfeeding but other than that I'm met with the "deer in the headlights look" if I even mention breastfeeding!
And then I was talking to one of the other moms at the preschool while waiting for the kids to get out of school and she started talking about her 20 month old daughter that was sharing snacks with my 17 month old and how she wishes she wasn't so picky but thank goodness she was still nursing! My jaw about hit the floor, and I said "wow, I hope you don't think I'm weird for saying this but I'm so happy to hear you say that! I have yet to meet one person in this town that breastfeeds beyond 6 months" and I told her Benny still nursed as well. She said that her kids usually wean between 2 and 3 and that they usually bed-shared until that time too. It was so nice to talk to someone who did things similar to the way I do things in our family!

No matter how you do things in your home, is it important to you to surround yourself with like minded mothers? Or as long as everyone gets along, is that all that matters?

Win a $50 CSN Stores Gift Card!

CSN Stores is at it again, offering my wonderful readers a great giveaway prize-this time a $50 Gift Code to be used at any of their 200+ Stores! This is there way of saying thank you for my post seen here! There is no review going along with the giveaway this time, so let's get right to it!
 
Win it! One lucky reader will win a $50 Gift Certificate to use at any of the 200+ CSN Stores!!

Mandatory Entry: Head on over to CSN Stores and tell me what you'd buy if you won the gift card! Remember to leave your email address in your comment.

Extra Entries:To qualify for extra entries, you must first complete the Mandatory entry. Please put each entry in a separate comment. (and for example, if you are already a FB fan, just leave a comment stating :i'm a fan on FB)

*For 2 entries Like CSN Stores on Facebook
*For 2 entries Follow CSN Stores on Twitter
*For 3 entries, Add my button to your blog, located near the top left side and leave a link to your blog in your comment-leave 3 separate comments
*Become a FB fan of Life with the Stevens
*Follow Life with the Stevens on Twitter
* For 2 entries, Tweet about this giveaway "I entered to win a $50 GC with @hlstevens www.lifewiththestevens.com and @CSNstores"
*For 2 entries, Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect, located on the right hand side of my blog *Vote for my blog by clicking the "We're on the Fence" button on the right side of the blog, above the counter. Each click of that button gets me a vote! Vote once per day for a daily extra entry.

Entrants from the US and Canada are eligible. Contest Ends on February 5th at 11:59 pm EST. Winners will be chosen by random.org and announced February 6th, 2011. Winners will be notified by email with “You Have Won the CSN Stores Giveaway” in the subject line. Winners will then have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Disclosure/Disclaimer: I received no  compensation was given. CSN Stores and myself will be responsible for prize distribution. For more information on this blog and my posting practices, please refer to my disclosure policy.

Check out H & M's "Great Futures Start Here" program

If you are a fan of fashion, than you know that H&M has got your fashion fix. Now the store we love to spend our hard earned money at is giving back in a big way! H & M has a new a new donation program, "Great Futures Start Here" and it benefits the Boys and Girls Club of America. From NOW until February 9th, H & M customers who make any donation to the Boys and Girls Club of America will recieve a 20% coupon off one item from the H&M kids collection! 100% of the donations will go directly to the Boys and Girls Club of America!

More about the Boys & Girls Clubs of America: "For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has enabled young people, especially those who need Clubs most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, some 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs serve more than 4 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs provide young people 6-18 years old with guidance-oriented character development programs conducted by trained, professional staff. For more information please visit www.bgca.org."

So what better way to earn savings than by donating to a well deserved charity. I think this is one of the most amazing groups out there, to provide for children and give them something that they are not otherwise getting at home or at school-how can you turn a blind eye to an organization like that?
So while you are out shopping at the mall, head to H&M and give a little back. You'll feel good, and you'll save too!
**this promotion is only valid in H&M stores in the US**

Disclaimer: I received no compensation for this post. I was contacted by a firm to help promote this event. For more information on my blogging practices, please see my disclosure policy.

Are you ready for a CSN Giveaway? Check out all they have to offer!

My husband often travels for work, and his main piece of luggage is his laptop. It's important for him to have a great bag that travels well, and lucky for us there is an awesome selection of bags like this laptop messenger bag at CSN Stores. His favorite are the leather bags, they are sturdy and hold up in the airport!
CSN Stores is our go to place for anything we need, they  have it all! The selection is huge, the quality is amazing and the price is right! We've turned to CSN time and time again during our home remodel, and each time we comment on how fast the shipping is and how easy it is to find just what we need.
Be on the lookout for an upcoming CSN Stores Giveaway! It's going to be a good one!

Only 2 more days to vote! If I make it to the top 3, I'll be giving away a $25 Kohl's Gift Card!

Remember this post from a few days ago? How could you forget, I won't let you :D
I'm really hoping to make it to the top 3 (and of course I'd love to win!) of the Rubbermaid Organizing Bonanza $500 shopping spree video contest.
Here is my blog post that explains how to vote.
If you vote every day, be sure to go back to that blog post and leave a comment because if I make it to the top 3 (which I couldn't do it w/o you all!) I'll giveaway a $25 Kohl's Gift Card to a random person who commented in that post! Low entry giveaway so far!! Spread the word!
Thank you everyone!

$15 iTunes Gift Card Giveaway!

My iPod has been my constant companion the past few weeks. I wear it when I"m walking in the mall, or running outside, but mostly when I do my 30 Day Shred DVD every day. I have a ton of upbeat and fun songs to keep me moving, it's a lot easier for me to work out when I have something to dance and move to then the standard beat that plays in the background of most workout videos!
So because I love my iPod so much, as it's been a great tool in my workout, I thought I'd share the love and giveaway a $15 iTunes Gift Card!
IPads, IPods, Itouch, and IPhones seem to be all the rage so if you don't have one, I"m sure you know someone who does that this would make a great gift for!
I'll make the entries easy for this one, they are a bit different than my usual entry requirements!

Mandatory Entry: Vote for me on the "Picket Fence" by clicking the We're On The Fence Button on the right side of my blog. That's easy enough! Leave a comment saying you voted and your email address so I can contact you if you won! You can vote once per day for an extra daily entry!!

Extra Entries:
To qualify for extra entries, you must first complete the Mandatory entry. Please put each entry in a separate comment. (and for example, if you are already a FB fan, just leave a comment stating :i'm a fan on FB) Remember, you must leave your email address in your mandatory entry!

*Do you  have an iPod or any other Apple product or will you be giving the gift card to someone if you win?
*Sign up for Ebates under my referral link for 2 Entries! If you love online shopping, than you'll LOVE Ebates :D
*Sign up for NoMoreRack (a daily deals site) with the provided link for 3 Entries!
*Sign up for Zulily (awesome daily deals for kids and mom) under my link for 2 entries!
*Follow my sisters blog, The Barking Owl (a daily comic website) on Google Friend Connect

*Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect, located on the right hand side of the blog
*Follow my blog on Twitter
*Follow my blog on Facebook

Entrants are eligible worldwide. Contest Ends on February 1st at 11:59 pm EST. Winners will be chosen by random.org and announce February 2nd , 2011. Winners will be notified by email with “You Have Won the ITunes Gift Card Giveaway” in the subject line. Winners will then have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Disclosure/Disclaimer: I will be responsible for prize distribution, no compensation was given for this post! I just love my readers!

Let's make a change, together!

 Let's face it: Change is hard. I know it, and I'm sure you know it, but we don't have to like it!
Let's do our best to make change fun and inspirational-and to keep it simple so can easily achieve it! Can you do that with me?
I vow to make a change in myself. I vow to be my son's advocate. I am, naturally, but I need to work work harder. With his hearing loss and possible speech delay, I know I have to be his teacher. I can't just wait for him to just magically start hearing and talking, in hopes that I won't have to do the work. I've been down about it, but recently just kind of snapped out of it and am ready to start working with him. It took a virtual face slap for me to realize that I'm his best advocate, and I need to be the one to do the work with him. I've now got a plan in motion and cant' wait to get started. He is my daily inspiration to keep my goal!
How do you plan to make a change in the new year? What are some easy steps to make it possible for you to achieve your goal?
Some tips that have worked with me are:
*Tell someone. Tell a friend, co worker, family member-someone who can hold you accountable, and won't let you forget!
*Make an online calendar, try using Google, and give yourself alerts every day when you check your email!
*Post it notes! I believe in the power of the handwritten note! Put one on your bathroom mirror, and you'll see it every day and be reminded of what you want to accomplish!

See? It really can be simple. Trust yourself, that you can make a positive change in your life. You won't be sorry.

Disclaimer/Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Simply Orange® blogging program. If I am one of the first 65 blogs received by SocialsMoms, I will receive a $25 Target gift card and a gift pack that includes a Simply Orange® cooler bag and logoed fleece.

Winner of the Custom painting by Amanda Koop is:

rubymum26 said...
20 I am following the barking owl blog now! :)



Congratulations!! Thank you all who took the time to follow Amanda's blog and help her grow! The winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner is chosen! Thanks again everyone!

One more and I'll stop ;)

Alright, an LLL friend of mine suggested I do this and I hope to participate!
BabyHawk is a baby carrier brand that has offered up two bloggers on Facebook the opportunity to do a review if they get the most "likes" under the comment they wrote on the Baby Hawk Facebook page.
So...If I win the chance to review, I'll donate the baby carrier I get to a worthy mama! I have used a BabyHawk in the past and love them! This contest only runs tonight so act fast if you can!
Go the the BabyHawk Facebook page and "like" them. Then under the comments section, click the "Just Others" and scroll down until you see a comment from Heather "Moe" Stevens (that's Me!) and just "like" my comment!!
That's it! You'll be helping a mama in need of a baby carrier if I win so you can feel good about the fact I won't keep it to myself :D ;)
Thanks again! And I promise I'll slow down on the begging and do more regular blogging after today!

Here I go again, asking (begging!) for your vote! Your Incentive is listed below :D

Alright fabulous readers, here I am again asking for you to vote for me!
I entered a contest on the Rubbermaid Facebook page and right now there are only 11 entries! The contest was to post a video of a before and after organization project. I think my video stands out because this contest made me gather all of our unused/outgrown clothes, baby items, shoes, dishes, etc and donate them!! I've really slacked on the donation front, so I'm glad I took this opportunity to get it done!
What I'm asking from all of you is to vote for my video by doing the following:
You need to "Like" The Rubbermaid Facebook page, and go the the Contests Tab at the top. Then click "Vote Now!" My entry is titled "My Rubbermaid Entry" By Heather Stevens
Just click the vote box under my video!And yes you can laugh, I was nervous during my video, so I sound a little funny...

You can vote ONCE per DAY until Jan. 22nd
I just need to make it to the Top Three!!
That's it!
I would greatly appreciate it!
If you voted, please leave a comment here, and if you want to have an extra entry into future giveaways this will be your proof that you voted!

IF I make it to the TOP 3, I will giveaway a $25 Kohl's Gift Card to say Thank you!!
This giveaway will be only for people who voted, so be sure to comment in this post if you voted! You can vote once a day until Jan 22nd, so comment once a day after you vote!!
So spread the word!


Thank you Thank you Thank you!!

Lots of great deals going on at Kidorable!

I big puffy heart love Kidorable products! My sons have used their umbrellas every chance they get, and my oldest just loves his Fireman rain coat, and even wore it to his school field trip to our local fire station!
Right now there are some amazing deals going on at Kidorable, I don't want you to miss out!

From now until January 29th, you can save 10% on all Kidorable boots, knitwear, and towels! This is their GroundHog Special! I know here in OH, we're still shivering in the cold and snow so our need for warm gloves and boots is still great! Now is your chance to get your kids the rain boots they've been begging for and matching gloves and towels too! Just use the code: GROUNDHOG9 at checkout to save 10% off of those items!

And new at Kidorable: The Ballerina Collection! This beautiful collection is to die for! I *almost* wish I was a little girl so I could get my own Ballerina inspired rain coat :D And THIS WEEK ONLY (Jan 16-23) you can get a FREE Ballerina Umbrella with a purchase of $20 or more at Kidorable, just add the umbrella to your cart and enter the code DANCE5 at checkout!
Also, from now until Jan 24th, save 10% off  any Ballerina collection order with code DANCE3!!

Be on the lookout in the coming weeks for another great Kidorable Giveaway here on Life With The Stevens!

Disclosure: I will be receiving a product for review in exchange for this post, no other compensation was given! Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

Expecting a baby? Win your entire Babies R Us Registry!!

Being pregnant is hard enough, and taking care of a newborn is even harder-add to that the massive expense of all things baby related and you'll find one stressed out new mom. I've been there, I remember the worry if we would come home from the hospital and have everything we needed or if our baby would be without something important.

Babies 'R Us and Baby Brezza (makers of the One Step Baby Food Maker) are teaming up to ease the mind of one lucky mom to be by giving her her entire baby registry (*up to $3500)  AND a Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker of her own!! What a fantastic prize!
From January 13th to February 13th, you can enter to win this amazing prize simply by registering for your new baby at Babies 'R Us and adding the Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker to your registry! So simple to do!
So be sure to register at Babies 'R Us in the time frame, and don't forget to add the One Step Baby Food Maker by Baby Brezza to your registry!
Good luck!

Disclosure/Disclaimer: I was entered for a chance to win a gift card and Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker in exchange for this post.  No monetary exchange took place.

Check out No More Rack!! Earn extra entries to current and future giveaways~

Dear friends, I'm asking a favor of you!
If you like the many daily deal sites that are out there like I do, than you'll LOVE No More Rack!
They have 8 new days every day, and it's great stuff for everyone and everything in your home!
Sign up here, it's a breeze to sign up, just enter your email! If there is ever anything you'd like me to sign up for under your name (referral bonues) please leave a link in a comment and I"d be happy to do it!
Thank you very much!
If you sign up under my link, you can have 3 extra entries in any giveaway, including future giveaways! Please leave a comment on this post if you signed up so we can keep track for your extra entries!
check out the video!

Day 2, 3, and 4 of the Photo Challenge

I'm a slacker :D But it was my sons birthday weekend so I think that counts as an excuse ;)

Day two: a photo of yourself at least a year ago.

This was the last time my whole family was together, Jan 2010.

Day three: a photo that makes you happy.

This photo makes me happy. I won this art but I have the option to customize a piece to say what I want.

 

Day four: a photo of a place you'd like to visit.

I'd Love to visit Italy, my dad lived there for years and if I had the chance I'd fly there in a heartbeat.

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 1: a photo of you with 10 Facts

Day one: a photo of you with ten facts.

1. I'm a huge nerd. Hence the picture :D
2. I grew up thinking I would be a career woman in politics, and wanted no children. Thankfully that changed.
3. I recently got in touch with my three half sisters that I've yet to meet. I hope to meet them soon ♥
4. I hate talking on the phone. But when I do, I end up talking for hours, so I guess you wouldn't know...
5. I'm allergic to feathers.
6. I'm learning sign language.
7. I love avocados very much.
8. I used to hate that my ears stuck out when I was a kid. But now I love them, because these are my Grandpas ears and I miss him very much, and I was a little bit sad that neither of my boys inherited the Bregg ears.
9. I get really upset when people call my children girls. Stop it.
10. I'm taking my passion for breastfeeding and putting it to good use by making plans to go back to school to become a Certified Lactation Counselor.

30 Day Photo Challenge, will you do it too?

 I saw this challenge on Facebook, and I think it's a neat way to get to know someone. I'm taking part on FB and thought I would do it on my blog too! If you take part of the challenge, let me know and share the link to your blog, I'd love to read it!

30 Day Challenge

 Day one: a photo of you with ten facts.
Day two: a photo of yourself at least a year ago.
Day three: a photo that makes you happy.
Day four: a photo of a place you'd like to visit.
Day five: a photo that makes you laugh.
Day six: a photo of someone you love.
Day seven: a photo of something you stand for.
Day eight: a photo of something you enjoy doing.
Day nine: a photo of yourself when you were a baby.
Day ten: any photo you like for any reason.
Day eleven: a photo of a night you loved.
Day twelve: a photo of when you were happy.
Day thirteen: a photo of one of your favorite movies.
Day fourteen: a photo of your best friend (s).
Day fifteen: a photo of you and a family member.
Day sixteen: a photo from your childhood.
Day seventeen: a photo from a trip you'll never forget.
Day eighteen: a picture of and a letter to someone
Day nineteen: a photo of your favorite thing from school.
Day twenty: a photo of something you ate today.
Day twenty-one: a photo of somebody you find attractive.
Day twenty-two: a photo that you associate a good memory with.
Day twenty-three: a photo of something you want to do someday.
Day twenty-four: a photo of what you want to be when you grow up.
Day twenty-five: a photo that inspires you.
Day twenty-six: a photo of your favorite subject in school.
Day twenty-seven: a photo of something you are looking forward to.
Day twenty-eight: a photo of something/somebody that made your day.
Day twenty-nine: a photo of your favorite person from history.
Day thirty: a photo you find beautiful.

Pear Tree Greetings Giveaway, Bring on the LOVE! Win 24 Kids Valentines Cards

I get a little geeked come the holidays at Coopers school, I love participating in the school events and seeing the preschoolers faces as they celebrate and learn with each other is priceless!! I remember passing out the standard tv character cards when I was in school to each classmate, and while I'm not fond of them, I braced myself to do the same with my son. Well I'm happy to say that is no longer an option for me, Pear Tree Greetings has completely out done themselves with their new collection of Kids Valentines Cards!! These are beyond adorable! They have a great selection to choose from, and trust me when I say they have something for everyone!! Some of my favorites are:

There is so much to choose from, something both a little boy and girl would love!

Valentines Day in our house is something we celebrate together, we like to decorate home made cards for each other and cook a special dinner for the four of us. We aren't brave enough to go to a restaurant with the boys on VDay because it's bound to be busy and we like to enjoy eating out when it's not so chaotic!

Buy it! Buy these fantastic cards and more at Pear Tree Greetings! Remember their special Promo Code page where you can find all the latest discounts and deals, you won't want to miss the savings!

Win it! Win 24 Valentine's Day Kids cards just in time for Valentines Day!

Mandatory Entry: post about your ideal Valentine's Day date! Would you go to a movie, dinner, weekend getaway or stay at home together? Or have you already had your ideal Valentine's date?

Extra Entries:
To qualify for extra entries, you must first complete the Mandatory entry. Please put each entry in a separate comment. (and for example, if you are already a FB fan, just leave a comment stating :i'm a fan on FB) for each entry/comment, you must leave your email address

*For 2 entries, Become a FB Fan Pear Tree Greetings
*For 2 entries, Follow Pear Tree Greetings on Twitter! Please leave your Twitter handle for verification
*For 3 entries, Add my button to your blog, located near the top left side and leave a link to your blog in your comment-leave 3 separate comments
*Become a FB fan of Life with the Stevens
*Follow Life with the Stevens on Twitter
*For 2 entries,Follow my blog through google, located on the right hand side of my blog-leave 2 separate comments
*Vote for my blog by clicking the "We're on the Fence" button on the right side of the blog, above the counter. Each click of that button gets me a vote!

Entrants are eligible worldwide. Contest Ends on January 20th at 11:59 pm EST. Winners will be chosen by random.org and announce January 21st , 2011. Winners will be notified by email with “You Have Won the Pear Tree Greetings Giveaway” in the subject line. Winners will then have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Disclosure/Disclaimer: I will receive a sample pack of Valentines Cards for this post. Pear Tree Greetings and myself will be responsible for prize distribution. For more information on this blog and my posting practices, please refer to my disclosure policy.

Win a custom painting from artist Amanda Koop at The Barking Owl!

I cannot put into words how amazing my sister, Amanda Koop, is. And I'm not saying that just because we're related and she's my best friend :D She is a talented and gifted artist, and has put her creativity to good work in creating custom portraits of pets, children, or just about anything you can think of-check out her work at her new website www.amandakoop.com
She is also the hilarious blogger behind The Barking Owl, which I introduced to you recently. She creates funny yet true daily musings of her life with her husband and their special needs cat Tumble!
My sister has created some beautiful pieces for her customers in her hometown of Chicago, her first love is pet portraits and she has become quite known in the area for her work. She takes pictures that owners send to her and creates these true to life portraits a modern twist:

Lily The Boxer

Butterscotch the Labradoodle

Here are some paintings she has made for me of my boys
Bennett:

Cooper as a baby, in water color

Amanda has kindly offered to do a custom 8x10 painting of your choice! Be it a pet or child portrait, or just some artwork of your choice (She is currently working a painting for me of a bird in a bird cage, my latest obsession!)

Win it! Win a custom made painting by Amanda Koop!

Mandatory Entry: Follow her blog, The Barking Owl, via Google Friend Connect!

Extra Entries:
To qualify for extra entries, you must first complete the Mandatory entry. Please put each entry in a separate comment. (and for example, if you are already a FB fan, just leave a comment stating :i'm a fan on FB) for each entry/comment, you must leave your email address

*For 2 entries, follow The Barking Owl blog on Facebook
*For 2 entries, follow Tumbleweed The Cat on Twitter
*For 2 entries, leave a comment on any blog post at The Barking Owl, leave a link to the post in your comment
*For 3 entries, Add my button to your blog, located near the top left side and leave a link to your blog in your comment-leave 3 separate comments
*For 3 entries, add The Barking Owl Button to your blog (find it by visiting TBO blog), leave three seperate comments
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Entrants from the US are eligible. Contest Ends on January 17th, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST. Winners will be chosen by random.org and announced January18th, 2011. Winners will be notified by email with “You Have Won The Amanda Koop Artwork giveaway” in the subject line. Winners will then have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Disclosure/Disclaimer: I received no compensation for this post, other than the love of my sister :D Amanda Koop will be responsible for prize distribution. For more information on this blog and my posting practices, please refer to my disclosure policy.

Our "thank you God!" weekend!

What a weekend we had-we planned a quiet, fun, family friendly weekend for the New Year and it started off wonderfully! My hubby didn't have to work friday so we took the boys to Toledo to spend some gift cards they got from my wonderful sister and had a great day. We spent the day playing outside thanks to the unseasonably warm day (almost 70 degrees!) and playing games that night before the kids went to bed. Okay I too went to bed, I"m a party pooper...I haven't watched the ball drop in years!
Sounds like a great day, right?? Except I feel like I almost lost my husband that day :( I know, I'm being dramatic, but I'll explain.
That afternoon he was working outside when he heard a strange noise in the garage and went to investigate. Somehow, our air compressor kicked on all on it's own. My husband went to shut it off when BAM it EXPLODED in his face. This compressor was made of STEEL and it just split. I was in the house and it sounded like a car hit our house. It was so loud. I ran outside and I see the metal eagle we have on the front of the garage swinging in the breeze and the door had burst open. I run to the garage and Bill is just shaking holding his head and his hand. He was okay, mostly. It's been a long time since I had prayed, and I immediately thanked God for keeping my husband safe. He could have been seriously hurt, he still says he has no idea how he did not get hurt, his face was right in front of the compressor when it blew.
Sometimes it takes an awakening like that to put life into perspective, and he probably wouldn't have died, but I can't help but to think how something worse could have happened.
So I guess you could say our New Year started off with a BANG!
We relaxed the rest of the weekend, and stayed out of the garage ;)