Gearing Up for the Holidays!

I can hardly believe Thanksgiving is just a couple of short weeks away, with Christmas hot on it's heels! This year has flown by so quickly!

I have some great ideas for creating holiday treats on a shoestring budget. Come out looking like a gourmet!

I found some great articles about how to make Chocolate Dipped Oreos. It's so easy, and they look great! I like this article because it shows you how to make pretty red and green drizzles over the top to decorate your dipped Oreos. I like how this one uses sticks to dip them. I think i would use lollipop sticks instead of the popsicle sticks and maybe even take them out at the end and fill the holes in with chocolate.

I also found just the right sized, food safe, FDA approved, baggies to put them in at Cello in a Box. They also come with an instruction sheet. Check out item # 1883. You get 50 bags and the instructions for just $3.25! That's about 10 gifts for under $10!

Cello in a Box also has other great Do-It-Yourself (DIY) gift ideas, such as chocolate dipped marshmallow gifts, dipped pretzels, and even gift ideas for the four legged friends on your Christmas list!

Back to School Sale: River Street Gourmet

Nothing's harder than getting back into the early morning

school schedule. Let us help make those mornings brighter...

Buy 2 Get 1 FREE on all pancake mixes!

These are easy to make and come in supreme taste bud tickling
flavors.

This offer expires Aug 15, no coupon necessary.

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*** Special***

Until Aug 15

15% off on all retail orders

coupon code SCHOOL

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FLAVOR OF THE MONTH

Enjoy 10% off on all of our corn products.

Try our corn cob jelly for a new twist!

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Smells of Summer & Grandma's House

They say that the sense of smell is the strongest at triggering a memory from the past. I couldn't agree more!

I was riding my bike around the neighborhood recently. I was transported to the in the back yard of the home I grew up in. The smell of BBQ filled the air and it reminded me of summer days, swimming all day with my best friend. BBQ kielbasa sausages and taco salad were a summertime dinner favorite. It reminded me of swimming with my best friend from basically sun up to sun down, breaking only long enough to eat and take the requisite 20 minutes for our food to digest.

I was given the dining room hutch, and dining room table and chairs that belonged to my grandmother. I love family heirlooms to begin with. This is extra special because my grandpa told me how much she treasured these items. She worked so hard to earn them when they were first married. They are in my home now and I take good care of them. I love to open the bottom of the hutch because the scent of grandma's house always wafts up and reminds me of the good times we had when I was growing up. I can't really describe the scent, other than "it just smells like Grandma's house!"

It got me thinking and wondering what scents and fragrances will remind my own daughter of "the good old days." I thought it would be good to look into different ways of making our home smell warm and inviting. I like fragrances that bring feelings of general "warm fuzziness," like warm vanilla sugar, lavendar, and sugar cookie. I love candles, but they're not the most practical with little ones running around, pulling themselves up on the furniture!

I had forgotten all about reed diffusers until I came across a site for SabonNYC.com. I felt like a kid in a candy store as I looked around at the home fragrance products, hand made soaps, and bath bombs (another addiction of mine!)

June's Charity of the Month

There are so many worthy causes out there, doing good in the world. I have decided to dedicate a portion of my Avon earnings to a different charity every month. This month's charity is Operation Shower.

Operation Shower is a non-profit organization (pending 501(c)(3) tax exempt status) that recognizes and honors the sacrifices military families make by producing and coordinating baby showers and “showers-in-a-box” for pregnant and expecting military personnel and their families.

I will also be encouraging the members of my Busy Shopaholics Ning network to also participate, either by sending baby shower related items to Operation Shower, or by donating a portion of their commissions this month to this cause!

I believe we cannot out-give!

Whether you're a member of Busy Shopaholics or not, please comment here if you are going to participate in this Charity of the Month! If you are in direct sales or a party business, have an eBay store, Etsy store, or other type of business, please join the fun at Busy Shopaholics!

Repost: Win "The Baby Fat Diet" at Pink Lemonade!

I love it when I have time here and then to surf from one blog to another. It's fun to find what others are blogging out and pick up tips and tricks along the way. Yesterday I came across this fun sounding give away at Pink Lemonade of Life:

Demanding and time-consuming, Motherhood offers little time to take care of oneself. Intersperse the responsibilities of work and a child’s after-school activities and at the end of the day, Mom isn’t left with much time or energy to fit exercise into the daily schedule.

Authors, Monica Bearden and Shara Aaron, Registered Dietitians, Aerobic instructors and new moms themselves, offer tips on how to add “crunch” time to daily activities.

Ideas on ways to become more active include:

• Gym Memberships – Or Not…

- Brown bag it and use the money saved to pay for a gym membership. Working moms can exercise at lunch and forgo costly, calorie-laden take-out. For example, saving just $3.00 a day adds up to $90.00 a month – that’s enough for a gym membership with a little extra left over.

- Gather up your gal pals and get those strollers moving in your neighborhood or nearby park. Besides dropping inches you get the bonus of connecting with nature, your children and friends.

• Play With Your Children

- Freeze tag, hide and seek and jump rope are still cool – find your inner child and burn up to 100 calories in 10 minutes while playing with your kids.

- Show the kids some new moves and dance together to their favorite music - just half an hour of b-bopping can burn 185 calories.

In the book, The Baby Fat Diet by authors Monica Bearden and Shara Aaron, moms learn that small changes can make a big difference. Weight loss and good health doesn’t require a total makeover. Restrictive dieting and cutting out all favorite foods isn’t necessary. This book offers simple, easy-to-live-by health and nutrition tips that help women change the set behaviors that make losing weight so difficult. Committing to exercise and looking for activities and movement that work with life as a mom make for a happy, healthy family. Inside the book, moms will find information on ways to get up and get moving:

About the Authors:

Monica Bearden, R.D., is a food enthusiast who believes that healthy living should always include delighting the palate with a rich piece of chocolate. Monica is a registered dietitian and fitness instructor and has helped countless women lose weight . In addition, Monica is co-owner of NutCom, LLC, a nutrition communications company, where she assists major food companies in developing healthier food for the public, works with the media as a nutrition and wellness expert, and writes health- and nutrition-related educational materials on the food industry’s behalf. She is also co-author of the award winning book, Chocolate – A Healthy Passion and writes health-related articles for parenting magazines and for professional publications such as the Journal of the American Dietetic Association; the American Journal of Medicine and Sports; the American Chemical Society; Today’s Dietitian; and the ADA Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition newsletter. She graduated from the Coordinated Program in Dietetics at the University of Texas at Austin, where she was accepted into the Undergraduate Honors Research Program and was the recipient of a Research Fellowship and the Outstanding Nutrition Scholar award. Bearden lives in Tomball TX.
Shara Aaron, M.S., R.D., lives what she preaches: eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly can help you get the most out of life. She began her career as nutrition and health editor for Family Circle magazine. She was also a manager of nutrition communications at a major food company, where she served, among other things, as a company nutrition media spokesperson. She is now the co-owner of NutCom, LLC, a nutrition communications consulting company, and continues to privately counsel patients on weight loss and teach fitness classes as a certified aerobics instructor. Shara is co-author of the award winning book, Chocolate – A Healthy Passion, has published articles in Family Circle, Parents, and American Baby magazines. She earned her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and her MS in nutrition communications from the Friedman School of Nutrition at Tufts University. She completed her dietetic education at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Aaron lives in Yardley PA.

We have one copy of this book to give away to one lucky reader!

There are several ways to enter - here are the rules:

Please note: Your email address MUST either be in your comment or available on your blogger profile or your entry will NOT count!! **

* Leave us a comment on any post here at Pink Lemonade (be sure to comment on this post & let us know where you commented).

* Become a follower on Twitter. Leave me a comment to let me know your twitter name (if you are already a follower, leave me a comment with your twitter name).

* Become a fan on our new Facebook page. Leave me a comment to let me know your Facebook name.

* Subscribe to our RSS Feed or sign up to receive Pink Lemonade by Email. Leave me a comment to let me know you. If you are already a subscriber, leave me a comment and let me know.

* Blog about our contest on your blog. Leave me a comment with your post url.

* Place our widget on your blog (it's toward the bottom of this page in the far right column - just click "get widget" at the bottom of the widget [under the heading "Grab our Widget"]). Leave me a comment with your site url.

There you have it! Six very simple ways to enter our contest - how easy is that? Complete rules can be found on our Contest page.

This contest ends Tuesday, April 28th at 11:59pm (pdst) so don't wait - make sure you've gotten all six entries before it's too late! Please note: entries received after the cutoff time will be deleted prior to drawing a winner.

Repost: My Precious Little One CD - Rick Springfield ~WIN IT !!!

I found this fabulous contest over at ThePlusSizeMommy and wanted to share it! Go to the original blog to enter to win!

My Precious Little One CD by Rick Springfield

“Grammy Award-winner and long-time fan favorite Rick Springfield introduces his timeless music to a new generation with the birth of his latest album, My Precious Little One, a brand-new collection of beautiful, original lullabies that will bring sweet dreams to children nationwide!

“I wrote these original lullabies for my two sons during the heady days of brand new fatherhood,” said Mr. Springfield. “As a songwriter, I wanted to do something to commemorate the birth of our children and since neither of them were good sleepers, it seemed like a good idea to write lullabies.”

His children are now in their early twenties and Mr. Springfield rediscovered the magical songs last year, tucked away in a drawer in his music room. Inspired by the cherished memories of his sons as infants, he decided to record and share these timeless melodies. My Precious Little One features ten gentle tunes including “Catch a Kiss,” “Dreamtime Faeries” and “Don’t Keep the Sandman Waiting,” that will charm both children and adults alike.

While the irresistible collection will be available in stores everywhere on May 5, 2009 (just in time for Mother’s day!) you can get a copy of the album starting March 10^th exclusively at Amazon for an SRP of SRP of $13.99 for the CD and $8.99 for the digital download.

About Rick Springfield

Rick’s most recent studio release, Venus in Overdrive, (New Door Records/UMe) was released on July 29^th, 2008, to high acclaim. A creative collaboration between Rick and his longtime bass player, Matt Bissonette, Venus in Overdrive is simultaneously classic and current – and definitely the music fans have loved since Rick’s distinctive canine companion, Lethal Ron, first graced the cover of his classic album, Working Class Dog. To date, Rick Springfield has sold over 19 million records with a whopping 17 top-40 hits. He has performed for millions of devoted fans over the last three decades and continues to play over 100 shows a year.

WIN IT HERE BEFORE YOU CAN BUY IT IN STORES !!!!

I am so excited to be able to offer my readers a chance to win this CD Before you can buy it in the stores !

It is such a wonderful, soothing, lovely CD, I assure you, you are going to love it !

Be careful if listening to it in the car, as it has tendency to put you to sleep

Here is how you can WIN IT :

#1 YOU MUST FOLLOW MY BLOG by either rss or email to be eligible to win !!!- after subscribing, please comment and tell me that you did. Believe me if you win, I will be checking ! = main entry

#2 comment and tell me what your and your child’s favorite lullabye is = 1 entry

#3 Tweet about this contest on twitter and leave me your twitter url feedback = 1 entry

#4 follow me on twitter (I am @plussizemommy) = 1 entry

#5 email your friends about this give away and tell them to enter too, cc: me in the email (xbeth@yahoo.com) = 1 entry

#6 grab my badge and put it into your blogroll = 1 entry

#7 repost this post onto your blog and link back to my blog = 3 bonus entries

Thank you for entering, and Good Luck !!!

This contest begins immediately and will end at 10PM Eastern time on May 1, 2009. Winners will be chosen by Random.org and will be emailed (please make sure I have a valid email address). Also, winner will be posted onto this blog. Winner will have 24 hours to get back to me with mailing address so the CD can be sent to you. This is a WONDERFUL MOTHERS DAY present !!! GOOD LUCK !!!

The Plus Size Mommy

Enter a Cash Drawing for $100

From Guest Blogger, Tracy Hayes:

I'm really excited because I've been challenged to share the Mary Kay career information with 15 sharp women on Thursday, April 16, 2009 I don't know if this is anything that you would ever think about for yourself, but you'll be entered into a cash drawing for $100 just for listening!! All I need from you is 30 minutes for you to listen into a conference call at one of the six times it's being offered.

If it is not for you, please pass it on to someone you know who may be interested.

Can you help me with my challenge and listen in? Once you confirm you listened in and answered the three questions asked, I will need your name/phone/email address, so I can follow up with you and you receive a free lipstick or lip gloss from me directly. I must know that you were there and listened in to be entered into the drawing and receive a free gift.

Here are the available times: 10:00 am, 12:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 5:00 pm, 7:00 pm, and 10:00 pm

Number to call: 712-451-6100 Access 835155#

Please let me know what works best for you.

Thank you!! Tracy Hayes

Stretch Your Grocery Dollars With Tupperware

How we choose to store our produce and leftovers can make a huge difference in how long the food lasts. I don't know about you, but my family has thrown out WAY too much food over the years. We plan our menus and shop accordingly, but sometimes food still has to be thrown out.

Life happens and things come up and we wind up over at a friend's house for dinner on a night when we would be cooking something we planned. Or, I decide to go to lunch with a friend after a "baby and me" class so my leftovers don't get eaten up. If things DID go according to plan, then I might not have to worry so much about how I store my food.

Tupperware has long been the leader in food storage. They have solutions that are appropriate for various types of food that will extend the shelf life, so to speak.

Stop by and see my friend, Olivia Smith, at her Tuppeware Website.
View her newsletter for current specials for extra savings on Tupperware. Be sure to tell her the Busy Shopaholic sent ya!

Free Shipping With $30 Order!

I was recently sent a care package from someone who has come to be a good friend that I met online. Some of it was my favorite products from Two Sisters Gourmet, which is now a part of Partylite. The rest was some good size trials of Avon products. I hadn't really given Avon much thought until now.

Well, I have to say, Avon has come a long way from what I remembered. I felt absolutely pampered!

The Naturals Vanilla Shower Gel (regular $6.00, now on sale for $1.99!) and body lotion really smell nice. The shower gel lathers up good and left me with a clean feeling, yet did not dry my skin out. I also enjoyed the Advance Techniques Daily Results 2-in-1 Healthy Shine Shampoo & Conditioner sample she sent me. I loved the smell and my hair felt great afterward.

Right now, Avon has an amazing deal on Skin So Soft Soft & Sensual for just $10! It's a 4 piece set that would cost $23 normally if you purchased each product separately.

I love the convenience of shopping online...and simply can't resist when there's free shipping involved! Right now you can get free shipping with any order of $30 or more. With Mother's Day coming up, I know I will be taking advantage of this!

January Last Chance Blowout Sale at Gold Canyon!

January Last Chance Blowout Sale at Gold Canyon
40-75% OFF!

Now through January 31, 2009, it's your last chance to stock up on Gold Canyon items at huge discounts only while supplies last!

Gold Canyon's January Last Chance Blowout Sale has something for everyone, but quantities are limited.