Chick-fil-A Giveaway

Who doesn't love Chick-fil-A? There are fresh flowers on every table and in the bathroom at their restaurants. They sell chicken that actually looks like chicken (and the taste is always fresh)! They are closed Sunday so their employees are encouraged to spend family time together. They give boat-loads of scholarships to kids. And, they were the first to offer the brand new Heinz ketchup packaging (squeeze or dip)!

With summer break lurking next week, Kiddo and I will be out and about during the day exploring sites in the city. A tweener (especially a male) can get very hungry, very quickly. That's when I'll be stopping by a Chick-fil-A to check out the new salads and wrap. With swimsuit season already here, it's time to change the diet a bit. Just because I choose fast food, doesn't mean I have to choose fried foods. Chick-fil-A has introduced 3 new salads and a wrap all under 430 calories. With Chick-fil-A's new menu, I don't have to compromise my healthy choices for taste! With Chick-fil-A's new menu options, I can have both.



I want you to try the new menu, too! Chick-fil-A has provided me with a 2-pack of salad coupons to give away to one of my readers. All you have to do is take the "Starter" quiz found below and tell me your results by leaving a Comment! How easy is that? You have until Thursday, May 23, midnight EST, to enter! A winner will be selected using Random.org and will be announced on Friday! Be sure to check back to see if you won.

The prize will be sent via FedEx or USPS. No P.O. Boxes please.
Please note I am working with Chick-fil-A, and Chick-fil-A supplied these materials to me.

Goodbye Week. Hello Weekend. Lessons Learned: Take 84.

Goodbye to Super Hubby taking Kiddo to school almost every single day this week - what a treat and luxury.
Goodbye 2 more lost pounds; that makes a total of 4 pounds and 6 more to go.
Goodbye searching for the perfect coffee mug to hold my addiction, story to follow soon (thanks, Grammie).
Goodbye month of February - you were so sweet and loveable!
Goodbye spending some precious time visiting with my parents and wishing for more days like it.

Hello March - lion or lamb?
Hello "date night" with Kiddo, enjoying dinner at Abeulo's and attending the Middle School play, Grease. It is the word!
Hello popping in The DaVinci Code as I'm suddenly in the mood for some Conclave Conspiracy theories.
Hello sweet sister-in-law's birthday; I hope it's a nice one.
Hello anticipating an epic 10-part miniseries on The History Channel, with Executive Producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey: The Bible. Click here to preview!

 

My Lesson Learned this week involves The Bible miniseries from The History Channel. The Bible is filled with so many life lessons and Mark Burnett and Roma Downey are taking Its teachings to a whole new level; a level more relatable to the youth of today. They are using media to portray many teachings that a person of today may have missed in their hustle-bustle lives. I have high expectations of this miniseries and look forward to learning more about living through the stories they have chosen to recapture on the small screen. My lesson learned is no matter how the Message is delivered, whether in a church, a book, or on a television screen, what's important is that the Message is received.

The History Channel writes:
"Breathtaking in scope and scale, The Bible features powerful performances, exotic locales and dazzling visual effects that breathe spectacular life into the dramatic tales of faith and courage from Genesis through Revelation. This historic television event is sure to entertain and inspire the whole family! Where will YOU be 3.3.13?"

To celebrate, The History Channel is sponsoring a giveaway. All you have to do is visit this site, click here. You can take the Bible quiz, if you'd like, and you can see if you recognize the characters and stories The Bible plans to tell. The site is counting down to 3.3.13!

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on my site sharing your Bible quiz results, your favorite Bible story or character, or just tell me what you're doing on 3.3.13. Enter as often as you'd like. Winners will be chosen by March 21, 2013.

What you can win: a copy of one of the official The Bible companion books! (Prize will be chosen randomly from the book titles below)
        A Story of God and All of Us (HARDCOVER)
        A Story of God and All of Us (REFLECTIONS)
        A Story of God and All of Us (YOUNG READERS)

Prize will be sent via FedEx or UPS. No P.O.Boxes, please!

When leaving a comment, be sure to leave an e-mail so I may contact you, the winner!

Disclosure: I am working with History Channel in providing this Giveaway and History Channel has supplied the Prize materials for the winner.      
 

You Gotta Check-Out: Red Envelope

Sentimental? Yes! Cheesy? NEVER! Is there any question that Red Envelope has the most unique, high-quality gifts imaginable? Valentine's Day is just around the corner with plenty more occasions to celebrate afterwards so, save yourself a trip of perusing humdrum gift selections at your local department store and click on over to Red Envelope. The hardest part will be choosing just one item to love!

I was looking for a unique Valentine's gift for Super Hubby and I had a hard time narrowing down my selection to just one item. After hours of deliberation, I decided to get him this Made in America wood cutting board made from sustainable solid maple. It's personalized (like many Red Envelope gift selections) thanks to laser-cutting right into the wood and I had a choice of several different styles. And, talk about reasonably priced, too! The best part to this cutting board is, with proper care and seasoning, the wood will age to a beautiful finish, getting better with time (just like our marriage).

This cutting board hails from Dorset, Vermont, from the J.K. Adams Co. Red Envelope scours the globe for unique items like this one and gathers all this high-quality selection just for you, the online shopper. You can see the color of the maple is simply gorgeous. The deep well around the cutting board will hold meat juices at bay. Just look at the deep etching of the personalized design in the center. Honestly, I love it so much, I don't think we'll be cutting anything on it anytime soon, it's that beautiful! Would you cut-up a pork roast on a Picasso? I don't think so. I truly do find this cutting board a natural work of art.

The best part is Super Hubby's reaction to it. Yes, I know it's not Valentine's Day, yet, but I did have to publish this post. So, early gift! He's very rarely, if ever, impressed and even he commented on how nice the board was. If you know Super Hubby, you know this is a Super Big compliment!

Ordering was super-simple and you were e-mailed the details of your order from the time it left the manufacturer to the time it would be at your door. How do they do that? The best part is YOU, yes YOU, get to pick the day you want it delivered. Is that cool, or what? In a world of Free Shipping, it was a bit of a bummer to pay for shipping, but Red Envelope discounts are found everywhere on the Internet, so be sure to take advantage of coupons to help offset shipping costs.
So, what are you waiting for? Head on over to Red Envelope and spend some time browsing their unique items. You will not find a better selection of unique, customized gifts any where else and where quality is never compromised.

Although Red Envelope provided me with $65 off any order to review their products and site, the opinions of my experience are represented honestly and are strictly my own. Does this mean I'm really cheap when I buy gifts for Super Hubby?

You Gotta Check Out: Shari's Berries

Happiness is finding this package on your front porch.

'Tis the holiday season. Time to put a little effort and planning into gift-giving for those that are hard to buy for. The added stress of it just takes away some of the joy in our days of wanting to be merry and bright. Want a killer gift that will win anyone over, anytime? Check out Shari's Berries. I warn you to have a napkin at-the-ready as you browse their deliciousness (you know, to wipe up the drool).

It was my first time ordering any kind of chocolate-covered strawberries from an online store. Quite frankly, I didn't think the concept was even possible. Too many obstacles like shipping, compromising taste and quality, freshness, etc. The contents of my order proved me wrong as Shari's Berries seems to have flown over every hurdle, delivering luscious, chocolate-covered goodies right to my door.

I ordered the Hand-Dipped Fruit Trio.

Hilarious!

Let's start with the shipping. Every detail is met to ensure top-shelf quality. Beyond choosing the exact date YOU want it delivered to your door, beyond the e-mails informing you of your order's shipping status, the packaging itself is an engineering marvel. They thought of everything from padding the inside of the box, to having little absorbent doilies under each berry to catch any natural juices, to incorporating 2 ice packs to keep your order cool no matter whose porch it gets delivered to! And, to top it all off, they do it with a great sense of humor. Check out the verbiage on the box - hilarious!

Don't even talk about the tastiness! Each plump strawberry is blanketed with a rich, creamy chocolate and coated with either nuts, mini-chips, or even a white chocolate coating with milk chocolate drizzle. I purchased the Hand-dipped Fruit Trio, which included chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate-covered cherries, and a chocolate-covered caramel apple. I know Shari's is known for their berries, but my ultimate flavor experience came from the chocolate-covered cherries - YUMMY! They're like maraschino cherries, stem on, and covered in a variety of chocolates from milk, white, and dark. You've got to try these!

I hope you take the time to browse Shari's Berries and see if you can't find that perfect gift for someone that's hard to buy for. Hey, everyone eats and everyone will enjoy this special treat. Each box even comes wrapped in a ribbon, ready to give! You can trust that the experience will be one that won't disappoint. Explore the Internet for some wonderful coupons for savings you can use.

Special thanks to Shari's Berries for giving me the opportunity to review their product. 

Although Shari's Berries provided me with $65 off any order to review their products and site, the opinions of my experience are represented honestly and are strictly my own.

You Gotta Check Out: Personal Creations

With today's mass production of stuff, it's difficult to find gifts for those you love that are unique, personal, and meaningful. Did I mention high-quality, but affordable, too? Leave that mega-manufactured gift on the shelf and go for something deeper that your recipient will really feel special about. Start clicking your way to Personal Creations and begin enjoying a shopping experience that elevates personal gift-buying to new heights and does it in so many unique ways.

One of my bestest friends lives in the same neighborhood as I do; we're only a couple streets away from each other. I can't say enough about this dedicated wife and mom other than I'm happy and proud to know her. I was given the chance to review a complimentary product from Personal Creations and thought no one was more deserving of a gift than my wonderful friend. I clicked over to Personal Creations and started to shop all the different categories of wonderful gifts. I enjoyed seeing the various options and was really impressed with the personalized flair each gift promised.

I finally decided on a very practical, yet personal gift to give my friend. With those cold Cleveland winters tapping at the front door, I thought no home should be without one of these types of blankets, an afghan throw. We keep 3 at-the-ready in our family room at all times! It was so easy to select the blanket and type-in the personalization that would make this afghan throw unique. Best of all, this $45-blanket was MADE IN THE USA - bonus!!!!!! I opted for the gift box so I could hand it to my friend the moment it arrived. And arrived it did - on time and I knew every step that box took along the way. Personal Creations keeps you informed via e-mail on when your package shipped, shares with you the FedEx tracking number, and also gives an estimated time of arrival. My package beat the odds by one day!

When the package arrived, it was pristine. I opened the carton, dug through lots of green peanuts, and found the gift box held closed by a skinny golden ribbon - nice touch. I did enter a card message during my order checkout but, alas, the card has yet to be found, but that was the only disappointment. My friend was really happy to have received such a personalized gift and I was very happy with the quality of the blanket and the embroidery.

For my friend, the missing card said, "I thought of who I could buy for and it was you! Thanks for being such a great and wonderful friend."

Quick and easy ordering, fast delivery, unique, high-quality gifts: I'll be personalizing many of my holiday gifts this season and I want you to give them a try, too!

Happy shopping!


Although Personal Creations provided me with $50 off any order to review their products and site, the opinions of my experience are represented honestly and are strictly my own. 

Taking Care of Business

I'll take this opportunity to make a couple of bloggy announcements.

Search Button
I've added a Search Button to make things a little easier in trying to find older posts. So, now, when you're trying to find that fabulous chicken fingers recipe or instructions to that awesome melted crayon art project, you can simply type in some key words in the search box (you can leave out the superlatives), hit search, and you'll find what you're looking for. Simple, right? The search box is found in the left-hand column of the post entitled Search This Blog. I hope this makes things easier to find and re-find!

LOVD Sponsors
Obviously, I don't blog for the money. I can't dedicate the time necessary to make this into a living; I have a child and a husband running his own business, remember? But, you'll see I'll do sponsored posts every now and again. Those I pick and choose and only select if I absolutely believe in the subject (like the Teach Kids about Money post), think a post would be fun to write about the subject (like the Walgreens Summer Beauty Routine post), or think you should really know about the subject (like The Bully Project post). The point is, I'm selective and I've only chosen a smidgen of paid-post opportunities that have come my way (there was an offer from a lady's pleasure product that I ABSOLUTELY did not consider - if you're looking for that, you're at the wrong blog).

So, when Coupons By Answers approached me as a sponsor I really had to think about it because I didn't want to be that kind of blog. You know what I'm talking about. I weighed the offer heavily in my mind. Before providing an answer, I used the site myself. Every time I'd be going to the store, I'd type in the store name just to make sure there wasn't an unknown coupon out there, lingering around so I could save some cash. Their site is easy to use and very convenient. I spoke to several friends about having the link from Coupons By Answers on my site and they encouraged me to do it because they wanted the savings and easy access to the coupons. So, I decided to give sponsorship a try. Coupons By Answers is located in the left-hand column and I hope you give them a try, too! I think any loss of respect will be turned around with the savings you'll see. Let me know how you do!

Etsy Shop Opening
Really? Let's not go there today.

Summertime is Family Time

Summertime, and the living is care-free, slowed-down, and delicious. Summertime is a special season when folks adopt a more casual tone; where time spent with family and friends becomes a bit more celebratory when lived between those welcomed cool breezes amongst the waves of the heat.

During summer, the pace slows down and you exchange your hustle for a stroll, your stovetop cooking for the smokiness of the grill. And your dessert repertoire change, too. The bounty of summer gives way to so many different fruits to try, all plump and ripe for the picking. Summer time is the only time of year my family plays "farmer" as we head to the strawberry and blueberry fields to pick our own. There is something so grounded, so simplistically elegant in eating what your eyes have chosen and your hands have picked from the rich soil. In that brief moment we truly sense our belonging to Mother Earth and are all too happy to partake in her bounty.

For my family, summertime is an opportunity to treat ourselves to something special: daily dessert. Unless it's a special occasion, we typically forgo the dessert course during the other seasons. So why is summer different? Because, for us, summer allows us to enjoy each other more, without the busyness of school, sports, homework, and the early darkness daylight savings brings. With strict schedules shelved, along with longer days and cooler nights, dessert becomes part of my family's dinner plan. Dessert brings celebration to our ordinary day and food always brings people together in a special way. After ending a meal with dessert, my family calls it a good day, no matter what happened between sunup and sundown. If it's summer and there's dessert, it can't be anything but a good day!

Celebrate your family tonight with this simple dessert that takes advantage of summer's fresh fruit bounty of strawberries and blueberries and couples it with COOL WHIP Whipped Topping in a most special way.

COOL WHIP Pavlova with Berries

What You'll Need

Strawberries

Blueberries

COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Glass bowls

 What You'll Do

This is my take on Pavlova, but using COOL WHIP Whipped Topping instead of egg whites and sugar, and baking in an oven. This is summer, remember? The desserts should be quick, easy, and delicious!

Take your glass bowl, even a glass cup will do, and scoop the COOL WHIP Whipped Topping into the bowl or cup. With the back of your spoon, make a well in the middle, spreading the COOL WHIP Whipped Topping to the sides.

Place the bowls or cups into your freezer for about 2 hours. Freezing COOL WHIP Whipped Topping yields tasty results. It never gets completely frozen to hardness but, instead, becomes firm. It creates the perfect bed for your strawberries and blueberries!

What You'll Need to Know to Finish

When your family is ready for dessert, just remove your bowls from the freezer and add cut-up strawberries and whole blueberries to the well. Enjoy!

If you have a bit more time or you need a dessert for a special occasion, give this Summer Strawberry Cake a try. The time commitment doesn't come from effort so much as it comes from waiting for the various layers to set in the refrigerator.

Summer Strawberry Cake

What You'll Need

3/4 of an Angel Food Cake

Strawberry JELL-O (larger package: 6-ounce)

Vanilla JELL-O Instant Pudding (larger package: 5.1-ounce)

1/2 cup Strawberries, cut-up

COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (smaller tub: 8-ounce)

3 cups Water (not shown)

2-1/2 cups Milk (not shown)

Glass Dish, rectangular

Pot to boil water (not shown)

What You'll Do

I purchased my angel food cake and cut away 1/4 of the cake to be used another day. Tear up the remaining 3/4 of the cake and place the torn pieces in the glass dish. Cut up the strawberries into bite-sized slices and scatter over the angel food cake.

Boil 2 cups of water and add the whole 2 cups to the Strawberry JELL-O mix. When dissolved, add 1 cup of cold water to the mix and pour over the angel food cake and strawberries. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to set.

After 2 hours, make the JELL-O instant pudding, but only use 2-1/2 cups of milk to make it thicker. Mix the milk with the JELL-O Instant Pudding Mix until thick. Pour over the cake, spread the pudding evenly over the cake and place back into the fridge to set for another 2 hours, or overnight.

What You'll Need to Know to Finish

To finish, just top your pudding with COOL WHIP Whipped Topping by evenly spreading the entire 8-ounce contents over the pudding. Place in the refrigerator for another half hour, at least. When ready, slice up and enjoy! Be sure to place this cake back into the fridge after slicing.

LOVD friends, I hope you share some of these recipes with your family and celebrate summer!

Do you have a special dessert you'd like to share? Enter COOL WHIP's Fan Dessert of the Month Contest for a chance to win $500! Simply make a COOL WHIP dessert, take a photo, and upload it here. Enter now!

 

Sponsored posts are purely editorial content that we are pleased to have presented by a participating sponsor. Advertisers do not produce the content. I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all my own.