Everybody likes contests and giveaways, right?

Fern, at Life on the Balcony is having a cool one.   Head over there and check it out.

If you aren’t familiar with her blog, she has an amazing blog about gardening from an urban perspective.  While you may not have an acre or so for a garden there are ways to create a garden with what you do have, even if that is just an apartment balcony.

Fern is one of those naturally sweet and encouraging people and her blog reflects that.  Check it out.

image:morguefile

Post from: Blisstree

Fern Is Having a Giveaway

Here it is..the last blogtoberfest winner!  Thanks to everyone who participated and to the sponsors as well.  This was the best blogtoberfest ever!

This prize is amazing.  I was stunned when I saw it.  This is a 299.00 Designer at Home room design package! Are you ready for a completely new look? I know I am!This company specifically chose the readers of Simply Home Remedies for prize..how cool is THAT?  Hey, membership has it’s privileges!

This is what the sponsor says about the product:

Catering to a previously un-serviced consumer base, DesignerAtHOME.com gives homeowners and renters alike access to high quality interior design, starting at just $299 per room. In this way, DesignerAtHOME.com has evangelized what promises to be the next big trend for homeowners: combining professional interior design services with the ease of do-it-yourself plans for implementation.

Quite possible the dream home-related gift one could hope to receive, DesignerAtHOME.com’s [DAH] revolutionary online system places the power of design in your hands:

§        The DAH system enables clients to achieve their personal design goals for their unique homes as they work interactively with a team of professional designers through questionnaires, photos and measurements, ultimately saving thousands of dollars in full-service interior design fees.

§        DAH delivers first-class design plans, giving clients the convenience of putting the room together at their own pace, as budgets permit.

§        Gift Certificates are available for purchase directly through the DesignerAtHOME.com website for room design services.

You know you want to win that.  I am tempted to leave you thinking about it for another day…but I can’t be that mean, can I? Don’t answer…

The winner of this awesome prize is…

Here are your random numbers:

154	

Timestamp: 2008-10-23 17:23:59 UTC

Ashley.

Congrats Ashley! And you should be recieving an email form me any minute!

Post from: Blisstree

Last Blogtoberfest Winner

The prize for Monday, October 13 sponsored post is sponsored by Forces of Nature.  Acne No More, a natural, herbal mix that uses only organic plant parts and essential oils.  Results are guaranteed!

And Random Number Generator says that our winner is:

Here are your random numbers:

98	

Timestamp: 2008-10-21 11:15:32 UTC

David Basile

Congrats David…I will be emailing you for your address!

Post from: Blisstree

Blogtoberfest Winner!

Blogtoberfest is eating my lunch.

I am getting lost in hundreds of comments in my email every day..a good thing but….wowza!  So much for living simply this month..LOL!

I was reading Gayla’s blog, Guerrilla Parenting, and saw that she had started a new feature.  Readers can email questions to the Guerrilla Parenting Mailbox and then she opens up the blog regularly for readers to leave comments to answer the question…sort of a reader to reader thing.

Being the copy cat that I am…I want to do that here.  I know that some of you have questions..and I also know that some of you have answers that I don’t.  So, on Fridays we will open up the SHR Mailbag and see what comes out.

All questions posted will be anonymous…No names or defining information will be given. Just email me at maryeaudetATgmailDOTcom  (@ and . for the words) with your questions and I will make sure that they get posted.

You can ask anything…how to make something, how to cure something…or whatever you need.

Then I will open up a page in the side bar where you can access all of the SHR Mailbag posts easily.

So, bring on the questions….If you are looking for something you can’t find…need a source for a certain item, or whatever….I bet we can find out here!

Looking forward to friday!

Image:morguefile

Post from: Blisstree

Reader to Reader…a New Feature on SHR

The secret prize for Monday, October 6 is:

 $50 Gift Certificates from PhotoWorks/American Greetings

www.photoworks.com

This holiday season, PhotoWorks, an American Greetings company, gives shoppers hundreds of personalized card and gift options for every person on your list:

•          Photo Holiday Cards – dozens of new themes and designs including new photo paper post cards, multi image cards, fold out poster cards and perforated cards that double as ornaments!

•          Photo jewelry – including charm bracelets (perfect for grandma) and photo lockets (a new twist on the traditional locket)

•          Photo Ornaments – beautiful personalized ornaments in four designs

•          Commemorative Wine Boxes – the picture-perfect way to package that special bottle of cheer

  So, you can get an early start on your Christmas activities!

And the winner of this cool prize is

Here are your random numbers:

145

Timestamp: 2008-10-11 15:51:16 UTC

Susan (A Happy Heart at Home)

Congrats Susan! I have emailed you and you have three days to get back to me.

So, I have closed the comments on THAT prize..but check back because there are more prizes to come!

Post from: Blisstree

Announcing Monday’s Blogtoberfest Winner!

Emily at Mommys Chaos has given me an award.  She said some of the nicest things and just really made my day!

Lately I have not gotten to read very many blogs or think about much other than getting my writing done, Marc to his appointments and food on the table, so you all will (hopefully) forgive me for breaking hte rules and just saying I read many of your blogs and jusy often don;t have time to comment on them.

Hopefully that will settle down soon because, honestly, I need a break!

But I will take a moment to thank you all for reading and keeping up with what I am doing over here.  If you have linked ot my blog in your blog roll and I have not reciprocated could you please leave a comment so I can fix that this week?

It is not an oversight..I have just not been checking links lately!!

Thanks so much, y’all rock!

Post from: Blisstree

Bloggy Love

October is traditionally an exciting month for b5media’s Lifestyles Channel and their readers. Summer is over and the Holidays have not yet begun, so it is the perfect time for us to thank our readers for their continued loyalty.

To do this, the Lifestyles Channel joins forces with hundreds of sponsors to create a two week extravaganza of giveaways, jump-starting the holiday season and allowing our readers to win gifts, both for themselves and for giving.

This year’s Blogtoberfest is better than ever before. We have simplified the process and the sponsors have been extremely generous in the gifts that they are offering and as the result, we’ll be passing on in excess of $7,000 worth of prizes.

Don’t miss a minute of the fun!

Blogtoberfest officially kicks off Monday, October 6, 2008

There are lots of great prizes to be given away. Prizes are available to U.S. and Canada residents unless otherwise noted.

All you have to do is:

1. Browse the channel or visit your favorite blogs
2. Watch for sponsored prize winning posts wearing the official Blogtoberfest button shown above.
3. Leave a comment on that exact post. Your comment IS your entry.
4. Check back with that blog within a week and see what the prize is and if you’re the lucky winner.

Consider subscribing to the various blog feeds to make sure you don’t miss out on any exciting opportunities. Many blogs will be conducting between 2 and 7 giveaways and just where those will be appearing is a secret and half the fun!

Each prize winning post will share links to other prize winning blogs for that same day. This makes hunting easier and improves your chances of winning!

That’s it!

Participating blogs found at the bottom of our channel hub:

www.b5media.com/channels_lifestyles.html

A special thanks to Randa Clay Design for our beautiful Blogtoberfest Button!

Post from: Blisstree

Blogtoberfest Starts Today!

October is here.  In some parts of the country leaves are amazing colors, the trees are heavy with apples, and it is beautiful.  In Texas it has finally cooled down to 85 degrees so everyone is expecting a hard winter.

The top five posts for September were:

1. Make Your Own NonToxic Craft Glue 
2. Flu Shots, Yes or No
3. Are Energy Drinks Safe for Teens?
4. Homemade Mosquito Repellent
5. Koolaide Tie Dye

The  poll asked if Emergency Preparedness was important to you and the majority said that it was somewhat important.

Blogtoberfest is going to be awesome this year.  It will be across the Lifestyles channel and you are not going to believe some of the prizes…Not cheap stuff either..some of them are valued at 500.00 dollars!   Click on the Blogtoberfest button for more details.

As far as Simply Home Remedies..I have been working on some cool additions to the site, so stay tuned so you don’t miss anything!

Image:Marye Audet

Post from: Blisstree

Simply Home Remedies, Buzz for October First

Marc adn I are preparing for his disability hearing in Waco tomorrow.

This is a very stressful time for us, as we put together his medical records for the last 26 years and letters from his doctors, etc. We are both nervous, although trusting God, because if they turn us down again it will be a financial hardship.

I don’t want to go into a lot of detail, suffice it to say that Marc was medically retired in 1981 with a 20% disability that the VA has refused to honor or pay. Now he is in a wheelchair and they have him on 20% for somethng else but are still balking at the original diagnosis, the one that cut his career in the MArine Corps very short. AT this point he cannot drive, as per his doctor, and is on so many meds he can’t work much. Taking him to so many medical appointments cuts into MY blogging time as well so I will need to cut back on some of my freelance commitments (not my blogs at b5!!!)

Prayers are appreciated. I will be back in time do post the winner in the Baking Delights Cook Book Contest tomorrow night!

I am posting this on all my blogs so that everyone knows what’s up.

Image:Morguefile

Post from: Blisstree

Tomorrow is Our Big Day

Just a heads up.. I have a cookbook giveaway on Baking Delights for 5 autographed copies of a NEW cookbook I reviewed.  Check it out!  Would make an awesome Christmas gift if you don;t like to cook.

Image:Marye Audet

Post from: Blisstree

Coookbook Give Away on Baking Delights