Late Night Sweeping

As I was up until 7am this morning I found myself going through all the instant win games and some daily entries into the sweeps I normally do.  It seems as if my late night adventures paid off to an extent. As I was going through the instant win games I have bookmarked in my Google Bookmarks I found myself winning three separate times!

First was a coupon for Dove Ice Cream Bars - valued up to $5.50

Second was a coupon for Sour Patch Kids - valued up to $2.20

Lastly was coupons for Barilla Pasta and Sauce - valued up to $2.00

I haven't won on the instant win games in what seems like forever so these three wins were a welcome site! Even though they were not big wins, they were wins I will get good use out of. I can make dinner with the pasta and sauce and then enjoy a nice ice cream bar after wards! Then maybe later on enjoy a sour snack too!  Sometimes it pays to stay up late and do your entries.

Giveaways To Come

I just wanted to keep my followers in the loop. I have had a handful of you asking when I was going to do giveaways, well that time is just around the corner. I have secured a few items to giveaway and was just waiting on the invitation from Rafflecopter to use their beta software to use for the entry system. That invite came today! I have already set up my account with them. I would like to send a HUGE Thank You to Greg at Rafflecopter for sending me the invite. I am ecstatic to be able to use it.  As most of you know I do not do a lot of blog giveaways, because I absolutely dislike the hoops you need to jump through to do entries just to go back and post comments on the giveaway page. Yes a hassle at times, well with Rafflecopter that is going to be a streamlined process. I am very happy to be able to do my giveaways with their system!!

I have already created the giveaway tab, which is located in the tab toolbar on the main page. You will be able to find all current giveaways, winners, and information about expired giveaways under that tab. There is also a review tab for products reviewed. If there is a giveaway from a review the giveaway will be under the giveaway tab and the review under reviews. Please do check back frequently to see new reviews and new giveaways!

Manna Pro - All Natural Fly Repellent for Horses, Dogs, & Cats - REVIEW

As everyone knows I have horses and my biggest task in the summer time is finding a repellent that keeps those pesky flies away from them while they are outside. This year I was on a mission to find a repellent that was all natural. I had started to have bad feelings about the repellent I was using once I read the bottle and it contained hazardous warnings and keep away from children. Here I had been using this product on my dogs and horses for years. Not anymore - that product that contains toxins that could harm my horses was going to meet it's maker and no longer be supported by myself.

Yesterday I stopped to pick up a few things at a local Country Max store and saw a few bottles of all natural fly repellent. I stood there for a good half an hour reading the labels of the bottles. Some of which where not all natural at all, while others were indeed just that "all natural" ingredients.  I decided on the Manna Pro All Natural Repellent and purchased a bottle to try. The price was reasonable at $11.99 per pint sprayer, while others were $20 and more. Manna Pro is known for its award winning horse products and feed. I have previously, and still do, feed my horses Manna Pro Rice Bran Powder. The Powder helps put weight onto the horses without making them "hot". By saying hot I mean hyper and full of energy. Bailey is such a hard one to keep weight on that the Rice Bran Powder does wonders for him! Seeing I already had a history of knowing Manna Pro's amazing feeds I figured the fly repellent was going to be just as good.

My Grill

During my sweeping I have been on a mission to win a grill, but not just any grill a Weber Grill. I've won a tiny Masterbuilt charcoal grill previously and this thing is great for taking to football tailgating parties, but to cook on it barely fits two big steaks on it.  So the mission was to find every contest I could that a prize was a Weber Grill.  I've cooked on friend's Weber's and loved them! I wanted a Weber Genesis, specifically the red  one because the patio furniture for the new house is red and orange mix.  A Red Weber would complete that look.

On my birthday I received an email from a sweep that I had been chosen as one of the grill winners! YES a grill finally! Keep in mind I had a Charbroil Gas grill that I had given to my cousin when we moved. I had all intentions of replacing this grill and honestly they needed a gas grill. So off my old grill went across the street the day we left.  Just for me to get this email that I won a grill was like karma coming back to me as a good pay it forward. Again, I wasn't sure what type of grill this was going to be other than I looked back at the sweeps and saw it has an ARV of $100. I would have been happy with the two burner Charbroil that sell for $87 right now.  For weeks I sat anxiously awaiting for the next email to tell me my information had been verified and I can come pick up my grill. See, with sweeps that involved Budweiser you have to fax or email a copy of your license to verify you are over the age of 21 and this sweep was no exception.

Yesterday that email finally arrived telling me where to come pick up the grill. I knew it was going to be at the local Bud distributor, because I have previously won from this local sweeps and had to pick up the items at the distributor before.  I raced to get dressed and out the door to go and get my grill all the way thinking "my god I hope it fits in the car". Previously I had been ten minutes from this place, but now that I am moved I am a good 40 minutes away in good traffic and here I was leaving at 4pm when it was close to rush hour. I was anxious to get there and see what grill it was!

Upon getting there I had to show my ID to verify it was indeed me that had won. The receptionist (who I think knows me by first name now) was there to great me Hello (yet again). Once my name was verified as being on the list she went to the grill I had won. Much to my surprise it was a Weber Kettle Grill. I had said I wanted to win a Weber, well here indeed I did.  I was excited yet disappointed all at the same time. I really wanted a gas grill, but this was a Weber Kettle grill and I was happy to take it. I had to take off the lid and grill grate to get it into the car, this grill was already assembled! Whew thankfully that was a time saver having it already put together and of course it is branded Weber and Budweiser right on it.

I just thought I'd share my grill story. Here is a picture of my grill now sitting safely on my patio next to my favorite lawn ornament, the wooden Moose! I can't wait to cook steaks, burgers, and veggies on it. Maybe one day I'll win a Weber Genesis Gas Grill, but for now I'm happy with my Weber Kettle, after all I did say I'd like to win a Weber Grill maybe I just never specified what kind!

The Snow Blower Incident

What was supposed to be a weekend of fun activities with friends from High School turned into a nightmare of a drama scene with a family member. Big families surely have their issues, but why does it seem mine has more than average.  My Mom is the second youngest of seven, there are six girls and one boy.. there are 6 of them still alive. I lost an Aunt back in the early 70's (before I was even born) to a car accident. I was always told growing up I looked like no one in my Mom's family, but after seeing pictures of my deceased Aunt I never met I looked just like her! If you are on my Facebook personal page I'm sure you've seen the posts and then the answer posts from the cousin causing drama.  Drama over a snow blower that he does not own nor did he pay a penny towards owning.  This snow blower in question is my Mom's. It was always kept in my cousin's garage across from my old house because we did not have a garage.  The deal was he would pay her half for it and well that deal never happened, he never gave her a penny of that half.  The second part of the deal was stored in his garage and both drive ways would get done.  That part of the deal is the only one that seemed to work, that is if it was my MOM who would go out and do the driveways because everyone knows my cousin was too lazy to do them!

20th High School Reunion Weekend

It has been talked about for years and years and finally the weekend is upon us for my 20th High School Reunion. Just saying 20th makes me feel old, but truth be told I was one of the youngest ones in our class. I probably should have been held back to start school for the following year, but my Mom managed to get me into school early. This weekend is packed of activities to do and I'm sure I'll make a fun time out of it!

Going on right now is a Golf Tournament, then tonight there is a beer blast fundraiser at a local bar, tomorrow brings the formal dinner at a county club in the area. What makes it all that more exciting for tonight is the Canal Festival is going on (huge local festival here) and of course the bar is located right by the fest and there is a Bike Cruise Night/Show too. To go off topic for a minute, I just LOVE bike cruises. I love them much more than the Car shows, you see some pretty amazing and beautiful bikes from all around the area at this annual bike cruise!  What better way to enjoy some old friends with a cocktail and walking around looking at all those bikes!

So to an extent, yes I will be kind of disappearing this weekend to spend time with friends I have not seen in years upon years and to spend time with those friends I am fortunate enough to have kept in contact with all these years.  I have to admit if it wasn't for Facebook I probably would not have come back into contact with a few friends! Thank You Facebook for allowing me to find those people who were in my life previously and bring them back into the present!

Surviving the School Year

We are already starting to see the Back To School ads coming out, WOW July and we are already thinking about back to school already.  Amazing how the summer just flies by.  Sticking to the theme of back to school I have composed a few Back To School survival tips for families.

1. Create a budget for supplies and stick to it! Or even better create a budget for your child and let your child do their Back To School shopping.  This helps them appreciate how a budget works and lets them pick out what they would like.  Some schools mandate certain supplies be bought, if this is your case then shop for deals.  There  are a ton of deals out there through many websites that can help you save money on your Back-To-School budget.

2. Be Patient! Going back to school can sometimes be stressful for children, especially those that are moving into a new school. Little ones will have questions and will want to show how proud they are of the work they have done.

3. Don't hesitate to ask for help! There are many websites out there now a days that can assist parents and students with home work questions. I know some of the math now a days is not something I remember looking at, it makes you want to pull out your hair trying to help them.. again back to have patience and ask for help when needed.

4. Get to know your children's teachers! This is very very important. If the teacher has an email system to keep parents up to date on school activities make sure your email is up to date and current.

5. There is nothing wrong with taking a family vacation during the middle of the school year! This allows for both parents and children to get a much needed release from the stressful-ness that some school years bring!

6. Have fun and enjoy yourself! Support your children in all their activities and encourage them to do their best. Even if their best is a C, it is still none the less their best!

Disclosure: This post was created as an entry into a Contest for a Master Lock Back-To-School Prize pack as part of being a member of the Mom Bloggers Club.

More information on Master Lock can been seen at www.facebook.com/masterlock

Transformers Galore Giveaway by Time To Play Link Up

Today I thought I'd let you know about Time To Play.  They are a blog that offers reviews of all kinds of toys and have even classified them into categories so you can find them easily. Not only do they review toys, but they do giveaways!! Who doesn't love giveaways.  Wednesdays are their big twitter giveaways and Fridays are their TV show with giveaways, but last and not least is their weekly giveaways... This week it is Geek Week Transformers Galore Giveaway which can be seen at

http://timetoplaymag.com/playforum/2011/07/geek-weeks-giveaway-transformers-galore/

You simply enter your information and follow the steps in the rules and mark off what you did! My type of giveaway if you ask me.  Everyone who has a child that loves Transformers should go enter this giveaways and if you do GOOD LUCK!

Thursdays Thoughts

Today I am rather blah! Still, I've been having a bad week... actually it's been a bad month. July has never been the best month for me and that is still ringing true for 2011. Today I learned that a friend of mine has a sick dog. Her dog has thyroid Cancer and the vet hasn't given him much time to live. Hearing this brings back memories, memories of my Pudge whom I lost last year in March. I had raised Pudge, I watched him be born. He was so fat when he was born he looked like a sausage with 4 legs, so I called him Pudge. At 3 days old he knew his name already, so the name stuck. When Pudge was 3 I had lost his Mother. She had been diagnosed with Lymphocycoma Cancer. I learned a hard lesson, not to open up a dog that is sick. We had opted for a biopsy of her one lymph node and by opening her up it made her go faster. The night she died she still had the staples in her leg from doing the biopsy. She literally was catatonic and I had decided that it was time. She couldn't walk or move, this was a 70lb dog that now had to be carried out to the car. As I came back into the house to get her she got up, she actually got up and she walked out of the back door onto the porch and just looked around. Then she walked down the two stairs and gently got into the backseat of the car. This was a dog that couldn't walk or move all day long, the cancer had gotten into her spinal cord she was now almost paralyzed. But she got up and walked out the door and into the car.  Just as I had turned around to go back into the house and get my purse I heard a big deep breath... and then she was gone. Just like that in a split second she was gone.

Twitter Parties & New Calendar

Hello Everyone!! Just a quick post to let everyone know the situation.  Tweeparties.com as of July 1st, due to lack of resources, is NO longer updating their twitter party calendar. So on that note and a huge brainstorm I have added a Calendar to my blog page, which can be seen under Twitter Parties Tab on my home page.

Along with this calendar I have recruited some help and set preferences so some people can add, manage, change, and delete party info. I am also trying to work on a calendar that will allow one click link to take you to party page info, but for the mean time you will have to cut and paste website addresses to get onto RSVP or/and party info pages (I apologize for this, but out of my control right now)

The Move - Literally Calm to Chaotic

**warning this post may contain explicit language**

Where to begin, I suppose at the beginning.  A month ago we rented a PODS (Portable On Demand Storage) and had it placed on the front lawn.  This gave me a month to go through the basement and decide what was going into this POD and why it should.  All of the outdoor Christmas and Halloween decorations went into it, along with every single Christmas decoration/tree/wrapping paper in the house.  I also put winter clothes, a fire pit still in the box, outdoor summer decorations, patio chairs and umbrella, the one dog crate, along with misc other boxes that weren't going to get used or missed if they were in the PODS for a few months.  Originally thinking was the PODS would only be needed for a few months until we got the close date on the short sale house.  Again, original thinking this was...