Christmas shopping

DH and I took the day yesterday and went Christmas shopping. I don't go to malls much, and if I do it's usually on a weekday (working at home and being self-employed has its privileges!). So I was a little unprepared for the madness (even on a Friday) before Christmas. It was a zoo.

The hard thing was this. I woke up feeling sad, after a vivid dream that my cousin was pregnant with her fourth. I mean, that would be happy, but it made me feel sad about the two pregnancy losses and the waiting and worry about trying again. Then at the mall we went into The Childrens Place to look for Christmas gifts for the nieces and nephew. And it (of course) was packed with strollers and babies... I kept it together although I did rush DH out of there when I realized I was starting to fall apart.

But the mall itself was full of moms, strollers, babies everywhere. In front of us walking were two moms carrying their babies and pushing strollers. There was nowhere to look without seeing something that reminded me.

And I lost it. I started crying and I just couldn't stop. In the mall. Totally embarrassing. We found a seat at the food court and DH went to get me a Starbucks - he was so nice, hugging me and going to get me something that usually makes me happy, but he really doesn't know how to handle it when I lose it like that. People were staring at me and all I could do was try to stop crying. He told me people in the line-up for coffee were asking him if I was okay and giving him dirty looks, too - little did they know, it wasn't his fault I was crying and he was doing what he could to make me feel better.

You would think you'd get over it, at least enough to go through the day without bursting into tears at something little like seeing babies at the mall. It's been 5 months and two weeks since the miscarriage. It's been six weeks since the ectopic pregnancy was terminated. And I'm okay, most days, but once in a while it all just comes back to the surface and I realize what I thought was healing is still an open wound.

Anyway... we did get a large part of the shopping done, although I'm not finished. I've got the husband to buy for (he's so hard to shop for!) and we want to do some homemade goodies for our friends and neighbours. Plus all that wrapping (how do you wrap two king-size pillows???)... And we don't have the tree yet (maybe this afternoon?).

I don't feel the Christmas spirit at all this year. I was 'supposed' to be 35 weeks pregnant at Christmas. It was 'supposed' to be a time full of excitement, anticipation and preparation. Now... it's just a time to see all the families around us having their babies' first Christmas, and thinking about what we have lost. I AM hopeful for next time. But it doesn't diminish the pain from the last two times.

Christmas sucks.

Done venting... for now anyway! Giveaways:

For the ladies:

• Win an Everyday Minerals Everyday Resort pallet and a lavender mint lip balm at Today's Diva. A winner drawn weekly for 10 weeks, ending February 15th.
• Win a scarf from Affordable Scarves at Cool Canucks! They have some really nice ones. Ends January 21st.
  

For anyone:

• Win a Mia Mallows sampler pack (gourmet marshmallows, mm.. not vegetarian, but I bet they're yummy!) at Oh My Baby. Ends December 13th so hurry!
  

Ow, winter! Cut it out!

I have a chiropractor appointment today, good thing because my back is KILLING me from the 10" of dense, wet snow I shoveled off the driveway yesterday.

I was thinking it would be nice for my husband to come home and actually be able to pull in the driveway. Little did I know that the plow would come by later and leave 8' of road unplowed in front of our house, with a 3' wall of packed snow at the edge of it. The downside of living on the inside corner of the street.... the plows always cut the corner! We end up having to shovel the street. ARGH. DH always calls the town to complain, not that it makes any difference.

And... I still haven't done any Christmas shopping. Yikes! I just realized how close Christmas is. I need to make a list or something.

A few giveaways for today:

For baby:

• Win a Cloud B Polar Cuddle Cub at {Natural} Mommie. Ends December 18th.
• Win a Belle baby carrier at Jabbering Jessi. Ends December 20th.
• Win a Thirsties duo diaper and detergent at Suburban Saving Mama. Ends December 22nd.
• Win a Flip Diaper System from Diaper Junction at Suburban Saving Mama. Ends December 28th.
• Win a set of aden+anais swaddling blankets at Tara's View of the World! Ends December 19th.
• Win a Ringley ball teether at In the Know Mom. Ends December 15th.
• Another chance to win a Ringley teether at Organic Girl. Ends December 27th.
• Win a Wahmies wetbag at Suburban Saving Mama. Ends December 28th.
  

For the ladies:

• Win a $250 gift certificate to Moody Mamas (maternity & nursing wear) at Design Dazzle! Ends December 12th.
• Win a facial exfoliating creme by Aguacate & Co. at {Natural} Mommie. Ends December 14th.
• Win a Bravado Allure underwire nursing bra at Your Mama Reviews. Ends December 17th.
• Win a whole outfit from Shade Clothing at petit elefant! Ends December 14th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $110 Visa card from Kodak at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Wouldn't that come in handy at this time of year?! Ends December 15th.
• Win a $20 Sobeys gift card at CoolCanucks. This is courtesy of cqueen2 - if you are a Canadian contester you will recognize the name! Open to Canadians only! Ends December 14th.
• One more chance to win a $20 Sobeys gift card at CoolCanucks. This one courtesy of toolman. Open to Canadians only! Ends December 13th.
• Win a $25 gift certificate to EcoStore USA (which, btw, is having a HUGE sale right now) at Simply Living on a Budget. Ends December 19th.
• Win a Better Life Green Cleaning Starter Kit at My Wee View. Ends December 18th.
• Win a wonderful Glade holiday pack at Country Mouse, City Mouse. Ends December 22nd.
  

I'm sure you're tired of hearing about it, but there is still time to enter my giveaway as well for a box of delicious PC Chocolatey Chai Tea... I am still loving this although I've managed to cut back from my original 4 cups a day to just one! Luckily I don't think it has caffeine - or at least if it does, it's so minimal I don't feel it (and I can usually feel it these days, since I kicked the caffeinated habit).

Quick! Canadians, get your FREE L'Oreal Collegen Lip Filler

L'Oreal is giving away another 400 full sized units today on ChickAdvisor!

Here's the best part:
When you fill out the form, add a friend you'd like to gift one to and we'll send you an extra one to share with her! Great stocking stuff idea, yes?

To enter, visit the product link on ChickAdvisor here, click on the Get Yours button and fill out the form so the product can be shipped to you.*

*Please note this offer is open to Canadian residents only and there is a limit
of one entry per household. Products are given away on a first come, first served basis. Filling out the form doesn't guarantee you will receive the product, it is on a first come, first served basis, but we will disable the form as soon as possible once all units have been claimed.

Sewing machine blues

My sewing machine that my grandmother passed on to me, an old beast of a Singer from the 1960's, has finally given up the ghost. I took it in for repairs and the parts are no longer available. This hard-working machine is now a very heavy piece of garbage (doesn't that suck?).

So I'm in the market for a new sewing machine. And I have a feeling I might get one for Christmas, if I can narrow it down to one or two likely candidates.

I would love to hear about it if any of you have a sewing machine you love (or hate), and what features are must haves. I do some quilting, some clothing, some things for the home like drapes, that sort of thing. I'm not an every-day sewer, but I do enjoy it and am really looking forward to getting a machine that I don't have to fight with over tension (!!).

Not least because I have some really cute wall hangings that are half-finished and I'd really love to get those done and delivered to my best friend's gorgeous daughter's nursery! They're meant to go with this quilt.

Brand recommendations, features, any thoughts?

Canadians, get your free Vaseline Sheer Infusion body lotion!

FYI:

ChickAdvisor and Vaseline have teamed up to hand out a ton of the new body lotion. Click quick to get in on it!

"The lucky recipients will receive 100% off coupons to be used in-store to redeem the lotion. To be eligible, visit the Vaseline Sheer Infusion reviews page here and look for the "Get Yours" button that will appear for a limited period of time today. Click on that and fill out the form.

To be considered, you must be a Canadian resident and there is a limit of one per household. Please note that filling out the form does not guarantee you will receive one as it is first come, first served. The button will disappear from the page when we've hit the limit of eligible recipients."

Click here!

Yep, feels like Monday.

It's a grey, dreary day, I've got cramps in a bad way and the dog's been sneaking into the kitchen again (where he's not allowed) - as evidenced by the trail of drips from his wet face as he foolishly had a drink immediately prior.

Did I mention that on Friday, when we were out at the party, he snuck in there, pulled a loaf of bread off the counter, un-wrapped it and ate the whole thing?

He's got a thing for bread.

We love him, but he sure is trouble sometimes.

I've got to go get the last (hopefully) of my blood work done today. Last Monday my BHCG level was at 9 and the doctor wants it to drop below 5. So this week I hope I can put the ectopic pregnancy firmly in the past. Time marches on... I'm waiting for it to march into February so we can actually start trying again. I have to say I am so sick of needles. I really feel for people who need ongoing blood work or injections.

I started a Facebook fan page for my artwork - my husband's idea - and I think it's kind of weird to do that. I'm so not into self-promotion. Yes, I see the irony - here I am letting you know... Now that it's up, it's kind of embarrassing that I only have 4 fans: myself, my husband, my SIL and a friend!

And as usual, some giveaways... there's mine, too, for the tea (go on and enter, if you haven't!)

For baby:

• Win a green Sleepy Wrap carrier at Simple. Ends December 14th.
• Win a $25 gift certificate to Aylings Great Baby Company at Organic Girl. Open to Canadians only! Ends January 7th.
• Win two BPA-free bottles (a Life Factory Wee Go and a Born Free) from SproutBaby at Jamie's Precious Peas. Ends December 16th.
• Win an AIO diaper from Sweet Punkin Patch at Canadian Natural Mama. Ends December 16th.
• Win a Cloud b Polar Cuddle Cub at Country Mouse, City Mouse. Open to Canadians only! Ends December 21st.

For the home:

• The first 100 respondents each month can get a Randomness of Six kit which includes six of Earth Friendly Products top sellers. (I have a feeling December's are already spoken for, but bookmark this for January!
  

Our dog, Cadbury

is the Pet of the Week! Check it out :)

I sent in his best, handsome head shot for that... but he's got some other great looks.
Take, for example,
his "don't bug me. I'm sleeping" look:
(yes, that's his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he sleeps)...

and his especially attractive 'gremlin' look:We love him!

Dress troubles and.. blogger sellout?

Someone, get me a stylist.

So remember that dress I got for the Christmas party? I did a 'dry run' when I got home (when I took the photo), but I didn't think to add my dress coat. I'm just learning lessons every day these days!

First off - the nylons were so ridiculously uncomfortable - not to mention giving me that bulgy look at the waist - that they came off in the car on the way to the party! I can't understand how other women can wear those nasty things. Maybe I made a mistake buying the brand I picked. Maybe I really need to spend $25 and up (hello, Spanx - I've never tried them) on nylons to get a decent pair? But for the one time a year that I 'need' nylons, it just seems like too much money. And luckily I still have a bit of a tan from our trip to Mexico, and had actually bothered to shave my legs... so I felt cool about going bare-legged. It was COLD though, car to party, at -3 outside!

When we got into the hall and the coat came off... I discovered a much bigger problem. STATIC! The dry winter air, carpeted event hall, and I guess the satin lining of my coat all combined to attract my dress to my body like a second skin. This was at my husband's office party, about 200 people there, all dressed to the nines... and there's me in my static cling dress! I rushed to the washroom to wet down my hands and run them over the fabric. That worked long enough to get us to our table, and that's where I stayed!

The funniest thing was that when I went into the ladies' to deal with the static issue, there were a half-dozen women in there talking. When I walked in, they cried out, "Oh, look, she's doing it!" Huh? They quickly explained that they were debating whether nylons were a necessary evil. When they saw my bare legs (and I told them my nylons came off in the car on the way over), they all rushed into the stalls to remove the offending articles! Yay, female solidarity! There were lots of us there with bare legs and we were definitely happy about it!

Blogging for money

Just something I've noticed a lot more of, lately. Advertorials by bloggers about companies, no giveaway attached. I'm the first to admit, I love reading about products - honest reviews are good, giveaways make my day. But it seems there's a growing trend towards straight out advertorials, where the blogger hasn't tried the product and isn't hosting any giveaway joy.

I know blogging takes a lot of time, and it's got to be nice to get paid for it. There are companies out there that pay bloggers about $15 per post. And others that pay a certain amount per word. I've looked at these things and thought about them. I could totally do it - after years of practice in English courses throughout my education, an essay on any subject is not a hard thing to do (let's all pretend I didn't just tell you about my unfortunate art history paper). And I'm guessing you could put 45 minutes into a post, take the $15 - not a bad hourly wage, though of course it wouldn't translate into anything like a full time salary. Kind of perfect for stay at home moms, or people who want a little extra pocket money.

I don't know. On one hand, we're all smart people. As readers, we can tell the difference between a sponsored post and one from the heart. We can skip the posts that don't interest us (which kind of defeats the purpose for sponsors). And I have a lot of respect for people who can take what they love to do and make it profitable.

On the other hand, it just seems kinda iffy... it's like a fake smile on someone you thought was genuine.

I'm more of a fan of the kind of review post where a company sends a blogger something to try, they give it an honest go, and tell what happened, in their own words. Or the kind where a blogger has tried something on their own, unsponsored, and just has something to say about it. Whether it contains a giveaway or not, I am way more likely to read that than the other kind.

I don't think I'll be blogging for money. Just doesn't feel right. Not that I don't understand it or even think it's okay to get paid for blogging - as long as there's transparency and honesty there.

If you're going to do it, how about prefacing the entire post with "This is a paid advertisement," or "Hey guys! They sent me money to write this!"? And when you do, I'll probably be skipping down to the next post you wrote - about something real.

(Yes, I have accepted payment for an ad on my blog before. Is that different? I feel like it is. It's clearly an ad, and not passing itself off as anything but an ad.)

Today...

I've decided I'm having a lazy Saturday today, which means maybe some baking -

project #1: Peanut Butter Squares with Milk Chocolate & Oats from the rebar cookbook
project #2: herbed pizza dough for tonight's dinner

- and definitely some giveaways :) I will add them to the bottom of this post when I get to it. Meanwhile if you haven't entered my giveaway for some delicious tea that I'm about to make myself a cup of, go to it!

OH, and thanks for your comments about grudges. I'm glad I'm not the only one hanging on to a few! There oughta be a national grudge day to celebrate all our stale old grudges.

What you came for...

For baby:

• Win a Glow Baby Baby's First Journal at My Wee View. I have one of these in hopeful preparation for our future little one and it is fabulous - so of course, I'm not entering this giveaway, but I wanted to share it with you. Moms of newborns need to keep track of a lot of stuff, and this is the perfect tool (plus it's a Canadian mom's design & company!). Ends December 11th.
• Win an organic Hotslings baby sling at Best Baby Organics. Ends December 29th.
• Win a $25 gift certificate to Wild Dill at Mkokopelli. Ends December 15th.
• Win a Bummis Organic Diaper Kit at Happily Domestic. Ends December 19th.
• Win an EsBaby customized fitted OS diaper at The Cloth Diaper Report. Ends December 16th.
• Win a GroBaby shell set and soaker pads from Fluffy Bottom Babies at My Wee View. Ends December 18th.
• Win a Snugfits tee at Oh My Baby. Ends December 21st.
  

For tots:

• Win a Green Toys Chef Set from Stortz & Associates at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Open to Canadians only! Ends December 13th.

For the ladies:

• Win a handbag from Handbag Heaven (2 winners!) at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Ends December 12th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $20 Starbucks gift card at 4 Fabulous Families. Ends December 12th.
• Win a $110 Visa card from Kodak at {Natural} Mommie. Ends December 14th.
• Another chance to win a $110 Visa card from Kodak at This Mom Can Shop. Ends December 12th.
• Win a Limited Edition Clarisonic at Mommy Goggles. Ends December 19th.
• Win an amazing PC holiday products basket from Loblaws at Postcards from the Mother Ship. I *love* PC products - lately I've been gorging myself on their Stone Wheat crackers. I almost didn't want to tell you about this one. Open to Canadians only! Ends December 7th.
• Win a Popcorn Snowman Snack Tin from The Popcorn Factory at Guessing All The Way. Ends December 16th.
• A Simple Kind of Life is hosting a free tea giveaway! Check out Golden Moon Tea to find your perfect cup, from oolong tea to black tea! Giveaway ends December 9th.
• Win a tea set from Golden Moon Tea (red teapot, tea filter bags, and a tin of Tippy Earl Grey) at unpaint. Ends December 11th.
  

For the home:

• Win a wall decal by Wilson Graphics at Project Nursery. Not sure when this ends.
• Win a $100 Crate and Barrel gift card at Half Baked. I love C&B! Ends December 10th.

Now that that's out of my system...

It's time for some giveaways! :)

For baby:

• Win a babysoy year round cardigan top + cozy pants (4 winners!) at Organic Girl. Ends December 17th.
• Win a Baby Ette Boutique ring sling at Organic Girl. Ends December 10th.
• Win a Planet Wise WetBag at Jabbering Jessi's blog. Ends December 15th.
• Win a $25 gift certificate to Beba Bean at Mommy PR. Ends December 18th.
  

For the ladies:

• Win a hand/body creme, body wash and whipped body souffle from Body Delices at Simply Stacie! I guess the guys could use this too, but... I'm not sure I'd share! Open to Canadians only! Ends December 15th.
• Win a Blush topless undershirt at My Silly Monkeys. Ends December 11th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $40 Bamboosa gift certificate at A Kindred Spirit's Thoughts. They have bamboo clothing for men, women and kids. Ends December 15th.
• Win a $40 gift certificate to CSN's bedding or cookware stores at Organic Girl. Ends December 21st.
• Win a copy of the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer at Northern Mama. This book's on my must-read list! Ends December 16th.
• Win $75 of assorted Burt's Bees products (wow) at Simply Stacie. This one I think the guys would love too - most of these products are pretty gender neutral. Open to Canadians only! Ends December 10th.
• Win a WrapNatural reuseable gift bag at Simply Living on a Budget. Ends December 13th.
• Win a Limited Edition Clarisonic Plus system at Shop With Me Mama. I'm curious about these Clarisonic thingies! I'd love to try one out. Ends December 10th.

AND I wanted to mention - today's SwagBucks Swagananza (one gift card a day goes on 'sale') is a $10 Starbucks card for only 110 SwagBucks! I just snagged one! Yay!

Have you signed up yet? It's free and I have already cashed in for $35 in Amazon gift certificates and now this $10 Starbucks card. You can collect SwagBucks by doing searches. It's just like any search engine, only there's a random reward of SwagBucks here and there. Try it out and see. If you sign up with my referral, it helps me out too!

One more sweet little deal for Canadian Christmas shopping - if you become a fan of Chapters Indigo on Facebook you will get a 25% off coupon for one item in-store, expiring December 24th. What's better than buying a gift? Getting a deal on a gift! :)

Three things

Food, fury and forgiveness (or lack thereof)

Food

Last night for a quick dinner, I made one of Donna Hay's recipes from the latest Style at Home magazine. It was the only one of five 'fresh quickies' that was vegetarian (hey, at least there was one).

The recipe is for ricotta + spinach pasta and it goes something like... add 1/2 cup of fresh ricotta to 200g of cooked warm short pasta (I used half a box of fusilli). Toss with baby spinach leaves, lemon juice (I used half a lemon or about 1/4 c - it was a juicy lemon!), extra-virgin olive oil, cracked black pepper, sea salt and basil (I'm so glad I chopped all that basil at the end of summer! Fresh from the freezer, it still tastes like August). Serve with grated parmesan.

Oops. I completely forgot the parmesan - and I knew I would. I always forget the garnish! Next time I will absolutely add that. But I think next time I will add some of the roasted red peppers I froze in the fall as well, and some toasted pine nuts.

The pasta was really fresh tasting, and I made it with a high spinach to pasta ratio (trying to keep the pasta to around 1/2 cup per serving). I liked the lemon flavour, though DH said it was a bit weird and 'yogourty' (the ricotta-lemon combo did have that fresh/sour taste). I will definitely make this again, but I'll be modifying as I go.

What I like about the recipe is the vague ingredient quantities (I cook in vague, I understand that kitchen language), the fresh ingredients (cold weather seems to bring so many heavy dishes, this was a light and fresh-tasting dish that was filling and healthy), and honestly the food photography & styling in the article is gorgeous (I don't always notice that, but it made an impact!). It was a relatively quick dinner - the most time consuming thing is boiling the pasta.

FYI I'm not sponsored by Style at Home or anything - I know I've written about the magazine before - it's just one of my favourite magazines. I can't think of anything I don't like about the magazine, unless it's that it only comes out once a month! Hopefully they won't mind my sharing the recipe and my modifications.

Fury

This morning I woke up when my husband got up for work at 5:45 am. Early. Especially after going to sleep at 12:30 last night. I usually can get back to sleep after his morning ablutions, but this morning I had an absolute rage on. About something that happened over 10 years ago.

Let me tell you.

When I was in university, I shared a house with a group of other art students. Since I was the only one with a computer, I had set it up in a common room for my friends to use. One winter term we had a sub-letter who was a year below me in the program. Let's call him Chris.

The following summer, as I was cleaning out the old files on my computer, I discovered an art history essay on Sleep in 16th Century Art. I'd written this essay for my third year art history class. Let's just say art history is not my strength - I'm a studio artist through and through - and I only got a C on the paper. Really, it wasn't that good. It was about 2000 words and mostly filler.

But... this version of my essay didn't have my name on it. It had Chris' name written at the top. The creep had found my old essay on my computer, re-named it, put his name on it, and handed it in as his own. I felt a little smug at first that the paper I'd written wasn't actually that good. But I found the paper copy later and (insult to injury) - he got a B on the same darn essay! Leave it to the cheater to get a generous T.A.!

Being that the term was finished, marks had been handed out and I was moving on in my life, I never did anything about it. He'd already moved out for the summer, so I didn't ever have the chance to confront him. And every once in a while I am still mad about it.

My husband says (jokingly) the moral of the story is "Don't be nice to people." If I had kept my computer to myself, it wouldn't have happened. But I think the true moral is... some people are just users. And you can't not be nice because other people are jerks. That would just lead to a horrible world. All I can do is have faith in karma. Who knows what's coming to him. Maybe his teeth will fall out and the foundation of his house will crumble.

Why I was lying awake, thinking of this at a ridiculous hour of the morning, I have no idea. I guess it's still lodged in my mind as a wrong not righted.

Forgiveness. Or, not.

Can you forgive people who wronged you ages ago? I'm mostly not a grudge holder, but I just can't seem to forgive and forget that art history paper incident. I can think of a few other people who I can't forgive.

Sarah, from grade 8, who told me that I wasn't invited to her birthday party because I "just wouldn't fit in". That was mean. And happened over 20 years ago. Still, not forgiven.

Brad, also from grade 8 (a bad year for me apparently), who wrote - in pen - in my yearbook, "Hope you grow out of your training bra." How cruel is that to a 12 year old girl? Way to ruin my yearbook and create a lasting, crappy memory. Brad, you'll be sorry to hear that yes, my cups floweth over and you'll never get anywhere close. Not forgiven. FYI, if I ever meet you again, I owe you a good solid slap. You can pick which side of the face. And I'll even take my rings off. 'Cause I'm nice like that.

Cynthia, who betrayed a confidence and spilled a secret. In 1994. She was one of my closest friends before... and things were never the same after. She's since passed away, tragically. While I still value the solid friendship I had with her, I can't seem to get over the betrayal of trust. How messed up is that? Much as I'd like to forgive and forget, and although it's been 15 years (!)... not forgiven. There's no anger associated with this... it's more like a fact than an emotion. I simply can't forgive her.

My ex-husband, who told me after 9 years that he didn't want kids after all, and had only told me he did so that I would stick around. I can thank him for a valuable lesson learned about communication in relationships (although if one person is lying, it doesn't work so well). And I am also so happy that it led me to be with my husband, who doesn't ever hesitate to state his opinion. That can be good and bad, but at least he's honest! We're very happy together. Ex? Not forgiven. Nice guy overall, but really. That was lousy.

Wow. That's a lot of grudges. And they are all years old. I know there's no point in hanging on to old anger. I know it's counter-productive. I'm not the person who swears at other drivers on the road, gets upset at retail clerks, has a short fuse or is prone to temper tantrums. I'm pretty laid-back and laissez-faire for the most part. When people are stupid, I think to myself, "Yep, people are stupid," and move on. Usually I don't think of these things at all. But once in a while... grr.

Have you got a grudge? I'm calling it - it's okay to hang on to a couple old grudges. Yep, I forgive you - and myself, why not - for this character flaw. A little imperfection makes us human, right?

Catch-up Thursday

I found a dress for the Christmas party we're going to tomorrow night at Winners. The dress was originally $70 marked down to $40, the shoes are Guess, marked down from $120 to $70 (eeps, still pricey), and I also picked up Calvin Klein nylons ($5) and a bra ($8). I know it's not a great photo (blurry much?) and no, I didn't bother doing my hair or makeup today! It's not a super fancy dress, I figure as a LBD it will last me through a few different functions. I will dress it up with some jewelery.

The only thing I'm not happy about is the control top panty hose... the waist slides down after only a few minutes and leaves me with a bulge above and below the elastic. Not cool. I am smack in the centre of the size category so they shouldn't be too small like that. Argh. I will have to go through my old pairs and try to find one that isn't holey, doesn't slide down, and hasn't shot the elastic... that might be tough. I hate nylons!

I wish I could post pics from our trip to Mexico. Unfortunately I was the one with the camera most of the time, and there are no decent photos of me... My DH took over once in a while, but although I love him to bits, he's not the best portrait photographer I know. Of course I'm not exactly the most photogenic person either so it's probably not his fault the pics of me came out looking like I have crazy-face. Some of our friends took photos here and there, but I haven't seen any of them.

Don't forget to enter my delicious giveaway as well if you haven't yet!

A few giveaways for the end of the day

I was going to just leave it at my new giveaway, but I came across a few more that I'm not going to enter and still wanted to share with you. I have already been lucky enough to win each of these products already - hope it's your turn now!

For baby:

• Win a Sleepy Wrap at Happily Domestic. Ends December 15th.
• Another chance to win a Sleepy Wrap at Luvn Life. Ends December 6th.
• Win a Twilight Turtle at Baby Signs with Elizabeth. Ends December 9th.

My new favourite tea - and a giveaway! [CLOSED]

***This giveaway is now closed. Winner: Trish ***
***Redraw winner: Pam! (confirmed)***

I am a BIG hot drink lover - along with coffee and three varieties of hot chocolate in my cupboard, I currently have 22 (!) varieties of tea on hand, though I usually stick to my four all-time faves: Twinings decaf Earl Grey, Tetley decaf Orange Pekoe, Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime (with honey! yum) or the delicious President's Choice Moroccan Mint. I thought I'd got my favourites down to a science (I even time the brew for every cup... I'm serious about tea). I'm not averse to loose tea, but I do find that it's so much more convenient in bags.

Much to my surprise, I have recently discovered a delicious new tea (well, it's new to me - not sure how new it really is). It's President's Choice Chocolatey Chai Herbal Tea. They've actually just redesigned the box, so it doesn't look like this any more...I'm not sure I would have even noticed it in this old box. But I spotted the new box on the shelf at the store and decided to give it a try.

I love chai, but I find it's usually too strong or spicy for me. I usually go half and half milk and chai, and if it's the chai concentrate in the cartons, I use about a tablespoon to a full mug of milk. Guess I'm a big chai wimp. But this tea is just a perfect strength - it's got the exotic character without being overpowering. It has a bit of stevia for sweetness, and I find I can drink it clear, or add milk (usually clear tea is too strong for me - I even add milk to jasmine).

And the chocolatey part is so perfect. It contains a bit of cocoa, and a bit of cocoa shells, to impart a rich yet light chocolate flavour. It sounds so weird, but it is the perfect combination of tea and hot chocolate flavours. But with none of the high calories of hot chocolate drinks. I know, it sounds kinda wrong and strange, but believe me, it's so extra yummy!

I am so pumped about this new tea (is it wrong to drink four mugs in a day?) that I want to share a box with one of my readers. This isn't a sponsored post or anything... I'm going to go to the grocery store, buy a box and mail it out. Call it Christmas or just investing in my karma.

*giveaway*

The prize: one box of delicious President's Choice Chocolatey Chai, sent from me to you!

How to enter: simply comment here with your favourite home-made hot drink and if this would be for you or perhaps a delightful stocking stuffer for someone you know!

Extra entries? You bet. Add an extra comment for each that you do:

• Add my button to your blog, comment with the link for me to see
• Blog about this giveaway with a link back here (2 entries! make two comments)
• Follow my blog (become a new one, or be a current follower)

Five sweet chances to win!

Who's eligible: Anyone in the US or Canada. Just cause I'm nice and plus you probably can't get this tea in the US so it would be a special treat for someone!

This giveaway will end on December 15th, midnight EST... Hopefully that's enough time to get it to the winner before Christmas, although I can't guarantee that. Canada Post gets busy in December! I do promise to send it out asap once I have a confirmed winner!

Winner will be announced on this post, a fresh new post and also emailed... so don't forget to include your email address if it is not on your profile so that I can contact you!

***This giveaway is now closed. Winner: Trish ***
***Redraw winner: Pam! (confirmed)***

Back from holiday

...and back to reality! We had a great time in Mexico. I wanted to stay a little longer. The resort was great, the food was good (although, as usual, the vegetarian options were rather limited), the ocean was warm, the company was wonderful. I am missing the big buffet breakfasts already, though the scale tells me it's a good thing to leave those behind.

I have a zillion things to catch up on, hopefully I will get to a few giveaways to share today. I'll start here:

For baby:

• Win a Twilight Turtle from Cloud B at {Natural} Mommie. Open to Canadians only! Ends December 7th.
• Win a $25 gift certificate to Sprout Baby at Me and My Boys. Ends December 7th.
• Win a $35 gift certificate to JamTots at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous! Ends December 10th.
• Win a $50 gift certificate to Baby Grins at My Wee View. Ends December 11th.
• Win Robeez baby shoes or boots at {Natural} Mommie. Ends December 4th.
• Win a Beco baby carrier from baby SNAZZ at Simple. Ends December 5th.
• Win a SoftBums diaper in the new print at I Love Cloth Diapers. Ends December 6th.
• Win an AppleCheeks MiniTest diaper at Momma in Flip Flops2! Ends December 2nd so hurry up!
• Win a Little Lasso at My Organized Chaos. Ends December 2nd so hurry up!
• Win a Halo SleepSack at Annie's Home. Ends December 6th.
• Win an Organic Sherpa Sleeper from Snug Organics at Mkokopelli. Ends December 4th.
  

For the ladies:

• Win a $50 gift certificate to Amon Maternity at Melinda Joy. Ends December 15th.
• Win a Bravado Designs Sublime nursing bra at Just for Me...and You. Ends December 7th.
  

For grown-ups:

• Win a $50 gift certificate to Eden Fantasys at J. Leigh Designz. Ends December 11th.
• Win a $75 gift certificate to Eden Fantasys at Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House. Ends December 11th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $20 gift certificate to Ecorations (reuseable gift bags!) at Mkokopelli. Ends December 10th.
• Win a $50 gift certificate to Stylefly.ca at CoolCanucks. Ends December 18th.
• Win a ReliOn Temple Touch Thermometer at My Wee View. Ends December 4th.
• Win hourly prizes from Dell in their Holiday Gift Hunt! Open to Canadians only! Ends December 11th.
• Win a Head to Toe Kit from J.R. Watkins at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Ends December 5th.

For the home:

• Win a $40 Right on the Walls gift certificate at My Organized Chaos. Ends December 9th.
  
• Win a fabric storage bin by Nestings at BabyLuxe {daily}. Ends December 8th.

Waiting... and thinking about booze

I could not sleep last night for the life of me. We have to leave our house at 2:30 am tomorrow morning and I have a feeling I won't be sleeping at all tonight! Whoever thought it was a good idea to make our airplane leave at 6:30 am is an idiot!

I just wanted to say hello - especially to the new followers! Hi! - and mention that I'll be away for a whole week in sunny (hopefully) Mexico. It's our 1-year anniversary and we're going down with a bunch of friends. It should be a riot! I remember last year I ate WAY too much guacamole. I'm planning on doing the same again :)

The big question for me is whether I'll be drinking or not. I've spent the last 15 months without drinking, through the two lost pregnancies. So I kind of feel happy that I've been living such a 'pure' life and being pretty self-disciplined! I don't really miss it, other than occasionally I miss the taste of Bailey's or even a good rum and coke or a beer. But... I wouldn't mind having the chance to let loose a little. And the group we're going with (all in their mid-twenties, we'll be the geezers nearly 10 years older) are loads of fun and definitely are not teetotalers. I haven't really decided yet.

On one hand it would be fun to kick back and forget some of the troubles and stresses of the past year. I don't technically have to stay sober - I'm no longer pregnant, and we can't try until February. It's an all-inclusive resort with all top-end liquors. And sometimes when other people are drinking they get a little... I don't know, wary? insecure? and think anyone not drinking is judging them. You know what I mean. (Although I know that 'other people' is not a good reason to drink!)

On the other hand it's been pretty easy for me not to drink - I'm a lightweight and it's never taken me much to get drunk (a few sips of wine can do it), but when I do get drunk it goes like - sober, half a drink = happy drunk, an hour later I am completely sober again and invariably cranky. So really it has never felt 'worth it' to get drunk in terms of the expense and the crankiness. As I get older I find I am more prone to hangovers, too - which I never had before I was thirty.

I don't know. I guess I'm leaning towards 'virgin' cocktails. I'll have to wait and see how it goes. It wouldn't be a big deal if nobody made a big deal about it... but once everyone knows I'm not drinking then things get weird. Only one of the couples knows about the miscarriages. And I don't really want to get into it with anyone.

Anyway... this is just me raving on while procrastinating (I haven't packed yet!). I'll be back in December with more giveaway lists. And who knows, I may pop in from Mexico!

Hasta luego!

One last list

Tomorrow I doubt I'll have a chance, what with all the little last minute things before we travel. Well, maybe, but don't count on it. So here's one last list before we head on vacation for a week. There are so many giveaways lately, it's great. I hate to think I'll miss any while I'm away! :) Though... lazing around Mexico is a pretty good consolation.

For baby:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Adorable Baby Clothing at Health, Beauty and Family. Ends December 3rd.
• Win a Baby Emi jingle bells anklet at Simple. Ends December 10th.
• Win a Little Twig Mini Gift Set (bath products) at Organic Girl. Ends December 10th.
• Win Angel Baby bedding at Project Nursery. Ends November 27th.
• Win a $50 gift certificate to Maukilo Toys at BabyLuxe Daily! Ends November 26th.
• Win either a Bodysuit & Beanie (newborn) or Long Sleeve Tee (sizes 1-6 years) from Pipi Child at {Natural} Mommie. Ends November 28th.
• Win a Moby Wrap at The Eco-Friendly Family. Ends November 22nd so hurry up!
• Win an Ergobaby HandsFree System (carrier, backpack and pouch) at My Wee View. Ends November 27th.
• Win an Action Baby Carrier at Organic Girl. Ends December 5th.
• Win a LilleBaby EveryWear Baby Carrier from Scandinavian Child at Organic Girl. Ends December 7th.
• Win a Plush Pad by Ah Goo Baby at A Mom's Balancing Act. Ends December 3rd.
• Win an Applecheeks cover and insert from Change My Bummy at Glimpse Reviews. Open to Canadians only! :) Ends December 3rd.
• Win an Applecheeks Mini Test Kit (cover + 3 inserts in hemp or bamboo!) at Organic Girl. Ends December 17th.
• Win a Kalencom diaper bag in the Eleanor design Pheasant flap at Simple. Ends November 25th.
• Win any pair of Bobux shoes at My Organized Chaos. Ends November 28th.
• Win a Baby K'Tan sling at There's No Snakes in New Zealand. Ends December 4th.
• Win a set of Bummas cloth wipes at Joyful Reviews and Giveaways. Ends December 4th.
  

For the ladies:

• Win a Mommy Milk nursing tank at Me and My Boys. Ends December 3rd.
• Win a Blush topless tee at Mommies Angels. Ends November 30th.
• Win an awesome Marcelle "Classic Elegant" gift set at Sparkled Beauty. Open to Canadians only! :) Ends December 4th.
• Another great Marcelle Ultra Glam giveaway at a watercolour sky. Open to Canadians only! :) Ends November 29th.
• Win an Expressiva nursing top from their eco-friendly line at Simply Living on a Budget. Ends December 3rd.
• Win a Shower Hug from Belmama and Cherub at My Wee View. Ends December 4th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Affordable Scarves at Fantabulously Frugal. Ends November 29th.
• Win Clorox Green Works laundry detergent at Lucky Canucks. Open to Canadians only! :) Ends December 2nd.
• Win a Pottery Barn Christmas ornament at A Blonde Ambition. Ends December 3rd.
  

Ceci n'est pas un outfit!

I had a strange shopping trip today. Let's first say that I don't really shop for clothes for myself that much. Last month's trip to the States was a rarity (as in, the last time I did that was in the eighties!). I bought a few things there, but didn't get a lot of the things on my list. Some things are just hard to find! Like a nice brown belt, for instance. Or a pair of shoes I don't hate (and that are practical for my life).

Today I hit the mall to get a swim suit for our upcoming trip. I have a black bikini which is still in decent shape, but you know you need two on vacation - who wants to put on the suit that's still wet from the last swim?

So I picked up a sweet deal at the La Vie En Rose outlet. They have about a zillion bikinis there, many of them in the last few sizes (mostly L or XL) and many that are only bottoms (why so many bottoms that don't have tops, I wonder?). But I scored. A bikini that fits and is cute for only $15!

Then... I went to Bikini Village. I know, it's seriously overpriced, and I already had accomplished my mission... but... you know. They have those darned 'tanning mirrors' where you already look like you've been beaching it for a week.

And I found another one I loved.

For $45.

Per piece.

And... I bought it. I figure I'm averaging down. And, maybe this is the last year for a while that I'll be able to wear a bikini with some measure of confidence, so what the heck.

I also found some good snow shovelling boots at Sterling... North Face ones that are down-filled and so feel like I'm wearing fluffy pillows on my feet.

So my random purchases... bikinis and snow boots... I wonder what my husband will say!

in the studio

I have a busy day - preparing paintings for shipping, a pre-vacation & Christmas party haircut, another blood test to check on those HCG levels... little things but they always take a lot of time.

I've been working on a few new 'smalls' (little oil paintings) for the galleries' Christmas shows. I'm so late in getting these done and to the galleries... ugh. Anyway, I thought I would share a little studio shot of some of the new paintings and my inspiration board, just for fun.

So I have a few giveaways to share today but I'm not sure how far I'll get. If you get bored you can always look at yesterday's list - it was a long one!

OH, and I wanted to say thanks to those of you who are taking a moment to check out the advertisers on my blog - the google ads to the left there, and the sponsors/affiliates to the right. Just a click on one of those google ads throws a few cents my way (plus they are often Canadian companies or baby gear companies, which is fun). It's never going to make me rich (as in, if I blogged for a thousand years I might make a couple bucks) but it does feel like a 'thank you' from my readers and I appreciate it.

Okay, on to giveaways...

For baby:

• Win a tot-to-go sling at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Ends November 28th.
• Win a set of Bummas cloth wipes at Today's Give Away. Ends November 21st.

For the ladies:

• Win a handbag from Handbag Heaven (2 winners!) at Fabulous Fun Finds. Ends November 29th.
• Win a Hip-T at Today's Give Away. Ends November 23rd.
  

more to come, I think :)

Soaking up the sun

I hope it's a great day where you are. Here it's eight degrees and sunny - lovely! Not exactly warm, but I console myself with the knowledge that by this time next week I'll be on the beach in Mexico!! We totally need a vacation after this difficult year, and it's also our first anniversary (the marriage hasn't been the difficult part!). I can't wait. And I am VERY excited to come home and start decorating the house for Christmas. I wrapped my first Christmas present yesterday :)

I think my website for my artwork is all fixed now. I'd love to know if you see any problems with it. One of these days I will have to redo the whole site as I used a mix of programs to design it and they all leave a little garbage in the code. But hopefully that day is not today!

Now I've got a few giveaways to share with you! Loving the Christmas rush on giveaways.

For baby:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Maukilo Toys at Momma in Flip Flops2! Ends November 22nd.
• Win a set of art cards by Wee Gallery at Cute Like Me. Ends November 23rd.
• Win a Mrs. Smith's Diaper Bag (2 winners!) at A Mom's Balancing Act. Ends November 30th.
• Win a pair of Beibi shoes of your choice from Wee Squeak at Katydid and Kid. Ends November 26th.

For the ladies:

• Win a Prego Planner at Jo-Jo's Place! I've been looking for a good one and this might be the one. Ends November 24th.
• Win a Blush topless tee at Jo-Jo's Place. Ends November 30th.
• Win a 7.0-8.0mm White Freshwater Pearl Necklace from Pearl Paradise at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Ends November 19th.
• Win a 6.5-7.0 mm AA+ Black Akoya Pearl Necklace from Pearl Paradise at Minnesota Mama's Must Haves. Ends November 27th.
• Another chance to win a 7.0-8.0 mm White Freshwater Pearl Necklace from Pearl Paradise at A Mom's Balancing Act. Ends November 20th.
• Win a 18” 7.0 – 8.0mm Lavender Freshwater Pearl Necklace from Pearl Paradise at A Wrestling Addicted Mommy. Ends December 1st.
• Win a 6.0-7.0 mm freshwater Pearl Necklace in black from Pearl Paradise at Jolly Mom. Ends November 23rd.
• Win Cream perfume at Mommies Angels. Ends November 30th.
• Win Fit in Clouds Ballet Flats at Sweeps4Bloggers. Ends November 24th.
• Win a L'Occitane Shea Vanilla Caress set at Wishing Penny. Ends November 28th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $40 gift certificate to Every Little Bit at Canadian Natural Mama. They have loads of great eco-friendly gift ideas. Ends December 9th.
• Win a holiday art tote by Stubby Pencil Studio at Katydid and Kid. This would be great for kids but also kind of sweet for grown-ups who like artsy stuff or interesting office supplies. Ends November 28th.
• Win an Aromatherapy Gift Set by Natural Sundae at {Natural} Mommie. You know men are secretly into nice scents, too. Ends November 21st.
• Win a L Letterpress kit at iDiY! Ends tomorrow, so hurry.
• Win a set of 10 pretty letterpress note cards by Sweet Harvey at Boutique Stitches. Ends November 30th.
• Win a Golden Moon tea set at Sweeps4Bloggers. Ends November 21st.
• Win the watch of your choice from Inexpensive Watches at The Mom Buzz. Ends November 27th.
  

For grown-ups:

• Win a $50 gift certificate to Eden Fantasys at Robyn's Online World. Ends November 30th.
• Win a $25 gift certificate to Eden Fantasys at Boutique Stitches. Ends November 30th.
  

more to come...

Giveaways and a little help

So, I've been having some trouble with my other website lately - the site for my artwork. Sometimes the images aren't showing, and sometimes there's weird random text instead of my pages. The company that is hosting my site had a server crash, and since then my website's been booched. They've moved it to another server, I've re-uploaded the entire site, and it's looking okay on my end - but my husband tried it at work and said it's still messed up when he looks at it. Can I ask you a big favour - could you take a quick peek at my site and let me know if it looks right to you, or if you're seeing strange text and places where it looks like there should be images, but there aren't? And, what browser you're using? I'd really appreciate the feedback. I'm trying to get this sorted out before we go on vacation... it looks so unprofessional to have my site down!

Okay, on to the fun stuff: giveaways! Yay.

For baby:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Maukilo toys at A Giveaway Addicted Mommy. Ends December 2nd.
• Win a $75 gift certificate to Zutano's Itzy Bitzy Boutique (newborn clothing) at Monkey Toes Reviews and Giveaways. Ends December 1st.
  
• Another chance to win a $75 gift certificate to Zutano's Itzy Bitzy Boutique at My Organized Chaos. Ends November 24th.
• Win a Bumkins Superbib 2-pack in the Grinch pattern at Monkey Toes Reviews and Giveaways. Ends November 25th.
• Win two cute bibs from The Bees Knees Kids at My Organized Chaos. Ends November 21st.
• Win an Urban Bundleme from JJ Cole at Minnesota Mama's Must Haves! Ends November 27th.
• Win a Babybjorn Organic Active baby carrier at Mom Fuse (5 winners!). Ends November 23rd.
• Win a Belle baby carrier at Simple! Ends November 22nd.
• Win a Rockabye baby digital download at Peg City Momma. This would make a fun gift for new parents! Ends November 20th.
• Win a Shoo-Foo bamboo crib sheet at Northern Mama. Ends November 26th.
• Win a tee or onesie from Lil' LJ at A Few of My Favorite Things. Ends November 20th.
• Win four items of your choice from Nosilla Organics (clothing) at My Organized Chaos! Ends November 23rd.
• Win a tee and tote bag from Bored Inc. at Fun and Funky Mommy. Ends December 3rd.
• One more chance to win a tee and tote bag from Bored Inc. at Mommies Angels. Ends November 30th.
• Win Bummas baby wipes at Dev's Favorite Giveaways. Ends November 27th.

For the ladies:

• Win a Blush topless tee at The Suburban Jungle. Ends November 30th.
• Win a prize pack from Pine Point Candles (candle, body mist, body butter) at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Ends November 26th.
• Win a handbag from Handbag Heaven at Minnesota Mama's Must Haves (2 winners!). Ends November 25th.
• Win a Gold Over Sterling Silver and Oval-Cut Ruby Garnet Cubic Zirconia Embellished Wavy Bracelet from Joolwe.com Online Jewelry Store at Simply Stacie. Ends November 24th.

For anyone:

• Win the book Hollywood Moon by Joseph Wambaugh at Sweeps4Bloggers. Ends November 24th.
• Win a 12 oz Bayberry 100% Soy candle from Maddison Avenue at Mommies Angels. Ends November 30th.
• Win a Glade prize pack (wine, candles, reed diffuser, Chapters gift card) at Simply Stacie. Open to Canadians only! Ends November 19th.
  

For grown-ups:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Eden Fantasys at My Life with Four Kids. Christmas for hubby? ;) Ends November 21st.
• Another chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Eden Fantasys at Tara's View of the World. This one ends November 29th.
• Win a Kama Sutra gift set from Pink Cherry at Canadian Free Stuff. Open to Canadians only! Ends December 10th.
  

Glee!

Uh oh. I've found a new show to love. My friend kept recommending this show Glee to me, and I kept putting off watching it. Well, during a bout of insomnia I watched 4 episodes back to back and can say it's one of my new favourites! Love it. I'm watching it on ninjavideo (up to episode 7 now) and shamelessly singing along. At full volume.

Oh, and if you're in the Toronto area, one of my galleries has a Festival of Smalls show that's opening this weekend. The annual show features artworks under $250 by their many, many talented artists. If you're looking for a really unique and special Christmas gift, original art is a fantastic way to go. They do online sales as well during the show if you're not local. The gallery is Art Interiors, and you can find more details about the show here. I just sent them 8 small oil paintings for the show - here's one of them:The sailboats are a bit of a new thing for me, I'm playing around with them. This one's a teeny canvas at 6x12".

Some giveaways for today... thought I'd get to adding some more last night, but that didn't happen.

For baby:

• Win a set of Bumkins Grinch SuperBibs at The Mom Buzz. Ends November 26th.
• Win a Layla Grace blanket at Grosgrain. Not sure when this one ends.
• Win some glass bottles (Life Factory and Born Free) from SproutBaby at Fabulous Fun Finds. Ends November 18th.
• Win a cute Crane humidifier at Raising My 4 Sons. These have finally arrived in Canada, btw - I saw them at Shoppers Drug Mart yesterday, priced at $40. Ends November 19th.
• Win a Snugfits onesie or tee and knit pants or Baby Legs at Toddler Momma. Ends November 14th.
• Win a Cloud B Gentle Giraffe at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Open to Canadians only! Ends November 30th.
• Win a Cloud B Polar Cuddle Cub at Organic Girl. Open to Canadians only! Ends December 1st.
• Win Bummas cloth wipes at 1 Stop Mom. Ends November 17th.
• Win Bummas cloth wipes at Mommy World. Ends November 15th.
• One more chance to win Bummas cloth wipes at Mommy2TwoGirls. Ends November 25th.
• Yet another chance to win Bummas cloth wipes at Annie's Home. Ends December 1st.
• Win a panel wrap baby carrier from Cosy Baby Happy Mommy at Fun and Funky Mommy. Ends December 7th.
  

For the ladies:

• Win lavender pearl earrings from Pearl Paradise at My Organized Chaos. These would make a nice Christmas present (or a treat for you!). Ends November 21st.
• Win a Blush topless tee at Penny Pinching Mama. Ends November 19th.
• Win a handbag from Handbag Heaven at Comfort Joy Designs. Ends November 21st.
• Win a Hip-T at Momma Loves to Shop. Ends November 20th.
• Win a Samantha Half-Padded Bra and Hipster in Magenta by Affinitas Lingerie at Simply Stacie. Ends November 24th.
• Win a pair of Must Have Shoes at My Wee View! Ends November 25th.
• Remember the Teva sandals I grumped about? You can win a pair of their Mush sandals at Simple. Ends November 19th.
• Win a pair of holiday shoes from Supershoes at The Mom Buzz. ends November 28th.
  

For the men:

• Win the book ABC's for Expectant Dads by Todd Lieman (10 winners!) at smonk you. Ends December 2nd.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $50 gift certificate to Green is Black at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Ends November 19th.
• Win Crunchy Clean laundry detergent (you've got to check out the scents available!) at Take Time to Smell the Rose. Ends November 22nd.
• Win an audiobook copy of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold at Sweeps4Bloggers. I love audiobooks and this one's even read by the author. Ends November 18th.
• Win a Flip Ultra HD at Newly Wed, Newly Bred. Ends November 26th.
• Win Cowgirl Chocolates (1/3 lb!) at Sweeps4Bloggers. Ends November 13th.
• Win a Glade prize pack (wine, candles, reed diffuser, Chapters GC ) at Northern Mama. Open to Canadians only! Ends November 18th.
• Win your choice of BearPaw shoes/boots at My Organized Chaos! Ends November 19th.
  

Having fun yet? If you like what I'm doing here on my blog, you could do me a quick and easy favour by clicking on any of the Google ads that interest you to the left there. It throws a couple cents my way. Thanks!