500 Followers Holiday GIVEAWAY!

I'm so thrilled to have 500 followers, and I wanted to celebrate by doing a holidays giveaway, to show my appreciation for so many of you who stop by regularly to read and comment.  I always love your thoughtful feedback.  So here is what is up for grabs:

 A Barnes and Noble cookie making set, that includes cutters, recipes, and more, a Martha Stewart tower of gift wrapping ribbon, a cute wooden country sled ornament, and a plush cat ornament.

I tried to get a picture of the ribbons, so you can see the colors better, but it was tricky since it's under that reflective plastic.  Even without a flash!  Anyhow, the colors are golds, silvers and black, very pretty.

To enter, you must be a follower (you can become one and enter, if you're not one already!) and you must leave a comment telling me one item that is on your holiday wish list this year, and be sure to leave a way to contact you (email address) if it is not already attached to your email. 

Winner to be chosen by Random.org and must respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen.  In the spirit of the holidays, I'm willing to ship anywhere.  Giveaway to end on 12/12/11 at noon.  Thanks for entering, and for following my blog!

And now to announce the winner of the Eco Natural Soaps giveaway - Random.org picked #23 - J.P. from Home in the Hollow!  Congratulations J.P!!  And thanks so much to all those who entered!

Happy Holidays Muffin Tin Monday Bento Lunch

December is a fun month, because I get to break out my Christmas muffin tin supplies, which don't get much use the rest of the year.  Pierce had a hard time going back to school after the 5 day Thanksgiving holiday break, so I decided to make his day easier by doing a special bento lunch.  And since it included one of our star muffin cups, I decided it could double as a Muffin Tin Monday post.

He had a star full of kiwi slices, a snowman skewer of olives, a couple of yuletide logs (one being a celery stick filled w/ peanut butter and green/red m+ms, one being a Slim Jim), a cheese Christmas tree sandwich (I used a straw to poke holes in pepperoni to make the balls for the tree, and the star is also cheese), and packages under the tree - Cheeze-its with ribbons drawn on them using my Food Writers, Rice Cracker treats, and a couple of Teddy Grahams.

For more fun lunch for kids ideas, go visit Muffin Tin Mom.

My giveaway for Eco Natural Soaps is running through noon today.  You can enter here! 

Guest Post on Twins

You all know Esther from Laugh With Us Blog, right?  Well, she is on bloggy maternity leave, having had her 5 child this week (congrats, Esther!) and I have a guest post over on her blog today.  It's about parenting twins, and if you'd like to head over, you can find it at Laugh With Us Blog.

While you're hopping around, don't forget to check out my giveaway for Eco Natural Soaps here!  They are fantastic, and would make great stocking stuffers.

Comments are off.

A Huge Mailbox Surprise

I always grab the mail when I'm waiting for Pierce to come on the school bus.  Right now we're flooded with catalogs and junk mail.  So recently when I pulled out a long, thin cardboard box, I was just happy to have something that wasn't trying to entice me into spending more money.  The box was from Taste of Home, which seemed weird, since I hadn't ordered anything.  And it had a letter(not the typical bill looking type deal) attached to the front. 

I opened the letter and it brought a smile to my face.  It said that one of my recipes was published in their 2012 Almost Homemade cookbook, so they were sending me a complimentary copy!  The winter that the twins were infants, I spent a lot of my spare time creating new recipes, and I would frequently submit them to Taste of Home.  I'd totally forgotten about it (just like I've forgotten much of what occurred during the first 6 months with the twins!).

What recipe could it be?  I didn't even remember what all I'd sent to them.  Turns out that you will find my recipe for Pear-Blueberry Granola, which is made in the crockpot, on page 174.  It's delicious and fairly healthy, and makes a great dessert in addition to being a wonderful breakfast.  And I'm so excited to be included in Taste of Home - I've been a huge fan of their cookbooks and magazines since 1998!

Now that was a good mailbox surprise!  And now I have a new cookbook to boot!

If you haven't already entered my giveaway from Eco Natural Soaps, please check it out here!

Running Recap - November 2011

I had a really great month for running.  The best part is that I felt strong this month, and that makes for some happy running.  I was rotten, though, and did absolutely no crosstraining.  Again.

So total mileage this month was 130 miles.  I did one race - the half marathon in Danville.  My longest run was 13.1 miles.  I hit the track 3 Saturdays, and my track workouts seem to be going much more smoothly than previously.  I think that may actually be the result of cooler temperatures, but part of me hopes it means I'm getting stronger and faster.  I've being doing combinations of quarters, miles, and an odd 800 here and there when at the track.  Hey, I know!  Let's just pretend I'm getting faster and it has nothing to do with cooler temps, okay?  Denial can be a good thing, right?

So my months have gotten progressively heavier on the mileage this fall, mostly in an attempt to try to make up the ground that was lost last winter and spring when I couldn't run due to my injury.  I'm happy to report I've caught up, and now I get to have a cut-back month in December, which is probably overdue.  With the holidays, December is a good time to cut back a little on mileage, and I tend to do so every year.  I need to get in 95 miles this month to meet my year end goal.  Barring injury or illness, I should be able to do this, which would make me very happy.  Particularly since I didn't meet my year goal to run a marathon in 2011.

Do you have any end of the year goals to see out 2011?

Please go enter my giveaway to win 3 products from Eco Natural Soaps here! 

What to Buy the Green Eco-Friendly Person in Your Family (Gift Guide)

I'm slightly obsessed with products that help the environment or promote green living, and I thought I'd throw together a post of some of the items I have tested myself and love dearly.  Just in case you're looking for the perfect gift for your granola cousin your eco-friendly cousin. 

1.  Dryer Balls.  Find them at Target for under $5 for a set of two.  As an added bonus, they are the right size to be used as a stocking stuffer.  And they last for ages.  Mine actually help my clothes get dried about 15 minutes more quickly than if I don't use them - and saving energy makes me happy!

 2.  Envirosax.  These reusable shopping bags roll up into tiny sacs, easy to slip into a purse.  They are incredibly durable, holding up to 40 pounds, and come in such fun, trendy designs.  I have the Animal Planet set of 5, but you can find a design for just about anyone.  I always get comments from the cashiers on how cute they are.  $5.99 and up.

3.  Mesh produce bags by Flip and Tumble.  Yet another way to cut down on the overuse of plastics in our world.  Light and easy to use, just toss them in the wash after shopping.  $10.95 for a set of 5.

 4.  Cloth diapers by Fuzzibunz.  Because babies can be green too!  Fuzzibunz are the best cloth diaper I've ever known and loved - the twins have been in them for almost a year and a half now, and they are still holding strong.  One diaper will run you about $19.99.

 5.  Living with Ed, Seasons 1 and 2, on DVD.  A lighthearted, humorous tv series on living green to the extreme?  Yes please!  Prices range from $7 - $22.50 each.

6.  Drying rack.  You can pick these up at Target for around $13 and skip that energy-sucking clothes dryer all together!  They fold up conveniently - I've got mine stashed to the side of my dresser where no one can see it when it's not in use.

7. A Trader Joe's gift card.  Because you can't go wrong with gift cards and - let's face it - you can't go wrong with Trader Joe's.  (Dear Trader Joe's:  All I want for Christmas is for you to build a store in Roanoke, Virginia).  

 
8.  Shaklee Basic H2 cleaning product.  A little goes a long way, and a bottle will last for ages!  Plus, you can use it on anything, and it doesn't have a bunch of nasty chemicals.  You'll also be supporting a really awesome business that is running a 'net-zero impact on the environment' company.

9.  Patagonia is another company that works hard to reduce the global environmental footprint.  Not only that, but they make high quality gear for anyone that loves the outdoors - and for all ages too!  The boys were handed down little puffy Patagonia vests as infants and we loved them so dearly!  Retail around $70.

10.  Reusable lunch containers.  There are so many fun choices out there - and anything that cuts down on plastic sandwich baggies is a win-win situation.  One of our current favorites is the Fit & Fresh Kid's Little Dipper.  It has a section to go in the freezer to keep cold before assembly, and then a little compartment to put dips in.  It's also BPA free.  Pierce especially loves to take it to school stuffed with apples and peanut butter for dipping. $10 for a set of 4.

 There you have it!  Some of my favorite green products, just perfect for your environmentally friendly friends and relatives.  You know what would be even better though?  Win some wonderful green products right now, in my Eco Natural Soaps giveaway!  You can go enter here!

Disclaimer - I wasn't provided anything for this gift guide - it's just a list of things around the house that we know and love.  Also, the images were snagged from Google.  

Eco Natural Soap Review and GIVEAWAY!! (Perfect Stocking Stuffers!)

I've been following the Eco Friendly Homemaking blog for a while now, and I love her simple and interesting posts about living green and being thrifty.  For a long time, I've been interested in trying some of the products from the Eco Natural Soap store.  So when Alicia contacted me about doing a review and giveaway, I was so thrilled!

The products I chose to review were a Joint Pain Relief balm (I'm a runner, of course I need that!), the Foot Relief balm (again, runner, hello!) and the Wrinkle and Age Spot Relief Chlorella Soap.  I also got an extra sweet surprise - some of the lip balm.

The Joint Relief balm was the first thing I sampled.  I opened up the jar, took a whiff, and was flooded by horse show memories.  It smells just like the Vetrolin liniment I used to use on my horse's legs after a horse show.  The wintergreen scent is delicious.  I've had a spot on the bottom of my heel that has felt like a stone bruise for a few weeks, and I've tried different ointments but nothing had been able to penetrate. So I put some Joint Relief balm on, and I liked how it wasn't greasy and how it didn't burn.  I didn't pay much attention, but 10 minutes later I realized as I walked across the hard tile floor that my heel was no longer hurting!  I was fascinated that it worked so well.  So a day later, when a very sore throat and swollen eustachian tubes were making it difficult to swallow, I turned to the Joint Relief balm again.  I know it isn't supposed to be for that sort of thing, but I figured it couldn't hurt to try, and I was desperate.  I put it on, and once again returned to what I was doing and forgot about it.  And once again, about 10 minutes later, I realized that I was swallowing with ease.  No pain, whatsoever.  You all, this stuff is the bomb.  I have just never experienced something that so gently but effectively relieved pain.  

The next thing I tried was the Wrinkle and Age Spot Relief Chlorella Soap.  I have some age spots I've been fighting on my left cheek for the past 2 years or so.  I love the smooth lather this soap gives, and after rinsing, my skin feels not only clean but well moisturized.  It does have seaweed and cucumber, so while the smell is not offensive in any way, if you like sweet or floral scents you won't find it in this bar.  You will enjoy how soft your skin feels afterwards.  Age spots don't disappear overnight, of course, so it'll be a few weeks before I can tell a difference there, but I do love how this soap makes my skin feel!

The last thing I wanted to try was the Foot Relief balm.  I have a tendency to lose toenails from all the running I do.  I'd love to find a preventative for that, and was thinking maybe this would help, as it does cool things like fight fungus and ease pain in tired feet.  Certainly, the two middle toes will be losing their nails from the half marathon I just ran, but it won't happen until January or February.  I would love to prevent it if I can!  The balm is also non-greasy and smooth, and while it smells different than the Joint Relief balm, it has a pleasing smell as well.  I like the way my feet feel pampered after using it.

And of course, I enjoyed the lip balm too - perfect for this time of year, when cold and winds can cause so many chapped lips.

So by now you've got to be wondering how you can try some of these items for yourself!  You can go purchase these and many other eco-friendly products at Eco Natural Soap.  While you're there, decide what one item you want to try most, and come back and leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway for 3 items from Eco Natural Soap!  The winner gets to choose one body balm, one bath soap, and one lip balm!  these would make the best stocking stuffers ever (if you could bare to share, of course).  For a second entry, let me know that you are a follower of this blog in a separate comment.

This giveaway is open to residents of the United States.  Winner will be chosen by Random.org on Monday, December 5 at noon.  Winner has 48 hours to respond by email (so don't forget to include it if it's not in your profile when you enter) or another winner will be chosen.  Good luck!

Disclaimer:  I received 3 products of my choice to review from Eco Natural Soap.  The opinions expressed above are entirely my own.

This giveaway is now closed.