Monday Weekly Sweepstakes to Enter.

I get so confused on what sweeps I have entered and what I haven't that I thought I would try a weekly post as a reminder. This will be posted every Monday with sweeps added or deleted as needed.

Smucker's Spread the Sunshine- weekly prize is a Smucker's gift basket. This is a photo contest. Ends October 15, 2014

HeluvaGood Dip Contest- 3 weekly winners One(1) Heluva Good! Party Pack: An assortment of three (3) flavors of Heluva Good!Sour Cream Dip and three (3) flavors of Heluva Good! Naturally Aged Cheese (eachvalued at $3.99), Total Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) $23.94 · One (1)$25 American Express Gift Card, ARV $25.00  One grand prize winner  ends October 20, 2014 FACEBOOK Entry

Team Marlboro - 25 weekly winners prize is check for $500 To participate in the Sweepstakes, you must be a registered user at www.marlboro.com. Once you have registered, log on to www.marlboro.com, click on the tile for the Team Marlboro Sweepstakes (Menu > Gold > Respect the Land > Team Marlboro/Take Action https://www.marlboro.com/marlboro...action-tm/) and follow the instructions to submit your idea for the theme, Habitat Restoration, to receive an entry into the Sweepstakes. Entries will not be judged but must comply with the Submission Guidelines; winners will be selected in a random drawing.  Ends Oct 26, 2014

Krusteaz Flatbread Instant Win- Grand prize is Weber Spirit Gas Grill, and a year supply of Krusteaz Flatbread Mix! Ends Nov 8th 2014

Musselman's Growing a Healthy family $100 Amazon gift card weekly on  October 2, October 9, October 16, October 23, October 20, November 6, and November 13, 2014. One entry per week. Ends November 10th 2014

Allstate College Football- various weekly prizes but the grand prize is $100000.00 and who can't use a hundred thousand lol Ends Dec 7th 2014

Rayovac Fan Friday- I have no clue what the weekly prizes are but there are 10 winners a week. You have to enter via Facebook and like the Rayovac page. Ends Dec 31, 2014

Sea Cuisine Upgrade your Taco-  10 weekly prizes are  two Sea Cuisine® VIP coupons, each redeemable for one High Liner® Sea Cuisine® frozen seafood product, up to $6.99; and a $25.00 Visa gift card. Ends January 5th 2015

Free $3 Amazon Code

I saw on another site this offer and naturally I signed up since I am saving Amazon codes. I love them, they are one of my favorite rewards.  I didn't have a Microsoft Account so had to create one.

Amazon Code Offer from Freebie Shark

Fibromyalgia and Savella

My rheumatologist diagnosed me, two years ago with fibromyalgia. I have known others who had it but until you have it yourself you can't honestly understand what it is like. Everyone talks about the fatigue and the joint pain. For me it is a constant hurt everywhere. If there is the slightest wrinkle in the sheets, I can't sleep because it hurts me and feels like I am on a boulder. If someone pokes me, it feels as though you knifed me. The dr tried me on several medicines and they didn't help me at all so I quit taking them.
In May I was reading about a different medicine that I hadn't tried before and sure enough when I went to my doctor complaining about the fibro pain, she asked if I had ever tried Savella. I told her no but that I had just been reading about it. She gave me a sample pack of 25mg pills to take home and try.  I can't answer for how this might help others but for me, this drug was a miracle. By the second pill, I was so much better. The constant hurt everywhere was gone. I was able to do so much more than I have done in ages. We have went swimming this summer and I swam for hours. Prior to taking Savella, if I did any kind of exercise even light walking, I would hurt for 2 or 3 days afterwards. I have been able to do so many fun things with the grandbabies this summer.  I feel like someone had given me my life back. I tell everyone I know who isn't getting relief from the medicine they are on, to check into Savella. I still only take the 25 mgs a day unless its a bad muscle pain day and then I will take a second 25mg at night.
My insurance will not cover the cost of Savella (it was going to be around 200 a month with no insurance) but thankfully the company Forest Pharmaceuticals has a program to help cover the cost. I applied and was approved but there was still about 11 days I had to wait to get my pills. Those were the most awful days. I had forgotten how terrible the pain was all over. I was barely able to function. I just thank God daily for my doctor giving me a sample to try and for the company helping me get the medicine.
I wrote this so that someone else might possible get the same benefit I have from this medicine.

Do you or someone you know suffer from Fibromyalgia?

Integrity

Dictionary.com defines integrity as   adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

My reason for this post was some posts I saw on another blog. I know everyone likes to try products for review and wants to increase their numbers. I would like to see my blog grow to the point that I earned some money from it also. But I would never want to compromise standards to do so. I have made mistakes blogging as I stumbled along not always crediting where I should etc.. because of ignorance but I have never intentionally put something on here that wasn't truthful. I never posts reviews until I have tried the products and can give real feedback.  I purposely choose not to review similar products unless I have tried a second product and found it to be better than the first product. I realize that is my own personal choice though. 

You would think that companies would monitor what is being said and done. There is a certain company that lots of bloggers use for products to review. I have noticed that they will have the same product type available from several companies. We will use the example of shampoo (not the product that I am really talking about though) Now say I review shampoo A and shampoo B at the same time.  How honest is my review to start with because I am reviewing 2 of the same things to start with. They can't both be the best I have ever used. And how honest is it if you get to the part of the review that is supposed to be based on my experience and I have used the exact same paragraph and wording for both reviews.  1. I cheated the companies out of a fair trial  and 2. I have cheated my readers out of an honest review.

I have went to buy something specifically based on blog reviews I have read. I want to know the truth of what you think about a product. Example being flea control, I read a review of Pet Armor and tried it and it is honestly the best flea control I have ever used. I have used it for 2 years now with 4 dogs.  I have never been paid or even given any form of compensation for it but I frequently tell others how awesome it is because it has worked so well for me.  I have lost respect for that blogger I saw do this and I won't be following that blog anymore. 

Soapbox Issue: What are your thoughts on this?

NATIONAL ONE-HIT WONDER DAY

Who doesn't love listening to one hit wonders?  Apparently Sept 25th is devoted to being One Hit Wonder Day. It seems odd that someone could have a number 1 hit and then mostly fizzle out.

Here are my top 10 One hit wonder Favorites by order of year

Jeannie C. Riley — "Harper Valley PTA" (1968) This is my very favorite. I still sing this today. I loved the movie and the tv show that were based on the song.

Carl Douglas  —  "Kung Fu Fighting" (1974) My aunt and I used to sing this all the time.

C.W. McCall — "Convoy" (1975) My girls and I still sing this song.

Toni Basil — "Mickey" (1982) I was a teen when this came out and there was a guy who used to come to the local pool hall. I played this on the jukebox every time he came in because his name was Mickey and I thought he was hot.

Bobby McFerrin – “Don’t Worry Be Happy” (1988) My cousin loved this song and used to sing it all the time

Vanilla Ice — "Ice Ice Baby" (1990) Everyone I knew loved this song and we all thought we were such cool rappers.

Billy Ray Cyrus — "Achy Breaky Heart" (1992) This was the first concert I remember attending. Everyone could do this line dance and mullets were back in style.

Blind Melon "No Rain" (1992) This is one of those songs that I listen to when I am feeling down and wanting comfort.

Los del Río — "Macarena" (1996)  I totally loved this dance and can remember doing it while line dancing.

Baha Men — "Who Let the Dogs Out?" (2000)  Our favorite part would be to start barking haha

What is your favorite one hit wonder?

Collage.com One-Click Photo Book

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Create a professional photo book with a single click of your mouse using Collage.com’s One-Click Photo Book. Select photos of any size from Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, or your computer and they will instantly suggest a clean, professional layout that you can further customize.

Creating a photo book just got a lot easier. Try Collage.com’s 11.5×8.5 hardcover book for ONLY $25! That’s 51% off! http://bit.ly/collagepbdeal

 Use this link for 51% off a 20-page 11.5″x8″ Hardcover Photo Book From Collage.com

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post from USFamilyGuide.com and Collage.com. I have received product and/or compensation for this post.

I love that there is a holiday for celebrating our women friends. I can't imagine what my life would be like without mine. I have die hard friends that I know will be there in a minute if I needed them. I thank God for them daily and the joy they bring to my life. When life is hard and I need someone to listen to me, my friends are the first people I call. When life is great and I want to share news, again its my women friends I call.

When I was growing up, women friends were encouraged. You had Lucy and Ethel, Laverne and Shirley and Mary and Rhoda but then the media started encouraging dissention and people suddenly started talking about how hard it was to be friends with women because of all the petty backstabbing. I hear so many women and girls today talking about how they have more men friends because its so much easier to get along with men.  My grandmother had quite a number of women friends and that wasn't ever an issue. Take back your belief in the power of female friends and make some new friends today.

Origin of National Women's Friendship Day:

National Women's Friendship Day was created by women, and for women. The Kappa Delta Sorority created this very special day in 1999.  This sorority, founded in 1897 in Farmville, Va., has over 180,000 members.


Here are a few ideas on how to celebrate National Women's Friendship Day:

• Since it falls on a Sunday, go to church with your friends
• Make a day of it and go out to eat with your women friends
• Reconnect with an old friend by calling, emailing, or sending a card to a friend 
• Have a movie night with movies that feature women friends such as Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood (my all time favorite) or Home is Where the Heart Is. 
• Visit a shut in or a woman at the nursing home. They have great stories to share.

Do you have close female friends?

Children's Claritin and Kaboom

Parents! Vote Now to Help Kids Have More Fun - One Playspace at a Time

As parents, we spend a lot of time discovering creative ways to nurture our children's curiosity. Luckily, being outdoors provides the perfect landscape, fueling young imaginations and creating endless possibilities for exploration, discovery and creativity. Children's Claritin hopes to inspire parents to create innovative play spaces in their backyards, and communities.

Children's Claritin also believes in the benefits of outdoor activity for children, and wants to help children get the most out of every day! They're teaming up with KaBOOM!, a national non-profit, to help bring innovative playspaces to communities in need and you can help! By voting, you can help them pick the four community organizations that will receive Imagination Playground™. What's Imagination Playground™? See imagination at play - watch last year's winner enjoying Imagination Playground™.

Be sure to visit ClaritinVoteforPlayspaces.com where you can place your vote and gather playspace inspirations for creating your own backyard playspace.  

While visiting the Children's Claritin & KaBOOM! Facebook page, you can also:

• Learn more about the twelve organizations you can vote for receiving Imagination Playground™
• Download coupon offers
• Locate a playspace near you

Vote now and help us pick the four community organizations that will receive Imagination Playground™. You can vote one time per day through 9/26/14. Click here for voting rules.

No Bake Cheesecake Recipe

A friend on Facebook sent me a recipe for a quick and easy no bake cheesecake recipe. I decided to make it for dinner last night. Here are my results after eating :)

This recipe is super easy and fast to make.
1 8oz brick of cream cheese
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tbsp of Jello ( I used strawberry) or you can use some kind of juice such as lemon
8oz of whipped topping

Mix everything together and put in a graham cracker crust.  It was ready to eat within 15 minutes. My family loved it and it didn't last the night.

Wearever Panties Plus a Giveaway

                   

Ever have embarrassing leakage moments or accidents? Do you leak a little when you laugh or sneeze? Stay comfortable and feel confident and protected with Wearever Women's and Men's Underwear solutions!
Wearever Women's and Men's Underwear: Choose Wearever Underwear for maximum protection and reusability. Our selection of absorbent male and female undergarments feature sewn-in Unique-Dri™ pads that trap liquid and are treated with odor reducing Agion™ antimicrobial fibers. Whether you have minor leaks or major ones, these underwear help you feel protected and comfortable. Most importantly, these underwear help maintain your dignity since they look and feel just like traditional underwear! Say goodbye to disposable adult diapers and pads once and for all. Wearever offers a variety of styles to meet every preference and come with light, moderate and heavy absorbency options depending on what you need. They are also more environmentally friendly contributing zero waste per year compared to more than 1,100 to 1,500 adult diapers sent to landfills per person. They're also less expensive, saving the average user about $500 a year over the cost for disposables since you can wash and re-use Wearever products hundreds of times. What are you waiting for? Make the switch today!

 Support Us TOO International with Wearever Purchases this September!

 A portion of proceeds from select sales of Wearever undergarments will benefit prostate cancer nonprofit Us TOO International this September. Wearever is partnering with Us TOO International to raise money in support of prostate cancer awareness, education and support networks for patients and their families. September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. 

Throughout the month of September, 10 percent of proceeds from the Wearever men's underwear line will be donated back to Us TOO International. This includes all sizes, styles, colors and purchases in singles, three-packs and six-packs from the Wearever Men's Incontinence Underwear line. To learn more and purchase products to support Us TOO International, visit www.WeareverUS.com. 
  Wearever On Facebook

 Wearever on Pinterest

 Wearever on Twitter

I was amazed at how good these felt. The pair I choose was lace trimmed. They felt so good it was like wearing nothing. I honestly loved the fit and the feel of these. It was way better than wearing those ugly bulky pads that are so irritating. I am going to have to have more of these. I liked the not having to worry about minor accidents that happen when you sneeze or cough. Let's face it, for most women, as we age and have children, incontinence become a part of life. I have tried the pads but they are so bulky feeling :(. I tried the undergarments but it was like wearing a diaper. Even those ones that are supposed to look and feel like underwear don't. Those were so fragile that I ran my fingernail through them. Wearever really is underwear that fits great and helps with leaks.  I like that they are washable so you can use them over and over. They come in a wide variety of styles so you can choose whatever suits your personality. I am so glad someone came up with this idea. Best of all, the great people at Wearever.com want to give you a chance to find out for yourselves. Enter the giveaway below to win a pair of your choosing.  Ends September 30th at 11:59 pm. You will have 48 hours to answer my email or I will choose another winner. US only

Entry-Form

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Peanut Day and the Elvis Sandwich

Peanut Day is celebrated each year on September 13 across the United States. I was born in Georgia so I take my peanuts seriously :) I remember once in the Plains area seeing just fields and fields of peanuts. Peanuts aren't really nuts but are legumes. They are also cholesterol free.  I love any sort of peanut butter flavored sweet and I am very fond of peanut noodles. Not long ago I was a Kroger and had a clearance on their brand of peanut butter. I bought 13 jars and we are down to about 4.  I love peanut butter sandwiches with either jelly or banana on them. I haven't tried the Elvis sandwich but I keep saying I am going to.  Here is the recipe for anyone who wants to try it out

Elvis Sandwich
2 slices bread
2 slices cooked bacon (cut in half)
2 tablespoon peanut butter
1 banana peeled and cut into slices
soft butter

take a slice of bread and spread the peanut butter on it add the banana slices. Top it with the cooked bacon. Put the other slice of bread on top. Coat the outside of both slices of bread with butter and fry in a skillet until the bread is toasted and the peanut butter melts. Its about 2 minutes a side. 

101 in 1001

A few years ago, it was all the rage for everyone to a have a 101 in 1001 list (2.75 years). I really enjoyed creating one and using it as a goal marker. I actually managed to complete a number of them but not all. Life was so erratic and I just couldn't keep up. I decided I would make another one since I enjoyed the first so much. Figure out your time here

Start Date is Friday, September 6th 2014

End Date is Saturday, June 3rd 2017
Green means its a work in progress
Red means it is completed

Personal

1.  Read all books from the BBC’s Top 100 Book List
2. Start dating again
3. Try writing a book
4. Have my hair streaked
5. Write out my will
6. Publish an e-book.
7. Get a concealed weapons permit and buy a gun
8. Watch 10 classic movies I’ve never seen 
9. Prepare an emergency kit
10. Volunteer in some charity form that I believe in (probably habitat for humanity or a woman’s shelter or both preferably)
11. Keep my car clean enough for one month that I could carry three other people in it without rearranging anything
12. Update my lifetime goals 
13. Complete at least 10 things from the list

Financial

1.  Work on stocking up.(Kroger had some awesome deals and I started a food stock pile at least. Got a years worth of a lot of items)
2. Save $1001
3. Get a better paying job
4. Get another car (bought a Dodge Grand Caravan November 12, 2014)
5. Move to a better home
6. Set up a coupon binder and use it (completed February 7th 2015)
7. Have an Avon booth at an event  no longer selling Avon so will have to replace. 
8. Keep a change jar and when its full put it in my savings account
9. Pay off the hospital
10. improve my credit score by at least 50-100 points
11. Go one month with buying nothing but gas and perishables such as milk
12. Get a storage shed so I can stop paying $35 a month for my unit

Health

1. Lose 101 lbs  (10/101)
2. Participate in a color run
3. Walk for cancer fundraiser
4. Go mountain climbing
5. Try a zumba class
6. Work out 3 days a week for a month
7. Get a massage
8. Get my triglycerides down
9. Get my iron levels up
10. Complete the 90 miles in 90 days challenge. #mileaday 
11. Drink 2 bottles of water a day for 30 days 
12.  Go to bed at 10:30 and get up at 7am every day for a week. I need better sleeping habits.
13. No fast food for a month

 Just for Fun 

1. Win 101 giveaways (60/101)
2. 101 outings
3. Take vacation to Pigeon Forge TN
4. Vacation at Williamburg VA
5. Take a photo a day for 101 days
6. Go ziplining 
7. Have my picture taken with someone famous
8. Watch a meteorite shower with someone I love
9. Go whitewater rafting
10. Go on a weekend murder mystery trip
11. Get an E-reader of some kind.  (got a Kindle Fire on December 1 2014)
12.  Go camping
13. Go paddle-boarding

Christianity

1. Memorize 101 Bible verses
2. Read 101 Bible chapters (101/101) Completed February 7th 2015
3. Attend 101 Church services (1/101)
4. Find a church where I feel that I fit in
5. Fulfill a child's Christmas list (from a family that is having a hard time)
6. Find a scripture specific for each grandchild and pray it for them daily.
7. Complete a Bible study
8. Witness to 30 people about salvation
9. Complete the Romans challenge
10. Go on a mission trip (doesn't have to be international)
11. Study Proverbs 31 and work on being that type of woman
12.  Go to a women's conference

 Blogging

1. Write 101 blog posts (49/101)
2. Write 101 reviews on the blog (27/101)
3. Attend a blogging conference
4. Have a giveaway event for my 10 yr blogiversary
5. Blog about my accomplishments for this list
6. Participate in a blog hop (not a group giveaway)
7. Get a Facebook page for my blog
8. Figure out how to make money from blogging
9. Make a new 101 in 1001 days list when this list completed
10.  Blog for 30 consecutive days
11. Get a personalized blog banner and button for my blog
12. Host 10 giveaways on my blog (4/10)

 Homemaking

1. Make 101 Pinterest Recipes
2. Make 101 Pinterest Crafts
3. Plant a vegetable garden
4. Create a menu plan and follow it for 2 weeks
5. Make a friendship cake
6. Create a photo wall for my living room
7. Learn cake decorating
8. Have a mini celebration every month for a year
9. Get back into the Flylady routine
10. Make a quilt
11. Make a Christmas present for everyone on my list
12. pick 5 different countries and spend a month learning about them and top it off with a dinner composed of native foods
13. Back up all my important computer files and pictures

Family and Friends

1. Have a family photo done 
2. Have a barbeque for family and friends
3. Go to the family reunion
4.  Send at least 10 surprise packages to friends or family "just because."
5. Keep one grandchild each weekend for a month.
6. Make 10 new friends
7. Send snail mail birthday cards to 10 family members
8. Get Mandi eye glasses  (12/23)
9. Get Mandi driver's license.
10. Finally make a trip to Alabama to visit family there
11. Take the grandbabies on a day trip somewhere
12.  Call Dad and Lisa at least once a month for 3 months
13. Get back to working on my family tree and start keeping a record of each family