11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven Giveaway

I haven't made bread in a while now - much to my family's disappointment, but here is a fantastic giveaway if you even thinking about trying to make bread!

I will have to get out my bread machine again (so very easy that way while I'm out and about) and make a loaf or two just to prove I can still do it :) Actually making some cinnamon bread for tomorrows breakfast, as everyone is running out the door, sounds really good - think that will be tonight's project.

But I digress .......... check this one out

11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven is giving away nearly $40 worth of gourmet bread mix! It will seem like your spent HOURS in the kitchen making treats like this...

...but it only takes minutes! To enter, click HERE!

Happy Fall

A beautiful picture by

Regina Chayer

Since today is the first day of Autumn. I have to say ........

HAPPY FALL to ALL.

Pampered Chef Giveaway

Do you like to cook? Do you like Pampered Chef products? Do you like to make casseroles or whatever you call your ultimate 1 pot meal? Oh and do you LOVE to win something useful? Then I have a great giveaway for you.

You need to check out one of my favorite blogs - 5 dollar dinners. Not only do you get to see some great recipes, you know that they really can be made from regular supermarket ingredients. I have been following Erin for awhile now - and have found that she has a great take on keeping it real and good tasting.

If you want to enter her giveaway - you need to check out deep covered baker giveaway and if you want good meals that won't break the budget - you need to check out Erin at 5dollardinners trust me you won't be disappointed.

National Make Your Bed Day??

I was looking through my emails (and not doing what I should be doing) and found that today is National Make your Bed Day. Of course today I have been doing other things and did not make my bed today (heavens).

Now when I clicked into Skip to My Lou, I see that it isn't exactly what I thought it was - but of course it made me feel think I was really slacking off - but I really do need to get moving and at least get my bed made and the vacuuming done. Thanks for the nudge ......

But for everyone else - especially someone with younger kids - you really need to check this out.

today is national make your bed day

I really thought it was a cute idea - maybe I will pass it on to my sister - for when she has nothing else to do with the kids. Could be a really fun way to spend some time together, especially on a rainy day.

Easy sources for Doggie/Puppy Care

You may know I have a cat who we rescued as a little kitten, who has become my 3rd "child", but as a kid I had a dog. We really had no idea how to take care of a dog/puppy so it was pretty much hit or miss as we learned what to do. Today you don't have to do the hit or miss trick - you can check out Dog Care at Shopwiki.co.uk. They have some great tips to get you started. And at Shopwiki you get a place where you get access to around 30,000 shops. Shopwiki does a lot of the "footwork" for you, so all you have to do it click and they will show you the best places to buy and best prices. Now this is a UK site, but in this day and age that little "pond" won't stop the shopping.

There are so many more things to know now about raising a puppy to a dog. Or maybe these things were always there, I just lived in my naive state of pre-teens and didn't know. There is a great section on Dog Bedding. I never knew there were so many different kinds. There are the "original" kinds of crate bedding but they have "sofa" bedding and "cave" bedding, even one that looks almost like a four-poster bed!

Like when you have kids, you are not suppose to take a dog in a moving vehicle without a carrier, kind of a car seat for dogs. Check out Dog Transport for information and selections of crates and carriers. Again, I didn't know there were so many options. They even have carriers for little dogs that looks like a baby carriage! Some of these are just so cute. They have one that is a "purse" type that I bet even Paris Hilton would love. I can hear her now "That's hot". Sorry I just had to.

Two other section to check out relates to Feeding, Watering and Bowls. The first section to check out is Dog Food . There are so many different things to chose from as far as food and bowls are concerned. I sometimes think there are almost as many different food choices for dogs as there is for people. I'm not just talking about whether its wet or dry. There are organic or vegetarian or weight control in addition to the regular beef flavor that I bet most of you thought would be "dog food".

And then you need to think about how you will feed your dog and Dog Bowls and Feeders, is the perfect place for your search. They have self feeding bowls, elevated bowls for those long legged dogs, and travel bowls so you will always have a bowl when your are traveling. They also have a section in that link for watering bowls, which include a heated bowl for when your dog is outside during the winter, and you will never have frozen water out there again.

Now I couldn't end my review without noting their section on Dog Toys. No its not as simple as taking a toy off the shelf and your dog will be happy. There are toys by size, so you don't get a toy that is too big or too small for your dog. There is even a link for toy storage. Now your dog can have lots of toys and all can be put away in its own toy box.

Some of the things I love about this site is that in addition to a description of what you can find on that page and a how to for each type, there are external links to other sites for even more information. The more information you can get the better your choice will be and perhaps the happier your best friend will be.

Good Morning

I hadn't seen this one before, but thanks to a friend, it was in my email the other morning, and now I pass it on to you.


When I say good morning I mean to say:

G-od
O-ffers us His
O-utstanding
D-evotion to

M-ake us
O-bedient &
R-eady for a
N-ew day with Him.
I-nspire others please, and
N-ever forget
G-od loves you!

If you like it send it to others.

God will bless you for doing just that!!!





HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Summary of Life

Here is a great summary I recieved in an email from my friend Colleen. Thanks Colleen, this was just what I needed this morning.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:

1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats..
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.



GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:

1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground...
5) Laughing is good exercise.. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD

1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional..
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:

1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus.


SUCCESS:

At age 4 success is . . . .. not piddling in your pants.
At age 12 success is . . . having friends..
At age 17 success is . . having a driver's license.
At age 35 success is . . . .having money.
At age 50 success is . having money.
At age 70 success is . . having a drivers license.
At age 75 success is . . . having friends.
At age 80 success is .. . . not piddling in your pants.


Always remember to forget the troubles that pass your way;
BUT NEVER forget the blessings that come each day.

Where to Shop? Where to find ... ? Decisions Decisions

Have you ever decided to do a home project, a closet re-design or oh say a bathroom remodel, and think holy crow what do I need, where will I find it? Well I found the place for you. It looks like a great Workshop and Home Improvement shop online where you can "wander" to your hearts content at any hour of the day or night. They do the hard work for you - find what stores have it / what the prices are / its like having your own shopping consultant. You need to check out shopwiki.com

You can find pretty much anything that you need to do a home project or set up a great home workshop. Heck you can even find out where to get hardware (screws and such), paint and paint supplies, even duct tape (isn't that the universal tool?) at Tools and Hardware

When I think tools, I think of little things that I can use easily. I don't have to drag out power cords just to tighten a screw that has come loose on the towel rack in the bathroom, or a door handle (how do they come loose?). There is an area just for these types of tools. If you look around in Hand Tools you will find screwdrivers (all different types and when to use them) as well as recommendations on which ones to try. They also have other "options" like wrenches and pliers and hammers.

And ladies, how many of you have husbands that have a mountain of power tools but still go into your local hardware store or big chain store and drool over power tools? I know my husband does all the time. And more likely than not, we have a new must have tool every couple of months. Well this could be your man's go to site.

If he (or you) was looking for a drill he would have all kinds of options. Power Drills gives you top choices, differences in corded vs cordless, as well as drill types and extra features. I even think I see a few of the ones we have here.

Now if you need to cut something of any size I think a Circular Saw is the way to go. You still have the beauty of having a hand tool and some fantastic power without taking up a ton of space like a table saw would. My husband used a circular saw when we needed to put down plywood to replace the flooring in our entry way.

Now if you are doing molding - you ALWAYS seem to have to make an angled cut. And the cuts need to "join" together perfectly. Here is where a Miter Saw comes in. One, two, three you have a perfect cut for an angle when you are replacing the molding around a door or window. I can not tell you how many door and window moldings have been replaced in this house - way more than I want to think about. They even have some external links here to get even more information on these saws if they haven't answered all your questions.

And then when you think you are done with all the power tools you could need, you need to pop onto Workshop Accessories and pick up all those little things you don't think about. Heaters or Fans, especially if your new workshop is in the garage. Lighting because you can't work in the dark. Storage items/systems because now you have a whole new group of items to store away until you need them. And last but not least Dust Control Systems and Vacuums. With all the new construction you will have going on around your house - this should have been the first thing I listed. Sorry I got carried away with all the power flying around.

You really should check out shopwiki.com for some tool ideas. These could lead to some great holiday or birthday gifts for the "man in your life" or woman as the case may be. If you are at a loss as to what to get him or her, send them to this site and I bet you could get some great ideas. You won't be sorry. Especially if your significant other is as tool happy as mine is.

UGG Boots Giveaway

I know that EVERYONE who is ANYONE (so my daughter says) MUST have Ugg Boots. When I went back to school earlier this year (think January semester changes) with her, aside from my college days relived, as we walked through the campus we got to see all the Ugg Boots walking around. I'm thinking to myself - wow she was really out of place with her hiking boots. She tells me that she should have asked for some of these from Christmas - then she too could be in the "Ugg" crowd.

Well I have stumbled upon a Ugg Boots giveaway. Yes Ugg Boots. Each and every month free pairs of Ugg Boots are given away.

Well you have to know that I jumped right on this one. She could then be in the "Ugg" crowd.

But just to be fair to all of you - I will pass along the website for the giveaway. If you are even thinking about these ..... freeuggboots You need to jump all over this site and give it a shot.

Simple Inspirations

I realized that I haven't done any Inspirational posts in awhile - not good. We all need to have something to keep us going. Sometimes it is those funny jokes that pop into my email (and I share here) and sometimes its something that happened to me or my family and someone thought - hey I can do that or hey if it can happen to them ........ But sometimes its those little quotes that come from others that you read quickly and move on and then they come back to you while standing in line, holding (and listening to that stupid hold music) for someone to really pick up the phone.

So without further ado -

"It's not knowing what to do,
It's doing what you know." - Anthony Robbins

"People fail forward towards success" - Mary Kay Ash

"Be thankful for what you have,
If you concentrate on what you don't have
You will never, ever have enough." - Oprah Winfrey

"Inspiration DOES exist,
But it must find you WORKING." - Pablo Picasso

" The kind of beauty I want is the hard-to-get kind that comes from within -
Strength, Courage, Dignity." - Ruby Dee

"Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose" - Lyndon B Johnson

"Faith is taking that first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase" - Martin Luther King, Jr.

This one is pretty good - coming from the man that got the description of childbirth down pretty good too.

"Let us now set forth one of the fundamental truths about marriage:
The WIFE is in charge." - Bill Cosby

And my all time favorite.....

"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle.
I just wish He didn't trust me so much" - Mother Teresa

Two of a kind, working on a full house: Keurig Review And Giveaway

If you love coffee but hate the waste when the pot doesn't get finished (I HATE re-warmed coffee), THIS is perfect. I'd love to figure out how they get to be the "reviewers" on some of these great products - I'd be doing this in a heartbeat. But since I'm not that good (yet) here is a great place to try and win one.

Two of a kind, working on a full house: Keurig Review And Giveaway

I went to look at some of the possible options for coffee and they have a fantastic selection. Go to keurig to check out their website and see for yourself. And if coffee isn't your thing - never fear, they have tea AND cocoa - and a pretty nice selection of those too.

Go check out Dee at twoofakindworkingonafullhouse and see all the great things she has to say. Oh and enter to win this fantastic Keurig coffeemaker.