Getting back to giveaways

It's been a while! Here's a start:

For baby:

• Win an Organic Sleepy Wrap carrier at Jabbering Jessi! Ends October 9th. This is part of her Back 2 Blogging Bash - lots of giveaways, check them all out!

• You can also win an Organic Sleepy Wrap carrier at J. Leigh Designz! Ends October 9th. These look awesome.
• Win an aden+anais muslin swaddling wrap at Minnesota Mama's Must Haves. Ends September 24th.
• You can also win an aden+anais muslin swaddling wrap at Forever and Always (mind the speaker volume - this blog has tunes). Ends September 28th.
• one more chance to win an aden+anais muslin swaddling wrap at MomStart. Ends October 19th.
• Win an organic Bamboosa blanket at {Natural} Mommie - ends today (September 20th)!
• Win a Dylbug onesie (cute!) at True Cuddles... last day to enter!
• Win a Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair at Mom Central (must register with site to enter). Ends September 23.
• Win a New Native Inc. baby carrier at Penelope's Oasis (must follow her blog to enter)! Ends September 23rd.
• Win an aden+ anais Muslin Sleeping Bag from Spunky Sprout at The Veater Family blog! Ends September 28th.
• Win some really nice burp cloths from Little Luvee at Fun and Funky Mommy! Ends October 12th.
• Win an Evenflo Snugli Sway carrier at Mom Most Traveled. Ends September 26th. I won one of these recently from Mommy Goggles - I can't wait to receive that and test it out with my best friend's newborn.
• Win a gorgeous Boutique Mei Tai carrier at Natitys Design. So pretty. Ends September 24th.
  

For the ladies:

• Win a clothing item of your choice from Milan Maternity at Minnesota Mama's Must Haves. Ends October 2nd.
• Win a Hip-T at the Cute Like Me Giveaways and Reviews blog. Ends September 25th.

For cooks:

• I have been browsing my Small Batch Preserves cookbook lately for things to do with the fall harvest. Here's a chance to win a cookbook called jam it, pickle, it cure it at Views from the Farmstead! Sounds like it's right up my alley. Ends September 20th so hurry up!
• Hmm, cooks or babies? Win the Beaba Babycook (BPA-Free) Babyfood Maker from Toads & Tulips at Chic Giveaways. Ends September 25th.

For the home:

• Win a $60 gift certificate to CSN Mirrors at A Hen's Nest! Ends September 22nd.

For fitness:

• Win an Intro to Hoopnotica kit at Forever and Always! Have you seen Hoopnotica? It looks so amazing! Ends September 26th.
  

U2 and a Style at Home contest

Wow! The U2 concert was awesome, despite me being exhausted from staying up way too late the previous night. They sound as good (better!) in concert than on their albums - I love that. Some musicians seem to be exclusively studio musicians and rely on so much equipment to make their sound. It was perfectly clear why U2 is a band that has longevity, style and amazing talent last night! We had great seats too :)

All that raving and I'm not even a huge fan - I like their music, but it's my husband who is the die-hard fan. He's been to a concert for every tour they've done in North America since the early nineties. He went to see them twice this time around; last night and the night before! (He did score a free ticket for the Wednesday night concert.)

Anyway, loved it. Didn't take photos, just enjoyed.

Okay, the other thing I want to share is the latest contest from Style at Home magazine. Of all the home decor magazines, there are two that I have subscribed to for years and faithfully read cover to cover. My favourite is Style at Home. I love that they feature regular homes of regular people that have great style. When I read the magazine I get so inspired for my own home, and love when the items in the homes are not outrageously expensive (take note, Canadian House & Home! I love you too but I don't have money trees in my life!).

Plus I was so honoured to have one of my paintings on the cover of Style at Home back in January (and featured in a gorgeous display room at last year's Fall Home Show)! Can you imagine how cool it was to open up my mailbox, feel happy to see the latest issue of one of my favourite magazines, and then realize MY painting was on the cover?! So I have a soft spot for Style at Home. My work has been in magazines before, but never on the cover!

So - to the contest. The Style at Home Makeover Contest 2009 is an awesome chance for two lucky winners to receive a $2000 gift card for Home Depot, and twenty other lucksters to win $50 gift cards from Home Depot. Um, YES PLEASE!

Here's the deal... you submit a photo and explanation of the room in your house that desperately needs a makeover, and then we all vote (voting starts on the 25th of September). The most desperate can win one of the two giant prizes, and voters/commenters can win one of the 20 HD GC's. Ends October 8th... plenty of time to get the camera out. It's for Canadian residents only, and is a daily entry (by that I'm thinking voting/commenting daily, not posting the same room entry day after day!).

Good luck folks - if you enter, I'd love to hear about it!

Back and overwhelmed.

I'm back from vacation - it was great, but maybe a little too long - and feeling completely overwhelmed with the amount I have to catch up on, with work, our home & garden, friends, blogging and contests!

So some things are falling by the wayside as I get myself caught up. The blog is one, I AM coming back to it but slowly, hang in there :)

Plus my best friend had her baby (a little girl! what a sweetie) on the 11th and I've been spending some time with her helping out. I was there until about 2:00 am last night (with a half hour drive home, long night!).

Tonight we are going to the U2 concert so it will be another late night.

Next week the painters are finally coming to do our whole house... so all the furniture must be moved and walls empty for their arrival...

Busy!!

Just wanted to say I haven't abandoned the blog - I'll be back as soon as I get the rest of life into some sort of manageable state!