Congrats to the Mouth Man Hoodie WINNER!!!

I'd like to thank every one of you for entering my Mouth Man giveaway. I just love Little Guy's hoodie and so does everyone who sees him wearing it. My oldest has the same version and Little Guy thinks it is so cool to be able to have a shirt "... just like Brubber's!" I know that the lucky winner is going to be just as happy with their hoodie!

WINNER of the Algebrator Software!

If you missed out on this giveaway, I urge you to go check out Algebrator. I can't believe how much it has helped my son in Algebra. And I know it will be there for him all the way through college-level math classes. He's going to need it, too - he wants to go into creating the graphics for computer and video games!

And, here's the winner!

Congratulations to Shirley!

Two More Winners! {Mayesa & Natural House}

Sorry that I keep getting backed up on choosing winners. It's just been one of those weeks... just like last week... and the week before. Ugh! I sure hope things calm down around here soon!

Anyway, I have two new winners to announce! Carole is the winner of the 6-pack of Mayesa Healthy Chocolate Beverages and Amanda H. won the 30-Day Supply of Cleaning Products from Natural House.
They will both be emailed and have 48 hours to get in touch with me before I have to choose new winners.

Congratulations to both

Carole and Amanda!!!

Oh, and don't forget that today is the last chance you will have to enter to WIN your choice of a hardcover children's book: Howard B. Wigglebottom from the We Do Listen Foundation. Please show some support for this great non-profit and enter to win!

And, tomorrow, the giveaway for Algebrator Software will end. I'm telling you - if you have a child who will be learning any kind of higher mathematics in the next few years (or if you're planning on going back to school!), you're going to want to enter. This is not a subscription service - you get to keep the software forever!

Two New #WINNERS! {Story Harbour & UGLee Pens}

I know, it's been one hell of a week around here. I am hoping to stay up late tonight and get a few more of these review & giveaways posted. We'll see what happens.  Anyway, right now I have two winners to post! I cannot put both Rafflecopter announcements in one post without making everything go haywire, so you can check out the actual review posts to see that part if you want.

The winner of the Story Harbour Folklore CD is: Pam M
The winner of the UGLee Pens 3-pack is: Corey O.

Congratulation to the WINNERS:

Pam & Corey!!!

Both winners will be emailed in a few minutes and will have 48 hours to respond. If they do not, I will choose a new winner(s).

Who's the Lucky WINNER?

I loved reading all of your ideas for cards and I know that Bernie is itching to get her hands on the list. You all had some great ones. I just know that I didn't do Budugalee Cards justice in my review/giveaway post. And I can't tell you just how lucky the winner of this giveaway is! If you need a special card for someone, keep Budugalee Cards in mind. And don't forget that Small Business Saturday is this week, it would be a great time to visit her shop! (Thanks for sponsoring the giveaway, Bernie!)

So, here's the lucky reader:

Congrats to Wendy!!!

Don't forget to enter my other giveaways, too. They're listed at the top of the page. AND, I'll have quite a few more added to the list soon.

WINNER of $25 ElJay Plushie GC!

This is a GREAT prize! The stuffed animals that Leah makes are cute, soft, and lovable. Our Hippie has been loved on (and thrown around by both my boys) since we received him earlier this year and all of his seams are perfectly intact!

Congratulations to Crystal!!!

Thank you to Leah, owner of ElJay Plushie, for sponsoring this generous giveaway.


***Don't forget to enter my other giveaways (listed at the top)! Or, if you have a few minutes, go on over to the Green Parenting Giveaway Linky to see what everyone else is giving away!

WINNER Home Made with Love Stacked Hair Bow

Thank you to everyone who entered the Custom Stacked Hair Bow giveaway - I had 184 entries! I hope that, after visiting Jamie's Etsy shop, Home Made with Love, you have found some great gifts for loved ones who love pretty hair baubles. You cannot find these in stores - not the low prices, high quality, attention to detail, and ability to customize just by asking!

Congrats to the winner!

Connie G.

I'll be emailing Connie later today and she'll have 48 hours (from the time of my email) to contact me or I will choose a new winner.

 

{NEW} WINNER Announcement - Scrapin' Sara's Gifts Winter-Themed Scrapbook

***My first winner did not get into contact with me within 48 hours after I sent her an email. That means that I needed to pick a second winner, who is named below: 

Thanks to all who entered this giveaway! I have to say that I'm slightly jealous of the winner - that's a great-looking scrapbook.

CONGRATS to Whitney!!!

Don't forget to check out Scrapin' Sara's Gifts for some great cards and other handmade gifts. And remember: She ALWAYS includes extra surprises with every order. I'd like to thank Sara for sponsoring this giveaway - THANKS!

I have more Etsy giveaways listed at the top of this page. Don't forget to enter!

Who is the BIG WINNER of the #MadeinMichigan Hop?

OK, you guys are AWESOME!!!There were a total of879 entries, including the extra entries on my review posts. Now, here's how I picked the winner (hope it makes sense!)

I added up all of the extra entries on the review posts, in the order that I posted. There were only 16 entries total. Then, I added the main giveaway entries (863), which brought the total entries to 879.
Here's where it gets a little weird, and I hope I make sense. First, I went to Random.org and plugged in the numbers (1-879). I wanted to see if one of the 16 extra entries won before I went any farther. Well, Random.org chose #759.

Now, I had to figure out what number entry that would be... Hmm. Now, I'm pretty sure I did this right. Instead of sitting here counting each entry (which was my first idea - duh!), I took the winning number and subtracted 16 from it (from the extra entries at the beginning.) Now, stick with me!!! The magic number was 743 - the number I am about to look up on the Rafflecopter entries in the main giveaway post. I sure hope it makes sense. If not, please know that I checked and rechecked and eventually counted all of the entries in a row (took forever with Little Guy saying, "Mama! I three now!" every two minutes!) and the number 743 came up again and again. Next time, I'm figuring out how to do this without the extra entries! So, this is "live" - I'm heading to Rafflecopter to find out who the winner is....

UGH! The person didn't leave a Facebook name... OK, back to Random.org and my screwy math.

And, 86 - 16 (extra entries) = 70...

Gotta love my wonderful control of the mouse on Paint!

Congrats, Lisa!!!

So, there you have it. I'll be emailing Lisa as soon as I get this posted and she'll have 48 hours to respond to my email. If not, I'll be back on Saturday to do this ALL OVER AGAIN!

Please don't forget my generous sponsors when your shopping for holiday gifts. These shops have a lot to offer and their prices are very low. Plus, most of them offer discounts and have clearance sections. Here's a run-down of links to my review, once more. Please keep handmade businesses in business! (You'll be helping local economies, supporting artists, buying original gifts for important people, and most of the handmade businesses you come across are MUCH greener than all of those large manufacturers!)

Thank You To My Sponsors!

The Star Box

8daysOfTreasures

Beatifical

Amore Vivo

MelJoy Creations

Michigan Spinning Company

PETfection

4th Street Candle Co.

Baby Nari Hip Hugger Giveaway Winner!

The winner of this giveaway is one lucky person! I have been using my Hip Hugger for Little Guy often and it sure has made a difference in how I feel after going for long walks. And you can be sure that I'll be using my Hip Hugger for Trick-or-Treating tonight, too!
So, without further ado - CONGRATULATIONS to Shirley! I'll be sending you an email soon...

 I'd like to thank Baby Nari for sponsoring this great giveaway. What a great and useful product!!! If you didn't win, you can still get a deal: Sign up for their newsletter and receive $15 off your order with the code: BABYNARI15 plus, you can get FREE shipping on orders over $50! If you consider how much a storller costs and remember that the Hip Hugger pretty much eliminates the need for one, the cost of this product is a great investment. (Plus, you can use it for many kids, pass it on to someone else, etc. without worrying about it breaking or needing to have replacement parts - wear & tear is minimal!)

WINNERS of the Dr. Scholl's Coupons! (And I Picked Out a Ring)

Wow! Seven winners are announced below! I'll work on getting emails out to everyone tonight - after bedtime. Oh, and I received a stack of more high-value coupons in the mail today, so I'll add one of those to each of the envelopes, too! Thanks to everyone for entering, I really appreciate the time you took.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Also, a BIG THANKS to all of you who checked out the rings I was pondering and giving me your feedback. I finally chose the Vintage Sterling Silver one. I like the Ebony one, too, but it came down to cost as the tie-breaker.

My New Wedding Ring!

WINNERS of The Peaceful Housewife's Natural Household Cleaners eBook!

Congrats to the winners of The Peaceful Housewife's Natural Household Cleaners eBook! Don't forget that you can purchase this eBook directly from The Peaceful Housewife for only $3.00. Also, she has a Back-to-School sale going on right now (I think it's still good - I don't see an expiration date). You can get a whopping 25% off anything in her store by using the code: BACK2SCHOOL at checkout. With her already low prices, you'll be getting a real bargain!






And don't forget -you still have time to enter the Dr. Scholl's Coupon giveaway. There are SEVEN winners who will each get (2) $5-off coupons for Massaging Gel Inserts. Since the SRP of these is $12.99, this is a great deal! Ends 8/30 and open to US residents.

Looking for Inspiration or Want to Share a Project or Recipe? {The Frugal Girls!}

Tweet

So, every Thursday, I can't wait for The Frugal Girls' Chic & Crafty Party to get posted. What is it? Well, I'll tell ya! It's a great linky filled with a ton of really neat projects and recipes from all over blogdom. The links contain "chic & crafty" ideas that range from the super easy to very involved. I've learned how to completely make over the crappy-looking, yet functional pieces of furniture that hubby keeps dragging home on garbage night. I now have a recipe for Strawberry-Peach Jam that I'm planning on trying this weekend, after out next Farmer's Market trip. And, I used the Flowers for the Black Thumb idea to send flowers to my mother-in-law with the kids.

Oh, and did I mention that this linky doesn't just give you a place to feature your DIY craft, recipe, or idea. When you submit a link, you're entered to win something, too! As a special "Thank You" to those who link up, The Frugal Girls will choose (randomly) one person to receive a gift card of some sort. I was the lucky winner of a $25 Hobby Lobby GC a couple of weeks ago for linking up my revamped Seed Bombs post!!!

Little Guy and I made a special day of it, yesterday, with a bus ride to Hobby Lobby and a craft supply shopping spree. For the $25, we were able to get him 5 sets of watercolors (he goes through them like crazy!), his own box of 64 crayons, a ton of stickers, pop-poms, google eyes, pipe cleaners, a giant jug of glue, lots of construction paper... and more. I've never seen a kid so excited to be buying this kind of stuff - he was just in heaven! (Yeah, he's definitely my kid! LOL)

So, if you've got something you'd like to share, go link up. 
Anything that takes an iota of creativity is welcome, 
even party ideas, 
tips on cleaning and crafting, 
and, of course, 
those project and recipe posts.

The newest edition of the Chic & Crafty Party will post at 8pm tonight! (Thursday) Your idea could even be featured later in the week in its own post on The Frugal Girls. Let me tell you, that's no little thing - being featured by them will mean a ton of exposure for your idea!




**I didn't get anything for posting this. Heck, The Frugal Girls don't even know I'm posting this! I just want to share this really cool linky with you and tell you about a great chance to win a GC to some crafty-type of store. And to thank The Frugal Girls for sending me and Little Guy on our fun shopping spree, thanks to that GC I won!

WINNERS of the KY Intimacy Experiment Giveaway!

(Psst...If you don't want to read all of my babbling and need to know who won NOW, the winners are posted at the bottom, under the little snail picture!)

HO-LY COW, you guys! I can't believe how many entries there were to this giveaway. All told, there were 700 when you include the extra entries.

THANK YOU!!!

With that many entries, I hate only having two prizes to give out. The good news? You can do this on your own, without the box of goodies. The booklet that I used can be downloaded in .pdf form from KY's Facebook Page, Couples Place. In fact, here's the direct link to the .pdf (not sure if it'll work - you might need to like them first?) That Facebook page also has a Contest section (nothing going on right now, but the prizes are amazing so keep checking back), Special Offers (right now you can get $5 off either a printable or to use online - and free shipping!), and Intimate Insights Articles (including quizzes, advice, and special occasions ideas!)

I cannot tell you how much fun I had doing this. Hubby and I are actually back to enjoying our relationship - looking forward to seeing each other, talking about any number of things, and making more time for our marriage (the parenting thing always comes first, but now we know that it's not our only 'thing'!) Oh, and I loved some of your responses. Once I get back in the groove of writing about more than sex, I want to re-open the comments and reply to some of you. Oh, and did I mention that I think I've finally found my writing "voice" while doing all of these posts? About time! If you go back and read some of my posts, you'd think a schizophrenic was writing this blog. 

So, here's how I chose the winners. First, I got out a piece of paper and a pen (yeah, I'm bold enough to do math with a pen - not pencil!) Then I took about 10 minutes trying to locate the built-in calculator in my Windows programs, probably would have been faster to Google "online calculator", right? With these amazingly technologically advanced tools, O proceeded to add up all of the entries. I added the entries from Day 1 to the original entries, then tagged on the Day 2 entries, so on and so on... You can check out my amazing computing skills in the scan below:

Tech-savvy way of doing it!

Then, I added the numbers to the little random.org widget at the bottom of the page and hit the little button twice. Voila! Here are the two winning numbers:

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

#239 -

Dionna @ Code Name: Mama said... 239

#4 I follow you on Twitter!

July 11, 2011 8:34 PM

#540 -

Martha said... 9

talking about how my body feels...like when I'm cramping. I never would have talked to him about it in the beginning but after 14 yrs together, I do. LOL - (mavans@_________)

July 26, 2011 10:56 AM

If this is you up there, and you don't have an email from me in your inbox, please check your spam folder (lots of my emails have been labeled as spam lately (?!) or get in touch with me here, on Twitter, on Facebook...

Oh, and if anyone missed the whole giveaway, here are links to the posts:

I Can't Believe I'm Doing This!!!

You Want Me to WHAT?! (Day 1)

Reviving Old Connections (Day 2)

 Don't I Know You From Somewhere? (Day 3)

What Are YOU Looking At? (Day 4)

A Whole New Twist on an Old Game (Day 5)

You Rub Me the *Right* Way! (Day 6)

 Now That's Just Weird (Day 7)

 Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah (Day 8)

Well, THAT Was Thrilling! (Day 9)

Are We There Yet? (Day 10)

A Whole New Twist on an Old Game {Day 5 - KY Intimacy Experiment and GIVEAWAY!}

To all the little kiddies under 18 out there:

This is not a post for you. Please hit the back button, close the page, or anything else that will get you away from this page!

Sincerely,
ME!

Day 5 of the KY Intimacy Experiment is all about having fun together. This is something that has been long lost in our relationship. There are just too many responsibilities that we never make time to just have fun anymore. Even going to the park or taking walks as a family, Hubby and I are continuously on alert. With a headstrong toddler, you can't ever let your guard down! So, after reading what today's day- and nighttime exercises were supposed to be, I was excited. We need to be able to just let our hair down and have a good time!

Today's daytime exercise was great to plan and even better to actually do. We were to choose an activity that we've never done together before and then do it. So many possibilities! There were the usual things - we've never had a picnic with just the two of us. There were also the extreme ones - hubby suggested cooking a meal together. Extreme? Yes. I could only envision him not following directions and me ending up frustrated and angry. Not really something that makes you want to get smoochy, you know?

We settled on one of my favorite activities - Fishing. I haven't been fishing since before I was pregnant with Little Guy. I've always loved just sitting by the water, alone with my thoughts, with a pole in the river. I never keep anything - even if I wanted to, the water here is so bad that they tell you not to even feed your pets the fish from this river! Hubby used to go fishing with his dad when he was a kid, but his part mostly consisted of being quiet so he wouldn't scare the fish and handing his dad another beer. (It wasn't a bad experience for him, but he just never got to actually fish.) So, we planned an afternoon of fishing.

Photo credit: Livestrong.com

We quickly learned that he can't bait a hook. I laughed so hard to see him pull up his pole and show me a hook with a worm dangling down - it was hooked ONE time. We decided it would be my job to put the worms on. Then, he caught a tree - the one behind us - as he attempted to cast. Twenty minutes later, I had untangled his pole, got all the knots from his line, re-baited his hook (I have NO idea where the worm ended up!), and cast his line for him. I finally had gotten myself situated when he got a bite. He yanked the pole so hard that the poor fish was probably left thinking maybe he had just imagined the worm was there. After a short lesson on how to set the hook and reel in a fish, he was on his own again. Neither of us caught more than a single baby large-mouth bass, but I was having a great time. Hubby's unintentional antics had lightened the mood and, by the time we headed home, we were holding hands and making silly jokes with each other. We really had a lot of fun and didn't let ourselves worry or get frustrated with one another. He let me teach him how to fish and I didn't get angry about having to fix his mistakes (repeatedly! LOL)

That night, we tried the nighttime exercise. It was a twist on poker. (I really, really wanted to title this post: "Hit Me!"  "I'll Pass" I tried it out on Triberr's headline voting thingy and it was shot down - 14 dislikes and 0 likes! I thought it was funny! My other idea was "A Royal Blush" and it was just as unpopular.)
Now, this was a lot of fun for us because we really got to know each other over playing cards. I loved playing Rumy with him (I always won) and he had a great time showing me the zillions of different poker games he knew (he always won!) For the Intimacy Experiment version, we were supposed to take a pile of index cards and divide them into four equal piles. We each got two piles. On one pile, we were to write different body parts. On the other, different actions, such as "kiss", "blow", etc. By the time we were finished writing on all of the cards (we shouldn't have gotten the 100-card pack!), we were giggling at our ideas.

We shuffled our "body parts" cards together and our "touch" cards together and set them between us. Then, we played Five-Card Draw. Whoever won each hand got to choose one index card from each pile and the loser had to perform the touch on the corresponding body part. Now, this ended up being the most hilarious game of poker I had ever played. You see, since we each had to think of 25 body parts and 25 touches, we were running out of ideas toward the end. At one point, I received an ear massage. And hubby got to have his knee licked. Yeah. But, there were some pretty hot combos, too! After our agreed-upon twenty-hand game of poker, we were hot and bothered enough to not notice how late it had gotten. I'll leave off here by saying we had an amazing time and are saving the cards for another round of poker!

Here is today's EXTRA ENTRY question!!!
For TWO MORE ENTRIES, I'm going to give you a choice. Answer one of the questions below in a comment on this post:

1. Can you think of a fun activity that you and your partner have never done before? I'd love some ideas!
2. What weird body part/touch combos can you come up with? (Kind of like the ear massage I got!)
   

Answer the question in your first comment, then just type "Entry 2" in your second comment for two entries. Don't forget to leave your email in one of your comments.

You must have done the Mandatory entry on my original giveaway post HERE, in order to receive the extra entries on this post. I will add these entries to the original entries when I choose a winner.

This is open to US residents. YOU MUST BE 18 OR OVER TO ENTER! Giveaway will end on July 30, 2011, at 11:59 pm EST

*I received no monetary compensation for this giveaway, this blog post, or the blog posts that will follow. I did receive a K-Y Brands Intimacy Experiment package in order to fully participate in the program and tell you about it.

UPrinting.com and Giveaway Blogs Giveaway WINNER!

Congrats to Heidi D., the WINNER of an 18"X24" Custom Poster from Giveaway Blogs and UPrinting.com!!!

A special thanks to all who entered. Don't forget about the KY Brands Intimacy Experiment giveaway. You can access the giveaway through the link at the top of the page.

Winner!

WINNER Laugh Rabbit Jr (Finally!)

So sorry - it's been nuts around here. I plan on writing a post about it tonight if I can keep my eyes open long enough. Anyway, I finally managed to do all of that hard work of picking a winner for the last handmade giveaway!

Congrats go to #49 Gianna, who won the incredibly cute and genius Tooth Fairy Pillow from Laugh Rabbit Jr!

Gianna said... 49

I subscribed by email.

May 27, 2011 8:47 PM

A special Thanks to Delma, who offered this prize at absolutely no charge! Hope karma catches up with you soon! And, if you saw anything you liked at either of her Etsy shops, Laugh Rabbit Jr or Laugh Rabbit Designs, don't forget to go order it!

WINNER of Syrendell giveaway!

I was so happy to see those last-minute entries for this Silk Ribbon Streamer Stick! It really is a great toy. I remember, when I was younger, and the 1984 summer Olympics was on all of my friends' parents' TV's - we used to pretend to be the gymnasts in the backyard, and no one had one of those really cool ribbon sticks like we saw on TV. We made our own with sticks and long pieces of grass! This is so much better!

So, congrats to #78 Stacy, it goes to show that, sometimes, those late entries really do pay off! Whoever you give this to (or maybe you'll use it yourself!), will be very lucky!

Stacy said... 78

Syrendell fb fan gingeroo616 at ______dot com oursafehaven

Yes, there's a coupon code! And, let me tell you, it's the coolest code ever!!!

Just used the code KARMA1 through June 30
at Syrendell to receive 15% off your order! 

You really have to check out 

all of the really cool stuff they have. 

I really love the wood people -

perfect for painting or felting!

WINNER! Frozen Creek Woodworks

Man, I hated giving this truck away! I had to make sure Little Guy was out of the room or sleeping whenever I needed to get the picture of the truck for linkies, etc. But, now I can stop playing stealthy mom because I have a lucky winner...

Congratulations to #75, Anastasia!

Anastasia said... 75

would really love to have the Cute Handpainted Rocking Horse! ecoblogz at _______ dot com

May 23, 2011 7:02 PM

And (you should be getting used to this by now!), there is still a discount code available! I noticed a LOT of you really liked the ducky push toy and the train set. Hurry up before they're gone - these things are handmade, so it's not like there are 10 of them sitting on a shelf somewhere!

To get 10% off your order from 

Frozen Creek Woodworks through 6/10,

just use MCCRENSHAW when you check out!

WINNER! Samara Fibers Giveaway

I really need to get me some of the Merino Wool Batts from Samara Fibers. Ever since I posted this giveaway, I've found a ton of really cool, extremely easy felting crafts that use wool. And you should check out the artwork people make with this stuff - it looks just like a beautiful painting, but with a ton of texture! OK... I'll quit going on about it and tell you who won already!

Congratulations to #49, Shannon W.!!!

Shannon said... 49

I like you on FB. Shannon W______. shannonforpeace(at)__________.com

May 26, 2011 3:19 PM

And, once again, don't forget about the discount that Samara Fibers is offering to my readers! Use the discount code: MCCRENSHAW to receive 10% off anything in the shop. 

I noticed that many of you really like the bags that she sells. Let me tell you, you aren't going to find anything like this anywhere else for the price. I love mine so much - it's just right for my knitting and, recently, I've even stashed the scarf I'm making in a drawer and used the bag as a purse.

And thank you to Alana for the great discount and helping me out with shipping costs. It meant I could afford to offer more giveaways to YOU!