Be back soon...

Wow ~ over a week since my last post! I've had to take some time off from my "flickering box" ~ my daughter spent a few days in the hospital & I've been trying to make sure everything is ok with her. I'll be back soon!!

Farm Hussy Winner...

Well, it took me ALOT longer to write out all the entries for this giveaway than I thought it would! With all the extra entries ~ there were a total of 513!! Comment # 204 was the winner ~ shopannies wins this awesome gift package from Farm Hussy!! I'm off to notify the winner. Keep your eye out this week for a couple AWESOME giveaways from April's Cozy Candles!!

~*Winners*~

I drew the winners for my 100 posts & 100 followers giveaways !! There were 4 prizes to win, but since I had such a great first day at work yesterday I decided to draw a 5th name for a runner up prize! Before I announce the winners I just want to tell you that there was 1 comment that was not counted (the last one) because as stated in the post, the contest ended yesterday (3/18) & this comment wasn't left until today. Ok ~ now on to the winners!! The #'s drawn were: 53, 27, 9 & 55 . Comment 53 was techyone ~ Bearington Bear. Comment 27 was Military Momz ~ 2 Cookbooks from Cooking Club ofAmerica. Comment 9 was Monkeys ARDently In Sinc ~ Farm Hussy Gift Set and Comment 55 was Caroline ~ Some of my favorite things. The runner up prize winner goes to comment # 20 ~ Woods Olde Homestead (this prize is a surprise ~ think prim!). All winners will have 2 days to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen for that prize!! I'm off to email the winners !! Thanks to everyone for entering & a big thanks to all my followers !!

Today's the Day...

I start my new job. I've actually been looking forward to going back to work. Until this morning anyway. Today I'm not so excited. After 17 years in Nursing, I should NOT be having panick attacks at the thought of walking into the Nursing home!! I've been there 3 times already for paperwork & PPD tests & was FINE every time!! The second time I went in to have my 1st PPD test checked, I stopped in the hallway to chat with a few of the residents, pushed one woman in her wheelchair to the end of the hall (because it was right after lunch & she was just so stuffed that she didn't have the umphh to push it herself ~ her words, not mine ~ lol) & talked to a couple of the nurses I'll be working with. I left with a smile on my face & the realization that I was ready to jump back in to the work thing. So why am I bawling like a baby & hyperventilating this morning? I couldn't sleep last night at all, so of course this morning I'm exhausted (I'm hoping that's why I'm freaking out today)! And to top it off ~ I won't even actually be WORKING today !! I'll just be watching all the wonderful videos ~ How to wash your hands (duh), Blood Borne Pathogens, Resident Rights, etc. I've seen them all about 100 times & could probably recite at least 1/2 of them word for word. Ok ~ I'm done pissing & moaning ! On a brighter note ~my girlfriend called me last night (we haven't talked in about 3 months) & we're going to see my FAVORITE band in July !! WooHoo ~ Nickelback concert in Hershey!! Hinder & Saving Abel are opening & I love them both too! I missed the concert in Philly this month & was extremely bummed! Gonna go see Bret Michaels in April too. He does some shows every year at a little club that's about 5 minutes from my house (Goodfellas Warehouse) & I've missed his show every time for like the last 4 years! Finally he's there on a Friday night so even if I have to work I can stop at the club on my way home. Well ~ better go get the house in order before I have to leave. Hope everyone has a great day !

GRAND OPENING ~ CRAFTERS IN THE NEWS !

Today is the Grand Opening of Crafters in the News. An online newspaper dedicated to crafters ! Stop by & check it out ! While you're there you can read the interview I did with Julie from
Farm Hussy ! Don't forget to check out my column every month & read all the great articles, tips & tutorials. Check out the suppliers section for a list of great places to get your craft supplies !

Tartaholic Giveaway

Michelle is having an awesome giveaway on her Out of the Box Sampler Blog ! How about an awesome tart warmer AND a $25.00 Gift Certificate to Tartaholics ?! The tart warmer is soooo cute & I LOVE Tartaholics tarts !! I've been melting the Rice Krispy Treats scented tarts that I got in my March Out of the Box Sampler & they smell sooo yummy !! Hurry over to enter ~ giveaway ends on Friday !

What I've Been Up To...

I spent yesterday at the Hollywood Casino here in PA with my MIL & SIL. We had a ton of fun. We didn't win anything, but it was nice to get out & spend the day together ! Today I dug out all my nursing uniforms from the attic & washed them. Cleaned the bathroom from floor to ceiling & did the same in the kitchen. Did some more laundry, cleaned out my closets, vaccumed... Trying to get the house semi in order & clean before I go back to work next week. Yep... I took the job in the Nursing Home & I start on the 18th. Spent some time today searching ebay for scrub tops ( i got rid of ALOT of my tops after I left my last job). Tonight I'm just going to relax with a good book & a cup of hot tea!

It's Spring Fling Time !!

Head on over to SITS for Spring Fling ! TONS of awesome giveaways going on, you don't want to miss out !! Here's the link to my giveaway !! Have fun blog hopping & entering giveaways !!

100 + Posts and 100 + Followers GIVEAWAYS !

Well, I'm not sure how it happened, but I've passed 100 posts & didn't even notice ! Not only that, but awhile back I promised another giveaway as soon as I reached 100 followers. So it's time for a giveaway !! Or 2, or 3, or 4 !! I'm combining the giveaways & there will be 4 winners !! Two winners for the 100th post & two winners for the 100th follower !! All comments will be entered into BOTH giveaways !! I'll choose a 1st & 2nd place for each giveaway using random.org
All you need to do is leave a comment on this post to enter! Pretty simple right? So, you're probably wondering what you can win....... 1st place for 100th post is an adorable Bearington Collectible Bear & 2nd place is a set of 2 Cookbooks from Cooking Club of America.....1st place for 100 followers is a Gift Set from my FAVORITE company (Farm Hussy) (after the giveaway ends, the winner can choose which scent they want & I will have it shipped directly from Farm Hussy) & 2nd place will get a collection of some of my favorite products (bath & body, candles, tarts, etc). Unfortunately, my darling daughter has my camera so I'll have to post pics of the prizes tomorrow. If you want extra entries here's what you can do:
Tweet & leave me a comment with your twitter name and/or Blog about the giveaway & leave a comment with a link to the post. Comments for the giveaways need to be left on THIS post !! Winners will be chosen on March 18th & notified on March 19th !

Favorite Things Swap

WooHoo ~ My "Mamarazzi's Favorite Things Swap" package arrived the other day ! I got some really great goodies from my new bloggy friend Julie !

Everything was all packed in this awesome basket (I LOVE baskets!!)

Some great bath & body products including milk bath, shower gel, lotion & body spray. An amazing smelling candle (it's been burning all day) & the BEST socks ever ! They're called Hydra Socks ~ infused with aloe & vitamin e !! So soft & warm & comfy !! And of course who could forget the salt water taffy !! I haven't had any since I was a kid (btw ~ it's all gone ~ lol). Julie has some awesome "favorite things" !!

I had so much fun with this swap & can't wait for the next one !! A BIG thanks to Mamarazzi for hosting this awesome swap !!

I think I'm ready.....

Well, I think I'm finally ready... to go back to work...
I took some time off from nursing after my Grandmother passed away in November of last year. To be honest, I wasn't sure I'd ever go back. I was physically & emotionally drained after caring for "My Princess" for 18 months (the last 7 months equaled 24 hour care & the last 4 months equaled Hospice care, all of which I did on my own, with the exception of the times my children & hubby helped). I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat to have her back, but her death left me feeling empty, like I had no more to give... I got my first job in a nursing home when I was 17 years old (I'm 34 now). Seventeen years of taking care of people. I'm not complaining, I always knew it was what I would do. Well, since I was 4 years old I knew, that's when my Grandmother & I decided my future, so that I could take care of her when she got older. Once I did that, I felt like "my job is done". Little did I know that after 17 years.... it's who I've become.... I take care of people.....and I'm good at it....and I'm kind of lost without it. My hubby pointed it out to me the other day....told me he thought I was ready.....that I'm miserable sitting at home all the time.....and listening to my friends talk about their day at work.... what this resident did.....what that resident said. So, yesterday, I filled out an application for a local nursing home that a friend of mine works at....I know the Director of Nursing there, I've worked with her before... not in this particular facility...she also works in another nursing home as an RN Supervisor. My girlfriend took my application in to work with her yesterday....and the DON called me yesterday & asked me to come in today for an interview....so, I sat & thought about it last night. Am I really ready? Yeah, I think I am. I think it's going to be hard at first.... alot of reminders of my time spent caring for my Grandmother.... but I'm a tough cookie.... I can handle it.... I'm sure some tears will be shed at first..... but it's who I am..... I need to take care of people..... my kids are young adults & pretty much do their own thing. I guess that's why I've been miserable... no one to really "take care" of. I made one other attempt to go back to nursing a little while after my Grandmother passed away.... I WAS NOT ready ! I pulled in to the parking lot of the nursing home I worked at before quitting to take care of my Grandmother, to ask them for my job back...and I burst into tears....I couldn't even get out of the car! I drove back home in tears & decided that that was it... nursing was over for me...guess I was wrong. The hubby noticed this morning, that I'm not as miserable as I have been lately, so I told him about the interview (I hadn't said anything to him...in case I couldn't do it...in case I burst into tears again before ever making it out of my car...in case I just wasn't ready yet). He had tears in his eyes as he hugged me before he left for work this morning.....told me he was glad I finally realized that this is what I NEED to do...that it's who I am.....so I just want to say Thank You to him....for always knowing me better than I know myself.....for knowing what I need before I ever realize it myself...and for supporting my decisions (1st when I needed the time away from nursing ~ he sucked it up big time to cover all the bills...and never once complained... and again for my decision to go back). Love ya Baby !!

Favorite Things Swap

I took a picture of all the goodies I wrapped up for my swap partner Julie over at

Me and My Crew before I shipped the pkg. out on Monday. I sooooo hope she likes everything !! Thanks to Mamarazzi for hosting this fun swap !!

PIF from Lori

My mail lady delivered a package today ! Yipee, my PIF from Lori over at
Morning Glories and Moonflowers ! Wrapped so cute too ! Mmmmmmm chocolate.....

Here's a close up of the awesome Pink Blocks she sent me along with the Dove chocolate (which I devoured immediately after taking the pic). The blocks are now on the shelf in my living room in betwee 2 antique cup & saucer sets that belonged to my Great Grandmother. Thank you soooo much Lori !!

Frugal Fancy's Blog

Frugal Fancy's Blog is listing giveaways !! I submitted mine. Did you submit yours?? Get listed on FrugalFancyBlog today !!

Craft Swap

April Showers is having a Craft Swap !!Hurry over to play along ~ sign ups end on Saturday (3/14) at 10pm & packages need to be mailed on Monday (3/16). Sounds like alot of fun, I signed up today !!

Save the TaTas Giveaway !

Jillian is having a great giveaway to raise awareness for breast cancer ~ Please stop by her blog & enter to win this fabulous prize package !

Farm Hussy Review & Giveaway

Julie from Farm Hussy sent me a box FULL of her awesome products to try (I was expecting sample size products to review, but Julie sent FULL SIZE products ~ one of EVERY product she carries, PLUS some sample size products ~ WOW)! Let me just tell you that this is definitely one of my favorite companies (No, not because she sent full size products, lol ~ because her products really are teriffic!). I absoloutely LOVE the names she has for her products ~ makes me laugh every time I see them ! But aside from making me laugh ~ Farm Hussy products work ! One of my lucky blog readers will be getting a truly awesome gift package from Farm Hussy !! I'll tell you soon what's in it ~ but first I want to tell you about all the fabulous things Julie sent me ! First up is one of my favorite products ( I use this EVERY day) ~ Devine Bovine Butyere in Henny Penny Pinching scent (apple blossom). This body butter is so thick & glides on your skin making it feel amazing ! All Farm Hussy products have just the right amount of scent added. Chicken Scratch Foaming Bath Scrub in Deja Moo scent (citrusy smell) is an awesome scrub ! Lots of great lather & just the right amount of "scrubby" (Not harsh on the skin at all. I've used scrubs in the past that left BIG red patches on my skin from being to harsh!). After I used the scrub on my hands, I really didn't need to use any lotion. My hands felt silky smooth & moisturized. But, since I have all these wonderful products to try ~ I grabbed the Whipped Soy Glace in I Need A Happy Meal scent (ginger peach). I really didn't think my skin could feel any better than it already did, but I was WRONG ! Wow ~ this Soy Glace absorbs into your skin so quick & leaves behind NO greasy feeling at all. I've worked in Nursing for 17 years, so needless to say, I've had to wear latex gloves ALOT & wash my hands at least 40 times a day ! That's pretty rough on the skin ! Now my hands feel like they did when I was younger ~ my skin is soooo soft ! For the next Farm Hussy product, I was off to the tub for a nice relaxing bath with my Bath Fizzle FoShizzle Fizzy Bath Powder in Ginger Lime scent (along with my bottle of wine & a good book). Wow ! This stuff not only smelled great, but once again, Farm Hussy products left my skin feeling amazing ! I'll definitely be stocking up on this product! Also for the bath, I took my Barnyard Vix~Hen Shaving Cream in One Night With A Rodeo Clown scent (VS type) ~ I will NEVER use drugstore shaving cream again ! A little goes a long way with this shaving cream & the razor just glides right over your skin (woohoo, no razor cuts!). So, out of the tub, gulped down the rest of my wine (no, not the whole bottle, just the glass I was drinking!) & grabbed the jar of Cream Of The Crop in O.K. Corral Me scent (reminds me of VS Lovespell). I slathered it on from head to toe & once again ~ I LOVE this product !! Again, this product absorbs quickly into the skin & No greasy feeling ! So thick & silky smooth. A quick spritz with some Iowanna Smell Pretty Hair & Body Mist in Prairie Princess scent (LOVE this scent). My daughter used the Sissy's Silo~tion in I.O.U. 2 scent & loved it (I don't think I'll be getting that back). My daughters' friend grabbed the Udderly Tickled Hand Lotion in Cud Budget scent (Bamboo & Sugar Cane). She loved it so much it disappeared (I'm pretty sure it relocated to her purse as she was headed upstairs). As I was looking at all the teriffic products, I wanted to put the Bath Butter For My Biscuit aside for the next nights bath, but couldn't find it....hmmm. Yesterday morning, my daughter came down stairs & said "Hey mom, I loved that little bath cookie thing, it smelled great". Guess I know why i couldn't find it !
So, you want to know what you can win, right? Here are the pictures that Julie emailed to me of the gift package you'll receive (cows not included)! Gift package includes:
2 oz. Udderly Tickled Hand Lotion
2 oz. Sissy's Silo~tion
2 oz. Devine Bovine Butyere
2 oz. Whipped Soy Glace
4 oz. Cream of the Crop
Farm Hussy Mini Bath Bucket with loofah, sponge & brush
Hussy Bucks Coupons & Candy

WOW !!

So, here's how you can win this great set:

PLEASE make sure I have a way to get in touch with you if you win ! If your email is not available on your blog or you don't have a blog, please leave it in your comments!

First (This one MUST be done for extra entries to count)~ visit the Farm Hussy website & tell me in a comment on THIS post a product you'd like to try, a scent you think you'd like or something that made you laugh! You'll get two (2) entries for that.

Extra entries:

Blog about this giveaway & leave me a comment here with the link to your post for five (5) extra entries

Follow my blog for two (2) extra entries (leave me a comment to let me know you follow ~ must be done publicly since I'll be checking)

Tweet about the giveaway & leave me a comment with your twitter name for another three (3) entries

If you make a purchase from Farm Hussy during this giveaway, leave me a comment to let me know you did & I'll give you ten (10) more entries ! (Julie is having a Depression Regression Special right now ~ a great gift set for only $10.00 !)

And..... if you come up with some other way to spread the word about this giveaway &

Farm Hussy, leave me a comment & I'll give you three (3) more entries for each thing you do !

Giveaway will end @ 9 pm on March 20th & I'll announce the winner on the 21st !

****IF THE FARM HUSSY LINK IS STILL NOT WORKING YOU CAN GO HERE, HERE OR HERE****

****UPDATE 3/5 ~ If you make a purchse from Farm Hussy during this giveaway & mention that you found them on my Blog ~ Julie will include a FREE 2oz. product of your choice with your order ! She's such a sweetie !****

Ryan's having another GREAT Giveaway !

Click HERE to enter this great giveaway !

Primitive Kountry

Keri over at Primitive Kountry recently sent me some of her Triple Scent Melties to try. They are the cutest layered wax tarts & they smell amazing ! The red is Apple Jack & Peel, the white is French Vanilla & the blue is Blueberry. The scents blend so well togethter as the tart is melting ! One of the cutest things I think Keri makes is the Wax Dipped Toilet Paper Air Freshener ! What a unique way to "freshen" up your bathroom ! If you have some free time, check out Keri's website ~ you'll find LOTS of great smelling things ! She offers $5.00 flat rate shipping & she's having a SALE ~ 22% off your order for the month of March !!

Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom Giveaway !

Click here to enter the WooHoo Box Part Deux giveaway at Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom ! It's a really GREAT giveaway ! The picture is of what's in the box so far !

Join the Comment Response Team

March is Comment Response Month. If you's likt to play along head over here & grab the button.

Make a Commitment to respond a certain number of comments a day. While responding to all comments may not be a reality for many of us, responding to 5 may be a good way to thank our readers.

Kreativ Blogger Award !

Primitive Mom of Two gave me an award today ! It's the Kreativ Blogger Award !

Here are the rules:

List 7 things that you love and then pass the award on to 7 people...tagging them and letting them know they won! You can copy the picture of the award and put it on your sideboard letting the whole wide world know you are KREATIV!

1. My family & friends

2. COFFEE

3. Pens

4. Out of the Box Sampler !

5. A nice hot bath with a glass of wine & a good book

6. ALL my bloggy friends

7. Yummy smelly things (candles, tarts, soaps, etc)

Here's who I'm tagging for this award: (in no particular order)

1.Sheila & Michelle @ 2crazychics

2.Kristin @ a ordinary life

3.Mandy @ auntmannyscreations

4.DiPaola Momma @ chickennuggetsofwisdom

5.Shari @ homespunandprimitives

6.Misty @ m-dcandles (just cuz I know she'll flip ~ lmao)

7.Keri @ primitivekountryhappenings

Ok ~ I'm off to let them know they have an award !

Pumpkin Kountry Marketplace

Here's another Great online business run by two very talented ladies ! An Online Marketplace ! Do you need a great, affordable place to advertise your business ? Just want to do some online shopping ? Head on over to Pumpkin Kountry Marketplace ! They're running a special right now ($3.00 per week to advertise !). Keri & Jodi are GREAT people to work with ! Have a ?, ask away & they respond almost immediately ! They even have a section to advertise your Blog !

Pumpkin Kountry Hosting

If you're looking for a GREAT place to sell your products or services, look no further ! Pumpkin Kountry Hosting is an affordable DIY website host/builder ! It's easy to use (& BIG bonus ~ NO HTML experience needed !) and the ladies that own it are AWESOME ! Pumpkin Kountry Hosting has Full websites & Mini websites , you can use your own graphics or graphics from their site (some are FREE). The Mini sites are only $10.00 per month ! Even the Full sites are a great price ~ only $18.00 per month ! Both include FREE advertising on the Pumpkin Kountry Hosting website ! You can check out a Demo on the site to see how easy it is to build your own website ! Marketing Ad Space is available as well as Ad space for Graphic Designers ! This is a great affordable way to get your products on the web ! Check them out !!

*Stay tuned tomorrow for another great business run by these two very talented ladies !!

(Keri & Jodi)

M-D Candles Giveaway

Misty over at M-D Candles is having a giveaway ! You can win $25.00 worth of products (you get to pick)! So, part of the entry is to get 5 people to follow her blog ~ PLEASE head over & follow Misty & leave a comment letting her know I (Heather) sent you , you'll get 2 extra entries for it !

An Award from Jenn

The Best Blog Daily Thinker Award from Jenn @ The Village Peddler (BTW ~ she's the one that made my blog header for me). Thanks Jenn !! So now I have to pass it on to 10 other deserving bloggers. Here's my list (in no particular order):

1. Christine @ LiveLaughLove

2. Mindy @ HBK and Me

3. Dana @ MagickMoonSoapWurks

4. Yayastuff

5. Sheila @ The Rusty Rooster

6. Keri @ Primitive Kountry Happenings

7. Mamarazzi @ Dandelion Wishes

8. Lynette @ Crazy Mind

9. Michelle @ Out of the Box Sampler

10. Audrey @ Audrey's Country Crafts

There ya have it ~ off to let them know they have an award !

Noticed a drop in Followers ?

Have you noticed a drop in your followers ? There's some kind of glitch going on with Blogger ! If everyone goes to their dashboard & below the list of blogs that you follow, you'll see a "manage" button. Click on that & make sure you are following publicly (alot of follows were changed to annonymous). I just went in & changed all mine ~ so I should now be "following" all the blogs that I was before !

Blog Addiction & Spring Cleaning

Yesterday "The Hubby" accused me of being addicted to the computer, blogs specifically. Duh... what's your point ? He then proceded to tell me everything I "could" be doing instead of reading blogs. I'm well aware of what I could be doing, I just choose to read blogs instead ! Blogging wasn't an issue when he was eating the damn chocolate covered macadamia nuts I won ON A BLOG ! So, in order to keep the peace ~ I started my Spring Cleaning today. I made it as far as my bedroom ~ ha ! Oh well, tomorrow is another day. BTW ~ I made a list today of what "the hubby" could be doing ~lol. At the moment, he's SLEEPING on the couch. I'm pretty sure that was NOT on the list I gave him ! So, here I am in front of "my flickering box" (the computer), reading blogs again ~ lmao !

Followers

Ok ~ so, I'm at 89 followers (well as of right this minute I am ~ it goes up & down). It's really quite sad how excited I get when I turn on the computer in the morning to find a new follower! So, I've decided that as soon as I reach 100 followers I'll have my next giveaway (I've already been shopping for it ~ lol). If you send someone to my blog to follow me ~ you'll each get 2 extra entries when I post my giveaway ! Just have them leave a comment on THIS post letting me know who sent them to my blog !

Hill Billy Kandles Winners !!

First place winner is Diana (10 tarts) & second place winner is Stacie (2 tarts). Emails have been sent to the winners (Diana, I contacted you through your website). Congrats !! Thanks to everyone for entering ! More giveaways coming soon lol, stay tuned !

St. Patty's Giveaway !

http://prayforroy.blogspot.com/2009/02/finallyst-patricks-day-giveaway.html

Ends March 1st !

.....

Well, today I decided to bite the bullet & start the process of going through my grandmothers' belongings. I had cleaned out her house mostly while my mother was still here (right after she passed away in Nov). I thought that going through the things that were in storage would be easier. Boy, was I wrong. So many reminders of the amazing woman she was. I'm pretty sure she saved EVERY card I ever made or bought for her. I found them all today, along with programs from school concerts & things like that. I also found her wedding dress. I can remember her letting me play dress up in it when I was about 10 years old (that's probably the only time in my life the dress actually fit me). So, I've been thinking of what I could do with the dress. No one will be able to wear it, but I'm hoping I can salvage some of the lace, etc & use it to make something for my daughter for when she decides to get married (hopefully not for a long time). I'd also like to make something for my 2 cousins (her other grandaughters) to have when they decide to get married (again, hopefully not for a long time). I found letters from some of my grandmothers old boyfriends from high school & tucked into a little box, I found love letters that my grandfather had written her before they got married. That was as far as I got. After reading the letters, I couldn't go through any more. I sat & cried for a long time & thought of the amazing love they shared & how much I miss them both every day. I guess I'm not really ready to sort through her life yet. It still hurts too much. Everyone tells me it will get easier, but I wonder if it really will. For now, I guess everything will just stay in boxes.

TUPPERWARE WINNER !

Ok ~ here's the winning # for the Tupperware giveaway : 69
So, that means that Sashafras WINS !! I'm off to send an email now ! Thanks to everyone for checking out Donna's Tupperware site & I hope you'll keep her in mind in the future !!

Hill Billy Kandles Review/Giveaway

*ENDED*

I recently came across a great little Etsy shop called Hill Billy Kandles. They have hand poured soy wax candles & tarts that are out of this world. Ya know the saying "good things come in small packages"? Yep, these tarts pack a punch ! I could smell them before I even opened the box. I love the fact that when you order from their shop, your order is freshly made & shipped in 1 day ! There are 42 amazing scents to choose from & the cold scent of the tarts is awesome ! I popped a "Primitive Blessings" tart into my warmer & within 30 minutes my house smelled amazing. I love that smell ~ ya know when you walk into a country/prim store? How they all have that teriffic smell? Now I know what it is ~ Primitive Blessings! As usual when my hubby came in from work ~ he was disappointed to find that there were no baked treats awaiting him. You'd think after almost 20 years with me he'd know that there are ALWAYS tarts melting in my warmer ! So, Hill Billy Kandles generously sent me a pack of tarts to give to my blog readers.

Wanna win some awesome tarts? Yeah, I knew ya did.

FIRST ~ Go to the Hill Billy Kandles Etsy Shop, have a look around, then come on back here & leave me a comment on THIS post telling me a favorite scent or product. This must be done for extra entries to count !

For an extra entry ~ Follow my blog (I heart followers!) & leave a comment to let me know you follow.

If you make a purchase from the Hill Billy Kandles Etsy Shop during the giveaway, leave me a comment here to let me know ~ you'll get 15 extra entries for that !

Giveaway ends on the 19th & I'll choose 2 random winners. The first Prize Winner will get a pack of 10 assorted tarts & the runner up will get a pack of 2 tarts. PLEASE make sure I have a way to get in touch with you if you win ! Good luck !

Balloons For Aiden

Balloons for Aiden

Widget

BALLOON RELEASE

Today is a sad day. Cynthia from Confessions of a Yummy Mummy has to bury her baby boy "Aiden Bug" today. In Aiden's memory ~ many of us will be releasing blue balloons today. If you have an extra minute ~ please join us. If you can't release balloons ~ please say a prayer for Cynthia & her family. My heart aches for this family ~ I cannot even begin to imagine their pain. I just want to let you know, the link in this post takes you directly to the post "Introduction" ~ there IS a picture of Aiden James. If you are offended by this ~ don't click the link. I for one, am honored that Cynthia has chosen to share "the bug" with us here in Blogland. He's a beautiful baby boy & I am so sad for his family. My thoughts & prayers are with Cynthia & her family today & in a little while ~ I'll release 9 balloons (one for each month she carried him with her) & when they have floated away, I'll release 1 more (for he eternity he will spend in her heart). Please join us in remembering "The Bug" today.

Out of the Box Sampler ~ February Box Review

It's Out of the Box Sampler time again !! And a quick shout out to Michelle for the awesome job she does, not only putting the boxes together, but all the promoting she does !

Out of the Box Sampler is my ADDICTION !! It ROCKS !! Keep up the Amazing job Michelle !

These are the Goodies that were packaged outside the box (food items ~ yummy)

This is what the box looked like when I opened it up ~ Look at all the goodies !

Sooo cute Heart shaped sugar cookie from Primitive Baking Inc. Soooo YUMMY !! (I ate this one 1st)

Chocolate dipped pretzel stick from adrienne mason (this months box sponsor). It just screams Valentines Day ! Mmmmm I love white chocolate ! (this company is Veteran owned ~ big bonus in my book)

2 Yummy candies from Karen & Nancy Homemade Goodies ~ my daughter snagged these but she assures me they were delicious ~ lol.

Cute Valentines Day Bag Topper with tootsie rolls (love me some tootsie rools !) from

Pretty Wrapped Up

Rest assured, each & every one of these delicious goodies were quickly devoured (by me) before my children could get their grubby little hands on them. Everything was packaged in a very cute take out box covered in glittery pink fabric (LOVED the packaging). First up was the chocolate covered cherry (sinful), Next was the red velvet cake bite dipped in white chocolate (OMG ~ I need about a 100 of these ~ my hips don't ,but I sure do ~ they are the most delicious piece of heaven). Onto the chocolate cake bite rolled in crushed pretzels (can you say yummy?), then the super creamy lemon candy (sooo good) & last but not least i popped that chocolate dipped fortune cookie into my mouth ( so light & crunchy ~ loved it). This little box of sin is from Vintage Confectiohttp://vintageconfections.etsy.com & I will so be doing some shopping there (diet? what diet?)

SBS Teas ~ One of my favorite companies sent in Chocolate Decadence soap, a chocolate truffle & a heart shaped pressed black tea. I'm always so thrilled to see their samples in the box !

I Big Red Puffy Heart Memories By Olenka ~ this lady is truly talented (my picture does NOT do this justice). This is a 6x6 scrapbook layout & I LOVE it !! (she's such a sweetie too !)

I am a Prim addict ! These super cute cotton candy scented, hand-dipped grubby candles are sooo cute & smell sooo good ! They're from Strawberry Fields Candles.

Anam Cara Candles sent in a cute little butterfly tart in Dreamsicle scent ~ smells yummy !

Oregon Candle Gels ~ Oatmeal, Milk & Honey scented gel tarts. I LOVE gel tarts ! These smell teriffic ~ one is melting in my burner now!

Soy wax tart in "Love You" scent from Country Light Candle Company. Nice size sample & smells great !

WooHoo ~ JUMBO tart from Things That Make Scents in "shot through the heart" scent ! Add another scent to my list of favorites ! + a 30% discount (I'm all about discounts !)

Gingerbread Soap from Country Heart Gifts ~ nice size sample & has a nice sweet/spicy scent !

Cherry Almond scented bath salts from Natural Goodies ~ Yep, you guessed it, another favorite scent!

Groovy Garden Buttermilk & Dead Sea Salt Bath from Chrysler Creek. This is a very generous size sample (not a scent for me so I'll pass it along).

Park Avenue Creations ~ Heart shaped glycerin soap in Sweet Thang scent (nice light scent) & Amber Romance Body Butter (which my darling daughter snatched right out of my hands & proceeded to run up the stairs with ~ it's her favorite scent so I didn't tackle her to the ground to get it back (ummm... it is still Not Me Monday, right? Just kidding, I really didn't)). Everything was packaged in a pretty red organza bag along with a 20% discount!

HUGE Vanilla Bean scented Bath Bomb from The Rooster Mill (which I'll be taking upstairs shortly with a glass of wine & a book and heading to a nice hot soak in the tub).

A coupon from Ticklish Moose for $5.00 off a $25.00 purchase

Had to show the packaging ~ Love it ! (Purely-Mine)

And what was inside the packaging ~ 2.5 oz. lotion in lavender mist scent (I think I am the only person on the planet that gets a headache from lavender, so I'll have to pass this one along) & 2.5 oz. of Creamy Bubbles in Girlie Girl scent ~ smells great + free shipping on a $25.00 order

So, there ya have it ~ My February OOTB Sampler (which by the way I had to stay up until midnight to buy, because I was terrified they would be sold out if I went to bed & waited until a normal hour). Until next month.............................