Thanks to Jennifer at Tree Hugging Family for putting together this terrific round-up!
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I wanted to get everyone into the winter holiday spirit before kicking off December. However, I didn’t just want to post classic Tree Hugging posts. That said, with a little help from the rest of the channel, I rounded up a huge list of killer holiday (and eco-friendly) posts.
Sit back, browse, read, and linger in the holiday bliss!

Remember, no matter the treat or recipe, you can always green it up by exchanging organic and natural ingredients for conventional.
50 Cute and Tasty Christmas Cookie Ideas
Cherry Dot Cookies
Organic Holiday Cookies!
Hey …read more

Karen was right.  We love giveaways here at Thrifty Mommy.  You guys always come out of the woodwork to comment and enter to win our stuff.  We hope you can enjoy and use what we offer for free.  So the winner of the Weight Watcher’s Cookbook is Katherine Frazier.  Congratulations, Katherine!  Let us know what you decide to cook.

Karen and I want to thank you for joining us on our Bloggy Giveaway journey. We are having a ball reading all your comments and can’t wait to see who wins the Debt Terminator Kit, Land’s End Backpack, and our Weight Watcher’s Cookbook. But a lot of the contests around the Lifestyles Channel are ending today. So I thought I would let you know what was going on around the channel so you didn’t miss out on something you might want to win.
Blog Fabulous
Mama Gena’s Owner’s and Operator’s Guide to Men
Contest Ends: Sunday Aug. 3
Empowering Girls: …read more

I love the Bloggy Giveaways! So to go along with the theme of giving away things, I have given away all my post baby weight! I am officially the same weight as when I got pregnant with Turkey Butt 4.5 years ago. That makes me very happy. Granted, I have a little more flab <wink> to get rid of. My post baby body is not the same as my svelte (yeah right) prebaby body. But I am happy with the way things are going.

So I wanted to give away a brand new Weight Watcher’s …read more

While the writers of the b5media Lifestyles Channel may be scattered about globally, one thing we all have in common is a celebration of fireworks.  I hope you’ll enjoy our blast from the past.
Chloe of Tangled Thread shares a few festive fireworks and needlework patterns.
Kerri and Cory at Marriage Actually talk about why having a shared past is one of the best parts about being married.
Heather at A Creative Journal shares her first memory of firecrackers with a view from Australia.
Christine at Mad Cropper remembers Guy Fawkes Day, a day celebrated in New Zealand with lots of fireworks. Find out …read more

This month’s Lifestyles carnival theme is “Blast from the Past”.  We’re focusing on the 4th of July or similar type holidays in other countries.
Kelly told you about her most memorable July 4th and now I’ll share mine.  If you read her post, then you’ll know they have similarities.  Mine is different though because 1)  I did the pushing and 2)  I have the pictures.  lol
And here we have . . . Alligator’s birth day!!!!

My mom said I should name her Liberty Belle.  lol  That would have been a cool name though.
 
This picture is not great, but we did have an awesome …read more

In celebration of the June 20th summer solstice, b5media is having The Great Blog Off.  Participating b5media blogs from the Lifestyles, Business, and Entertainment channels will post content at least once per hour for each hour of the day. 
This is the first time since 1975 that the summer solstice hasn’t occurred on June 21.  On this day, the daytime hours are at a maximum in the Northern hemisphere and night time is at a minimum.  It is officially the first day of summer.
The great blog off begins at 12:01 am on June 20th.  Each blog channel will be accepting charitable …read more

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 month’s gift to our readers.  Now push open the shutters and experience the world in the way we see our world . . .
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Mary Emma …read more

 
In the U.S. we are preparing for the official launch of summertime with our Memorial Day Holiday coming up this next weekend.
To welcome the most beloved season, b5media Lifestyles Channel decided to usher Summertime in with a very special tribute to The Good Old Summertime.  A special thanks to Gayla for putting together this month’s blog carnival. 
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 …read more

Second in our series on our local blogs in the Lifestyles Channel here at b5 is Anna at Widow’s Quest.  Anna has taken the uncomfortable and made it beautiful.  Death and the loss of loved ones is a tough thing.  I should know as of late.  So I wanted to introduce you to Anna and show you why she blogs.
Q:   How long have you been blogging?
A:   3 years, yet it seems like yesterday.
Q:   With all the other blogs out there, why Widow’s quest?
A:    I actually write 5 blogs on all areas that I am passionate about. Widows Quest is my …read more