Dad's Backyard Oasis Father's Day Giveaway!

It's finally here.... the Dad's Backyard Oasis Father's Day giveaway event!

Hosted by Bella Savvy and Mom to Bed by 8

Co-hosted by Giveaway Bandit, To Sew With Love, Living Unrefined, Mumblebee Inc., Some Call It Natural and What Mommy Wants

WOW, YOUR DAD ON FATHER'S DAY!

This year, Black & Decker is making Father's Day extra special for one lucky dad by offering an amazing prize pack full of everything dad will need to create an oasis in his own backyard for summer-long grilling, entertaining and just plain, good ole relaxing. AHH!

PRIZES:

• 20V MAX Lithium Drill/Driver -- MSRP: $122
• 2-speed Quick Clean Sprayer -- MSRP: $100
• 36V Lithium High Performance String Trimmer with Power Command -- MSRP: $170
• Garden IQ Hand Tools Series— including pruners, hedge shears, steel trowel, culti-hoe, heavy duty hose nozzle, water hand hose attachment, and miscellaneous safety items -- MSRP: $108 (includes work gloves)
• Work gloves

TOTAL VALUE: $500+

EVENT DATES:

This event will run from May 20th at 12:01 am. EST to June 3rd at 11:59 pm. EST

A huge THANK YOU to our sponsor... BLACK & DECKER for offering these amazing prizes!

* SPECIAL OFFER: *

Cant wait to win these fabulous prizes? Black & Decker is offering all entrants a special 10% discount + FREE shipping on the purchase of items included in the Black & Decker's Father's Day Gift Guide. So get your orders in for dad, and be ahead of the game when Father's Day rolls around. Use code: FATHER10 at checkout.

Now head on down there and get your entries in because you can't win if you don't enter...

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Frugal Friday Link Up--4 Uses for Vegetable Oil

My daughter and I are reading a great book that we checked out from the library called The New 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do To Save the Earth. What an awesome book! Not only is it about saving the earth, but being frugal as well. We are learning so much and it's full of resources online to check out for more information in each section. It's so great that I want to share the link to it on Amazon too.



We are really working to make sure that lights aren't on that aren't needed. I am hanging the laundry on the line outside to dry. We are not running the dishwasher unless it's full. Washing clothes in cold water is something I started doing about a year ago. Our air conditioner is set at 82---and only comes down to no lower than 80 when needed. We've started a compost pile. We are working hard to not throw anything out that is recyclable, including plastic bags that can be taken to the grocery store for recycling. This is just a short list of some of the things that we do.


Now, on to sharing from the 99 Cent Solutions book. This week it's 4 ways to use vegetable oil:

1. Keep the birdbath operational. In the summer many people have to dump their birdbath after each rain because of mosquitoes. Float a few tablespoons of vegetable oil on the surface of the water. Mosquitoes hate it but the birds don't care.

2. Give yourself a hot oil treatment. Heat half a cup of vegetable oil in the microwave for 20 seconds until it's just warm. Massage on to dry scalp and wrap your head in a towel for 10 minutes. Wash your hair as usual.

3. Remove water rings from wood furniture. Spread a thin layer of vegetable oil over the affected area, and then sprinkle it lightly with cigarette ashes. Use a soft thin cloth to polish the oil and ash mixture gently into the ring and you will see it steadily disappear.

4. Break apart tumblers without breakage. All you need to get those drinking glasses unstuck is a thin drizzle of oil poured all around the top edge of the outside glass. Give it a few minutes to work in and they will separate with ease.


What blog posts have you shared this last week to inspire us all to be frugal and live a simple life? Please share them in the linky.

Squidoo Hopping--Another Lesson Learned

Another lesson learned for me. As most of you know, I had a heads up warning on my Learning About Japan lens. I had no idea why and I sure was fretting about it. I went to the largest squidoo group on facebook and asked others to look at it and tell me what was duplicate---after all, the pop up box told me that it was duplicate content that was the problem. Lots of lensmasters checked it out and none could see what would be duplicate content.

Here is where the lesson comes in. It wasn't even a matter of duplicate content, but instead a matter that I had nothing in the lens except things for sale! As soon as I put in a text list module, which lists the things we are learning along the way that interest us....the heads up went away.

However, I am still confused and will have to pay more attention from now on. It seems to me, that especially lately, I am seeing more and more lenses that are all about things for sale. Nothing personal in the lenses. Does it have to do with the fact that text modules are being used to put in html for things for sale? I know that I put a photo in a text with big picture and that didn't change the heads up.

I am relieved that it's taken care of, and I want to say thank you to those who took the time to try to help me figure it out.

I'm still on my goal of putting at least little updates into all of my lenses, and getting them transferred from one notebook to the next. Mainly I am working in the intro, re-sizing the intro photo, attributing it if necessary, and adding a charity to donate 10% to if that's not been done yet. I still have 39 lenses to go before my transfer of notebooks is complete!

Some lenses I have worked more on, and several of my lenses pretty well get regular updates. It's a lot of work, but I do hope in the long run that the pay off will be well worth my efforts.

I'm going to close for this week, we need to run out to watch my granddaughter "graduate" from Headstart. I am sharing a couple of lenses in the linky this week that I spent the more time on updating. Link up with me!

Make Your Day Bunches Better with Honey Bunches of Oats--Review and Giveaway!

Post Honey Bunches of Oats now has more of those delicious granola bunches in each box!


When I received my box of Post Honey Bunches of Oats Honey Roasted in the mail, the first thing out of my teenage daughters mouth was, "oh boy!  that's my favorite cereal!"  My thought:  It is?  Ok.....why didn't mom know this?    She couldn't wait to fix herself a bowl.


This was actually my first time trying Honey Bunches of Oats.  I have to say that I can see why they are my daughter's favorite.   I generally like the sweetened cereals the most, and those that aren't sweetened, I add sugar to my bowl.  I did not add any sugar when eating the Honey Bunches of Oats, it has just the right amount of sweet as you eat.  I look forward to trying the other flavors available.  Just some of the other flavors are: Strawberry, Cinnamon Bunches and Fruit Blends.


Here is one of my bowls ready for breakfast:

It's good for you too!  10 grams of Whole Grain per serving.  Just 6 grams of sugar per serving.  0 grams of trans fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, and 0 mg of cholesterol per serving.


You will want to make sure to like the Honey Bunches of Oats facebook page to find out all you want to know.


Four of my lucky readers will each win a free coupon for Honey Bunches of Oats so they can see for themselves just how good it is.


Enter using the rafflecopter form below.  Contest open to residents of the United States.  Winners will have 48 hours to contact me or replacement winners will be chosen.

Disclosure:  Post provided me with a box of Honey Bunches of Oats Honey Roasted to try so I could review them.  I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions are my own.  My box as well as the free coupons were provided to me by Post.





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WIP Wednesday---I'm Getting There

Last Friday was the monthly sit n' sew at the quilt shop.  I'm loving this each month!  For one thing, I get to visit with other quilters, and for another, I actually get things done.  I sure get a lot more done when I take my sewing machine away from the house--and away from the computer and the TV.



I did complete the squares for the Emerald Aisle table runner.  Now to just get it finished!

I got in some more work on my string type quilt.  I'm starting to think this is the never ending project.  I got more squares ironed and cut down and have strips pinned for sewing.  I think I just have 9 more squares to get made.  I don't think I can make it any bigger with what fuzzy material that I have.

I have the top completed on the quilt for quilts for kids.  It's a cute pattern that I will try to make more of.  I need to complete this and get it back in the mail.

Time for my 2 week check in on my granny a day challenge.  Here we are to day 137.  I am no further this time around than what you see in the photo.

I've been working this past week to get things listed in my etsy shop and get that going again.  Also to get some things transferred over to my zibbett store.


I am linking up with the following blogs:

Adam Cohen--Like A Man Album Review and Giveaway

Singer/Songerwriter Adam Cohen's newest album is Like A Man.

Like A Man contains 10 tracks:
1.  Out of Bed
2.  Matchbox
3.  Like A Man
4.  Sweet Dominique
5.  What Other Guy
6.  Girls These Days
7.  Lie Alone
8.  Overrated
9.  Beautiful
10.  Stranger

After listening to the album a few times, I have to call this album Easy Listening.  Love songs.  Most of the lyrics are very sweet with appreciation to the one you love.

About Adam Cohen:
Singer-songwriter-guitarist Adam Cohen, the son of the legendary Leonard Cohen, released his new album Like A Man on April 3 via Decca.

Like A Man has gotten rapturous reviews in Europe and Canada. The Montreal Gazette raves “Like A Man is a real gem, an inspiring case of a late bloomer rising to what had to be a truly daunting challenge,” while the Daily Telegraph proclaims the album a “little beauty” that boasts “poetic, introspective, funny, philosophical and deeply romantic songs exploring what it means to be a man in love.”

Promotion Photo Courtesy of Shayne Averdiere


Enjoy this video of Like A Man:
 



Enter using the rafflecopter form for a chance to win a copy of the CD. Giveaway ends May 23, 2012 at 12:01 am EST. Open to residents of the United States only, sorry. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me with mailing details or another winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: Prize is being provided by Sneak Attack Media. Information is taken from their website as well as the artists website. I was not compensated for this review and any opinions are my own.

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I just won 25 SuperPoints by playing the SuperLucky Button!

A 25 point bonus sign up available to the first person that signs up.  I know most do Superpoints, but if you haven't tried it, you should.  Easy and fun to earn the points.  I cash in for amazon most of the time, but there are lots of other options available as well including Wal Mart and paypal.

I just won 25 SuperPoints by playing the SuperLucky Button!

SIS-Shares in Squidoo--Homesteading

First of all I want to say to all Mom's out there:


Glitter Graphics, Mother's Day Glitter Graphics


Now on to the Shares in Squidoo blog hop :) Hosted by Ruth, please click the button and hop along with us.



This week I want to share an interest of mine, which is homesteading. There are loads of lenses on squidoo sharing journeys and methods. I am sharing a few of those today.

Living the Off-the-Grid Good Life by lensmaster RenaissanceWoman2010

Off the Grid Myth-Busting by lensmaster RenaissanceWoman2010

Homesteading by lensmaster steveffeo

The Wild Homestead Blog by lensmaster ss834

Homesteading-Living Off Grid by lensmaster WhiteOak50


For my own lens share today, I will share my Uses for Newspapers lens. It's along the lines of homesteading in ways to re-use newspapers for other purposes.

Until next week,