Friday, February 5, 2010

Someone's lucky day (Winner!)

Drum roll... time to announce the winner of the amazing Glade prize. I know I kept going on about it, this is truly a nice prize for one lucky winner!

And remember how I mentioned the entries were kinda random? Yeah. I had entries from Americans (sorry, you weren't eligible for this one, and yes I was checking), daily tweets (it was a one-time thing. I enter plenty of contests myself and am not a big fan of the daily tweet entries - though you probably wouldn't guess it if you follow me on Twitter!), people who were eligible for extra entries and didn't take them, all entries combined into one comment... it was all over the map.

Um, folks, luvs you all, but in future you will make my life easier if you please follow the rules.

With this tangled skein to work with, I ended up making a spreadsheet with all the eligible comments (in order of entry) and drawing a number (with random.org) that corresponded to that.

I know, all you really want to know is... did I win??!?!!

But I thought I'd explain what was up on my end, so in case you're that person who says, #x? but I counted all the comments and I was #x! Why isn't my name in lights? ... well, this is why. Believe me, this is more fair all around. Eligible entries were counted and non-eligible entries were not.

Ok, enough babble. The winner is, out of 195 eligible entries....which is:
Yay! Congrats, and I hope this helps you enjoy your Valentine's Day with your husband :)

I wish I had a prize for everyone! However, I do have some nice things coming up - a quick little wall decal giveaway, the CD I mentioned earlier, maybe something else exciting (I'm working on it!). Do stick around :)

Thursday, February 4, 2010

A few things...

I'll be announcing the winner for the Glade prize pack tomorrow, so get your entries in by midnight EST if you haven't already. This prize is full of goodies including Copper Moon wine, Glade soy candles, a Glade reed diffuser, a really big and yummy cookie by Jinja Ninja, and sweet cards from Jonesy. From my end, this has been a really fun review but really random in terms of entries. I've had a lot of entries that didn't read the rules. So I'll be doing the draw a little differently than I usually do. I'll tell you all about that tomorrow.

Also a little sneak preview for what's coming up: something fertility related (a review, at least), and a review *and giveaway* of a new CD that's coming out soon! Fun stuff.

Now for some giveaways from elsewhere...

For baby:
For the ladies:
  • Win a Bella Materna Lightly Padded Nursing Bra at My Wee View. Ends February 12th.
For grown-ups:
For anyone:
  • Win a $25 gift certificate to Chocomize (customizable chocolate bars! yum) at My Wee View. Ends February 12th.
  • Win a $25 gift certificate to True North Gear (clothing) at Organic Girl. Ends March 4th.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Wednesday giveaways list

Wow, I've been on a bit of a downer lately. Boooo. This is supposed to be fun.

Some giveaways for today... we'll see how far I get.

For baby:
hmm, that's it for today. Have a good one!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Giveaways for Tuesday!

Nothing like giveaways to brighten up an overcast Tuesday.

For baby:
For grown-ups:
For anyone:
Hm, small list - I'm just not up for it today. Feeling tired and kind of overwhelmed. Talk to you tomorrow!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Sunshine, on an emotional Monday

Thanks to Jenn from Our Crazy Life for the Sunshine Award she passed on to me! That was sweet :) I'll have to come up with some blogs to pass it on to. I just don't have the energy at the moment.I am definitely in need of some sunshine today. I'm back in the hormonal and emotional rollercoaster of TTC. I say I and not we, because DH is pretty laid back about the whole thing. For the record, I wish I were able to be so relaxed about it. I mean to be, but the hormones just take over. (And please don't say "It will happen when you relax"... it has happened for us twice before, conceiving hasn't been the problem in the past, it's been other things... a miscarriage, then an ectopic pregnancy.)

Me, I'm so sick of waiting and wishing. I just want to level up. And with my ridiculous cycles (last one 38 days, the one before 31), it's really hard to tell when's the 'right' time - even with the help of Fertility Friend, an online charting site (hey, if you want an invite for Fertility Friend, please do let me know & send me your email address. It would help me out by giving me some extra time on the site. You get a month free to start!). I've been taking FertilAid regularly - DH has been taking his once a day instead of three times. I'm wondering if it will have any impact on my cycle. (Stay tuned for an upcoming review!)

So, anyway, today is day 20 and I feel like we totally missed the window. The start of another 4 weeks until we can try again? Argh!

I wish life were more like The Sims. I want to click "Try for Baby" and get 'er done. Instead, I've got an unhappy moodlet and am throwing a mental temper tantrum in true Sim style.

And, I've got my class to teach tonight - with that woman who makes inappropriate comments about me having children. I wonder if this will be the third week in a row that she brings it up?

Otherwise - other than me having the crazies - we had a nice weekend. We got some new inserts for our front doors which offer a bit more privacy and a lot more light. The transom is still on order - what do you think?I'll do a giveaway list tomorrow. If you're craving the rush of entering giveaways (and are Canadian), go enter my Glade giveaway. It's pretty sweet, with a bottle of wine, really nice Glade candles and a reed diffuser, a yummy cookie from Jinja Ninja and some cute V-Day cards from Jonesy. What are you waiting for? Go!

ps, yes, things look different - blogger went and changed the way they do things and my background is no more. *sigh*

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Saturday giveaways

Just a few for today. There's a recipe in the post below, fyi! Yummy cheesecake. Diet, schmiet.

For baby:
more to come.

Ever since Capital Mom gave me a gentle shove off the diving board into Twitter, I'm spending oh so much time tweeting giveaways and reading tweets! I'm still a newbie :)

Eggless Cheesecake

This was totally an experiment - I had three packages of cream cheese that were intended for a cheesecake, but soon realized that baked cheesecakes generally contain eggs. What's a girl to do? I made it anyway. Substituting blended tofu for the eggs (1/4 cup per egg). And what do you know, it turned out quite nicely!Those blobs on the top were jam hearts -before it was baked. Baking, apparently turns hearts into blobs. Good to know.

Cheesecake is super easy, yet impressive. This version is rich and has a thick, crumbly texture which I find nicer than no-bake cheesecakes.

The recipe:

Eggless Cheesecake (you pick the flavour!)
  • 1 1/4 cups graham cracker (or chocolate wafer) crumbs
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 3 pkg (250g each) softened cream cheese (you can use light)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup soft tofu, pureed
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbsp jam (or instead you could add 1/2 cup chopped Turtles chocolates - yum!)
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine crumbs with melted butter and press into the bottom of a springform pan. I like to line the sides of the pan with parchment paper, although I forgot this time! It keeps the cake from browning as much, and makes it easier to remove from the pan.
  2. Mix the softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth. An electric mixer makes this a lot easier. Add tofu in three parts, blending until smooth each time. Stir in vanilla (and chocolate chunks, if you're using them).
  3. Pour over the prepared crust. If you're using jam, put dollops on top and swirl them in by cutting through them with a knife.
  4. Bake 50-55 minutes. It should look slightly golden and still wobble a little in the centre when it's done. Turn off the oven and leave the cake in there to cool slowly, with the door slightly open. This helps prevent cracking. Cool it to room temperature, then refrigerate for 3 hours or more.
You can use whatever flavour of jam you want for the top, or leave it out and serve with fresh cut fruit or berries. I was considering using dulce de leche instead, but DH wanted to use some of the strawberry rhubarb jam we made last summer.

I'd love to hear if you try this out!

Friday, January 29, 2010

First order of the day - a winner!


Time to draw the winner of the SkinMD Natural Shielding Lotion!

And forgive the lateness - I am not sleeping well these days, a mix of anxiety and the sounds of the CPAP machine in our bedroom. Today I slept in to make up for being awake multiple times during the night and then from 4-5 am inclusive... I'm trying to consider it 'practice' for maybe one day having an infant, but on the other hand it would be nice to get a good solid night's sleep as long as I can. No, that's not some subtle hint at news. There is no news.

ANYWAY on to the good part (I love winner announcements!) ... the winner is...which is... Yay! I have a feeling Ninel will be thrilled to win this one - she told me she tried some samples after reading my review and loved the lotion!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Designer deals!

I just ordered some sweet lingerie by Deréon (yes, the line by Beyoncé and her mom) at Beyond The Rack. I got this cute bra and panty set for $15 CDN! Craziness.

I wanted to share because there are still two days & 22 hours left to take advantage of this particular designer event! They have a ton of really cute lingerie and that's a pretty sweet deal for a set.

Beyond The Rack is like an outlet store but with limited quantities and scheduled sales. These are big name, usually super pricey items (women's and men's apparel, handbags, shoes, jewelery, sunglasses & accessories, sometimes housewares). Each sale event is on for only a few days and it's first-come, first-served for however many of each item they have. Recently they had a blowout sale that was up to 90% off and there was such a huge response that there was a queue to enter the site and tons of things sold out. Just to give you an idea of how good the deals are!

Beyond The Rack is by invitation ONLY. So I'm inviting you to join! You can click this link to sign up. Just so you know, it is a referral link (that's the only way to join as far as I know) and if you do end up purchasing anything, I would get a small credit towards the store. Double happiness with one purchase - you get a deal and then I get a deal.

The current events are: Dereon Lingerie, Sari nail lacquer (sets of 3 high-end polishes for $15!), Pretty Ballerinas footwear, Pure & Simple - Whitney Eve - Jayn Simpson ladies' fashion (last week Jessica Simpson dresses were on, this just reminded me), Hype handbags, Toywatch watches, Antique Rivet men's and women's jeans. These all end in a couple of days and new events start with new big-name designers. I've seen some REALLY nice stuff, usually way out of my price range, at much more reasonable prices.

Just so you know, not a sponsored post or anything... just happy with the deal I just got and wanted to share. I don't think I've mentioned Beyond The Rack here before and I know you all love deals :)

Just giveaways

Just some giveaways to share today :)

psst, it's the LAST DAY to enter my SkinMD Natural Shielding Lotion giveaway!

For baby:
For the ladies:
For those who sew (I know you're out there :) ):
  • Win a $15 gift certificate to Heaven Lei Creations (fabric! yay) at Whimsy Couture. Ends February 1st.
For anyone:
  • Win a Love Naturally goats milk body and hand wash (fragrance free) and five bars Love Naturally goats milk soap at Hip Little One. Ends February 13th.
  • Win a pair of Hi-Tec Auckland Sneakers (one men's pair and one women's pair to be won) at Melinda Joy. Ends February 8th.
having fun yet?

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Eggless Lemon Loaf

So the lemon that I painted as a demo in my class on Monday night......became this vision of yumminess...It didn't rise quite as much as the regular eggy one does, but I think a little extra baking powder on the next run will do it. It. Is. Delicious. Rich and luxurious. Absolutely can't taste the tofu. More info on where to get the recipe (and what I did to make the recipe egg-free) here.

Now I need to know what to do with the piles of demonstration paintings (of fruit, mostly) that I have kicking around the studio...

Dreams

Last night I had a dream that my husband and I were swimming in a river, against the current, and we'd been doing it for days. We were soaked and exhausted, but we kept going. I kept getting pulled under by the current, but we were making progress.

Some great metaphor for what we've been going through, or just randomness from my sleeping brain? I think I prefer tv star dreams.
_______

Tomorrow is the last day to enter my giveaway for SkinMD Natural Shielding Lotion. Odds are good, because for some crazy reason there are only 49 entries to date. I really like this stuff and I think you should definitely enter to win some! Do eet! (okay, funny accents are not as funny written out)

While you're at it, enter my Glade giveaway, too. I know you want a bottle of wine, candles, a giant delicious cookie and a reed diffuser. This is one heck of an awesome prize for one of my Canadian readers. On the down side for me, since I haven't figured out how to number comments yet, I'll be counting a lot of entries :) Don't worry, I always count twice to be sure I get the right commenter when random.org picks a winner!
________

I'm baking an eggless lemon loaf today. I LOVE baking but going eggless has me scrambling (ha! Sorry) to update recipes (read more about why I'm doing it here). I've made the muffins I showed you earlier twice this month already (DH says they're the BEST muffins I make! Despite his skepticism about going egg free!). I always feel like recipes are more like suggestions anyway - I rarely measure perfectly, add things in and substitute at will.

The lemon loaf recipe I use is from the Company's Coming Muffins & More cookbook - it makes a loaf that is so lemony good. It has a lemon glaze on top, is sweet yet tart, moist and rich... it's delicious. I kind of scoffed at this cookbook when someone gave it to me about 12 years ago - but it's turned out to be a must in my muffin-loving kitchen. It has cheesy quotes, but unbeatable recipes. This loaf, several muffins, and the best cheese bisuits make frequent appearances on our table. I recommend it - the recipes are straightforward and generally awesome.

I didn't want little flecky bits like the flax/water combo gives, so I'm trying a new thing... blended tofu (1/4 cup per egg in the recipe, put through the blender). I didn't have soft tofu, so I'm using medium firm. I'm really hoping the tofu sub will be perfectly unnoticeable. We'll see!
________

Some other giveaways for today, which I recommend entering after you've entered mine ;) -

For baby:
For the ladies:

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Shh...

It's finally snowing here after way too many days of rain. Yesterday it was 8 degrees. In Ontario. In January. So wrong! In January, it should be snowing. So all is just a little more right with the world. Not everything is okay, but one thing is better.

Thanks for your comments, by the way, on my sad tail day post... I am not 100% out of the funk today but I am feeling a little better. I think it's part SAD, part work stress, part anxiety. And it sucks that so many of us are going through these feelings. We probably all need a vacation to some sunny spot - to relax, soak up the sunshine for our Vitamin D fix, forget our troubles for a time. I wish!
________

Last night I had my painting class. One of my students kept going on last week about how my husband and I should have kids. This week again, she was talking about it, asking me if I was taking prenatal vitamins and so on. I barely know this woman. I am certainly not about to tell her about our troubles. She seemed to be completely oblivious to the vague, subject-changing answers I was giving to her questions, my smile becoming more and more brittle, how uncomfortable I was becoming. I know she meant well and just to be friendly, but it really had a salt-in-the-wound effect on me.

Unfortunately, I know I have done that to people, too. If you've never experienced the loss of a pregnancy, or the frustration of infertility, you don't even really think about it. I've certainly asked people about having kids before (I don't think I was as persistent as my student, but still). I didn't clue in that it might be a painful subject for some couples.

Just saying. Something to think about next time you're wondering why a couple doesn't have children "yet". Maybe they can't. Maybe it's on their minds at every waking moment. Maybe they've been through agony, both emotional and physical, in their struggle for a baby. Maybe they've got a dresser full of baby stuff, a room painted in the perfect nursery colour (Tiddley Pom by Behr's Disney line, btw), hearts longing for a child to love, names picked out, but only bad experiences to show for it... that look on the ultrasound technician's face. The awkward way doctors tell you that you're about to go through hell. Crying from the pain and the loss on the bedroom floor, in the washroom, in the ER.

Maybe it's better not to ask.
_______

Now that that's off my chest... I do have some more giveaways to share today from other blogs. Don't you love blog giveaways? I do (can you tell?!). I love reading blog reviews, learning about new products, having the chance to win something and try it out. Fun stuff. Here we go:

For baby:
For the ladies:
For anyone:
  • Win cool printed pillowcases from A Perfect Thing at Sweeps4Bloggers. Ends January 30th.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Sad tail day (with arghs and ughs).

I like my new Injinji Performance Toesocks. I won them over at Jamie's Precious Peas. I like my toes to have their own personal space.Cadbury likes them, too. Until he thought about it and realized that his toes are unlikely to ever have their own personal space. Then he had a small sad moment.I DON'T like how our fitted sheets don't fit our pillowtop mattress. Yes, we checked the size on the package before we bought. They were supposed to fit. They did - until I washed them. Now I fight with the #@* sheet every time I put them back on the bed. No matter how hard I tug, they will never reach all four corners. Argh!My in-laws have a great Jack Russell terrier (he is full of personality - I love him) that has sad tail days. Days when he's just not happy enough to wag. I'm having one of those. Despite the fun and colourful socks. It's rainy and grey (in January, that's just wrong for where I live - it should be snowing), which doesn't help. I had a fitful sleep and then woke early. I have a class tonight until 10pm and I'm not sure how I'm going to get through it. It's not a specific thing that's making me sad, just a general sense of hopelessness that has been hanging around for a couple of days.

Ugh.

Just giveaways

I don't have much to blog about today, but I do have a whole whack of giveaways to share. And if you haven't entered yet, there's still time to enter my giveaways right here -
Now for giveaways elsewhere in the blogosphere:

For baby:
For the ladies:
For anyone:
  • Win a $25 Starbucks card at A Day in the Life. Ends February 2nd.
  • Win a $50 gift certificate to CSN Stores at An Unconditional Mom. Ends February 21st. (Maybe you will have better luck with this site than I did. It took forever to load and then often would just be 'done' as a blank page!)
  • Win your choice of item from Bored, Inc. at Natural Baby Goods! Cute stuff for tots and moms. Ends February 5th.
  • Win bath products from Seed at My Organized Chaos. Ends February 1st.
  • Win a box of Enstrom's Toffee at Emmy's Boos and Rawrs. Ends January 31st.
more to come!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Sleep talking

I've mentioned before about my husband's habit of sleep talking. It is hilarious. I have learned so much from his sleep talk. Like that he doesn't like aliens - particularly the purple ones. And that fuzzy people are scary; we need to hide the dog in the closet when they come.

Sadly, his new CPAP machine seems to have ended the nighttime audio show. I miss the weird comments.

But, I have found a laugh-until-you-cry substitute at Sleep Talkin' Man. He's more talky than DH, and he does it in a British accent. Do you need a good solid laugh? I honestly nearly narfed my tea. (My mistake to take a big drink and then keep reading.) SO funny. The audio clips are great. Go. Now. Laugh until you pee a little.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Setting the Scene for Romance ~ Giveaway!

*** This giveaway is closed! ***
Winner: silverneon (confirmed)

I know I have mentioned before that February is the month of love. In fact, you're probably tired of hearing me go on about it :) Let's just say that we've been waiting for February for an eternity three months, and we're going to make the most of it.

So when I had the opportunity to review an amazing, romantic Valentine's Day assortment from Glade, you can imagine how fast I jumped on it! Romance? Yes, please!

This is the package I received:Wow! Spoil me! What is all that goodness? Well...

A triple-wick soy candle and a soy votive from the Fragrance Collection - Glade's line of boutique-quality scented candles. The scents, Sheer White Cotton and Currant and Acai, are wonderful. The first is like freshly laundered clothes - light, clean, and perfect for bright sunny winter days or chilly winter evenings when you want some comfort! The Currant and Acai scent is rich and fruity with the scent of berries. Both are pure fragrance, no chemical smell, and I love that they're soy, which is sustainable, clean burning, and natural.

A reed diffuser with a pretty wood top in the Currant and Acai scent, again from the Glade Fragrance Collection. We had a minor disaster with our last reed diffuser - I'd propped a framed watercolour on a shelf in the powder room that also held a reed diffuser. Then when the garage door slammed next time, off toppled the picture, taking the diffuser with it, and everything smashed on our tile floor. Cleaning up oil and glass shards from the walls, floor and toilet was not fun (although our bathroom did smell remarkably nice for quite some time after!). I am thrilled to have a new pretty diffuser from Glade for the bathroom - and I promise not to be so foolhardy in my picture placement in the future!

Some lovely cards and tags from Jonesy, a Canadian stationery company that does some great graphic cards that are environmentally friendly - they use FSC paper and soy-based inks. The set of five cards and tags in this package feature sweet little floaty hearts, great for any occasion but perfect for Valentine's Day! I think the tags might become lunch box love notes (shh, don't tell DH! I want it to be a sweet surprise).

An enormous, intricate cookie mookie from Jinja Ninja (love that name!) - another Canadian company that makes these edible creations from organic ingredients. I'm a lifelong baker and I can't even begin to imagine how Beverly comes up with these. They're amazing and would be great gifts for special occasions or just because.

Last but not least, a bottle of Copper Moon Sauvignon Blanc. I've never tried a Copper Moon wine before and I'm quite eager to test it out (tonight?). We love wine - we have toured vineyards in Niagara, and are those people who actually have a stocked wine rack in our cold cellar. I was interested to read that Copper Moon is made with grapes that are harvested at night. Who would have thought it made a difference when the grapes were harvested? But I have learned that the cool temperatures affect the flavour of the grapes. Neat!

AND - drum roll, please - I am thrilled to tell you that -
Glade has generously offered one of my Canadian readers the very same gift package that I received, in time for Valentine's Day!

Nothing like a little candlelight, wine and a sweet treat to set the scene for romance!

How to enter (do this first!): Tell me your plans for Valentine's Day! Will it be date night on the town, or a romantic evening at home, perhaps? Please be sure to include your email if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be deleted.

Extra entries (leave an extra comment for each):
  • Visit Glade, and tell me another product you would be interested in trying - 1 entry
  • Visit Jonesy and tell me what other design(s) you like! - 1 entry
  • Visit Jinja Ninja and tell me which mookie jumpstarts your cravings! - 1 entry
  • Let me know which variety of Copper Moon wine you'd love - the Merlot, Shiraz, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc? (no guarantee that you'll get the one you chose if you win, though)- 1 entry
  • Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
  • Add my blog button to your blog- leave the URL - 1 entry
  • Blog about this giveaway, linking back both to this post and to the Glade website – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
  • Tweet this giveaway and post a comment with the link to your tweet. You can copy this, if you like: "Win an awesome Glade romance prize pack at Emily's Latest (for Canadians only!) http://tinyurl.com/ydgwmxa". Thanks to my lovely and brilliant bloggy friend Capital Mom for the entry idea! - 1 entry (this isn't a daily!)
That’s 11 potential entries!

Eligibility: Open to Canadian residents only!

Ends: February 4th at 11:59 PM EST. Winner will be emailed, announced on this post and on a separate post on my blog. If I don't hear back within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Exciting!

Just a quick note to you, my faithful and sweet bloggy friends!

I have some exciting news... a very nice giveaway is coming up super soon (tomorrow?!) right here! One of my Canadian readers is going to be very happy when they win this extra awesome prize.

Keep your eyes peeled and fingers ready!

Happy

1. I got a good night's sleep last night. Sounds small, but with my husband's new CPAP machine that we are both still getting used to, and my unfortunate light sleeping (any little thing wakes me), it's been a long time since I had a really restful sleep. It helped that I went to bed at 9pm. I was really exhausted!

2. It's February. Well, okay, it's not, quite, but we're calling it. YAY! Life can begin again. Hopefully.

3. I'm getting a haircut today. I hate getting it done, but love when I've had one. Sometimes I wonder, though, why my hairdresser earns more than I do per hour. Especially as she's so much younger. Maybe I chose the wrong profession!

4. Things are good with work. Super busy, lots of stuff to do, but that's good. And some of the galleries have been selling stuff already this month - after Christmas is usually slow for sales, so it's been a nice start to the year. Did I mention I made a Facebook page for my artwork? It seems like a good idea (my husband talked me into it), but I still have only a few fans (and they're mostly family). Hm. Slightly embarrassing! I think it's kind of funny :)

I know, I know - I haven't done this in a while. But I have some giveaways saved up to share with you today. And don't forget to enter my giveaway for a bottle of SkinMD natural shielding lotion. It's really nice - why not enter, you'll get to try it for free if you win!

For baby:
  • Win a $100 gift certificate to Polka Dot Peacock at Design Dazzle. Ends January 23rd.
  • Win a $25 gift certificate to Growing Green Bums at My Silly Monkeys. Ends January 30th.
  • Win some awesome Canadian flag Stonz baby booties at CoolCanucks. Ends January 30th.
  • Win a Nuby pack (featuring six Nuby products!) at Hip Little One. Ends February 11th.
  • Win a Mrs. Smith's diaper bag at My Silly Monkeys. Ends January 28th.
  • Win the clothing item of your choice from Barley & Birch at In The Know Mom. Ends January 24th.
  • Win a Hotsling from Baby Snazz at Jabbering Jessi. Ends January 27th.
  • Win a Cloud B Polar Cuddle Cub from Dogree Online at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Open to Canadians only! Ends January 31st.
  • Win a set of Bummas cloth wipes at Life More Simply (must be a subscriber of her blog). Ends January 29th at noon.
  • Another chance to win Bummas cloth wipes at My Silly Monkeys. Ends January 26th.
  • Win Gerber cloth wipes and Organic Lavender and Tea Tree Essential Oil from Baby Blessings at Suburban Saving Mama. Ends January 25th.
  • Win a $50 gift certificate to Zutano (newborn clothes) at Natural Baby Goods. Ends February 12th.
For the ladies:
For anyone:
  • Win a Burt's Bees prize pack at Mommy Brain (the ladies might appreciate this more than the guys, but I don't want to discriminate!). Open to Canadians only! Ends January 25th.
  • Another chance to win a Burt's Bees prize pack at Organic Girl. Open to Canadians only! Ends January 22nd.
  • Win a Nature's Path organics prize pack at CoolCanucks. Ends January 28th.
  • Win the scarf of your choice from Affordable Scarves at Penny Pinching Mama. Ends January 31st.
  • Win Depth body wash, hand & body lotion & hand soap at My Wee View. Ends January 29th.
  • Win a tea prize pack from Golden Moon Tea at CoolCanucks. Ends January 22nd (tomorrow!).
Have fun! :)

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Winner announced!

I have drawn the winner of the Prego Planner! Some lucky expecting mama out there is going to be organized and stylish with this great product. I want to extend a big congratulations to the entrants who are themselves expecting (you are already winners in my book!).

So, without further ado, the winner is...



*Mirage*
, who said...
How wonderful!! I've been looking for something like this! I've been hoping for another little one and finally got some good news from a little white stick YESTERDAY!
I would like the Brown one if I win! Thanks for the chance!


That's a double congratulations to you, Mirage! Wishing you a healthy, happy pregnancy! (Confirmed)

Thank you all for entering. To my new followers - Hi! I hope you stick around. I've got more giveaways in the works :)
___

By the way, we had a date night last night - we went to see Avatar in 3D. This was one of the best movies I have ever seen! Seriously, make a date and go see it!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

A quick hello!

It's the last day to enter the Prego Planner giveaway!

The SkinMD Natural Shielding Lotion giveaway is still on until the 28th.

I've been AWOL for a bit, I know - busy with work and house guests. Also, I started playing the Sims 3 and if you have ever played a Sims game, you will know how time just disappears. I'm not sure why it's so fun, but it is.

I have a huge headache today. We're planning on going to see Avatar tonight, so I hope it goes away!

I'm off to work... I have some things I want to share but no time! I'll be back when I have a bit of time.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

It's here! SkinMD Natural Review and Giveaway!

***This giveaway is closed!***
The winner: Ninel! (confirmed)

Obviously, as I’m trying my best to lead a healthy life, I’m pretty concerned about what goes on my skin. Loads of chemicals can be absorbed through the skin, and if you check out the ingredients of a lot of popular skin care products, you’ll find some nasty stuff in there.

So I make sure to read the ingredients on the products I use, especially since we started trying to conceive. Recently, I had the opportunity to try out SkinMD Natural shielding lotion. Here’s what I loved on my first visit to the SkinMD website. They have an ingredients list right there on the site AND they tell you exactly what each of the ingredients is, and why it’s in there. There’s so much transparency for this natural skin care product, which as a concerned consumer, I really appreciate!

Instead of replacing the skin’s natural oils like moisturizers do, a shielding lotion protects the skin by forming a natural barrier – which keeps environmental toxins out and encourages your skin to regulate moisture naturally. (When I was in school, all of us art students became very familiar with barrier creams for protecting our skin from the chemicals we were using, whether that was in printmaking shop, painting studio or even the woodworking studio. SkinMD kind of reminds me of a gentler version of those barrier creams.)

Let me just get a little personal here and explain that I have had skin issues for years. I have recurring seborrheic dermatitis on my face as well as acne. The dermatitis leaves me with red, flaky, itchy, dry skin (not lovely) and the acne ranges from sebaceous filaments to those big, sore cysts that swell up like mosquito bites and hurt like heck. Not fun!

Believe me, I’ve tried everything - from the pharmacy acne creams to natural remedies, both over the counter and prescription. My dermatologist even prescribed long-term, low-dose antibiotics to help with my skin problems (which I have stopped taking!). I’ve tried retin-A creams, ProActiv (which is pretty much just benzoyl peroxide), salicylic acid, AHA’s, tea tree oil… you name it, over the years, I’ve tried it.

And now I’ve finally found a regimen that is keeping my skin clear - for the first time in about twenty years!!! I haven’t had a major breakout in weeks. For me this is huge.

I’m not certain exactly what has solved the problem as I’ve changed a few things in the last few weeks. I’ve stopped eating eggs, I’ve started using an organic oatmeal soap on my face once a day, and I’ve started using this SkinMD lotion on my face as well. I have also completely stopped the prescription acne cream and antibiotics that my dermatologist had me on. I had those two random hormonal rollercoasters lately, plus I am getting older and who knows, maybe I’ve just hit that threshold where my skin has balanced out. So I don’t want to claim this as a miracle cream or anything (SkinMD doesn’t make any claims about acne, as far I as I could see), but it is part of a new skincare regimen that has been working wonders for me.

The acne has gone away. I still have the sebaceous filaments, but that’s not uncommon and as long as they don’t get infected I’m okay with that. The dermatitis has really disappeared, and to say that in the middle of a dry Canadian winter is really something! Is it the protective silicones, or maybe the natural anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory ingredients (like aloe, comfrey, arnica, yarrow & chamomile) in the SkinMD? Did I have an egg allergy that just showed up as skin problems? Who knows.

My husband and I tried the SkinMD Natural shielding lotion, and samples of the SPF version as well. The lotion itself has a light, neutral scent – it just smells ‘like lotion’, but it’s not overpowering. It’s got a light consistency that smooths on easily, but absorbs very quickly. I hate when creams leave my skin feeling greasy; with the SkinMD a few seconds after application it’s no longer wet to the touch, but my skin doesn’t feel dried out. After I do my face I rub any excess on the backs of my hands. I also found that because it doesn’t feel greasy I am not tempted to wash it off my hands. So my hands are looking and feeling better, too.

I found I needed to use two applications of the SkinMD on my face at first. I do my under-eye cream, wait a little for that to absorb, then apply the SkinMD all over. A few seconds later a second round of SkinMD to finish off. It sounds like a lot, but it really is seconds between coats. The reason was that the dermatitis makes my skin super tight so it tended to flake, especially on my forehead (yuck).

After the first couple weeks I am down to only one light application, and this is something that I’ll admit I was skeptical about. Their website describes that you can taper off your use. I thought, Really? What company would tell you to use less and less of their product? But honestly, that has been my experience. I am using less than when I started and my skin is looking GREAT.

My husband suffers from eczema on his legs. I showed him the before and after shots on their website of eczema sufferers (the photos really are amazing). He was still skeptical. (My husband is one seriously stubborn guy.) So, he has used it a few times on his problem areas, but not enough to notice a big difference. I think if he really gave it a shot he would see results, just based on what it’s done for my dermatitis, but I have found that my man does his own thing no matter what my good advice is!

The facility that manufactures SkinMD has recently installed solar panels and utilizes solar power to produce Skin MD Natural. Not only that, but they don’t test on animals. Way to go!

SO what is the point of all this?

Well, for one to brag for the first time EVER that I actually have nice skin. Yay, me!

Secondly, to say that I’m loving the SkinMD and while I do find it a little gaspy at $18 USD a bottle (with another $9.95 shipping fee to Canada)… but very comparable to your typical Olay creams, for example, at $30 CDN a pop (which are smaller tubs, and are full of who knows what); I would pick this any day.
To make that just a little sweeter, SkinMD is offering my readers a 20% discount code!!! Woo hoo! :) To receive this discount, simply enter the special code FFSR at checkout!
And THIRDLY, what you have all been waiting for, to offer you, my lucky readers, the chance to test this out yourself when one of you wins a bottle of the SkinMD Shielding Lotion.

The giveaway: A bottle of Skin MD Shielding Lotion.

How to enter: Visit SkinMD, and tell me another product you would be interested in trying, AND something you learned from the website. Please be sure to include your email if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be deleted.

Extra entries (leave an extra comment for each):
  • Sign up for the Skin Free RSS feed and let me know you did
  • Use the store locator to find the nearest store to you where you can buy SkinMD products, and let me know where it is
  • Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
  • Add my blog button to your blog- leave the URL
  • Blog about this giveaway, linking back both to this post and to the SkinMD website – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
That’s 9 potential entries!

Eligibility: Open to US and Canadian residents.

Ends: January 28th at 11:59 PM EST. Winner will be emailed and announced on this post and on a separate post on my blog. If I don't hear back within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen.

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Lastly - now that you know how great this product is - take a moment to enter their Valentine's Day contest as well! With a big prize pack up for grabs, this is going to make one more winner very happy!


This review was based on a product that I received as a sample from the sponsor. No payment was made for this review. Prize will be shipped directly from the sponsor.

Hang in there -

My newest giveaway will be up later today! I'm just waiting on a little bit of extra info.

I made veggie burgers last night, inspired by Dairy Free Betty, in turn inspired by OhSheGlows. I followed the original recipe, except that I didn't have pepitas on hand so left those out. I used a tin of mixed beans because for some reason we were out of chick peas (how did that happen?!). And I made six burger-sized patties instead of eight small ones. They were pretty yummy and easy! I liked that they were baked - no oil at all. We had them on cheese buns with guacamole, cucumber, tomato and cheddar, with a side of steamed asparagus with toasted sesame seeds. The leftover cooked patties are in the freezer, ready to toss into wraps or buns when we need a quick dinner.

My husband is still deeply in love with the cashew burgers I make from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, though. (The recipe is online, here!) They are just as easy and the cashews really add a wonderful texture and flavour to the patties. The trouble is, the recipe contains an egg. I'm still deciding how to get around that. I guess I should just try it with 1 Tbsp ground flax to 3 Tbsp water as a substitute and see how it goes. What I'm worried about is that the egg really acts as a sticky binder in this recipe, and I'm not sure how well the flax mix will bind things together. By the way, I know I've mentioned it before, but this is such a great cookbook if you are looking to increase your meatless meals or otherwise find some new vegetarian recipes. It's HUGE and is kind of like a Joy of Cooking for vegetarians - that thorough. There hasn't been one recipe that we've tried that we haven't liked, and some are now among our favourites. Plus it's really reasonably priced. I got my copy for Christmas three years ago and it's on regular rotation. I was shocked to find out it was under $30 (not on Bittman's site - try Amazon or Chapters for the good prices!).

Meanwhile, here are some other blogs' giveaways to keep you going. Wouldn't want to deprive anyone of their giveaway fix!

For baby:
For the ladies:
For anyone:
  • Win a $100 gift certificate to Threadless Tees at Bargain Moose. Open to Canadians only! Ends January 22nd.
  • Win a $25 gift certificate to EcoStore USA at The Ahoteiloa Family blog. Ends January 22nd.
  • Another chance to win a $25 gift certificate to EcoStore USA at Eco-Cheap Mom. Ends January 25th. (I recently won this prize at My Silly Monkeys, so I'm not entering these ones - I'll let you know what I think of the products once I get them!)
  • Win an item of your choice from Bored, Inc. (kawaii!) at Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls. Ends January 22nd.
  • Today is Giveaway Day at Save Money in Winnipeg. A giveaway each hour! Open to Canadians only!
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Would anyone like an invitation to join Beyond the Rack? It's a members-only online designer outlet. Great deals on designer stuff from handbags & other accessories to clothing (men and women). Click on the link, or comment with your email address (just mention it if you don't want your comment with email addy published), and I'll send you an invitation!


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... It just sank in that today is my due date from the first lost pregnancy.