Goal met!!!

I am so excited! In the beginning of the week I had hoped to have 75-100 people enter for my Fall, Y'all Quelf giveaway. Then as the week went on and Fall, Y'all was a big hit, I made the goal for 200 entries.
It happened! I am at 200 entries exactly! If I go over, that's cool too.

Quelf giveaway winners!

These are the winners for the Quelf items, not the game in the Fall, Y'all giveaway.
I did the drawings the old fashioned way, wrote out every name and folded each piece of paper and put it into a bowl and had a child draw out a name.

Winner of the White shirt give-away : Laura @ Laura Williams' Musings ! You can thank little Jonah for drawing your name! (I babysit him)
Winner of the Green Quelf shirt give-away : Patti!
You can thank Isaac, whom I babysit, for drawing your name.
Winner of the The Biscuit Farmer hat give-away : Fiddle D. Dee! You can thank Trinity for picking your name.
Winner of the Red Shirt give-away : Jason and Caryn! You can thank Jonah for picking your name.
Winner of the The Dude give-away : Sarah! And you can thank Trinity for picking your name.

You can now buy Quelf at Barnes and Noble, online and in the stores. If you would, please go and thank the nice Mr. Rivaldi for donating these prizes and for making the most awesome game ever! Tell him Lisa sent you!

Sticky Post

Enter my giveaways of 5 items from Wiggitybang! T-shirts, hat, a surprise.....

Blah, day

I do not feel well today. I'm sure the kids being sick last weekend has nothing to do with it.... (and NO, I am not pregnant)
If you want to win lots of goodies for Christmas presents you have to enter lots and lots of contests. I have won several great goodies that I plan to give to my family for gifts. I can't mention all of them because my dear Kaytlin reads my blog to make sure I don't tell embarrassing things about her to the internet world. She's sensitive like that. One of the things I won that I plan to give to Samuel, who does not read my blog, is a black Rockstar t-shirt from Zazou. I think they are adorable!
I posted a LOT of give-aways on my contest blog this week, make sure to read several of the posts to hit them all. There are jewelry, toys, baby items, books, and lots of other give aways.
I also have one last copy of Amy Grant's Mosaic and Boo Humbug by Rene Gutteridge. Email me for a copy.
I am still up in the air about getting a new blog address. I know who I would want to design my blog page, but I don't know much else about going about it. But I want the higher paying post jobs. By the way, I hope all my paid posts are not too disruptive, I try to make them relevant to my life or funny. I get annoyed by people's posts that just say the minimum and you know they don't care at all. I tend to not want to read at their blog anymore. Sometimes you just have to do it, but mostly it should be interesting or don't take it. That said, if anyone wants to earn some money for Christmas, it is not too late, it takes 30 days to get paid, though. I would gladly help anyone figure it out if they want to start.
Check out my poll for what I should give away for the Fall Y'all giveaway. I really am leaning towards Quelf, but I want to know what others really want. But, if I did Quelf, I would be the only blog giving it away, I'm sure.

Randomosity

Bringing Max to the airport went well, I didn't even get lost, and we weren't even late! Both a first for me. I wasn't thrilled that my $2 discount for parking only brought my 30 minute stay to $6. Crazy rip off.

Sam slept on the way to the airport, so I knew it would be a LONG ride home if we didn't wear him out. Hope-Anne and I decided a trip to the Mall of America was in order. And just in the nick of time, too, because in the parking lot the car started to overheat. For no reason, it only does it once in a while. Nice to know, thanks honey. We stayed for 2 hours! I did not want to try to drive home. The trip home went great, though, and Sam slept all the way home.

While I was at the Mall I went searching for my give away for Fall Y'all. I was going to give away these cute books with CD's for kids, but Trinity opened one partially, still I could give one away. I could still do that. Then I thought, aha! I have to give away Quelf! Of course! But then, then I walked into Bath and Body Works. Oh, their fall scents are out of this world! Well, their winter ones are incredible, but the fall ones are great, too. So, I'm thinking maybe a fall set. A lovely apple scrub puff (which they don't have online) with Pecan Passion Body wash/bubble bath/shampoo, some Pecan Passion Body lotion and some Whipped Delight shimmer body mousse.
Of course, Starbucks gift cards were a huge hit this summer. Or maybe an Amazon gift card.
I should do a poll.

Quelf Give-away!

I got a package in the mail the other day and look at what was inside! These lovely items are from WiggityBang for me to give away to my readers!
I admit, I did harass the man by email. But I really do love his games!
Why did Mr. Wiggity Bang (not his real name, by the way) send me these give away prizes? (besides the fact that I am annoying)
Quelf is now being sold at Barnes and Noble!


If you buy Quelf from Barnes and Noble and they sell out, B&N will pick up Wiggity Bang's other two games, Flapdoodle and Quao (Cow). These games really should be out there as much as Monopoly or Cranium are. They are excellent, excellent games!

Here is what we are going to do to help Wiggity Bang celebrate B&N selling their games, we are going to give away each of these prizes through the month of October. (really, I don't know WHY the underwear, lol, I did NOT request those!) There will be 5 chances to win something here. Unfortunately, I can't enter because I really want that Quao shirt.

1. Biscuit Farmer Hat. The Biscuit Farmer is a character in Quelf. He's a tall, skinny farmer who tries to grow biscuits.


2. Red Super Ninja Monkey shirt, size M girls. I think somewhere between a 10-12 yo girl.


3. Green Super Ninja Monkey shirt, size XL. It would probably fit me, but think teen boys or smaller adults.


4. White I am the Quao shirt, size L (42-44) this is like XXL adult, maybe XL.


5. Then there are the undies. They are brand new, lol. They are black with a white band and they say "I am the Dude." The Dude is a Quelf character, of course. They are a boys small, fitting probably a 10-12 pants size kid.

Quelf is an amazingly fun and crazy game. You will end up looking silly, but so will every body else. You pick one of 8 characters and then move around the board, depending on the color you land on, you will get one of 5 different category cards. You may prefer the green cards for some nice, safe trivia, or for some crazy fun you may want a roolz card, where the entire group may have to stand and say "Pizza Party" every time the phone or door bell rings. But, if you are really crazy you will enjoy the cards that have doing things to amuse and entertain your friends, such as writing an opera to an opponent and then singing it to them, or doing a belly dance. I don't want to give away all the crazy things that are in the game, but I do want to tell you that I have forced let my friends play with me and they request that I bring the game with me to our Ladies Nights.

The Chicago Tribune listed Quelf in the top 10 games, Full Story+. It also won a
The MAJOR FUN Awards in December of 2006. This is a fun game. Let's help WiggityBang get all their games in B&N! If you do decide to join the IN crowd and buy Quelf for your friends and family for Christmas, would you buy it at B&N, please? Thanks!



So, here are the prize details:

1. You need to enter each prize separately.

2. Answer the question and leave it in the comments.

3. Contests end October 31st, winners to be announced on November 1.

4. Contest open only to US residents, or people who can get the item shipped to a US address, I will ship to APOs, our military families are definitely welcome to enter.

• Underwear
• Red Shirt
• Green Shirt
• Hat
• White Quao shirt

Please enter at each individual post, not on this post. If you purchase Quelf through this link, and there are at least 5 people who do, I will do another drawing for those people who buy it and leave a comment here that they did. I will give away the game Quao to a random winner. This will be out of my pocket, not a give away from Wiggity Bang.

Love Letters to a Child

(This contest has now ended)
Tracey Finck is a wonderful lady and I am so glad to know her personally. Her daughter was my daughter's very first friend when we moved to Minnesota and Tracey befriended me and introduced me to a Bible study group.
When I found out she had written a book I was so excited! I called her and asked if I could promote her book and have a give-away. Tracey has generously offered to give away an autographed copy of her book Love Letters to a Child: A Resource for Parents and Grandparents. Here is some information about the book:

Do you long to connect deeply with your children? To have a positive impact on their lives? To celebrate successes and discoveries as well as ordinary moments spent together? If this is what you want, but the distractions of daily life get in the way, then this book is for you.

Writing a love letter or making an entry in a journal for your child takes only 10 minutes and is an effective way to
Affirm your child’s uniqueness as a creation of God
Bond with your child
Celebrate and encourage character growth
Document milestones in your child’s spiritual journey
Establish a family legacy

This book provides examples and ideas to get you started. Years from now you’ll be glad you did.

You can find the book at Amazon or with the publisher Winepressbooks. I know you are going to love this book, my friend Nikki is using it now and has a review up on her blog.

To win an autographed copy of Tracey's book:
1. Leave a comment for one entry.
2. Link to the contest post for a second entry.

The give-away ends October 14, and the winner will be announced on October 15th. Please leave a way to be reached, blog or email, so that we can contact you if you win. I'll wait 3 days for a response before I pick a different winner.

This contest has ended.

Thursday Thirteen~ 13 give-aways!

My Contest Frenzy Column is up at Momsblogging.

Here are a few of the contests I am featuring over there!

1. Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer is having a Kajeet Cell Phone give-away through Sept. 9th. I was a beta tester for Kajeet and I can tell you it is a wonderful program for a cell phone for kids, really! Shannon also is giving away some jewelry from Lisa Leonard! I love jewelry give-aways!

2. Don't Forget my Little Miracles Give-away for some mom-made laundry soap! Ends this week!

3. Adventures in Babywearing is having a giveaway $50 gift certificate to Vincent Shoes! Who doesn't need some new fall shoes? I have already bought 5 pairs, and I have 3 kids to go. Post by 10pm TONIGHT!

4. Mama Loves Giveaways by Pinks & Blues is giving away a Skip Hop Duo Double diaper bag filled with all sorts of goodies! Ends Sept. 12th.

5. Bargain Hunting Moms is giving away some Tupperware! This is a link up contest that ends September 7th.

6. Contest - $30 Gift Certificate For SuperMomz.com give a link back to KaTasidy and a link to SuperMomz Blog. Contest ends at 10pm September 28.

7. mod*mom says “enter these giveaways by september 15: sparkability :: infant transportation systemboon :: infant + toddler feeding products enter this giveaway by October 1: dyson :: pink vacuum” And her new Magic Show Kits is open for entry, too.

8. Don’t forget Scribbits amazing give-aways every Saturday! Her monthly writing contest is started up for September. It is on learning, and you could win an adorable purse made by Scribbit herself! Enter your post by Sept. 19th to be eligible for judging.

9. Christelle from Beloved Mama is having a Back to School Party Giveaway! Leave a comment with a school memory and enter by Sept. 8th for the book Slightly Bad Girls from the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs!

10. Keeping Feet’s First Giveaway! This pouch is the unpadded Catherine Twill Stretch sling, enter by Sept. 9th. I love babywearing almost as much as I love jewelry!

11. Calling all knitters! The Baglady and the Pro is having a knitting contest! She made a pattern for a dishcloth and you knit it and answer some questions about it. The winner gets few hanks of lovely Blue Sky Cotton, which I have NO idea what a "hank" is, lol. You need to knit and post by Sept. 23. I'm a sucker for a knit dishcloth, and I can't knit at all. That is the SOLE reason I want to learn to knit.

12. TeaTime Ramblings is giving away 5 knitted dishcloths in various colours and patterns. Ends September 7th. Enter now.

13. Nell is having a give-away on her blog, Casual Friday Everyday. Win a free year to a menu planning service called “menu planning central!” This is a very generous gift, enter by Sept 15. ($239.64 value)

Happy entering!

First day of school!

I woke up at 7am to get the kiddos moving. Someone was in the shower already, so I headed upstairs to start waking the rest of them. I see Kaytlin's bed is empty, I wake up Hope-Anne, and then Devon's bed is empty. Hmm, where is he? Drew can get his own butt out of bed, he's almost an adult, 10 days away from it. And Cody is not starting school yet.
Kaytlin gets out of the shower, so where is Devon? She said she saw him get out of the shower and head upstairs. That means the little rascal has already left for school and didn't tell us. Nor did he get lunch money or his new lunch number! Too bad!
OK, I'm not that mean. I sent his new lunch number with Kaytlin to hand to him in the hall, and sent Drew with the check for all of their lunch accounts.
I had to get Kaytlin out of school early to go to the doctor. She is running some tests and did an exam. Kaytlin does not want me even talking to my close friends, so the blogging is off limits with what her symptoms are. It appears to be the minor end of the spectrum, but they are running some e-coli tests and other bacterial tests, though we expect to find nothing. Which would be good. Her symptoms seemed to have resolved themselves today, so if she get through the week symptom free we won't have to do any invasive tests! Thank you to everyone who prayed for her, I really appreciate it.
In other prayer related news: Devon and Cody are both in football and it gets really expensive! They boys both need cleats and I just can't see where I can splurge on those. Cody's coach gave him a pair, I don't know how that came about, because in his league they don't have to have them, but he had a spare, maybe his son is a size bigger. But praise God! So I prayed and asked God to help me out with Devon's cleats, I need them to be free, but cheap would be nice. So today I had to go get cleats because his game is on Thursday and tomorrow I can't go get them, he goes straight from practice to youth group. So I came home from the store and told Devon to grab some shoes, lets go get some cleats. "I already have cleats." "Huh?" "Coach P gave me some." "what??" "He asked me if I had cleats, I said no and he said there is a box of old ones in the basement of the school and to go get some."
That's when the crickets started chirping. God has been answering me lickety split on things lately and it is just amazing!
Donnie's car is pretty much out of commission right now, and we'll have to get it repaired, AND we went from $23 a month water bill to $273 a month water bill, so we're going to be hurting! And I just asked God to provide that car repair. The power/water bill is covered with some overtime Donnie forgot to turn in, but there is no room for the car in there. Well, Donnie's mom offered to lend us the money! Its like a savings plan for her. They are getting a bit of money, and she would just spend it quickly, but this way we'll give her some here and there and they will have money coming in when they need it!
We have a Mom's of preschoolers type of group in our church that we are seeking nursery care for, and we've been searching and praying for workers. I've been desperately seeking someone, several someones, to help me with women's ministry. And today God filled someone in both spots! We are halfway through our childcare dilemma, and I am 1/4 of the way through my women's ministry council!
Now, everyone pray with me: Lord, you know we can't afford to fix our furnace and You know that we need it desperately in Minnesota winters with children. I ask for Your provision to get the furnace running. Help us to find a reset switch, or a small problem or provide the money for a repair. In Jesus name I pray.

God is working!

And I have EXCITING news coming up this month! Oh my goodness, I am about to burst with excitement, but I have to wait on the details. I will say it may have something to do with some give-aways.

Blogaversary Give-away!

One year ago today I started blogging! I am not really sure what I thought would come of it, but I thought it would be a nice way to share with family and friends what my kids were up to and share pictures. Turns out that the only really close family that reads it regularly is my mom, but I am so happy with where this is going for me.

To celebrate I want to give away something that has touched my life in some way. Years ago I had some very crushing, shattering things happen to me. I felt so broken and lost and wondered why God even let me live. I did get through it, God is so good! I know one day that my experience will be used for God's glory and to help others, and I welcome that day.

One night, as I was working an overnight shift, I was watching this movie, Joshua, which happened to be on the shelf of movies. I was just trying to stay awake, but what happened was so moving that I just couldn't forget it. Through this movie I realized that breaking my life into little shards allowed God to make something more beautiful than what it was before! It gave me a hope I hadn't known and a desire to get to that beautiful part of my life!

Aside from that, this is just an incredible, family friendly, amazing movie. Go here to watch a trailer for Joshua. This is a brand new, unopened DVD of Joshua.

To enter:

1. Leave a comment. That's all! Make sure I can find you, if you don't have a blog, please leave an email for me. I'm sick, so I don't feel like hunting someone down, thanks!

2. Blog and share the love for a second entry, let me know in your comment that you did it.

This give-away will run through midnight Friday, August 24. I will announce the winner on Saturday.

Keep checking back, I have another give-away planned and a contest on Thursday!

Guess what??

Its finally time to reveal my secrets!
See that little count down to the left?? The one that says "Blogaversary 1 day"????
Yep, tomorrow is my blogaversary! And I have a couple of events planned for this week.
Tomorrow I will be starting a giveaway, and then on Thursday I am having a contest with a prize. There may be another little prize or two tucked up my sleeve, you never know!

Another great give-away, or more....

Adventures in Babywearing is having a contest to win a shirt for us moms from DivasNBabes, "Divas wear their most valuable accessories". DivasNBabes has the cutest baby and mommy shirts! You could get matching shirts, for mom: I am at work and for babe: I am my mom's job! They also have some great slings and Mai Tai's, some named after celebrities.
All you have to do is go to Adventures in Babywearing and follow the instructions, which is to find two baby carriers named after celebrities besides the Tori Mai Tai that Steph owns, then email the answers to her.
On top of that contest, DivasNBabes has another offer on their site:

"See your names in lights! Save 25% on your next purchase and get the chance to be our featured Diva and Babe when you send us your idea for an upcoming couture shirt. If we choose your idea, you and your babe will be showcased in a special section on the homepage. Diva, you're a star!"


What are you waiting for? Enter by Sunday at 9pm(cst).

Journey of 1000 Stitches is having a give-away! You need to enter by 10pm tonight.

She is giving away anything in her Etsy store, really, anything! Its a no-brainer pick for me! If she had cloth diapers it would be harder, but since she doesn't carry my favorite hobby, I would so pick this shirt because Trinity IS the little sister and she IS BIG trouble! And everyone in our house would agree.

*Update* Don't bother, since its past 10, and I WON this cute shirt! Oh yeah!!!

ModMom is having a give-away of either a toybox or an area rug from notneutral. You need to leave a comment with your favorite Notneutral product and the reason why by July 31. This is an awesome prize! Bookmark Modmom, she does great give-aways often!

Five Minutes for Mom is giving away 10 copies of “Sesame Street’s” latest DVD, “Ready For School.” Elmo is a little nervous of starting school and gets some encouragement from his friends. All you have to do is leave a comment to enter. What a great way to prepare your little preschooler or kindergartener for their first day of school this fall. The drawing will be August 16th. On Monday they will have a few more contests, sounds like it will be books!!!

The Opinionated Parent has another fabulous prize give-away going on. The Badgemaker is a kit that lets you create and make your own little buttons! You can use their little papers, or pictures. It’s from The Bead Shop and retails for under $10 on Amazon. You need to go to The Opinionated Parent and then email with the answer to a question. You can do it! Make sure you sign up by midnight July 30th. And keep checking back, there are lots of contests running at The Opinionated Parent at various times. (3 ended yesterday!)

TeensReadToo is having a mass give-away, of what you may ask? Well, Books of course, silly! 45 books geared for teens! All you need to do is email them with some info before August 1. There are some great books listed there!

Lille Pumpkin Reviews has a chance for you to win movie tickets for two just by leaving a comment and telling what movie you would like to see this summer. Contest ends July 30th.

And don't forget about the The mother of ALL give-aways! But I really don't need the competition on that one, thanks so much for your concideration!

The mother of ALL give-aways!

Five Minutes for Mom is giving away an Insignia® 37″ Flat-Panel LCD HDTV!!!

Best Buy is sponsoring this incredible give-away of a TV worth $799.99. This model has the v-chip for parental control and you can use it as a computer monitor so you can download and play high def movies.

I may even be able to talk my hubby into starting a blog so he can enter into this contest!

End of Dog Days of Summer bloggy give-away!

Whew! This is the last day of the Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Give-Away. It was hard work going through 506 blogs to enter contests. I did not enter all of them, but I think I hit at least 450 of them to look at. I may have missed a few when the whole linky disaster happened, lol.

So I get up this morning to try to enter my mom's blog in a few more contests (she actually WORKS, so she's too responsible to sit around and let the house/work fall apart while entering all these glorious contests) and what do I find in my emails? I've already won one contest! I featured Highlights from Higher Ground on my TT post, I wanted to win her crocheted name doily, but I did win her hanging dish towel! I actually NEED a new one, so this is great news for me!

Some of the contests are still taking entries, but its too much work for me to sit and go through them to find maybe one in five that still are. But its not too much work for me to check my mail several times a day today to see if more wins filter through.

I'm hoping to win one of the FIVE Starbucks gift cards so that I have something to send with my dd on her trip to Maine. She may find one in the airport and have a nice cuppa while waiting for her plane. Or if my mom wins one, that would be great for her, too.

Is anyone else super excited????

Oh, and hands off my Scrabble Blog bracelet!!!!

*Update* I also won some pop up books (not for kids, more like cards) from Dawn at Coming to a Nursery Near You.

And again! I won a super cute shirt from Journey of 1000 Stitches in her awesome Etsy store! Go check out her store, you'll love it! (she's a part-time cloth diaper user, so you know I love her!)

Thursday Thirteen~ Dog Days of Summer!

Thirteen awesome giveaways in the Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Give-away! These are but a small portion of the items, and there are some I don't want you to find because I want them, but alas, they all have at least 100 entrants, lol.

1. Rocks in My Dryer is hosting the most amazing mass blogging give-away ever!

This is a first in bloggy history, I would imagine. There are over 500 bloggers giving away prizes or multiple prizes on their blogs, all linked up here for one week of bloggy love!

2. Skimbaco is giving away this cute swimsuit with matching sandals and hairbow! Isn't it cute? Trinity would look so cute in it and she needs a new suit.

3. Are We There Yet is giving away a Bath and Body Works lovtion and shower gel, plus two books. She is even giving them in my favorite scents, lavender and vanilla!

4. Love, Laughter and Laundry is also giving away a Bath and Body Works Shower gel!

5. Jesus and Dark Chocolate is giving away........ guess.......... yep, chocolate! Super awesome chocolate!

6. Highlights from Higher Ground is giving away this incredible crocheted doily name. Well, not that one, unless your name is White, she'll custom do your last name, or someone you'd want to gift it to. Plus she has two other things up so far, too.

7. These gorgeous earrings are being given away by a very generous and talented lady at Fruit of Her Hands. They are real silver, and I hope to win them for Kaytlin. She loves silver jewelry and I am a gold only lady.

8. I love, love these baby leg warmers! Crawler Covers is giving away a pair of these and a fancy little tutu! You can even pick the colors you want.

9. Heartsong is giving away a $10 gift card to Starbucks!

10. Sgt. and Mrs. Hub is giving away a $25 gift card to Starbucks!

There are at least 3 more if you search for them at Rocks in my dryer!

11. Sugarfoots is giving away this awesome blanket, and it can be personalized.

12. Multitasking Moma is giving away this awesome Scrabble Blog bracelet! Please don't go enter, I want this!

13. Praise the Lord and Pass the Prozac has 12 books to give away, and I want the first one, its an awesome book!

Check out all the wonderful blogs and their generous gifts! I've gone through over 400 of the blogs so far, and yes, my house is completely trashed now! LOL

$300 in dairy products!

Five Minutes for Mom is giving away gift certificates for $300 in Horizon organic dairy products! How exciting is that!?
Not only to win such a fantastic huge prize, but to win one that will bring your grocery bill down, now that is what I call winning!
I do want to buy organic, but I just can't swing it all the time. This product also incorporates DHA for our children's brain and eye development! The only thing I would like to see added is for it to be raw milk instead of pasteurized. But free milk is better than raw milk to my budget!
The winner will receive about 60 gift certificates for Horizon Organic products - each with a value of $4.99.

I won!

Apples'n'Oranges had a give-away for the opening of their new store, and I won! This adorable sleeper/outfit is going to look so cute on Samuel, and I am so excited to get it for him! Go check out their store and also their new give-away of a really cute shirt for a little one.

Recently I have been on a winning streak, and it stopped for a bit, but hopefully its back because with the Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Give-away hosted by Rocks in my Dryer starting today, there are a ton of blogs prizes to be won all over the net! Get out there and sign up like crazy! I can tell you my house won't be getting clean any time soon with all this fun going on!

There is a really cute diaper bag giveaway at Facipiers and Stinky Toes, go check them out!

Whoa! I hope to win this adorable baby shirt and babylegs from My Rockstarbaby, on Fina' Drea. This is not part of the bloggy giveaway.

This one is a very unique prize give-away! From Life is Just Ducky, Kool-Aid points! I seriously would love them!

Check out this contest for a Lavender and Vanilla Bath and Body Works Lotion and body wash, plust TWO books at Are We There Yet? I have to make a trip to Bath and Body Works just to smell that lotion! Yummy! A combo of my two most favorite lotion scents!

* A very important note! Today was the best dental associated visit I've ever been to! I took Devon to his orthodontist appointment and she said his teeth are fantastic and that once his baby tooth is removed the permanent one should go right in place with no braces!