• momAgenda organizer at Weary Parent, ends September 14, 2008
• Clorox Green Works dishwashing liquid at Thrifty Mommy, ends September 16, 2008
• here at Keeping the Castle, the Jig-A-Loo Prize Package giveaway is running until September 14, 2008

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* Marye, at Baking Delights, made some Old Fashioned Cloverleaf Rolls

* Cyndi shares her gelato experiments at Busy Family Meals

* What can you do with s’mores? Find out at Chocolate Bytes.

* Jennifer wants to know whether you’d toss unfolded towels in a pretty basket, to save time. Let her know at Declutter It.

* Simply Thrifty Katelyn shares how she keeps her grocery budget at $40 a week.

* The Tree Hugging Family tells us how to turn old sneakers into a playground.

* Linette at Mother’s Earth Garden shares some tips for planting fruit trees in the fall.

* MomGadget Gayla gives us a look at the handyman’s helper magnet wristband, a very useful gadget for DIYers.

* Too much zucchini in your garden? Robust Cooking has 21 ways to use them up!

* Get your hot raspberry cider recipe at She Knows Parties!

* One Book, Two Book has been giving out prizes everyday for several days now. Today’s giveaway is a package of three books! Hurry, the deadline is midnight tonight, August 31.

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Who couldn’t use a good nutritious home-cooked meal even in the busiest of days? Busy Family Meals is a resource that will help us all have just that! Written by Cyndi Lavin, this blog is chock-full of tips, recipes and suggestions for preparing whole foods “with both speed and love, making even a rushed dinner time a nice family experience”. Cyndi started off her blog with her favorite 30 minute meals and the basics of once a week food preparation.

Drinks after Dark is the after-work stop for those who love their cocktails. Collen Colick and Rachel Segal head up the adventures with “all the yummy things you drink”. You don’t have to be an expert to enjoy this blog. They have tips for the newbie at the bar. For those who want to learn how to drink, watch for their new feature coming up soon.

It’s all about healthy cooking at the Robust Cooking blog. Linette Gerlach and Sandy Mitchell serve up healthy low-fat recipes and information on the stuff that’s good for you! Among their recent posts that caught my eye are eight ways to eat watermelon and a recipe for a healthy cocktail.

Marye Audet shares her passion and expertise in simple and effective home-made remedies for just about anything. Simply Home Remedies is where you’ll find what she has learned from 20 years of taking care of her family mostly “without the assistance of commercial medicines or doctors”. Marye also makes her own cleaning products, cosmetics and dyes. Check out her tips for dealing with household ants and flies.

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Didn’t I tell you these are great additions to the Lifestyles Channel? Make sure you visit them and/or put them in your RSS reader.

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The Lifestyles Channel has already given you a glimpse inside their world by sharing where they blog and now they’re sharing another intimate part of life by sharing the views from their windows.

Some have taken a very creative approach and painted a portrait with words as they stroll through windows of time, life and their spiritual growth, while others share actual images of what they see on a day-to-day basis.

We do hope you’ll enjoy this months gift to our readers.  Now push open the shutters and experience the world in the way we see our world …

——————–

Mary Emma Allen at One Book Two Book shares a view from her window that entertains and delights her grandchildren.

Also at One Book Two Book, Karen shares the sweetest view of her kids playing on the deck and how the two youngsters deal with the heat.  I’m thinking they’ve got the right idea!

Linette, one of our resident super bloggers is sharing views on three blogs.  The first is a beautiful view of her back yard that she’s sharing on She Knows Parties – it looks inviting – the only thing missing is my lawn chair and a cold iced tea.  Next, on Robust Cooking she shares a photo of her window herb garden – solid proof that she takes her cooking very seriously.  Last, on Mother Earth’s Garden she shares a beautiful view from her front porch.  Truly an images that makes you feel right at home.

Mary Emma Allen, at Quilting and Patchwork, tells us how she was influenced by her mothers’ view from a kitchen window, as well as suggesting views for quilters.

Marye at Baking Delights shares details of some of her favorite views throughout time and from some of her favorite windows in her massive farmhouse where she lives now.  Check out the veggie garden she has in her front yard.

Susan at Play Library shares a view from her car window as she and her husband go out to dinner for their anniversary.  Susan happens to live close by Disney World and is doing a fine job at making me jealous.

Trench – our resident Superhero on who spends his time tracking down crime both on the internet at My Crime Space and crimes of passion in the real world at Psycho for Love shares a figurative view of what life looks like from his windows.

Marcie at A Child Chosen shares a glimpse through the “types” of windows in her life as an international adoptive mother and more.

Peggy at Junk Creation shares an adorable image of Goslings on Parade as they waddle their way by Peggy’s window.

Our newest Lifestyles member Rachel comes on board her first channel carnival with an adorable detailed view of her new window with her fur baby, Louie.  Stop over and say hello at Drinks After Dark.

Gayla shared a beautiful sunset in rural Indiana as it rests on full display behind the farm across the road on MomGadget.  It’s one of her favorite parts of living in the country.

Lastly, I showed you both my fantasy view and my real view out the window.

Creative Commons image by knguyenpvn on Flickr

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Gotcha!

I just wish this were the view from my window right now. It’s the view I think about when I hear the word “vacation” or “beach”. This was taken in 2003 in the Philippines. Gorgeous, isn’t it? And so peaceful.

My real view out the window is this:

Or at least, this is part of my view. It’s still quite serene. A large expanse of backyard separates my window from that there bird feeder, and there’s pretty much nothing immediately behind it. Ever since we put the bird feeder up, it’s been a constant source of entertainment. I counted no less than 5 different feathered friends enjoying themselves there. As you can see, it was time to replenish their snack bar.

This week, the bloggers of b5media’s Lifestyles Channel shares the views out their windows. Hop around the blogs to see what they’re sharing.

images from personal collection – © M. Macalincag

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Last chance to enter at Inside Motherhood – Contests end tonight (May 30)! Hop over and register to win one of 10 great prizes!

Mary Emma Allen has a random drawing at Quilting and Patchwork for a quilting booklet, How to Make a Quilt – 25 Easy Lessons for Beginners by Bonnie Leman, founder of Quilters Newsletter Magazine. Leave a comment with the name of your favorite quilting/fabric arts book. Deadline June 6, at 11:59 PM (EDST).

Jewelry and Beading – Win a free copy of “Under $25” by Bead & Button magazine. Simply leave a comment on this post, telling us what your best source of bargain beads is, and you’ll be entered into the drawing.

Here on on Keeping the Castle, don’t forget these three that are going on:

1. “The Peaceful Nursery: Preparing a Home for Your Baby with Feng Shui” by home and lifestyle experts Laura Forbes Carlin and Alison Forbes. The authors use principles from interior design, Feng Shui, healthy, green living and their own parenting experience to help create a balanced, peaceful and green nursery.

2. The EZ-Fit Safety Gate Adapter, – by ’boutKids, provides a mounting surface for attaching pressure- or hardware-mounted safety gates to stairway posts.

3. Three winners will get a Mabel’s Labels Neat Freak Combo (spice, canister and bin labels). These labels are strong enough to “withstand the dishwasher, microwave, UV Rays and hard-wearing children”.

Robust Cooking is giving away a copy of Henry and The Hidden Vegetable Garden. Henry and the Hidden Vegetable Garden was launched on May 1 to help promote the Love Your Veggies Campaign. The Love Your Veggies Campaign was created to help schools improve their students health and nutrition. Have a great weekend everyone!

(image: stock.xchng)

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MomGadget is a blog that’s right up your alley! It is b5media’s “guide to gadgets – gizmos and domestic bliss”. Gayla McCord is the MomGadget herself. She also blogs about celebrity romances, dating, and parenting. She is also the very hardworking channel editor of the Lifestyles Channel, of which Keeping the Castle is part.

MomGadget was actually developed after attending a baby shower and seeing all the really cool gadgets that make a mom’s life so much easier these days. From the pacifier thermometer to the baby wipe warmers – it was just amazing. However, a very short time into the developmental stages, MomGadget took on a life of her own.

While you’re looking around at MomGadget, make sure you throw your name into the hat for this giveaway: Just in time for Father’s Day Giveaway – Casio Waveceptor Timepiece. 

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The Mad Cropper is dedicated to all things scrapbook-related. Written by Christine Gooding, who is the blog’s original author, it’s been a resource for scrapbookers looking for tips, page inspirations, product news and more. You’ll want to check out her giveaway for a Kodak EasyShare 5300 all-in-one printer.

Christine has been keeping tabs on the scrapbooking industry since April 2005. She’s a prolific blogger who also writes about weddings and honeymoons, Christina Aguilera and Paris Hilton.

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To welcome the most beloved season, b5media Lifestyles Channel decided to usher Summertime in with a very special tribute to The Good Old Summertime.

Mary Emma Allen at One Book Two Book reminds you to check our your local library for their summer reading programs which can be great fun for youngsters, parents, and grandparents.

Be gone foul wasp!  Noreen Crone-Findlay at Hankering for Yarn has designed a crocheted fake wasp nest to trick the wasps and yellow jackets into staying away from her home. Let’s hope it works!

Elizabeth at Career and Kids shares tips for those busy potluck and picnic days at work and home.  And on GenBetween she also shares 10 warm weather tips for aging adults.

Kadi Prescott of Supernanny Rules discusses the importance of continued learning during those long summer breaks from school.

Deborah Ng at Simply Thrifty paints a beautiful portrait of life as a kid in the 70’s in Queens with Dining Al Fresco in the Summers of My Youth.

Cyndi Lavin of Jewelry and Beading wants her readers to win a beautiful medallion, just in time for some summertime beading fun.  On Layers Upon Layers you’ll learn some digital effects to give your summertime pictures some zip!  And nothing beats crisp tangy salads for summertime eating.  Busy Family Meals has a special salad dressing giveaway.

Heather at Chocolate Bytes has two recipes that say “summertime” to her first, chocolate zucchini cake and how about whipping up some Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream to top it off?  If you hop over to The Food Bowl, she offers tips on heat stroke prevention for your pets.

Sherry at Inside Motherhood discusses taking her daughter to the market and explaining to her how it’s better to support locally grown farm foods rather than importing food as a bit of an educational field trip.

Christina at Solo Mother share’s a bit of a then and now as she discusses Sunday rituals as a child and those of today with her own child.

Karen at Thrifty Mommy shares two very popular classic posts – 15 Summer Cooking Tips and 10 Thrifty Ways to Deal with Mosquitos

Peggy at Junk Creation shares how to make a Vacation Scrapbook Planter from a Sour Cream Container.

Tracee at BlogFabulous shares a rather memorable experience during potty training.  Any mother of boys will be able to relate to this one.

Katelyn from Stamping Mad has created a mixed media collage to remind herself to take time to enjoy the wonderful summer weather.

Farley at Behind the Vines is preparing for some summertime wine tasting.  The only thing left to do is decide on a destination.

Sandy Mitchell at Robust Cooking shares 9 Quick Vegetable Grilling Tricks and if you hop over to her other blog All Holiday Cafe, she shares 10 Ways to Save Money on Summer Holiday Travel

Susan Gunelius at Play Library shares fond memories of her younger days spending hours in the family pool and flashes forward to today and the fun and affordable pool toys that are available.

Linette Gerlach at Mother Earth’s Garden shares tips on Creating an Outdoor Space to escape to for relaxation and at She Knows Parties, Linette shares a Party Punch Decorative Ice Ring for a cool refreshing treat on a hot summer day.

Noel Bautista at Unplugged Living enlightens us on solar cooking options as an alternative to traditional grilling methods.

At MomGadget, Gayla takes a stroll down memory lane as I list some of my personal favorite dishes and flavors of summertime.  Almost the entire collection is a tribute to my grandmother who, summer after summer, taught me about tradition, gardening and the wonderful flavors Mother Nature provides us during the season.

Last, here at Keeping the Castle, make sure you read the wonderful guest post by Jeff Wilson of the DIY Network where he discusses simple steps to an amazing deck makeover.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our tribute to the wonderful season of summer and for our readers living in the U.S., we wish you all a wonderful and safe Memorial Day Holiday.

Thanks to Gayla for putting this post together

Creative Commons photo by Skyseeker on Flickr.

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Macro Cats, one of the blogs on b5media’s Lifestyles channel, is dedicated to our feline friends. This photoblog written by Heather features images of cats as they go about their daily lives. There never seems to be a boring moment when cats are around, and Heather has the photos to prove it.

At Macro Cats, every day is Caturday!

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